Rocketshipping Fanfic

Part One

The waves crashed gently against the sides of the boat, the wood creaking as they swayed in the ocean. The horizons were clear, empty of all life, not even a bird or a stray flying Pokémon dared to come out this far.

But they had.

"Jessie...?" the cautious-spoken word broke the stillness.

Out from under an old and stained blanket appeared a long red-haired woman. "What now?"

"Remind me why we're out here...?"

She froze, a furious fire burning deep in her blue eyes. "AGAIN?!"

At Jessie's feet, peering from under the blanket, were two large glinting eyes. Then came two ears. Then a golden charm. And then finally, the cat Pokémon stood between the red-haired woman and blue-haired man. Meowth's eyes flicked back and forth. "Come on you two."

Jessie wrapped the stained blanket around herself, her eyes closing as the exhaustion took over. "Hmm..."

The blue-haired man, James, blinked in surprise. "Are you okay, Jessie?" She rarely stopped halfway through a rage without at least someone getting hurt.

"How long have we been out here?" she asked.

Meowth licked his paw and turned to the side of the boat, looking at lines he had carved into the wood with his claws. "'Bout three weeks."

The trio sighed.

Jessie's eyes opened and glanced down at herself. She screamed and, throwing the blanket at James, stood up quickly, causing the boat to rock, water splashing over the sides.

James reached up to take the blanket off his head, his eyes watching the disgusted woman, her hands brushing off dust.

"How DARE you give me something like that?! It's filthy!"

Meowth turned, holding his paws up high. "What else is there, Jessie?"

Frustration flashed across her face but she seemed to realize the futility of her argument as she sighed and settled back down on the floor of the boat.

"Jessie?" James said softly.

"What?!"

"Are you okay?" he asked his question again.

She looked up, her expression unfathomable as her eyes stared through him. "I'm perfectly fine." And with that she closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself and sunk further into the bottom of the boat.

James opened his mouth to speak again but Meowth lightly touched his knee, shaking his head. "She's just tired, James." He whispered.

James nodded and turned away, looking at the distant horizon. He held onto the blanket Jessie had thrown at him, quietly listening to the sound of the sea lapping against the boat, the creaking of the wood, the ruffling of his clothes in the breeze, and the sound of Jessie's light breathing.

She didn't look okay, James thought. Though he doubted he looked okay. They had been out here for three weeks with little food or fresh water. He touched his hair with his fingertips, cringing at the clumps and knots, the coarse salt on his flesh causing a shiver to run down his spine.

Jessie's breathing got deeper, slower. He looked at her, her sides moving at she slept. She looked weak, exhausted but she wouldn't ever say so.

He glanced around for Meowth and discovered that he had crawled back under his blanket, hiding from the cruel sea air. Those two slept, hoping that when they woke up land would be in sight. James stayed awake. He felt like he should be the one to look out for them, to keep his eye out, to watch the horizon and hope their prayers were answered.

A few more days passed and Jessie was getting worse. She slept most of the time and when she was awake, she barely moved. Meowth had started to curl up beside him and she ignored him, saying his presence was an annoyance to her.

Then one day, James realized that something had to be done when Jessie slowly wrapped her arm around the cat Pokémon, bringing him closer to her chest.

He had stared at the sight of the two, both of them falling back to sleep, taking comfort in each other's warmth. James held the blanket tighter around his shoulders. Damn it. There was nothing he could do.

That night, James gazed up at the stars, listening to the quiet which was so unsettling. The water was so dark yet the surface sparkled, reflecting the immense beauty of the sky. James was so memorised that when a strange flickering light in the distance appeared he didn't notice it at first.

His entire body froze. Was this it? Was it what he thought it was?

The light was flashing, bright across the darkness, disappearing and then reappearing, a torch shining their way.

A lighthouse.

He rose, his head spinning as he did, his legs giving way so he ended up collapsed beside Jessie who woke up with a start. "James?! What are you doing?"

"It's-It's-

"Spit it out."

"It's a lighthouse!" A grin spread across his face. "We've found land, Jessie – Land!"

For a moment, there was silence, the lapping water and their breathing the only sounds that broke it. Then - "Really?"

Her voice was vulnerable, almost like she was near to tears.

He blindly lifted his hand in the darkness until his fingers touched her face, her skin, soft and gentle despite the harshness of the ocean, against his own. "Yeah, really."

Jessie leaned into his hand and they remained like that, content, for a minute or two, until Meowth yawned, standing between the two. "What's goin' on?"

"It's land, Meowth."

Meowth rushed to the side of the boat, his claws digging into the wood as he looked out. He saw the light, his eyes glinting in the night. "Finally…"

After they had come closer to land, the flashing light above them in the sky, James reached into the bottom of the boat and retrieved a single flare. They had saved it for a moment like this.

He snapped it on his knee, his arms too weak for them to do it on their own and raised it high above his head, waving, hoping the red glow would be visible from the shore. Please, someone…

A single point of light, a movement, a shining beacon of hope. Incoming. James bent down, his hand on Jessie's shoulder. "Someone's coming – a boat is coming!"

He could sense her smile, her relief.

Minutes passed and the boat came into view, emerging from the night, a figure standing on the bow, a voice shouting.

James yelled back, the flare dark in his hand yet he continued to wave it. The boat moved towards them, the light blinding as it turned to them, a figure leaned forwards, a hand reached out.

"Take Jessie," James said. He lifted her, wrapping his arms around her and the figure carefully took her from him. To his surprise, she offered no resistance, her head resting against his chest as he held onto her, and didn't utter a word of complaint as the stranger lifted her away.

Meowth was next, the Pokémon jumping out of the figure's arms as soon as he reached the other boat.

"Come on, pal." The voice said, the hand reaching out towards him. It was a strong hand, the fingers calloused, the nails smooth and clean. "Come on."

James tried to take the hand but the world twisted, the darkness swallowing him, his sight fading away. He tried to take a step forwards, but couldn't, falling, collapsing, the small boat rocking violently.

Thank God….Jessie was safe…she was safe now. Everything would be okay now.

And then the world fell away, leaving him behind.