HOW THE MEOWTH STOLE CHRISTMAS

by Hattie

Disclaimer -- I don't own Pokemon and I have no idea who owns the
rights to How The Grinch Stole Christmas either the animated or the movie.
It sure isn't me!

Meowth was in a foul mood. It was Christmas Eve, and Meowth hated
Christmas. He stared angrily at the Christmas tree that Jessie and
James had insisted on putting up in the cabin they had rented near Pallet.
The twerp trio were spending Christmas with Ash's mother and Team
Rocket had followed them, as usual hoping for a chance to steal Pikachu.
Meowth sighed as he stared at the tree. The twinkling lights only
reminded him of Hollywood.
Hollywood. . .where Meowth had met his one true love. . . .

Meowth was barely more than a kitten when he arrived in Hollywood,
dreaming of stardom and all the fried chicken he could eat. His dreams
of stardom soon fell apart and he was left alone and hungry, until a
Meowth gang led by a Persian took him in. Soon after Meowth was adopted
by the gang, he met Meowsie. She was sitting in a shop window, bows in
her fur. Meowth know instantly that he would love her forever. He
should have known he didn't have a chance when Meowsie turned up her nose
at him, saying it was because he wasn't human.
Thinking it would please Meowsie, Meowth had worked very hard to
become as much like a human as possible. It took a long time, but he
finally learned to walk and talk like a human. Finally, just before
Christmas, he succeeded. Meowth walked proudly up to Meowsie, carrying a
bunch of flowers for her. Meowth was crushed when Meowsie called him a
freak. He ran away, sobbing. For hours he walked the streets, his
heart broken by Meowsie's rejection.
"Hey, Meowth, Merry Christmas!" a Santa called to him from the
door of his shop. Meowth jumped at him, using his Fury Swipes.
"Don't you ever say that to me again!" Meowth screamed as he ran
away, crying.
"Huh?" the Santa asked curiously as he looked after the running
Pokemon. He went back inside his shop.

Several months later Meowth was wandering in the forest, cold and
hungry.
"Sandshrew! Slash attack!" he heard a girl call out. Meowth
turned to defend himself, but was too weak from hunger and cold. It didn't
take long before Meowth found himself trapped inside a Pokeball. He
hated it, but was too weak to get out.
It seemed like forever before Meowth was released from the
confining Pokeball.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Meowth yelled in fury at the two
teenage girls who had caught him.
"It talks?" one of the girls said, amazed.
"I've never heard a Pokemon talk before," the other girl said.
"This is a truly rare Pokemon," a voice behind Meowth said.
Meowth turned to see a man in a red suit sitting behind a desk. "Come here,
Meowth."
"Uh uh! I don't trust nobody!" Meowth replied.
"You can trust me," the man said. "You look thin, Meowth. Are
you hungry?"
"No! I don't need nothin'," Meowth declared. But his stomach
growled at the mention of food.
"Your stomach says you are," the man chuckled. "Belle, get us
some lunch. Some fried chicken, perhaps?" He smiled as Meowth's stomach
growled again. One of the girls left.
"Come here, Meowth," the man said again. "I won't put you back in
the Pokeball. I promise." He extended a hand to Meowth. "My name is
Giovanni."
After a few moments Meowth walked over to the man and offered his
paw.
"Amazing! You can walk too?" Giovanni asked. "How did you learn
to walk and talk?"
"I'm not talkin' about it!" Meowth said defensively. He was
trying not to remember Meowsie's rejection. The angry look was back on his
face. Belle saved the situation by bringing in two chicken dinners.
"Well done, Belle," Giovanni said. "You too, Starr. You may go."
The girls left.
"Eat lunch with me, Meowth," Giovanni said. "I know you're
hungry."
"Well. . .all right," Meowth agreed. He ate hungrily. As Meowth
ate Giovanni started petting him. Meowth found himself purring.
Meowth had a happy life with Giovanni. He slept on the foot of
Giovanni's bed. They became best friends, talking long into the night.
Meowth thought he could finally be happy.
"This is a good place," Meowth told himself. "They don't think
I'm a freak here."

Another Christmas came around. Meowth was sitting on Giovanni's
lap wearing his new jeweled collar -- his present from Giovanni. The
two girls Belle and Starr entered Giovanni's office.
"Merry Christmas, Boss," they said, handing Giovanni a Pokeball.
He released a Persian.
"Thank you," Giovanni told the girls. "You may go." The girls
left.
"Well, Meowth, it looks like you've got a new friend," Giovanni
said. Meowth reached out a paw in greeting to the Persian. The Persian
hissed at him. Meowth Fury-Swiped the Persian.
"Meowth! Bad Meowth!" Giovanni said sharply, putting Meowth on
the floor and reaching for the Persian. "Meowth, if you do that again
I'll put you in your Pokeball until you can behave yourself!"
"Meowth growled and went to the other chair, sulking as he watched
Giovanni petting the Persian.
"There, there, my Persian," Giovanni crooned to the Pokemon. "I
won't let that bad Meowth hurt you anymore."
When night came Meowth took his place as usual on Giovanni's bed.
When he got up a while later the Persian took his place. When Meowth
came back to go to bed the Persian nipped him.
"Meowth! That hurt!" Meowth Fury Swiped the Persian. The Persian
meowed in anger.
"Meowth! I told you this morning to leave my Persian alone!"
Giovanni yelled. "Now get out of here before I put you in your Pokeball!"
Meowth growled and left, curling up on the sofa by the fireplace.
"Giovanni will probably yell at me for getting cat hair on his
sofa," Meowth grumbled. "Why did those girls give him dat Persian
anyway?"

"Meowth!" Jessie called, breaking into Meowth's memories. "James
and I are going Christmas shopping. Do you want to come with us?"
"No!" Meowth snapped. "Just leave me alone!"
"Meowth, I know you hate Christmas," Jessie said, giving Meowth a
pet. "If you'll tell us what's wrong, maybe we can help."
"Just leave me alone!" Meowth snapped, curling up on the sofa.
Jessie sighed.
"We'll be back later, Meowth," James said as he and Jessie left.
Meowth got off the sofa and went to the tree, looking at the presents
under it. There were boxes for Jessie and James, and even four small
boxes for Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung, and Victreebell. They were getting
new Pokeballs for their Christmas gifts. But nothing for Meowth.
"I guess Jess and James forgot Meowth this year," Meowth thought
bitterly. He growled in frustration, resisting the impulse to shred the
gaily wrapped packages with his claws. He went into the small bedroom
and cried himself to sleep.
A while later Jessie and James returned. James cooked supper, but
Meowth wouldn't eat. He lay in the bedroom, pouting. Jessie and James
tried to cheer him up, but after a while they gave up and went to bed.

Late that night Meowth woke up from nightmares of Giovanni, his
Persian, and Meowsie evolving into a Persian and becoming Giovanni's
Persian's mate.
"That's it! I really hate Christmas!" Meowth declared angrily as
he went into the kitchen for some water. He glanced over at the
Christmas tree. There weren't any new packages under it. "Still nothin' for
Meowth! Well, if I ain't gettin' Christmas nobody is!" He began to
take the decorations off the tree. As he worked he hummed a song he had
heard on a TV cartoon a few days before, changing the name to his.

You're a mean one, Mr. Meowth
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus
You're as charming as an eel, Mr. Meowth
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

You're a monster, Mr. Meowth
Your heart's an empty hole, your brain is full of spiders
You have garlic in your soul, Mr. Meowth
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

You're a foul one, Mr. Meowth
You have termites in your smile, you have all the tender
sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Meowth
Given a choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crocodile!

You're a rotter, Mr. Meowth.
You're the king of sinful sots, you're a heart of dead tomato
washed with moldy purple spots, Mr. Meowth.
You're a three decker sauerkrauten toadstool sandwich with arsenic
sauce!

You're a foul one, Mr. Meowth
You're a nasty wasty skunk, your heart is full of unwashed
socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Meowth.
The three words that describe you are as follows, and I quote, "Stink,
stank, stunk!"

Before long Meowth had finished taking down the tree. He put
everything -- the tree, decorations, and presents -- into a box and threw
it down the pit he had dug the day before with Jessie and James.
"Another failed attempt to catch Pikachu," Meowth thought. "A
perfect spot for all this Christmas stuff."
On his way back to the cabin, Meowth passed Ash's house and saw
the lights from the tree twinkling in the windows. He paused. "Da
twerps have beat us up so much they don't deserve Christmas either." So he
stole the tree and presents from the Ketchum house too. It was almost
dawn by the time he had finished. Meowth went back to his cabin and
went to bed.

"James! Meowth!" Jessie's piercing shriek woke them. "Christmas
is gone!"
"What?" James got out of bed and ran into the living room,
staring at the place where the tree had been. Meowth followed, saying
nothing.
There was a knock on the door. Ash, Misty, and Brock burst in.
"You did it!" Ash yelled angrily. "You stole our Christmas!"
"What?" James looked confused.
"Listen, twerp, we didn't steal your stupid presents!" Jessie said
angrily. "We had our own."
"Oh yeah? Where are they?" Misty asked.
"Someone stole ours too," James said.
"Why would someone steal Christmas?" Ash asked.
"I don't know," James said. "Listen, twerps, it's Christmas. You
know, peace on earth and all that. Let's have a truce." He offered
his hand.
"All right," Ash said. "Because it's Christmas." He shook hands
with James.
"Wait!" Jessie said. "We still have one present." She gave Meowth
a cat toy. "I'm sorry we didn't get it wrapped. This is for you,
Meowth."
"Ooh. . .you didn't forget Meowth!" The little cat started to cry.
"I did it! I stole da trees and da gifts. I'm sorry!"
"Where are they, Meowth?" Jessie asked. "We'll help you put
everything back like it was."
"So will we," Ash said.
"In da trap we dug ta catch Pikachu," Meowth said. "Come on."
Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, and Meowth worked together and
soon had both the trees up and all the decorations and presents in their
right places.
"Thank you, Meowth," Mrs. Ketchum said. "Jessie, James, would you
stay and have Christmas dinner with us?"
"We couldn't," James protested. "Not after what Meowth did to
you."
"He put everything back, didn't he?" Mrs. Ketchum said. "I
insist. Please stay."
"Well. . .all right," James said. "Thank you."

"Do you still hate Christmas, Meowth?" Jessie asked later that
evening after they had returned to their cabin after a good dinner and
singing Christmas carols around the Ketchums' tree.
"No. . .I don't hate it anymore," Meowth said. "I love you guys.
Thanks for helping me see what Christmas really means."

THE END