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Double Trouble 3: Mission Mondo
Mission Find a Mission
"So, family weekend's over. Back to the ole' grindstone I guess," Meowth said, walking between Jessie and James.
"What grindstone?" James complained gloomily, hands shoved in his pockets. "We haven't been assigned a mission since we were sent out to rescue Attila and Hun."
"Whatcha t'ink de boss is plannin' for us next?" Meowth wondered. If anything, he inwardly added.
"Who knows?" Jessie said.
"Who cares?" James said.
"You know, we could think of this as sort of a vacation," Jessie suggested with a smile.
"Great idea Jessie! We should celebrate," James said.
"Let's go get Pikachu," the two humans said together.
"I t'ink dat family weekend messed wit' your brains," Meowth dryly said. "Besides, we lost de twerps way back."
"Perhaps so, but Meowth, there's little else assigned to us," James replied, shrugging.
"Den let's do somethin' about it. We ain't gonna get a promotion any time soon if our only mission is grabbin' Pikachu; which, might I add, is lookin' more and more impossible every time dey trounce us. The more we fail at grabbin' the little guy, the less likely we are to get any other assignments. Unova was our big break and Alola kinda, den nothin'. We haven't accomplished much since den or gotten anyt'in' real big either since de whole rescue operation," Meowth said.
"We were good in Unova, weren't we?" Jessie said ruefully. "Long ago when we were in training, you told me we could become the greatest team ever, James. Acting against Team Plasma we came so close to fulfilling that goal. Then we went back to nobody's."
"We'll be somebody's one day, Jess, just you wait and see," James promised.
"I believe you, James!" she replied as the two hugged each other, bursting into tears. Meowth face-palmed, shaking his head hopelessly.
PKMN
Team Rocket sat in their room. Rather James and Meowth sat and watched as Jessie paced impatiently back and forth. "Where is our little mole, already?" she demanded.
"He's very low level, Jess; he doesn't have access to many of the areas in headquarters. All he can do is hope for a tidbit of information carelessly being dropped here and there," James said.
Just then there was a knock at the door. "Finally," Jessie said, walking over to it. She opened it, smiling cordially, and allowed the teenager inside. "Mondo, there you are. It's about time."
"I'm sorry Jessie, can you forgive me?" he asked, gazing up at her like a fan boy. Which he was, Jessie and James knew. He adored them. Truth be told, they were becoming rather fond of him as well.
"Of course, my dear. Now what juicy little tidbits do you have for us?" Jessie questioned, guiding Mondo over to the couch where James was. She sat next to her partner and they waited for Mondo to proceed.
Mondo brought out a pad of paper. Jessie started. A list, hmm? She was impressed. They'd have a selection. "Let's see. Oakley and Annie were discussing an infiltration into Team Galactic headquarters to…"
"Next," James said, uninclined to deal with Team Galactic at any point in the near future. Saturn terrified him. He wasn't as bad as Cyrus had been, not even close, but that wasn't the point. Saturn had been almost blindly loyal, at one time, and whatever was going on at Team Galactic nowadays since the whole mess with their psychotic late boss, was something he wasn't at all inclined to figure out.
"Oh, okay," Mondo said, slightly disheartened. James winced. Had he sounded too harsh, he wondered? "Let's see. Domino was talking to Tyson about trying to capture a mega gyrados for study."
"No," Meowth, Jessie, and James said together, recalling all too clearly their last brush with a gyrados.
"Um, well, Attila and Hun were…" he began.
"If it has them attached to it, it's a mission we don't want," James said.
"You might. It's just capturing the raikou they failed to capture before," Mondo said.
"Just?" Meowth asked, eyes wide. "Hoo boy, kid, you needs ta get out inta de field. If it involves a legendary, it ain't good."
"Well, there's what Butch and Cassidy were discussing," Mondo offered.
"Butch and Cassidy, huh? Go on," James said.
"They were talking about setting up a scam operation to trick kids into giving them their Pokémon," Mondo said.
"Every time they've tried that they've failed, and so have we. The twerps always seem to find our scams no matter where they might be," James said.
"You'd think we'd have the sense to set up the stings far away from where the twerps could show up. Like another region altogether," Jessie ruefully said, shaking her head. "They'll probably run into the twerps head first. We hardly need to interfere. They'll fail like always."
"Why'd you send me out to listen for missions if you weren't going to take any?" Mondo asked.
"Mondo, you find us something worthwhile and I promise you a big kiss right on your nose," Jessie sang, pinching his cheek playfully. He was out like a shot, Jessie fluffing her hair with a sly smirk.
"Really, Jessie?" James incredulously asked.
"What?" she asked, blinking innocently as if she didn't know what he meant.
PKMN
Minutes later Mondo was back, out of breath. "I-I found something, Miss Jessie! I found something perfect for you two!" he exclaimed.
"So soon?" Jessie asked, taken aback.
"Yeah! I went right to the boss, baby!" Mondo said.
"You did what?!" James demanded, shooting up. "Tell us you didn't say it was for us."
"Nope. I told him I wanted to know what sort of field missions I was able to do. He was surprised, but then told me he wasn't sure I was ready yet. Then he said, he'd look into the matter and told me that if he decided I was ready after all, there were a few low-level, low-risk missions he might be able to put me on. I asked him what to expect and he gave me an example of a low-risk mission he was thinking about giving out to Pierce, who wanted a breather assignment after all the high-level ones he's been on. It was going to take place at a society ball. Fancy guests, plenty of dancing, and lots of distraction. Apparently the host owns two Alolan lycanroc, one a midnight and one a midday, and their rockruff puppies. The boss wants them. Not like life or death wants them, but he knows they'll bring in big bucks and thinks they'd be a great investment," Mondo narrated. "I asked him if he had anyone besides Pierce in mind and he looked at me curiously. I hoped he'd pick me, but I guess he decided against it. He told me there was no one right now because he was giving a different mission to Pierce, but to check back later."
"Mondo, you darling! That deserves a kiss on the lips!" Jessie said, kissing him right on the mouth. She pulled back, leaving him grinning dopily and blushing deeply.
"W-wow, Miss Jessie, I really did well, huh?" he said.
"Better than well," Jessie replied.
"Wait Jess, Giovanni told Mondo to check back later. Maybe he is thinking of sending Mondo out on that field mission. If he is, it's hardly right of us to take that opportunity from him," James said.
Jessie started. "Hmm, you may have a point," she reluctantly admitted.
"Really? You think he wants to put me on it?" Mondo hopefully asked.
"You should probably check in tomorrow, kiddo. He might be settin' it up as we speak," Meowth said. "De boss is full of surprises."
"Oh, very well. Come back tomorrow and tell us how it went," Jessie said.
"If it was a no go, we'll go," James added.
"Thanks James and Jessie," Mondo gratefully said. They smiled after him as he left, practically skipping out.
PKMN
Tyson knocked on Giovanni's door. "Enter," Giovanni said.
Tyson walked inside the office. "Sir, you wanted to see me?" he asked, saluting and willing back any unease he was feeling. It wasn't like he'd screwed anything up lately, after all.
"I did. You're very much involved in Mondo's progress in Team Rocket, are you not?" Giovanni said.
"Yes?" Tyson more questioned than answered, tone guarded and suspicious. "Why?"
"He approached me earlier today asking about field missions," Giovanni answered, looking up from some papers and clasping his hands together, resting them on the desk and eyeing his officer. Tyson was silent, blinking. "Do you have nothing to say to that, Tyson?"
Tyson shifted a bit uncomfortably. "What… did you tell him?" he said.
"I informed him I wasn't sure if he was ready yet and told him I would look into the matter. There are a number of low-level, low-risk missions that are ripe for the taking. I let him know that if I determined he was prepared, perhaps he would be given one. Given drill sergeant Viper is his legal guardian, I got his opinion first. He believes Mondo has potential enough that he could very well carry out a mission of this level without difficulty. Then he referred me to you, as I expected he would. In the end, you are the one who has the final say."
Tyson was quiet. "What will this mission entail?" he finally asked.
"Here," Giovanni said, slipping a file across his desk.
Tyson picked it up and tentatively flipped through it, taking in every detail and committing it to memory. "Infiltrate, capture, retreat. Basic, pretty tame, plenty of distraction… Hmm, society ball. So a rich man. Rich men have guards."
"He would be going with mentors of his choosing, not completely alone," Giovanni said. Tyson was quiet. "Perhaps you and he should talk, before you make a decision."
Tyson grimaced then sighed, shoulders sagging a bit as he closed his eyes. "I'll be back with an answer within the hour," he said, rising and leaving. Giovanni didn't begrudge him not waiting for dismissal. The officer was distracted and had much to think about.
PKMN
Mondo, all but skipping down the corridors, was giddy with excitement. This could be his very first mission! It was going to be so cool! "Hey squirt, slow down!" someone sharply barked at him.
Mondo screeched to a halt, freezing solid and wincing. Uh oh… He swallowed and nervously turned. "T-Tyson. H-hi!"
"What's got you so happy?" Tyson said, coming up to him with arms folded and expression stern.
"Wh-who m-me? N-nothing. Uh, I've, um, got to go! Y-yeah, V-Viper needs me for something, so you know, I…" Mondo began. He gasped as Tyson wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him against his side and preventing him from walking away. Mondo, tense, looked uneasily back and up at the officer. "Am I in trouble?" he asked, voice going squeaky for a moment. He cursed it.
"Don't lie to me pipsqueak," Tyson warned. "You know I don't like being lied to." His grip around Mondo tightened.
Mondo squirmed uncomfortably. "It's nothing! Just-just something Jessie and James said."
"Jessie and James? What do those failures have to do with this?" Tyson asked.
"They're not failures, they're cool! James is awesome and Jessie is just so beautiful and Meowth is amazing and I like them so stop being rude!" Mondo insisted. He yelped at Tyson pulled him down and noogied him mercilessly. "Stop, stop, I'll talk! I'll talk!" Mondo said frantically. Tyson stopped but kept Mondo in position, ready to commence the noogying again. "They asked me to see if I could find a mission for them by snooping around, but I couldn't find one they were up for and Jessie promised me a kiss if I went out and tried again, so I did and went to Giovanni and asked him about what missions I was ready to do and he said he had to look into whether I was ready or not before I got anything. Then he told me about this mission he was going to give Pierce but said that he wasn't going to after all and was putting Pierce on another, and he told me what the mission was. I hoped he was going to give it to me because he looked like he was thinking about it, but then he said no one was on it and so I figured he'd decided not to, so I brought it back to Jessie and James but they told me that sometimes the boss does that and that he actually might be thinking of putting me on it and that would be so, so cool because it would be my very first mission and everything and I could really prove myself, you know? To Giovanni and Viper and… and you…"
Tyson was quiet. Soon he released Mondo. "You really want this, don't you, kiddo?" he said, folding his arms.
"I really, really do!" Mondo said. "And I know you're the one that's probably gonna make or break this for me, and I get you're probably not happy because you don't look too thrilled about it right now, but I'm ready, Tyson, I am! And I really want to do this! Please!"
Tyson was quiet, reading Mondo, who gazed pleadingly up at him with puppy eyes, all but on his knees begging. Finally Tyson sighed, closing his eyes and bowing his head. He opened them again, glaring at Mondo. "If I let you do this, you have to agree to text or call me every hour on the hour to check in and let me know what's going on and how you're doing. If you need help at all, or if something goes wrong, contact me. I don't care who your mentors are or how great a job you figure they'll do protecting you, you contact me too," he said.
Mondo's eyes filled with hope. "Really? You'll let me?!" he asked.
"I'm not hearing an answer," Tyson said.
"Yes! Of course yeah! Definitely. But, uh, h-how are you so sure I won't pick you to be a mentor?" Mondo asked.
"You kidding? When I was your age the last thing I would have wanted was to have a big brother hovering over my shoulder on my first mission," Tyson said. "Pretty damn sure you're enough like me that you feel the same."
Mondo blushed and bowed his head slightly guiltily. "I-I mean you could. It's not like it would be inconvenient," he said.
"Don't tempt me," Tyson warned. Mondo clammed up. Tyson examined him then sighed. "Alright. I'll let Giovanni know I'm okay with it."
"Bro, are you serious?!" Mondo eagerly asked, eyes bugging wide.
"Tentatively," Tyson answered.
"Yes! Thank you Tyson, thank you so much!" Mondo exclaimed, throwing himself into the officer's arms.
Tyson grimaced and sighed, hugging him back with one arm. "Careful kiddo. I don't… want to lose you like we lost mom and dad…"
"You won't, I promise!" Mondo said, beaming up at his big brother adoringly. Tyson grunted and nodded in acknowledgement. Mondo cheered, racing down the hall leaping up and down in celebration. Tyson sniffed, looking away uneasily, then headed back to talk to the boss. Oh he really, really hoped he didn't regret this.