"Now that we've got Pikachu," Meowth says, "we'll be on our way." Meowth has Pikachu held in a rubber claw while Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie protest. Jessie and James already recited the classic motto.
"Give him back!" Ash shouts, jumping for Pikachu.
Meowth simply raises the claw higher. "Oh, no ya don't. We've spent too much time chasing ya. Let us win for once!"
"Never! Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash's Pokemon releases the sharp move, slicing the claw in half. Team Rocket scream. "Alright Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaaaa-chuuuuu!" The electricity shocks Team Rocket and they blast off.
"Not again!" They shout. A strange sound comes from the Pokeballs on Jessie and James' belts. They look down in surprise. Suddenly, the balls start opening and closing frantically.
"Aah!" Meowth gasps as he's sucked into one of James' Pokeballs. Before he can be captured, it releases him again. Gourgeist, Inkay, and Wobbuffet are also thrown about, released and retrieved, over and over again. In the confusion, they don't realize where they are heading. They slam into a group of trees. James hangs over a thick branch, groaning, as his pokeballs finally calm down.
Meowth hangs from a thin branch. "What was that abou'?"
"I don't know." James pulls himself into a sitting position, then climbs down carefully. "Huh? Where's Jessie?"
Meowth drops, landing on his feet. "I'm sure she's fine. Remember when she though' she found love?"
"Right, she was close by. Jessie?" He calls out to no response. "We should keep looking."
A Vulpix comes out of a nearby bush, looking confused. It has bright blue eyes, not the normal brown of the species. "Vulpix?"
"A Vulpix," James says.
"Look at its eyes! Tha' must be rare." Meowth says, "Quick, catch it! If the Boss doesn't wan' it, we could use it to our advantage."
"Great idea. Go pokeball!" James grabs an empty ball from his belt and hits the Vulpix on the head. The ball wiggles quickly, then lies still. "I actually caught it!" They jump around in excitement. "Now, we need to find Jessie."
Inside the pokeball, the Vulpix looks around. "Wh-what happened?" The Vulpix couldn't remember who it was before being captured, but now they know. "Where am I?" She asks, echoing in the darkness.
A beep sounds and a digital screen appears on the wall. "I am a pokeball. I will provide everything you need while you rest. I can show you what you need to see, whether it is past memories, what your trainer is thinking, and more. You can-wait . . . You're different. You're not a normal Pokemon, are you?" The AI notices.
"I'm not even a Pokemon," the Vulpix says, "What are you talking about?"
"I see . . . Look here." A mirror appears on the screen, reflecting the Vulpix for her.
"I'm a Vulpix! But-but how?!" She exclaims.
"Is there a problem?"
"What do you think?!" She shouts, "I'm not supposed to be a Pokemon, you dimwit!"
"For your information, my intelligence surpasses that of Alakazam and Metagross combined." It shows the respected Pokemon when named. "Now, what do you think you are supposed to be?"
"I'm a human!"
"I see . . . that explains a lot. What is your name?"
"Jessie. What about you?"
"My name? Well, I'm just a pokeball . . . What would youlike to call me?"
"Hm, how about Dummy?"
"Ha ha, very creative."
"Fine, then Dexter."
"Already taken."
"What do you want from me?!"
"Here is a list of common names for AIs. You can choose one, if you want." It displays a list of names like Clank, Bit, and Boomer.
"Hm, alright. How about Alpha?"
"I like it. It has a nice ring to it, and sounds official."
"Alright, Alpha, how did I get here?"
"This is what happened." He displays how James caught her.
"But why am I a Pokemon?"
A large question mark appears. "Unknown."
"You're no help," she mumbles.
"I heard that. Even if you weren't that loud when complaining, I can read lips and your thoughts."
"My thoughts?"
"Yes, when you were caught, I was connected to you and your trainer's brain waves. That's how pokeballs can return Pokemon. Plus, it's how I can show you what you need to see."
"What do I need to see?"
"I have something in mind . . ." His voice trails off and the room becomes pitch black as the screen shuts down.
"Uh, Alpha?" Silence. "Alpha, this isn't funny!" A bright scene flickers on, making Jessie squint for a moment from the light. She looks around in wonder. It surrounds the entire dome. "What is this . . ."
"A memory," Alpha says simply. She watches as Jessie and Meowth are shown quickly grabbing onto James' arm before he can fall into a trap.
"I remember this. This was when we were in training. James and Meowth were the only partners I got along with."
"I'm glad you recognized it," he says sarcastically. "Now shush."
"Listen to me!" James cries out, "The cops are already on their way here. If they catch you, you'll be wearing stripes from here to eternity!"
"You promised me," Jessie argues, "We're going to be the greatest team in history. Now just, hold on." Meowth groans in pain.
James' eyes sparkle as he sees his teammates struggling. "Alright . . . I'll try." After pulling as hard as they could, James falls onto Jessie. She blushes and they're both breathing hard.
"Let's go get 'em," Meowth says.
"Are we ready team?" Jessie stands up.
"Ready as we'll ever be," James says.
"Let's do dis!" Meowth shouts and the memory fades away.
"I . . . I forgot . . . Um-that James weighed that much," she whispers.
"Wait," Alpha says, "There's more."
Jessie watches as even more memories pass by. The first time they met in Pokemon Tech, the first time they encountered the twerp, the time Jessie tried to hit a ghost with a bazooka for taking James, the time James thought he was a Moltres, the times he comforted her, the times they celebrated, and much more.
"This is . . . amazing," she says. "But, why are you showing me this?"
"You need to. Now, there's two more to show you. Pay attention, you did not witness these."
James hangs his head. "But, we've worked so hard to make our dreams come true . . ."
"All dreams come to an end eventually." At Jessie's voice, he raises his head and screams. Jessie stands in her Jessilia costume. "And the end of ours is now. I'm outta here!" She spins into the forest.
"So the first time the going get's rough, you spin your way out of it," James yells, although she is gone. "Loser, the quitter never wins!" He turns around and shouts into the sunset. "I'll rise so high on the Team Rocket ladder of success, you'll need a telescope to see me!"
It then shows him tucked into himself by a campfire, shivering slightly in the night air. He raises his head to look at the stars. His eye is drawn to two constellations. "Ugh, that looks just like Meowth. And there's Jessie. I wonder what those two scamps are up to right about now," he says sadly. His stomach rumbles. "Bah," he sighs, "when it comes to playing the tough guy, I talk the talk, but balk the walk."
The scene changes to show James striding up a rocky trail, swinging his arms in confidence. "If I rustle up that rarity and tell the Boss its capture was a triple team effort, we'll be his board of directors for sure! If Jessie and Meowth were faced with that kind of success, they'd turn in a heartbeat!"
It changes once more to show Jessie telling him off, pointing in his face and frowning deeply. "You could have been toast."
"Well, what do you care for? I thought you were going to become top coordinator, girlfriend. I'm fine on my own, if you please." He crosses his arms, turning away from her.
"Ah, cut the macheezmo. You know you're happy to see me, so just admit it." She smiles cunningly.
He opens one eye. He kneels on the ground and cries. "Oh, Jessie!"
The screen fades to black again. "I didn-I thought I wasn't there," Jessie says, catching herself before she could say another thing.
Alpha says, "You were, for the beginning and end, however, I thought it would be the best way to highlight the middle scenes."
"Alright, I didn't know he missed us so much . . ."
"Really? That's what you think?"
"What else would it be?"
"You'll see. There's one more moment to show you. This is something you didn't actually see."
On the screen, Jessie explains to Serena, Ash, and Bonnie, "I've decided that I'm quitting Team Rocket, so I can live my life with Dr. White, forever."
James and Meowth gasp in bushes nearby. "Run that by me again," Meowth says with widened eyes.
"Jessie, no," James replies.
"Boo," Pumpkaboo says.
"Maybe Jess ate a bad berry. I'll go snap her out of it." Meowth stands up, only to pushed down by James.
"Stop. Maybe she'll be better off . . ."
"Did you eat a bad berry too?"
"Listen, if Jessie is only trying to find a little happiness for herself, maybe we shouldn't stand in her way." He says sadly, "After all, that's what real friends would do, wouldn't they?"
"Oh, James."
"Look, Wobbuffet's having a blast too." They watch Wobbuffet playing with the female Wobbuffet and little Wynaut.
Yeah, I get it. See, I've been in love before, believe you me I have. And if Jessie and Wobbuffet want to sail on that love boat . . ."
James finishes the sentence, "Let's not muddy the waters."
"We're outta here." They run away into the forest.
Jessie, a thought can be heard as memories come to James' mind. It shows them reciting the motto, running from Beedrill, sharing cookies, fishing on their submarine, and blasting off, together. Tears escape from James' eyes, flowing behind as he runs. I hope you find happiness. Goodbye.
The scene fades to white, casting light onto Jessie's shocked face. "He . . . he wanted the best for me?"
"Yes, would you do the same?"
"Of course! But-I'm a Pokemon now. I can't be there for him . . ."
"Yes you can! That's one of the most important jobs as a Pokemon. You might even be able to be there for him even more than as a human."
"But, how? It's not like I can come out anytime I want."
"Just say the word."
"What?"
"There is a certain objective a Pokemon must have that allows them to come out whenever they desire."
"Like Wobbuffet?"
"Yes, exactly."
There's silence for a moment. "Well? Shouldn't you tell me it?"
"I am unable to, or at least, not until yousay it."
"That's unfair," she mumbles.
"Go ahead."
"Um, I never want to leave James." Silence. "I don't want him to be hurt." More silence, so she starts rambling, "I don't want him to be alone. I'll never leave his side. I'll always be there for him. I'll be a friend in his times of need. I'll never give up!"
A blue light flashes on the screen. "There you go, you said enough."
"You mean you chose when?"
"Yes, I just needed to make sure of your choice."
Jessie rolls her eyes. The screen flickers to the images of James and Meowth searching for her. "Where could she be?" James asks. "She couldn't have gone far, right?"
"Stop your worryin'," Meowth says. "We'll find her soon enough."
"How do I-" Jessie starts to ask before she appears outside, looking around in surprise.