Chapter 4
Jessie, James, Meowth, and Rhia arrived at the beach shortly after lunch. It was late afternoon, but they still had more than enough daylight hours to spare. The friends walked over to a large beachside cabana made of palm fronds, with Rhia leading the way.
"Alright guys, I don't really wanna spend my entire vacation signing autographs, so is it okay if we hang out here?" Rhia asked Team Rocket. The trio looked inside the cabana, and they were in awe. There was a fully stocked juice bar in one corner of the hut, and five fancy lawn chairs on the other side. The cabana was maybe twenty feet away from the ocean, and was promised to have the best view of the setting sun.
"We'd be honored!" shouted Team Rocket happily.
"I'm sure our Pokemon would like to be out of their Pokeballs and part of the fun too!" James suggested happily.
"That's right!" said Jessie while pulling two Pokeballs off her belt, "Mimikyu! Wobbuffet! Come on out!"
"And Mareanie, join the party!" yelled James, throwing his only Pokeball.
"Wow! I've never seen Pokemon that look like that before, so cool!" Rhia beamed while she pet Mimikyu and Mareanie gently on their heads. "I guess it's time you all should meet my Pokemon."
Rhia stepped back, "I'll introduce them to you one by one. I've done this plenty of times, so my speech should be a breeze. Ha-ha!" Beauty proceeded to confidently walk in front of Rhia, striking a glamorous pose that looked rehearsed. "This is Beauty," Rhia began, "a Delcatty of course. She was my first Pokemon, and we've been best buddies ever since she was a Skitty! Even though she has a pretty face, she's very powerful, so don't be fooled by her looks!"
"Woohoo! Yay!" screamed Meowth, "Dat's da best Pokemon of all! If there was a prize for dat, Beauty, you'd win no doubt!" Meowth's parade was quickly shut down by a swift slap from Jessie, followed by one from James.
"Shut up Meowth!" cried Jessie.
"Can't you see you're interrupting the performance?" yelled James.
"On to my next Pokemon, only you guys get the real story behind this one," Rhia winked. "When I first got to the Hoenn region, I went to the Pokemon laboratory and told Professor Birch that I needed a starter Pokemon to begin my journey. Sure, it was a lie, but I ended up with two Pokemon right from the beginning. So yeah, it was worth it!" Rhia reached for her belt and released a Pokeball with a flame sticker right in the center. "Everyone, meet Phoenix, the world's most powerful Blaziken!" Without a command being told, Phoenix released the largest flamethrower Team Rocket's ever seen, aiming the attack directly at the cabana. Immediately, the entire cabana was engulfed in flames. Jessie, James, and Meowth began running and jumping around, panicking.
"Calm down guys," said Rhia calmly, "it's all part of the show! Now, my next companion is a master of both the sky and the sea! Go, Atlantis, shut this fire down!" A pelican-like Pokemon was released from the blue and white Pokeball, and he proceeded to cause a giant tidal wave combining water and flying attacks. Rhia began once again, "Pellipper is a good Pokemon to have, because they have two types, water and flying. If they're raised to be strong, you get twice the advantages!" Team Rocket sighed a sigh of relief that the cabana was no longer a flaming inferno.
"It just keeps getting better," cheered Rhia. "Now, onto the rock-hard, invincible, defense-packed member of our team!"
"I think she's gonna have an Onix," James guessed, quietly voicing his opinion to Jessie and Meowth.
"An Onix? Please. No champion has an Onix. I bet she's gonna have a Steelix!" Jessie yelled harshly at James.
"Stoner, come on out!" Rhia yelled, throwing a silver-plated Pokeball. Both Jessie and James were wrong in their assumptions, because an enormous Aggron appeared from the ball. "This Aggron has the toughest defenses I've ever seen," Rhia continued, "He can withstand hurricanes, tornados, and even attacks from legendary Pokemon! Which brings me to the final member of The Fab Five…"
"This one was my toughest catch. People told me it was impossible, but I gave it a shot and succeeded," Rhia said, "Everyone, meet the Pokemon who lives up to his name; King! I choose you!" Team Rocket watched intensely as Rhia pulled a master ball from her belt and tossed it far into the air. Inside was none other than a legendary Groudon, who was much bigger in person than they had imagined. Jessie, James, and Meowth stood in front of King in shock, wondering how a trainer younger than them could successfully capture and tame a Groudon.
"…H..h…how did you do that?" James stuttered, almost too nervous to move.
"It….it's so big.. and scary," Jessie said, frightened at this intimidating Pokemon.
"Run for ya lives! Dat Groudon's gonna have us for dinner!" Meowth cried, with him, Jessie, and James about to make a run for it.
"Wait you guys!" Rhia yelled, and Team Rocket stopped in their tracks. "King might look scary, but I promise, he's friendly!" King proceeded to smile, then picked Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet up with his tail and placed them gently on his back. "We had a lot of fun training together for the Pokemon league, and I learned that Groudon aren't mean at all! They're just misunderstood," Rhia stated, "Besides, you guys didn't watch the Hoenn League on TV?"
"We've kinda been hiding out in a cave while being taken care of by a Pokemon called Bewear," commented Jessie, "so we haven't really been watching much TV."
Rhia looked at them blankly, "Well, that explains it," she said.
"Enough wit da small talk, let's have some fun!" shouted Meowth as he jumped off of King's back and rolled in the sand.
"Meowth's right, everyone's introduced…" Rhia proceeded, "Now who wants a drink?"
"I do, I do!" shouted Jessie and James, together of course.
For the remainder of the day, Team Rocket enjoyed the fun, relaxation, and sound of the waves. Their minds were clear for the first time in a while. Rhia was busy taking pictures of the Pokemon and swimming with them, and Team Rocket was soaking up the sun relaxing in lawn chairs, sipping on juice. All of the sudden, their relaxation was interrupted.
"Hey guys!" It was Rhia, with her pink polaroid camera in hand. "I wanna capture as many of these moments as possible, so do you guys want to take a picture with me?"
"Of course!" Jessie cheered confidently.
"Let's be sure to get the view of the ocean in the background," James suggested. Rhia, Meowth, Jessie, and James crowded together and smiled big as Rhia captured the photograph. After it was developed, Meowth noticed Wobbuffet photo-bombed them, making an appearance in the background. No one became angry, they all just laughed.
"Aw man, da sun's settin'," said Meowth disappointedly as he gazed across the horizon.
"But it sure is beautiful," chimed Jessie happily.
"Yes, very beautiful indeed," James agreed, glancing at the sunset for a moment, then moving his admirable gaze directly at Jessie.
"Looks like it's time to go, we can have more fun once you guys see this resort! Alright everyone, return," Rhia stated, guiding her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs, then Jessie and James followed suit.
"Hey Rhia," asked Meowth, "why doesn't Beauty stay in her Pokeball?"
"She never had one to begin with," answered Rhia, "Even if she did, she's too glamorous to be stuck in there all day, don't you agree?"
"I agree completely!" Meowth shouted, turning his attention toward his kitty crush. "Guess we got somethin' in common, we're both independent Pokemon!" he laughed as him and Beauty began to walk beside each other happily.
"I can't wait 'till you guys see this place," Rhia said to Team Rocket excitedly, "Tonight is gonna be great, we're gonna have a ball!" They entered the glass-paned double doors and were welcomed by a concierge at the entrance of the resort. Jessie, James, Meowth, and Rhia spent the remainder of their night enjoying the amenities the resort had to offer; an indoor amusement park, a huge arcade, a five-star all-you-can-eat buffet, the list goes on. Team Rocket was having the time of their lives.
However, all evening, Rhia could not shake a persistent thought she had in her mind. It was troubling her, because it was a more evil and sinister thought than any she has had before. Seeing the joy on Jessie, James, and Meowth's faces made it even worse. She knew those smiles wouldn't last once they went back to their same old Pikachu-napping mission. Rhia was loyal to her friends and wanted to keep them happy no matter what, but how could she do it?
