Matters Of The Heart

A/N: Alright, my new FirebirdShipping fic (or at least the start of it) is up! This time, I have a better story to work with than what I had in mind for my previous attempt. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. But I think we all knew that.

Chapter 1: From This Moment On

"It's bad enough to risk one's liberties, but human lives? Do you have any idea how bad you made Team Rocket look? How bad you made me look?!"

"N-No, Boss, but I swear, what happened in those mines was not my fault!"

"Oh, really? Then why is it that there's just one clown standing in my office instead of the usual three?"

"It was an unfortunate accident, the circumstances of which were beyond my control. There was nothing I could've done to save Jessie or Meowth."

"So let me get this straight. The three of you bozos go down into those abandoned mines on the belief of some all-powerful gem, and in attempting to harvest that gemstone, riled the resident creatures into a frenzy that triggered a collapse, and that against all odds, you were the sole survivor, the only one to make it out alive?"

"Yes."

"How very interesting…Tell me, how is it that you made it out alive, and yet your teammates weren't so lucky?"

"I don't know."

"Ah, but I think you do know. I happen to think that you abandoned your partners and left them to their deaths."

"No! I would never leave my best friends alone to die in the dark!"

"It just doesn't make much sense to me. You supposedly faced the same perils, and yet, you're alive and your companions aren't. Are you telling me it's simple coincidence that kept your own life intact?"

"I don't know how else to put it, unless you want to hear about the higher powers that be."

"No, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear about any guardian angels or any of that other nonsense. No, this does not make sense to me at all. I'm still convinced that the only way you could've survived a tragedy like that is to have abandoned your teammates."

"That's not what happened! When the ceiling of the main cavern start caving in, we abandoned our efforts to claim our prize in the hopes of making our escape. We didn't quite reach the first passage when a boulder squashed Meowth. The sight was unpleasant, but it was obvious there was nothing we could've done about it. Besides, the tunnels themselves were closing up with fallen rock, and we had to get out. We were nearing the exit when a wild Golem tried blasting its way out, and the resulting explosion sent jagged rocks flying through the air. Some of those cut Jessie's leg up badly, and seconds later, a boulder shifted onto her other leg. I tried freeing her, but she told me to stop. She told me to go on, that it would be pointless for all of us to perish in there. I knew then that there was nothing I could do for her, and it was her dying wish that I make my way out. I made it to the outside world just before the main entrance tunnel collapsed completely."

"An unlikely story. Hmm…I'm still not thoroughly convinced, though, that you didn't leave them behind, that you didn't try absolutely everything possible."

"Dammit, what will make you believe, then?!"

"Watch your tone with me! You're not the one facing difficulties because of this!"

"You think I'm not having a hard time dealing with this, too?! I almost died in there, and I lost two people that I've know more than half my life!!"

"Do you know what it's like to have to quell all the rumors that've been going around lately? Every single person in my employ knows the risks of their job. It's one thing to risk one's liberties. I won't have them thinking they have their lives on the line as well."

"…"

"For nearly a decade, there's really been only one good thing about you three besides your unwavering loyalty to Team Rocket: that if I were to lose any of you, it would be of no great loss to me or my organization. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but I think it would be best if –"

"No! You can't! Everything I am, everything I've been these last ten years, has been intimately tied in with Team Rocket!"

"I'm not cutting you loose. I can't have that. You've been in the organization too long. What I'm trying to do is give you something you can't fail at. Something that won't give you the chance to inflict any more harm to anybody else. I don't know if you're guilty or not in the loss of your two comrades, but this is all I can do to remedy the situation. I expect to see you in my office again Monday morning. We'll finish this discussion then."

That was half an hour ago. Definitely the worst experience he'd had in the boss's office in a long time, and it only added insult to the injury of what happened two days ago. In short, it was a homecoming he'd like to forget. Presently, he thought of his current predicament.

James Thompson. Twenty-nine years old. Ten of those years had been spent in the employ of Team Rocket. Ten wonderful years, and the organization gave him almost everything he ever wanted.

James took off his Team Rocket coat and black gloves. He examined them closely, letting the memories fill his mind. He realized that everything the organization gave to him, he lost. But he was still in Team Rocket. He was sure to get something back…

No. Nothing could ever replace what he lost. Everything died in the mines with his friends. All he had left was his life in the present. The past was the past – there could be no going back. The future was uncertain. One thing he did know about the future, though – there would be no more Team Rocket. As he chucked the garments into a dumpster, he shed himself of the only life he'd know for a decade. It was painful, but it was necessary if he was to move on. From this moment on, he was his own man, in complete control of his own destiny.

But where to begin anew? James pondered this question before realizing that here was not the place. Maybe up north, down south, or even out west, but definitely not here.