Giovanni stared at the "talking" Meowth in his office in mild disbelief.
Okay, whoever decided to play this trick is going to pay dearly, Giovanni thought.
The boss of Team Rocket tried to appear visibly unimpressed. After listening to the prattle for a good fifteen minutes and hearing some of his underlings snickering in the background, he decided to play along.
Leaning across his huge mahogany desk, Giovanni met the eyes of the tiny cat Pokemon.
"So, Meowth, you say you want to join Team Rocket?" the leader said with a slight smile. He was acting as if he believed the whole thing to be a joke.
"Y-yes, sir. Dat's my dream!" Meowth said.
"Are you aware of what we do here?" Giovanni asked, this time his tone was a bit more serious.
"Well...sort of….I?" Meowth answered.
Giovanni sat back in his desk and smiled.
Amazing. This is one of the best Pokemon ventriloquist acts I've ever listened to. Some of my agents might have fared better in the entertainment business, Giovanni thought.
Giovanni failed at hiding a smile and gave a small laugh. Whoever was pulling this prank was brilliant. They were probably going to find themselves wearing cement shoes at the bottom of the Lake of Rage when he found out who they were, but for now, he was enjoying it.
"Well, whatever I said, I'm happy you're amused, sir?" Meowth said.
Such attention to detail. This Pokemon's facial expressions are mirroring exactly what is being said. That takes talent. This Meowth is obviously well trained.
Slowly, the door to his office closed.
The boss of Team Rocket just stared at the now silent Meowth, his smile melting away to a scowl.
"Let's see what you can really do," Giovanni said coldly as he rose from his chair and fingered a Poke Ball at his side.
The Meowth backed away nervously.
"Uh, I ain't dat good at battling!" the Meowth said.
Huh?
Giovanni paused upon hearing the Meowth "talk" again and looked around to see no one in the room but his Pokemon.
Is this Pokemon actually...talking? I suppose it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. I've seen psychic types with this ability, but I'm not ready to let my guard down just yet. After all, no one mocks me without consequences.
Almost by reflex, Giovanni pressed the button of the Poke Ball he had in his hand. Out popped his trusty Persian.
"I want us to have a little battle, okay?" Giovanni said.
Meowth was backing away into a corner.
Giovanni leaned over and whispered something to his Persian.
"Persian! Perr!" the Pokemon said as it started stalking Meowth like prey.
"Whaa! What are you doing? I said I wasn't good at batt-ah!"
Meowth was on the ground in seconds. Persian was on top of him sniffing his neck.
"Hey, what are you doin? Get offa me!" Meowth yelled
"Persian! Perrsian...quiet, I'm looking for a microphone. The boss doesn't believe you can talk," Persian said.
"Well, you ain't gonna fine no microphone on me. I ain't no spy boss. I promise!" Meowth shouted. The cat Pokemon then took his fore paws and felt around his neck and body to prove he wasn't carrying a device.
"Persian! Persian! I agree. I don't see anything!" Persian said.
What? Incredible. How did he? That proves it! Doesn't it?
For just a brief moment, Giovanni looked dumbfounded. Then, he pulled out a Poke Ball and prepared to throw it. A smile begin spreading across his face.
"Well, Meowth, welcome to our team," Giovanni said.
The Meowth dodged the Poke Ball that was thrown in his direction and slapped it away. It hit Giovanni in the face with a loud thwack.
"I realize cat Pokemon don't always have good manners, but that was a very poor move on your part," Persian said.
Meowth gave a nervous smile and looked up to see Giovanni who now wore a scowl of disapproval on his face. "It's just dat I never been a caught Pokemon before. I like my freedom. Besides, who's ta say dat Poke Ball won't mess up my special ability?" Meowth asked.
Giovanni perked up when he heard Meowth say those words. "Special ability?"
"Yeah, you know, my talking an stuff," Meowth said.
Giovanni's scowl returned as he winced a little at the thought.
"Go on and catch him and add him to your collection. He's a Pokemon, like me. I didn't ask to be caught," Persian insisted.
Meowth didn't dare translate.
Gradually, Meowth talked him out of throwing the Poke Ball. Persian glared at his master then jumped at the young scratch cat Pokemon with a hiss.
"What? Do you think you're too good to be a real Pokemon?" Persian asked.
"Persian, behave yourself this instant!" Giovanni commanded.
With a sneer, the large fancy cat Pokemon brushed past Meowth and returned to its lounging spot on its master's desk.
"You'll regret ever coming here, Meowth!" Persian hissed.
"What was dat all about?" Meowth wondered aloud.
Persian planted itself in a spot by the window and continued to meow inaudible threats.
Giovanni returned to his seat and stared at Meowth in bewilderment.
"So, uh, can I?" Meowth asked, looking at the desk and pointing to the boss.
"Can you what?" Giovanni asked, raising an eyebrow.
Without explaining, Meowth leaped into Giovanni's arms and started purring contently.
Giovanni looked down at the Pokemon in bewilderment.
"To say this has been a strange day would be an understatement," Giovanni said, as he put his head in his hands.
"Persian!" Persian yelled in agreement.
"Meow, why da you say dat, boss?" Meowth asked.
"Never mind," Giovanni said.
The next day, Giovanni returned to his office to find it in complete shambles. Well, papers were scattered everywhere and some furniture was out of place, which is a whole lot less than Pokemon are actually capable of, but still it made him seriously irate.
"What happened here?" Giovanni demanded.
Meowth and Persian pointed to each other.
Giovanni turned to Meowth and scowled at him.
"Meowth, have this place cleaned up immediately!" Giovanni ordered.
"But-but boss, it was-" Meowth stammered.
"No 'but's!' you want to be one of our Pokemon, make yourself useful!" Giovanni shouted.
"Persian. Persian... poor poor little Meowth," Persian said mockingly as he turned to clean himself.
Giovanni then turned to his Persian and pulled out its Poke Ball. The Pokemon lazily stuck its head up and greeted its master with a yawn before being engulfed in red light and sucked into the ball.
Meowth discreetly stuck his tongue out at the Pokemon as he was being recalled..
"Take that you little pet!" Meowth whispered.
"Did you say something, Meowth?" Giovanni asked.
Meowth flashed a nervous smile when he saw the boss's austere gaze.
The scratch cat Pokemon sprinted down the hall to find cleaning supplies. One of Giovanni's guards stuck his head in to find out what was going on.
"Follow that Meowth. Make sure he doesn't get into more trouble than he's already in," Giovanni commanded.
"Yes...sir?" the grunt said, scratching his head in bewilderment.
"Hey, boss, are you sure you're feeling okay?" another grunt asked.
"Just do as I say!" Giovanni shouted, slamming his fist on the desk.
"Aye sir!" the young grunt gave a salute before running down the hall.
The door to Giovanni's office closed again. After a few minutes of silence, Giovanni called out his Persian.
Persian glared at his master and then went to the corner of the office to sulk.
Giovanni got up and walked over to his Pokemon.
"Come now, do you think I really believe it was your fault?"
"Persian? Perr?" The Pokemon didn't even look up.
Giovanni gently put his hand on the large fancy cat Pokemon and began stroking it.
"Perr..." the Pokemon cooed.
"You've been with me since I was a child; you've never harmed or displeased me. I know it was that good-for-nothing wild Meowth," Giovanni said while continuing to stroke the Pokemon.
The large fancy cat type cooed and stretched itself. It then slowly got up from its corner and lazily meandered to Giovanni's desk, again perching itself by the giant window.
"Persian...Persian..." the fancy cat Pokemon said before yawning and closing its eyes. A look of contentment was on its face.
Giovanni then settled himself back in his chair, booted up his computer, and checked the reports from his executives.
Everything seems to be going well. We've already taken over most of the Kanto region. Recruitment is up. Our smuggling operations continue unhindered. The police we paid off are doing their jobs. If I were the sort of person to give open congratulations to my workers, this would be a fine time to do it.
Just then, the phone rang. Half-annoyed, Giovanni pressed a button and transferred it to speaker.
"Yes? What is it?" Giovanni asked.
"Sergeant Viper reporting, sir! I have new recruits for the field agent position, sir! Requesting permission to commence training, sir!" Viper's overly professional military voice boomed through the speakers.
"Commence training when ready; make sure to station our practice force around the base. We don't want any real police involvement, after all," Giovanni said.
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Also, make sure the new recruits are thoroughly vetted. We don't want anyone from the outside to interfere!" Giovanni said.
"Sir, yes sir!"
"That is all," Giovanni said.
"Signing out now, sir!" Viper said.
The intercom went silent.
For a brief moment, Giovanni stretched himself in his cushy swiveling office chair and reveled in the peace and calm. The warm sun was at his back. The Persian crept up to him and gently climbed into his lap. The boss of Team Rocket playfully rubbed the Pokemon behind its ears and was rewarded with a soft humming purr, almost like something mechanical. It then began to knead, gently patting its master's knees as it moved its paws back and forth. Giovanni ran his fingers through the soft fur.
"Persian..." the Pokemon hummed in contentment.
As he continued stroking the Persian, his mind began to drift back to Meowth.
There's certainly a lot to consider. I wonder how far Meowth's talents reach and what I'm going to be able to do with him. Perhaps I can forgive our little office mishap?
Just then, one of Giovanni's grunts knocked on the door.
Giovanni locked eyes with his underling from behind his desk.
"What now? This better be important!" Giovanni growled.
Only a select few were even allowed to see him in person, and when they did, it usually wasn't good news. Who needed to be punished this time? What mission did the executives mess up? Who did they catch working undercover?
"Sir, you may not believe me, but there is a Meowth here who claims he needs to speak with you; i promise I'm not making it up, sir," a trembling grunt responded.
Giovanni's scowl melted away, and the anger in his voice dissipated.
"Send him in." Giovanni heaved a sigh and then turned to stare at the trembling Pokemon.
Meowth carefully walked up to the desk. For some reason, he was dripping wet.
"I...I looked for the mop bucket, but I couldn't f-find da broom closet, boss," Meowth said in a stammer, as he carelessly rang his tail out on the maroon carpet, letting the water pool under his feet.
"Persian!" Giovanni's Persian growled.
Giovanni stared at the puddle in disgust and shook his head.
"This is a carpeted floor. You don't even need a mop...oh, never mind. Meowth, just stay put while we decide what to do with you," Giovanni said.
"I-I'm not in any trouble, am I?" Meowth asked.
"No," Giovanni said it with a growl and then turned back to his computer screen.
Someone is, though. Where is that grunt I told to keep an eye on you? Why are you all wet? This is embarrassing! Sometimes I can't bare the incompetence my agents display!
Meowth sat in the corner as instructed for most of the day, watching as the boss of Team Rocket gave orders to terrified humans.
I gotta think of a way ta get da boss ta keep me, Meowth thought.
Giovanni's Persian walked by and sniffed the cold and hungry Meowth.
"My my, you don't look very good at all. What happened?"
"I don't really know if I should be talkin ta youse," Meowth said.
"You can trust me, a fellow Pokemon, can't you?" Persian asked.
Meowth's eyes met the Persian's and went wide. Then, he blinked slowly to show submission and nodded his head in agreement. He didn't really think he could trust the Persian at all, especially after the mishap in the boss's office, but it wasn't a good idea to let him know that.
"Good, and I think I know what may cheer him up. How about you go down to the cafeteria and get us a bite to eat?" Persian asked.
"Huh? ...but he told me ta stay put," Meowth said.
"My dear naive Pokemon. We're a criminal organization. Do you think we follow rules like everyone else?" Persian asked.
"Well, I uh..."
Meowth didn't know how to answer that question, but the Persian's reasoning kind of made sense, considering that was the way the Meowth in his old gang taught him to think; the rules the humans make are made to be broken. Plus, he was kind of hungry, and food always made him happy. Maybe the Persian was giving him a second chance after all?
When Giovanni was distracted, yelling angrily at another human in one of those weird black uniforms, Meowth sneaked out of the office and carefully walked down the hall.
I wonder where the cafeteria even is, Meowth thought.
The scratch cat came up to an intimidating looking man in another one of those black uniforms.
"Excuse me. Can you tell me where the cafeteria is?"
Without turning around, the Rocket grunt gave an answer.
"Sure, thing, bud, it's on the second floor to your right,"
"Eh, tanks. How da I get ta da second floor?" Meowth asked.
"Take the elevator, wise guy,"
Meowth crept down the hall and found his way to the elevator more or less undetected. The room was so dark that he even managed to make small talk with some more humans in black uniforms without anyone acting like anything was unusual.
The cafeteria was only a few feet away. Once the elevator opened, Meowth joined the crowd of hungry grunts and made his way to the kitchen. Slipping in quietly and undetected, Meowth got a tray of food. He was almost to the door of the kitchen, when-
"Hey! Look at that. It's a Meowth!" one of the kitchen staff yelled.
"Who let a Meowth in here?"
"That's cute; it's walking on two legs, and carrying a tray of food"
"Alright, whoever let the Pokemon loose, call it back. You know the rules; no Pokemon out of their balls in the dining hall,"
No one responded.
"Hey, I wonder if that Meowth belongs to anyone? I could use a Meowth," someone said.
Meowth locked eyes with the grunt who was fingering a Poke Ball at his side.
"Hey! I belong ta da boss, okay!" Meowth yelled.
It didn't take long for the whole cafeteria to begin staring at the Pokemon.
The once noisy cafeteria became eerily quiet. Meowth's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard.
Uh-oh, was it something I said?... me and my big mouth?
"Hey, did-did that Pokemon just talk? You heard it right?"
"I heard it, too,"
"Man, talk about rare; now I really want it for my collection,"
"No way! I saw it first!"
Soon, the whole cafeteria broke into chaos. Meowth found himself being pelted by Poke Balls. Trainers called out their Pokemon, and the whole thing degenerated into a full brawl.
Meowth's eyes grew wide as he saw a Great Ball sailing right toward him. With lightning fast reflexes, he reflected the oncoming ball with his paw. The ball succeeded in making contact with the tray, though, and sucking it in. Meowth nervously eyed the boss's lunch, now the captive of the Poke Ball, as it rolled under a table occupied by angry men in black uniforms. He considered going after it, but then-
Another Poke Ball was thrown his way and another and another. One made contact, and he was sucked in.
"Oh man, looks like you got it!"
The ball rolled once, then twice, then-
Meowth broke out and made a run for it, scampering on all fours. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see the Great Ball that contained the tray from the cafeteria.
"Da boss's lunch ain't dat important!" Meowth said, as made a bee line for the hall with the elevators.
Giovanni's phone rang.
"What is it?" Giovanni growled.
Again, they only called him when there was a problem, and it was usually something someone else could handle with ease.
"Sir, there was an incident in the cafeteria. I'm requesting your permission to hold them all for disciplinary,"
"The whole squad?" Giovanni asked.
"Yes, sir,"
Giovanni growled.
"What happened?"
"They were trying to catch a Pokemon, sir,"
The leader of Team Rocket sighed.
"Deal with it as you see fit," Giovanni said before hanging up the phone.
Persian rubbed against his jacket.
Such incompetence. You would think they could show just a little restraint. Barbarians. I guess that's the price you pay when you-
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"I told you the boss is busy right now," a grunt said.
Meowth pushed past him, carrying a tray of food. The scratch cat scurried into the boss's office and leaped on the desk dramatically before whoever was chasing could catch up. Unfortunately, he wasn't accounting for gravity, and the contents of the tray flew everywhere. A soup bowl landed on Giovanni's head, its contents going all over his suit.
Giovanni lifted the soup bowl away from his eyes and scowled at the scratch cat.
"Meowth, what do you think you're doing?" Giovanni yelled.
"I was just tryin ta bring you your lunch, sir," Meowth said.
Giovanni growled, then rose from his desk and glared at the scratch cat.
Meowth held out a towel and flashed a nervous grin.
Giovanni took the towel, put it to his forehead, and heaved a heavy sigh.
"What am I going to do with you?" Giovanni asked.
Persian ignored the commotion and began eating from the puddle of soup on Giovanni's desk.
"Persian. Perr! Good job; you did well, didn't you?" Persian said between bites. It was obvious sarcasm.
Just then, Giovanni's phone rang.
"Viper reporting, sir,"
"What is it now?" Giovanni asked.
"The field agents are in place, sir. We're ready to begin transmission!" Viper's voice echoed through the speaker.
"Very good. Prepare the transmission. I don't want to miss this," Giovanni said.
The large screen on the wall flickered to life, and Giovanni became a spectator to Viper's training regimen.
Meowth eyed it curiously.
"Take a look at these new recruits, Meowth, and tell me what you think," Giovanni said.
The Pokemon crept up to the boss's desk and peeked at the monitor. Persian glared at him in mild annoyance.
"What's dat?" Meowth asked.
"These are Team Rocket field agent trainees," Giovanni said.
"What's a field agent?" Meowth asked.
"Field agents are Team Rocket's best of the best; I'm as proud of them as I am my best Pokemon," Giovanni said.
"Oh? Well in dat case, can I be a field agent?" Meowth asked.
Giovanni laughed.
"I'm afraid not. That's only for humans," Giovanni said.
Meowth hung his head.
"Oh? I see,"
The Pokemon curiously eyed the big screen. It was huge. It reminded Meowth of the time he got to watch a movie when he was tied up for trying to steal baseballs he mistook for rice balls.
There were lines of people in weirdly colored uniforms with huge red R's on them. There was this strange looking girl with weird red hair.
The cat Pokemon's attention then turned to Giovanni. He was smiling and laughing. It was something he hadn't seen the boss do since he arrived.
If only I could become a field agent. Then the boss would have to notice me, and then I bet he would see I was just as good as that Persian, Meowth thought.
After a few minutes, the transmission was over.
Meowth somehow found a mop bucket and was trying to clean his desk.
Giovanni looked over and went pale; he quickly yanked the sponge out of Meowth's hand.
"Stop that this instant! You'll ruin it!"
Meowth backed away.
"Sorry, I was just tryin ta help," Meowth said.
"You've helped enough! Sit down, don't touch anything, and don't mess anything up, or I'll throw you out on your ears; got it?" Giovanni yelled.
"Y-yes, sir," Meowth said.
Meowth sat in the corner for the rest of the day. At the end of the day, when Giovanni decided to go back to his room, he recalled his Persian and sat a Poke Ball in front of Meowth.
The Pokemon pointed to himself and Giovanni nodded.
Meowth pushed it away.
Giovanni started turning off the lights.
"Hey, you aren't gonna leave me here alone are you?" Meowth asked.
Giovanni shook his head, took the scratch cat by the scruff of his neck, and unceremoniously plopped him into the hall.
"If you refuse to be my Pokemon, I'm afraid you're on your own, Meowth," Giovanni said.
"Wait. Does this mean..." Meowth asked.
"I'm afraid you'll have to find another place to stay," Giovanni said.
Meowth's lips started to quiver, and he hung his head.
Giovanni turned on his heel.
"I'm sorry this little arrangement didn't work out," Giovanni said.
Tears started welling up in Meowth's eyes.
"You're sorry? What am I gonna do now?"
"That's none of my concern," Giovanni said coldly as he walked away.
The hall to Giovanni's office went dark, and Meowth slowly made his way out of Team Rocket headquarters. He took the knapsack that he packed earlier, tied it over a stick, and flung it over his shoulder dramatically.
"I guess I'll just look fa other opportunities elsewhere," Meowth said to the nearly empty halls.
What other opportunities? Meowth wondered as he slowly crossed the halls.
Since he had heard of Team Rocket, this had been his dream. They were the most powerful gang in the region, and Pokemon under their protection would always be safe and well taken care of. At least that was what he heard. The purpose of a gang was to care for its members, right?
Traveling halfway around the country just to be rejected by Team Rocket's boss? Rejected again?
Meowth noticed himself crying and tried to snap out of it.
"Ah, stupid humans, whadda dey know?" Meowth asked the shadows.
The scratch cat Pokemon slowly exited the building.
Giovanni returned to his office the next morning and carefully looked in the corner for signs of the Meowth.
"Good riddance," Giovanni said.
The Persian at his side meowed in agreement.
That afternoon Giovanni reclined in his chair and conducted business as usual, answering tough questions his agents couldn't figure out, delegating responsibilities, meting out punishments his executives weren't allowed to give-the looks on their faces when they discovered that, yes, he could drop them out of a plane without a parachute-and generally being the man with all of the answers. None of the other shareholders of the organization would dare risk showing up day after day just to delegate. Other gym leaders had stock in the organization and helped give it life and resources, but he was the one willing to risk his life and reputation for it day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. The organization was like one of his children. In fact, he often abandoned his family to spend time with it.
The boss of Team Rocket carefully pulled out a photograph of his estranged son. He went to live with his mother years ago; he probably didn't even remember. It was probably for the best, though. The last thing he wanted was for his son to get involved with a bunch of criminals, if such people even existed in the first place.
From working so closely with Team Rocket, Giovanni felt like there were no "bad guys," just people who reacted to their circumstances differently. Any of his agents, given a different set of circumstances, could have turned into upstanding members of society. If anyone needed proof, they need look no further than how his agents conducted themselves while on the bases. It was a strict military style regimen. Everyone addressed their superiors as "sir" and "ma'am." There was hardly any in-fighting because they knew the consequences. For the most part, everything worked like a well-oiled machine, and he would have it no other way.
The thought made Giovanni chuckle. The idea that he commanded such authority that known gang leaders, murderers, smugglers, and a myriad of other criminals who now made their living as Team Rocket agents, bowed to the Viridian City gym leader in reverence. These "menaces to society" actually making themselves useful? The governments didn't have a clue how to run themselves.
Team Rocket was also kind of an unofficial charity of sorts for impoverished league trainers. Those who were not fortunate enough to be chosen as representatives for their regions but decided to try and train Pokemon anyway often found themselves among the ranks. It takes lots of special training to know how to correctly handle Pokemon. The professionals only make it look easy.
The ones who normally trained to be field agents fit that description. Normally, they started out as dirt poor children who found their ways to one of the many Team Rocket controlled foster homes. This allowed them to hand pick some of their future agents and start training them before they even signed the contracts.
Everything followed a pattern. Systems only failed because the people in charge didn't know how to run them.
More messages came up on the computer screen. There were reports of thousands of members who were recruited from a Rocket-assisted jail break. Counting the trainees, there were now more members of Team Rocket than there were citizens in the region.
Giovanni looked at the map on his computer screen and covered it with his hand.
The Persian at his side meowed contently.
First Kanto, then the world...
Giovanni started laughing maniacally at his inside joke.
Persian meowed cautiously, not really sure what was so funny.
The iron-willed leader of Team Rocket settled back into his chair and scanned the many monitors feeding him information. There was hardly a second that passed without Giovanni knowing exactly what was going on in the regions he controlled, from gym challenges to Poke mart purchases.
It seemed SILPH was making another attempt at the master ball.
That could be useful. As soon as Viper has the new agents ready, I'll plan a takeover.
Field agents were the most important members of the team. They had almost all of the authority and autonomy of executives, but they also had special training that equipped them to deal with almost anything. They were able to pull off capers that left everyone, including their overseers, scratching their heads. Without them, Team Rocket wouldn't be nearly as powerful.
Agent training was grueling and dangerous, testing the limits of members and their Pokemon. It took every ounce of skill an agent had just to keep from getting killed or captured, let alone actually passing. Giovanni was surprised that so many people signed up for it every year, but regardless of the risks, the rosters were always full of names. Those who came out alive would be ready to go toe-to-toe with the special forces police units and able to outsmart the region's best detectives.
Giovanni looked over the many names of those who had applied to be field agents this year. As expected, most of them were past residents of the foster homes.
This year, though, there was a special case. It appears the daughter of a famous elite agent had entered the ranks. Not much was known about her, except she grew up in one of the toughest foster homes Team Rocket controlled; it was rumored that the foster mother often starved the children and forced them to eat snow.
It was reported that she performed fairly well as a grunt and demonstrated a versatile array of talents, despite her humble upbringing. Why, she even forged documents to get into Pokemon tech and faked her way onto a news show as an interviewer. Truly this was a very talented young woman, and a born deceiver. She wasn't the only one, though. There were several, including a young man who was suspected to be the long lost heir of the Morgan family of Vermilion City. Like the young woman, not much was known about him, except that he was a master con artist who grew up on the streets.
This is going to be interesting, Giovanni thought.
Meanwhile, a lonely little Meowth was carefully making his way through the caves of Mt. Moon, his knapsack flung on his back and his head hung low.
What am I gonna do now? I can't go back ta da old gang. I'll be seen as nothing but a disgrace, Meowth thought.
I've just gotta find a way to make the boss let me join without putting me in a Poke Ball.
Quietly, Meowth crept back to Team Rocket headquarters; he was going to walk back to the boss's office, but he stopped himself. Instead, he hung out in the vents above the training camp and listened and followed along with the training.
After a few days, he could quote Team Rocket's motto by heart, and he felt like he was ready. He would march back to the boss and demand to become a field agent.
A week had passed. Giovanni was listening to Viper as he nervously explained the problem. It appears that the trainee he had put so much faith in, Jessica, couldn't work with anyone.
Giovanni quirked his eyebrow. It's one thing to have petty squabbles when you're in civilian life, it's quite another to not be able to put aside your differences for the challenges Rocket agents regularly faced.
The two talked about it at length, and it was decided that Jessica be given another chance if they could find someone willing to work with her. If not, she would be deemed unfit for service as a field agent and would have to continue doing grunt work.
Just as Viper left, there was another knock on Giovanni's door.
"What is it?" Giovanni asked.
"I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but it was insistent,"
"What was insistent?"
"I'm not sure, sir,"
The Rocket grunt said it while looking down at the talking Meowth with wide eyes. Giovanni and his Persian soon mirrored the man's expression.
Meowth bowed dramatically with his knapsack flung over his shoulders.
"My dream in life is to become a Team Rocket field agent," Meowth said.
Giovanni and Persian looked at each other, and the door slowly closed. Meowth approached the desk.
"Let me think about it, Meowth, in the meantime...go get me a cup of coffee, okay?" Giovanni asked.
Meowth exited the boss's office and wandered the halls while Giovanni tried to figure out what to do with him.
I can't catch him; he's been insistent on that, even threatening not to talk anymore if I do. He's too independent to do anything with. Who wants a Pokemon who acts as stubborn as humans do?
Giovanni sat in his desk, and after a few minutes, the lights flickered. His computer screen went blank.
What was that?
Almost as if on cue, Meowth walked in smelling of burnt fur. The coffee cup he was sent to fetch had char marks on it.
"Here's your coffee, sir. It's piping hot," Meowth said before coughing and falling over.
"Meowth, what happened?" Giovanni demanded
The boss of Team Rocket again put his head in his hands.
It's no use. If I keep this Meowth around, he might bring my entire operation to ruin. I can't catch him, and he's no use to me, yet he won't leave me alone. How can I?
Wait a minute, why don't I just give him to one of the field agents?
Giovanni called Meowth back to his desk.
"Yes, sir?"
"Meowth, your dream is about to come true. Report to the training camp immediately," Giovanni said.
The Pokemon's eyes got wide and filled with tears.
"You mean I get ta be a field agent?" the Pokemon asked.
Giovanni slowly nodded his head. Meowth was escorted out of the office.
The boss of Team Rocket watched the scene from his office computer. Jessie and her new partner James received the talking Meowth on their team as an incentive gift. Hopefully this would be the motivation the agents Viper spoke so highly of needed to successfully complete their training. Giovanni hated the idea of such talent going to waste after all.
I'm expecting great things of you, Jessie and James, Giovanni thought.
"Persian!"