The Dark Complex

by LumariaGenet

A phone call, a helicopter and an uncomfortable truth all lead Jessie, James and Meowth to discovert that there is more to the Team Rocket organisation then they could have ever bargained for.DISCLAIMER: Not my original characters or world. Nintendo's.

The Dark Complex

1

Divine Intervention

The sun burst over the horizon in thin bands of crimson light, picking out the individual trees and hills in detail and casting long shadows over the summer-scorched fields. The rays slowly peeled away strips of black rock from the side of Mt. Ember, revealing the fresh, pink-orange rock underneath. The volcano sighed with relief at the sight of daybreak, and watched quietly as the blank canvas of the landscape was dashed liberally with colour.

As the songs of dawn escalated, something stirred from a deep crack in the mountain. The cavern glowed fluorescent red as the creature approached the entrance. The world drew a collective breath of wonderment as a shining yellow bird stepped out into the light and reared its magnificent fiery head to watch the morning metamorphosis. Its bright garnet eyes glinted like polished jewels, and its wings feather's were eternally ablaze.

The name of this Pokémon was spoken sometimes with fear or excitement; but by many with reverence. The legendary scriptures and scrolls had christened it Moltres, and it was assumed the bird had seen many more centuries than such documents had weathered. Truly, it was an incredible beast. It could shoot torrents of fire at its foes, and it was alleged to be one of the most powerful Pokémon of all. There were also numerous tales of people and pokémon witnessing Moltres' death, only for it to reincarnate in front of their eyes and disappear once more.

With an echoing cry, almost like music, it lifted itself effortlessly into the warm air on its colossal wingspan. Moltres swooped gracefully away from its roost and began to glide in a slow circular motion, steadily gaining altitude as it rode on a current of hot air that it created with its own body heat. It soared happily over the forests that surrounded the mountain, surveying its territory with a proud and regal air. All seemed calm and as it should be: every tree exactly where it had been yesterday, every Pokémon behaving.

Then there was a disturbance of the peace.

"Get it surrounded! We have one minute, there must be no mistakes!"

"I need to get closer!"

"When do we fire?"

The noise was deafening. Three jet black helicopters hovered like hornets, buzzing angrily and paused in strategic points around the confused creature. Moltres looked down but it knew it could not dive: they were too close to the trees. It glanced up but the helicopters had encircled it so tightly there was no way it could climb that steeply. There was only one last resort that the peaceful pokémon had.

With a piercing screech, it spat a surge of red-hot fire at one of the machines which detonated like a firework. The other two retaliated like lightning, and each blasted out a pair of missiles with perfect aim. Moltres screamed as the rockets burst into thick blue nets that wrapped around it, binding its wings forcefully to its body. It cried out helplessly, struggling as it began to fall towards the canopy at speed. Just as it was about to make impact, a pair of massive robotic talons gripped Moltres firmly and hauled it up into one of the helicopters. It took one last look at its beautiful home before shutting its eyes in defeat, exhausted.

The telephone droned relentlessly, the sound humming around the room in an urgent manner. A slender, well-groomed feline pokémon paced next to it, occasionally mewing loudly, waiting for its master to return. It jumped up, startled, as the doors swung open violently and a tall man raced to the phone.

"What is it?" he snapped in a gruff voice. He rolled his eyes and put his hand to his head as he recognised the voice.

"H-hello, Sir…we just n-needed to ask a…a small favour please…"

"What? What do you three incompetent fools want now?" he retorted impatiently, checking his watch.

"Well you see…we were wondering when our paycheque would arr-"

"PAYCHEQUE?! You half-wits call me out of the most important meeting, one which could change the organisation forever, to ask me if you're getting paid for your-your CONSTANT FAILURES?" he roared, banging his fist on the table. This was the last straw, these idiots kept costing him money: wages, expensive machinery, food, bail, pokémon care, insurance, vacations…and for what? Not once has he received a single word of good news, and more importantly, no pokémon. They had made too many mistakes, and were costing him not only his cash but his company's reputation. Not that it mattered now, of course. Team Rocket was headed for greater things and these fools would only get in the way…

Giovanni smiled slightly at his brilliant idea.

"S-sorry sir…we won't f-fail next time!" Jessiesqueaked in apology, an audible tremor in her voice.

"No, of course not, it is a team's duty to be determined. I am willing to give you three one more chance. I shall send one of my best agents immediately to…brief you on your next assignment. Now do not bother me again!" he said coolly, before slamming the receiver down. His Persian sat at his feet and meowed in a questioning tone.

"I don't know, my pet, I fear we may not hear from our friends the next time…just perhaps-" he said, descending into an evil laugh, joined by the Persian's joyful hiss.

2

Failure's Not Flattering

Not too far from the city, a hot-air balloon floated idly through the evening summer sky. It was shaped like the head of a Meowth, and carried a green wicker basket. Inside this particularly unique balloon was a trio of thieves. A small Meowth sat perched upon one corner, looking relaxed and uncaring. Alongside, a young man with blue hair leant on the edge of the basket, gazing out at the view. He looked no older than twenty, and wore a white uniform with long black gloves and boots. Next to him was another youth, a girl of around the same age, with gravity-defying long red hair that was swept back over her shoulders. She wore a matching uniform to her companion, and was pacing tirelessly around the slightly compact space of the basket.

"That was the worst, most horrible telephone call I've ever experienced. It's a good thing I was the one to call him, though. Either of you two morons would have messed it up for sure. We were lucky, James," She said finally, ending her walk and joining her team-mates at the side of the balloon.

"I know! Well at least we didn't get fired, Jessie," replied James, watching as a flock of Spearow exploded out of the trees and flew off with a thousand chirps.

"Meowth! And don't forget, we don't hafta chase dem pesky twerps no more!" Meowth chimed in his Brooklyn drawl. Unlike other pokémon, Meowth had taught himself to speak human, but he was not merely a mimic like a parrot. His personality and wise-cracks had gotten himself and his friends into trouble on many occasions.

"Hey, you're right! No more falling, exploding, water guns, thunderbolts, flamethrowers or any of those other awful attacks! We're safe! Jessie, maybe the boss will send us on a simpler mission this time!" said James excitedly. The three had "blasted off again!" so many times that it had lost its sense of peril, but it still hurt to fail so tragically every time.

"Yeah, maybe somewheres nice, like a tropical island! It'd be like we was on vacation all da time!" said Meowth, leaping into the basket and unfolding a large map.

"Hmm," Jessie sighed, staring out into the distance, "I sure could use a vacation right now." She suddenly snapped out of her daydream as she spotted something far off; it appeared to be approaching them at a steady pace. There was something unnervingly direct about the way it was flying.

"What is that? James, do you see that coming towards us?" said Jessie urgently, tugging his sleeve. As if suddenly realising where he was, James dipped down to grab the binoculars he'd left on the floor earlier and looked through to see if he could spot anything. He followed to where Jessie was pointing and then he fixated his gaze on an odd-shaped, reflective object that was gaining in size and speed as it advanced towards their balloon.

"Is it a pokémon?" asked Jessie, leaning out slightly to get a better look.

"It looks like…an aeroplane? No, wait, I think it's a helicopter!" said James curiously, handing her the binoculars. Jessie took a long look then put them down.

"I think you're right. I don't remember asking Supplies for a helicopter, unless you did, James?" she asked, turning around and leaning on the side of the basket. James copied her casually.

"No, I didn't. Maybe Meowth did?" he replied, rubbing his eyes. It had been 2 hours since his last nap.

"Meowth did what?" the cat yawned, stretching out before curling up into a ball with a snore worthy of a Snorlax. Jessie glanced over her shoulder and shrugged.

"Maybe it's for someone else; it could just be traffic cops." She said reassuringly to herself and to James. He agreed and looked out towards the city they were nearing. It looked orange in the dusky evening light. Travelling, thought James, can be really wonderful sometimes, especially with your friends. It's worth all the electrocutions and dealings with the boss, all the starvation and all the twerps in the whole world.

"That view is really something, huh, Jess?" said James absent-mindedly, as the colour of the sky changed slowly to pink. Jessie nodded, she too was distant. It had been a long day.

All of a sudden, she became aware of an escalating, loud whirring noise in the air.

"Can you hear that, James?"

"Yes, maybe you left the burner on," James replied sleepily, slumping down to the basket floor and reaching for his blanket.

"No, It's not…AAAAH!" Jessie screamed as a large, menacing-looking black helicopter descended to their level, around 50 yards away. It was fully loaded with missiles and the cockpit window was glossy and tinted dark so the pilots could not be seen.

"What?" James mumbled, rolling over. Jessie pulled him up roughly, forcing him to stand.

"THAT'S what!" she yelled. James yelped in terror and clung piteously onto Jessie for dear life. Meowth stirred and looked over to what was going on. He rolled his eyes.

"Get a room, youse guys. C'mon, I need my beauty sleep!" he protested, turning over and huddling into the corner. He sat up again almost immediately as a rush of air came from the spinning rotor blades, knocking him back against the wall.

The two flung themselves to the floor as a missile ripped through the balloon like tissue paper and cried out in panic as the balloon plummeted towards the ground. Meowth was gripping to the wicker with his claws and Jessie and James closed their eyes and hoped to Mew they would land on something soft. They flinched as another rocket shot past them, only to explode into the trees below. In three seconds, they collided with the forest canopy, fell from the basket and landed harshly on the grass.

Jessie groaned and got up slowly, dizzy and shaken but alive nonetheless. They had been thrown further than that before…

"James? Meowth?" she called, clambering over debris from the shattered balloon. A muffled reply came from under a large, prickly plant. Jessie reached in and pulled James out by his arm. He whined as he moved; he was covered in thorns.

"That was uncalled for…" he moaned, picking several leaves and twigs out from his now matted hair. Jessie shook her head.

"I wish I had seen the face of the pilot…just so I know who to add to my list." She muttered, sweeping the dust and grass from her uniform, and flinched as she made contact with a graze on her leg. It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding.

"You have a list? What for? Am I on it?" asked James, wincing as he pulled a needle-like thorn from his hand.

"Keep asking questions and trust me, you'll be at the top of the list. Now help me look for Meowth, he can't have gone far," she snapped, parting a thicket of long grass. James sighed and silently began to help. Perhaps it's not a good idea to kid around with her in these situations, thought James; I should just shut up and get on with things.

"Hey, youse two, I'm over here!" called a small voice from above. Jessie and James looked up to see Meowth sitting on the upturned basket, which was hanging precariously from a tree. He waved, then carefully leapt from his perch and landed next to them with a soft thud.

"Dat was one hell of a landing, huh? We's gonna need a new balloon…that helicopter guy had some nerve…" said Meowth, brushing down his fur brusquely. James nodded.

"Yeah…say, Jess, when did the Boss say he was sending the agent again?" he asked curiously. Jessie paused and then straightened up with an expression of bemusement.

"Immediately…"she said quietly. James gasped.

"Wait a second, does that mean…that was the agent?! You mean you think the boss had them try to kill us? W-why would he…I never thought…" James faltered, taking everything in. Meowth however, spat.

"Dat's ridiculous, jumping to conclusions! How dare youse talk about Giovanni dat way! I can't believe youse two could think dat! Dat's treason! He still wants me as Top Cat. You'll see!" Meowth said angrily. He shook his head and then ran off into the woods.

"Get back here, you no-brain furball!" yelled Jessie. She picked up a rock and chucked it furiously in Meowth's wake. James shrugged and started walking in a random direction, away from them both. When Jessie got this enraged, James was an instant target so he usually stayed out of her way as best he could. Unfortunately, there was never enough space to escape her completely in the balloon, so on more than one occasion he had been whacked with any blunt object Jessie had to hand, just because he was there.

I wonder what it is about me that makes her so annoyed? James thought to himself as he overstepped a rotting log. Oh, right, the incompetence.

"James? Where are you going?" called Jessie, who was following him not-too-far behind. James walked a little quicker, but staggered as he tripped over a root.

"Um, I'm just stretching my legs, Jessie. I won't be too long!" he said nervously, taking care not to fall over anything else.

"I'm coming with you, we need to find a way out of here, and then we have to find Meowth," Jessie ordered, catching up with him as they neared a clearing in the forest. James flinched at her arrival.

"Are you s-still mad?" he said timidly, eyeing her with apprehension.

"No, not at you, but I swear, when I get my hands on that goddamn Meowth…" she trailed off. James sighed with relief, and stopped cowering.

3

Truth and Love

As they continued down the narrow dirt path through the forest, they came to a circular glade, surrounded on all sides with trees.

"Maybe we should stop here…?" suggested James, sitting down on a small, recently-felled tree. It was well into the evening now, and the first stars had revealed themselves on the deep blue velvet. After checking around to make sure they were alone, Jessie nodded and joined him.

"I just don't understand why the boss would have someone attack us, James. I can see why he's so sick of us but, arranging for us to be killed? I mean he's sent assassins out before, like the time he tried to kill the President of Silph Co., but the hired guy got caught. But why would he send out someone to…to get us? Why not just fire us off the Team?" she wondered anxiously, staring up at the sky.

"I think it's because we know too much. From his point of view, if he let us go, we could spill all the inner workings of Team Rocket to the media, the police or even the Pokémon League or something. We know we wouldn't, but he…he might not want to take that chance." James said in a subdued voice: partly in amazement at his own clever explanation, partly in disbelief. Jessie shivered at the thought.

"I don't believe it. I-I don't want to believe it, James!" whispered Jessie, quickly looking away from him as she felt tears well in her eyes. She had never let anyone see her cry. Not since she was a little girl, not since she was told her dear mother, Miyamoto, was dead. It wasn't going to change now, not even for James. Jessie got down from the tree and ran back towards the forest, hiding her face from him.

"Jessie? Are you alright?" called James, he too leaping from the fallen tree, and following her back to the wood. He knew he was going to get yelled at, or worse, hit in the head, but he hated seeing her upset like that. For some reason however, as he reached her, she did not react angrily at all. Jessie was weeping quietly, with her back to James, into a fir tree. He approached with extreme caution.

"Jess…?" he whispered, putting his hand on her shoulder tentatively. He expected her to move away, but instead she just continued crying.

"Go away…" Jessie sobbed. She appreciated his concern, but she didn't want him to see her so defenceless. It wasn't how things were supposed to go. Jessie was the dominant, strong-minded half and James was the submissive, emotional half. If James saw her crying it would upset the balance.

"Please don't cry. It's going to be okay, Jessie." James said, ignoring her request. Although, he wasn't sure how everything was going to be okay. It just seemed to be the sort of thing to say to her. After all, he'd never had to reassure her before, and it was a little weird to see her crying like that. Nevertheless, he stood beside her.

"How will it b-be? Gio-v-vanni wants us dead! James, there's no way we can change t-that!" Jessie said shakily, looking at James for the first time. She had given up avoiding him, it didn't seem like he was going anywhere soon.

"I don't know…" James replied, remembering that he didn't really have all the answers. He felt uncomfortable, seeing her with her eyes all blurry and her mascara streaked down her cheeks, but still he stayed. He may not have been much help, but at least he was loyal.

"James!" Jessie wailed. She flung her arms around him and broke down completely. She really didn't care if he saw her anymore: she just felt like she needed him there.

James awkwardly stroked her hair, completely unnerved by her display of emotion. Somehow, however, he wanted to make her feel better, but he had no idea how. I thought coming over and talking to her would make her stop crying, but now she's even worse! Thought James hopelessly, squirming as he felt his shoulder become steadily soaked.

"It's okay, Jess" he said, still not sure how it was okay. His words of comfort seemed to have worked however, as Jessie snivelled and broke away. But without looking at him, she returned to the clearing and sat back down on the dead tree. James swiftly followed.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he rested next to her. Now what had he done? It's not like he'd said anything insensitive or tactless, as usual. In fact, James thought he had been quite considerate. It wasn't his fault they were Giovanni's Most Wanted. Besides, he was upset too.

"It's not your fault, James. It's just this whole thing…it reminds me of my mother." Jessie said finally, gazing up at the sky again. It was a clear night, and the constellations and planets blinked down on the earth like watchmen's torches.

"No, I'm sorry…I didn't know…" apologized James, suddenly realising that he in fact had been tactless. All he knew about Jessie's mother was that she had supposedly died in an avalanche when Jessie was four. She was called Miyamoto, and was one of Team Rocket's top field agents. Jessie rarely mentioned her, though. It wasn't something she was generally prepared to talk about.

"No, James, I think I should tell you. It's important now more than ever. I think my mother died because… Giovanni killed her. It's just dawned on me, I never really thought about it that way until now. She was threatening his position in the Team, so-" she said abruptly. She wasn't upset anymore, but rather understanding. Now she knew that the avalanche was just a cover-up: fairly easy to believe for a four-year-old orphan, who never once questioned the circumstances until now.

James sat in stunned silence, unable to fully comprehend that the Boss truly was capable of murder. He was capable of murdering a single mother with a small child. James shuddered: Giovanni murdered my best friend's mother. And now Giovanni was going to murder them too.

"I'm scared, Jessie." He said finally, shifting further up onto the tree.

"Me too, James" They held hands instinctively, and sat with their thoughts, engulfed by their own doubts and questions.

4

The World Has Turned and Left Me Here

Jessie awoke early the next morning to the sound of a Pidgeotto calling across the forest, screeching mercilessly. She groaned: sleeping on a dead, splintered tree had not been one of their best ideas. James snored loudly, apparently undisturbed by the Pokémon wake-up call service. Suddenly, Jessie realised that they had slept the entire night in each other's arms. She quickly freed herself from James' embrace and lay back down several feet way, so not to cause any unnecessary embarrassment and awkward questions when he woke up.

Unfortunately, she unwittingly raised several awkward questions of her own. What if…? She wondered, before determinedly driving any such disturbing thoughts out of her head. Deep down, she didn't really think it was that disturbing at all, but Jessie never really listened to anything that deep very often. She decided at once that they had merely fallen asleep on each other.

"Hunh…? Did I fall asleep?" said James drowsily; lifting his head as if it weighed several tonnes, "Jessie, are you awake?"

"Good Morning, James," Jessie yawned. She jumped down from the tree innocently and stretched, looking up towards him. "Ugh, I feel like I slept on a bed of nails…"

"Not me, I had the most wonderful dream that… we …um…" he trailed off suddenly, scratching his head uncomfortably.

"What?"

"N-never mind…" he stammered, hopping off the tree clumsily and stretching too. Brilliant, James. That was truly outstanding. Go on, tell her the whole dream, why don't you? James mentally kicked himself, then turned to Jessie and grinned foolishly. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. We need to find Meowth, and soon. If he gets to the Boss, I don't know what he will do to him," said Jessie, trying to get back to important matters. She glanced around for their belongings, but then remembered that the balloon had been destroyed.

"There's nothing left for us to do here, James. We may as well set off now, if you're ready."

"Oh…can we get something to eat first? I'm starving!" whined James, holding his stomach pathetically. Jessie sighed. They needed to get going, but if James didn't eat it would mean he'd complain the whole way. Looking around, however, it soon became clear that there wasn't anything they could eat.

"Well unless you want to eat grass, I suggest you hold out until we find some real food. Now, come on." said Jessie decisively. She started towards the opposite end of the glade, with James reluctantly in tow.

As they reached the trees, they paused.

"Do you hear that, James?"

"Unless you mean my stomach, no…"

"Oh, get a grip! I mean that noise…it sounds like…"

Suddenly, a large brown Pokémon galloped out in front of them, in pursuit by three children. The pokémon was carrying a red and white cap in its mouth.

"Hey, Stantler, give me my hat back!" called the shortest, in a whiny, nasal voice. He had messy black hair, and a Pikachu perched atop his shoulder. Accompanying him was an older, taller boy and a red-headed girl carrying a small, infant-like Pokémon in an eggshell.

"Oh no, it's the Twerps!" wailed Jessie and James in unison. They watched as the trio chased the Stantler around a boulder in vein, the young pokémon trainer running in full-pelted desperation to retrieve his prized hat. Then in a flash of light, he sent out one of his pokémon, a small blue water-type named Totodile.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" ordered the trainer, pointing eagerly at the Stantler. Totodile happily obliged, spouting a fast torrent of water at the hat-stealing pokémon. The blast knocked Stantler from its stride, and it fell gracelessly to the forest floor. It was stunned, but unharmed. The trainer had no intention to harm it, just to stop it from escaping with his official pokémon league hat.

"Totodile, return!" The trainer approached the dizzy Stantler, and tugged his cap from its mouth with a triumphant laugh.

"Sorry, Stantler, but taking my hat is only funny once, okay?"

"Pika, Pikachu!" chirped the yellow pokémon at his side.

Jessie and James looked at each other. They knew they must not be seen. The twerps would never believe that Team Rocket was off their case for once, and Jessie and James couldn't risk blasting-off right now. It was best to stay hidden.

"It's funny, Jess. I thought we would never have to see those three again," said James, with a small laugh at the irony.

"Sometimes I think they're the ones thatfollow us…" Jessie sighed tiredly. She had hoped exactly what James had said.

"Hey look-out, Ash! It's Team Rocket!" yelled the red-haired girl suddenly, in alarm. The three stood alert, glaring at Jessie and James with resentment. The Pikachu growled, and began discharging electricity.

"What do you crooks want this time?!" spat Ash, bristling all over like his Pokémon. Jessie and James continued sitting innocently on the ground as they had before, and tried to ignore them.

"Well? Aren't you gonna say your dumb old poem and get this over with?" ash jeered, reaching for a Poké Ball from his belt. Jessie and James felt stung by the motto insult, but did not retort back with an insult themselves.

"James and I are sitting here. You merely happened to stumble across us while you were chasing that Stantler. If you're looking for a fight, I suggest you look elsewhere today!" said Jessie simply, not once looking any of the twerps in the eyes. Ash shook his head.

"Don't lie, you're up to something! Where's Meowth?" he interrogated, pointing a finger at them angrily. Pikachu, however, had stepped back, and was blinking at Jessie and James in puzzlement.

"Meowth has ran off. Look, you want the full story? Jessie and I will be completely honest with you," said James.

"Yes, we no longer have anything against you, nor do we need to chase you around the world for your pokémon," added Jessie, with an attempt at a friendly smile. The twerps remained suspicious, but Pikachu had cooled it and was instead a little confused by Team Rocket's unthreatening behaviour.

"You see twer- I mean, um, Ash, there are greater things at work in this world. Horrible things. Things more significant than you kids would understand. Even I hardly understand!"

"That's not surprising," quipped the older boy.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ash, still in a confrontational tone. Misty was less hostile now, she too had noticed Team Rocket's lack of interest and usual enthusiasm.

"Well, you see, we're on the run. From our own Boss," said Jessie solemnly, looking at James for reassurance. He nodded. Misty stepped in front of Ash, who was still hot-headed.

"Why? Does that mean you're not in Team Rocket anymore?" she asked curiously.

"No, it's not that simple. This might be a little shocking, but it appears G-Giovanni is trying to have us killed," explained James. Neither he nor Jessie knew why they were telling the twerps this, but they somehow felt it would help. Misty gasped.

"What? No! He can't do that!" said Misty, outraged. Ash interrupted, still not convinced.

"Don't believe 'em, Misty! I'll bet this is all just some dirty trick! If you're the good guys now, then how come we found you here, watching us?" he yelled accusatorially, ignoring Misty and Brock's attempts to calm him down.

"Because, we happened to sleep over there last night, and this morning we came this way looking for food, Meowth and a way out in that order! Not to watch you! Stop being so arrogant, thinking the only reason we would be here is to tag along behind YOU TWERPS!" shouted Jessie, having finally snapped. She got up and stormed off, continuing the way she and James were originally travelling. James ran to catch up with her, leaving a baffled trio of twerps.

"What was that all about?" said Ash, staring after them with a look of bewilderment. Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder with a tiny squeak, mirroring his trainer's expression. Misty shook her head, ignoring him, and turned to Brock.

"I think this time they really weren't tailing us, Brock. We don't know how bad Team Rocket's Boss can be."

"I don't know, maybe they have it a lot tougher than we think," said Brock, thinking.

"Yeah, well I don't trust 'em as far as I could throw 'em. And Pikachu and I have sent them pretty far before!" Ash scoffed, adjusting his hat in a proud manner. He turned and strode away, indicating Pikachu to follow him with a wave of his hand.

"Ash, why do you have to be so insensitive all the time? It drives me crazy!" Misty yelled. She'd had to put up with his overconfidence for a long time now, and more often than not it was a hindrance to them rather than a help. Misty was also still annoyed that Ash hadn't replaced, or repaid her for her bike.

"Look, I just don't have time for it, Misty. Me and my pokémon have better things to do than care for those creeps. Why should I? If they're gonna get killed, I say they deserve it." Ash said coldly, continuing to walk away. Misty stopped, amazed at how spiteful and unforgiving Ash was being.

"Yeah, well you know what Ash? You're the one who's the real creep right now! You're behaving just like…just like Gary!" she hissed, turning on her heel and stomping away from him. Ash flinched at the mention of his arch-nemesis' name. Brock just watched the argument as always, but they never usually got this bad. As they paced away from each other, he had two choices. Go with one or the other, or try to get them to make up. It wasn't easy.

"You coming, Brock?" said Misty, still not turning around. Brock shrugged, looking over to Ash. He continued walking, clearly not wanting any more to do with either of them. Maybe I should give him some space, thought Brock. As a peaceful person, he detested it when they fought. Reluctantly, he nodded and joined Misty, glancing to Ash over his shoulder. However, something in the back of his mind told him it would all work out in the end, and he relaxed a little.

5

All Apologies

Team Rocket were unusually quiet as they made their way through the seemingly infinite forest. Perhaps, however, it was simply because Meowth wasn't there, making silly comments and generally annoying the hell out of Jessie and James. The two friends were just not used to having only each other as company, and it meant hundreds of minimum-effort, unfinished conversations.

"Jessie, do you actually have any idea where Meowth is, or are you just following the path?" whined James tiredly, glancing around and hoping to catch a glimpse of something edible before he collapsed from starvation.

"I just want to get out of this goddamn place first, and it's a well-known logical fact that if you keep going in one direction through a forest, you will eventually come to the edge. Now if you have a better idea, James, I'd like to hear it!" Jessie retorted in frustration. She was sick to death of his continuous moaning and was almost at the end of her tether. James groaned in reply, trudging obediently behind her.

"Actually I do have a better idea, how about we stop and I can chew my own legs off?" he said to himself. The absence of Meowth was more noticeable to him than ever, he had no-one to complain about Jessie to and no-one to share his constant suffering with. Although Jessie was his best friend and he would do almost anything for her, walking with her was a very lonely and tiresome thing without Meowth. She had no idea how hungry James could get, so she had to put up with his whining.

"I'd kill for some instant noodles right now…" James sighed, folding his arms and lapsing into a daydream. He was at an all-you can-eat buffet…

"James! Look! I think I can see a way out of here!" said Jessie suddenly, pointing excitedly at an arch of trees up ahead. It did certainly look like an exit.

"What are we waiting for? I hope they have a Burger Kingdra on the other side…or Taco Bellsprout…" said James, following Jessie's lead and breaking into a run. Jessie was right, and soon enough, they found themselves on the perimeter of the forest. The day was bright outside the over-shadowing gloominess of the canopy, just as it had been the day before. There was no fast-food restaurant, much to James' dismay, but it looked like they'd be eating this morning. A campsite had been set up nearby, and it looked like the occupant was getting ready for lunch. An old man was preparing mushrooms on the tiny portable stove.

"Hmm…they sure look good…" said James, staring longingly at the cooking from behind a tree. Jessie nodded eagerly.

"Well we're still thieves, James…I say we take our chances and snatch that lunch!" she said with fervour, standing up importantly. James grinned mischievously. On the count of three, they leapt out into the open, and landed in over-exaggerated poses.

"Prepare for Trouble!" announced Jessie.

"Make it Double!" added James.

"We'll take your lunch with no explanation…"

"…Except to save us from starvation!"

"We've gone for two hours without rest or dinner,"

"It's just not fair, although I do look thinner…"

"Jessie!"

"James"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender those mushrooms or prepare to fight!"

"WOBBUFFET!" squawked a large blue blob, which spontaneously appeared next to them in a flash of light. Jessie rolled her eyes and returned it to its Poké Ball.

"What the…? Please, don't hurt me! T-team Rocket, I don't have any money or Pokémon here! J-just leave me alone!" stuttered the old man, cowering behind his tent in terror. Jessie and James looked at each other.

"Pokémon? No, you old fool, didn't you hear the motto?" asked Jessie in frustration. They came up with stuff like that on the spot, and they took their speeches extremely seriously, so if someone didn't pay attention it made Jessie quite annoyed.

"We just want your lunch," finished James simply. The camper peered around the tent at them and blinked.

"Really? Is that all? Well then in that case, take them. I have plenty more food in the tent for myself. Go on," offered the man, reappearing and gathering the mushrooms into an empty can. "Here you go…" he said quickly, handing James the can. Jessie and James stared confusedly at the camper. Surely he was supposed to object and chase them with one of his pokémon? Without a word of thanks, silently they turned and ran.

"That was weird…" gasped Jessie as they headed up a steep bank. James nodded; his mouth was too full of mushrooms for him to speak. As they reached the peak of the hill, Jessie paused and looked behind her.

"James? Do hear that noise…?" she said nervously, checking the skies for anything ominous.

"Uh…wait, yes!" James gulped, just managing to avoid choking on his lunch. Jessie panicked and began to run down the other side of the hill.

"James, run! It could be them!" she yelled, not stopping to look behind her. James pelted after her, tossing the empty can carelessly away.

At the foot of the hill, a fuming Ash Ketchum strode determinedly ahead with his Pikachu racing beside him. He was not angry anymore at Misty and Brock, or even Team Rocket, but he was furious with himself for being so insensitive. He must have been acting like a complete moron if Misty compared him to Gary.

"I wish I could apologise to Misty and Brock right now, Pikachu. I shouldn't have yelled at them like that, huh?" Ash spoke aloud to his pokémon. Pikachu chirped in agreement, but wondered if Ash wanted to apologise to Team Rocket, too.

"Chu pi, pika-pika, pika pi?" asked Pikachu, hopping onto Ash's shoulder.

"Thanks buddy! I know I can count on you to forgive me," laughed Ash, petting Pikachu happily. Pikachu blinked, perplexed by Ash's random answer, but then remembered that most humans weren't smart enough to understand Pokémon. Instead of probing further, he simply squeaked innocently and enjoyed the ride.

Suddenly, a scream made Ash and Pikachu jump around in fright. Impulsively Ash called out one of his pokémon, this time Bulbasaur, and glanced over to see who was in trouble. He gasped in shock as he saw Team Rocket running full tilt across the grass towards him. He was about to order Bulbasaur to attack, when he noticed a black helicopter flying low, not too far behind Jessie and James.

"Jessie! We're going to die!" wailed James, catching up to her in one stride. Jessie screamed again and they dashed for the relative cover of a thicket of grass and bushes. They leapt into the plants, flung themselves down low and trembled like hunted rabbits, clutching each other in desperation. Ash crouched down behind a rock and watched with Pikachu and Bulbasaur, unbeknownst to Team Rocket.

The helicopter hovered threateningly, shining it's search-light around the immediate area. It was loaded with rockets and missiles, and there was a powerful-looking machine gun on its nose. Ash felt Pikachu shift uncomfortably beside him, and he felt his own stomach knot up with guilt. It seemed, this time, Team Rocket were well and truly off his case. Ash should have felt relieved at this notion, but instead was horrified that this would be Jessie and James' fate.

"We can't let this happen to Team Rocket, Pikachu! We have to help somehow…I know! If we create a diversion, the helicopter will go after that instead of finding Jessie and James, and then they can run away!" said Ash resolutely, turning to his friend. Pikachu cheered at his trainer's change of heart, and hopped onto the boulder they were concealed behind.

"Hey, wait, what are you doing?" Ash panicked, suddenly realising that they too were in danger. Pikachu concentrated hard, and then with a loud cry sent a powerful Thunderbolt at a tree opposite them. The tree creaked and buckled under the strain, swaying severely.

James and Jessie gazed, shaking in terror, at the huge metallic menace that hovered closer to their position. Their discovery was imminent.

"It looks l-like this is the end, James…" murmured Jessie, feeling completely helpless. She was about to say "At least we have done something meaningful with our lives", but thought it was pointless to lie at this point. Sure, they had had countless adventures, but for what? Every chance they had to make some money, or even go legitimate, they sacrificed to continue working for Giovanni, with the foolish hope that one day they might return to him with a pokémon of some worth. A hope that one day they might get that promotion, or that pay rise. It was all meaningless now. Their entire working lives had been a charade, and it hurt Jessie to the core. The one thing she ever truly believed in was Team Rocket, and now, it was going to be their downfall.

"Oh, Jessie, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for always failing, I'm sorry for annoying you and making your life difficult from the moment you met me!" whimpered James, eyeing the helicopter fearfully. He hoped for a second that Jessie would tell him to shut up, and stop grovelling, and that everything was going to be okay. He even wanted her to hit him. When he looked at her, however, all he saw was a teary-eyed, frightened little girl with no mother. She looked as sorry as he was. James wanted to tell her so much, but it never had been, and was never going to be, that simple. All he could do was hold her, and await their doom together.

Suddenly, as if it was being pulled by a gigantic magnet, the helicopter veered away from them, and droned angrily towards the forest. Jessie and James looked up and gasped in astonishment as none other than Ash Ketchum and Pikachu ran urgently towards them, waving frantically.

"Hey! Are you guys okay? Pikachu got that helicopter distracted, but we have to move now!" Ash yelled, Pikachu calling anxiously. Jessie and James got up shakily, unable to sum up enough words to thank him. They merely nodded and started at a sprint away from the Team Rocket helicopter, with Ash not far behind. They hurried up and over another hill, hoping dreadfully that Team Rocket would not pursue them. As they raced down the other side, they came to a main road at the bottom. It was quite busy. Aware that they were still in their uniforms; Jessie and James ducked down into the grass verge below, just in case they were unfortunate enough to be spotted by the police. Ash and Pikachu copied them swiftly, and soon they were all crouched down once again in hiding.

"Now what?" asked James wearily, glancing nervously behind him. Ash shook his head. Pikachu hopped over to Jessie and James, and offered them his tiny paw.

"Chu?" it said in a happy squeak. Ash laughed.

"I think Pikachu is saying it forgives you for all those times you tried to take it," Ash said, partly speaking his own mind, "And Pikachu and I are sorry for all those times we Thundershocked you."

"Chaa…!"

"Er…thanks Pikachu. We're sorry too, I guess, now that we're not really Team Rocket anymore…" said Jessie, slightly disappointed. She wondered if it meant they couldn't say the motto anymore. Suddenly she realised they were alone. She and James had nowhere to go; no money, no jobs, no house, no food…But James does have all those things, Jessie remembered. His parents were extremely wealthy and they would have no problem letting him come home. But would James really leave her all alone? If he had a choice, would he stay with her?

6

Inside All the People

No-one noticed as a small pokémon slipped through the doors to the main office. Silently, Meowth crept past casual Grunts and chattering Agents in the cafeteria, past a sleeping Houndour, and through the heavy black doors, entering into a long corridor. He had been through those doors hundreds of times before, but never alone. Jessie and James had always been with him, but this time they had betrayed him. They had gone against Team Rocket ways, and had spoken badly of Giovanni. Meowth felt it was his duty to inform his Boss of their treason.

Although he had no real explanation for the helicopter attack, he was certain in his mind that it was all just a major misunderstanding. Everything would work out as always, but he was not sure how Giovanni would punish Jessie and James. Regardless of their actions, they were still Meowth's best friends, and he hoped that at the worst, the Boss would only cut their pay.

As he came to another set of double-doors, each emblazoned with a dramatic red "R", Meowth took a deep breath. Tentatively, he pushed one door open with a loud creak.

"Who is it? I'm extremely busy!" called a frustrated, low growl from inside. Meowth laughed nervously at the sound of Giovanni's voice.

"Eheheh…Sir? I was just wonderin' if youse could spare a moment of your valuable time…" Meowth began carefully, hoping that he wasn't intruding on anything too top secret or important. He stepped in innocently, closing the door behind him with a dull clunk, and caught the attention of the Persian. Meowth glowered at it with a look of utmost loathing, before approaching Giovanni's desk with his paws behind his back.

Giovanni looked down at Meowth, deadpan, and put his cell-phone on the desk.

"Ah. Meowth, I expected I would come across you sooner or later. Where are the other two?" he asked grimly. His grey eyes were cold and soulless, and he stared directly into Meowth's, making him incredibly uneasy.

"Um…they are…" started Meowth, almost unable to avoid Giovanni's cruel stare.

"Dead?" said Giovanni sternly, clenching his fists with malice. Meowth took a step back, speechless, regretting everything he had just said about the boss and everything awful he had just thought about Jessie and James. He felt his stomach turn to lead as Giovanni advanced on him, the Persian hissing viciously. Before Meowth could turn to run, he screamed as Giovanni grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him up level with his own head.

"I think its time we had a little talk," Giovanni said, and with a cruel smirk, carried him out of his office with the Persian dutifully in tow.

Meowth couldn't believe what was happening. His own Boss, whom he so blindly trusted and looked up to, truly had arranged to have them killed. In his heart Meowth knew it was wrong to have left Jessie and James alone like that, and it wrenched at the unavoidable thought of them lying in a ditch somewhere, lifeless and still. Wincing as Giovanni tightened his grip on his fur, Meowth was being unwillingly surrendered to his fate.

After what seemed like a tormenting eternity, Giovanni stopped at an imposing, heavy-looking steel door. He took a small card from his trouser pocket and inserted it in a slot at the side of the handle, then punched in a six-digit code on a keypad. It beeped in recognition, and the door swung open.

Meowth gasped as the secrets behind the door were revealed. It was a control room, with wall-to-wall consoles and a panel on the furthest wall, made up of screens showing different parts of the Headquarters, and also some appeared to be monitoring activity in the city. There were many scientists and Rocket Executives talking excitedly among themselves; several were scribbling on clipboards.

Giovanni strode forward, still clasping Meowth's neck firmly in his fist. Meowth had given up on squirming as it just made Giovanni hold more tightly. He indicated to two scientists to follow him. They looked over-worked and exhausted and Meowth supposed they would face the same penalty as Jessie and James if they were caught slacking off. He sighed. Uncertainty was a horrible, torturous thing. Meowth had no way of knowing if his friends were alive or not. His instincts told him they were fine. Really, they had survived so much strife together. Meowth remembered how sometimes they would joke that they were indestructible. If only.

He sniffed quietly as Giovanni carried him through another door, accompanied by his lackeys. Meowth expected to see the worst; perhaps Jessie and James had been captured. Maybe…he couldn't bear to think about it anymore. Meowth closed his eyes, and tried his best to prepare himself for what he might have to face.

Nothing, however, could have prepared him enough for this. There, sleeping relatively quietly behind a thick glass pane was an enormous, black, flaming bird. Its wings were ablaze, and its feathers looked a charred, rather than natural, ebony colour. Meowth knew it to be Moltres, but it had undergone a dramatic alteration. It was more muscular and heavily built than before: Its clawed feet were massive and armed with lethal talons; its now charcoal-coloured beak had become hooked and menacing, and the fires which rippled and writhed on its head and wings were red-hot. It was wired up to a machine, and had been chained forcefully against a wall.

Meowth couldn't help but pity the poor Pokémon, as he knew well that true Moltres was nothing like this. He had seen it flying joyfully and free once before. Now they were both captives of Giovanni. However, on that same day he had seen it at its most powerful and destructive, and he shuddered to think how much havoc this new, darker Moltres could wreak.

"So, Meowth, what do you make of my new pet?" said Giovanni, yanking the Pokémon up to get a better look at him. Meowth struggled as the ache in his neck sharpened from a twinge to a stabbing pain. He gasped a response; it was impossible to speak.

"It is Moltres. I have had its' DNA modified by my scientists to make it the most powerful pokémon in existence. First, it was tortured into submission by blasts of fire and electricity until it was almost dead. Then, the pokémon's heart was closed so it can no longer feel anything except rage. Finally, the long process of altering its' genetic patterns began, slowly mutating it into the size and build it has reached now. This new Black Moltres is unbeatable, indestructible, and I control it! With this powerful weapon at my disposal, I will tear this fickle city to the ground!" Giovanni declared, gripping Meowth so hard that he squealed in pain, tears filling his eyes. He thrashed about, until he finally found enough air to speak.

"What have ya done ta Jessie and James?" he squawked, reaching back to try and dig his claws into Giovanni's hand. The Boss shook him violently with a maniacal laugh.

"Oh, nothing yet, Meowth, but that is where you come in. Unfortunately, it seems your pathetic friends have evaded my hired assassins twice. To avoid that happening again, I will keep you captive. That way, those imbeciles will trace you back to here where I have armed guards waiting at every gate and entrance. Once they are brought to me, I will see to it that once you are dealt with, they are terminated in the most inhumane way possible, by watching each other die. It's the least they deserve… " growled Giovanni, glaring with twisted pleasure at the aghast expression on Meowth's face. Meowth felt physically sick, and couldn't even sum up half of the hatred he sensed towards his evil captor as Giovanni took him into a cold, bare cell.

7

Wake Up

"I think its best if we headed into town, James. I have a feeling Meowth might have gone straight to…to the Boss." Jessie almost flinched at having to mention his name. James nodded gravely; HQ was the last place either of them wanted to have to go to. It was dicing with death for certain, but they had to find Meowth before it was too late.

Ash was no longer travelling with them, he had set off to find his friends and apologise. Jessie and James were relieved by this, as they really needed some time to themselves, but were also a little demoralised by his departure. It would have been nice to have some well-trained, strong pokémon to protect them for once.

"How did things ever get this bad, Jessie…?" James sighed, staring at the rolling ground below him. They had found a road, off the beaten track, to decrease their chance of meeting anybody else, and it headed straight into Goldenrod City. Jessie remained quiet. She had been shaken up quite badly by their ordeal with the helicopter, and had said very little since their rescue. James noticed her silence.

"Are you going to be alright, Jess?" he asked, looking at her with genuine concern. She shook her head, and went to sit at the side of the road. James followed suit and joined her.

"I will be, James. I have to be. We'll never save Meowth if I don't pull myself together," she whispered, rubbing her eyes. Once again, the day had gone all too quickly. Night was drawing near, and they were both exhausted. However, they equally knew that if they left Meowth any longer…

"You don't have to do it all by yourself, you know. I'm always here- whether you like it or not," James added, lying back on the grass. It was certainly more comfortable than the old tree they had slept on the previous night. Jessie copied him and sighed.

"I know. James?" she asked, turning her head to face him.

"What?"

"Before, when that helicopter had almost found us, I seriously thought we were goners," she said quietly. James smiled uneasily.

"Me too Jess." They lay in silence for a while, watching as the stars slowly divulged themselves to the world, in all their twinkling innocence. After what seemed like an eternity, James looked over at Jessie. She was fast asleep.

"Maybe we can steal just a quick nap…" James smiled, although, he decided not to go to sleep as well. That way he could wake Jessie up after about an hour so they could continue to the city. What they planned to do was to first, sneak into HQ through the secret entrance at the south of the building. If Meowth was captured, then Giovanni will have thrown him in the cells at the back. Secondly, they would check through all the cell windows for Meowth until they find him. Then Jessie will reach in, and we can escape with Meowth. Once we're free, we can leave our life of crime behind. First…we can go on vacation. Yeah, Jess would like that. Then we need to get jobs. Maybe we could start up that Pokémon Salon again…that was so much fun…then we can buy a house somewhere…Oh, and we'll eat out all the time. Proper food…and we can eat anywhere we want without worrying about the cops…no more twerps…no more failure…

James woke with a start several hours later. He cursed himself for falling asleep; his nap might have just cost Meowth's life. He attempted to get up, when he realised Jessie had wrapped her arms around him and was resting her head on his chest. He smiled, but reluctantly he had to wake her.

"Jessie?" She stirred, and opened her eyes. In three seconds she had leapt off him and stood up as if he were a poisonous Tentacruel.

"Sorry…I must have fallen asleep by mistake- and, uh, moved over accidentally by… accident," she said in a poor attempt at an excuse. James merely shrugged and stood up, slightly disappointed.

Meowth sniffled in the cold, damp cell. He had curled up into the corner, and the back of his neck still hurt. As far as he was concerned, it was over. Even if Jessie and James were alive, once they figured out where he was and had almost reached him, they would be captured and killed; and if they did nothing, they would be destroyed by the Moltres as it rampaged through Goldenrod.

"I wish I coulda said somethin' nice ta Jessie and James, insteada yellin' at 'em," Meowth sighed, staring downheartedly out of the oppressing jail windows. He was a prisoner on death row, and the only rays of hope he could see were the little placid ribbons of moonlight spilling between the cruel iron bars. Meowth desperately envied each and every one of those liberating beams.

The door flung open suddenly, making the weak cat jump. His large yellow eyes narrowed at the unexpected influx of bright light, and he held his paw up to them to try and see who had entered. Any slight hopes he had of seeing Jessie and James with keys to his cell were dashed away as Giovanni and his snarling Persian advanced inside.

"Not a sign of those twits just yet, Meowth? I would have assumed they'd be here by now. Perhaps something…came up." he chuckled darkly, scratching his pet behind its ear. Meowth squirmed uncomfortably. He did not enquire any further as it would just confirm his fears.

"Do not fear, Meowth. As soon as they arrive, I will send someone out to greet then. Then he will come for you…" said Giovanni sinisterly. He snapped his fingers and departed, the Persian hissing in delight.

Giovanni re-entered the Control Room with considerably less to deliberate on. Now he could focus purely on the important task ahead. Admittedly, he had not been this excited since the day he received the call that Mewtwo had demolished his entire Island Research Laboratory. Giovanni's Persian could sense its master's anticipation, and had become fidgety and restless.

Scientists and Researchers had gathered around him, flashing clipboards and calling out statistics. There was a sense of controlled chaos in the atmosphere and all activity was centred on Giovanni and his Moltres.

"How long until the transformation is complete, Professor?" the Boss demanded, moving closer to the sturdy, bullet-proof glass that contained his pokémon. A thin, edgy character sidled towards him, blinking through his thick spectacles. Shrinking under Giovanni's bitter glare, he checked his pocket-watch.

"S-six minutes and counting, sir!" he stuttered, before darting away like a fish in a pool. Giovanni straightened his maroon suit jacket importantly, and proceeded to stride about the room, checking various bits of data, and over-seeing the critical last few minutes before Moltres was complete.

The tension peaked as a red light began to flash. A siren blared, and the signal was for everyone to vacate the room except Giovanni and the Head Scientists. People scurried around like rats as they frantically headed for the door, but none were as collected and calm as Giovanni, whom merely stepped closer to the glass pane. He smiled wickedly as the twisted, evil shadow of the former Moltres opened a blood-red eye.

8

Dependence Day

When Jessie and James had finally made it into town, they were greeted by absolute pandemonium: screaming hordes of people and confused pokémon, traffic flooding out in hectic jumbles of vehicles, scores of emergency service vehicles and several desperate news reporters. The darkness of night had magnified the fear to dangerous levels. People were looting shops, stealing from each other and behaving like a single-minded, violent pack of animals. No-one, not even Officer Jenny, noticed the pair was even there at all, let alone their ominous Rocket uniforms. They looked at each other, perplexed.

"Whatever's going on here, I'd bet my entire inheritance on who's behind it- hey, watch where you're going, twerp!" said James suddenly, dodging to the left as a panic-stricken teenage boy and his vaporeon galloped past without excusing. Jessie nodded; her expression unreadable. Without another word, they each knew what they had to do.

A piercing, screeching cry ripped through the air. Crowds shrieked as a vicious ball of white fire exploded through the side of an office block, melting through the steel beams and glass like wax. That blast was rapidly followed by another, and another, and another, until the entire lot was reduced to cinders. James grabbed Jessie's hand and pulled her into an alley as a gargantuan bird roared through the streets like an inferno, tearing down stalls and buildings and causing utter devastation.

"If this is the fate of these innocent people, I'd hate to find out what the boss is going to do to us!" said Jessie, half-mocking and half-terrified. She glanced around the corner of the wall. "James, when I say go, we run down to that flaming car, turn at the lights and head for HQ. Got it?" she ordered in the strongest voice she could muster. James agreed, and waited for her signal. He was pleased to have his leader back. He needed Jessie to cope for him in these situations.

After three, they sprinted down the concrete, ignoring the blazing fires and blaring sirens screaming around them and focused on the targets ahead. What was important was they stayed alive, and that they found Meowth.

Not so far away, in a grand country home, a pokémon sat watching the television. Although it was late, Growlie wasn't one bit tired. He rarely got a lot of sleep during the night, but he could nap anytime he wanted. He was alone in his room, a fancy place decorated with pokémon dolls and countless toys. He loved it there, but he missed his trainer more every day. What was the point of having great toys if you have no-one to share them with? He growled a heavy sigh and tossed his mane gracefully, resting his head on his paws to go to sleep.

Growlie had almost drifted off, when something on the screen caught his eye. Could it be? Shaky film of a chaotic city scene filled the screen, but on the corner, on the street ahead of the camera, a young man and woman held each other fearfully.

And Growlie knew them well.

It looked like they were in serious trouble. Without a thought more, Growlie got to his paws and leapt elegantly out of the open two-storey window, landing with a gentle thump, and set off racing to save his master.

As they turned at the lights, Jessie and James came face-to-face with the berserk Moltres. It was flying in circles a few yards in front of them, spitting random flamethrowers at towers, people and pokémon. This pokémon was a relentless, killing machine; terrorizing the city for the pleasure of its master.

"What now? There's no way we can get past that thing without ending up barbecued!" James panicked, hiding behind Jessie. She glanced around anxiously, searching for anything that could distract the Moltres.

"I've got it!" Jessie exclaimed suddenly. She pulled a Poké Ball out of her pocket and tossed it elegantly into the air. In a flash of bright light, a huge purple snake appeared.

"Chaaabok!" it hissed, looking at Jessie expectantly for instructions.

"Arbok, use Poison Sting on that streetlight!" Jessie ordered, pointing towards the tall object. Arbok reacted like lightning and spat out a steady stream of needle-like stings at the pole, which distorted precariously under the pressure. Within seconds, the high structure buckled with an ear-splitting snap, and plummeted over. Jessie's plan worked, Moltres had become distracted. There was no time for celebration, however, and as soon as Jessie returned Arbok to its Poké Ball, she and James started hastily past the pokémon.

"That was… a great… idea… Jessie!" panted James as the hysteria behind them dissolved into background noise. They dashed around the corner with pure determination; Team Rocket Headquarters was only a few yards away.

Meowth was dreaming. He was running with Jessie and James, carrying a small cage containing Pikachu. They had finally done it! Their plan had been simply to dig the deepest hole they had ever created. It was a three-day job, but it had paid off. Now the team raced away in triumph, with their long-overdue prize, and he just couldn't believe it.

"That was our most ingenious plan ever, James!" Jessie exclaimed as they settled by a river. The twerps had no chance of escaping from that hole, as it would take them as long to escape as James took to dig it.

"It was simple, but effective, Jessie! Shall I call the Boss?" James replied. Suddenly, Meowth began to panic.

"No! Ya can't call him, are ya crazy? He'll kill us all! Don't!" he yelled hysterically, fighting James for the phone.

"Meowth!" Jessie shouted. She tried to break them off each other, but ended up joining in with the fray. Meowth scratched them, in a frantic attempt to pry the phone from James' hands. This was not how he had envisaged them after they had finally captured their Holy Grail, and he cried out to stop fighting. He despised arguing.

"Meowth…get up! Meowth! Come on!" Jessie and James called repeatedly as they fought. Meowth found this rather strange; it was not fighting talk…

"MEOWTH!" Jessie hissed one last time. The cat leapt up out of the nightmare, and on opening his eyes, was greeted by…he couldn't believe it.

Jessie and James were staring in between the bars of his cell.

"Jessie, James! Ya found me! I thought I was…" Meowth remembered in horror, "No wait! Get out of here, while youse still can! If Giovanni sees ya, it's too late! Go!" He panicked, glancing over his shoulder. Jessie shook her head and reached her hand through the bars.

"Forget it; we're not going anywhere unless we leave with you! Whatever happened to being a Team?" she said firmly, ignoring his frantic ramblings. Nevertheless, James stood behind her, on watch. He was thinking exactly along the lines of Meowth.

"James, go get a stick or something. I can't reach him," Jessie ordered. Maintaining his wary stance, James looked around the surrounding area. It consisted of tarmac, a six-foot barbed wire fence and several empty crates, but nothing that could be used to help Meowth.

Suddenly he got an idea. In a flash of red, and a loud screech, a large yellow flytrap had engulfed James up to his legs.

"Get off me, you idiot! We have to be quiet!" James' shouts were muffled, but soon Victreebel released him and waited reluctantly for instructions.

"Victreebel, use your vines to reach in there and grab Meowth!" he commanded, pointing in the vicinity of the cell window. The hulking plant screamed and sent down two vines, unravelling like cords. Meowth clung to them urgently, always watching behind him, and closed his eyes as Victreebel hoisted him out of his prison.

"I hope youse know what you're doin'…" Meowth said nervously. He landed on the tarmac and brushed the dust from his fur. Without wasting any further time, the reunited trio made their getaway. It seemed like a whole mile to the fence, their adrenaline was rushing as they thought of how close they were to being caught.

James was first to clamber over the criss-crossing barrier. He misjudged and winced as the barbed-wire dug into his leg, but felt overwhelmed with relief as he dropped safely on the unkempt lawn below. James turned to help Meowth make it over; he was exhausted after his spell in the cell, but took a breath of well-deserved freedom on landing. It was worse for Meowth than most to be imprisoned, not only was he a roaming nomad, but he was also a cat-pokémon. He yawned and stretched contentedly, and gave James a warming smile, who returned the gesture. It was good to be all-together again.

"JAMES!"

It happened in a blur. At the sound of his name, James wheeled around, and then stood frozen in shock. The sight took a second to register in his head. She was being dragged away; two forceful Rocket Grunts gripping on each of her arms. Jessie screamed out to James, twisting in pain, in a futile attempt to resist. James slammed against the fence in horror, as if suddenly realising what was happening.

"NO! JESSIE! DON'T TAKE HER, TAKE ME!" James cried as his eyes blurred with tears. Recklessly, he began to scramble back up the fence. No-one was going to take Jessie from him and get away with it.

"James, don't, or they'll get youse too!" Meowth pulled on James' belt, begging for him to let go. Meowth had just gone through hell thinking they were as good as dead, and he wasn't about to let them both be captured.

Amazingly, however, after a few tugs James let go and flung himself to the ground. He punched the dirt in fury.

"Jessie's…g- gone!" he choked. He buried his head in his hands and flopped over; surrendering all the fight he had left in him and gave up. Meowth sat beside him sadly, unable to bring himself to say anything consoling. Even if he could, he would never lie to James at a time like this.

James lay still. He was unable to do anything but weep. He did not want to open his eyes, he did not want to see; he did not want to exist. He was beside himself, and felt completely helpless. Over and over again, the image of Jessie struggling and crying for his help played in his mind's eye, and over and over he told himself angrily, I've failed Jessie. It's my fault. There was no last glimmer of chance, no window of hope. It was over. She was never coming back. And he never told her anything.

9

Rescue Me

The warm night air rushed through Growlie's mane as he galloped across the grasslands. It must not be far to the city now, he thought, as he leapt a bubbling stream full of poliwag. Finally, he was experiencing the true feeling of freedom. He had never had reason to run this fast before, or for this long, and he had never been so far from home, except to come here to Johto for the summer. It was thrilling to move at one with the breeze.

Soon, the city had become more than just a sprinkling of silhouettes on the horizon; Growlie was gaining ground like a Bullet Train. He tossed his head back and roared into the sky, then focused his sights on the sprawling city. There was something upsetting in the atmosphere, Growlie could sense danger. The other Pokémon had noticed as well. But there was something else too…distress. Somebody was terribly upset, and Growlie felt it too. He knew there was only one person in the whole world he was that close to. Growlie accelerated like a cheetah.

"Don't touch the hair…Hey, get your hands off me, creep!" Jessie struggled for all she was worth as two Grunts tried hard to tie her to a pillar. They had dragged her through to Giovanni, in the Control Room. Jessie had only been in there once before, and it was to take a message to the Boss. However, she was certain this time she wasn't going to be doing much talking.

Apart from her captors, Jessie was alone. So where was Giovanni? The empty, foreboding metallic room made her unsettled, the air hung with suspense. She wondered if James was alright. I know he'll come for me, he has to. We're a team. James can't just leave me here…but he's such a coward, what if he ran for it? She argued in her head, one part of her knew James could never leave her like this, but another part of her knew him too well, and doubted him.

Jessie twisted uncomfortably against the pillar, her wrists had been bound with tight cords and they were digging into her. With every passing moment she wished and prayed that James would come to her rescue…but multiplying reservations occupied her mind. The uncertainty alone was mental torture enough, let alone what she was facing when Giovanni was to arrive.

"Ah, I see we have a visitor, Persian. The game is becoming more and more interesting…" growled a voice from behind Jessie, who struggled desperately, but knew deep down that it was too late. The Boss had entered: she was a goner. He approached her superiorly, surveying her with dislike. Feigning the politest tone possible, she looked him defiantly in the eye.

"Is there anything I can possibly do for you, sir?" she simpered, shifting in her place as the Persian crept unnervingly close. If this was a game to him, then Jessie was determined not to play by Giovanni's rules.

"Be quiet, you insolent brat! You have no right to speak to me unless I say so." He turned impatiently to the Grunts. "Where is the other? I asked you to bring me both of them!"

"Sir, he was over the parameter before we could apprehend him, and we can confirm that the meowth has also escaped."

"WHAT? Are you incapable of thinking, why did you not pursue them?" he raged, balling his fists.

"Sir, we were occupied with this one, she was resisting capture…we didn't…," the Grunt stammered in fear.

"I don't have time for you're excuses, just get out of here and don't come back unless you have two hostages!" said Giovanni in finality, shoving his servants out of the door. He returned to his captive with a stony glare.

"Don't think for a second that your pathetic friends will escape me. It is useless to try and resist," he sneered, amused by her contempt. Jessie continued to look him in the eyes, as if she could somehow melt his brain out with her stare's intensity.

"You're wrong, Giovanni. James will dodge those Grunts, and he'll sneak in here and save me before you turn around. You'll never take us…" she whispered, her voice breaking. Giovanni, instead of silencing her, laughed cruelly.

"I highly doubt that that spineless moron would have such a level of intelligence or nerve…he is a pitiful waste of space. I am surprised someone with half a brain like you could see hope in such an incompetent fool." He scoffed, turning his back to her. He exited the control room with a mocking laugh, the Persian shortly in his wake. Jessie was white with fury; how dare he insult James. She was very protective as she was the only person, and Meowth the only Pokémon, who could call him such things. However, a part of her fell through at his words. In truth, James probably had zero chance of getting away from the Grunts, let alone coming to her rescue. That meant there was no chance of Jessie ever seeing the light of day again. And she would never see James again. Finally, she dropped the false bravado and broke down completely.

10

Stand and Feel Your Worth

Meowth had managed somehow to drag James out of view, into the hedgerow adjacent to them. He had refused to move for the past hour, and meowth was beginning to worry. James was acting as if Jessie had died, and from the Pokémon's point of view, enough was enough, he had to pull himself together. They had to act quickly, or Jessie really would be dead.

"James, c'mon, we have to get going! We hafta save Jessie!" he said, pushing James' shoulder timidly.

"What's the point? She won't want to see me, I failed her. She'll hate me," mumbled James, not lifting his head to speak to Meowth properly.

"Dat's not true, Jimmy, and you knows it. You'll never forgive yourself if youse let her go. What's more important: What Jessie thinks of ya, or her life?" Meowth reasoned, crouching down to his level. James sniffed, and with noticeable effort, moved his head to make eye contact with Meowth.

"Jessie's life…but how in hell are we going to rescue her? If we're lucky, we'll end up captive too. If we're not…" he said hoarsely. His eyes were red from crying, and his hair was messed over. Meowth shook his head.

"We hafta think of somethin'" he sighed, although pleased at his friend's apparent recovery. It was a start at least.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRR!" A thick roar filled the air, making the trees quake. James leapt up, and he and Meowth got ready to run, but before he had a chance of escape, James was knocked to the ground by a massive force. However, his shrieks quickly turned into a giggle as something licked his face excitedly. It barked joyfully, and stood back to let its' trainer up.

"W-what the…Growlie? You- you're an Arcie!" James said with disbelief. His once mischievous, loyal Growlithe had evolved into a powerful, stunning Arcanine. "…What on earth are you doing here?" he asked, clambering to his feet. He reached out to ruffle Growlie's luxurious mane. The magnificent pokémon woofed an answer and jumped around playfully.

"You came to help? Oh, you couldn't have arrived at a better time! I'm sorry I haven't been to visit you as often, but there was the small problem concerning a certain…fiancée." He shuddered at the mention of the word. "Anyway, Growlie, Meowth and I need you to help us rescue Jessie…she's been…well, it's a long story, but I have to save her as soon as possible. It a life or… death situation." James finished, unable to talk about Jessie without tears returning to his eyes. Growlie nodded, and growled understandingly. If this was the girl James left the inheritance for, then he knew exactly how important things were. He lowered himself to the ground, looking at James expectantly.

"Do you want me to get on? Oh, I've always wanted to ride on an Arcanine…" said James, climbing gracelessly but eagerly onto Growlie's back and then reaching down to help Meowth up.

"Okay, Growlie, if you see any threatening-looking people in Team Rocket uniforms, I want you to give them a taste of your Flamethrower attack!" James ordered with new-found confidence. With a powerful Arcanine on his side, he felt like he could rescue Jessie, defeat Black Moltres and save Goldenrod city all in one night. Growlie reared on his hind legs for luck and then launched into a long-striding gallop.

Two Rockets snooped around the cell window, confused at how the pokémon inside had managed to escape. They knew that it had help, but they were not exactly sure how the Meowth had gotten through the bars. Fed up, one sparked up a cigarette and leant casually against the wall. His female team partner continued reluctantly to search the surrounding area for hints.

"I wonder what the Boss wants with Jessie…" she sneered, giving up likewise and resting against the wall next to him.

"It can't be anything too good, Cassidy," he replied, in a gruff, hoarse voice. Cassidy snorted meanly.

"Huh, yeah, Butch, I bet her and her wimpy boyfriend are getting fired! Great thing, too. They're a fucking embarrassment to Team Rocket; pathetic failures the both of them. I've known Jessie for years, and she was always the same bitch. God, I hate that bitch," she said with particular disdain. Butch nodded, not really paying much attention to her. She tended to talk on and on a lot, mostly about nothing, and it gave him a headache. Butch had tried once to get a transfer to a different partner, but it fell through and he couldn't be bothered trying again.

"I mean, who else in the Team goes around dressing up and chasing after rookie, baby Pokémon Trainers? And they're so stupid they got the motto all wrong. Fucking embarrassments. Like, have you ever seen other Rockets being all cute and feeling each other up all the time? That guy James is too good for her…and that's saying something."

"Thought he was gay," muttered Butch, pleading in his head that Cassidy would just shut up talking for once.

"Huh? Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised, but anyway I'm just so fucking sick of Jessie and her Team of pansies. Her pokémon suck too, that Arbok of hers is pathetic and don't get me started on that crappy Wobbuffet. God, she makes me so annoyed!" she said, stamping her foot in frustration. Butch jumped, and dropped his cigarette on the ground.

"Ahh! Chill out will ya? Jesus, you're pissing me off!" he snapped, pulling the packet from his sleeve. The box was empty, and he swore. "Great, now I got no more fags. I'm outta here."

Before he could make another move, Butch and Cassidy were cornered by a snarling stripy pokémon. It was bigger than a minivan, and blocked all escape routes the pair had.

"Where's Giovanni?" called a voice from atop the beasts back. Cassidy could swear she had heard that voice before, but was too wary of the Arcanine to take a look at the rider. In fear, she grabbed Butch by the hand, but he jolted it away as if he had been electrocuted, and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why should we tell you? Who are you?" said Cassidy in defence. She knew that if she divulged Giovanni's whereabouts to this stranger, she could jeopardise Team Rocket confidentiality, and earn herself the sack. To her slight surprise, the Arcanine shifted around to its side, so its trainer could be seen. Cassidy and Butch gasped.

"Tell me now, or you'll be sorry! Where is Giovanni keeping Jessie?" James shouted impatiently, sitting up tall on Growlie's back. Meowth sat nervously behind him; he didn't like travelling by pokémon, and looked pale. Cassidy laughed quietly at the sight of her rival's partner, and saw an opportunity to turn the situation around.

"I could tell you James, but there'd be no point in wasting your time. Word's just gone round that Jessie has been taken care of. The Boss got sick of waiting for you to show up, so he must have killed her. Obviously he decided that you're not worth the effort. So why don't you just take your dog and get out!" Cassidy sneered, tossing her blonde hair in an uncaring way. Butch stared at her, shocked by her conniving ruthlessness. He knew how mean she could get, but lying to someone that their friend is dead, with such indifference; even he couldn't get away with that. It was a side of Cassidy he hoped he wouldn't have to deal with very often.

"No…she can't be- don't give me that bull, Cassidy! Tell me where Giovanni is, or I'll have Arcanine incinerate you before you get a chance to breathe!" James ordered, now shaking with rage. He didn't believe her for a second, but to hear those words made his insides turn to lead. His instincts told him Jessie was still alive, however he didn't know how alive. This was taking too long, Cassidy was stalling the precious little time he had.

"Growlie, get ready to use Flamethrower!" ordered James, his voice wavering. He was a terrible leader in truth, but he ran on pure determination and the hope of seeing Jessie again. As Growlie raised his head, concentrating his power, Cassidy and Butch collapsed to their knees and cowered.

"Don't! Look, I'll tell you where she is!" begged Cassidy, recoiling away from the heated pokémon. She figured that she may as well tell him, it's not like he would have much chance of making it anyway. The whole HQ was on alert. In compliance, she backed up to the wall. James accepted her submission and called off Growlie's attack.

"Hurry up and tell me! She might not have much longer" said James desperately. Growlie shuffled on his paws, eager to get moving again. Meowth groaned; he was not quite as enthusiastic.

"Alright, alright...I'm pretty sure Giovanni has Jessie tied up in the control room. But it's useless; everyone in the Headquarters is looking for you. You'll be dead before you get to the first door," she said honestly, standing up and regaining poise. Butch rubbed his head, reached up his sleeve for his cigarettes, and moaned as he remembered they were all gone. It was not his day...

James pushed Growlie and they raced forward, without another word to Cassidy and Butch. He knew the risks; death was just a chance he would have to take, but still the odds were stacked against him

11

Aerials

It was Armageddon in the centre of Goldenrod city. Giovanni's ultimate creation had taken control: there was not a single skyscraper still standing, except for the Radio Tower where the Black Moltres was perched, screaming into the charred sky with no feeling but pain. Its heart was straining under the anger, but its twisted mind was thirsty for more destruction. The conflicting personalities in its head drove it insane, and it writhed around crying to the night for all its worth, with a screech that could shatter a mountain.

In cold-blooded confusion, it ripped the aerial from the tower with its taloned feet and launched itself into a turbulent dive. The flames from its wings burnt up the air around it, drying the clouds and evaporating the smoke rising from the rubble it created. Moltres itself was smoking; the intense heat from its blood was scorching even its fire-proof feathers. It wailed in agony at the sensation of burning, and flew faster. There were people rushing around on the streets below, not in panic this time, but with purpose. They ran around to the demolished sites, hurriedly checking to see if anyone had been injured or worse. Black Moltres gathered a fireball in its cruel beak, and then blasted it forcefully at the rescue teams. They scattered like ants, and fortunately it impacted the ground. No-one had been caught in its attack. The bird screamed furiously, it was bloodthirsty for reasons it could no longer explain.

Suddenly, out of the sky, a team of high-speed fighter jets rocketed towards the chaos pokémon, shooting it at random with all manner of rockets. Black Moltres banked sharply, narrowly avoiding a homing missile which hurtled into the devastation below. It blasted a flamethrower so fast it appeared laser-like, and with the same precision. The beam exploded into the targeted plane with such force that the inferno lingered for more than a few seconds after. Then nothing remained.

The aeroplanes shifted into turbo speed, performing difficult evasive tactics to try and out-manoeuvre the Moltres- but it was still too fast. Frustrated, the evil pokémon pulled up and began to climb steeply at an incredible pace, but keeping a crimson eye on its prey. The pilots, however, could not follow without endangering their lives. Instead, they fired several rockets directly up at Moltres, praying that they would make some form of mark.

As each missile hit Moltres, it became more and more enraged. It was reaching a fever pitch, and began to slow its ascension. The flames on its head and wings raged, and as they increased in temperature their colour changed from red to white. It roared out with all its might.

Moltres' fire became so bright that the pilots in the jets and the people on the ground had to shield their eyes. It blazed violently; the blood that coursed through its veins was boiling up to an incredible heat. Moltres screamed as it burned into a fireball of energy; a miniature star.

With one last screech to the earth, Moltres self-destructed in a thunderous implosion.

James, Growlie and Meowth had made it inside. The secret entrance had not been heavily guarded; they merely had to create a distraction for the one Rocket that stood sentry. So far, Growlie had not torched anyone, and James was keeping his head.

"Growlie, if you hear or see anything, get ready to attack. We have to keep our wits about us or its game over," whispered James. He was tempted to just race in with fire blazing, but that would have an even greater chance of them getting killed. They had to rely on stealth.

"James, I hope youse know what to do. Jess is countin' on ya," said Meowth. He stepped off the Arcanine, and headed back towards the entrance. This was something James had to do on his own. Instead, he was going to keep watch outside, and call the police when he felt James had been inside for too long.

"I know. Oh, Meowth…I hope she's alright. I won't be able to live with myself if…" James said quietly; tense at the very idea. Meowth smiled thoughtfully.

"You love her, don't you?" he said, watching his friend's troubled expression change. James' emerald eyes lit up for a second. He nodded meekly, lapsing into thought. Meowth smiled again. He had always known, really. It was just a matter of getting them to admit it to themselves. James sat up suddenly, regaining his sense of purpose. There would be time for dreams later. Meowth waved him and hopped out of the door, to wait by the fence, posing as an innocent wild pokémon.

James dismounted Growlie, and crept up to the wall. It would be safer if he travelled on foot, he figured. They were in a narrow, claustrophobic corridor, lined with various doors. James hadn't been in here for a long time, but he was sure they weren't too far from the control room. He signalled to Growlie to follow him, and he began the careful, risky process of looking in each of the doors.

The first; simply labelled "Research", was locked. James sighed, and waited as Growlie checked inside the opposite door. It was a closet.

"This isn't going to work. We need a new idea, and fast," said James. He considered going back outside; maybe there was a window they could break into. He was good with locks, after all. Growlie, however, had a simpler plan. He stooped down to his belly, and then forced out a fiery starburst shape from his jaws. The Fire Blast attack swept down the passage, knocking back each of the entrances, then blew out the double doors at the far end. James freaked out.

"GROWLIE!" he hissed, leaping onto his pokémon's back for security, "That wasn't what I had in mind!" The Arcanine happily growled; he was glad to be of assistance to his master anytime.

Rockets filed confusedly out of every room, and raised the alarm at the sight of the three wanted intruders. They started forward angrily, and several sent out their pokémon to help. James crouched close to Growlie and drove him forwards. There was only one hope left for them now.

"Growlie, use Extremespeed!" James yelled, and he held on tightly as Growlie tore into motion. He accelerated to an unbelievable blur and knocked away the opposition, and sprinted to the far exit. James closed his eyes as his Arcanine moved like a gale, leaving a mess of Rockets, Golbats, Raticates and Machokes in his wake. He truly didn't know how he could have hoped to rescue Jessie without the help gained from Growlie. James' other pokémon, Weezing and Victreebel, were feeble and, he admitted, poorly trained. He imagined the sort of respect he could gain with Growlie by his side, and he could even start winning some battles.

"AARRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOO!" Growlie howled as they sped towards the newly-broken, gaping doorway. James prayed he would find her alive.

12

Escape Artists Never Die

Giovanni was beyond furious. He had just received news that his most ultimate, unstoppable and positively indestructible apocalyptic pokémon was dead. Apparently, it had incinerated itself under the pressure from its incredible powers. He was going to have his Researcher's heads for this. That Moltres had cost him a fortune, and he had been so proud of his achievement. And now, like Mewtwo before it, it had left his possession. Irately, he pulled a monitor from the wall and hurled across the room.

Jessie shook, standing tied against the pillar with terror. She had never seen Giovanni so madly aggressive in all her life at Team Rocket. He had been impatient, angry and fed-up, but never like this. She wondered how much longer James would be, and if Giovanni would remember she was even there. Oh, please…just let me go, I promise James and I will quit…she thought to Giovanni, hoping for a moment that he might be psychic. She didn't dare speak aloud, that would be foolish. You'll never see us again, we can move away somewhere. Just don't hurt me… Jessie felt like a small child. She began to silently cry as she reminded herself of all the things she was going to miss. Somehow, all she could think of was James.

"You…" Giovanni snarled suddenly, remembering his hostage, "This is your fault…" He rounded on her like a dragon; menacing, his eyes filled with hatred. Jessie whimpered and closed her eyes. She had no fight; no retaliation left to give, and winced as he slapped her hard across the face. Jessie surrendered to her fate, and braced herself for another hit.

"GET OFF HER- JUST, GET OFF HER!"

James sat astride a regal-looking Pokémon, shaking with rage. Growlie pounced forward, causing a stunned Giovanni to stagger back. Jessie stared in disbelief. James really had done it. She couldn't begin to sum up half of how pleased she was to see him. Words couldn't describe it. James leapt from the pokémon's back, and ran to Jessie. He quickly untied the ropes that bound her to the pillar, and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

"I thought… I'd never see you again" she whispered into his neck. James shushed her and stroked her hair. This time, however, he didn't care for the irony of the situation, it didn't matter that once again she was the one being emotional. Their embrace wasn't out of fear and it wasn't awkward. They just couldn't be happier to see each other again. Suddenly, a bitter growl echoed around the room. Growlie had pinned Giovanni down, and was preparing a fireball.

"Growlie, leave him!" James ordered quickly, letting Jessie go. She turned around, bewildered by what he had just said. Growlie obeyed, and sat up, eyeing the Boss with disgust.

"Giovanni, you are the most inhuman, most despicable, most evil being who has ever lived. Death is less than you deserve. I'm not going to sink to your level," James said in quiet fury. He returned to Jessie, confident that Growlie would not let Giovanni escape.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you-?" asked James worriedly, stopping short as he caught sight of a bruise on the side of her face. Jessie looked away, trying to hide it.

"I'm fine, really. We should go-," she said quickly, but before she could move away, James touched her cheek where Giovanni had stricken her, and she flinched.

"No, did he…did he hit you??" James said in shock, clenching his fists angrily. He had been occupied with the sobering thought of their murders all day, but to find that Giovanni really had been violent towards her upset him tenfold. He turned around in a rage at the floored Giovanni.

"I've changed my mind. Growlie, finish him NOW!!" James commanded. He looked away, and Jessie ran to him as the Arcanine picked up Giovanni like a rag-doll, and heaved him through the window with a vicious roar. It smashed, and Jessie and James cowered as Giovanni screamed horribly to his doom, three-floors below. Growlie trotted back to his friends, unsure what to think. All he did was obey his trainer, but it was against his nature as a pokémon to hurt a human like that…even one that was pure evil.

James froze, unable to say anything. He didn't think, instead he just acted on impulse, on his anger. Now he had killed a man. That made him no better than Giovanni. James couldn't bear to look at Jessie or Growlie anymore. He was so ashamed, he had just killed someone. A small encouraging voice piped up in his mind, however. Better him than me or Jess, it said. James looked over to Jessie finally, and found strength in himself just by her presence. His conscience was right: If James hadn't killed Giovanni; then Giovanni would have murdered him and Jessie. Somehow, his instincts told him he had done the right thing, but in the wrong way.

James glanced over to the mourning pokémon by the broken window. The Persian was looking down, onto the ground, meowing relentlessly at its master's body. It was alone now. James felt a surge of pity, as he could have easily been in its place. But that was behind him. Now they had to turn to the future.

Jessie was in shock. Partly at the fact that Giovanni was dead, but mainly because "spineless, moronic" James had acted so differently. He deliberately ordered his pokémon to throw that bastard out of the window. She wasn't sure if she liked this new James or not. Either way, she hoped that this sudden transformation of his wasn't permanent. And because to his actions, it was only a matter of time before they became 'Johto's Most Wanted.' Nevertheless, when he returned to her, she hugged him dearly and thanked him for getting rid of Giovanni.

"Well, it was the least I could do…" James joked, although in truth he actually thought so. He called Growlie over, and petted him graciously, apologising for making him act violently. Growlie merely barked and wagged his plush tail. He was just glad that James had found his friend.

"What do we do now? Once the cops arrive, they'll find Giovanni. I'll bet anything that all those Grunts and Agents will have seen you, and they'll say you were here. It's not going to take a genius to put two and two together. James, if Officer Jenny finds us or Meowth we're done for," said Jessie, who wasn't feeling half as nervous as she had expected to have been. James however, was slowly regaining his former persona. As she spoke the reality, he began to panic.

"We'll be arrested! How long do you think they'll lock us up for?" he whimpered, glancing around anxiously as if the room was suddenly full of suspicious eyes.

"Never if we run for it," she said simply, it was the only option she could think of. She had no idea where, or for how long, but for each moment longer they stayed they were losing their chance for freedom. James nodded, and ran to Growlie.

"You're right. Growlie, do you think you're up for another Extremespeed?" he asked, clambering onto the Arcanine's back. He took Jessie by the hand and helped her up too.

"Is it safe to ride this thing?" Jessie said unsurely, trying to keep her balance. Growlie shifted restlessly on his paws, eager to get going.

"Probably not, but he's the best chance we have. Now, Meowth's waiting by the side-gate, so we'll pick him up and make our way south out of town." James planned, hoping to Mew and Ho-oh and Lugia and every other Pokégod that it was going to be as easy as he made it sound. He nudged Growlie in the sides, and they leaped into motion. As they raced out of the Control Room at breakneck speed, Jessie thought she heard a siren, but there was no going back. She decided that she probably imagined the noise and held onto James for dear life, praying she wouldn't fall off.

Growlie tore down the main hall, deliberately knocking over anyone who stepped out in front of them. Although James couldn't be certain, there was a good chance that every single one of them was a Rocket out to get them. Indeed, some of them had called out Pokémon, and one was even armed.

"Faster, Growlie, we have to get out of here now!" James instructed with urgency, as he spotted another Rocket carrying a weapon. Even if Arcanine was one of the fastest pokémon in the world, there was no way it could outpace a bullet. Growlie howled in, his paws almost floating off the ground with the speed.

Jessie and James closed their eyes as Growlie burst out of the Main door into the open. He dashed around the corner towards the side gate, where Meowth stood wide-eyed. James held his hand out and grabbed the confused cat as they raced past him, and pulled him up.

"Waah! Where's da fire? What happened?" screamed Meowth, clinging on to Growlie's deluxe fur in terror. Considering the speed at which they had exited the Headquarters with, Meowth guessed they were in some form of trouble.

"There's time for explanations later, Meowth!" said Jessie breathlessly. Meowth cheered, suddenly noticing that Jessie was back. He decided not to ask any more questions, for he was just relieved to be a Team again.

13

I Never Told You What I Do for a Living

The city was far behind them. Daybreak was once again upon the world, and the sun could not have risen to a more liberated scene. Growlie slowed to a canter as the sky changed its hue to a dim red. He was exhausted; truly the pokémon had given his all for James. He veered off the dusty track and made his way towards a fence and the shade of a grand oak tree.

Jessie, James and Meowth alighted the panting Arcanine, and let him trot off to the tree for a long-awaited, well deserved snooze. Meowth stretched and ran to join him, although he didn't really need a nap. Truth-be-told he had actually been asleep most of the time James was inside HQ, oblivious to everything.

"Well, we made it," said James finally. He went to lean against the wooden fence with a relieved sigh, and attempted to fix his hair, which had been messed by the wind. Jessie yawned, and went to join him. She watched him furtively for a moment, smiling as he uselessly tried to get the hair in the middle of his parting to go one way or the other.

"We did. I just wish I could tell you where we go from here," she said sadly, taking off her gloves. Her wrists were cut from the tightly-binding cords that had been so carelessly tied around them, and she cursed Giovanni under her breath. She looked at her long, black gloves mournfully. "I guess we won't be needing our uniforms anymore," she sighed. James nodded, also saddened by the fact that they weren't going to need to say the motto, either.

"We'll have to find jobs too. Real ones," he added thoughtfully. James couldn't imagine what having a real job was like. He had no experience of the "real" world. Jessie however, smirked in a sudden indication of ironic brilliance.

"We can't! James, I've just thought, we'll be wanted in every town in the country!" she exclaimed, as if this was the best news in the world. James caught on, too.

"Yeah, we're still criminals!" he said happily, hoisting himself onto the fence. Jessie copied him, and laughed. To them, this opened a whole world of new possibilities. They were on the run again, destined for a life of roughing it. The how's and why's would come later, but right now Jessie and James couldn't have been in higher spirits.

"We'll need a new balloon," Jessie remarked, dreaming of taking to the skies again. She adored flying. It was the freest way to travel for the freest people. She didn't know or care where they could get one, but it didn't matter. James nodded eagerly.

"I can't wait…Jessie, we're finally free. We don't work for anyone, and we can go wherever we want and make our own rules! Who cares about money, when we can just steal anything we need?" he said joyfully. As long as he and Jessie were together, he didn't really need anything else. Suddenly, he realised that he wasn't as excited for his freedom; it was the fact that he had gone beyond himself to rescue Jessie. And there she was, sitting beside him, alive and beautiful. Without another thought, and to Jessie's slight surprise, he finally kissed her.

- 48 -