Scheming
Cassidy surfaces through the mist and says, "We ought to go back outside, the others must be wondering about us."
Jessie nods, "Uh huh," then she suddenly whips around almost catching Cassidy's face in her hair. Small feet are drumming the floor heading for their room, and the round, violet-framed face of Miyamoto apears in the doorway. "Mommy! Gramma Joy said it was OK to look for you!"
"Did she really?" Jessie giggles skeptically, "Miya, I really should introduce you to Cassidy, er...Aunt Cassidy. Gramma Joy is her mommy."
The girl looks a bit more serious, stands up straighter and says, "Hi, are you and mommy friends?"
"Hello, ummm, Miyamoto, I guess I don't have any friends, but your mommy wants to help me anyway."
"You can be my friend, I think you're pretty."
Cassidy blushes and her eyes brim a little, "Why, aren't you sweet? Thank you, I'd like that."
"Uh, Cass, haven't you forgotten Butch?" Jessie offers in mild reproof.
"Huh, yeah, I guess I don't think of him that way," Cassidy agrees absently.
"You should, he's the best friend you ever had," Jessie continues, "I should know that's how it began for James and I."
"Mommy? You and daddy are friends?" Miya asks wide-eyed.
"The best kind sweetheart," Jessie murmurs.
Cassidy has nothing to say to this. She sadly reflects that, save for Butch, her life has been lonely since she deserted home. She follows Jessie and Miya by a short distance as they head for the door that gives onto the front yard where Butch, James and Joy remain.
Butch and James are having one of those strained conversations punctuated by awkward pauses. It is James turn to ask a question as Joy listens in on the periphery. "So, Cassidy really is going to go through with this? When did you two first find out?"
"We found out — me anyway — two days ago. I think Cass suspected it for some time," Butch replies.
"And you two are sure about it?"
"As sure as one of those drugstore kits can make you. I bet you don't believe us, do you? It would be just like Jessie to think we've been lying," Butch says as his eyes narrow.
James sighs and looks at the ground, "Yes, Jess told me to be on my guard. No doubt that's why those two disappeared into the house."
Butch recovers a bit, "I don't blame her really. Personally, I don't trust you guys either." He pauses and reflects, "You know, when I saw how torn up Cassidy got after ending her last pregnancy it hurt me too. You have to wonder what your kid would've been like. I'd be really happy now if I didn't worry about being like my ogre of a dad."
"Guess he was pretty rough, huh?" James sympathizes. "My father mostly went in for verbal abuse, the physical abuse came from Jessiebelle."
"The sorry truth is I was rough on Cass for a long time. It was her love for me that made me care enough to change. Maybe I'll be an OK dad," he sighs, looks cooly at James and continues, "Do you believe us?"
"About the pregnancy? Actually I do. This doesn't strike me as something you or Cassidy would come up with to go after us. Because I have a family, I sympathize, I really want to lend a hand. We haven't bothered each other for a long time, and I don't hold a grudge like Jessie," James says looking straight into Butch's eyes.
At this point Miya bursts out of the house ahead of Jessie, "I found 'em Gramma Joy! They were in mommy and daddy's room."
They all turn to see Jessie, looking pensive, stepping into the sunlight, followed by an even more drawn and thoughtful Cassidy. Meowth comes around the corner of the house at his moment and observes, "Geez youse guys look like yer at a funeral, who died?"
"Nobody just now Meowth," says James, "I guess we don't know how to act around each other after all the feuding."
"Butch and James guessed what you two were up to," Joy says addressing Jessie and Cassidy, "Well, are you satisfied Jessica?"
Jessie looks up and colours, "Yes, I'm satisfied," she sighs, "You can all hate the witch if you like. We should all go inside and talk this over. Somebody's got to stay with Miya, um, could you look after her Meowth?"
"Yeah sure, leave da Pokémon outta da loop. Oh well, dat's OK, as long as she don't pull my tail," he turns to the four-year-old, "Ya hear dat half-pint?"
"OK Meowth I won't, promise," the girl giggles.
"See if I believe ya," Meowth chuckles, "OK, youse guys let me know what yer up to. I wanna be in on dis too," he adds.
"Of course Meowth," James smiles, "And you let us know if we've had any bonehead ideas. I'm sure you will."
The quiet five file into the dining room and each take a chair at the table. Jessie starts to speak at the same moment as Cassidy. They look at each other irritably. "I guess I'm too used to running the show. Why don't you go ahead Cassidy," Jessie says trying to be conciliatory, "It's your, er, problem."
Cassidy looks at the table with downcast eyes, clears her throat, and looks up allowing her eyes to pass over every face at the table. "Yes, it's my problem, and I've managed to drag you all into it. Some more deeply than others," she says looking sympathetically at Butch.
"I've been thinking about what my options are. I have decided to raise the kid myself. I'd love your help Butch, but I can accept it if you want out," she says her voice quavering a little.
"I don't want out, we're still partners," Butch says quietly.
"What's this got to do with getting you out of Team Rocket?" Jessie interjects.
"Nothing really, but I wanted my intentions clear since I asked Joy to raise the kid at first."
"All right, this is what I've been kicking around," Cassidy says, briskly turning to business, "To get Giovanni to release us we have to make a big score and make our 'retirement' contingent upon our handing over the Pokémon. Our best bet around here is to give the impression we looted the Oak Lab."
"That makes sense, but the old fellow's not going to offer his Pokémon without some assurance that he won't actually lose them," James observes.
"I'm not stupid," Cassidy retorts, "I was hoping you could talk him into it."
"We've done a few odd jobs for the Professor, but he's not a fan of Pokémon fashion and styling. I don't think James or I could talk him into it," Jessie says matter of factly.
"Another angle would be to fake the operation to attract a higher up at Team Rocket, say...Jessiebelle. I'd love to get her here and turn the tables on her," Cassidy says with hard glint in her eye. "We have to do a convincing job of faking a big haul to get an exec like her here."
"How exactly would you get Jessiebelle, in particular, to be that exec?" asks James fearfully.
"I thought you'd never ask James," Cassidy purrs malevolently, "I believe she still harbors some feelings for you. A carefully worded communication to her from you could bring her this way pretty easily."
"Just what I need, my old tormentor after me again, and a jealous Boss," James complains.
"I don't think she wants Giovanni to be jealous James. She's just,...curious, she can't believe you truly rejected her. It's an ego thing, " Cassidy says cooly.
"How do you know that?" challenges Jessie.
"I may hate her, but I can talk to her. I know how she got into HQ in the first place. She was still hoping in her hopeless little way to win James heart by being the brave helpmate. Gio turned her head, and she does love him fiercely, but she won't accept Jessie bested her."
James is still pale, he sighs, "If it's a con you want, maybe we could somehow convince Oak to make it appear you lifted his Pokémon."
"Now you're talking," says Butch, "What would it take to talk the old geezer into that?"
Jessie pauses thoughtfully and continues, "Two people might help us talk to Oak and help with logistics. Oak's granddaughter May and his assistant Tracey Sketchit. She babysits Miya and is a favourite of the old man, and Tracey knows the lab well and has been dating May lately."
Cassidy looks nervous, "Do I know him?"
"You've met both of them. You met him in Mandarin City, he was one of the kids who helped us spoil your Pokémon hypnosis scam. You met May at the pharmacy checkout this afternoon," Jessie explains.
Cassidy pales slightly, "Guess I haven't made too good of an impression on those two."
"Not really, you'd better be convincingly contrite, especially with Tracey."
"This is getting sticky, do you really think it will work?" Joy asks skeptically.
"Actually, I do," Cassidy replies, "Here's how I envision it. We'll select some mouthwatering Pokémon and parade them on a visiphone for Team Rocket, meanwhile James will contact Jessiebelle. Jessiebelle shouldn't see the connection, she'll think she's killing two Spearow with one stone. Once she's here we'll ambush her, and make the Boss release us in return for her."
"You make it sound so easy. Team Rocket isn't going to roll over and let us do this. Besides the whip and Vileplume with what else is Jessiebelle equipped?" a querulous James stammers.
Cassidy smiles thinly, "Jessiebelle has a full team of Pokémon. Beside Vileplume, she has a Houndoom, an Arbok, a Murkrow, a Weezing, and a Sneasel, but she still favours her starter. We should go over our own Pokémon resources. For all my years on the gang all I have to show for it is my old compadre Raticate. He's a bit quicker and tougher than he used to be, but he's still only one normal-type Pokémon."
I have two; Drowzee, and I bred a Crobat," puts in Butch.
Joy looks a bit sheepish, "I have a Chansey," everyone nods knowingly,"...and an Ariados," she adds smiling shyly at the other's surprise. "I've been training it for years, a trainer abandoned it at my centre when it was still a Spinarak."
Jessie lists her Pokémon, "I've still got my Arbok, she's level 80 now; Wobbuffet, still a ham; my lovely Umbreon 'Blacklight'; a Pikachu I caught in the woods near here, after all those years I had to have one; a Pinsir I captured on Murcott Island; and a Scyther I caught with my Pinsir on my third trip to Murcott Island, it hacked off my hair once, and you know I have a vindictive streak, we get along fine now, we have the same temperment."
"I also have a Murcott Island Pinsir, my old pal Weezing, Victreebell, the Lickitung that once belonged to Jess, Growlie, and a Bellossom bred and raised by May Oak, " James volunteers.
"Both Jessie and James with full parties, I guess you two have come up in the world," Cassidy says enviously, "I guess we're pretty well equipped, I count 18 Pokémon including Meowth. Has that flea bag learned any attacks beyond fury swipes?"
"Actually he knows four; fury swipes, slash, faint attack, and screech," puts in James.
"Even Meowth is better off," says Butch.
Jessie stands up, "I'm going to call May and Tracey. I say we go with Cassidy's plan. Any objections?" She scans the faces in the room, Joy looks doubtful, Butch is resigned, Cassidy appears cool, and James betrays anxiety. She turns on her heel and goes to the wall phone.