Allies
Jessie completes the two brief phone calls and returns to the table, "I told May I wanted some help with Miya, she's done with her shift at the pharmacy in a half hour. I told Tracey that there was an especially powerful Drowzee here he might want to study."
"I'm amazed I didn't actually lie to them. I simply forgot to mention you guys," she adds, her eyes glinting with mischief. "How do you propose James should get in touch with Jessiebelle? It's not as if we still had any contact with Team Rocket."
"Jessiebelle has a private line at HQ with a voice mailbox. The Boss seems to trust her. James should be able to leave a message there," Butch suggests.
"I don't suppose you actually have that number?" James asks uncomfortably.
"Sorry James," Cassidy says breezily, "We do have it, it's 456-123-7890, got that?"
"Um hmmmm," James says glumly, "When should I make the call?"
"There's no rush, let's talk to May and Tracey first," Jessie points out.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we ought to go back outside to get some air, talk to Meowth about Cassidy's plan, and watch for our visitors," Joy suggests.
The others agree and the group shuffles out of the dining room, out of the door, and they spread out over the front lawn where Meowth is breathlessly trying to stay a step ahead of young Myiamoto. "Oh nooo," he huffs, "Naw, she ain't gonna pull my tail, no sir. She's gotta grab my whiskas and ambush me outta da bushes. Geez!"
"We'll save you Meowth!" cries James as he sweeps the squealing child into his arms as she tries to run by him, "You've been pestering our little business manager dear one. What have you to say for yourself?"
The little girl just laughs and tries to wriggle out of her father's grip. Jessie looks puckishly at Cassidy, "We can bring Meowth up to speed. Why don't you take a break, and have Miya show you the Clefairy's mushroom ring and the house she built for them at the back of the yard?"
"You'd trust me?" Cassidy blinks in disbelief.
"You said you'd like to be Miya's friend, this is a golden opportunity. Look, the decision you've made persuades me you won't do anything to harm a child. Go ahead, unwind a little."
Cassidy looks hard at Jessie, then at the girl still frisking with James, "Yeah, I've been tense since I first thought I was pregnant. Thanks Jess, I'll take good care of your little treasure," and she breaks into a genuine, but restrained, smile.
"What's wit you two?" Meowth queries, open mouthed, "Ya never shared a kind woid since I've known yez."
Jessie stares after Cassidy strolling off hand-in-hand with Miya, "We finally have something in common we don't mind sharing. Maybe there's hope for us after all," she says shaking her head as if to clear cobwebs.
"What's dat?"
"Motherhood, I suppose," Jessie half whispers.
"Hey Jim, ya gonna tell me about dis plan? Jess's gone all wooly and sensitive on us alluva sudden," Meowth needles.
"Huh? Um, sure Meowth," James murmurs, "It's like this, we hope to fake a heist by Butch and Cassidy from the Oak lab, while I make sure that Jessiebelle is in charge of the transfer to Team Rocket by giving her an encouraging call. When my former betrothed gets here we snatch her and hold her for ransom, that ransom being Butch and Cassidy's safe resignation from Team Rocket."
"And Jess approved of dis? Not ta mention ya can't be too keen on da flagellate
headin' yer way yerself."
Jessie smirks, "Actually I can't resist another chance to rub her nose in her utter failure to win James' love. She's not going to win this round either."
"Does it bother you that I feel like a pawn offered in a gambit?" whines James.
"Oh dearest, don't fret. I'll never let her harm you," Jessie soothes.
"Doncha need some 'inside' help ta fake an Oak lab heist?"
"Of course," Jessie replies. "We've already called May and Tracey, they should get here some time in the next quarter hour."
"Do ya think they'll go along wit dis?" Meowth is skeptical.
"Hard to say Meowth," James sighs, hands in his pockets. "It pretty much depends on how sympathetic Cassidy can make herself appear. Tracey certainly recalls her as a fierce and competitive foe. It's probably a good thing she's getting some time with Miya."
"I think it's up to Tracey mostly," Jessie observes, "May might have thought Cass unfriendly this afternoon, but she has no reason to disbelieve her."
Butch saunters over with Joy, "So, what are this Tracey Sketchit and May Oak like? Can we trust 'em?"
"May is Oak's granddaughter, she's a sweet and bright girl of twenty just home for summer from university. Like all the Oaks she's a Pokémon adept. She likes her Pokémon well groomed and good looking, so she's rather fond of us and respects our sense of style," Jessie relates.
"Tracey, you may recall, was the third twerp in Mandarin City; the one with the red headband and dark hair parted in the middle. He's a skilled artist and a keen observer of Pokémon in the field. He's taken extensive notes on over 230 Pokémon. He is likely to have a good memory of you and Cass. I suggest an apology for what took place in Mandarin, " James adds.
"Kinda hard to want to say your sorry for having your plan literally blow up in your face and getting jailed," Butch grumbles, he sighs, "I suppose I need the guy's help though, maybe I am a little sorry."
"Funny thing is, that's about the time I started to feel really strange about stealing Pokémon," James reminisces. "Having you and Cass relieve me of Weezing, Victreebell and our little pal Meowth got me thinking about how other trainers feel. I had too much sympathy after that, although it was hard to feel too sorry for Team Twerp when they tried to maim, and even kill, us with their precious Pokémon."
Joy looks at James and says, "Nowadays you and Jessie do a wonderful service for trainers making their partners good looking and happy. I've heard you two given credit for a great many Crobats, Blisseys, Umbreons and Espeons."
"True, we get the best of both worlds," Jessie agrees, "Trainers give us the opportunity to work with lots of great Pokémon. Many are so grateful they offer us Pokémon. That's how James got that Bellossom from May. It was sired by her Bellossom and his Victreebell."
At this moment, a tall willowy girl with shoulder length black hair, large dark eyes, and an expressive mouth with full lips appears at the end of the drive. She is accompanied by a stocky, but muscular, dark green haired young man astride a shimmering Rapidash. "Ah, Tracey and May are here," says James heading off to greet the visitors.
"I'll fetch Cassidy and Myiamoto", Jessie says heading in the opposite direction.
Tracey dismounts and strides into the yard as Butch palms his Drowzee's Pokéball. The young man freezes and glares at the tall, teal-haired trainer in the blue sports coat. "Butch isn't it?" he says coldly, "I've alredy seen this Drowzee," he says sternly turning to James.
"Look kid, Cass and I have something to tell you, would you please hear it before making up your mind?"
Tracey sighs, "I guess I can stick around out of respect for James and Jessie," he turns to the dark-eyed beauty next to him, "May, this is Butch Kosaburou, a very dangerous Team Rocket agent. Perhaps you've heard of the Mandarin City Pokémon hypnosis incident?"
May looks straight into Butch's eyes with disarming directness and cool reserve, "I shouldn't be too surprised your sort wouldn't leave Jessie and James alone forever. Do we have reason to fear you now?"
Cassidy touches May's shoulder tentatively, she has Miya on her shoulders. The
younger woman wheels, and colours, "It's you!" she exclaims recalling the encounter in the pharmacy.
"It's my fault you're here," Cassidy says softly.
May sees something in Cassidy's eyes and says, "The test must have worked, huh?"
"It did. I really want this baby," Cassidy says with feeling, "Guess I'll let Jessie explain more about this for you."
Jessie is uncomfortable, sighs and proceeds, "Cassidy here wasn't lying when she told you she longer wants any part of Team Rocket, but she is still in the gang. Team rules stipulate no children and no full-term pregnancies. I suppose my mom having me in the gang led to our boss coming up with that one. Cass has had one abortion already, it made her feel empty and alone; she needs help to leave the Team and have her kid."
May is empathic by nature, she gazes into Cassidy's eyes and says, "You poor dear," causing Cassidy to look away and frown at the show of compassion.
"Please don't pity me. I'm a strong gal," Cassidy protests.
"I understand, but I promise to help," she turns and looks at the more skeptical Tracey, "Trace, what's wrong with helping this woman have a baby and leave a life of crime?"
"I'm not sure they won't keep being crooks. They weren't overly sympathetic to the trainers whose Pokémon they hypnotized and stole from them. So she's really pregnant, huh?"
Jessie nods, "I insisted she take a test even after I saw her with morning sickness. I feel badly about it, but it's her second positive in a week. I can tell you it would be their death warrant to resign from Team Rocket and continue using skills they learned on the Team to steal Pokémon. It's bad business to let competitors exist trained at your expense, especially in crime."
"I want to hear from both of you," challenges Tracey, "What do you say?"
Cassidy starts, "Tracey, that's your name isn't it? I didn't hear it in Mandarin City," she sighs deeply and looks anxiously at him. "The more I think about this child and about a 'normal' life with Butch, the more I desperately wish to escape the life on the road, and the gut twisting anxiety over getting caught that's consumed the last fifteen years. I used to find it exciting, but I'm getting weary of it. It's cost me one baby already, it won't claim two. I have to leave the gang and cease this gypsy life."
Butch clears his throat, "I've always been a ruffian, I know it, but I love this woman so much — I don't think I've ever said it out loud in front of her — I will go anywhere she asks me to go. If she walks the straight and narrow, so do I."
Cassidy's eyes glow and moisten, "Butch...that was...so...beautiful. Thank you," and she touches his shoulder, gently laying her head on it. "You're a nice man" observes Miya, still perched on Cassidy's shoulders.
"Nicest thing anyone's ever said about me kid," Butch rasps tousling the toddler's mop of lavender.
"Wow, I'm impressed," says Tracey with genuine surprise, "OK, I'll help, within reason. What do you want to do?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Jessie says smoothly. "Let's lay out Cassidy's idea for prying her and Butch loose from the Rocket gang."