Janine's Date
Oh, how I wish Mondo was a normal boy with a humdrum life. My two hours with Mondo only increased my liking for him. Why does everyone I love or get close to have a career they put before me? I can tell Mondo likes me too. He's the first boy who seems to notice I'm a girl. He even seems to consider me attractive, me with my unruly hair and boyish figure.
I was shaking with nerves as I climbed next to him in the threadbare front passenger seat of the old Team Rocket jeep convertible. He turned to me and produced one of the most sincere, charming smiles I had ever seen. I felt the heat rush into my face and broke into a cold sweat.
"I'm afraid how this will sound, but you sure are cute when you're nervous Janine," Mondo said disarmingly.
I coughed weakly, "I guess that's a compliment, so thanks. I think you're awfully nice to take time from your work to show me around." The effort to speak made me feel tired.
He smiled again and turned to crank the engine. The jeep roared to life and took off with a lurch. Mondo shouted a question over the engine, "So what brings you to this backwater with Ms. Musashi and Gym Leader Natsume?"
I shouted back, "Actually I know those two through my dad. They came with me to see my mom."
"Maybe I know your mom. I've been scouting here for a month or so and I've met a lot of folks," he offered.
I sighed, now I would have to spoil everything and admit to my celebrated mom, "I don't know, mom doesn't keep a high profile, her name's Kanna, Lorelei Kanna."
He stopped the jeep and gawked at me making me feel very uncomfortable, "Your mom's the former Elite who lives in that stone hut on Ice Island? Wow, she's one deep and skillful trainer in spite of her association with that corrupt Pokémon League. I had no idea she was married and had a daughter."
"Um, Mom's…separated from my dad," I mumbled.
"Sorry to hear that, it must be awful," Mondo sympathized.
"I don't know…I guess it's for the best. It wasn't like I was in the middle of a war or something. They never really were married and they just grew apart. It's not as if they don't talk or get along," I heaved another sigh, "Now dad has hooked up with Sabrina. It's not so bad, she's got some amazing skills and she's really understanding." I paused, "So you've seen mom huh?"
"Yes, as I just said, she's an admirable lady although she thinks and talks too obscurely for me," Mondo said with an embarrassed grin.
"Sounds like my mom," I agreed with a slight smile.
"I consider it my duty to make sure she is unharmed when our Team moves to secure Articuno," he said matter-of-factly.
"You would tell a strange girl something like that? Surely you realize that moving the Legendary avian Titans could bring about a horrible change in the global climate?" I said desperately.
"We plan to establish labs on each bird's native island and to not move them," he said suddenly looking straight through me. "This will, or should, prevent trouble such as that caused by the avarice of the Collector."
"What if your boss is wrong? And why do such a terrible thing?" I pleaded.
"I am truly sorry I have upset you. You must understand Team Rocket must explore the power and potential of these great Pokémon to right the wrongs instituted by the Pokémon League. Pokémon slavery is wrong," Mondo stated with conviction.
"Don't you see there's no difference between Team Rocket and the League except the former is more brutal and manipulative in their training and research methods?" I argued feeling this young man slipping away from me.
"I will consider carefully what you have said, but I do see a difference. Team Rocket has a plan beyond mere exploitation. That we are more systematic and have a less wooly philosophy about training Pokémon than the League causes the envious to call us cruel brutes."
I could see that no matter what I could say Mondo had to learn about Team Rocket through bitter experience just as Jessie and James had "Look, do you still want to show me the Temple? And maybe you could give some directions to mom?"
"Ice Island is off limits, but I will tell you Ms. Kanna's whereabouts. You should not miss the Temple, it's beautiful. It has three lovely gems representing Ice, Fire and Thunder islands mounted on its altar," Mondo had returned to his courteous self again.
"Sure," I said, "Y'know you were right to be hesitant when you said I was cute. If you were a Tech classmate I might have socked you for being fresh."
"Heh," he laughed nervously, it was Mondo's turn to blush, "Thank you for your restraint."
We didn't say anything else really important except trivial things about the island's distinctive landscape and how perfectly the Temple fir into its cliff top setting. An exception was that true to his word Mondo did tell me how to find mom on Ice Island.
On the way back to town Mondo geared down and slowed to an idle when he noticed a striking slender blond woman in black paired with a handsome similarly dressed green-haired man with feral darting eyes standing near the road.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" the blond said icily. "Have you started a tour agency Mondo? Who's the little girl?"
"Ms. Yamato this is Janine. Ms. Musashi asked me to convey the girl to the Temple."
"What?" the woman in black shouted, "The turncoat harpy is here with this little witch? Is that fool James and that idiot talking Pokémon of theirs here too?"
"Superior Yamato, Kosaburou – Musashi told me that Natsume is actually a secret operative," Mondo stammered.
"And you bought that?" Kosaburou sneered, his voice was like sandpaper on ground glass.
"Listen little tart – you're Koga's brat aren't you? You tell Natsume and Musashi to watch their step. It would give me great pleasure to kill them, no, too good, I'd much rather maim them," the tough-talking Rocket spat. "You got that?"
I swallowed with difficulty and nodded, fighting back tears of fear. Mondo looked at me apprehensively, started the jeep and took me back to my rendezvous with Jessie.