The Starr Trainer - A Poke-Fan Fiction

Falling for Love

James fell asleep on a chair beside the hospital bed, Dragonair in a tight coil in his lap. Security guards surrounded the building and stood outside her door to ensure her safety. James brought her to the Cyllage Hospital hours ago, and they were still draining vasts amounts of poison from her bloodstream. Her arm was in a cast, her stomach was stitched up from multiple cuts from the Ryhorn attack. His heart wept at the sight of her, and all of this was Team Rocket's doing. James knew that Jesse did what she could to help him save her, and Meowth fed her a variety of elixirs as he could, but his boss tortured her. Despite Team Rocket always being his home he couldn't understand how he was expected to forget and forgive. 

"Belle?" James peered through closed eyes to see an older man taking a seat beside her in his bed. "Your mother and I have been taking good care of your pokemon. I see your friend over here has been caring for Dragonair as well. I know you expected things to go differently once you started your journey again. I know you worked so hard to train to become the best you could be. The expectations you hold for yourself to show your pokemon that they can share their strength and weaknesses with you. Now, you must let them do the same in return. Once you're healed, you must take faith in your pokemon.

James shifted pretending to be waking up. He sat up straight in the chair and acted surprised to see the man, who obviously was Belle's father. The man smiled. "Hey there. I'm Professor Starr, Belle's father. I hear that you've been taking good care of Belle and her Dragonair, I want to thank you."

"Belle came to my aid several times. I'm just trying to repay the favor. I'm James, by the way."

"Oh yes, I heard your name come up in her last call with her mother. You do have nice eyes son." James blushed, realizing Belle must've been telling her mother about him. "She's a special girl. I should've known that her talents were too bright to go unnoticed."

"I haven't known Belle long. I heard it was her training abilities that got their attention? What does she do exactly?"

"There's a connection. Belle has a way of connecting with whatever pokemon she's training with. She embraces the circumstances and feelings of their attacks and the attacks they receive. She runs alongside them and practices their movements with them. Belle doesn't just tell them what to do, she shows them by demonstration. Belle's first and only league she participated in came forth and she went on with two pokemon. Then she took over three years to train. She told everyone that when she competed next that she wouldn't lose. Belle got her first badge with Charizard alone. She has the potential to be the best trainer to exist, or as she always says."

"The first Dragon Pokemon Master," James and Professor Starr said in unison.

"Exactly," the Professor chuckled. "When I talked to her last she told me she kept encountering people who she enjoyed being around, but that they kept her from training. But, I'm glad she has been. She's so hard on herself and has been secluded much of her life. I want this journey to be more than a victory for her, but this," he sighed looking at Belle in her condition. "Well, this just makes no sense. Why would he torture her this way?"

"I don't know," James's voice a whisper. "He's a monster."

"Yeah, that he is. Well, I'm going to go to my hotel nearby. You should get some real rest, James."

"It's okay. I want to be here when she wakes up."

"I can see why my daughter is so fond of you. She's called home a couple of times, kept talking about this guy James she met. She told us about Ash and the others too, but it's something different when you watch your daughter falling for someone for her first time." James blushed. "I take it by you sitting here that you may be fond of her too, hm?"

"Yes, sir," James's eyes darted away. "But she deserves a better man than I could ever be."

"A better man than the one who risked everything to save her? I'm not so sure, James." James played with his fingers. "Well, I'm off to bed. Have a good night, James."

"You too, Professor Starr."