Attention: Since English is not my mothertongue you might find some spelling mistakes or syntax errors. I apologize in advance. My mothertongue is Swiss-German so I normally imagine a sentence in German and try to translate it as well as possible into English, sometimes there is a lack of vocabulary or I don't find a match or the appropriate idiom but I want to improve my English and become a better writer. Another thing I want to make clear is that I use „..." to introduce direct speech! „ are not commas but the German quotation marks, just to avoid confusion.

Broken Halos

„Angels come down from the heavens
Just to help us on our way
Come to teach us, then they leave us
And they find some other soul to save" – Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton

She had called him a hero, placing great trust in his inexhaustible fighting spirit and sense of justice. But Kate didn't know the truth behind this masquerade. They were far away from being role models and guardians of the law. Most of the time, Team Rocket was acting immorally, seeking only for profits and cheating everyone they came across. James had feignd a courageous and strong-minded bold hero to her, but right now, he felt pathetic and mendacious. He had to lay it on the line, he couldn't leave Kate for she would henceforth be concinved of a barefaced lie. His finger stroke over the power switch that would catapult the roguish trio into the air, but his bad conscience kept him from pressing the button. Meowth turned his head to James, noticing his indecision.

„What's wrong Jimmy?" the cat-Pokémon asked. James frowned, not sure if his team mates would agree to his plan. He cleared his throat.

„Maybe, I don't know, we could stay at Cypress Creek for a while," the lavender-haired man suggested, observing the villagers and especially Kate on the tiny screen in front of him. Her hands folded, she was waiting in anticipation to learn about her idol's decision. A smile flitted across James' face. She had been the first person to acknowledge him as someone special. Neither Jessiebelle nor Jessie had ever told him that he was of value and that they were pleased about his presence. Jessie cocked an eyebrow.

„What's that sudden change of mind? I thought we were done here in this dull hick town," she stretched her arms out, giving a bored yawn. „We're hailed as heros, our mission is completed," Jessie added, waiting to leave this city and those backwoodsmen behind.

„No," James replied in a low, firm tone of voice, getting imperious glances from his best friend. „I mean," he was trying to come up with a plausible excuse to stay at Cypress Creek, something Jessie couldn't refuse.

„So, as you said, we're hailed as heros," he swallowed hard, „why don't we enjoy this high status quo for a few more days? The villagers are at your feet, they will read pretty much every wish from your lips and all you have to do is pretend to be an angel sent directly from heaven to help them out of akward situations. You always claim to be a gifted actress, why don't you derive the greatest benefit from it?" Jessie pricked up her ears, she and Meowth exchanged telling looks.

„Wow, James, what a sophisticated rascal you are," her eyes sparkled, „you propose to fool those yokels a little more, exploiting their benevolence, living and feasting like kings?" Jessie released her seatbelt.

‚That's not what I meant, but what else could be expected from her?' James thought, having another quick glance at the monitor. He could see that Kate felt more than uneasy. James didn't want to keep her waiting any longer.

„So, it's done deal?" he asked Jessie and Meowth. Both nodded in agreement, leaving their Mecha at once. They jumped out of the craft, James following them tacitly.

The mayor ran up to the trio, but he didn't get a chance to speak. Jessie asked the whispering villagers to be quiet and listen to her announcement.

„Folks, we decided to stay a little longer in this beautiful town in the sticks to assist with the crop and repairing the damage caused by the ungovernable swarm of Taillows", she was greeted with tumultuous applause. Kate darted a glance at James who was silently smiling at her. The townspeople formed a circle around Jessie and Meowth, clapping their hands and rejoicing. James kept his distance, watching out for his new acquaintance that got lost in the shuffle. Proud that he had been able to persuade Jessie, he was now fully concentrating on Kate. She succeeded in forcing a way through the crowd, walking up to her personal hero. A shy smile covered her face, she blushed.

„I'm glad you didn't leave me, eh, I mean us," she sheepishly looked at her feet.
„You can't imagine how precious your help is. After a period of drought and famine, we're finally able to heave a sigh of relief, knowing that you will support our tranquil hamlet," James placed a hand on her shoulder. He wanted to come out with the truth, confessing their fraud and deceit, but at the same time, it felt so good to be praised as a knight in shining armour. He decided to wait for the right moment to tell her, as soon as they could spend some time together.

James didn't notice that Jessie had been watching them. She wrinkled her nose.
‚Well, well, look who's made himself a girlfriend,' she thought, snorting disparagingly.
Jessie was shortly overpowered by two emotions. Maddening jealousy and bitter disappointment, but she wasn't able to conclude which feeling was stronger. The alarm bells were ringing. Seeing James obviously flirting with a peasant girl after all he and Jessie had experienced, felt like a slap in the face. She was angry at Kate and at James too, for somehow deceiving her, but she tried to talk herself into believing that this was transient and nothing serious... and even though she had strong but never conceded feelings for James, she was secretly hoping for her own romantic adventure.