Time: 2:00
Place: Viridian City
Character: Ben
"YOU'RE TEAM ROCKET!!" I yelled, and both kids jumped back about a foot. The girl recovered first, and stepped up to my sister.
"So what if we are? I know you won't listen to a word I say, whether it's the truth or not, so why don't you just turn us in while you've got the chance!" Boy, that Rocket was mad! And her hair-hanging down with a little curly thing on the end-looked like something I'd seen in one of Dad's old pictures.
Meg was about to yell for someone to come get them, but I put a hand on her arm to stop her, and I stepped in front of the Rockets instead.
"Come with us, and we'll listen to what you have to say. I'm not saying we'll believe it, but we'll listen." Meg and Kayla looked at me in astonishment.
"Ben, what are you thinking?" Meg whispered. "They're Team Rocket!" I nodded and grabbed a pokéball.
"Bellsprout, use your Vine Whip to tie up these Rockets!" I said, and Bellsprout did as it was told, tying them up tight enough so that I knew they'd never get out.
I then led our little group of five along a couple back roads and into Viridian Forest. After a few minutes of cutting through dense forest stuff, we arrived at a small clearing. I told Bellsprout to release the Rockets, and then called it back.
"Ok," I said, "What do you have to tell us?" I was prepared for them to say just about everything...except what the boy DID begin to say.
"It's not by choice, you know," he said. "Mel and I are only Rockets because our parents are Rockets...not by choice."
"What? You don't LIKE stealing Pokémon?" asked Kayla, sounding a little sympathetic.
"NO WAY!" said the girl, Mel. "Ken and I are the worst Rockets in the history of the world! Only because my parents are co-Bosses...and his parents are the best Under-Bosses ever...that's the only reason I'm even WEARING this dumb uniform!! I HATE BEING A ROCKET!!!! It means you go around, making other trainer's lives miserable, taking their Pokémon to show my mom and dad...do you know what happens to the Pokémon that aren't good enough?" Mel was screaming by now.
"Um...well...what happens to them?" Meg asked tentatively.
"To the Pokémon that James doesn't like?" Ken asked. James? Why does that name sound so familiar? I thought.
"Yeah," I said, kind of dreading the answer.
"Well, if anyone steals a Pokémon that either Jessie or James considers worthless, it is taken out of its pokéball and left in the woods...to die," Ken finished softly, and Kayla gasped. "That's why I o everything I can to stay away from Jessie and James, AND their stupid Persian! Who would ever believe a Persian could speak human!"
"NO WAY!!" I yelled, jumping up from where I had sat down on the ground.
"What? What's wrong?" asked Meg, a worried look on her face. I realized what my jumping up must have looked like, considering the conversation.
"Uh, sorry. Meg, do you remember what Dad used to tell us about HIS encounters with Team Rocket? What their names were?"
"Uh-huh. Jessie, James, and their...AND THEIR TALKING MEOWTH!!!!" Meg jumped up too, and we hit high-fives.
"Um, does someone care to explain? Because I'm lost," said Kayla, and we both sat down again.
"Our mom and dad used to travel together, when they were kids. They had their Rocket troubles, too, with one particular trio, who went by the names of Jessie, James, and Meowth." Mel flinched at each name as I said it, but I continued anyway. "They always had dreams of being the Boss Rockets, or so Dad said. And it IS possible that Meowth finally evolved into a Persian."
"Yeah, Mom and Dad tell stories of when he used to be a Meowth, and when the three of them chased a twerp named Ash and his friends, Brock and Misty, around all the time. They never DID get a hold of that Pikachu..." Mel trailed off, and Meg and I looked at each other.
"Mom and Dad!" we said together. When the others looked at us for an explanation, Meg gave it.
"Ash and Misty are our parents. And you're right: they never got Pikachu. It's Ben's alarm clock now. Or should I say his 'shock clock'!"
"Definitely," I agreed. "Now, the question is, do we believe you guys, or not?" I turned to Meg and Kayla. "Thumbs up, we believe 'em, thumbs down, we turn 'em in. Agreed?" Two nods. Meg made a fist, thumb up. So did Kayla. With a look at Mel and Ken, who looked like they were holding their breaths, I, too, gave the thumbs-up.
Mel sighed. "So you believe us. That doesn't get us back to the RSH. Or stop Lora from revealing us, too." She looked like she was gonna cry. I didn't blame her. I despised Team Rocket, and everything about it, as much as the next guy, but Mel wanted no part of it.
"Do you HAVE to go back?" asked Kayla. "I mean, maybe you two could stay with me, in the Viridian Hotel. D'you think anyone would notice?"
"Kayla, Mel's parents are the Rocket Bosses! Don't you think someone would be looking for her if she went missing?" Ken yelled, and I had to admit that was obvious. Mel WOULD be missed if she didn't show up back at the RSH, whatever that was.
"I don't want to go back, though. I want Team Rocket stopped!" Mel yelled, and Meg nodded in agreement.
"You bet!" I said, and Kayla gave a sailor-style salute.
"Ok, then. Let's beat Team Rocket, once and for all!" Meg yelled, and we all hit one big high-five!
Place: Viridian City
Character: Ben
"YOU'RE TEAM ROCKET!!" I yelled, and both kids jumped back about a foot. The girl recovered first, and stepped up to my sister.
"So what if we are? I know you won't listen to a word I say, whether it's the truth or not, so why don't you just turn us in while you've got the chance!" Boy, that Rocket was mad! And her hair-hanging down with a little curly thing on the end-looked like something I'd seen in one of Dad's old pictures.
Meg was about to yell for someone to come get them, but I put a hand on her arm to stop her, and I stepped in front of the Rockets instead.
"Come with us, and we'll listen to what you have to say. I'm not saying we'll believe it, but we'll listen." Meg and Kayla looked at me in astonishment.
"Ben, what are you thinking?" Meg whispered. "They're Team Rocket!" I nodded and grabbed a pokéball.
"Bellsprout, use your Vine Whip to tie up these Rockets!" I said, and Bellsprout did as it was told, tying them up tight enough so that I knew they'd never get out.
I then led our little group of five along a couple back roads and into Viridian Forest. After a few minutes of cutting through dense forest stuff, we arrived at a small clearing. I told Bellsprout to release the Rockets, and then called it back.
"Ok," I said, "What do you have to tell us?" I was prepared for them to say just about everything...except what the boy DID begin to say.
"It's not by choice, you know," he said. "Mel and I are only Rockets because our parents are Rockets...not by choice."
"What? You don't LIKE stealing Pokémon?" asked Kayla, sounding a little sympathetic.
"NO WAY!" said the girl, Mel. "Ken and I are the worst Rockets in the history of the world! Only because my parents are co-Bosses...and his parents are the best Under-Bosses ever...that's the only reason I'm even WEARING this dumb uniform!! I HATE BEING A ROCKET!!!! It means you go around, making other trainer's lives miserable, taking their Pokémon to show my mom and dad...do you know what happens to the Pokémon that aren't good enough?" Mel was screaming by now.
"Um...well...what happens to them?" Meg asked tentatively.
"To the Pokémon that James doesn't like?" Ken asked. James? Why does that name sound so familiar? I thought.
"Yeah," I said, kind of dreading the answer.
"Well, if anyone steals a Pokémon that either Jessie or James considers worthless, it is taken out of its pokéball and left in the woods...to die," Ken finished softly, and Kayla gasped. "That's why I o everything I can to stay away from Jessie and James, AND their stupid Persian! Who would ever believe a Persian could speak human!"
"NO WAY!!" I yelled, jumping up from where I had sat down on the ground.
"What? What's wrong?" asked Meg, a worried look on her face. I realized what my jumping up must have looked like, considering the conversation.
"Uh, sorry. Meg, do you remember what Dad used to tell us about HIS encounters with Team Rocket? What their names were?"
"Uh-huh. Jessie, James, and their...AND THEIR TALKING MEOWTH!!!!" Meg jumped up too, and we hit high-fives.
"Um, does someone care to explain? Because I'm lost," said Kayla, and we both sat down again.
"Our mom and dad used to travel together, when they were kids. They had their Rocket troubles, too, with one particular trio, who went by the names of Jessie, James, and Meowth." Mel flinched at each name as I said it, but I continued anyway. "They always had dreams of being the Boss Rockets, or so Dad said. And it IS possible that Meowth finally evolved into a Persian."
"Yeah, Mom and Dad tell stories of when he used to be a Meowth, and when the three of them chased a twerp named Ash and his friends, Brock and Misty, around all the time. They never DID get a hold of that Pikachu..." Mel trailed off, and Meg and I looked at each other.
"Mom and Dad!" we said together. When the others looked at us for an explanation, Meg gave it.
"Ash and Misty are our parents. And you're right: they never got Pikachu. It's Ben's alarm clock now. Or should I say his 'shock clock'!"
"Definitely," I agreed. "Now, the question is, do we believe you guys, or not?" I turned to Meg and Kayla. "Thumbs up, we believe 'em, thumbs down, we turn 'em in. Agreed?" Two nods. Meg made a fist, thumb up. So did Kayla. With a look at Mel and Ken, who looked like they were holding their breaths, I, too, gave the thumbs-up.
Mel sighed. "So you believe us. That doesn't get us back to the RSH. Or stop Lora from revealing us, too." She looked like she was gonna cry. I didn't blame her. I despised Team Rocket, and everything about it, as much as the next guy, but Mel wanted no part of it.
"Do you HAVE to go back?" asked Kayla. "I mean, maybe you two could stay with me, in the Viridian Hotel. D'you think anyone would notice?"
"Kayla, Mel's parents are the Rocket Bosses! Don't you think someone would be looking for her if she went missing?" Ken yelled, and I had to admit that was obvious. Mel WOULD be missed if she didn't show up back at the RSH, whatever that was.
"I don't want to go back, though. I want Team Rocket stopped!" Mel yelled, and Meg nodded in agreement.
"You bet!" I said, and Kayla gave a sailor-style salute.
"Ok, then. Let's beat Team Rocket, once and for all!" Meg yelled, and we all hit one big high-five!