Chapter 4:
Ash, Misty and Brock were on their way to the gym of Lt. Surge, when they walked past a giant playground. Dozens of children were whiling away their time by slobbering with their Pokémon. A young girl put her hair in a ponytail, she owned a Nidorina and tied a pink bow around her neck. There were twins with dark brown hair and hazelnut eyes who were sitting on swings, their Charmander and Bulbasour observing the scene with exceeding joy. Ash noticed a little boy sitting on top of a slide, he was all alone, the other children seemed to ignore him completely. He stroke his Caterpie's head and was lost in thoughts. Ash and his friends walked up to him.
„Hey! Why don't you play with the other kids?", Misty asked. The boy looked up, his eyes tear-stained and inflamed. He sobbed heartbreakingly and slid off the playground equipment. Misty drew closer to him and spotted a long scratch on his right arm.
„They don't want me. They say that my Caterpie is not strong enough to keep up with their well trained Pokémon", he pointed his finger at three boys with ripped jeans, black jackets and a frightening appearance. Ash eyed them suspiciously.
„Don't listen to them! I think your Caterpie looks ready to fight. I challenge you to a battle", Ash couldn't help fighting as soon as an occasion arose. His opponent summoned his courage and nodded approvingly. They planted themselves in the middle of the playground, Brock offered himself to serve as arbitrator. The other kids dropped everything and gathered around the temporary battlefield. Even the three bullies stopped intimidating the other visitors and obtained a good standing.
Ash sent Pikachu off to fight. The yellow mouse jumped off his shoulder and got ready to listen to his trainer's orders. The little boy looked surprised. He had never seen a Pikachu from close up. The Pokémon flashed, he emitted sparks.
„Caterpie, I choose you", the crawler-Pokémon creeped onto the battlefield and loomed.
Ash considered carefully which attack Pikachu should apply. He didn't want to disgrace himself in front of an audience, even if there were only toddlers and their parents, this victory was really important for him, it was a foretaste of his battle against Lt. Surge.
Ash new that Pikachu wasn't entirely immune to attacks of bug Pokémon, so he had to make a clever move to impress the audience and his adversary.
„Pikachu, use Electro Ball in order to weaken that Caterpie", he commanded. Pikachu became charged and turned into a dazzling ball of lightnings. He ran up to his opponent, the Pokémon clashed and the yellow mouse discharged himself with full force. Caterpie flew backwards and remained on the floor. The young boy hurried to his small Pokémon and kneeled down next to him.
„Are you okay?", he asked with a shy voice. Ash worried, did he overreact? Had Caterpie not been ready for such a powerful move? He adjusted his cap and joined the little boy.
„I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your Caterpie." Tears welled up in that little boy's eyes. His lips trembled. „They're right", he snivelled. „My Pokémon is for the birds", he wiped the tears away. Ash essayed to calm him down, but an oversized net flew down and snapped shut. Pikachu and Caterpie were trapped.
Ash, Misty and Brock could hear Jessie's hysteric laughter coming out of the hot-air balloon.
Three figures appeared in the sky. They leaned out of the basket, a malevolent grin on their faces.
„Prepare for trouble", Jessie shouted.
„Oh no, not again", Misty moaned. They had listened to this motto at least four hundred times.
Meowth pressed the button and the mechanic gripper arm pulled the net with their prey upward. James and Jessie high-fived each other.
„We've got Pikachu and an added profit."
Ash made a move to free his Pokémon and that Caterpie.
„Pikachu, use Thunderbolt", he yelled. Pikachu discharged himself a second time today, but without any success.
James chuckled. „You're such a fool, twerp! That's a spatter repelling net, you're Pikachu has no chance", he informed. Ash stamped the ground. Team Rocket improved their equipment. They had been prepared for electric moves. He thought of another possiblity to detain them from stealing his best friend. The little boy tugged at his sleeve.
„I've got an idea, but we need help from the parents and their kids. They should pool together their jackets and coats to provide a safe landing site for our Pokémon. Caterpie can gnaw at the net and enlarge the holes", he explained. Ash nodded. He, Misty and Brock asked the visitors to help them out. A big bunch of clothes towered in the middle of the playground. The little boy ordered his Caterpie to nibble at the net until the hole was large enough for him and Pikachu to escape. The Pokémon fell down into the pile of clothes, they were both uninjured.
„Pikachu, use Electro Ball, but this time, aim for the balloon", Ash commanded. Pikachu did as he was told. Jessie and James hugged out of fear, Meowth clinged to their legs. Their bodies were shaking. They flew in a high arc through the air.
„Team Rocket is blasting off again", they shouted.
Jessie, James and Meowth fell on the cold hard ground. James raptured himself, Jessie rubbed her thigh. She was covered with countless scratches. Meowth ensured that his gold coin was in the right place.
„Again, again", Jessie complained. She gave James a scowl. „It's all your fault, you fool", she yelled at him, boiling with rage. James gritted his teeth and said nothing, but his patience was at an end. Finally, he dared to snarl at Jessie.
„Why is it my fault?", he put his hands on his hips.
„Your machines never work! There's always a technical defect", she scolded. „Either the lever sticks or the gear malfunctions, the twerps beat us every time! We're the biggest losers, we'll never be able to catch that Pikachu and deliver it to our boss", she sat down in the dust, covering her face with her hands.
„Only to make it clear, Meowth was the one who built that machine, so don't blame me!", James kicked some pebble stones. He could understand that Jessie was more than disappointed. It wasn't the first time they had been defeated, it was high on the agenda.
„Why can't you two go to great lenghts! Why is it so hard to construct a well-functioning and auspicious machine? I don't want to chase after Pikachu until retirement", Jessie tore her hair. She was tired of so much incompetence.
„What's that noise! You scare my guests away", Miyamoto ran up to the trio, threatening them with her broom, but then she realized that it was her daughter and her two team mates.
„Oh, Jessica. You look awful. What happened to your clothes? They're grimy and ragged", she helped her daughter to her feet and wiped off the dust and dirt.
„What happened?", she wanted to know.
„Our mission failed, thanks to those two clowns over there", Jessie pointed at James and Meowth.
„I'm so sick of it. We're ill-fated. We don't have the ghost of a chance to fulfill our requirements", Jessie was ready to tell her mother about her assignment. She was sure that Miyamoto wouldn't divulge it.
„Let's get inside. You're going to sit down, enjoy a cup of tea and my freshly baked muffins and then you're going to tell me what's on your mind", her mother encouraged Jessie and her friends to restore their confidence and optimism, but the magenta-haired woman was at her wit's end.
They sat down at a small round table with a peach-hued tea cloth. Miyamoto brought them a tray full of dainties. Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins, Meyer Lemon Bars, Roasted Pears with Espresso Mascarpone Cream, Chocomint Ice Cream, Sugar Plums and Currant Tart and Banana Pudding Parfaits. Team Rocket seized the opportunity and scoffed the selection of desserts. Meowth scarfed down some Lemon Bars, James slurped a Chocomint Ice Cream cocktail and Jessie put away the Roasted Pears. Miyamoto observed her protégés enjoying their meal.
„Are you ready to tell me what's bothering you?", she asked. Jessie's face was smeared with wipped cream. Her mother handed her a hanky.
„There is this extremly strong and almost invincible Pikachu. He belongs to Ash, a naive twerp, but our worst enemy. We've been trying to catch that yellow rat for the last couple of years, but without any success. Every time, Ash knocks us out. He uses moves of incredible power and effect", Jessie explained. She smacked with a full mouth.
James agreed. „We built machines, we used spatter repelling nets and gloves, but he's always a step ahead. There should be a device that facilitates the hunt, something groundbreaking, something the twerp doesn't count on. A robot, a cage-dice made of steel, a resistant gear", he said.
„Remember Kangaskhan Mecha? It moved by controlling it from the car underneath and had two rockets in the form of paws", Meowth indulged in reminiscences.
„Destroyed", James sighted. He thought back to their innumerable mechas. The Snowball Launcher, the Arbo Tank or the Win Mean Fight Meowth Machine. He had to admit that the names given to their machines weren't the greatest choice, but he had taken each one into his heart.
Miyamoto listened to Team Rocket complaining in despair, but she was certain to know the solution to their problem. She banged her fist on the table.
„Stop yammering around! It is high time to take action. We can not let this streak of bad luck simply go on. Tough times call for tough measures. Come with me, I need to show you something", Miyamoto asked Jessie, James and Meowth to follow her off to the basement. Jessie and James exchanged meaningful looks.
They came to a halt in front of a multipoint locked steel door. Miyamoto dug up a large key and began to unclose the locks. Jessie wondered what her mother hid away behind that massive door. They stepped into a softly lit room. Miyamoto searched for the light switch and pressed it. The bulb hanging from the ceiling shed light on a large assortment of weapons, gears and Pokéballs. James was quite amazed by that pleasant sight. He walked up to two yellow full length suits.
„Thos are diving dresses. They protect you from 99% of attacks and moves from water-Pokémon. I tried it out. Bubble Beam and Water Gun are not more than a faint tickle", Miyamoto explained.
Jessie reached for a weapon that reminded her of a squirt gun.
„What's that for?", she asked. Miyamoto grinned villainously.
„Try to shoot at the target over there", her mother pointed at a target circle on the wall. Jessie aimed and fired a shot. A large net sluiced out of the gun. It was provided with instant adhesive and stuck to the wall.
„There's no chance for the Pokémon you're chasing after to free itself. The superglue stiffens, there's no possibility to slice or wrench open the net. Use whatever you need, my darlings, but be careful, some of the equipment is self-destructive, like those Pokéballs over there", she pointed a finger at a box of twelve balls.
„What is the point of self-destructive Pokéballs?", Meowth was unable to make a head or tail of it.
„We used to slip our opponents those Pokéballs. Whenever they tried to catch a Pokémon, the ball would explode and break into pieces and the creature was freed immediately. This enabled us more and better chances to capture them. How do you think I caught that Zapdos?", she lifted an eyebrow.
„You caught a Zapdos?", Jessie's jaw dropped. Her mother was a way more successful agent than she was. How would she ever be able to hold a candle to Miyamoto?
Her mother nodded.
„This equipment is fine and dandy, but how are we supposed to catch Pikachu? He already belongs to a trainer and even armed to the teeth, we wouldn't be able to finesse him!", Jessie moped. Her mother laid a hand on her shoulder.
„There's one last thing I would like to show you, it's in the guestroom and it might be of great interest to you", they walked upstairs and entered the outdated bedroom. Jessie had an idea what her mother was referring to. She walked to the shelf and grasped at the wooden box.
James watched Miyamoto turning the box upside down. She cast a piece of wood aside and a number keyboard appeared.
„The security code is 1508, Jessie's birthday", Miyamoto said, smiling at her daughter.
She pressed the buttons and the box sprung open. Jessie, James and Meowth looked at a golden Pokéball. Miyamoto took it out of the storage compartment.
„You can catch each and any Pokémon with this ball, it's a special one", Miyamoto said.
„What's so special about it?", Jessie wondered.
„Well, you told me that Pikachu already belongs to a trainer. This Pokéball ignores that function. It makes no difference between free and captured creatures. Next time, Ash crosses your path make sure to throw that Pokéball at Pikachu and welcome him to your team. This Pokéball belongs to three rarest accoutrements for Pokémon-hunters", she handed the item to Jessie.
Team Rocket gloated, they knew why their organisaiton had hired Miyamoto.
She was cunning and ruthless, but at the same time she was able to feign and deceive everyone. Jessie's mother was a real role model.
„It's time to kick that little boy's butt. Oh, excuse my wording", Miyamoto had a sardonic grin on her face.