AN: This chapter was updated/revised on July 3, 2019.
Twenty hours after the extent of the latest drama, Ash and Misty called Brock to give him the update he didn't think he needed.
"You should've called me immediately," said Brock. "I would've been able to help."
"Maybe, but right now your job is to hard on becoming a Pokémon doctor. We knew you had exams coming up," said Misty. "There were already so many people involved in this, and more isn't always better."
"That's correct…But now I don't have any more exams for at least another few months. I want you to contact me immediately the next time there's trouble, double or otherwise."
"You got it, Brocko," Ash replied.
"All right. I better go. You kids be careful, you hear me?"
"Yes, Sir!"
Pikachu, Misty, and Ash saluted him.
"Okay, I'm hanging up now," said Brock.
They all waved goodbye and hung up the phone.
"We better get going or we are going to be late for our meeting," said Misty.
"You're right," said Ash.
They walked down the hall of the Team Rocket headquarters and into Giovanni's meeting hall. He and a few other people were waiting for everyone to arrive.
"It feels so weird being in Team Rocket headquarters," Ritchie whispered to Ash.
"I know! If you told me two months ago that I would be working with Team Rocket, I would have called you crazy," Ash replied.
About fifty people gathered for this meeting, over half of the TR agents. Ash recognized James, Meowth, Mondo, Domino, and Archer, but the other forty or so agents were unfamiliar. His mother and the friend involved in the latest crisis were also present.
"Is this everyone?" Giovanni asked the group.
They looked around at one another and a few people murmured 'yes'.
"I will begin by reminding everyone here that from now on, we are allies. Parents, friends, young trainers, old trainers, agents, it doesn't matter. It has been twenty-four hours since we infiltrated the Team Firestar base located in the Toka Islands. Since then we have not had any more break-ins or kidnappings."
Everyone looked around. No one was particularly comfortable there.
"I have initiated an alliance between Team Rocket and the dominating syndicates of Kalos, Unova, Sinnoh, Johto, and Hoenn as well as the Kanto and Johto Police Departments," said Giovanni. "This means that for now until Team Firestar is detained, we are no longer enemies. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sir!" the allies all responded.
"Nevertheless, all communication between our agency and these other syndicates will remain limited and transparent."
"What does that mean?" Ash whispered to Misty.
"It means Giovanni doesn't want anyone here to contact any of the other gangs or the police without telling him all about it," she explained. "And not at all if possible."
Giovanni's right hand scolded the teenagers for talking out of term. Giovanni then reprimanded her before continuing his announcements.
"We have investigators looking for the source of Team Firestar's funding. What we discovered is that someone in the Kanto region is privately funding them. If anyone has a more distinguish lead, they shall contact me immediately and directly. That is all. You are dismissed."
Everyone left the room except for Giovanni, James, and Meowth.
"Sir, any news about Jessie?" James asked.
"There is nothing more we can do," he responded. "There has been no ransom note or evidence that she was even kidnapped. Until we find where the other members of Team Firestar are hiding, we can't do anything."
"Boss, I understand but…I know I'm not your best agent. I've known that forever, I truly have…but is there anything I can do? Anything at all."
"James and I are willing to do anythin but self-sacrifice," said Meowth. "Cuz Jess is our family and so are dose Mew."
Delia re-entered the room.
"Giovanni says that the investigation will take a few days at least. Why don't you and Meowth stay with me? You can help me with some light work around the house, restaurant, and motel and I will pay you for it. There is nothing you can do by just sitting in HQ."
"You should go with Delia," said Giovanni.
No one said it aloud, but they all knew that James and Meowth staying away from HQ would do more harm than good for the investigation and was safer—Giovanni didn't want any of his agents lingering of they could avoid it. They agreed to accompany Delia back to Pallet Town.
XO
For the last ten days, James and Meowth had been staying with Delia, working at The Pallet House and assisting with chores as-needed.
The Sunkiss Contest was only a few days away. Dawn, May, Serena, Barry, Harley, Drew, and Cilan were performing, but James decided that he couldn't bring himself to go without Jessie despite the hefty prize.
One night he was taking out the garbage at the Pallet House when someone called his name.
"Hello?" James called into the darkness.
"It's me," Jessie said as she came out of the shadows and into the fog light.
"Jessie! H-How?! Oh, Jessie!" James rushed to hug her. "Are you okay? You have no idea how much I've missed you, Meowth and our Pokémon too! We have so much to discuss! Are you hurt? Do you remember what happened? Please, talk to me!"
"I came to get you."
"What do you mean, 'get me'?"
"Come with me."
Jessie pulled him towards the back of the parking lot.
"We can't just leave! I have to tell Meowth and Delia that you are here and that you are remembering things again," said James.
James tried to pull his arm away but Jessie held on tight. James looked her in the eyes. They were cold and empty.
"You are not Jessie," he said.
"Of course, I am!" she protested.
"Prove it! Say something only the real Jessie would say."
"You are James Morgan. Your birthday is March 17, 1989, the same as mine. You enjoy collecting bottle caps, training with grass and poison-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."
It was eerie—she had said that before. It was recitation.
"No…anyone can know that about me," he said, thinking of his family. "That doesn't prove it. Do something only the real Jessie would do."
"Such as…?" she inquired.
"Your best guess."
He pulled James close to her and kissed him. It didn't feel right to him.
"There, happy now?" she asked.
"No. Something is wrong with you," said James. "I hate to do this…Carnivine, use your vines to restrain Jessie."
When Carnivine emerged from his Pokéball, he expected to see an enemy, not a family member.
"Just do it!" said James, noting the Pokémon's hesitation.
Jessie released a Vileplume. "Use Sleep Powder on both!" she commanded.
"Carnivine, hold your breath!"
Jessie struggled against the vines while James and Carnivine avoided her attack.
James sent out Jessie's Wobbuffet.
"Wobba?" he asked James.
"Protect yourself and send that Vileplume's Sleep Powder right back at it," he instructed.
"Wob!"
As Wobbuffet countered the attack, James attempted to dial Giovanni.
Jessie called out a Venomoth and a Fearrow.
"Venomoth, use Whirlwind. Fearrow, get the phone away from that man," she ordered.
Wobbuffet was knocked out by the double-Sleep Powder attack initiated by Venomoth and Vileplume and James was hit head-on with Fearrow's Ariel Ace. James was knocked in one direction while the phone skidded in another. Though disoriented, James ran to get it.
"Use Poison Sting!" said Jessie told Venomoth.
James felt a series of small needles hit his back, then the familiar sensation of having Pokémon poison enter his veins. Already exhausted, he fainted from the attack.
"Good job," Jessie praised the borrowed Pokémon. "Get this Carnivine off of me and return to your balls."
When the flying Pokémon were returned, Jessie called out an Alakazam. It teleported Jessie, James, Carnivine, and Wobbuffet to Jessie's new home base.
XO
"They got him too?" asked Giovanni angrily.
Meowth had just called Giovanni and told him that he disappeared from the Pallet House about ten minutes ago.
"You know, Boss, yous getting mad at Meowth and repeatin what I just said ain't helpin no one," Meowth retorted, having gotten just a little bolder ever since Giovanni uttered the words 'I owe you' to him.
Gio shrugged off this disrespect because he was too overwhelmed to argue with a cat.
"Sir, do yous got a plan?" Meowth inquired.
"I will station agents at every major highway. I want you to ask Delia if there is a security tape. If there is, you must send it to me immediately."
"Yes sir!" said Meowth.
Meowth hung up the phone and ran to Delia, who was on the phone with Ash and Misty.
"I'll call you back," she told the teenagers. "Meowth, what did Giovanni say?"
"He wants ta know if dere's one of dem security cameras round here," he replied.
"I didn't even think of that! We have one overlooking the parking lot. He might be on it."
They ran towards the security room. Delia took out the tape that was from that place and time. Then they jumped in the car and drove straight to Viridian.
When they got to Team Rocket HQ, Delia, Meowth, and several other Team Rocket agents sat to watch the tape.
"Look, dere's Jessie!" said Meowth.
They saw Jessie conversing with an unknown male Firestar agent. Then the agent walked away and a few seconds later James came into view.
"Why did he go back there?" asked one agent.
"Was he trying to get kidnapped?" asked another.
"He is working for me. We were getting ready to close for the night and I asked him to take out the garbage," said Delia.
They watched Jessie and James' brief encounter. There was no sound on the tape, so everyone had a hard time figuring out the situation. They all gasped in surprise when Jessie kissed James.
"I wish dis ting had sound," said Meowth.
Mondo elbowed Meowth. "This is serious," he chided.
"Look!" said Cassidy. "They just vanished into thin air!"
"They must have used that Alakazam to teleport Jessie from her room when she was here in headquarters," Delia replied.
"Either that Alakazam is stronger than it looks or they're located within the vicinity."
"Pallet Town has a population of 500 and about ten non-home facilities within a 25 square-mile plain; there aren't many places to hide."
"Even a single, upper-level Alakazam can transport people a few miles a stretch. We can assume that they are at least in Kanto," said Giovanni. "At least for now."
"Sir, what if they transported them to a bus or train station?" asked Mondo.
"It would have been very suspicious for a gang member, one unconscious restaurant worker, an unconscious Carnivine, and an Alakazam to just appear in a public area. As soon as you called, I had hundreds of police and field agents on the lookout. I imagine someone would have spotted them."
"Then we'll concentrate our search on this region," said Domino.
Giovanni dismissed them. Before he left, Meowth asked:
"Sir, what do yous tink about dem takin Jessie and James? Why would anyone want dem?"
"I have an unconfirmed suspicious," Giovanni replied. "Just don't go anywhere alone, any of you."
XO
Ash, Misty, and many of their friends gathered at Duplica's House of Imite for her opening performance. Before it ended, Delia interrupted the duo with an urgent text. Ash and Misty left the show to contact her.
"Where are you?" Delia began.
"The House of Imitae," said Ash.
"You're not, alone are you?"
"Of course not! The whole gang's here. Brock and Gary even managed to get some time off to hang out."
"Did something else happen?" Misty asked.
"Team Firestar manipulated Jessie to kidnap James," said Delia.
"I can't believe it…even Giovanni called Pallet 'safe'."
"What does Giovanni think about all this?" asked Ash.
"He hasn't formed a definite opinion," Delia replied.
"You know…I bet it has something to do with his screwed-up family."
"Everybody thinks that," said Misty.
Misty realized something was missing, a piece it took Ash to remind her of.
"We never told Giovanni about how he was kidnapped by that awful ex-fiancée of his!" Misty groaned.
"You mean he doesn't know?" said Delia.
"I don't think so."
"I never told him," said Ash. "Maybe Jessie, James, or Meowth did."
"Giovanni's never brought it up around me," said Delia. "I only know what that trio told me,"
"They're billionaires—the Winchesters and Morgans. I bet they're the ones funding FS," said Misty. "Who else would have that much cash and a motive—sorta motive."
"I'll call Gio now. You go back to whatever you were doing. Just be careful and do not go anywhere alone."
"Bye, Delia. Be safe."
"Bye, Mom," said Ash.
"Pikapi," Pikachu said as he waved into the videophone.
"I can't believe we didn't see this before," Misty sighed. "We should tell everyone about this when the show is over."
"Definitely," Ash agreed.
XO
Misty and Ash watched the show along with everyone else and then went backstage to see Duplica.
"You did a great job!" said May and Serena, giving Duplica a double hug.
"I got you flowers," said Brock.
"You are all so nice," she replied.
After several rounds of congratulations, Misty and Ash explained their latest conversation with Delia.
"And we have to help," Misty and Ash said after their recounting.
"We sure have spent a lot of time saving Team Rocket lately," said Dawn. "Should we still be involved?"
"I just…yeah…" said Ash. "Yeah, we should be. We're not cowards. We're heroes! Even if you don't want to admit it, they're like a family to us…and pretty literally my family. The least we could do is help when we can."
"We've been through a lot together," said Misty. "And after years we were just starting to really get along when this happened."
"Okay, yeah, that's true…" said Dawn. "But…okay, I get it."
"Did Giovanni give you any instructions on what we should do?" Clemont asked.
"No, but I'm thinking that we can get some answers if we revisit James' parents' estate," said Brock. "When we left, we were on good terms with his parents and the Winchesters. Even if they don't tell us anything it can't hurt to try."
Giovanni doesn't want us being secretive," said Misty. "If we're going to do this, we need to at least inform him."
"Then let's do it," several of them responded together.
"You people are actually in?"
"We need some adventure," said Iris. "And we were super helpful the last time."
The group agreed; the next step was to contact Giovanni.
XO
When James woke, he found himself once again in an unfamiliar place. He was tied to a chair. All he had on him was his work clothes; his Pokéballs, phone, dex, and wallet were gone. Jessie watched him coldly.
"I can't believe this keeps happening," James sighed. "Jessie, what's going on here?"
"I told you before I'm not Jessie," she asserted. "Stop with that nonsense."
"It's not nonsense! It's the truth."
"Stop talking."
"No!"
"You're really getting on my nerves and you're not in a position to be doing that."
"I promised I'd never give up. Of course, you don't remember that vow, but I do. I'm going to get you to remember. You'll see."
"I doubt it."
"Whatever you say, Jess. What's your next move? Are you going to shock me with electricity? I have no secret information that could possibly be helpful to you or any of these people you're being forced to work with."
"If you do whatever we say and we don't have to hurt you or any of your little friends ever again."
"What do you want from me?"
"There is this girl: Jessiebelle.. Does that sound familiar?"
"I had a gut feeling she was behind this. That Vileplume's her trademark and perhaps just as evil as she is. Where are my parents?"
"Doesn't matter; you'll see them soon. They wanted me to knock some sense into you first."
"Knock all you want; I'd rather die than marry her."
"What about your friends? Would you mind if they died?"
"Don't hurt my friends!"
"Yelling at me won't help you and I'm not hurting anyone…though Team Firestar members might."
"Jessie, please, I love you. Can't you at least try to remember me?"
She stared daggers at him. "Remember you? I remember you, for sure. Love me? Yeah right. That's why you abandoned me. That's why you got me hooked on drugs, beat me, forced me to sell myself on the street and then left me to die as soon as I hit my all-time low."
"I never did any of those things. I never would! I never could! You are getting me confused with someone else. I swear."
"Don't bother. I have no sympathy for you."
James was about to respond when she kicked him for what was the fifth time since her 'modification'. A pang of guilt ran through her, though she had no idea why. James just looked up at her sadly.
"Look at your bracelet! I have the same one," James said as he wiggled his wrist.
Jessie raised an eyebrow, but leaned over and removed the glove from his hand, exposing the bracelet.
"Meowth gave them to us on our birthday. Don't you remember?" he asked.
Jessie looked down at the charm bracelet that was on her wrist. It was the same one from the dream. A storm of emotions overtook her. Her dark past and her time with James were intermingled, and her mind was still trying to sort things out.
"I'm leaving," she announced.
Jessie quickly composed herself and walked up the stairs. She slammed the door behind her, leaving James alone, hurt, and confused.