"Bad to the Bone ~ The Untold Story"
By: Kally Ketchum
Part One ~ Leaving

Jessie proudly continued to strut down the long path, with the slightly heavy bag containing her prizer thrown over one shoulder.

"Wow….I never knew it would be this easy!" she giggled to herself. "Instead of going after the twerp for his Pikachu, we should’ve been going after his badges…but those two never thought of anything *smart.* like that. I always *knew* I was the brains of the team. Oh, God….what team?! I’m much better off flying solo" Jessie said to herself, sighing happily. Turning her head to the side, she noticed a few trees a small distance away on the grassy roadside, and just beyond them, a small pond. Jessie squinted and lifted a hand to her forehead as she noticed something pink hanging over a branch drifting in the breeze. Giving a few minutes to curiosity, she began to walk toward the tree, and realized it was a very pretty gypsy outfit. She noticed more clothing among it hanging in the tree, then when she got close enough, she saw a young woman about her age washing her clothes in the pond.

<Ooh….this is perfect….a pretty disguise!> She thought. Making sure the girl wasn’t looking, she quickly snatched the costume and darted away, thankful that she could be swift and quiet at the same time. Out of breath, Jessie slipped behind a tree on the other side of the road and put on the outfit over her Team Rocket Uniform. She threw the bag with the box of badges over her shoulder and resumed her long walk down the road.
********
James was thankful that Meowth had finally stepped away from him for a minute to talk to that Samurai-looking trainer Otoshi and his Marowak, giving him a few moments to cry to himself and not pretend to worry about those stupid badges.

"Please…" he sobbed quietly. "Please Jessie….please come back.  I need you…" he quickly got up and scurried behind the basket of the Meowth balloon so no one would see him crying. "Jessie….how could you do this?? Couldn’t you see that I loved…." his sobs overwhelming him, James burried his face into his knees and cried uncontrollably, his whole body shaking almost violently.

"Yer Marowak is telling ya dat it don’t wanna be a Pokemon no more." James heard Meowth say to Otoshi.

"What?!" Otoshi exclaimed. But with the frustrated cries of the Marowak and James’ own loud sobbing and throbbing headache, the rest of the conversation was inaudible. Soon after he heard Otoshi, then Ash and company dash away after the Marowak. James quickly wiped his tears and sniffled heavily before Meowth came around the balloon to talk to him.

"Dat went well…." he said, making a puzzled expression. But James didn’t look at him or respond at all as he faced the other direction and tears continued to fall from his eyes. "Jimmy…..?" Meowth questioned James, tapping his shoulder. James flinched and curled himself up tighter.

"Go away." he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"What’s wrong??" Meowth asked, concerned.

"Nothing! I said go away!" James yelled, pounding the side of the hot air balloon with his fist. Meowth jumped back a little, but refused to let his friend sit here and be upset without him knowing why.

"James, tell me why you’re crying." The cat Pokemon voiced in protest.

"I’m not." James said firmly.

"Yes y’are! Tell me why!" Meowth demanded, trying his best not to raise his voice too much.

"No! I’m not telling you. You’ll laugh at me." James said, wiping away more tears. Meowth took a moment of silence to think, wandering what could possibly be funny enough to make him laugh at a time like this.

"James, you’re upset. Really upset. I’m not leavin ya alone till ya tell me what’s up, and I’m definitely *not* gonna laugh at *anything* right now." There was a bit more silence, then….

"Fine," James said, turning to face Meowth with bloodshot eyes and a tearstreaked face. "You asked for it." he took a deep, shaky breath and looked straight at Meowth. "Meowth….I don’t care about those stupid badges at all. I don’t care about the twerp’s Pikachu, I don’t care if we get fired. All I care about….." he paused. "Is Jessie. I love her. Deeply. I’ve loved her practically forever…but now she’s gone….and she doesn’t even care about us, and she’s never…..coming……back……" James broke off, sobbing hard again. Meowth was speechless.

"Jimmy….." he tried to say. "I…..had no idea." Slowly Meowth walked toward him, and patted his back tentively.

"It’s alright…don’t cry." he said.

"No it’s not. It’s not alright. Jessie’s gone! Jessie, my beautiful partner that I could look at every day and forget about everything that was troubling me, and admire deeply, knowing I’d be able to survive as long as she were by my side, is gone! Jessie, the one I’d go to the ends of the earth for and who I love more than life itself is gone forever!!" Wow. This hit Meowth pretty hard. He never knew that James cared for Jessie so much. Sure, they were always joined at the hip, but he never knew it was true love. But now he understood. He understood that they belonged together, and that he and James had to do something about it.
*******
Jessie sighed wearily as she kept walking on down the road and narrowed her eyes sleepily.

"Now I know what the twerps feel like walking so much every day….uggh…." She had been walking for at least an hour, and despite her exhaustion, she was having wonderful daydreams about battling in the Pokemon league, with a feeling that tomorrow would bring good fortune. But, not matter how she tried, there was one thing she couldn’t banish from her mind: James. She was beginning to worry about him, and was starting to feel a little guilty about lying to him and Meowth.

"Hmmm…….I *am* going to miss them…..no. I can’t be thinking about this now. It’s been one of my lifelong dreams to be in the spotlight, and this is a fabulous opportunity." Still, she couldn’t deny that it was wrong to leave her partner, especially after all they’d been through together….but Jessie couldn’t go back now. Not after all she’d said and done….not to mention how far she’d walked. James would probably be furious at her and probably never want to see her again. She just had to keep going…….

There’s a river of tears I need to cry
Been holding back for years
There’s a mountain so high I need to climb
To Wipe Away the fears.
Solitude and Loneliness
Have been a friend of mine
As I’m turning my back on emptiness
I leave them all behind…..

Who knows just where I’m going?
Does tomorrow belong to me?
Walk away this time
With my head up high
Walk away, just me and myself.
Walk  away with pride
Nothin left to hide
But it just feels right to be one…..
And just walk away……

I could never forget how hard I tried
When we were oh so young…..
Just one tender moment I cannot find
Well maybe I had none….

Although being by herself gave Jessie a  feeling of great independence, she felt slightly unsure of her new-found pride and glory….like she needed something more.

Strength will be by my side
Although I feel afraid
But I know it’s too late for this goodbye
There’s nothing left to say….

Almost as bad as the feeling of regret itself, there was the feeling Jessie had just before she left: guilt. Guilt and sadness. She knew what she was leaving behind, and was on the verge of crying when she saw her partner’s face for the last time.

One day you’ll realize
That the tears you saw in my eyes
Will be there forever……..

TO BE CONTINUED……..