NOTE:This is my first FanFic and reviews are greatly appreciated. Arigatou minna!

Roketto-Dan no Ai

-Ch. 1-
Puppy Love

"Ok, once more from the top" I felt my stomach lurch. This was probably the most stupid activity I ever voluntarily participated in.

"But Jesse, can't we stop for a minute? My voice is getting hoarse..." I rubbed my throat and cringed at the thought of yelling our slogan another hundred times. I hoped my attempt to sound complete exhausted would make her lay off me for a while or at least until I caught my breath. It wasn't even noon but the sun was already beating down on my head, and I hadn't eaten breakfast, so needless to say I was feeling a bit queasy after all the forceful shouting and aerobic choreography.

"James this is no time to slack off! Our Team Rocket advancement ceremony is in two hours, you nimrod" Jesse rolled her eyes at me, "And you don't even know your part all the way. It's 'To unite all peoples within our nation'-step, pivot, step, thrust, not 'To unite all people with pagination'-step, thrust, thrust, pivot..." I watched Jessie feebly dance about in the grass outside the Team Rocket dorms. We'd been best friends for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember she has always been this pushy and controlling. But I didn't care. A friend is a friend, right? I pulled my hair back into a low pony-tail and readjusted my sweaty tee-shirt. Jessie was still barking commands at me even though she knew I wasn't listening. How the hell did she expect me to chassé into a back flip while wearing boots? I thought as I cocked my head to the side as she attempted to demonstrate it for me, If she kept carrying on like this, she'd been too pooped to perform our version of the Team Rocket Slogan not to mention she was bound to impale me with her hair.

"...now once more from the top, you lazy boy," I sighed deeply, stood up, and reluctantly crouched into position for a final walkthrough. I had been defeated, again...

I tugged at my new white pants and shirtas I admired myself in the mirror outside inside my dorm room. The fabric was surprisingly comfortable to be so thick and heavy. I noticed that my red, monogrammed 'R' was a little crooked, but no one would hardly notice unless they deliberately stared at my chest. This is the last night I will spend in this dormitory! I thought as I smiled to myself in the mirror. The only thing my new outfit needed was a snazzy flower or something that I could carry around in my lapel.

We passed. After all these years trying, failing, and starting from scratch, Jessie and I finally made it. And to much of my and her surprise, I didn't screw up! In fact the irony of it all is that she messed up the ridiculous choreography at the end of the skit. But as we toppled over in a mound of entangled human flesh that, as the audience said, our mangled bodies resembled a capital letter 'T' and 'R'. Bonus points for us though plus some major brownie points from the Boss. You should have seen Butch and Cassidy's faces when we fell on our faces and got a standing ovation. It was truly priceless. I was the 'T'; I just know it. I grabbed my sore crotch a bit to adjust myself in these tight pants. Men just shouldn't do splits…

The white Team Rocket cadet outfit looked pretty good...slimming too. If anything, I'd say my top is a little too small, and I don't think I should be showing off my body the first day on the job - especially when me and Jess have to meet the boss first thing in the morning to get our team Pokemon. I began to take off my top to put on a black tank top I found in my drawer when my door sprang open.

"Oh my goodness James you sh-Oh my goodness James" Jessie's face turned a bright pink and she immediately covered her eyes. I could see her peeking, though. I looked down at my pale stomach and down further. I saw what she was blushing about and I felt my face getting hot. I promptly zipped up my pants and put on the tank top. Apparently all my "adjusting" caused my zipper to come undone.

"Most guys wear Nurse Joy boxers nowadays, ya know? Heh, sorry about that Jess" I flopped down on my bed and tossed my pillow at her face"I'll be sure to be totally nude next time "Her body went rigid and her face became a vivid shade of red. I loved putting her on the spot.

"Sh-shaddup James, you idiot" she smiled, sat down next to me on the bed and shoved my pillow back at me "By the way, did you know your 'R' is crooked?" My mouth dropped open and I covered my chest like a teenaged-girl being exposed in the shower, "So are you going to the banquet? Everyone's already down there..." she spoke softly and leaned in close. Has she been drinking? I thought, She never makes an effort to be sincere...or quiet for that fact

"What's the point? Nobody likes us anyway," Ifell on my side and gripped my Growlith plushy. What a way to ruin a prefect mood, Jessie, I thought as I rolled my eyes in her face, "We'd just be ridiculed and eventually have food thrown at us, like always. So what's the fucking point, Jess?"

I had never felt so alone at that moment. She has been my only friend up until this point. After I ran away from home and joined Team Rocket, she had always been there for me when no one else even bothered to help me…or even acknowledge me. And what did she get out of it? Shewas ostracized, like me. She got ridiculed, like me. She became an irreversible screw up…like me. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and I gripped the doll closer to my chest and I felt a lone tear roll down my cheek onto it's soft fur. I didn't even bother to wipe it away because I knew more were on the way. This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, right? Then, why did I feel so completely shattered?

"I'm so sorry Jessie," I whispered under my breath through gritted teeth.

"James, we don't have to go. It was just a supid suggestion. We can have out own party here. Just you and me" she tried to ignore me sobbing softly into my Growlith. How was she always so strong? I don't understand how she was always so damn strong!

"Tomorrow, it's just you and me from now on" she wriggled behind me and leaned her body into my back began stroking my hair. Her body was warm and soft against mine. I never had a girl so close to me before. I could feel my body instinctively lean into her curves.

"Just you and me, James. Changing history, going on adventures..." She paused for a moment and pressed her face close to mine, "...making real friends," I could feel her warm breath on my wet cheek. It was like a warm summer breeze flowing over your body after swimming in the lake. I shivered and exhaled letting my body completely relax as it pressed against her chest. Her deep, blue eyes were sincere and warm for a change. I could see pools of tears forming in her eyes as she fought to keep them from falling. It was almost unnerving, yet I felt completely unthreatened. Then I understood. She wasn't all that strong. She only wanted to seem strong for me, when in all reality deep inside she was a scared little girl just as I was a scared little boy. I could feel her heart beating fast on my back as she struggled to keep from letting her feelings pour out over me. I forced myself to look away because she was going to make my cry all over again. Before she could turn her head away from me, I saw a tear streak down her cheek. Jessie leaned back and pulled me close to her body. And for the first time in a long time I felt secure.

"Yeah, just you and me, Jess..."

To Be Continued in Chapter 2