Chapter 69: Travelling Together

Many days had passed since he left Pewter. His routine now included making good on his promises by calling Delia, Jenny and his Mother on alternating days. Despite it being a hassle at first to remember, he found that after the calls, he had a lot more motivation in his step.

Ark was running down the dirt path, Sylph at his side using her teleportation to travel small distances.

He had decided that he may as well use the time when he is on the move to train his own stamina as well as Sylphs minute control over her precise teleports.

At the moment, Ark was heading down Route 3, on his way to Mt. Moon. Ark was not too concerned about Mt. Moon as it was the home of many Rock types, thus Shellder had a natural advantage against them. However, he was quite curious as to what types of Pokemon he could find in the area that held the moon stone.

From his prior observations, he confirmed that it was extremely rare for Pokemon outside their generation to live within Kanto, thus he knew that there was a limit as to what he may see.

After a few more hours of running, Ark finally arrived at Mt. Moon. His eyes widened in awe as he saw the size of the mountain in front of him. As he was used to the forest scenery, it was truly a refreshing experience to see such a magnificent rock formation.

"Sylph, that's enough for today. Have a rest"

Sylph nodded before walking up to Arks leg and hugging it tightly. After a short hug, Ark called her back into the pokeball.

"Now then, how much time until dark?"

Looking up at the sky, Ark noticed that it was approaching dusk. His face distorted unpleasantly.

"That sucks. I would rather not run through a huge cave system at night"

Although he would not be affected too much, it mean't that he would have less chance of being helped if he got lost or injured as anyone with common sense would not go cave diving during the night.

As a result, Ark decided to camp out for the night.

After cooking and cleaning, Ark withdrew his Pokemon back into their balls and sat down by the fire. Something about sitting alone watching a fire, helped clear his mind, allowing him to think clearly about the future.

The moon quickly approached the peak of its cycle, signalling time for Ark to start preparing for sleep. As he went to enter the tent, he heard a faint rustling from the bushes in front of him.

Immediately, Arks vigilance increased tenfold. using the footwork he had been practicing, Ark rapidly sprinted towards the bush. Apparently startled by Arks unexpected movements, the being behind the bush stumbled causing many sticks to snap.

Certain that it had only just started watching him, Ark pushed open the bush. As he did, a surprise awaited him.

A familiar lady with a notorious crop top, sat sprawled on the ground. Her clothes were covered in dirt and her skin seemed to be riddled with scratches.

"Right, so this is a thing"

Ark unintentionally spoke out. The lady turned back to Ark and squinted her eyes in the darkness.

"Wait... I recognise you!"

She jumped up to her feet and pointed to Ark in an animated fashion.

"You were spying on me, but didn't know who I was? Are you a pervert?"

Jessies arm went limp as she heard Arks response.

"No! I saw a light and was waiting to see who it was, but then you charged at me and now we're here"

Ark chuckled at her explanation. It seemed his charge had scared her more than he was at the thought of someone watching him.

"Alright, alright, so why are you here alone? Usually you're with the other two Rocket Members right?"

"Hah! You think I would tell you about our plans? Not a chance!"

Ark shook his head as he scanned her body. He could not feel anyone within his senses, meaning Jessie was likely separated from them.

"You're lost right?"

Jessie froze. It seemed Ark had hit the nail on the head.

"Ugggh, that's right! Those twerps sent us blasting off in different directions. I mean how rude can you get!"

A wry smile floated to his lips as he thought about the fact that she was more annoyed about being sent separated than she was about being blasted off in general.

"I see, well that's what happens when you attack people randomly I guess. Besides that, what's your plan now?"

Jessie stopped her animated rage before going into deep thought. After a couple of seconds, she looked up and spoke to Ark, full of confidence.

"I have no clue"

Ark nearly dropped to the ground at the ridiculous act. The only way Ark could describe her was eccentric, yet no matter how odd she acted, Ark seemed to find it charming.

"Well, if you have no plan right now, would you like to camp out with me? I have some leftovers and a spare sleeping bag"

Jessie looked at Ark with reluctance but eventually nodded her head.

Guiding Jessie back to the camp, he handed her some leftovers he had saved for the next day.

"How about a wash?"

Jessie looked at ark with an incredulous expression on her face.

"A wash? Out in the open, with you around?"

Ark quickly corrected his sentence, afraid Jessie may start labelling him.

"Not in the open! I have a tent that I use for that, I can quickly set it up while you sort out your sleeping bag"

Jessie agreed after hearing this, thus the night went on with the two getting to know each other. It was an opportunity Ark welcomed with open arms.

The sun crested the horizon whilst Ark was outside training. As per usual, Ark was doing his early morning training with his Pokemon. Since Ark left Pewter City, he had increased the difficulty of his training in order to prepare for the Cerulean gym. Due to this, his body was covered in sweat as he continued punching the sack full of sand hanging from the tree. In Pewter, he had tried to find a punching bag in the stores, however it seems novel items such as those are only really sold in larger cities.

As Ark was training, the tent door opened up revealing a sleepy looking Jessie. Her current appearance sent shivers down Arks spine as he watched her slowly make her way over to him. Since her other clothes were dirty, Jessie had slept in one of Arks t-shirts as well as a pair of tight shorts she had spare. Due to her just waking up, the slightly too big t-shirt had slid down her shoulder, revealing a deep cleavage.

"Good morning"

Jessie said after yawning and stretching. Luckily that had fixed her wardrobe malfunction, allowing Ark to answer in a somewhat natural tone.

"Good morning Jessie, did you rest well?"

Jessie nodded, a bright smile on her face.

"It was the best sleep I have had in months! Finally, I wasn't sleeping on the floor or resting up against a rock"

Concern flashed across Arks face as he heard Jessies words.

"You sleep on the floor, as in without a sleeping bag?"

Jessie nodded solemnly.

"Ahhh, you Team Rocket Members truly amaze me. Anyways, go wash yourself up and I will prepare breakfast."

Jessie, Ark and their Pokemon sat and ate Breakfast before they started to pack up camp.

"So, Jessie, what's your plan now?"

Jessie looked down once more in deep thought.

"I think the other two will head for Cerulean following those twerps, so I should probably head there"

Hearing this, Ark smiled warmly at her as he picked up the tidied tent and put it into his backpack.

"It seems we will be travelling together for a while, best regards Jessie"

Startled at Arks words, she looked at him with a blank expression.

"You mean travel with me?"

She questioned in disbelief.

"Well, only if you want to"

Jessies expression brightened instantly.

"Of course! I shall allow you to travel with me, be thankful you get to accompany me all the way to Cerulean."

Ark smiled wryly at the sudden change in expressions. He knew that this would be one of the most interesting trips he had ever taken.