Team Rocket's Tactual Training Day
James burst into the Team Rocket Agent meeting room causing all of his colleagues to turn in their seats to look at him. "Happy Tactual Training Day everyone!" He received a couple of happy replies as he crossed through the room, giving high fives to a couple of his friends as he passed them before stopping at the empty row of seats in front of Butch and Cassidy. Jessie and Meowth had ducked their heads as they filed into the row before him, embarrassed at James' exuberance. He sat down in the aisle seat and turned to Butch, ready to give his friend a high five, but winced, turning forward in his seat when he felt the glare on his back from Jessie. The rivalry between Cassidy and Jessie was really putting a damper on Butch and James' friendship.
"Well, at least one of you are excited for this," Matori said dryly as she shuffled a couple of papers on the podium.
He pouted, and clandestinely, so that Jessie wouldn't see, he put his left arm behind himself. He could not help but smirk as Butch, who was leaning his cheek in his right hand and looking innocently at the front as so not to alert Cassidy, gave him his high five.
James casually leaned back so that his chair was on the two back legs as he crossed his arms over his chest, "how could anyone not be happy about today? We get to field test a bunch of new weapons not even on the market yet-"
"That has always been Jimmy's secret weakness," Meowth muttered to Jessie as she shifted in her seat, crossing her legs and snorting as she studied her fingernails.
He drew a weary look over at his two friends before continuing, "besides, there are new types of training for us to try out. The prison break last year was a personal favourite of mine." He got a murmur of agreement from a few of the Agents in the room.
"Which we lost because you tripped over a leaf," Jessie sneered, causing titters to fill the room.
James blushed and ducked his head so that his lavender hair hid his reddening cheeks as Butch sighed and leaned forward to pat him on the shoulder. "But Man, I do remember it getting super violent."
Butch nudged James causing him to smile widely and turn to face him. James made guns with his hands and pointed them at Butch, "it was like being in an action movie!" Butch winked and James turned back in his seat, feeling better after Jessie's jab.
Both yelped however as their female counterparts slapped them over the hands, Cassidy with her hand, Jessie with her fan.
"Shut up and pay attention!" Cassidy snapped as she fell back in her chair crossed her legs, just barely missing the back of Jessie's chair.
"Stop talking or I will kill you in your sleep," Jessie threatened before putting her fan on the table and resuming her earlier position.
"It's a good thing I am an insomniac," James muttered to himself, causing Butch to chuckle under his breath.
Amused, Matori shook her head, "remember we are doing this to let off steam and recreate our team bonds. A lot of you have been getting a bit nasty with each other and it is starting to affect our productivity." She looked around the room as a good number of the Agents there glared at one another, Jessie and James included. Shaking her head she added, "besides, despite your attitudes you all wind up getting into it."
Jessie broke eye contact with James and leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling.
Jessie ducked behind a pillar, hiding her face in her knees as a plastic bullet blasted past her and landed against the wall with a splat! blue paint decorating it. She peered around the pillar and shot three times in succession, cheering as the 'cop' dropped the gun from his hand.
Cassidy looked unimpressed at Matori, but could not help but be drawn towards her own memory from the last Tactual Training Day.
Cassidy ran across the court yard, two guns in hand as she shot at three of the 'cops' that were lining the roofs of the buildings surrounding her. Butch, who had turned so that his back pressed against her own, took down the two that were following them by foot. "That is five in the last 15 seconds!"
Cassidy turned around and gave him a high five. She could not help the smirk that crossed her face when she caught sight of Jessie and James pouting from inside the faux security tower, guns laying carelessly at their sides.
She shook herself out of her reverie at the sound of Jessie's voice, "needless to say, our team has never had a perfect run." She threw an annoyed look at James who had the decency to look ashamed, "to add insult to injury this idiot got shot in the face last year."
Cassidy smiled and leaned forward so that her mouth was near Jessie's ear, "you're team has never had a perfect anything," she simpered.
Jessie growled and stood up from her seat, turning to glare at Cassidy. "At least James has been the finalist for Cleanest Kill three years in the row, what awards has your team finalized in, Cassidy?"
James sighed and pulled on Jessie's sleeve so that she was sitting back in her chair, "it is not that big of a deal. All you win is a plastic trophy, it's stupid really."
Matori shook her head as she turned to write a couple of things on the blackboard behind her. "You desperately want that trophy, don't you?"
James blew his fringe from his eyes, "so badly!" he whined. His eyes grew dark as a sinister look crossed his face, "and this year I will stop at nothing to get that trophy." He turned his neck to grin evilly at the Agents behind him, "including killing all of you."
All of the Agents in the room, including Jessie and Cassidy although they would never admit to it, felt a chill run down their spines as James' innocent look slowly spread back across his face. "Go Team Rocket!" he cheered.
Jessie's eyes widened, shaking her head at her friend's antics. Butch leaned onto his desk, pressing his chin onto James' shoulder to whisper, "you kill me and I will make you regret it."
James turned so that his cheek lay on Butch, mouth close to his ear, "bring it on, Bitch."
Butch flexed his hands but kept himself from strangling his friend, "you know my name is Butch!" he snarled.
"Remember! You guys are all on the same team for this, so any rivalry you may have may severely affect your score against Team Plasma if you don't learn how to hash things out." Matori said, looking directly at Jessie and Cassidy.
"You should have said this last year. Then Cassidy wouldn't have shot James in the face and we would have won against Team Plasma- which would have meant no needless hours of strenuous extra training." Jessie snipped, leaning her cheek in her hand.
Cassidy was opening her mouth to retort, but James beat her to it. "It was a mistake, she didn't realise it was me. Besides, it is not as if she blinded me. My eyes healed in a couple of days, and she did apologize."
"No one will be blinding anyone this year. After last years, incident, the rules have been tightened. Any attack on a team member, accidental or otherwise, is cause for immediate disqualification. If we cannot trust you to work together on a theoretical assignment where there are fake weapons and no Pokemon involved, then we won't be able to trust you when those things are put into the mix. It would destroy Team Rocket if we are unable to all work together as a team. We may not always like who we are partnered with, but we need to learn how to deal with it so that it does not affect our work."
Jessie and Cassidy sighed, "yes, Matori."
"It's good you girls agree because you and your partners are working together this year!"
"What‽" Jessie and Cassidy squealed, standing up from their chairs.
Butch and James cheered. It had been so long since they had been allowed to work together on anything- with Jessie and Cassidy always at each others throats it was near impossible to get a job together.
"You're training starts at 1200, so you guys better go and get ready." Jessie and Cassidy groaned, but followed Butch and James out the door as the two boys talked animatedly about what they thought this years training would be. Meowth sat on James' shoulder, giving input every now and then.
It would be a long day and, Matori hoped, it would end on a good note and not with one of them in the hospital.
o0o
James bounced on the balls of his feet as he pranced down the aisle towards Butch who was sitting in the 5th row. He pushed down the seat and plopped down beside his friend, his knees jumping up and down in his excitement.
Jessie, Mondo and Meowth were still up in their rooms getting ready, James had no idea where Cassidy was, but he was happy to get some time with his friend without her breathing down their necks. "Butch! I've decided on my persona for this year's training!"
Butch slipped his phone into his front pocket and pushed his hair off his forehead, grinning at James, "you aren't going to dress up in Jessie's old PokeTech uniform and go as the hot undercover cop, Jamie Morgan again? The good cop gone very, very bad?" Butch winked at James as the other boy laughed and shook his head.
James' eyes sparkled, "you know how much trouble I got into last year with that disguise!"
Butch shook his head, chuckling deeply, "you had more guys coming onto you than Cassidy and Jessie combined! I was almost going to come on to you... you pissed most of them off when they realised who you were, though." James blushed and looked up at the ceiling. "I learned a lot more that day about some of the guys on Team Rocket than I needed to thanks to you."
"I wasn't talking about the guys, I was talking about Cassidy and Jessie! I think that was the only time they ever worked together." James rubbed his eye and head at the memory. "I wasn't in the hospital for three days just because Cassidy blinded me, you know." He paused for a moment before giggling, "it had been worth it though."
Butch leaned back in his chair as he rolled his eyes, "you were always one for the spotlight. So tell me, what is your persona for this year?"
James lowered his head dramatically, throwing a deer stalker over his lavender locks and a cape around his shoulders, "introducing Gregory Davis, rogue spy, hacker and ladies man." He turned and winked at the group of girls walking down the aisle before turning back to Butch.
"Right, because who isn't into a guy who cross dresses and into make believe?"
"Hey, that is uncalled for, Meowth! There will be no cross-dressing this time 'round." James whined as the scratch cat sat in the chair behind him.
Butch leaned his arm against the back of his chair, resting his chin on his arm, "besides. Our jobs depend on us being able to play 'make believe'. Not to mention that this entire simulation is fake. We shoot soft bullets that spit out paint on impact at fake good guys, steal plastic jewels while fake police try and catch us to put us in fake jail- how is this any different from what we usually do? Or that actor, oh, what's his name? The one that does all those crazy characters and gets paid millions for doing it?"
"Johnny Depp?" James asked.
"Johnny Depp has an incredibly sexy voice," Jessie said as she sat down beside Meowth dressed in a pair of red sweat pants and Team Rocket shirt.
"I have a sexy voice!" James whined, a pout crossing his gorgeous face.
"You have the voice of a ten year old girl," Jessie snapped.
"Pikachu... water... rockets." James said in his most seductive tone.
Jessie raised an eyebrow, "pikachu?"
"I couldn't think of anything sexy," James growled defensively.
Jessie rolled her eyes and stood, "well, I am going to get some food before this thing starts." She turned and gave him a sarcastic smile, "why not think of more sexy words when I am gone?"
"Balloon, pokeball... oh, forget it." James muttered as he watched Jessie walk over to the stage where there was a buffet spread.
Butch raised an eyebrow as he watched James watch Jessie, "just what is going on between the two of you?"
James blushed and turned his head to give Butch an annoyed look, "come on, Botch. Not this again. We've been through this before."
"It's Butch!" Butch sighed and rubbed his forehead, "you have to admit that there is a spark there."
James leaned his elbow on the back of his chair and rested his cheek in his hand, "how many times do I have to tell you that she is like a sister to me."
"That is what Luke had said about Leia," Butch muttered as he pulled out his mobile to send a text message to Cassidy.
"Hey, Luke did not know! No one knew and any relationship they may have had stopped when they realised they were siblings!" James turned so that his back leaned against the back of the chair and crossed his arms. He pulled up his feet to his chest and pouted, staying firmly in that position until Jessie pulled him out of his seat and marched him out of the auditorium.
o0o
Jessie, Mondo, Meowth and James strolled through the doors of the training area, where Cassidy and Butch were waiting with two of Team Plasma's teams.
"Jasper!" James greeted, patting the Grunt on the shoulder, "I see they've upgraded you from 'Victim' to 'Cop' this year!"
Jasper smiled widely and nodded his head, his blonde hair flopping into his amber coloured eyes, "yep!"
"I am so going to kill you!" James said cheerfully as he moved passed the teenager to do his special handshake with Butch.
Butch chuckled as he watched Jasper shivering and hiding behind another one of the Grunts as he shot James weary looks, "I think you scared the kid."
James looked over his shoulder as a sheepish look crossed his face, "oops?"
"Jessie!" James and Butch turned around to watch as Jessie's face brightened.
"Andrew!" She hugged the newcomer tightly before kissing him lightly on the cheek. "It's been way too long!" She pulled away from him and smiled brightly, "what on earth are you doing here‽"
"I work for Team Plasma now, and we are paired with you today!" Jessie nodded her head in understanding, "quick! What happens when a Shellder is removed from Slowbro's tail!"
Jessie scoffed, "please. Everyone knows that it de-evolves into Slowpoke." Andrew smiled and gave her a high five as they laughed cheerfully.
James, with an unamused look on his face cut between them and stood himself slightly in front of Jessie. He threw Andrew a forced smile as he looked up at the man towering over him, "what's going on over here?"
Jessie shot a look at James before shoving him to the side with her shoulder, "Andrew and I were in foster care together." She smiled at her friend, "we spent some long nights freezing in our beds telling ghost stories to each other until we fell asleep."
Andrew laughed heartily, throwing his arms behind his head and linking his fingers, "except we could never get any sleep because we scared ourselves silly!"
"That's right!" She turned to James, "those were some of the best times of my life."
James scowled, "how nice for you." He turned to go back towards Butch and tapped Jessie on the shoulder as he passed, "nice to meet you." He walked off to Butch, scowl still prominent on his face as he took his bag from the floor beside his friend's feet.
Andrew watched James back as he cleared his throat before pointing to his team, "well, I best go sign my team in, but we should catch up later if you don't need to leave on a mission after."
Jessie nodded, smile still on her face, "sounds good."
Andrew picked up his bag from the floor, "great seeing you again." He turned and walked towards the front desk where he was to sign in.
"You too!" Jessie called, before picking up her own bag from the floor and throwing the strap over her shoulder.
Cassidy sauntered over to Jessie, her eyes locked on Andrew's ass as he walked away. "Who was that guy?"
Jessie turned to give her rival a mirthless look, "oh, he's Andrew, a kid I met in foster care. We used to go out but when I left we had to break up."
Cassidy squinted for a moment before a bored expression crossed her face, "oh, yeah I remember now. He was that loser you said all that lame stuff about. Like he was a good listener and all that crap."
Jessie sneered, "I'm sorry, just what is it you look for in a boyfriend?"
Cassidy jutted out her hip and crossed her arms across her chest, right hand positioned in front of her face so that she could study her nails, "the real stuff." She shrugged, before locking her eyes on James' butt, "the shape of his ass."
She winked at James, who had been eavesdropping with Butch and bumped her hip with his before walking away to talk to a few other girls on Team Plasma. James stared after Cassidy, a bemused expression on his face before he shook his head and chuckled, eyes returning to his bag.
Jessie rolled her eyes, "all right." She threw her bag beside James and walked over to the front to sign, herself, James, Mondo and Meowth in.
James waited until Jessie was out of hearing range before turning to Butch. He pulled Meowth, who was sleeping in his duffel bag, out and placed him into the chair beside Mondo. "It's so weird to think that Jessie dated that guy."
Mondo looked up from his phone, a frown present on his young face as he looked up a map of their training area.
"Why do you care?" The younger Agent asked curiously, his eyes blinking as a blush crossed James' cheeks and nose.
"I don't care." James rejected, causing both Mondo and Butch to snort. "I don't! It's just that she has always claimed that all her ex-boyfriend's were pigs, so I am wondering why she is getting all buddy buddy with this one."
Mondo chuckled, returning his attention back to his phone, "whatever you say, Sir."
James gave the younger boy an exasperated look before plopping into the seat on the other side of the table and resting his head on his arms. He would not end up in the hospital tonight, but he knew a couple of people who may if they didn't play their cards right. Disqualification be damned.
o0o
James squealed as he picked up a gun and aimed it, his eyes widening in excitement when he noticed that he could turn the front of the gun so that it pointed to the side. "A multi-directional gun!" Mondo appeared at his shoulder, just as wide eyed, his mouth shaped as a small o in shock. "Jessie! With this we could shoot around corners! Corners, Jessie! I need to find out how they made these so I could use the technology for our nets or maybe even pokeballs. They made those pokeballs last year, the ones where we can override and steal a Pokémon from a trainer, remember? If we can make one of these shoot those balls we would be unstoppable."
"Jessica! I got one for you, what is the only fully evolved Pokémon that cannot learn any TMs?" Andrew walked up behind Jessie causing a scowl to once again cross James' face, much to Mondo's amusement.
" Wobbuffet, of course. At least give me questions about Pokemon I haven't owned yet!" She said cockily with a hand on her hip.
James raised an eyebrow and leaned his head down to whisper in Mondo's ear, "she didn't know that until she tried using one on him last year." Mondo snickered, hiding behind his hand when Jessie turned her head to glare at the both of them.
Andrew clapped his hands together, "so, they have the new handguns in, so you want to go and check them out with me?"
"Sure-"
"Of course," James shoved the gun he was holding into Mondo's hands and patted Jessie on her shoulder. He paused and removed his hand when he saw the nasty look she was sending him. He chuckled, "oops, I thought he was talking to me." With an eye roll, Jessie turned back to Andrew, but before she could answer him, James burst past her, "and he clearly was. Let's go, Andy!" James gripped Andrew's wrist in his hand and dragged him away from Jessie. "We'll catch you later, Mondo!"
Jessie clenched her teeth, hands tightening into fists as Mondo placed the gun in his hand on the table, "are you okay, Miss. Jessie?"
"She's just angry James cock-blocked her," Meowth replied in a bored voice, jumping onto Mondo's shoulders.
Jessie turned her glare to him, "shut your mouth before I hit you so hard you fly to the moon." Turning on her heel she stalked into the building James and Andrew entered, muttering angrily under her breath as she went.
Mondo looked at Meowth, "do you think they are going to be okay?"
"For our sake, I hope so, Kid."
o0o
Jessie stomped up the stairs and landed on the final floor of the training area. Her eyes scanned the area, falling on an attractive man standing beside a curious machine, looking down at what was going on below them. Jessie shrugged and decided to have some fun, "this looks like a pretty cool weapon." She commented in a voice that was honey sweet. She ran her fingers over it sensually as she looked up at the man from under her eyelashes.
The man smiled, shifting his position to see her more clearly, "that is called a PUW machine, or portable ultrasonic weapon. What is does is it emits a focused beam of sound which can disorient and even incapacitate a person or Pokémon."
Jessie ran her fingers over the controls as her eyes landed on James, who was having a conversation with Butch at the shooting range below. Andrew was standing a few feet in front of them practicing shooting. Feeling annoyed as she should have been down there with him, Jessie pointed the machine at James, "is this the trigger?"
The man blinked, "yes, but you will want to be careful with that." She flipped the switch and a buzzing sound emitted from the machine.
A smile crossed Jessie's face as a few seconds later, James doubled over in pain. Cocking her head to the side she commented, "I thought it would be louder."
"It is a highly directional weapon. If one were to be pointing it at you, you would be in incredible pain right now."
Jessie set the sound wave higher and James landed on his knees, his hands clutched tightly on his knees. Butch was beside him, frantically asking James what was wrong. Andrew and the other shooters at the range seemed to not notice anything was going on, or merely did not care. With members of Team Rocket one could never be too sure.
James fell to his side, his head in Butches lap as tears fell from his ears, "why is this happening!" She could hear him whining, "I can taste my thoughts, make it stop!"
"Jessie!" Matori reached over her shoulder to shut off the machine and gave her a firm glare, "even though we are members of Team Rocket we do not resort to frying our teammates brains when we have an issue with them! That is one strike, don't make me disqualify you guys before you even get to the real training."
Jessie nodded at Matori and turned to the man beside her, "thank you for showing me this. It was pretty cool."
The man blinked, watching as Jessie descended down the stairs to the left of them that lead to the shooting range. "I didn't know she was going to do that." He raised his hands defensively when Matori turned her glare to him.
Giovanni's secretary sighed and rubbed the back of her head, "you aren't in trouble. Jessie and James always have something going on between them." She watched as Jessie kicked James in his stomach to get him to stand up, "it's a mystery how they've managed to never kill one another." She folded her arms across her chest, "and they used to be one of our best teams too." Tutting she turned walking back the way she came. "Gather the Grunts, would you? We will be starting the main training soon."
"Yes, Matori."
o0o
Jessie placed her goggles on her face and aimed at the paper man 100 feet away with the gun in her hand. Holding her breath she pulled the trigger, hitting the paper man directly in his heart.
"Nice!" Andrew cheered, "have you noticed that they moved the trigger?" He leaned over her shoulder, showing her his gun, "this one has a more comfortable, and dare I say, exciting, finger feel."
Meowth, who was sitting on James's shoulder with a pair of earmuffs over his ears, muttered 'finger feel', the same time James snickered, shaking his head as he mouthed the words.
Andrew shot twice, both bullets landing perfectly on the sides of the chest, just under the shoulders. "Nice," Jessie cheered, "two to the chest! Just like they taught us."
James tutted, "and that poor guy's overalls fell down. I know we are all notorious criminals, but why on earth would you kill a Miltank farmer, they are the backbone of our society." He held out his hand and smiled sweetly, "may I?"
James shot the paper man three times. Once in the throat, once in the chest and once in the head, making a perfect line , "it's a personal favourite of mine. The first because it completely kills their voice box, the second to complete the kill, the third... well, usually that one is not needed but if the person was of particular annoyance I would shoot them again."
Jessie rolled her eyes and snatched the gun from James, shoving him to the side. "He is an idiot, don't listen to him. He's never actually used a gun and as long as I am his partner, he never will."
"I used one when we were getting information on Dratini!" James snapped defensively.
"It had no bullets," Jessie sneered. "Do you think I would actually trust you with a full gun? I barely trust you with your Pokémon."
James opened his mouth to retort, but the lights flashed indicating that they should gather in their teams. He shook his head and motioned with his hand towards the door, "it's time."
o0o
James came up behind Butch and wrapped his arm around his friend's neck, hugging him. "Gregory Davis, at your service!"
Butch smiled sarcastically and pushed James away from him, "that was just majestic, James."
James winked as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked around at his team, "I've got this neat new outfit and purple coloured paint, is everyone else going to just give up and hand the neatest kill trophy to me? Granted, you'd never win anyway but don't let that stop you from trying."
Before either of them could respond the buzzer went off and they turned to see Team Plasma leaving the arena, covered in sweat and paint.
Jessie stood in front of the group, smiling up at Andrew. "How'd it go?" she asked earnestly, causing James to roll his eyes and sulk in the corner beside Butch.
Andrew smiled at her, "it went really well. We had a perfect run and not to brag or anything, but we've just hit a new course record for time. The first in a decade and a half."
"Jessie's mother set the last record," James covered his hands with his face. "God, she's going to be pissed." He muttered under his breath, "and that guy was totally bragging!"
Jessie blinked and to an outsider, it would seem as if she were just shocked at hearing the record being broken, but James could tell with how her body stiffened that she was trying hard to keep her temper in check. "oh, congratulations."
Andrew patted her shoulder and walked passed her, "thanks. I'm psyched. Good luck in there."
"Thanks," Jessie muttered, sighing when the rest of Team Plasma passed by them.
James pulled Butch and Mondo forward towards Jessie , "all right. Come here, this is what is going to go down." He threw off his costume, revealing his Team Rocket gym clothes.
"What happened to your clothes, Greg?"
"Forget that, we need to be serious. We are going to beat Team Plasma and once and for all prove that Team Rocket is the best." He stopped for a moment, "and of course, get me cleanest kill." He held out his hand and waited for the other five and Meowth to place their hands on top of his. "On three, lets beat that course record and make Team Rocket proud, ready? One... Two... letsbeatthatcourse- screw it... let's do this!"
James pushed open the door to the arena, stopping short at the darkened corridor. The others filed in, the door to the arena closing with finality as they stood for a moment allowing their eyes to adjust to the dim area.
Mondo pushed past James and stood on the second step so that he was standing above everyone else, "okay. So I got the details for this simulation." They all turned to pay attention to him, "I know you guys aren't the best of friends, but if you take these 20 minutes to work together I think we can beat Team Plasma's score. And, I was told to notify you that if you do wind up getting into a fight between yourselves again, you are to keep the Grunts out of it." He squinted at the paper in his hands, "and that you would be given desk jobs for the rest of the year."
Cassidy laughed, "well at least then you and idiot won't cause any trouble." she sneered at Jessie.
Mondo blinked, "oh, that means you and Hutch too, Cassidy."
"It's Butch! Is it really such a difficult name to remember‽ "
"Apparently," James said, running his hand through his hair. "They won't fight- what is the mission?"
Mondo scanned the paper, "James, you'll like this one I think. A group of undercover cops have entered HQ and have taken some of Team Plasma hostage."
"So?" Cassidy asked, eyebrow raised.
"Why would we bother caring about Team Plasma?" Jessie snapped, "it's less competition if the cops take them out."
"How they don't get along I'll never know," Butch muttered in James' ear.
James leaned his head to the side so that it lay on Butch's shoulder, "they are too alike. The world would implode if they were to get along."
Mondo glared down at the paper, "sorry, I meant Team Rocket- read it wrong."
"Who have they taken hostage?" Meowth asked, wanting to get the training over with so that he could go back to his catnap.
"Doesn't matter," Mondo said dryly. "If they are a part of Team Rocket you are supposed to save them- even if they are the janitor."
"It's the Grunts." James said with finesse, "they are cute and innocent enough where I still want to protect them. The puppies of Team Rocket."
"Should I be worried that you don't feel the want to protect the rest of us?" Butch asked his friend.
"You are a higher Agent than I am, you should be protecting me." James said with a sniff.
"Anyway, we take out the cops, release the hostages and try not to end up in jail?" Jessie asked.
Mondo nodded confirmation, "right. This is an active shooter situation. You are cleared for maximum engagement." He looked at the girls wearily, "Cassidy and Jessie, you guys are on parameter security."
Cassidy threw him a nasty look, "you mean me and Jessie need to work together? Just the two of us?"
Mondo smiled, "yeah, just the two of you." He turned to James and Butch who had backed away from the girls, in fear of getting hit. "James and Butch, you two are the assault team. Meowth, you are with me in the command center since no Pokémon are allowed in this area."
James clapped his hands, gathering the attention as Mondo and Meowth made their way to the surveillance room, "guys, listen up!" They all turned to glare at him, "normally I would not be the one in this position, but since you guys really don't care, for once I am in charge. We have 19 minutes and 35 seconds to beat this record. If we don't screw around I bet we can be finished as early as 18 minutes and 30 seconds." He stopped and smiled at Jessie and Cassidy, "that means no fighting."
"Wow," Jessie said, eyes rolling to the ceiling, "so you really aren't going to do a character? What about Greg Davis?"
"Of course I am playing a character. I am a Team Rocket Agent who wants to beat this record." James paused for a moment, "his name is Vincent McShiffer, who used to be a double agent double crossed by his Team Plasma partner and left for dead- oh, Idon'thavetimeforhisbackstory!"
Mondo's voice sounded from their earpieces, "alright guys." The four of them blinked and readied themselves, "go!"
The group ran up the flight of stairs, Jessie and Cassidy taking the second floor while James and Butch went up the next flight of stairs to the third. Their hearts pounded in their chests, eyes moving from side to side. This was it.
o0o
James and Butch stealthy crossed the bridge connecting the two training buildings, guns firmly set in their hands as their heads turned side to side looking for signs of danger. Upon coming to a door, James kicked it in, taking a quick survey around the room and shooting a 'cop' in the chest three times.
He stalled at the doorway, allowing Butch to lead. Butch stopped at an alcove, "turn around!" He demanded of the guy facing the wall. When the man turned, Butch nodded his head, "clear!" before him and James proceeded.
They walked down the corridor to the next set of rooms, their backs pressed together. James checked the first room, "clear!" Butch ran in front of him and checked the second room. He poked his head in, gun held firmly in front of him before nodding, "clear!"They both entered the next room, turning side to side before a 'cop' shot at them. James ducked, pulling Butch down beside him, cleanly shooting the 'cop' in the forehead.
"Nice!" Butch cheered.
James nodded, smile on his face, as the men went down the opposite stairwell to wait downstairs, "okay, there are only five men left."
"We may actually do this," Butch muttered, "I have to say. I like Vince McShiffer much better than James Morgan."
"Right, let us get the man that stabbed my father and get revenge for him ruining my life!"
"Double crossed and left for dead."
James brightened, hugging Butch tightly. "I can always count on you to remember!"
"James, Butch, we got Intel that there is a Team Rocket hostage in room 394." James and Butch jumped, before James pressed the button on his sleeve.
"Copy that."
o0o
Jessie and Cassidy walked through the second floor corridor, bored out of their skulls. "Ugh, this paint smell is giving me a headache." Cassidy complained as she trotted behind Jessie, gun leaning lazily at her side.
"Would you shut up, you're going to give away our position." Jessie hissed from her place on the ground where she was kneeling. She peered around the corner and was about to stand when Cassidy pressed a hand to her shoulder.
"Look out!" The blonde said, shooting the cop in the chest twice.
"Oh, come on, Cassidy!" the grunt complained, looking down at his shirt where the blue paint covered the black 'cop' scrawled across his chest.
"Shut up, Jasper." Jessie and Cassidy snapped, arms crossed over their chest.
"Grunts are so annoying," Jessie muttered to Cassidy as they began to walk down around aimlessly.
"You shouldn't be so hard on them, you are one step from being demoted so far down the company the Grunts will hold positions higher than you," Cassidy teased with a smirk on her face.
Jessie leaned against the wall and slide down until she was sitting on the floor, gun at her side. "Why are we like this?"
Cassidy pressed her back against the wall beside Jessie, "like what?"
Jessie scowled, "why are we at each others throats all of the time?" she glared down at the floor, "we used to be best friends, why are we always competing with each other? It's obvious you are better than me at everything."
Cassidy sighed and plopped down beside Jessie, "I'm not."
Jessie laughed darkly, "right."
Cassidy shook her head, "Jessica, I'm not."
"What the hell are you talking about‽ You spend half of your life reminding me how much better you are than me!"
"That just proves it, doesn't it?" Cassidy chuckled, shaking her head. "If I really were better I wouldn't have to voice it, but I do, because I know that no matter what I do I could never hold a candle to you."
"You aren't making sense."
"You and James beat us in the final training exam, kicked our asses actually."
"That was a fluke," Jessie shook her head. "You guys got there first and we happened to see the trap because you fell through it. We would have been in the same position as you had we been first."
Cassidy shook her own head, "I saw the footage, James and Meowth ran into that room almost as blindly as Butch and I, they got out though, because of you." She paused for a moment, twisting the material of her shirt in her hands, "how much do you know of James before the Academy?"
Jessie sighed and pulled her legs up to her chest, "everything up to two years before the Academy."
"James is good, really good. Butch, he says that James was the best in their class."
"James was?"
Cassidy smiled, "yeah. And I believe it. You two, there is a chemistry there that not many other teams have. Giovanni, he sees that and that is why he accepted you two back into Team Rocket, even though you guys have been failing recently."
"I thought there was a lacking of people?"
"There is always room for more, but he remembers, we all do, a time when you and James were unstoppable. Job after job done perfectly. Your files fill up an entire drawer in the filing cabinet. You were the best."
"I remember. Why do you bring James up?"
"James told Butch, the reason he worked so hard to be top of the class was because he wanted to join to Team Rocket and be the best. His reasoning was that he knew that you would join Team Rocket and be the best. It was the only way he could meet up with you again."
"James?" Jessie shook her head, "impossible, he's incredibly clumsy and a lovable idiot! There is no way he was top of his class."
Cassidy snickered, "he is an idiot, but I saw the proof for myself- he was the best, you both were."
Jessie smiled sadly, "even if that were true- and I am not saying I believe you, that was in the past. We, like you said, are probably going to be demoted to a lower class than the Grunts- if we are lucky enough to not be fired."
"You were promoted for a reason, Jessica. Giovanni wants you guys to regain your potential, and you have! In Unova, you were placed there as a test and both of you passed with flying colours. Truth be told, I thought it was a way for the Boss to get you out of the way, but then, he started giving you both important missions, missions bigger than Butch and I have ever been on. I realised then that no matter how hard I try I'll never truly catch up to you."
"He did put us there to get rid of us! We were there to draw out that other group."
"If that were completely true, than you would not have been given half of the missions he sent you on, and he would not have been in direct communication with you."
"I still don't get what any of this has to do with us being at each others throats."
"I'm jealous and I take that jealousy out on you. I put you down every time I see you, because it makes me feel better. That doesn't make what I say true." She smiled, "besides its fun!"
"Yeah, it's a bundle of laughs." Jessie muttered, before brightening, "the best is that we always wreck your plans!"
Cassidy shrugged, "which gets you into more trouble than us!"
"True." Jessie sighed, "Sometimes I wonder if the only reason I am still around is because my mother was so high up in Team Rocket."
"Giovanni does not know who you are."
Jessie raised an eyebrow, "how is that even possible? It's not like I used an alias when signing up for Team Rocket."
Cassidy shrugged, "he mentioned to his secretary that he needed to have one of the researchers look up information on you and to come to him when they have your latest address."
"He's in for a shock when it comes up that it is the Team Rocket dormitory."
"You aren't going to tell him?"
"Why would I? It's none of his business," Jessie stood and brushed off her pants.
Cassidy stood with her, contemplating if she should tell her what else she had overheard. "I won't tell him either than." She sighed, and rubbed the back of her head. Jessie lived without a father for her entire life, and it was not Cassidy's place to butt in, especially when it seemed like Jessie was not interested in the information to begin with.
Jessie looked at her, "thank you, Cassidy. I am still just as confused, but it was nice talking to you like old times."
Cassidy, "it is my pleasure." She looked out the window, "maybe we can hang out again like old times?"
"You're pleasure‽ You just murdered a human being and had a lovely chat over his dead body! I had a family, you know!"
Jessie and Cassidy turned to Jasper who was still standing in the place he was when they shot him. The girls looked at each other before nodding. Raising their guns in unison, they shot him again. Jessie in his chest, Cassidy in his arm.
"Only if we continue to fight, it is a real stress reliever." Jessie changed the gun between her hands and high fived Cassidy.
"Oh, of course, Loser." Cassidy bumped Jessie's shoulder with her own as they walked away from a pouting Jasper who was following slowly down the stairs in their wake.
o0o
"James, Butch, the hostages are in there. Intel says that there are a couple of heavily armed cops in there with them. Do you want to wait for back up?" Mondo asked, his finger on the button that would connect him to Cassidy and Jessie.
James shook his head, "there isn't any time to wait for Jessie and Cassidy to stop fighting and get down here. We only have a minute and three seconds left to beat their record." James took a deep breath, before placing himself in front of Butch. "I'm going on."
Butch raised an eyebrow, "alone?"
"Don't worry, I have a plan." James turned the gun in his hand so that he was holding the nozzle, his finger off the trigger. "I am going to surrender."
"What‽" Butch asked skeptically, his eyes scanning over James.
"Trust me... or don't." James shrugged, "I am doing it anyway."
"Is this way you two never have anything for the Boss anymore?" Butch asked, slight amusement colouring his voice, "these odd plans of yours."
"Probably," James took a deep breath and kicked open the door, "TEAM ROCKET, DON'T SHOOT!" He held his gun above his head, "I am here to surrender. Let the Grunts go and take me instead. I am worth a lot more to the company than they are. I have a lot more information."
Butch snorted from behind James, and he could hear the snickering from Mondo and Meowth through the earpiece. He made a mental note to get back at them later.
"Not happening," the 'cop' said, "drop the weapon."
"All right, all right, see? My finger is off the trigger." James held his hand forward, showing that his finger was not near the trigger. "I am slowly going to put it down in front of me... slowly..." When James was kneeling, he twisted the gun in his hand and shot the two 'cops' in the chest.
"Damn it!" The two 'cops' complained, as they looked down at the mess on their shirts.
Butch cheered from somewhere behind him and James could not help but smile widely. "Mondo, time!"
"19 minutes and 25 seconds, you broke the record!"
Butch cheered even louder, and hugged James tightly as they both jumped up and down in their spots.
Jessie and Cassidy raced into the room, their faces red with excitement. Jessie ran up to James and hugged him tightly and kissing his cheek as Cassidy hugged Butch. Both girls turned and paused, giving each other a smirk before hugging each other.
"Let's go celebrate!" James cried, clapping his hands together.
Jessie rubbed the back of her neck, "actually, Andrew had asked if I could meet him after training for dinner. But I will see you in our Dormitory later. Get a cake and me, you and Meowth will have our own celebration tonight."
James tried to hide his disappointment in his face and forced a smile onto his face, "sure, Jessie. That sounds like fun." She leaned up and kissed his cheek before leaving him with Cassidy and Butch. He smiled sadly as he watched her go. Little did he know, that evening he would be spending it on the couch of their dormitory waiting for her to come home. She wouldn't show up until the next morning, and it would be the start of the second biggest fight they had ever had.
AN: This is a sneak preview (chapter 8 or 9) of the first Team Rocket story I have ever worked follows Jessie and James from their lives before they met all the way until the first episode of the anime. I have the entirety of the plot chapters written. I may or may not add in some fillers. There will be at least 15 chapters.
There will be some Miyamoto x Giovanni, James x Jessie and even a small James x Butch scene. I will put warnings in the beginning of chapters, so no worries.
Anyway, if you guys like this snippet, than I hope you will stick around for the real story when I publish it Easter Day.
Have a great day,
Chandlure Trainez