Jessie, Meowth and I walk through the forest groaning. "So hungry." Jessie whines.
"Hey look," I say, finding a sign along the path we never followed. It said, Misty Oaks: half mile.
"There must be a town," Meowth says.
"That means food!" I exclaim and smile at Jess.
"Let's go!" Meowth takes off and we rush after him. We slow as we reach the town, astounded by the sight of a glowing city instead. We walk past staring up at the colorful advertisements and decorations. I start to get a little uneasy at what they display.
"Were-week?" Meowth wonders.
Jessie walks up to a little girl in an orange and blue dress with blond hair. "Hey kid, what's Were-week?"
"You don't know?! Right, you must not be from around here . . ." The girl bounces in her pink shoes, her big blue eyes sparkling. "Were-week is when select people turn into Pokemon! It's only the during the night and just for this week."
My stomach drops when Jessie continues asking questions. "People turning into Pokemon?"
"Yeah, every year they turn into different Pokemon and we get to play with them. We put out banquets every day for anyone to eat, especially the Were-Pokemon. Some people are born into it, but most people here became Were-Pokemon by another way. No one will tell me until I'm older though . . . I want to see what I become." As the girl starts pouting, Jessie pulls me and Meowth aside.
"Did you hear that? She says they turn into Pokemon, ripe for the picking."
"Not ta mention a banquet!" Meowth grins.
I hide my deep frown by suggesting, "Why don't we find out where that is first?"
Jessie stomach growls. "Right." she turns around and says, "Hey girl, where's the food?"
"Oh, it's at the town square, I'll take you the-"
"Sally," a woman calls, "it's time for lunch."
"Sorry, I have to go. Feel free to eat as much as you like! We save food every-"
"Sally!"
"Coming! Bye." Sally waves and runs off to her house.
"Strange girl," Jessie mumbles, then perks up at the prospect of food.
We hurry to the town square, uh, try to. We kind of get lost. Then, Meowth follows the signs we ignored and we arrive at our destination. Long, white-clothed tables decorate the green park. But that's not what grabs our attention. Platters upon platters of food are set up in rows. Dinners, breakfasts, lunches, appetizers, desserts, you name it, it is there. I'm about to grab a handful of burgers when I hear a shout.
"Hey!" The shout says. I turn to see a teen boy with fluffy brown hair, black glasses and brown eyes. He wears a blue shirt and green trousers. He crosses his arms and stares at us.
"Uh . . ." Jessie says.
The boy continues to stare at us intently. Suddenly, he exclaims, "EAT ALL YOU WANT!" He bursts into laughter at our surprised faces. "I love messing with newcomers like that. We set out the food for anyone to eat all week. My name's Manso. I'm a Were-poke, and not a shy one at that. Hey, what's your names and what brought you here?"
I blink a few times and say, "Uh, I'm James and this is Jessie and Meowth."
"What's wit' ya?" Meowth says.
"Woah!" Manso bends over Meowth excitedly. "You can talk? Does that mean you're a Were-poke too, or are you a reverse one? I've never seen a Pokemon talk without Telepathy or extreme intelligence. Hey, are you as smart as a Slowking?"
Meowth backs up and hides behind my leg. "Settle down, kid. I just learned to talk."
"Well, that means you're smart doesn't it?" He smiles and Meowth shrugs. "Anyway, feel free to eat anything you want. It's free to the public." Manso waves and heads over to another group of kids.
"Dis town is a little too hyper for my tastes," Meowth says.
"You can't base an entire city on two people," I say, then shove some cheeseburgers in my mouth.
"Just enjoy it while you can," Jessie says, then chomping on some chips. "Bwesides, wue shold spay ba weke!" She spits crumbs everywhere.
"Uh, come again?" I think I understood her correctly, but I don't want it to be true, even if it means free food . . .
Jessie takes a gulp of lemonade, then says, "I said, we should stay the week. I mean there's free food! And you-know-what . . ." She whispers the last sentence.
I frown. "Don't you think that's a little, I don't know, weird?"
"What do you mean?"
"If these really are people, wouldn't it be strange to," I lean in closer, "steal them?"
"Hm, I'm not sure. What do you think?"
I shrug, trying to hide my real thoughts. "Meowth?"
"Why would I care? We capture my brethren all the time. Would it be different for you?"
"How about we decide tonight? Let's just enjoy the first real food we've had in a long time." Jessie grabs a handful of cookies and stuffs her face.
I laugh nervously. I have to wait for my time. This will be so hard.
"Hey, let's go ask tha' Manso guy some questions. Ya coming, Jimmy?" Meowth asks.
"Nah, I want to eat some more."
"Suit yaself." He and Jessie go off to talk to the strange kid.
Here's my chance. I'm so sorry Jess, but I can't have you stealing Pokemon tonight. I put some Oddish Sleep Powder in Jessie and Meowth's lemonades. When it's in a fine form, it doesn't kick in for a few minutes. I grab the two drinks and walk over to my friends. I hand it to them, while Manso keeps talking. I watch Jessie sip from her straw and lick her lips, looking away when she catches my glance.
"So ya're a Flying-type. What's it like to fly?" Meowth asks.
"It's amazing! I love the wind beneath my feathers. I look forward to it every year." Manso says proudly.
"A girl told us there was another way to become a Were-poke. What would that be?" Jessie asks, rubbing one of her eyes.
"We can't tell people until we know them better, no matter how much I like you. Uh, are you okay?" Manso watches Meowth yawn and Jessie rub her eyes more. "Oh, you must be tired. Let me take you to my father's inn-"
"Nah, we don't need to," I interrupt. Meowth yawns again and I grab Jessie's hand. She looks down at our linked hands tiredly, but follows me anyway. Meowth rides my leg as I walk.
Behind me, I hear Manso say, "Uh, see you later?"
Jessie stumbles, so I hoist her arm around my shoulder and walk her to the nearby forest. I find a soft patch of grass and hurriedly set her down. I make sure she and Meowth are out cold for the night before leaving.
A/N: I AM OKAY WITH CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM FROM FARLA, ST ELMO'S FIRE AND MORE. I DO NOT, HOWEVER, LIKE SPAM "WARNING" ME ABOUT THEIR "BULLYING" AND THAT DOESN'T EVEN RELATE TO MY STORY AT ALL. SO PLEASE STOP! THEY ARE NOT BEING OFFENSIVE AND ARE SIMPLY TRYING TO BE HELPFUL WHILE NOT BEING OFFENDING.