Ugh, I've been on the dumbest hiatus. I really need to get back in gear and finish off of my stories. Sorry for the wait. Part of my excuse is that I was waiting to see Elesa's official personality, but I haven't been able to see any of her episodes.

Well, let's see. The cast has been set forth. The stage has been set. The plot's been laid. Where do I go from here? Just kidding! I know just what I'm doing. It's time to get the contest started!

Chapter 3: Day 1: Arriving Rivals

James sat up in bed, stretching his arms out wide. "Oh. I actually slept pretty well. What about you guys? Jessie? Meowth?" He looked around quickly. He paused as he felt the mattress beneath him. It had been the longest time since he had slept on a bed. "Oh, well, I guess that explains that." He paused a moment, before everything from the day before sunk in. "Oh no!" He jumped up and ran to the window. Acres and acres of Pokemon preserve laid over the horizon, but the sight only caused James to begin biting his fingernails. "This is bad! I need to get out of here!"

"But why would ya'll want to do that, James?"

James cringed. He turned around slowly at the sound of the voice. There, a redheanded young woman dressed like a debutante was kneeling near his bed, holding a tray of breakfast foods. She smiled simply as the young man faced her.

"J-Jessie?" James walked over, hoping his guess was right.

The redhead frowned and shook her head. "Now, don't go and be calling me by such a common name, James."

"J-Jessiebelle!" James flinched backwards several steps. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Jessiebelle's expression softened. "Why, aren't ya'll shy and such. Of course, as your future wife, I figure t'would be best if we were to act like a married couple now. Not like ya'll will be getting away, anyways."

"I... I suppose not..." Sweat was running down the back of his head like crazy. The sheer bane of his childhood existence that had driven him from his life in high society was now only kneeling a short distance from himself. He caught himself and blubbered. "I mean so! Or not! Or so!" He flung his hands over his face and screamed in terror, expecting the pain to come.

After a moment, James opened his fingers to look at Jessiebelle. No whip. No yelling. No reprimand whatsoever. She was just sitting there, smiling.

Jessiebelle held the tray up higher. "Ya'll should best be eating. Should help with all that stress ya'll seem to be keeping pent up. Not good for the skin to be all aggravated like that."

James blinked blankly as he stared at Jessiebelle. He sat down on his bed and took the tray from his longtime fiancee. He began to eat carefully, trying his best to keep good manners. He swallowed even between swallowing food and taking bites. Let's see. It was this fork and this spoon, right? Or was it this one? Oh, Jessiebelle's going to kill me now, isn't she?

He waited the whole meal for a reprimand, but the Southern Belle made no attempt on correcting his posture or his manners, or even for picking up the wrong fork, when he was absolutely sure it was too small. She just sat there, smiling. He wasn't sure whether to relax or become even more scared.

With the tray clear, Jessiebelle took it back. "My, my James. Quite the appetite ya'll have developed. Course, that's good to see in a man. A healthy appetite means for a healthy boy." She stood up and began walking to the door.

James held his hand out for a moment. "Wait, that's it?"

"Oh?" Jessiebelle looked back. "Are ya'll saying ya'll need more to eat?"

"N-no." James stared at the young woman, tilting his head in curiosity. "I mean, you're not going to say anything..." He began talking awkwardly with his hands. "No scolding? No slapping? Nothing?"

"James, there's a saying I had to learn a long time ago." Jessiebelle turned back to the door. "Ya'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar." She left through the door.

It had hardly been a moment, before Jessie ran up to the door, suffering from a horrible case of bedhead and having slept in her Team Rocket Uniform. She still looked a little groggy, or else she would have been livid. "What was she doing here?" She pointed to where Jessiebelle had walked off to. "And what's with that smile?"

James wiped his hand over his face, unaware of the small smile on his face. He shook his head and held his hands up defensively. "Nothing. Nothing. Jessiebelle just hadn't yelled at me. That's all!"

"Oh, so it's yelling, huh?" Jessie appeared to tower over the blue-haired young man. "I could have sworn you were afraid of her, but you're telling me... you're... afraid of... YELLING!"

James flinched beneath his shouting Team Rocket partner, but they were soon interupted by James's mother and two butlers rushing into the doorway, running over the female Rocket member.

"Oh dear, James, you've already slept later than I thought you would." The estate owner snapped her fan shut, before snapping her fingers.

Before he could even react, James had been tackled by the butlers and taken into his walk-in closet. He was dressed and made more than presentable, before bringing him back out. They presented him to his mother.

"Much better." The magenta-haired lady nodded. "Bring him to the front hall. We have guests arriving." She turned and walked down the hall.

"G-guests?" James couldn't do anything to stop the butlers carrying him. He was out of the room, before he knew it.

Jessie weakly stood up, before popping her spine back into place. "Stupid old witch," she muttered. "She could have asked me to step aside, at least."

In the foyer of the masion, however, James's mother was standing near the doors. "Yes, James, guests. I told you yesterday was your reprieve, and today is when you will meet your suitors." She gestured to the door.

The butlers stopped, sending James fying along the floor of the grand hall. He was tripping over his own feet, the door opening before he could he could reach it. He flailed and stumbled, until he stopped himself. Unfortunately, that left his face only mere inches from the bosom of a new female to the mansion. His face went bright red, and sweat began to form on his forehead as he looked up at the new girl. Her eyes were quite piercing and angry-looking, and her face was framed by dark green hair.

"I'm sorry!" James stood up quickly, flailing his arms defensively. He didn't notice his mother giggling at his awkwardness. He had his eyes closed, and he was obviously scared out of his wits.

"You IDIOT!"

James winced again, only to realize that he wasn't being assaulted. Instead, it sounded as though things were crashing outside. He peeked an eye open to see posts from the porch railing being pulled up by some form of blue energy and hurtled towards a casually dressed older man also on the porch. The strange man had his work cut out for him, dodging the projectiles.

"You knew that would happen, didn't you!" The green-haired girl was blushing, and her eyes made her look more panicked than angry. "You were totally setting me up for something weird like that. You jerk! And you call yourself a father."

Despite being glad that he wasn't the one being attacked, James was still somewhat worried for the older man. He raised his hand to speak, but his mother interjected, tapping the girl on the head with her fan. "That will be quite enough, young lady." She cleared her throat. "I hope I won't need to be telling you about the property damages that will need to be paid for due to your actions."

The girl quieted her powers, though her blush was still intense. "V-very well."

The older man sighed as the projectiles stopped flying. He stood up, placed a hand behind his head and laughed. "Sorry about that." He turned to James's mother. "I just told Sabrina that you were always one with an open door policy. She's a little... inexperinced with such colloquialisms."

"Liar," Sabrina cursed under her breath.

James's mother cleared her throat again, before turning to Sabrina's father and nodded politely. "I completely understand." She turned to her son. "James, this is Sabrina. Her father and I were childhood friends, but we were of different lines, so to speak. You see, they're psychics."

"Psychics?" James stared at Sabrina a moment. He felt like he should have remembered her from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. Still, the psychic energy she had used had definitely intimidated James. Still, he had to remember his manners. "W-welcome." He bowed politely. "I'm sorry for starting off on the wrong foot."

"It's all right." Sabrina's blush was still evident as she rubbed her hands together. "It wasn't your fault." She glared at her father out of the side of her eye.

Laughter filled the room as smoke erupted behind James and his mother. The two rich family members turned to see two fierce-looking ninja. One, an older fellow, and the other a purple-haired girl roughly two years younger than James. "Still not the social type, are you, Sabby?"

Sabrina's eyes darkened as she saw the new girl. "Janine!"

"You know it!" The purple-haired girl sneered cheerfully at the psychic. "I didn't know you'd make it out here." She paused, before turning to her father. "Wait. What is she doing here?"

Koga rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously.

"Perhaps I should explain?" The lady of the house interjected. "You see, my son has never been particularly good around young women, so I thought it best for him to be surrounded by young women, before making a decision on whom he'd like to marry."

"You remember. I told you this on the way here." Koga nodded in agreement. "You see, I used to know this fair lady, when we were children."

"Hey, Koga!" Sabrina's father waved from the doorway as he and Sabrina entered. "Didn't expect to see you here!"

"Nor did I. I just seem to be running into friends all over today." Koga nodded again, taking hold of his chin.

"But you didn't mention there would be other girls here, father." Janine blushed herself. "I though I was just supposed to sit pretty and mind my manners."

"Of course not!" Koga laughed heartily. "It would not be much of a test, then, would it?" He winked knowingly at Janine.

The awkwardness past, Janine shook her blush off. "Very well, father."

Sabrina walked up beside Janine. A fierce density filled the air between the girls. "I, too, was not expecting rivals."

"It's more of a social trip than anything, Sabrina." Sabrina's father took hold of his pipe and smiled. "You should try to make some friends here. That means you'll win, even if the boy doesn't choose you."

A fierce glare was fired from the psychic girl to her father as she turned to face him again.

Sabrina's father flinched under the intensity of the gaze. "M-maybe we should talk things over outside, Koga." He chuckled nervously. "Catch up on old times and all."

Koga nodded, sensing the tension. "Very well, old friend." He walked sternly out of the mansion to the porch, but he dodged with great agility as something green flew through the air.

Pain shot through James's entire body as thorns stuck his in the neck and shoulders. He screamed loudly, until he realized what was happening. He calmly took hold of the cactus pokemon and plucked it off of his throat. He looked it straight in the eyes. "Cacnea?"

"Cac!" The grass-type pokemon smiled and waved its arms happily as it met its original trainer.

"That's right." Gardenia leaned in the front door, after the two older men had left. She walked in cheerfully. "I thought you'd like to see Cacnea after so long, James!" She giggled. "What's all this about you needing a few girlfriends, though?"

Sabrina and Janine turned immediately to the new girl in the mansion, their eyes growing wide. "Another rival?"
Jessiebelle walked grandly into the foyer, dressed much more regally than she had been earlier. "And I do declare that that is correct as well!" She laughed boldy as she approched the poison and psychic gym leaders. "Now, don't think your status as Kant gym leaders means you're going to have an advantage. I plan on marrying James!"

"Another!" The two Kanto rivals gaped at the noblewoman.

Jessie was making her way down the stairs now, her hair combed out at least. "Sheesh. For being all uppity, you could... learn... a few..." She appeared ill as she, too, saw the new girls.

"That would make five!" Janine and Sabrina gasped at the same time. The color drained from their face, suddenly realizing this would go beyond a childhood rivalry.

"Five?" Gardenia folded her arms. "There's at least two more girls out front." She grinned proudly. "Seems like you've got yourself a real collection of girlfriends now, huh? Must have had real penmanship in your personal ad. Course, I'm mostly here for Cacnea's sake."

Cacnea nodded, but James shook his head. "It's not like that! Well, it is, but..." He hugged the cactus to himself, piercing himself with needles again. "Did you say two more?"

"Yep." Gardenia's smile widened. "They should be walking in here in just a moment." She turned to the door to see a blond walk in.

"Elesa has arrived in a flashy manner!" Elesa stepped in, a butler carrying several heavy suitcases behind her. "I hope I'm just fashionably late. That is my fashion, after all!"

"Aw. Elesa, I was hoping you'd get my invitation." James's mother walked over to the model and shook her hand. "I figured that if a family friend wouldn't appeal to my son, a model might just be the thing."

The lightning lady paused and blushed slightly at the noblewoman's words. "You compliment me too much. I'm not even sure, if I'm ready to settle down, but it seems male admirers are few and far between anymore. All the girls want to see you in your new clothes for the season and all. I knew I'd have to make a special visit for this occasion." She walked over to James. "So, you're the man in question, huh?"

"Uh huh." Gardenia nodded. "He's not the brightest, but he's a real nice guy, once you get to know him. Really treats his pokemon well, too."

"Well, seems you know him quite well." Elesa grinned. "I guess that just means I'm going to have to outshine you in the competition as well."

"Looking forward to it." Gardenia winked at her electric rival.

"Now, hold on a minute." Jessie leaped over the banister and landed next to James. "James, what is all this?"

"The competition." James's mother answered in place of her son. "I told you it would be more than just you and Jessibelle."

Jessie huffed, trying to intimidate her hostess. "But this is going a little far, is-"

"Ah! It's Team Righteous!" A brunette girl ran into the mansion, dressed like a mere peasant. She ran up to Jessie and James and clasped their hands in her own. "I never thought I'd get to see you again!"

"K-K-K-Kate!" The two Team Rocket members' eyes grew wide as they stared at the girl. Who knew how long or how short they had seen her, but she was here, too.

"Yes. I knew I'd have to invite her here, too, after what I heard you did for her village." Jame's mother patted her blue-haired son on the head. "That's my son, being a big, brave hero and saving a village."

Kate nodded. "Several times, even, and in a single day! Team Righteous is amazing!"

Jessie's expression began to crack as a vein pulsed in her forehead. "Isn't this going a little far?"

"Nonsense." The oldest woman in the house tittered. "We're not even done yet." She turned to a seriously blushing Sabrina. "I'm sorry. This must all be uncomfortable for you. You may head up to your room and get unpacked." She nodded to a butler to guide the green-haired young woman.

Sabrina only nodded as she used her psychic powers to pick up her suitcase and follow the butler upstairs.

Janine was about to mention being annoyed by all of the commotion, when a loud car horn sounded, and three valley girls practically leapt their way through the door.

"Hey, hey! Guess who's here!" The blond Daisy announced as she walked into the room. "It's the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City!"

"Like, you can bet!" Violet smiled as she appeared from behind her sister. "Thanks for waiting!"

"Um, girls..." Lily looked into the room as well. "It doesn't seem as though we were, like, the only ones invited to the party."

"Like, of course not." Daisy smiled boldly. "It wouldn't be much of a party, if we were, would it."

"I guess not," Violet replied.

James blew a gasket as he looked between all of the women now in the mansion. From the retreating Sabrina to his friend Jessie. From Jessiebelle to the Sensational Sisters. It was too much. He blacked out from shock, falling backwards into the crowd.

...

Hours later, James woke up in a large chair. A tea set had been placed before him. He took the cup and drained it to calm his nerves.

"I must apologize." James's mother spoke up from another chair. "I guess that was a bit of a sensory overload. Maybe just moving a little fast."

"Y-you think?" James swallowed heavily. "Mother, you could have at least told me how many girls you had invited!"

"Then ya'll would have ran away, before giving them a chance." James's mother shrugged. "Is it really all that bad?"

"Just a bit." James stood up quickly. "Mother, how do you expect me to make fair judgement about anything?"

"Well, you have one month. Roughly thirty-one days. As this was the first day, that means ya'll have thirty left." The lady of the house took a sip of tea herself. "With ten girls, that means you'd have at least three days to each girl, not counting spending a day with multiple girls. That's seems like a fair time for judgement on a girl to me."

"I-I suppose so." James face was flushed. "Wh-where is everyone?"

"Getting set up in there rooms, except for Jessiebelle and your lady friend. Seemed they were arguing about what to make for dinner." She took another sip of tea. "I just hope they realize cooking isn't a neccessary skill to be your wife. Though there are a lot of other things I should imagine would be neccessary."

"So, that's it, then?" James sighed as he sat back down. "Are we having dinner together?"

"Not neccessarily." The magenta-haired lady set down her cup. "Consider it another reprieve after all of that excitement earlier. But this is your last night for such."

"I see..." James leaned back into his chair. "So, do you have a schedule or anything?"

"No. Everything from here on out is up to you." James's mother picked up her flute. "Up until your choice on day thirty-one."

...

Outside, Meowth and Growlie had been watching the mother and son, before turning to each other.

"Gee. Seems like James is in more of a picke dan I t'ought." Meowth placed a paw on his chin.

Growlie barked in agreement. He whined, worried that he wouldn't get to play with his master at all.

"I wouldn't say he's the only one with lady troubles." Clairvoya walked up to the two peeping pokemon, her eyes closed sagely. "I'm just glad you haven't had any yet."

"What are youse talking about?" Meowth placed his paws on his hips. "And none of dat hocus pocus mumbo jumbo stuff. Just tell it to Meowth straight."

"Well, you have two young males here. One was the young master's favorite pokemon. The other has been traveling with the master for quite a while. You two are walking targets." Clairvoya chuckled.

"Targets for what?" Meowth thrust his arms in the air. "What is dat even supposed to mean?"

Growlie tapped the cat-like pokemon on the shoulder, yipping in a whisper.

"Say what now?" Meowth leaned in to listen to the puppy. His eyes widened as he turned around. He saw a skitty, a glameow, a purrloin, a houndour, a poochyena, and a lillipup. "Oh, dat's what youse means..." He turned to look at Growlie, before the two began running across the gardens.

...

Okay, I admit that this chapter was a little busy. But that's how I planned it. I know that this might not seem like much of a chapter, but I hope it'll tide things over for now. I should be getting back for sure this time. Man, I've been a wreck.

Anyways, I know that Meowth leaves Team Rocket during the Black and White series, but this is before those events. However, this does bring me to the next part. Growlie might be joining in on the madness, too, but it's three predictable girls for each one. So in a review, don't be afraid to suggest a girl to join the pokemon ranks. Could be a pokemon owned by the girls, but there are some rules.

1. Must be from the ground/field egg group, like Meowth and Growlithe.

2. No Wailmers/Wailords. The size has to be reasonable, so earlier evolutionary stages are admitted.

3. Snakes, birds, acorns, and any other pokemon are allowed, if they are part of the same egg group and reasonable size.

Hope to be writing more for you all soon,

MasterofHearts1313