8. One Meowth and his Togepi.
In another part of the forest that Misty and Ash had gone through, albeit separately, two small creatures could be seen walking side by side. The larger one was suspiciously cat-shaped and the other was remarkably like an egg… inside another egg… with legs. The cat-like creature was talking to its companion excitedly.
"I've waited so long ta find ya Togepi! I tawt dat twoip would have ya forever, but she lost ya! Now you're mine again. We're gonna be so happy, just like a real family! I'll even learn ya how ta talk. How about dat?" The egg chirped happily. "I tawt so. Den we can find lots of udda rejected pokémon like us, and learn them how ta talk - we'll be the famous talking pokémon!" The egg chirped again.
As the cat kept talking and walking, the egg suddenly stopped and looked towards a clearing curiously, apparently hearing something. His companion stopped as well.
"What's up, Togepi?"
"Togepriiii!"
"You hear sump'n?" The egg suddenly ran off into the woods.
"Priiii!"
"Wait for Meowth!" yelled the cat, giving chase.
It was difficult to see as the forest became denser, but Togepi followed the familiar sound faultlessly. Meowth, despite his excellent night vision and sense of smell, was having trouble keeping up, but he was damn well not going to lose Togepi again. As he followed, he could faintly hear the sound attracting Togepi - a girl crying. "Dis is no time ta be valiant…" he muttered, following.
Misty knew she was being silly. Crying wasn't going to solve anything and she had to get moving or she'd simply die of starvation. Mind you, she certainly felt like dieing. "NO!" she told herself, startling Psyduck. "I'm stronger than this! I'm Misty! I'm the winner! I'm…" her cheek throbbed. "…pathetic." She began to cry again, even though she knew she had to pull herself together. He was just an obnoxious kid and he always had been, and he wasn't going to change. But he wasn't spiteful and he wasn't vicious. He'd just snapped. Then she heard a familiar noise and leapt to her feet. It couldn't be… could it? "TOGEPI!!!" She ran to pick up the pokémon. "Where's Brock? How did you find me?" Togepi pointed excitedly to Meowth. Misty didn't recognise him and ran over to give him a cuddle. "Thank you… Good kitty…" Meowth, lost in his own world of kitty pleasure, gave himself away.
"Mmmmmeowth… what's a cat s'posed to do…? Misty immediately grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
"YOU! What are YOU doing with MY Togepi!?!?"
"NUTTEN!" He shouted back, then fury swiped her face, not noticing her already reddened cheek. She dropped him.
"I won him fair and square, Meowth! Live with it!"
"And I can take better care of him! I won't lose him!" She couldn't deny that. "I got him off of dat screwy-eyed twoip, Brock!" She imagined the scene. It was hard to envisage Team Rocket actually WINNING something.
"Where's your two friends?" she said, noticing that the familiar motto had not been said and it had been a full five minutes.
"Dey're not here."
"Really?"
"Listen, sista, I've quit Team Rocket."
"I don't believe you."
"Do you see dose morons anywheres?" She shook her head. "Well den. I'm trying to better myself, starting by quitting the team and teaching Togepi how ta talk. I've been a crook all my life and it's time for a change. I've got a dream - you wouldn't know what dat feels like."
"I do so know. It's my dream to be a great water pokémon trainer - to catch a Gyrados."
Meowth used this for his own advantage. "Den why do you have a Togepi?" She couldn't answer that one, so he carried on. "Look, kid, all I've ever wanted is ta be happy like anyone else. Togepi is like my family. I tawt at one point dat Jessie and James could be da same, but dey hate me. So all I have left is dat Togepi." The cat's eyes began to fill with tears and he looked to the floor. "Please. Let me have him."
At any other time, if she wasn't in so much pain herself, Misty might, just might, have given in. She could see how much Meowth wanted this. However, she wasn't willing to cave this time.
"Why don't we let Togepi decide? I think it's old enough now to make it's own decisions." she suggested. Meowth paused, then nodded, and the two of them separated and left the egg in the middle.
"Let's play dis fair," he said. "No calling or tempting."
"Agreed." They confirmed it with a nod. They waited as Togepi looked between them, decided and began to move…