Love so Legendary (A Team Rocket Story)

Chapter two

Ash Ketchum shielded his eyes with his hand, staring at the sun as it rose into the sky over the beautiful region of Kalos. He thought about his greninja and the Zygarde that it was helping. Happy that he was able to make a difference to protect the Pokémon of this region, he smiled, as a voice from behind him sounded out.

"Pikapi!! Pikapi!!!" Ash looked behind him to find his Pikachu holding his hat and chattering at him.

"Hey, buddy." Ash said, and Pikachu called out at Ash once more before leaping up onto his shoulder and placing his hat on his head sideways. Ash laughed and straightened his cap, as Serena helped Clemont pack up the tents and Bonnie played around with Dedenne on a large boulder nearby.

"So, is today the day that you go off to the airport?" Clemont asked Serena as he zipped up a sleeping bag.

Serena nodded. "I think I'm going to fly to the Hoenn region, to practice my Pokémon performing."

Ash felt a small pang of sadness. There had been a part of him that had hoped that Serena would possibly be going to the alola region, as he was. He had to admit, he was going to miss her. But he couldn't change her mind. He knew as well as she did that if she wanted to become as talented and successful a performer as Aria, she would need to practice. And the Hoenn region would certainly give her opportunities to practice there.

"Hey Clemont, what are we gonna do once Ash and Serena are both on their ways out of the region? Can we go to a different region, too?" Bonnie asked.

Clemont laughed a bit. "I wish we could, Bonnie. But we need to stay in Kalos. Dad wouldn't want us touring the world, plus, I may need to start battling in the Lumiose gym again, at least until Clem-bot can get enough experience to be a tough but fair gym leader, again." Bonnie nodded, and began playing a small game of keepaway with Dedenne with a small treat.

"Could we at least visit them, though? Or write to them?" Bonnie asked.

Packing the rest of her and Bonnie's tent into a bag, Serena smiled and replied, "don't worry, Bonnie. We're gonna be writing and visiting so often, you're gonna get tired of it."

Bonnie giggled and went back to playing with Dedenne. After a few minutes, she paused, her hand just above Dedenne's maximum jumping reach, which led to a rather frustrated Dedenne, as Bonnie looked out towards the forest surrounding them on her left.

"Does anyone hear a sort of mumbling or grunting?" She asked. Zipping up another bag, Serena walked closer to where Bonnie was sitting, before she stopped about two feet from Bonnie, her face dawning with confusion as she began to rub her chin with her finger, clearly thinking.

"I hear something, but it almost sounds like shivering. You know, like the combination of short breaths and teeth chattering. Or maybe as if someone were crying."

Ash looked in the direction of where Serena and Bonnie were looking. Both he and Clemont went completely quiet, and sure enough, he heard a sort of shivering or groaning noise.

Turning to Clemont, Ash asked, "do you think that someone is in trouble?"

Clemont shrugged. "It could be a ghost Pokémon or something trying to trick us. Remember the Espurr in that old creepy house?"

"Eh, it sounds too human to be an Espurr." Serena pointed out. "I think we should check it out. If someone is seriously in trouble, we should get them to the Pokémon center right away."

No sooner had Serena finished her sentence did Pikachu leap off of Ash's shoulder and dart into the bushes, out of sight.

"Pikachu, hang on! Wait for us!!!!" Ash called, dashing after Pikachu with Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont in hot pursuit.

Ash continued through the forest for maybe ten seconds looking for Pikachu, before hearing it cry out from about five feet away, "Pikapi!!! Pikapi!!! Pika, Pikachu!!" It was obviously concerned about something.

Racing the last few steps after Pikachu, Ash tugged some final bushes aside and gasped at what he saw.

Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont caught up with him about three seconds later, and Serena gasped as well, Bonnie let out a "WHA-?!" And Clemont just let out a surprised yelp.

Pikachu was sitting there, but it was the man next to it that surprised all of the heroes.

He was wearing a team rocket outfit, only it was torn at the left knee and both elbows. He had purple hair down to his shoulders, with a few strands in his face. The heroes could see a bleeding cut on the right side of his face, centimeters away from his right eye.

"James?!" Bonnie asked. She looked at Ash. "What's he doing all the way out here?"

"And where are Jessie and Meowth?" Ash asked, looking around. "I haven't seen one without the other two....ever!!!"

James was making shivering noises, almost as if he was cold but also....in pain.

"Do you think that this could be a trap?" Ash asked Serena, looking at her. Serena looked at James with a bit of concern before turning back to Ash and shaking her head.

"As devious as team rocket is, I don't think that this is a trap. I think James is seriously hurt."

Looking up at the sky, Clemont wondered aloud, "do you think he fell from the rocket balloon, or something?"

Walking towards James, Serena said, "it doesn't matter what happened. We need to get him to a Pokémon center. Nurse Joy would know what to do."

Clemont nodded and extended his aipom arm, kneeling so that it was close enough to James to lift him from the ground. As her brother did so, Bonnie added, "Maybe we should also inform Officer Jenny. You know, if James was attacked, she could catch the bad guy."

Serena nodded in agreement as Clemont and Ash each put one of James's arms on their shoulders. Once he was standing up, they got a better look at him.

Mud was caked all over his uniform and his face. He had multiple scratches and cuts all over himself, and multiple tears in his uniform.

"He looks like he's been hit by a Pokémon move!!!" Ash pointed out.

Clemont looked like he was becoming more and more concerned. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was. Given by the fact that he's completely unconscious and the burns on his uniform, we're gonna need a bit more than an awaken and hyper potion."

As Ash and the others slowly made their way out of the forest and towards the nearest city, he couldn't help but wonder:

What had caused James to be in the state he was in? Ash and the others hadn't blasted team rocket anywhere, recently.

And also, where were Jessie and Meowth? Were they in trouble, as well?

So many questions floated around Ash's head as the heroes slowly made their way to the Pokémon center.