"So, Meowth, since it was your plan, tell me, how much longer do we have to watch the twerps?! My hair will last a maximum of fifteen minutes more!" Jessie testily whispered to her pokemon colleague, trying to adjust the bun on the top of her head.
"You should've listened to me, when I told you to use more hairspray, Jess…!" James mumbled victoriously and proudly, and the next second received a strong punch into his shoulder.
"Listen, Mr. Groomer with a simple ponytail on his head, won't you just shut up?!"
"Hey, hey, guyth, calm down, bot of ya!" sitting between them, Meowth pushed his friends a little away from each other to more or less safe distance. "And rememba' to keep your voith down. Just a few mo' minuteth…"
As always, Team Rocket was stalking Ash and his friends under their usual 'businessmen' cover. This time they were spying in a local cafe, where the kids decided to have lunch before going for another gym battle. "As they say — a hungry trainer is a mad trainer," as Ash liked to remind his companions. No wonder, it was his favorite phrase ever.
"Um… excuse me, but maybe you'd like to order something…?" the barman suddenly interrupted their observation, making all three of them literally jump on their sits and quickly turn to him.
"Don't you ever scare me like that, you-!" Jessie, being even angrier right now, started to shout, but James managed to gag her with his hand right in time.
"D-don't mind her, sh-she always acts like this," he tried to calm everyone down, cracking his usual silly smile. "Only three glasses of water, please… Ouch, Jess, okay, sorry, just don't bite me, it hurts!"
"Again?! This is already the fifth time you ask me to bring you water! According to the rules, I mustn't have brought you it since the second portion!" but having realized, that he was screaming at the potential (actually, not) clients, sighed and added in a more or less calm voice: "I'm afraid, I can't do this, sir. You have to make an order in the next ten minutes, otherwise, I'll be forced to kick you out of here."
With these words, in purpose to seem very busy, he turned around and in a quick step headed to the people on the opposite side of the bar counter. Team Rocket pokemon sadly sighed.
"Cul, now we can'th even have thome flee glasses of wota'…"
"Stop whining, it's not the main goal we came here for! It's Pikachu! So, genius, why don't you finally tell us your plan?"
"Oh, yeah, light. Well, firthtly we-…" but Meowth was interrupted by their co-worker slightly nervously touching his and Jessie's shoulders, obviously willing them to pay attention at him.
"What is it?! You'd better listen to-…" she testily referred to him, but having seen his extremely terrified eyes, stopped and anxiously took his wrist. "James…? What's up, you okay…?"
"L…look up there, guys…"
Both his partners immediately raised their gazes at the thing he was pointing at with his shaking arm — a big TV at the top of the wall in front of them. But having heard just the first phrase they paled and froze with their mouths opened.
"…So, the Head of the notorious criminal organization called 'Team Rocket', Giovanni D'Ignazio, was arrested by Johto region police today's morning," declared a woman, hosting the news program. "However, in order to commute his punishment, he obeyed the police orders and provided it with the locations of the main part of Team Rocket gangs, including the two of them in the Hoenn region. So, according to all their illegal deeds, the special forces were told to get them dead or alive. Also, now you can see the appearance of the members being in them. The special feature of one of the squads is a talking Meowth. They can make a getaway, so if you see a person similar to any of them, please, contact the local police immediately…"
"My Gosh…" was the only thing Meowth could mumble, shockedly staring at the screen with four photos of people, perfectly known to him.
"P…please, tell me I'm dreaming and that's just the worst nightmare ever… I-it can't be happening in reality… A-are these really us there…?" Jessie murmured mainly to herself, her eyes fixed on her portrait.
For a brief moment she thought of a phrase like: "And I'm still much more beautiful in real life…", but immediately threw it out of her head, knowing, that it's completely not the right time for jokes. Their brains were trying to deny what they have just heard and seen, but inside each of them knew it was a bitter truth and they couldn't do anything with it except for accepting it.
"And not only us, Jess… Look who's on the right…!" James pointed at the photos of a guy with short teal-green hair and a blonde with two mid-length pigtails. "Butch and Cassidy!.."
"No way…! Not this duet again! Hm, well, at least they do deserve it!.." on his female colleague's face, for the first time during last ten minutes, there appeared both happy and angry smirk, which, for some reason, made him shiver.
"I bet dey will say da same 'bout us…"
Since they were too busy examining the TV screen, they've noticed cafe customers' reaction only now. Some people were just murmuring something to each other, suspiciously looking around, some were not making any bones about keeping their voices down and holding back their emotions, so often you could hear someone screaming: "Yeah, that's how it has to be with the ones who steal and sell pokemon!" or "Finally our pokemon are completely safe!", and the most eccentric ones sometimes yelled: "They should've killed those scums even earlier!". The variations of the last phrase were mainly heard from sitting in the furthest and darkest corners of the cafe and, unusually for such early time, already pretty drunk companies.
But only one table was remaining completely silent, emotionlessly staring at the TV set, just like already ex-rockets. Ash, along with all his friends, hasn't said a word since the news program ended. They just didn't know what they should feel. Yes, Team Rocket, especially this trio and duet, were their enemies, and it was good, that now no one will steal other's pokemon, but… did they really deserve it…? Being killed or wearing stripes till the end of their lives? In fact, they were just a bunch of troublemakers, who were doing nothing but goofing around and hasn't stolen a single pokemon so far. Well, at least, the pokemon Ash knew about.
One moment James, Jessie, and Meowth suddenly felt five pairs of eyes gazing at them from behind. But even with loads of strangers and unknown people in the cafe, they easily realized who had been staring at them — three guys, one girl, one Pikachu, and one Skitty.
"You tink dey will go to da police?.." furry member of their team asked barely audibly, glancing back at the kids with the corner of his eye from behind his sunglasses.
"I don't know… I don't know anything anymore!.." Jessie unexpectedly angrily banged her fist on the bar counter, making not only her two friends but also a few persons nearby questioningly look at her.
"Jess…" still being a bit scared of her unpredictable condition, her partner carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"So, are you finally ready to make an order?" barman's voice, which he tried to make as sweet as possible, abruptly reached their ears.
"Um… you know, we've just remembered that very soon we've got a… a meeting! Yes, a very important one!" feeling a sudden unstoppable urge of immediately getting out of this place, James even too roughly grabbed Meowth's tail, making him squeak and growl something under his breath, clasped Jessie's arm and dragged both of them outside. "Bye! Thanks for the water!.." was the only thing he shouted, awkwardly smiling, before closing the glass door and swiftly pushing his friends down the street, having left almost all the customers silently see them off with confused looks.
"It was them, right?.." May quietly wondered, being more than sure in their positive answer.
"Definitely…" boys mumbled at the same time.
"Pika…" even Ash's pokemon slowly nodded.
"Nya…?" Skitty meaningfully meowed.
"Alwite, alwite, we gotcha, Jimmy, can ya finally let me go?.. It really hurtth!" Meowth whined after about a minute of his lavender-haired colleague pulling them backwards by the way they came to the cafe about an hour ago.
"Huh?.. Oh, yeah, sorry…" without stopping, he finally released the cat, making him resentfully rub his hurt tail. "I just… had a strange feeling-…" James was about to let go of Jessie's hand when she suddenly squeezed it back herself.
"Feeling of desire to leave that place…?" she asked quietly, not looking up at him. "I had it too… I… felt like everyone was staring at us and was about to call the officer in there…"
Two of her friends exchanged confused gazes. Even after losing to that twerp in the Pokemon Contests she had never been that depressed. But despite her condition, James felt an unexplained pleasure of having his partner that close to him. No, they did hug each other when facing something scary, but this has already become rather a reflex. Now, however, it was a way different sensation, like she really trusted and needed him by her side. Moreover, this was a completely different kind of fear. A vicious, sticky panic, which was absorbing the heart more and more with every second - this was the thing each of them felt in a more or less degree when their minds have finally moved away from the shock and proceeded the recent events.
"H-hey, listen…" he slowed his step a bit, instinctively glanced into his teammate's face, and then even through her dark sunglasses could clearly see an unnatural shining in her eyes, which made him stumble for a brief moment. "This may not sound very convincing, but still… we're disguised, and we shouldn't worry about being arrested right now…" while talking, he was trying to calm down his shaking arms and believe in these words himself.
Jessie just sadly, and with it thankfully lifted the edges of her lips, still having let one tear swiftly roll down her cheek. Her partner reflexively raised his arm to wipe it, but the risk of getting a slap and ruining the moment stopped him mid-way, so he simply comfortingly laid his hand on her shoulder. He hesitated for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to say. He really wasn't used to the moments of being the strong one in their trio.
"I understand you. I really do. You're not alone, Jess," for his own great surprise, he said it as confidently as he only could.
"Th-thanks… and sorry…" from her sudden apology, James confusedly curved his eyebrow. "I mean… it's our common trouble right now… and I'm not the only one who needs support… Even though there isn't already any Team Rocket, we are still a team… right?.."
He knew, that they had been just her seething emotions, who have been talking for all this time, and inside she was still his usual arrogant Jessie. It was only a temporary state of hers, which he, actually, was pleased with much more. However, sooner or later, that selfish greedy girl will replace it again. These thoughts made him feel a glimmer of disappointment in his heart, but he tried to get rid of it and consolingly smile.
"Right. Now, let's finally get to our little camp and then think of what we should do next."
"Yes. Let's go," she replied already way more determinedly and both headed to the forest, having completely forgotten about the other member of their 'team', who has been walking almost insensibly slightly behind them for the entire time, and still unconsciously tightly holding each other's hands.
"And when will ya two, lovebirdth, marry alweady?!" Meowth thought, automatically whispering this under his breath and risking to receive two strong cuffs on his furry nape from both sides. But luckily for him, the 'lovebirds' didn't pay any attention to his murmur.
"Mitch?! You here?!" Cassidy worryingly shouted, carefully coming into a little hut. But there was no answer. "Bob…?! Biff…?!" only silence again. "Goddammit, Butch Fletcher, that's not funny at all! Answer me!"
"Oh, wow, so ya still do remember not only my name but my surname as well! Impressive! And I'm not the one havin' fun, Miss Hightown!" to her great relief from behind the sofa there was heard a familiar irritated hoarse male voice. "Well, of course, I'm 'ere! Why should I be somewhere else?" he finally put the magazine he was reading aside, released a little cloud of smoke with his cigarette and raised his head to his partner. "Actually, I thought ya went to look around. And why are you so stressed out? Somethin' happened?"
"Thank God, the police are not here yet. We still have a chance to flee," she thought happily but said a completely different thing.
"You… You're such an idiot, Clutch…!" she quickly passed him by, still being angry at him for not answering her, and headed to the closet.
"Hey, no need to be that rude, ya came in barely a minute ago! And it's Butch, you've just said it right yoursel-!"
"We don't have time for this kind of stuff! We have to be very quick! And say thanks I have come back at all! Now move your ass out of the couch and start packing your things! They may arrive any minute!" Cassidy shouted back in her usual bossy tone without even turning around, but even like this Butch could see her legs and arms trembling, while almost everything she was trying to lay in her bag was slipping out of her hands.
"But what the hell has happened, who will arrive and why do we hafta leave if we have just moved in yesterday evenin'?!" her colleague was still insisting on her explaining all her hurry and fear, but put out the cigarette and started taking his clothes out of the closet anyway.
"God, can you just do what I say without asking any questions at least once?!"
"I always do what ya tell me to!" he replied resentfully, making an accent on the second word.
His co-worker wanted to say something as a comeback, however, he suddenly stood in front of her, grabbed her wrists and roughly pressed her to the nearest wall. She began struggling under his body weight, but the unexpected feeling of his warm and soft fingers gently touching her smooth cheek made her gradually give up and just confusedly stare at him, deeply blushing. He had never dared to take control over her in such a brutal way before. And, oh Lord, even though she was trying to not to show it, which she was, as always, pretty good at, in fact, she really loved it, how he could be both fierce and tender at the same time!
"So now ya listen to me, Cass. You're right, if somethin' bad has happened we have to work fast. But there's no room for panic. And unless I know what exactly you're scared about I won't be able to prepare for it properly. So, why don't ya just tell me everything while packing up?"
Meanwhile, blonde's heart was beating with the speed of light, along with the hundreds of butterflies racing in her stomach, because of her partner's face being only a few inches away from her one and that low and totally smoked voice of his, which has been always giving her goosebumps. Many people considered it as jarring and squeaky, but she secretly just adored it. In her eyes, it made him so manly, strong… maybe, even hot…
Desperately resisting the urge to do the things she'll definitely regret about, Cassidy let out a long sigh, slightly smiled and determinedly nodded, showing gratitude and agreement with his words. Now they really didn't have time for these romantic things, though either of them was trying to hide their disappointment. For a brief moment, they accidentally locked their gazes on each other's eyes so that both were forced to overcome an extreme awkwardness once again. Having already realized how uncomfortably close they were to one another, the male member of their duo slowly went away from the girl, constantly looking aside.
"Yes… no panic… thanks for calming me down, Butch…" also not willing to meet his eyes, she took the phone out of her pocket, began swiftly searching for something, monotonously clashing her long nails against it, and in about ten seconds turned the screen to him. "Here. Read it and I'll pack everything."
"Okay…" full of both curiosity and fear of the unknown, he took the device and started looking through the news article. "Giovanni… Team Rocket… arrested… Johto…" his dark brown eyes were widening with every word he mumbled under his breath. "Wait, what?! I-is it Boss?! H-how the hell-?!"
"It has been only the first sentence. Just read till the end," she responded surprisingly calmly and even chuckled a bit (though, it sounded more like a nervous hysterical laughter).
He has. Silently. Completely. He didn't know whether it was his shock or desire to find out every detail written in the news. As he finally glanced through the last sentence, still without saying a word, Butch joined his co-worker, also starting to frantically stuff in his backpack. Both were throwing in almost everything, not caring if they really needed all those things.
An unexpected shrill sound of the police siren and loud squeaks of the tires, obviously created by a few quickly stopped cars, made the two of Team Rocket ex-members freeze and remain motionless for a couple of seconds, until their brains fully realized what was happening outside. Cassidy's arms weakened and she dropped some cloth onto the bed. Even with her naturally pale skin, she looked white as death. It seemed she was gonna faint any moment now. Staring somewhere down with a detached from the reality gaze, she slowly reached to Butch's hand and as tightly as if the next moment he could easily vanish, squeezed it, moving a little closer to him.
"Sorry, Cass…" he suddenly whispered, slightly hugging his partner's trembling body by wrapping his arm around her waist.
"I know what you mean, but… you're not the one to blame. I just should've briefly told you everything instead of beating around the bush…"
"Well… how about considering it as our common fault?.." he cracked a weak but still comforting smile and was about to say something more when one of the police officers outside roughly commanded through a megaphone:
"There's no way out! You're surrounded! It will be much easier for all of us if you just surrender and come out with your hands up!"
"You know, Butch, I've never thought, that it will end up like this…" Cassidy hopelessly laid her head onto his shoulder.
There was a moment of silence and she expected to receive just tighter embraces, but instead, her colleague unexpectedly released her, made a few quick steps back to the closet and began chaotically throwing out everything they didn't manage to look through. It was obvious that he was searching for something.
"It won't," he finally answered her, surprisingly confidently enough for her to somehow believe him.
"What do you mean…? It accidentally turned out, that you've got a teleport or a thing that will make us invisible?" she couldn't help replying with a mock, although her hope revived again in her heart.
"No, unfortunately… but still… I've remembered 'bout something… I think… this can help… Damn, where are they?!.. Just don't tell I've returned th-! Oh, there you are! Yes!" he could barely hold himself from jumping and clapping happily.
"What is it?" also willing to look at, as he was sure, their saviors, she leaned over his shoulder, but the next second shockedly opened her mouth and didn't know how to react. "A-are these… guns?!"
"Remember that mission, when Boss told us to be as careful as only possible and to use them just in a very extreme case?" her partner successfully ignored her rhetorical question.
"And we haven't used them… You're a damned cunning, smart asshole, Butch!" by that time a happy hopeful grin has already appeared on her face.
"I just thought that they could come in hand someday, ya know. Anything can happen," also slyly smiling, he stretched one gun to her.
"Hey, but shoot only into their legs, arms, guns or cars' tires. Try not to kill anyone," slightly tossing a weapon in her hand, she warned him strictly, but also jokingly smirking at the same time, so it didn't sound as rough as she thought it would. "If we get caught after all, I don't wanna us to be imprisoned for a murder too," she added.
"Heh, sure."
"I repeat, come out with your hands up! Otherwise, we'll be forced to break in!" a megaphone voice was heard again. It sounded much more irritated than before.
When they both took their backpacks and were already about to exit through the backdoor, since it was a bit closer to their van, the guy suddenly laid his hand onto his ex-teammate's back and looked into her eyes. She turned around and immediately recognized that gaze — a mix of worry, fear, and embarrassment.
"Cass… they also have these 'toys' and they won't hesitate to use them, so… just be careful, okay? Heh, don't wanna lose you in such a stupid way…" he let out a stiffed sad laughter.
"Of course, I will," she kindly replied. "You… try not to die or get caught either, Hutch," she couldn't help saying this.
Butch just rolled his eyes, but couldn't get angry at her. For some reason, exactly under such circumstances, for the first time, it made him chuckle instead of groaning, as 'messing-up-his-name' puns usually did.
Having determinedly nodded to each other, they abruptly knocked out the door and ran outside, hoping to get, if not safely, then at least alive to the truck… Or, at least get to the truck at all…
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• Coming next: Jessie, James, and Meowth just couldn't keep themselves from running into a trouble. An extremely life-threatening trouble, to be more correct.