Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except the stuff I make up. I would make a wittier disclaimer but I�m too lazy.

Summary: It�s on the first chapter�

Author�s Notes: Well, at least I�m getting reviews. ^_^ Somebody said Ash wouldn�t help someone if they presented him with such a dilemma� well, I tried to explain why he agreed in the last chapter, but I will try to do so AGAIN in a later chapter. This one is going to be more about Jessie, James and Meowth. After all, they ARE my favorite. =) I want to say a big thank you to all of my reviewers, especially, to AC_Ishida (because this fic is mostly her idea) and Mystique_Meowth. Both are my beta readers, and have been very supportive. Thanks!

Remember now�

� � means normal speaking

� � means thoughts

and < > means subconscious speaking



~*Forget Me Not*~

By now Ash had all but forgotten about Misty and Brock, who were walking up ahead and glancing back at him from time to time. He was absorbed in his own thoughts, and every once in a while, the girl�s voice would pop in and say something. Ash was still irritated at her for sticking around and bothering him, but slowly he was opening up to her. It could be added here that this was by no fault of his own. She had chosen him for this quality, knowing full well it would only be a matter of time before she could worm her way into his thought process and change it.

�So,� Ash thought. �Do you have a name?�



�Really? I thought everyone has a name,� Ash said to her.



�OK. How about �Loser�?� Ash�s immaturity flared up and he laughed a little, causing Misty and Brock to turn around. Ash didn�t see them, however, and kept to himself.

Her voice sounded a little more drawn out. She was honestly getting tired of him, but she knew he was the one. If she was going to pull any of her revenge off, it was going to be with him. She just wanted to hurry up and take him over, because she couldn�t take much more of this.

Ash stopped smiling and looked back down at the ground. His joke has been deflated. He folded his arms. �I was just kidding.�



�Yes,� he muttered inwardly. �But I�ve never met anyone without a name. What do you want to be called?�



Ash looked up, thinking. His pride was still sore from the lack of amusement from his loser joke. And he had thought it was funny, too. �Lu?� He wanted to remember it somehow.



�Well if you don�t like it, then you pick.�



�I hate that name.�

She paused for a while.

Ash was getting bored of this. �I guess.�



�Fine.�

~*~

�What do you think is wrong with him, Brock?� asked Misty worriedly. �I�ve never known Ash to act like this before.�

�I�m sure he�s just thinking about something,� Brock said, not too sure either. He didn�t want to say anything that would worry Misty further, so he tried to dismiss the topic. �What do you want to do when we get to town?�

Misty was silent for a moment, wondering if she should keep prodding Brock about Ash�s behavior or change the subject. She decided to change the subject, because worrying never did anyone any good. �I heard they have a nice aquarium there,� she offered, attempting to sound excited.

�Maybe they�ll have an exhibit about how to be a good water pokemon breeder,� said Brock. �And I bet those aquarium girls spend a lot of time at the beach!� At once Brock was lost in his own little world full of sun, sand, and perfectly tanned girls in bikinis. Misty sighed.

~*~

As the younger group passed by a clump of bushes, they remained oblivious to the fact that they were actually walking very close to where Jessie, James, and Meowth were camped. The small clearing was dark and overgrown, but this didn�t bother the trio who were sitting on a log and halfheartedly watching a little fire they had made slowly burn.

�So, what�s the plan for tomorrow?� James asked, trying to break the dreary mood. Meowth glanced up at him, but Jessie kept her eyes fixed on the flames.

�I guess we�re gonna try n� steal dat pikachu again.� Meowth leaped off the log and started walking out into the forest.

�Where are you going?� said James.

�I�m just gonna take a walk. You don�t have ta wait up, Jim.� With that, the cat vanished into the brush.

James folded his arms. �I�m not that bad company,� he pouted. He turned to Jessie. �So what does Meowth do on those walks?� he wondered aloud.

�I don�t know,� she replied. �Maybe we should follow him one of these days and find out.�

James flashed a grin, signaling his approval of her idea. Silence settled over them once more, and James grew uncomfortable. �So what do you want to do tomorrow?� he attempted again.

�I guess we�ll do what Meowth said.�

�I don�t want to blast off again,� James whined. �I landed on a rock or something last time.�

Jessie looked annoyed. �We wouldn�t have had to lose if you hadn�t messed things up.� She crossed her legs and waited for James to answer.

�Hey!� came his indignant response. �We would�ve lost anyway. I didn�t do anything wrong.�

�Yes you did!� she snapped. �Don�t you remember? First you forgot the shovels so we couldn�t dig a hole, and then you forgot the net we were going to catch pikachu in, and then�� Jessie was raising a finger for every complaint, �you still don�t get around to training that plant of yours! It�s useless! We�ll never win!�

With that, Wobbufet came out of its pokeball and saluted. �Wobb!� it cried, and Jessie grew even more annoyed.

�Get back in your pokeball!� she commanded, and it obeyed. Then it was just her and James again, and this time, the tension was palpable.

�It�s not my fault,� said James after a while. �You can�t blame me because we never win. Sometimes it�s your fault too.� He looked at her sadly, wanting this fight to end, but at the same time needing to defend himself.

Jessie glared daggers at him. �Then you tell me how I could have changed the fact that we lost,� she said lightly. �Go on, I gave you my reasons, now you give me yours.�

James just looked down. He thought this had gone far enough, and didn�t want to anger her further. He wished he had just kept his mouth shut from the beginning.

Jessie was still waiting for an answer, but when she got a look at James�s hurt expression, she stopped. Why had she just snapped at him like that? He hadn�t done anything. She felt guilty. But, she reasoned, everyone has to vent on someone. Then she looked down. Why didn�t James vent on people too? Was it just her?

�I�m sorry, Jessie.�

The words tore at Jessie, and she stood up. James looked alarmed. �Where�?� he managed to say, but she cut him off.

�I�m taking a walk.� She was starting to understand Meowth�s mentality. Maybe it would help her sort out a few things.

James put his hand on her arm. �No! Jessie, don�t leave. I didn�t mean to make you mad, really!�

Jessie stared down at him, and then back ahead. �It�s not you. Just let me go.� His hand reluctantly fell away. She knew she should have been a little more comforting, but it just wasn�t in her personality to do so. She wouldn�t have known where to start.

James watched her with scared eyes she walked stiffly out of the clearing. After she was gone, he slumped back down and put his face in his hands. Why couldn�t he get anything right? Now he was alone.

~*~

Misty was about to enter the huge aquarium. It had a very futuristic design, fashioned like a dome. She smiled, hoping they had a dragonair in there. She thought those were so pretty, and she hadn�t seen one in ages.

In the background of her water pokemon fantasy, she could hear Brock bothering some poor girl who was cursed with a pretty face. Would you be my girlfriend, he was saying. I think you�re the prettiest girl I�ve ever seen. There�s a movie I wanted to see� hey! Where are you going? Come on, give me a chance!

She snapped back into reality and stomped over to the stricken boy, grabbing onto his ear and hauling him away from such a public place, where he was humiliating both of them. Then a thought came to her. �Where�s Ash?� she asked.

Brock looked around. �I don�t know. Maybe he had some errands to run?�

�It�s not like him to walk off without a word like that.� She noticed pikachu was at her feet. �And without pikachu!�

Brock nodded. �That is strange.�

She knelt down �Do you know where Ash went, pikachu?� she asked. The rodent shook its head.

�Chaa��

Misty stood up. �Something odd is going on with Ash,� she declared. �He�s been acting weird lately and I want to get to the bottom of it!�

~*~



�No.�

The newly named Lucille had been asking Ash the same question since she had persuaded him to stray off him his friends.

�First tell me where that rare pokemon is. You said you saw one around here!� he thought impatiently.

If she had had eyes, she would have rolled them. If he still couldn�t figure out she had been lying, then he must have been denser than she had previously thought. All she could do now was wait for a random ray of intelligence to shine through and restore her faith in him.

Then again, maybe this was a blessing in disguise. She could defiantly pull off more cunning stunts without getting caught, if she was in this body. Who would suspect a boy who had the IQ of a rock? At first she wanted to use him because of his good heart, but now things were looking even brighter. No one would stop her at this rate.

But she was running into problems.



�I don�t understand why you want to use my body,� Ash said to her as he pushed a bush to the side, half expecting to see a new, rare pokemon underneath. There wasn�t, and he sighed.



Ash paused. �And then you won�t ask me anymore?� he asked.



How she hated that. Getting into his mind was like running into a brick wall. For some reason, he wouldn�t yield. She was aware of his slow deliberation.

�Well� I guess it can�t hurt, if you only stay for a minute��

She seized her chance.

Ash was overtook by a blinding light, and then abrupt darkness. He felt like he was falling, and he could hear his own heart pounding harder and harder all around him. Next he was aware of someone chuckling, and then all out racking themselves with some insane laughter. But� it sounded as if he was in a box and all this was going on somewhere outside.

he said to the darkness all around him.

Lucille put a hand to her new face, and then reached up and trailed the rim of her cap with her fingers. She looked around, and then down at herself. She was wearing jeans, gloves, some sort of vest�

Ash�s voice was small and afraid.

�No, dear.� Her voice was that of a young boy. Ash�s voice. �I want to stay like this for just a little while longer.�



�I don�t know yet.� She was talking out loud, not caring what anyone thought of her. It wasn�t like this body was hers. Ash would just have to face the repercussions of all this.

She reconsidered. Now, Ash�s repercussions were also hers. If someone thought he was crazy for talking to himself, she might not get away with anything she tried. With that in her mind, she reverted back to thought.

�You might as well get used to the situation at hand, my dear.� She began walking out of the forest.



�Back to the center,� she replied.



�To see if I can remember.�

~*~

Jessie didn�t really know where she was going, but she kept trudging on anyway. In truth, although she would have never admitted it, she was mentally going through scenarios in which she could apologize to James without sounding too soft. She still felt angry with herself over what she had done, although she didn�t know why. On a normal day, she would have dismissed this without a second thought.

Now she thought of James�s expression from earlier, and his apology. Had she really been that out of line?

After a while, she could make out a building, and, upon closer inspection, she discovered it was a pokemon center. Ignoring the prickling sensation behind her eyes, she hurried towards it. Jessie normally never went anywhere like this, but she wanted to rest for a few minutes before heading back.

And once she got there, even if she had to shake him awake and scream it in his ear, she would say she was sorry to James.

Jessie walked in and noticed the Joy at the reception was giving her an uneasy look. A few trainers turned and looked at her. She felt embarrassed for a split second, before shooting malicious glances back at them, and holding her head up in a confident way. But all she really wanted to do was be alone, so she wouldn�t have to deal with anyone. She approached a door to a dark room. Curious, she opened it and walked in. No one seemed to be around. Jessie sighed thankfully and flipped on the lights.

Washing machines everywhere.

She turned the lights back off. The light streaming in from a small window softly illuminated a small place. Jessie wandered over there, and sat down, brooding. What if James decided to leave while she was gone? She banished the thought, too afraid of it to deal with it properly. Her eyes began to burn. She felt ridiculous, and tried to summon any other emotion to cancel out what she was feeling now.

So intent was she that she never heard the door slowly creak open and let a shadowy figure slip in.

~*~

to be continued