A/N: Hello again, my favorite readers! Thank you to ladihawk, HotdiggityDammit, SuperGirlShipper, ILIKECHICKEN, HelloKitty55443, JessieRocket, Ms. Lestrange Todd, Tuxedo Pearl, chipotlepeppers, Mystique84, Guest, Hello, CrayonMelting, and Florri for your much-appreciated reviews. And guess what? You all lucked out, because I realized that this is NOT going to be the last chapter. The next one probably will be! So please enjoy chapter 12 and please review!

CHAPTER TWELVE: TEST

Jessie sat backstage throughout the entire pageant, her chin resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around her shins tightly. Crying due to fear was one thing. She could handle that. But crying in situations like these, where her most fragile and deepest feelings were the direct cause of every tear shed, and every tear shed felt like a new mark of weakness…

She was supposed to be a strong woman. She was a strong woman. And yet, here she was, unable to stop the flow of water down her cheeks as she thought of the impending departure of her best friend.

Why did she have to go and sleep with her best friend anyway? If she hadn't slept with him, he never would have had this ridiculous—not to mention ridiculously late—'sexual awakening', and so he never would have blinked twice at Joy. If she hadn't slept with him, he would have never thought of leaving Team Rocket, never, not even if his life depended on it. If she hadn't slept with him, everything would still be normal.

So then why had she done it? She thought back to that night, which seemed much longer ago than it really was. She thought about the way he had looked at her with a burning attraction that she couldn't ignore and couldn't let pass without action on her part. But why? Was she really so lonely? So desperate? She could have pretended not to notice, and he probably wouldn't have been brave enough to initiate anything. Just because he suddenly appeared to have wanted her didn't mean she had to seduce him and ruin everything they had.

'You're such an idiot, Jessie! Such a destructive idiot!' she thought to herself as she attempted to stifle the sound of her disgusting sobs by burying her face deeper into her legs.

Meanwhile, as Jessie drowned herself in self-deprecating thoughts and salty tears, Meowth was busy executing their scheme. He falsely assumed that Jessie was still out in the crowd, talking to James, convincing him to get onboard with the plan. So he carried on without his partners, conducting the pageant smoothly without their help, perhaps more smoothly than if they had been there to help.

He let every Pokemon strut across the stage, showing off their beauty and any special skills they possessed, to the delight and applause of the crowd. Each contestant spent a maximum of one minute on stage before Meowth escorted them to what he called 'the waiting room'; of course, the waiting room was not a room at all but was instead an enormous net tied to the currently-grounded Team Rocket balloon, which sat impatiently in the wings, more than ready for take-off.

Eventually, the net became filled to its brim with rare Pokemon, and Meowth realized that it was time to move on to the next phase of the plan. After the last contestant, an Onix three feet taller than any Meowth had ever seen before, made its way across the stage, the cat made an announcement to the crowd: "Wowza! Dere sure was a lotta purty Pokemon here tonight, wasn't dere? I'd like to thank all a ya for comin' out fer dis event! Now if ya will excuse me, me and da other judges are gonna take a closer look at all ya Pokemon in da waitin' room before announcin' da lucky winner and runners-up! Sit tight!"

The trainers in the audience smiled contently and began conversing with each other about the pageant before sharing training and breeding tips, entirely unsuspecting that anything was fishy about the contest. Meowth snickered. Sometimes he couldn't believe just how stupid humans were.

Quickly, the cat scurried backstage, searching for Jessie and James, whom he assumed must have arrived by now at least. Everything was coming together so splendidly! This was the luckiest they had ever been, Meowth thought to himself. Better yet, he hadn't seen those pesky twerps in the audience all night, so there was a magnificent chance that they could actually pull off the plan this time without being foiled.

However, when he reached the back stage, he encountered Jessie's back turned to him as she crouched on the floor, and his heart instantly dropped.

"J-Jess? What's goin' on? Where's Jimmy?" he asked hesitantly, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

Jessie didn't startle at the sound of Meowth's voice. She didn't even bother to pretend to be anything other than a sobbing mess. She no longer had the fighting spirit in her to do so. She was tired of pretending not to care. She felt weak and empty and broken.

As she spoke, her voice was low. Lifeless. Defeated. "James is leaving Team Rocket, Meowth. He's going to turn in his resignation to Giovanni tomorrow."

"Wh-what?!" Meowth's claws instinctively peeked out from his paws. "But I thought you was gonna convince 'im to stay!"

"I can't. I won't."

"What does ya mean?! Of course ya can! You're Jessie! You can force 'im to stay if ya want to! He'll do whatever ya says!"

Jessie shook her head softly. "I know that. Believe me, I know that. He even told me that if I wanted him to stay in Team Rocket, that he would reconsider."

"Well, den what are ya waitin' for?!" Meowth screeched. "Tell 'im you want him to stay!"

"No. I won't do that, Meowth."

Meowth's claws protruded fully, and he trembled with an infuriation he had never felt toward Jessie until now. "Why da hell not?! Do ya want our team to be dissolved?! I thought ya cared about us! I thought…I thought ya were my real friends!"

Finally, Jessie's crestfallen tone of voice changed to match Meowth's tone of anger. "Of course I don't want the team to dissolve and we are your real friends! But this isn't about you, Meowth! And it isn't even about me! This is about James! He's happy! He's really happy! I don't know why, and I think that he's moving far too quickly with Joy, but that doesn't change the facts! He told me himself that he's really happy with her and…" Suddenly she became silent and looked to the floor.

"And what, Jessie?" Meowth asked.

"And…Joy may be ugly on the outside, but…from what I've seen so far and from what James says…she seems to be beautiful on the inside. I'm the opposite. James should certainly thank his lucky stars that he was able to fuck a woman as absolutely gorgeous as me, but…I'm not girlfriend material. Definitely not wife material." A lump clogged Jessie's throat and with a crushing revelation, she swallowed it. "I'm too selfish and mean. It's how I've always been. James is a sensitive man, and he needs someone that will be kind and gentle with him, and he's found her. And he's happy. So no, Meowth, I will not ask him to stay in Team Rocket. As much as I want him to, as much as I want things to be like they always were, I won't do it!"

Before Meowth could respond, the two were interrupted by a dark, familiar chuckle coming from the shadows.

"Huh?" Meowth and Jessie gasped in unison, whipping their heads around to see James emerge from behind the curtain.

The lavender-haired man was smirking like a pompous villain. "So you do love me, Jessie. I knew it. I knew it all along."

Jessie rose to her feet and stared at James with a dumbstruck expression. "W-what? No, I don't! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"You could tell me a million times, and I will never believe you ever again. Because you do love me, Jessie. You just proved it!"

Clenching her fists at her side, Jessie growled. "Are you trying to tell me that you know better than I do how I really feel?! How insulting! How presumptuous!"

James paused for a moment and tapped his chin as if deep in thought. "Well, Jessie, let me ask you something: how do you define 'love'?"

Jessie froze, not at all expecting such a question. She had never given it much thought. The definition of 'love'. What was it? Her mind scrambled to come up with an answer. "Well…I…I don't know exactly! I guess…I…well, I guess it's…it's when you care about someone a lot, and you want what's best for them…and…you value their happiness above your own…" As soon the last sentence stumbled out of her mouth, she realized that she had walked right into James's trap, and she blushed darkly, furiously. "B-but…!"

"But nothing," James replied, still grinning. "That's how I define 'love' too! Caring about someone else more than yourself: that's love." Jessie turned away with a deep-set frown. She was at a loss for words. So James offered some more of his own instead: "You do love me, Jessie. You say you're selfish and mean; well, aren't we all? But still, you would rather lose me as a partner and suffer sadness over that loss than see me unhappy. That doesn't sound all that selfish or mean to me."

Meowth smiled at James, agreeing wholeheartedly with the man's words and hoping that Jessie would see the truth shining through them. But Jessie continued staring off to the side, her heart pounding, her face hot with both embarrassment and rage. Finally, she yelled, "Well, fine, then! Maybe I do love you! Happy now?! You have two women that love you! Congratulations! Now go ride off into the sunset with that ugly nurse! I've given you my blessing, so go!"

James shook his finger. "Not so fast. Say it again, Jessie."

"Say what again?"

"Say you love me. Go on. Say it again."

Tears filled Jessie's eyes again, even though she had been certain she had cried her eyes dry and had nothing left to expel. "So you're leaving Team Rocket and running off with a woman you barely know and yet you want me to tell you I love you again? That's just cruel, James! Even I wouldn't do something like that if the situation was reversed!"

James suddenly took three long strides forward, closing the gap between himself and Jessie. He then wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her chest against his. "Say it again."

Jessie blinked, looking up into James's eyes with surprise. For some reason, she found that she couldn't disobey him this time. "I…I love you, James."

"I love you too, Jessie."

"But—"

Before she could utter another word, James silenced her lips with his own, closing his eyes tightly. Meowth closed his own just as tight. Sure, he wanted this to happen, but he didn't want to have to see it. Jessie's eyes remained open in shock, however; although it didn't take long before she found herself tangling her tongue with James's and tangling her fingers in his hair.

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Meowth peeked one eye open. "Is it over yet?!"

Brought back to reality by Meowth's voice, Jessie abruptly broke the kiss and backed away from James's embrace. "But James…what about Joy? Not less than an hour ago, you told me how happy you were with her! I don't understand!"

James smirked wider than ever. "My entire relationship with Joy was fake, Jessie."

"….What?!"

"Well, perhaps not my entire relationship, but let's say ninety percent of it was!" Jessie backed further away from James, feeling like she wasn't even sure who he was anymore. But her friend carried on merrily: "When we first met, I really did like her and was genuine about wanting to go on a date with her, but when we were at dinner…"

James thought back to that night. He remembered how, even while in the midst of perfectly lovely conversation with Joy, his thoughts continued to involuntarily drift to Jessie. He remembered how benevolent Joy seemed. He remembered how guilty he had felt lying to her.

And he remembered the moment that he told her he couldn't continue doing so.

"You may hate me for what I'm about to tell you, and you have every right to, but I hope you will at least hear me out…" he had told Joy, and—being the sweet person she was—she maintained an open mind as she replied: "Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Joy…I know we just met, and I know you probably don't even like me all that much yet, so hopefully this won't be too disappointing for you, but you're too kind of a person for me to lead you on at all, even a little bit!"

Joy bit her bottom lip. "Lead me on?"

"Well, it's just…" James dramatically covered his face with his hands. "I'm in love with someone else already!"

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry! I really did enjoy talking with you at the coffee shop this morning, and you're very beautiful, but this other woman…I just love her so much, Joy!" He then uncovered his face and looked back into his date's eyes, and Joy saw something in them now that she hadn't seen at any other point that night. And she understood. Still, James felt compelled to explain more: "I don't know why exactly. She's not as nice as you are, I can tell that much already! But I've been friends with her for half a decade now, and I'm just so attached…I can't imagine my life without her…it's like we're sewn together somehow and to tear apart even a thread between us would cause us both a great deal of pain. And last night, we had sex for the first time, so now I understand that my affection for her is far more than that of friendship."

Joy blushed, and James realized that he had provided perhaps a bit too much information. "Ah, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have added that last part! But um…ah, well, I suppose what I'm trying to say is…"

Joy stopped him, smiling gently as she reached across the table to put her hand over his. "It's okay, James. I understand. It's fine. Really, it is."

"It is?"

"Well, I won't say I'm not disappointed," she admitted, blushing harder. "I've always had a soft spot for men like you, and I was excited by the possibility of dating you, but I'm glad you told me your real feelings now instead of forcing yourself into something that you already knew wasn't going to be right for you."

"Men like me?" James ignored the rest of her small speech, fixated on that particular phrase.

"Soft, sensitive, feminine men like you." Seeing James frown, Joy quickly added: "I hope you don't take that the wrong way! I've just always had an affinity for those types of guys; I think perhaps it's because I love to take care of both fragile Pokemon and fragile men!"

James's frown hardened. "So is that how I come across? Feminine…fragile?" Jessie's words from her not-so-secret conversation with Meowth in the tent came back to haunt him yet again.

"Not in a bad way!" Joy waved her hands in front of her face in a panic. "Oh…I'm sorry, I probably said something wrong. I didn't mean it like that, James. I see those traits as a good thing!"

"No, no, it's fine, Joy," James sighed. "I know you didn't mean to offend. It's just that…well, this woman I'm in love with…I'm afraid that the reason we're not currently together is because I'm not man enough for her to fall in love with. She said that she needs a man that can dominate her both physically and mentally. I tried to dominate her physically when we made love, and I…sort of succeeded. But that clearly wasn't enough because she says she doesn't love me and never could!"

The nurse furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, James, do you think she loves you?"

"That's the worst part! I think she does love me, but she stubbornly insists that she doesn't, and so I'm truly at a loss." As the waiter finally brought the two their food, neither James nor Joy touched their plates, both becoming lost in thought. Then, as if struck by lightning, James sprung out of his seat. "Wait, Joy….I just thought of the most brilliant idea!"

"Y-you did?" Joy stammered, noticing how many people at tables around them had turned to stare at the strange scene-making man.

"Yes! Did you mean it when you told me that helping both Pokemon and people was something you truly loved to do?"

"Hm? Of course I meant it! Helping others is what I enjoy most in life!" Joy assured.

Now noticing the annoyed gazes from the other diners, James chuckled sheepishly and sat down, but unadulterated excitement still danced in his eyes. "Well, then how would you feel about pretending to be my girlfriend for a couple days?"

"What?"

"I know Jessie. I know her well! She's a competitive person. She's the type that needs to be made jealous. She's the kind that needs to potentially lose me before she can realize how much I mean to her. And she's also someone that will never admit her feelings unless she is cornered into it!"

Joy blinked. Even though she had only known him for a day, she was taken aback by this new side of him she was suddenly seeing. He seemed manipulative and cunning, and there was a bit of darkness to the way he was speaking. As a woman, she liked it, but as a good woman, she was unsure if she wanted to be part of such a scheme. "Are you sure that manipulating her into admitting she loves you is the best way to go, James?"

"Well, that may not be the best path to take with just anyone, but with Jessie, it is. If she wants me to dominate her mind, then mind games are what I'll play!"

Lingering uncertainty plagued Joy's mind, but she did want to help James. Maybe this woman he loved was just crazy enough to enjoy such Machiavellian machinations. Thus, they began plan. James did all the scheming, and Joy promised to go along with whatever he said: she'd hold his hand when he wanted her to, she'd be seen with him wherever he wanted her to, she'd be the perfect fake girlfriend. And she was.

As James explained this to Jessie, the woman's mouth hung open, her eyes as wide as saucers. "You…you…"

"Yes. This was all a test. If you had asked me to stay in Team Rocket despite thinking I was happy with Joy, then I would have known you didn't really care about my happiness and therefore didn't really love me."

"S-so you tricked me?! You lied to me?! You made me cry for no reason and manipulated me into telling you I loved you?!" Jessie was outraged. Bordering on murderous.

But James stood perfectly still, the smirk still intact on his face. "Yes. But it worked, didn't it?"

Jessie stiffened. "Well, yes, but…that doesn't make it right!"

"What can I say? Joy didn't turn me into an angel. You were correct all along: I am a bad guy. That's who I am, and that's who you are too. And that's why I could never pursue a relationship with someone like Joy." James approached his partner again and rested his hands on her hips, squeezing them firmly. "I don't care if you're usually mean and selfish and arrogant. I love you for who you are, Jessie. I don't want a perfect woman. I just want you!"

"James…" Jessie laced her arms around James's neck but looked away again. "You say that now, but I'm not sure if you know what it'd really be like to be with me long-term. What if you get tired of being with a bitch? What if I lose my looks? Don't you understand that I've already lost everyone I've ever loved Every boy I've ever been involved with has abandoned me eventually, not to mention my mother…"

The man titled his head. "I thought your mother died!"

"Well, yes, you idiot, she died! But she wouldn't have died if she hadn't gone on that Team Rocket mission. If she hadn't left me."

"Jessie…"

"James, please." Unlinking her arms from James's neck just as quickly as she had put them there, she stepped away from his grasp. "I'd rather not love at all than risk losing the person I love. I don't think I could heal if you ever left me. And I hope you know how hard it is for someone like me to admit to something like that, and that I hate you for making me do it!"

James quickly countered: "But you were willing to let me leave if I was happy with Joy!"

"Well, yes, but that's because I want you to be happy!"

"If you want me to be happy, then be with me! I'll be happy with you, Jessie!"

As if waiting for the worst moment to pipe up again, Meowth suddenly spoke: "Uh, guys…as much as I'd like ta see dis get ironed out, I tink ya both need to see dis."

"Huh?" James and Jessie asked, glancing over at the cat that they had forgotten was even there. They noticed that he was looking out at the crowd from behind the curtain, and that the voices of the trainers outside were growing louder and more impatient.

"How much longer is this going to take?" one man yelled.

A woman followed: "I miss my Dratini already! You think it's okay, right?"

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" another voice asked, and it was a dreadfully familiar one. The twerp!

The Team Rocket trio searched the mass of people, and each of their stomachs plummeted as they spied Ash, Misty, and Brock standing amongst the other trainers as they waited.

The Dratini trainer continued: "That Meowth seemed so nice and friendly, but I'm getting worried now. He said that he would be announcing the winners of the pageant soon, but that was fifteen minutes ago, and oh…I'm probably just being overly-worried!"

Misty frowned. "A Meowth said that he'd be announcing the winners?"

Brock chimed in: "Was this by any chance a Meowth that spoke human language?"

Squeaking, Meowth closed the curtain in distress and turned to his partners. "They's onto us! We gotta go!"

James and Jessie stared at each other for a moment, both hating how unresolved everything between them was. However, they knew they had no choice. All three thieves darted off behind the theater, where the balloon and all of the captured Pokemon waited. They piled into the balloon as fast as their feet could carry them, but just as they began to ascend into the air, the entire crowd of people—including the twerps—appeared like apparitions beneath them.

Ash, with fire in his eyes, glared up at them. "Stop right there! You're not gonna get away with this, Team Rocket!"

TO BE CONTINUED

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