Charmed
by Jillypuff
Rating: PG13
Part 4
Jessie woke up the next morning,
feeling refreshed and excited. This was it, the day all their dreams would come
true!
She climbed up the ladder to James'
bunk, where her partner lay sleeping.
"James," she called out
and shook him. "Wake up! James!"
James did not respond, remaining
asleep. He was sweating and shaking in his bed. What's wrong with him? Jessie wondered.
"No, Jessiebell, go away,"
he moaned in the depths of sleep. "Growlie! Help me, oh God, help me, HELP!"
James sat straight up and almost
knocked Jessie over in the process. His eyes were wide with terror. The young
woman grabbed her friend so as not to fall over. Once she regained he balance,
she started shaking him.
"What is your problem, you big ninny! You almost
smashed my head in on the floor!" she shrieked.
The bishounen looked away, not
daring to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry, Jess," he said meekly. "I
had a nightmare."
Jessie instantly felt pity for him.
She was way too hard on him sometimes and she knew it. Her expression
immediately softened.
"It's okay," she said
gently. "Listen, I'll make us breakfast, then we'll let Meowth out of the
ball and deal with him, alright? Just think, we'll never have problems again
after today!"
He smiled. "That'll be nice."
She smiled and ruffled his hair.
"Let's go, then! How do pancakes sound?"
James took her hand, making her
blush slightly. "Sounds great to me." The two climbed down the ladder
and went to the main room.
* * *
Emptiness.
That was the best word to describe
what it felt like to be in a Pokéball. It was empty and cold and lonely in
there, with only his thoughts to keep him company.
This
is the worst thing that could ever happen to me, he thought miserably. Except maybe evolving. Better to be trapped
in a ball forever then be a Persian. Never met the Persian that had a heart,
cause there ain't no such beast. They stole my love and my master from me. I
hate them...
And so his thoughts rambled on for what seemed an eternity, until
finally he felt himself reforming on the cold wooden floor of the cabin,
looking up at Jessie and James, his partners and supposed friends.
"What do you want?" he
sneered at them. He attempted to appear tough, but his trembling belied it.
"You know what we want,
furball," Jessie said coldly. She and James were dressed in their normal
uniforms, with only a speck of syrup on James' nose to detract from the image.
"Why don't you make this easy on all of us?"
Meowth's ears flattened against his
head, showing his anger and frustration. "I don't know what you're talking
about," he replied. "And for the last time, I am not a furball!"
The female Rocket sighed.
"Fine, if that's how you're going to be," she said, sounding tired.
She turned to her companion. "James, read to our dear friend and partner
what we found in the book."
James nodded and fetched the thick
tome from the table where they had left it. He flipped it open to the common
Pokémon section, and thumbed through it until he reached the entry on Meowths.
Then he began to read.
"Meowths are common Pokémon of
the normal type most often found in fields or near civilization. They are often
domesticated by humans for pleasure and fighting.
"Meowths have only one truly
unique capability, relating to the charm on their heads. Each charm has the
ability to grant three wishes to the human who places their hand on the
Meowth's head. After three wishes, the charm becomes dormant, moving the
Pokémon on to its next stage." James looked up from the book with a hurt
expression on his face. "How could you do this to us, Meowth? How could
you keep such a big secret from us? Aren't we friends?" He looked like he
was about to cry.
Meowth felt exasperated. "Yes,
we're friends, so quit whining! At least we were before you stuck me in that
goddamn ball!" He glared at Jessie as he said this.
She appeared unaffected by the cat's
ire towards her. "We couldn't let you get away," she replied.
"Now why didn't you tell us about this sooner?"
The Pokémon sighed. They won't understand, he thought to
himself. "Because then you would've used the wishes."
"Ummm, yes. That's sort of the
point, Meowth," Jessie said, looking confused.
"Don't you get what
'movin' on to the next stage' means?"
Meowth demanded angrily.
James cocked his head. "We get
a spinoff?" The other two just stared at him. He wilted. "You know,
like a stage for acting?" They continued to stare. He wilted further.
"Never mind," he muttered.
Meowth scratched him across the
face. "That ain't funny, you nitwit!" he screamed in James' ear.
"You wanna know what movin' on means? Movin' on means evolving! As in me turning into the Pokémon I hate most in the
world! A f***ing Persian! That's what
movin' on means." The cat sat down on the floor, panting hard from all the
venting. He looked up at them. "Now
do you get why I didn't tell you?"
The two humans stared at him for a
minute. Meowth's spirits raised. Maybe I
got through to them. Maybe they'll leave me alone.
But his hopes were dashed as the
woman to his right began to laugh.
* * *
James glanced over at Jessie,
startled as his partner started laughing at the small Pokémon seated at their
feet. What can she possibly find humorous
about this? he wondered.
The cat Pokémon also stared at her
increduously. "You think this is funny?!"
he snarled.
Jessie smiled at him, her laughter
dying down. "Is that all you were worried about, Meowth?" she asked.
He started sputtering. "Is that
all? This is a big deal! This is
important!"
The Rocketeer picked up Meowth and
began stroking his fur. "Silly cat," she murmured. "No one's
going to make you evolve. We can just use two of the wishes and leave the third
one. That way, we're all happy. We can get our wishes, and you can stay a
Meowth."
James felt his jaw drop. "I
would have never thought of that," he muttered.
"It's brilliant!" yelled
Meowth. He jumped out of Jessie's lap and started dancing around the room.
"I don't have to evolve! I don't have to ev-" The Pokémon suddenly
stopped in mid-skip, looking upset.
"What's wrong, Meowth?"
Jessie inquired.
"What about Giovanni?"
Meowth asked miserably. "If he finds out, he'll use all the wishes for
himself! He doesn't care that I don't want to be a Persian. And he'll kill you
two for keeping this from him."
Jessie sank down in a chair. "I
didn't think about him," she said numbly. "We stole the books for
him. If he finds out we kept one this important from him..." She didn't
finish the sentence. She didn't have to.
Damnit!
James cursed to himself. Just when we
were this close to getting everything we wanted, our stupid boss...James
stopped in the middle of his thought. Their boss was the problem, as he often
was for them. Giving them impossible assignments, crappy pay, dumping Meowth
for Persian, and many other incidents made him an awful employer. And it's not
like they could leave Team Rocket. No one did that. Not alive, anyway.
But now they had an alternative.
"I know what to do," he
announced.
The other two looked up hopefully at
him. "What?" Jessie asked.
"Easy," he replied.
"Our boss is the problem, right?"
"Right," Meowth agreed.
James grinned. "What if he
wasn't our boss anymore?"
Meowth looked at him blankly.
"Huh?" he asked.
But
Jessie had gotten what James meant. A huge smile began to dawn on her face. "If Giovanni suddenly retired
from Team Rocket..." she started.
"...And left his white team in
charge," James finished. "Would you like to do the honors, my dear
Jessica?"
"With pleasure, my darling
James," she replied. She walked over to Meowth and picked him back up.
Placing her right hand on the charm on his forehead, she said in a strong,
clear voice:
"I wish that James, Meowth and
I were the leaders of Team Rocket."
And the charm on Meowth's forehead
flashed.
To be continued...