This chapter was updated/revised on June 25, 2019.
1995
Six-year-old James Morgan was gathered with the rest of his immediate family and several relations, sitting at a large table, in midst of some kind of celebratory feast.
Everyone was dressed in their finest clothing. He wasn't sure what this was about, he just wished he could escape to play with Growly. He also hated the uncomfortable clothing.
'Six-year-olds shouldn't wear tuxedos,' he thought.
"Attention, attention!" his parents announced.
The room fell silent. Everyone turned their attention to the head of the table, where his father sat proudly, one seat over from James and his mother.
"We would like to thank you all of you for joining us to celebrate this magnificent occasion," his mother began.
"We are proud to officially announce the engagement of James Kojiro Morgan to Jessiebelle Akumu Winchester!" his father declared.
James was not too surprised at this. He and Jessiebelle were friends, and as far as James knew, friends always grew up and got married. Everyone looked over at him and Jessiebelle, who were sitting next to one another. He even proposed to her, just as his parents instructed (after they manipulated the situation, of course).
"James," Jessiebelle groaned as she nudged him. "Sit up straight, everyone is watching."
James straightened in his chair and looked up at all his relatives. Bursts of 'congratulations' and 'how adorables' rang out. He felt sick. He hated attention like this.
James' grandparents on his father side, Nanny and Pop-pop, looked at each other anxiously. Arranged marriages were still trendy among the rich in Kanto, Johto, and beyond, but they weren't convinced that it was what was best for James. They didn't protest though, seeing as they would be widely overruled and they didn't want to worry young James.
Two years passed and Jessiebelle grew more and more annoying, unfair, and cruel. The only time that James was away from her was when he was at school, in lessons, sleeping, or hiding. Although he went to a rich private school, he was still richer than the other kids and he got made fun of and beat up every day because of his fancy clothing and way of talking. He was extremely miserable. One day he came home only to find Jessiebelle running towards him, holding her Oddish.
"James, let's play tea party!" she demanded.
"Go away, Jessiebelle, I don't want to play with you anymore!" he cried.
He took off as fast as he could towards his only oasis.
"James, you're not running properly. Let me show you the proper way!" she answered back, running faster and faster towards him
James kept running until he reached Growly's kennel. He locked the door behind him. Growly licked his face to greet him.
He knew he couldn't live like this forever. Something had to be done.
Another time skip infiltrated the now-twenty-five-year old's dream:
1996
He was seven years and had spent the past six months secretly stealing money from his parents. They had so much, they didn't even notice that James had taken over fifty thousand dollars from them. James packed a bag with the money, a few treasured bottle caps, and a fake ID. The ID made him appear ten years old, old enough to be a Pokémon trainer out on a journey. He changed his name to Johnny Ciders and his eyes to blue and hair to black. He had stolen a pair of Jessiebelle's colored contacts and a black wig so that he could wear them to fool people. He didn't put the disguise on yet though, in case his family or one of the servants caught him before he could get off the property.
"Okay Growly, let's go," he said to his pet Growlithe.
Growly whined. He didn't want to run away with James.
"It will be better for both of us," said James. "We will finally be free. We will catch more Pokémon and maybe even get to compete in gym battles!"
Growly decided that he better go with James.
James waited until midnight and then escaped. He studied the security system and so he knew how to bypass it. When he finally got into town, he was exhausted. An unforeseen snow storm had attacked the city. After two hours of walking, he was cold and tired but continued going, knowing that the Pokémon Center was still a mile away. His entire body was numb and he finally collapsed.
"Growly, I don't think I'm going to make it," he said. "Leave me alone and save yourself."
"Growly huddled next to James to try to keep him warm.
James was so lightheaded that he hallucinated.
"The angels are coming for me Growly," he said. "Farewell, cruel world. I leave it for a better place. Remember me, Growl—"
The last thing he remembered was hearing Growly howl next to him. When he woke up, he was in an unfamiliar place.
"He's awake," he heard someone say.
There was a bit of commotion. James looked around but his vision was blurry. He heard more voices, but he could not tell what they were saying. A few moments later it became clear. He was in a hospital room. There were various people around him. Some wore black uniforms with a red R in the center. Others wore doctors' uniforms.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"You are at the Team Rocket Emergency Medical Clinic," said one of the men in the black uniforms.
"Team Rocket? What's that? Where's Growly?"
"Your Growlithe ran away after we rescued you," said a doctor.
"You rescued me?"
"We found you yesterday around 2:30 am lying in the snow. Your Growlithe lied on top of you, preventing you from getting hypothermia. A few field agents noticed the Growlithe howling and tried to capture it when we discovered you," said another one of the men in the black uniform.
"After your Growlithe got away we took you here," said the doctor.
"Yesterday?" James asked. "What is today?"
"Tuesday."
"I don't understand how so much time passed."
"After being induced you slept for 34 hours," said a different doctor. "You almost killed yourself. Why the hell were you out in a blizzard, especially at night like that? Who do you think you are? Your ID is obviously fake."
James realized he never put on the wig and contacts as was planned.
"Thanks for saving me but I cannot tell you who I am," James asserted.
"It's okay, I know who he is," said a woman as she entered the room.
She had purplish hair and stunning sapphire eyes. Like several of the others present, she wore a black uniform with a red 'R' on her torso, those hers had a slightly different design.
"His name is James Kojiro Morgan. He is the only son of Akane and William James Morgan," she informed the others. "The only heir of the richest family in Kanto."
"It's not true!" James cried. "She's lying!"
The woman smirked. "There's nowhere for you to turn, James. Don't wear yourself out by arguing."
"Wh-who are you and how do you know all that?!"
The woman extended her hand to young James.
"My name is Miyamoto Tonaka," she told him. "I am a special agent in Team Rocket."
"Special agent? Team Rocket?" said James.
"It's my job to find people as well as to find out about them."
"O-okay…"
The doctors and other agents believed Miyamoto immediately; she clearly had a respectable amount of authority.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Miyamoto said warmly.
She sat close to the bed on which James lied with various monitors still attached to his body. She took his hand and felt his energy. Something was there; a unique aura dwelled within the heart of the terrified child.
"It's okay," she told James. "We just want to talk."
James felt something in her too. "O-okay," he agreed.
"Why would a rich boy like you run away from home?" asked one of the doctors.
"That's none of your business," he answered crossly.
"James ran away because he didn't want to get married to a girl he could never love," Miyamoto responded.
This woman was getting James' nerves. How could she possibly know something like that?
"The Winchesters are at it again," one of the agents said as she shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Should we hold him as ransom?"
"No," Miyamoto replied. She didn't keep her eyes off James. "We should keep James for ourselves."
"Why?" asked some of the agents.
"I've been observing James. He has some very special abilities. We can use him on our team."
"But he's just a little kid! I say we hold him hostage. I bet his parents would pay millions of dollars to have their only son return home safely," said one of the agents.
"No. His parents care more about money than they care about James. Besides, his family has power. If we offer a ransom, we can expect an army invading headquarters. Right now, we are low on reinforcements. Madame Boss wouldn't want war, now would she?"
"I suppose not. But what do we do with him? He's just a little brat."
"Now, be nice."
Miyamoto tossed James' fake ID into the garbage.
"I will take him to Madame Boss," said Miyamoto. "What happens next will be up to her."
James remembered Miyamoto giving him a warm coat, comfortable trousers, and a proper lunch. Then she took him away from the hospital. They entered a tall building together and walked down a long dark hallway until they reached a red door.
Miyamoto knocked on the door four times.
"Come in," said a mysterious voice.
The room was an office. An intimidating woman sat in a large chair behind a desk. Her nameplate read 'Madame Boss'.
"This is the boy I told you about," Miyamoto said as she pushed James in front of her.
"Ah yes, James, right?" the mysterious woman asked.
James gulped and his voice shook. "Ah yes. I am James."
"My agents told me that they saved your life."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"My question is this: Why is an adorable and filthy rich little boy like yourself wondering around in the snow in the middle of the night?"
"I-I was running away."
"I figured that much. I don't know or care why you ran away, but I do know that you have a very special ability and that you would prove quite useful for our organization."
"I don't understand."
"You have a special connection with Pokémon. They seem...drawn to you."
"How would you know?"
"My good friend Miyamoto here has been researching you. She has seen you effortless trained many different Pokémon from the time you were three years old. Too bad your parents never let you catch any."
"You mean I can be a Pokémon master?"
"You can be even more. Here at Team Rocket we find young recruits and train them. You would be a good addition. We can train you and then when you are old enough you can work for us."
"Do I have to?"
"Of course. You wouldn't want your parents to find you, right? Besides, you have nothing. What are you going to do with no Pokémon, no money, and no family?"
"I had a Pokémon and money until you came along!"
He noticed that the agents who rescued him had stolen the fifty thousand dollars he stashed in his pockets.
"Watch your tone," the Boss scolded. "Haven't your parents ever taught you manners? If it weren't for my team, you'd already be dead."
James knew that she was right. But what did this woman want from him?
"I'm sending you to Pokémon Technical," said Madame Boss. "It is a private school that will teach you how to care for and train Pokémon. After you graduate, you will join Team Rocket and go through special training. If the training goes well, you will become a Team Rocket field agent. If that goes well…let's keep it at that for now."
"What does Team Rocket even do?" he asked.
"As a field agent you will be responsible for catching rare and valuable Pokémon and sending them to me, or my son, the future Boss Giovanni. You may be sent on secret missions to gather information or resources. Occasionally, I will have you acquire rare items too."
James thought about it for a moment. Secret missions, valuable Pokémon, rare items—it all sounded much better than sitting at home, getting scorned by Jessiebelle, nagged by his parents, and fussed over by the servants.
"I'll do it," said James.
"Of course, you will," the Boss replied. "Miyamoto, show him where he'll be staying."
Those were the last words he remembered hearing from Madame Boss.
James' memory skipped a few months ahead.
He was in Pokémon Tech. He wore a blue uniform just like everyone else, along with the black wig and blue contact lenses. The teacher saw that there was a new student and made him get up in front of the class to introduce himself.
"My name is Johnny. I-I am ten years old and this is my first time at Pokémon Technical," he lied.
"Okay, good, Johnny. You can sit right here in the front," the teacher responded.
The next set of memories fast forwarded through his head.
2001
James was eleven. James remembered that he didn't have a roommate and that the other kids made fun of him. He got beat up every day and no one would ever stick up for him.
Then one day the teacher announced that there would be a new student. A young girl with red hair familiar sapphire eyes stood in front of the classroom.
"AHHH!" James gasped aloud, drawing the attention of several classmates.
'She looks like Jessiebelle,' he thought. 'But it can't be her—this girl is different. Something about the way she carries herself. And those eyes. They are different too. But I have seen them somewhere before…'
"My name is Jessica Tonaka," she announced. "I am eleven years old and this is my first time at Pokémon Tech."
James watched as she sat down next to him. Her last name sounded familiar as well, but he couldn't place it. She looked nervous and sad. Maybe this girl can be his friend. She was the only person in Pokémon Tech that had yet to make fun of him. After class, James went up to her.
"My name is James," he said as he reached out her hand for her to shake. "I-I mean Johnny!"
She hesitated then shook his hand. "I'm Jessie, in case you missed it."
"Do you want to get lunch together?"
"What are you trying to get at?"
"Um…I usually sit alone and I was wondering if you wanted to join me since you don't know anyone yet."
Jessie looked him in the eyes and decided that he had good intentions, even if he was weird.
"Sure," she said.
James face lit up as they sat down at the lunch table together. That afternoon changed everything for them.
It wasn't long before Jessie and James became inseparable. Jessie even moved into the empty bed in James' room, secretly of course. She was the only person who knew his true identity and that he ran away from home. James was careful to not accidentally say anything about his family, especially after Jessie revealed that she was dirt poor. Her mother had just recently died, although she said it felt as though she had died when she was five because that is when she entered foster care. Her mother was too busy to take care of her, and had no choice but to send her to a different home. As a result, she had spent almost no time with her mother during the last few years of her life. James was impressed that she could be open about something so terrible, whereas he couldn't even admit his past to himself, let alone another human being.
Three years later, they were plotting their escape. They were both failing and had gotten in trouble for cheating. James told her that Team Rocket had sent him to Pokémon Tech. Jessie liked the sound of that. She told James about how her mother worked for Team Rocket before she died in an avalanche while on a special mission a few months before she came to Pokémon Tech. Jessie wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, even if she did meet a tragic end.
2004
"How do I look?" James asked Jessie. He was wearing a long blond wig and a simple dress with slight heels.
James had another fake ID. He was now a thirteen-year-old blonde girl named Julia. Jessie had a fake ID too; she was his fourteen-year-old sister, Jessilina.
"Simply fabulous, Julia," said Jessie. "What about me?"
Jessie wore a short, dark blond wig and color contacts that made her eyes green.
"Great. I definitely wouldn't recognize you," he responded.
"That means our transformations into Julia and Jessilina are complete," said Jessie. "Let's go."
Jessie and James had stolen money and food from the boarding school. Their plan was to run away to Sunnytown. Jessie had been there before and knew that there was a bicycle gang composed of runaway kids. They would join that gang and then enter in to Team Rocket once they were old enough to join.
Now they were walking through a snowy forest. James held the map.
"I think we should go this way," he said.
"I hope you're sure. I want to get to the next Pokémon Center before the sun goes down."
They had taken off their disguises after they were a few days walk passed Pokémon Tech. They only put them on when they were in a populated area where they could be spotted.
They journeyed alongside a cliff that had a roaring river beneath it.
"Slow down, James. You're going to fall if you try to read and walk at the same time," Jessie warned.
"I smell something," said James. "It's familiar—"
Suddenly a burst of Sleep Powder hit James in the face. Jessie covered her mouth and watched in horror as James' body fell into the river. Jessie took off her coat and boots and dove into the river. The water was so cold that chunks of ice floated past them.
"Don't worry James, I got you," she said.
She wrapped her arms around his unconscious body and struggling, brought him to shore.
"James? Can you hear me!?" she yelled at him.
His face turned red, then blue. She placed her ear on his chest. He wasn't breathing. There was a red gash on his head where a chunk of ice had struck him.
"Shit. Just hold on James", she said aloud. She gave him chest compression until she heard him start to breathe again.
'That was close,' she thought. 'I would've killed this kid if he died on me.'
When he woke up a few hours later he was wrapped tightly in his sleeping bag in front of a roaring fire. Jessie sat on the other side of the fire, cooking dinner. He had a killer headache and a bandage wrapped around his head.
"It's about time you woke up," she said. "I was getting worried."
"What happened?" he groaned.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
He had to think about it for a few seconds. "Getting hit in the face with Sleep Powder."
"You were walking and reading. I yelled at you to stop doing that. When you turned to look at me, a Vileplume attacked with Sleep Powder. I held my breath but it was too late for you. You fell into the river. After I fished you out..." She decided to leave out the chest compression part—too dramatic. "After I fished you out, I wrapped that gash on your head in a bandage and dried you off."
"I fell that far and lived?"
"Apparently."
"That must be why I'm so sore. Wow, Jessie, you saved my life. I owe you big time."
"Yeah, you do."
James suddenly realized that under his sleeping bag, he wasn't wearing any clothes. He looked over to his side and saw his wet clothes hanging in front of the fire. He was mortified.
"You stripped me!" he squeaked.
"Chill out," Jessie retorted. "You were soaking wet and it's twenty degrees out. I had to do it so you wouldn't freeze to death."
That didn't make James feel any less embarrassed, but he couldn't blame Jessie for using her nursing skills to save his life.
"You're right," said James. "I'm sorry for being weird about it."
"Good," she replied. "By the way, you got a really weird mole on your ass. You might want to get that checked out."
"You looked?!"
"Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a choice."
The worst part of all this—at least, in James' mind—was that at the time he had a huge crush on her. He wanted to impress her, not burden her. He felt extra embarrassed now that he had proven to her that he needed her in order to survive in the woods and nudity was involved.
"I figured we could get up earlier than what we planned to make up for lost time," said Jessie. "Let's be out of here by six tomorrow instead of seven-thirty."
James was exhausted and probably concussed, but owing Jessie meant pushing through that to prove he was okay—to his teenage mind, that was how it should be.
"Sure. No problem," said James. "I'm really hungry. What are you making?"
"Ramen, but this is for me. If you want some you gotta cook it yourself," she replied.
"But Jessie, I just fell off a cliff and into a river."
"Yeah, and I jumped in and saved you. And I had to revive you, drag you up here, get you warm, and build a fire before I could take care of myself. I had never been so cold and tired in my entire life."
"I'm sorry. You are right. I am just too sore to move. I shouldn't be complaining though."
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but the hunger and headache prevented that.
Jessie sighed. "Okay, I'll make you dinner, but now you owe me double time."
"Thanks, Jess, you're the best," he said as he reached his hand out for a fist-bump, which as always, she accepted.
James' sleeping brain jumped ahead several more years.
2007
He was wearing street clothes and parking his bike, arguing with Jessie.
"Please don't leave!" James begged.
"You don't understand. Danny is a good guy. He and I are going to make tons of money together," Jessie responded.
"He is just using you! He doesn't care about you at all!"
"You're the one who doesn't understand. If you were really my friend you would let me go!"
"No, true friends stand by one another and do not let each other make stupid decisions!"
"So, now you're calling me stupid? I thought you were my friend."
"I am your friend! Your best friend! I think you should stay here. Danny is bad news. He doesn't care about what happens to you, but I do."
"I already made my decision."
"What about Team Rocket? Are you giving up on them too?"
"No. I'll join, eventually. First, I have to get out, see some stuff."
"I thought we were in this together." Tears streamed down his face. "We promised."
"Things change."
"But…Jessie. Please don't go!"
"We'll meet again someday."
She gave him a kiss on the cheek then mounted her bike. James watched as she rode off into the sunset with her alleged boyfriend, Danny. His best friend, his only friend, his one and only crush, just left him alone for the first time since they met, and she was heading down a long difficult path. The pain was almost too much to bear.
XO
James cringed and tossed in his sleep. He was moaning 'no' repeatedly and not long after that tears fell from his eyes. Jessie heard and felt him getting restless, so she shook him awake.
"James, it's just me, Jessie. Are you okay? It sounded like you were having a nightmare," he heard Jessie's voice say.
He looked around the room. He was in their suite in the Pallet House. Meowth nowhere to be seen. Jessie was beside him, a look of mild concern on her face. She rubbed his arm as he re-oriented himself.
"You were talking in your sleep," said Jessie. "And I just left it, figuring it would run its course—then you started crying so I shook you awake."
"It was all just a dream," he breathed. "I apologize if I worried you. Did I say anything embarrassing this time?"
"That's a mystery for another day."
James took a deep breath and smiled.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
"Talk about what?" he asked.
"Your nightmare, Dummy."
"Oh. Um, not now. Maybe tomorrow. Now I just want to sleep."
"Then sweet dreams."
XO
James returned to his dreams, but they weren't sweet.
In this scene, it had been two years since he last saw Jessie and he was at Team Rocket's HQ.
2009
His training supervisor approached him.
"James, I got you another partner," he began.
James had a reputation for being easy going and an overall good partner, so as a result, he trained with various newcomers until they were ready to be placed on a permanent team. He also helped train stubborn Pokémon.
"She's stubborn, temperamental, and has a history of not being able to get along with anyone. She's been on eleven different teams already," said his supervisor. "We can't drop her because she has special connections. He mother and Madame Boss were very close. Besides, she has many great skills that might be useful to us."
'I never worked with a female partner before,' he thought.
"What is her name?" he asked aloud.
"Jessica Tonaka," his supervisor replied.
'That's Jessie!'
James' heart began to pound. He had been dreading and anticipating this day for a long time. He was both happy and sad. Would his old friend accept him as a partner? Would she refuse to work with him? Did she change?
"Tell Ms. Tonaka that I look forward to working with her," said James.
"Tell her yourself," the supervisor replied. "Here she comes now."
The supervisor gestured to a woman several feet behind him. James stiffened.
"You said James was going to meet me here," said Jessie. "Where is he?"
The trainer gestured towards James. James stepped aside, revealing himself to Jessie.
"I'd like you to meet James," said the supervisor.
"I hope you're good James," said Jessie. "Because I'm not going to carry you."
She said this while staring him directly in the eyes. She gave no indication that she already knew him.
"No one's carried me since my momma," he said smoothly.
A second to late he realized that it wasn't as smooth a line as he imagined. The supervisor gave a chuckle.
"Okay, you two. I want you over at Field 10 in twenty minutes. Take this time to get to know one another," he told the duo.
He walked away. Jessie snorted.
"You sure haven't changed much," she said as her eyes scanned his body.
"Actually, I've changed a lot," said James, his voice far higher than he wanted.
"You'll have to prove it to me."
Jessie walked away, heading towards the break room. James chased after her.
"We are supposed to be taking this time to get to know one another," he said.
"Your name is James Kojiro Morgan," Jessie replied. "Your birthday is March 17, 1989, the same as mine. You enjoy collecting bottle caps, playing with grass-type Pokémon, and playing board games. You used to have a pet Growlithe named Growly. You are terrified of ghosts. Your favorite Pokémon is Moltres. You are half French and half Japanese. You never talk about your family. You ran away when you were seven years old. You can play the violin, piano, guitar, flute, and can speak five languages."
"What's your point?"
He was annoyed yet flattered that she remembered so much about him.
"The point is that I already know you," Jessie said before walking away.
'We'll see about that,' James thought.
Later that same day, their supervisor approached James, who was alone except for several of his Pokémon.
"Can I help you?" James asked.
"It's about Jessie," said the supervisor.
"What about her?"
"Before we talk, I need you to swear to keep this between us. Giovanni doesn't want this information spreading around."
"I promise."
"Jessie has a lot of issues. She spent months living on the streets making and selling illegal drugs. She was also a heavy drinker and worked as a prostitute. Giovanni picked her up in a jail cell after she got caught during a drug raid. He paid her bail and sent her to rehab. She has been doing remarkably well, save for the fact that she cannot connect to anyone here, which makes it difficult for her to get along with her partners."
James was speechless. This wasn't the Jessie he remembered. He knew that she should have never left that bike gang.
"Giovanni trusts you for some reason, probably because you are the biggest goody-goody around here," the supervisor continued. "We need you to keep an eye on her. Be her friend, keep her out of trouble. No drinking, no drugs, no sex. Understand?"
"Yes, I understand," James replied.
"Good. Giovanni wants to make you a permanent team. I thought it would be necessary to tell you about this. Keep her away from risky behavior, this is your most important mission."
The coach walked away, leaving James with plenty of food for thought.
XO
It was finally morning and James' nightly flashbacks had come to an end. The alarm buzzed loudly. James groggily turned it off.
"Hey Jess, time to wake up", he whispered into her ear.
"No. Five more minutes," she moaned.
He giggled and poked her a few times. "Good morning, Jessica."
"It's too early for a good morning."
Jessie tried to sit up but ended up falling back on top of him and closing her eyes. She covered his face with a pillow.
"I need to breathe!" he said anxiously as she pressed the pillow into his face.
James struggled for a bit but managed to toss the pillow aside. He put his hand on her shoulder.
"We have to get ready for work," he insisted.
"Five more minutes," she mumbled.
"Okay, but I'm getting ready."
He gently pushed her off of him and stood up. He started getting dressed while Jessie went back to sleep. The worst part of working two jobs was that they had to get up early every morning. Professor Oak had hired them as part-time assistants and he expected them to be there at eight on the days they didn't do the breakfast shift at the Pallet House.
A half hour later, Jessie, James, and Meowth entered the Oak lab.
"Good to see you three are on time," said Professor Oak. "Are you excited for your first day?"
"'Tired' would be a better word," mumbled Jessie.
"We are very glad to be here," said James.
"Good. First, I would like you to meet Tracey. You may remember him from the Orange Islands."
"We already caught up with him," said Jessie.
She reminded him of the time he doodled them with their Eevee.
"Right, of course," said Oak. "Then I suppose we can skip the introductions."
Professor Oak led them to a large terrarium. Inside were various bug, water, and grass-type Pokémon.
"I hear you like grass Pokémon," Oak said to James.
"Yes, very much so," James responded.
"Then I think you will like working in here."
"What do we have to do?" Jessie asked.
"I want you three to prepare the food for all the Pokémon in here. I have specific instructions on what each Pokémon needs to eat. I also need you to collect the bug Pokémon so that we can water the terrarium. Usually, it takes me, Delia, Tracey, and one other person to do it. The bug Pokémon hate water but the plants and grass and water Pokémon need it. The sprinklers are over there." He pointed to a corner. "After everyone is fed, use these Pokéballs to collect the bug-types. Once you got all of them, run the sprinklers for twenty minutes, then turn them off and release the bug Pokémon back into the terrarium."
"Dat's easy," said Meowth.
"We can do it!" said James.
"Sure," Jessie yawned.
"Good to hear!" said Oak. "When you are done with that feel free to socialize with the Pokémon, it's good to keep them in contact with humans. Sometimes they spend years away from their trainers, and when they return, they get uncomfortable since they are only used to being around their own kind."
"They really enjoy playing games," said Tracey. "I have a few suggestions listed in the back room. It's also where we keep all the ingredients to make the Pokémon food. I'll show you."
Oak and Tracey led the trio to a storage room. They showed them where everything was and then left them to do their job.
"Dis will be a piece a cake," said Meowth.
"Says you. What if we can't capture all those bug Pokémon?" said Jessie.
"I'll talk to dem. I bet I can convince dem ta listen."
"I'm looking forward to playing with all the Pokémon when we are done," said James.
"Another day, another dirty job," Jessie lamented.
"Cheer up, Jess. We're one step closer to becoming the richest rogues of all time."
"Rogues, maybe. But rich…That'll be the day."