Chapter 8

In the middle of the arena was a single red rose and a note.  Roxanne picked both of them up.

The note read: If you want to see Rokbit again, please join Team Rocket!  We can be the best team together!  James.

Roxanne took the heart shaped badge pinned on her vest.  She opened it.  It was actually a locket with James' picture in it.


"Ha!  That was too easy," commented Meowth as they hid in their wrecked balloon.

"James, why did that girl suddenly turned that rock rabbit on us, and how does she know you?" asked Jesse.

"Yeah!  What was that all about?" chided Meowth.

"Well, if you both must know.  It happened just after I was hired by the boss, and before I was teamed with you two..." began James.


FLASHBACK

James is walking alone in a forest, in his uniform.  The sun was beginning to set and the green forest had an orange hue to it.

"The boss said that I should steal only rare pokemon from anyone!  I just can't find anyone to steal from!"

Suddenly he heard a girl's voice, coming from behind the bushes.  "Finally!  My first successful steal.  In fact, my only steal!  I can prove myself to the boss!"

He parts the bushes and sees a young girl with a statue of a bunny.  "Well, we better go looking for our next match!  If we win again, we can buy ourselves seeds for our garden!" the girl said softly to the rabbit.

James stared at her, his cheeks turning pink.  He began to step towards the girl.  The rabbit heard James footsteps and turned towards James, it stared at him.

"Who are you?" asked the girl.

"I-I-I'm James.  Who are y-you?" he stuttered nervously.

"I'm Roxanne," she introduced herself, and gently patting the stone bunny, said, "this is my Rokbit.  What are you doing here?"

James calmly composed himself.  "I'm just going on my own pokemon journey.  I'm looking for new pokemon to capture," he lied.  "What is an unprotected lady doing out here?  Shouldn't you be at home?"

"I'm just out here training my Rokbit, and as far as I know, you can't catch any around here.  This is one rare pokemon.  As for being at home, I'm an orphan, these woods are my home."

Instead of stealing the pokemon from her, maybe I can get her to join me and give the Rokbit to the boss!  "Why don't you join me on me pokemon journey?"

"Thanks for inviting me, but this place is my home."

"Then I hope you don't mind if I hang around with you for a few days."

"I was just starting on building a new cabin, you know, for the travelers.  I'm almost done, so I guess you could spend the next few days here."

So she led him to a small clearing with two cabins.


That night, they both enjoyed each other's company.  They spent the night talking and Roxanne learned why he ran away from home, because of an arranged marriage that he didn't want.  He especially ran away from his controlling fiancé, Jessebelle.

That day, they were having a picnic together in the clearing.

"Actually, my pokemon journey is my job," said James.

"Oh really?" Roxanne replied curiously.  "What is your job like?"

"I collect pokemon for my employer.  The job pays well, and I would like it if I had a partner."  James took another bite out of his sandwich.

"I am looking for a way to make some money to feed myself and Rokbit here."  She tapped at the pokeball on her belt.  "Actually, I really like you.  I would be happy to be your partner, but let me think about it."  And she began to turn pink in the cheeks.

"I actually like you too!" he confessed.  "And now that we know the truth, I feel much better!"

They both laughed and went on eating.


"I should be leaving now," said James as he began to leave the clearing.  "Have you made up your mind yet?  Because if you don't, here's a picture of me to remember."  James reached into his pocket and pulled out a grey heart pin, and inside was picture of himself.  "This was part of my dowry," he said sheepishly.

"Well, I should get out of this place and travel more," she replied wistfully, taking her present.

"I can tell you how you can get the job.  Just give the boss your Rokbit.  It's extremely rare, and that's all that he wants."

Roxanne was shocked.  "Give away my Rokbit?!  I can't do that, we've been together for a long time!"

James suddenly became nervous.  "You should give it over to the boss!  I could lose my job!"

"Is that your job?  Stealing other people's hard earned pokemon!"

"To tell the truth, yes!"

"Then I won't have any part of this!  And to think that I wanted you for a boyfriend!  Good-bye!"  Roxanne turned away from James and began to walk briskly away from him.

"Koffing, go!" James threw a pokeball and out came a gas ball.  "Smoke screen!" he commanded, and Koffing released a dark green gas.  Roxanne couldn't see what was going on around her, and didn't notice that James took Rokbit from her belt.

James and Koffing ran out of the smog and were almost out of the clearing.  Until Roxanne yelled, "Rokbit *cough* go!"  The pokeball in his hand glowed red and out came the bunny pokemon.

"*cough* Rock throw!"

Rokbit turned its back to James and Koffing, and it popped its tail into the air.  A new tail appeared and Rokbit kept popping it up into the air.  It stretched its ears out to catch all the tails.

It bent its ears forward, and like a catapult, hurled the pile of stones on its ears at James and Koffing.

They were thrown high into the sky and were seen as a bright sparkle.


PRESENT

Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock listened intently.

"That's how I met James," Roxanne ended her story.