Chapter no.319 James's Resolve

[ Team Rocket Base - James' Room ]
[ James POV ]
A sense of dread filled my heart as I gazed upon the picture of my first pokemon, growlie the Growlithe stiched together with the photo is his arranged fiancée, Jessebelle.
I nervously picked up the envelope, turning it over in my hands. The handwriting was unfamiliar and the postmark was from a city I had never heard of. I hesitated for a moment, wondering what could be inside.
Taking a deep breath, I carefully tore open the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. It was a letter, but the words on the page made no sense to me. They were jumbled and incoherent, as if someone had deliberately tried to make it unreadable.
I felt a sense of unease as I read through the letter, trying to decipher the strange and seemingly nonsensical words. There was no signature or return address, and I had no idea who could have sent it to me.
As I read on, a chilling feeling crept over me. The words on the page seemed to be taunting me, as if the sender knew something about me that I didn't.
I quickly folded the letter back up and stuffed it back into the envelope, my heart racing with fear. Who had sent this to me and why? I knew I needed to be cautious and find out who was behind this mysterious letter.
Gazing upon Growlie's picture, I couldn't help but feel tears built up in my eyes as I remembered that horrible night.
...
[ 10 Years Ago ]
Verbena Hills is a small neighbourhood located in the eastern tip of Vermillion City, atop a green hill that faces the sea ahead.
Generally, the residences of Verbena are simple white houses surrounded by lush green gardens that evoke serenity and tranquility. One house, however, stands out from the rest.
On the highest point of the hill, is a luxurious mansion painted in the lightest shade of periwinkle blue that it looks almost white. The gates contained elaborate and intricate designs that are reminiscent of Parisian architecture, which complemented the roses grown on the hedges.
The owners of the house, from what the neighbours saw, was a family of three; a young man with lavender hair and soft green eyes, a young woman with magenta hair and sharp blue eyes; a son who resembled his father.
The family was certainly not snobby, as they were willing to engage in pleasantries with the neighbours, but were certainly quiet since they never really initiated conversations with their neighbours.
.....
" Dad, I can't do this. I don't want to marry someone I don't even know!" A young James around the age of 10 exclaimed to his father.
"It's for your own good, son. This marriage will secure our family's financial future. You need to do your duty and marry who we choose for you."
"But what about my happiness, Dad? What about my own dreams and choices?"
"Your dreams and choices don't matter. This is how things are done in our culture and you will respect and obey us."
"Mom, please help me."
" James, honey, you have now turned 10 years old."
"I turned 10 months ago in March! But what is so special about it?"
"Roseworth tradition dictates that male heirs of the family must marry by the age of 10, lest they lose their inheritance altogether," his mother explained.
"As you know, the reason for this ru-"
"Yes, dear father, I know that this rule came about when my ancestor, Wilhelm the first, needed to protect his inheritance...yaddi yaddi yadda...now it has become a Roseworth tradition, end of story," James cut in before his father began rambling about the strange and political history of his family lineage.
"Excellent, my dear boy!" his father praised. "Why you have grown a little smarter than your old man!"
But only because I was forced to listen to your boring lectures about this topic over and over again, James snarkily thought to himself.
"So because of that, we want you to marry Jessebelle as soon as possible," Jenny Roseworth said.
" But Mom, can't you see how unhappy I am with this?"
"I'm sorry, son. Your father is right. This is the way it has to be. You need to let go of your silly dreams and embrace your future as a husband and provider."
Tears stream down the young James' face as he realizes he has no choice but to succumb to his parents' demands. The pain and fear of being forced into an arranged marriage overwhelmed him. He feels trapped and helpless, unable to escape the fate that has been imposed upon him.
.....
Deep within the empty halls of the Roseworth family mansion, a young boy cried out his frustration into his pillows before he heard a whimper that made him stop as he turned to see his first pokemon, Growlie looking at him in sadness.
James reached out and hugged the fire type as he tried to stop himself from crying.
" D, Don't w,worry, growlie, I, am, fine."
James replied as he felt the warmth from the fire types fur.
" Growlie, I am leaving this place," James stated as he looked at the shocked Growlithe in the eyes and asked," Will you come with me ?"
" Growl !"
" I knew I could count on you."
....
Slowly sneaking out of my room, I slowly tried to appraoch the front door before a voice called out to me that made my heart stop.
" Master James, What are you doing at this ungodly hour ?"
Looking back, I saw my family butler, Hopkins face as he held a candle.
Maybe it was my fear for the worst or just the bad decision I made as a child, I alongside Growlie ran away.
" Master James ! Master James!" Hopkins tried to stop us but we were too fast for the old man.
As I ran through the dimly lit corridors of the old mansion alongside my Growlithe, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. The musty smell of the place filled my nostrils, and I could hear the sound of my own breathing echoing off the walls. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew I had to keep moving.
I turned a corner and came face to face with a dead end. Panic set in as I realized that I was trapped. I frantically searched for a way out, but the walls were solid and there was no door to be found.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, I spotted a small window high above me. It was my only chance. I climbed up onto a nearby shelf with a little help from Growlie and scrambled up to the window, using all my strength to push it open.
The fresh air hit my face as I climbed out into the night.
" Come on, Growlie." I stated as Growlithe prepared to jump before stopping as I heard Hopkins voice.
" Master James, please don't do anything drastic !"
Growlie immediately turned and shot a few balls of fire towards the old butler.
At that moment, I couldn't think of anything but going back to that controlling prison.
I didn't look back as I ran across the lawn with tears in my eyes, I ran like a coward, not even willing to look back.
....
Remembering that fateful night reduced James to tears as he clenched his fists.
This mysterious sender must know something about growlie and this time I am not going to run, I am going to save you buddy.
Flipping the envelope around and seeing the written note from all sides, I tried to find some kind of clue leading back to the sender.
If the sender took some much time to get me this letter inside the team rocket base then he/she must have left a clue for me.
Suddenly glancing back to the photo, James nrowd his eyes before immediately beginning to cut off the stiches off revealing the other side of the photo off hopkins along with an address.
" Come find me, 0001 Cemetery Lane."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[ Omake Paragraph ]
Today, Dratini and its evolutions belong firmly in the realm of fact, not that of myth. With human trainers and intense training, Dragonite are no longer so rare to be thought of as gods, but merely powerful, pseudo-legendary pokemon. And their children, the six-foot long Dratini, are no longer a phantasm to be written off as an oddly colored Ekans or a Vaporeon seen from a distance; today, they are an endangered pokemon of a relatively new (if older than steel or dark) type called dragon, after Dratini's final form.
Their weaknesses have been analyzed, their mystical abilities explained as attacks, and those wishing for a touch of the mysterious in this pokemon must to turn to certain specimens. For instance, Erika of Celadon City is said to have a Dratini (why a grass-type trainer in Celadon City has a Dratini is not explained) with a special resistance to the attacks of unevolved pokemon. There is said to be a Dratini in the Safari Zone which lends a strange power to Magikarp across Kanto, enabling them to evolve into Gyarados; perhaps a farfetched tale but there is an undeniable resemblance. A Dratini in the Dragon's Den is said to have fathered the Dragonair and Dragonite trained by Clair of Blackthorn and Lance of the Elite Four, but refused to evolve so that it could maintain eternal youth.
Most Dratini trainers, however, must content themselves with a pokemon no longer deemed magical. This is a less difficult task than it sounds, for although their aura of mystery has faded, their power, rarity, and majesty have not. Before, they were a spirit who could never be captured: now, they are among the most prized of rare pokemon. Much has changed for this pokemon, but it has not changed for the worse.