Note: This chapter is somewhat inspired by episode 64.
39: Delia vs. Team Rocket
After getting to shore, Jessie, James, and Meowth walked aside the flowing water. Wilderness was all around, but they eventually came across a bridge. Going to the other side, they just found more of nothing, so they went back over, continuing on their way. "Following this has to lead us somewhere eventually," Jessie muttered.
"Yeah!" Meowth agreed, clutching the bag with all the prizes for the boss.
"Do you need help with that?" James asked.
"Just keep going!" Meowth ushered them forward, doing its best to keep up. "I want to be the one to put this right on the boss's desk. I can't wait to see his happy face."
"It's because of our group efforts, isn't it?" Jessie said.
Meowth looked away guiltily. "Well, I wasn't going to say I got everything all on my own or anything."
"Fine, you can present it," Jessie said, seeing how important this was to the pokemon. Meowth smiled as it hustled forward with more energy. They all wanted to please the boss as they contributed to Team Rocket of course, but Meowth was always the most gung-ho about it. The feline pokemon would be best as the front man.
"Look." James pointed, the first to notice a building ahead. It was just a small shack, but as they approached it, they began to see more in the distance.
"Finally, civilization," Jessie said.
"Where do you think we are?" James asked.
"I'm pretty sure it's this little place called Pallet Town," Meowth said.
"Sounds familiar," James commented, slowing his pace as they approached a house surrounded in trees, seeing more above.
"It's near Viridian," Jessie informed.
"Yeah, and there's some big cheese pokemon professor here that the boss doesn't like. We ought to steer clear of him," Meowth mused. "Shoo!" it shouted as they approached a group of spearow.
"Wait..." James stopped in the middle of the path, looking to the sky as the pokemon flew away.
Jessie and Meowth followed his gaze before turning back to him. "What is it?" Jessie asked.
"I remember now," James said, smirking as he again faced his teammates. "That pikachu's trainer said he was from here."
"That's right!" Meowth realized. "Maybe he's headed home right now... Where else would he go after Cinnabar?"
"A lot of places, possibly," Jessie said.
"That's right, he's free as a traveling trainer," James agreed.
"Well, I think he's coming back home before it gets too cold!" Meowth insisted loudly to get its teammates' attention. As the humans peered down at it, Meowth nodded. "That's right. And maybe we're here before him, maybe not. Either way, we can catch him off guard, and get Pikachu and any other pokemon we see to add as more prizes for the boss."
James raised an eyebrow, seeing a final spearow hop near them and peck at the ground before it flew far away. "Do you have a plan for containing it?" he asked.
"Yeah, we already know it can't be convinced, so don't waste time with that again," Jessie said.
"We can think of something, especially if we're ahead of the game," Meowth said.
Jessie shrugged, turning to continue down the path. "As long as we're here, I guess it's worth looking into. But I don't want to hang around that long," she said.
"No way!" Meowth ran to catch up with her, tripping over its bag of prizes as it did. James picked up the bag before helping the pokemon up. "We'll just get Pikachu and any other pokemon nearby, then be right back to base," Meowth concluded, now leading the way.
With Jessie and James covering up their rocket uniforms, it was easy enough to ask around town about Ash. They found someone who could tell them what they wanted before long. "You mean Delia's son, right? She's my neighbor, I know she's hoping to see him soon. She's always so concerned about him," a woman informed. The rockets stealthily followed the woman they'd spoken to from the market back to her home. She waved at another woman, saying the name she'd mentioned before, and easily identifying where they might find Pikachu later.
"This is it!" Meowth waved its arms where they stood, a short distance from the red house. "Maybe we can sneak in while they go out," it suggested.
"He's not even here. And isn't Pikachu always following him everywhere anyway?" Jessie said.
"I guess so... Maybe we can make a pitfall, leave the humans in and only take the pokemon out," Meowth continued. "Wait..." It scratched its head with a single claw. "Then I still don't wouldn't have a way to keep Pikachu with us."
"We could construct something," James mused.
"Yeah! We'll design something that can keep that little electric type locked up and not shocking until we get back to base! Once it's back at HQ, I'm sure it'll see why that's best. And then-"
"Oh my." A woman's voice interrupted Meowth's planning session. The rockets found that their mark's mother had walked over to them, leaning over the fence. She smiled. "I don't get many visitors. And it's some people from Team Rocket. What did I do to get such prestigious guests to my humble home?"
"Good afternoon," James spoke stiltedly, unable to think of much else to say as they were caught red-handed. Jessie waved.
"Come on now, we don't have to stand here. It's more comfortable inside. Why don't you come in?" the woman said, taking a step toward her home. She waved her hand to invite them to follow, still keeping her pleasant expression.
"Should we retreat?" James asked in a low voice once the woman's back was turned.
"No way!" Meowth completely rejected the idea. "This is a chance to get a close up lay of the land. You two get in there!" Meowth pushed at the humans until they followed the woman into the house.
Once inside, Delia motioned for them to sit at the tables. "I'm Delia," she said. "Or did you know that already? You are spies of sorts, aren't you?" she asked cheerfully. Jessie and James clenched their fists, warily observing the room instead of replying. Delia went to the counter, cutting some vegetables. "I hadn't been expecting guests, but I'm glad for the company. I was just about to make lunch. Why don't you just sit and take a break? Your work is quite difficult, isn't it?"
"If it's meaningful work for a meaningful goal. Any difficulty is worth it," Jessie said.
"That's true!" Delia agreed. "And Team Rocket is working toward world domination, right?" The rockets sat up in their chairs, James moving back an inch. "Do you really think you'll reach that kind of goal? Have you been making good progress?" she asked. In the silence, she shouted in delight. "Oh, look, you still have that cute meowth out. Should I feed it as well? I wonder if it likes the pokemon food I have."
"I'll just take what they're having," Meowth said.
"Meowth, shh," Jessie warned, but the pokemon had already been heard.
"A talking one!" Delia exclaimed. "I believe my son's told me about your group specifically. How exciting that we have that connection. That is, do you know my son, Ash?"
"Well..." James muttered, then cleared his throat.
"Oh, maybe there's another talking meowth. Does Team Rocket have many?" Delia asked.
"This meowth is the only one!" Meowth declared.
"Meowth..." Jessie groaned, shaking her head.
Delia started putting the finishing touches on her sandwiches. "My little Ash told me he got in the way of your work. He stopped you from various accomplishments, isn't that right? It must have been trouble for you, hm?" Finishing the work, Delia put the plates in front of her guests before sitting across from them herself. "Is that why you're here? Should I lecture him not to interfere with your plans for world domination when he's home? Or was there another reason you stopped by?"
Again the rockets sat in silence, not even touching their food. Eventually, Jessie was the one to respond to the woman's incessant questions. "It's just a coincidence we're here," she said, speaking blankly. "How weird we know your kid. We were just walking through. Thanks for the food." Jessie took a bite of the sandwich. "It helps. Our work really is difficult," she added after swallowing it.
"I'm always glad to help others," Delia said. She and the other rockets began to eat as well. "But you know..." Delia continued. "Some people say there are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason, so if something seems like a coincidence, it's happened for.. That is, you might be here for a reason."
"Hmph. Who believes in that new age stuff," Jessie said.
"Were you seeking out Team Rocket?" James asked as he focused curiously on their host.
"Well... Maybe I was," Delia said. The rockets stopped their meal, again turning their attention to this woman. "My little boy, my only child, he's just ten you know. And there he was, going out into the world and battling with pokemon."
"That's what they do," Jessie said. Kids who could go out and train pokemon were pretty lucky, actually.
"I know it's common. Especially in Pallet Town, nearly all the boys and some of the girls just want to go out and become trainers once they turn ten." Delia frowned. "But he's still so young. As a parent... Well, maybe you don't understand. Do you all have children?"
"None," Jessie said firmly.
"One. He's five... No, wait, six," James said. Jessie tried not to react. If he was going to lie, he could at least get the details straight.
"So you understand!" Delia declared. "We protect our little ones, and we worry about them going off into the world. He's really too young."
"Ten seems fine," James said.
"Maybe it is," Delia said. "But I still worry about him, you know. His pokemon protect him, but safety isn't a guarantee. So maybe I was seeking out Team Rocket, to request they make sure my little boy is safe."
"Huh? You think we have time to baby-sit some brat?" Jessie demanded.
"I know your work is difficult, but-" Delia began, interrupted as the door swung open.
"Mom!" Ash exclaimed as he walked in with Pikachu, Brock, and Misty following. "Hey..." he said, his eyes widening as he saw the people and pokemon at the table. "Team Rocket?!" Ash realized.
"Pi pikachu?!" Pikachu echoed.
"What are you all doing here?" Misty demanded, reaching in her bag for a pokeball.
"They're my guests," Delia informed. "We were just having lunch. I see you have guests too, Ash! You must be Misty and Brock. It's so nice to meet you in person. Should we continue together?"
Stunned, Ash and his friends sat down at the table, next to and across from the rockets. Delia went and got an extra chair so they'd all fit, before going to prepare additional food for the newly arrived group. "Pikachu!" Pikachu was the first to greet one of the rockets, scurrying across the table to Meowth. "Pika!" it called happily, waving to the feline pokemon.
"Yeah, good to see you too," Meowth said, honest though its tone was stilted.
"Pikachu doesn't think it's good to see you at all," Ash insisted.
"It does seem like Pikachu is pretty happy to see them," Misty noted.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked. Did they know the porygon they took had a nickname? "Pikachu!" it informed Meowth what it was. "Pika?" How was that pokemon doing anyway?
Meowth glanced to the bag James still held, giving away the referenced pokemon's location. Thankfully, no one present understood Pikachu's inquiry other than the rocket pokemon. "We take care of all our pokemon!" it insisted, deciding that was a safe enough reply. They'd come to add to their prizes, not take away. Hopefully the humans wouldn't start talking about their stolen lab pokemon and want it back.
"Yeah, your pokemon do seem well cared for," Brock said. "Weepinbell is well pruned, Lickitung is always energetic, its tongue is moisturized, that can be a problem. Though Ekans and Koffing's skin seems kind of dry..."
"Ekans is a stunning pokemon!" Jessie insisted hotly.
"I wasn't saying it wasn't," Brock insisted with a smile. "You can't officially take them to a pokemon center, can you? Maybe I can give you some tips you might have otherwise heard there. Pure poison types can be tricky."
Brock continued talking about pokemon nutrition and grooming before Delia served the newcomers, also placing down a dish of pokemon food in front of Pikachu. "Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed. It nibbled a pellet, which didn't taste nearly as good as what it was used to from Brock. "Pikachu?" it called questioningly.
"That brand's not the best," Brock noted.
"Is that right? Well, you seem quite knowledgeable, Brock. Maybe I should ask for your advice later. Let's see, pikachu do like apples..." Delia went off and sliced one, replacing Pikachu's previous meal.
"Pika!" Pikachu called before it started eating the offering. "Pikachu?" It offered Meowth a slice.
Meowth grinned at the other pokemon. "How kind of my pal here, thinking of a poor, long suffering schlub like me. You're the best, Pikachu," it said, a tear in its eye as it accepted the offering.
"Yeah, yeah." Ash frowned. "Why are you here, anyway? You don't know them, do you, Mom?"
"We've just met," Delia informed. "Though, of course I knew other members of Team Rocket, when I lived in Viridian. Knowing them was often beneficial." Delia turned to the rockets, who had finished their meal, their attention on the door. "So, continuing our conversation from earlier. You two seem like competent trainers, agents. While you're out on the road, as you see him, would you mind looking after my son to make sure he's safe?"
"Huh?" Ash's face scrunched up.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Jessie asked as she stood up, hitting her hands on the table. "We're agents of Team Rocket, not baby-sitters for hire."
"Yeah," Meowth agreed. "You do know that, right? You were just saying you know our ultimate goal is world domination!"
Despite the somewhat aggressive stance of the rockets, Delia replied calmly. "Of course I know. It's just, there's room for other things in life, hm? When I lived in Viridian, Team Rocket agents could be helpful to me at times. They'd scare off wild pokemon, help me carry bags and boxes of supplies to my job. Their lives were balanced enough to help the community they were a part of, while working on their world domination thing."
"Wow," Misty exclaimed. Team Rocket had been around a while. Since Ash was born in Pallet, the referenced time had been over a decade ago. Was Team Rocket different in years past, or was that their way of putting up a front back whenever this was? They'd be less likely to be persecuted and arrested if the community members liked them. In any case, Misty had personally never seen what Delia described from the past in the present.
"I do wish you well with your goal! But when you're going about that, can you please check up on little Ash every once in a while?" Delia requested with a smile.
"I suppose there is time for other-" James began before being interrupted by Jessie slamming her hand on the table.
"You're an idiot if you count on us!" she exclaimed. She turned to the door, folding her arms. "Keep your brat at home if you're really that worried about him."
"Na, let's help her, Jess," Meowth began. "If we take all his pokemon, he'll have no reason to go out and get in trouble." It put its arm around Pikachu. "Right, Pikachu? Now come on you two, let's go." With Meowth's word, Jessie and James grabbed Ash, Brock, and Misty's bags from by the door. "Are you coming too, buddy?" it said, turning to Pikachu and tapping the electric pokemon's shoulder.
"Pika CHU!" Pikachu called as it gave Meowth a little thundershock. "Pika," it declined the invitation yet again, turning its head.
"Et tu, Pikachu? And I thought we were just getting along..." Meowth sulked for a short moment before hopping down next to Jessie and James. "Let's move!"
Brock stood up, going for the pokeball he carried. Only Onix's was in his bag. "Pikachu, let's-" Ash began.
"Excuse me." Delia frowned. At the sound of her firm voice, the rockets paused. "If you can't do me this favor, I suppose that's that. But I won't allow you to steal from here."
"Pft. Just try and stop us. You can't use us as underlings, we work for the boss," Jessie went to open the door.
"Mimey!" Delia shouted as she threw out the pokeball. A Mr. Mime appeared, and she pointed forward. "Barrier!" she ordered. The pokemon moved its arms on an imaginary wall in front of itself, and Jessie shouted out in surprise as she knocked her hand against something before she reached the doorknob.
"Mime," the newly appeared pokemon called as it moved its hands against an invisible wall in front of it.
"Mom?" Ash said, his eyes widening.
"That's right, Ash! Your mama's become a trainer now too," Delia informed, winking.
"Two can play at that," Jessie said as she turned around, pokeball in hand. "We're also trainers. Go, Ekans! wrap!"
James threw out his own pokeball after Jessie's. "Go, Weepinbell! Razor leaf."
"Mimey, light screen!" Delia's face lit up with excitement as she ordered her pokemon, which dodged Ekans's attack before blocking Weepinbell's by manifesting a flashy wall of light.
"Mime!" the pokemon called with a brief yet exaggerated grin.
"Now, Mimey! Psychic!" Delia ordered.
The mime-like pokemon's eyes glowed as a wave of purple energy surrounded it, and eventually its two opponents. Weepinbell and ekans both called out as they were hit, going limp. "Mime," Delia's pokemon called out blandly as it completed the attack.
"Ekans!" Jessie quickly returned the pokemon just as James returned his own.
"This thing's terrifying!" Meowth exclaimed, paws on its head as it clenched its jaw. "Let's get out of here! We can just go back to base! Hurry up!" Jessie and James both went for the door, again stopped by an invisible barrier.
Delia grinned back at the alarmed rockets. "Overall, it's been nice to visit with you," she said. "Is it time to say good-bye already? Well, just drop those bags by the door before you go. You may have mistaken them for yours, but they belong to my son and his friends." At that, Jessie and James did drop the bags at the door. "Mimey, go ahead," Delia invited. This time, the rockets were able to open the door, leaving with nothing more than what they came.
"That's an impressive pokemon!" Misty exclaimed as they left. "It beat them pretty easily."
"It did have a type advantage," Brock pointed out.
"Mimey's been working hard," Delia said, patting the pokemon's head before she turned to Ash, giving him a hug. "You're finally home! You ought to come more often. Or call!"
"I call," Ash said, adjusting his hat before Delia hugged him again.
Delia broke the hug as she picked a leaf from her son's shoulder. "You're a mess... Do you need me to do your laundry? How often have you been changing your underwear?" she asked.
"Mom!" Ash exclaimed, pulling away as he adjusted his hat.
Delia laughed and let him go. "I've been thinking of you all the time, sweetie. I'm so happy to see you again."
Ash nodded silently, turning away. After a moment, he turned back, hugging Delia tightly. The woman smiled and patted his head. Ash eventually let her go, sitting down next to Misty. He picked up his food before looking up. "Mom... How did you become a trainer?" he asked.
"I took the test and applied for the license," Delia explained.
"Well, you also have quite the unique pokemon," Brock commented.
"Mime!" Mr. Mime called as it sat on one of the vacant chairs, extending its fingers with an exaggerated expression of excitement.
"Oh, of course," Delia began as she gave her pokemon the plate of food Pikachu had rejected. "That's why I applied. I met Mimey here, and Professor Oak said it didn't have a trainer. We got along. I could take care of it and be less lonely with my little Ash off traveling. It worked out."
"Are you gonna enter the league too?" Ash asked.
Delia giggled. "No, dear. I have been training my little Mimey, but it's not to become a top trainer. It's just for fun," she explained.
"Pokemon training is fun," Ash said with a grin. He stared at Mr. Mime, who just stared back blankly in return.
"You're caught up with me. What about you?" Delia asked. "Tell me about your trainer journey!"
"I've got seven badges and six pokemon!" Ash informed.
"Another badge already? Congratulations!" Delia clapped. "And your pokemon, you have to show me them."
"Maybe we should go outside for that," Brock suggested. "Ash's charizard won't fit in here."
"Oh, and your friends!" Delia said, turning to Brock and Misty. "Thank you for taking care of my son," she said with a slight bow.
"Oh... No, it's been a blast," Brock said, looking away awkwardly.
"I really wanted to get away from home, and I had a lot of fun," Misty said. She frowned as she turned to Ash. "You do still owe me for breaking my bike though."
"I'll pay it back when I win the league," Ash insisted.
"I'm so sorry my son's made some trouble for you," Delia said, though her face showed some amusement.
"I really have been glad to travel with him, though," Misty admitted. "It's interesting to see the traveling trainer's journey in motion instead of staying still."
"And I'm gonna stay in motion! Let's get to the next gym tomorrow," Ash glanced around at his human traveling companions and Pikachu both.
Delia's face fell. "But you just got home! And it's going to get cold soon."
"It's not that cold yet," Ash insisted.
"You should stay," Delia said firmly. "You can train your pokemon here, maybe until spring."
"That's too long!" Ash insisted.
Brock nodded his head. "It is common for trainers to stay closer to home during the winter. Our gyms get less busy. Right, Misty?"
"Yeah," Misty agreed.
"So why not visit your mom for a little while? There are plenty of pokemon and trainers around here, right?" Brock said.
"Yeah, I guess," Ash muttered.
Delia put her arm around her son. "You could even battle your own mama!"
"That'd be fun!" Ash perked up. He pushed his empty plate forward. "You want to see my pokemon, right?" he asked, brushing off her arm and standing up.
"I already met little Pikachu here," Delia said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu called a greeting. He liked this woman even better the second time meeting her. She took care of it along with Ash, a new pokemon, and even Team Rocket. What wasn't there to like?
"And now, yes, it would be wonderful to see the rest!" Delia said.
Enthusiastic mother and son left the house into the yard, where Ash released all five of his other pokemon. Pidgeotto flew around before perching on the fence. Butterfree stayed close to its trainer, calling out as Delia cooed over it. Bulbasaur called out briefly itself before going to rest by a tree. Squirtle posed shyly before running around, bringing Delia a flower before spitting a small amount of water in her face. It laughed as she giggled along with it at the prank. Finally, Charizard roared out as it was released, calmly remaining in place as Delia commented on how tough and amazing it looked before joining Bulbasaur in rest.
"They're all wonderful pokemon! They seem to like it here," Delia commented, seeing the rest pokemon, Butterfree exploring by her flowers, and Squirtle chasing Pikachu as they played.
"It wouldn't be that bad to be a local for a few months, would it?" Brock suggested to Ash.
"I guess not," Ash admitted. "Pallet Town has a lot of tough trainers. Then I could be even more ready for my last gym..."
Brock paced around, avoiding Ash's playing pokemon. "I want to see that battle," he said. "But now, I really think I should head home for a while. I'll see how things really are with Dad and everyone else."
"Aren't you on the phone with your family like, every day we're by a phone?" Misty said.
Brock laughed. "Yeah. There's not much coherent conversation when talking to someone on the phone in a house with nine kids, trust me. Things seem fine, don't get me wrong, but I'll see it all firsthand when I get back."
"It sounds like you're from an exciting household," Delia commented, then turned to Misty. "Will you go home as well?"
"Well... I'll find something to do," Misty said, fidgeting as she stared at Butterfree.
"Come on, Misty." Brock grinned at her. "You want to go see how things are too, right? You're always talking about how your sister's doing as gym leader. Maybe you can even take over for her for a few months if you're worried about her burning out."
"Um... It's not like I'll get to see either of my parents, like you two. But I guess visiting my sisters might not be so bad," Misty admitted. "Maybe I could even get back into performing! You all could visit and see it if you like."
"Sounds interesting," Delia said.
Their plans confirmed, Brock and Misty spent the night before leaving in the morning. "Pikapi!" Pikachu called at Brock after he'd said good-bye to Ash and his mother. Its ears went down and it frowned as Brock peered down at it.
"Aw, of course Pikachu will miss Brock! He's the guy that's been feeding it," Misty commented. She adjusted her bag, ready to travel with Brock to Viridian and catch the train.
"Pikachu..." Pikachu called. Of course, Brock's food was the best. But Ash was also learning to make some, and Delia seemed eager to feed it at any time too. But even still having food, Pikachu was going to miss Brock himself. The human was really patient and kind. It then looked to Misty, realizing it didn't want her to go either. She was fun to play with, and often funny, telling Ash what needed to be said. "Pikachu pi!" it called, taking a few steps before looking up at her as well.
"Aw, don't worry, Pikachu. We're gonna meet up with Ash again, do more traveling next spring and into the summer," Misty assured.
"You'll get to see me win the league then," Ash said.
"Hehe, then you'd be the youngest league winner yet," Misty pointed out. "It's not impossible, though. I'll look forward to it!"
Ash waved at his friends as they started down the path. "Pika!" Pikachu called, waving its paw next to its trainer, forcing a smile on its face. It would get to see its other human friends soon enough. In the meantime, it got to live peacefully with Ash and Delia, as it had thought might be nice when it had first been taken from Oak's lab by Ash. There would be plenty of play, sweet food, and naps.
Pikachu went to play right away, declining to join Ash in training, at least for right then. Charizard participated briefly before it also had enough. Pikachu eventually curled up beside the large pokemon, taking a wonderful nap on a pile of leaves, partially shaded from the autumn sun but still completely warm with Charizard nearby. Curling up comfortably, all seemed right with the world. It had a place to stay where it was cared for, Misty and Brock were going to have fun with their own families, and even that funny meowth was going back to the person it said cared most for it. Thinking only of the happy pokemon and trainers it had met during its journeys with Ash, Pikachu fell into a slumber.
Jessie, James, and Meowth hesitated to continue as they noted the first signs of the unique landscape that hid the rocket base in the distance. After all, the last time they'd seen the boss himself, he had berated them for their massive failure on the St. Anne. "The boss might not even be there," Meowth said, speaking of the person they were all thinking about. "But if he is - or when he's back, we've got a pile of prizes for him! He doesn't need to know about anything else!" it declared, walking forward.
"Meowth is right," Jessie said. "We've done our best, forget any regrets. We're still some of his top employees." Jessie followed the pokemon.
"That's right," James put energy into his voice as he walked forward with them.
Once they were in front of the tall building, they went to the door. As it opened they found themselves face to face with their rivals. Standing in each other's way, both groups stared at each other without saying anything before Cassidy broke the silence. She straightened her uniform, put her hand on her hip, and looked away as she spoke. "I thought you two quit."
"Who the hell is spreading that lie?!" Jessie demanded.
"We're the boss's top agents! We'd never betray him like that," Meowth insisted.
"That's right, I bet you were the one that started that rumor," Jessie said.
Cassidy sighed quietly, putting a hand to her head. "There's no rumor," she said, glancing back at them. "It's just something I thought, personally."
"I thought so too," Butch added. "You failed so badly on the St. Anne, who could guess you'd show yourself again. Figured you'd just got lost on purpose after the boss sent you to Saffron."
"Well, we're here," Jessie said.
"And we're helping Team Rocket as much as ever," James added.
"Well," Cassidy began, taking a step forward. "If you'll excuse us. We have an important mission from the boss himself to get started on."
Jessie and James both stepped to the side, Jessie scowling while Meowth frowned. "Unlucky for you two, he's right inside," Butch added as he followed his partner.
They walked in, Meowth still downcast. "The boss didn't give us a special mission..." it muttered, kicking its feet forward on the tile. Of course, there was a certain sunken cruise ship that had almost killed them, but that wasn't worth remembering.
"The St. Anne was a special mission assigned to us," James pointed out anyway. Jessie and Meowth glared at him. They all became alert as they heard loud sounds including the calls of what sounded like large pokemon. They went near the glass window that showcased a pokemon battle arena, seeing their boss battling with his nidoking against a poliwrath. Giovanni smiled as his opponent's pokemon was knocked out, then his gaze moved to the group, who tensed up in unison. They didn't dare move before their boss came out, still with his eyes on them.
"Upstairs," he said, not stopping as he made his own way. The formerly traveling group followed him.
Meowth tugged at the bag that James held, then carried it with gusto into the boss's office after James handed it over. As the office door was closed, Meowth jumped up on the desk, glaring only a minute at the napping persian, and dropped the bag on top.
"What is this?" Giovanni asked.
"Prizes! Just for you!" Meowth exclaimed, extending its arms to show off the bag. The boss didn't smile back or pet Meowth as he had often before. Meowth pouted only a moment before it kept talking. "We have some experimental pokemon... Some other pokemon... And some top secret notes we found along the way."
Giovanni opened the bag expressionlessly, sifting through the pokeballs before taking out the dirty papers. His face then showed a twinge of disgust, causing Meowth to bite its lip in concern. But as he actually read the documents, a smile did develop on their boss's face. "You found this on Cinnabar, did you?" he asked as he peered up at his underlings.
"Sure did, boss! I had these two look through everything in that burned out mansion!" Meowth informed.
"Well, done, Meowth," Giovanni praised, patting the pokemon on its head. "I should be happy you were with them. Few else would have been able to discern the value, would they?"
"Yeah... Thank you, boss!" Meowth said, unable to keep tears from entering its eyes.
"And this experimental pokemon..." Giovanni began, looking through the pokeballs before he found one that seemed to have a more metallic red coloring than the rest. "It wouldn't also be from Cinnabar, would it?"
"It sure is! It's a porygon!" Meowth informed.
"So the created pokemon exists. Having it in our possession will indeed be valuable to our scientists at the moment," Giovanni said. "I was going to send someone to attempt to retrieve one. You found it before I even asked. Excellent."
Jessie and James relaxed, feeling relieved as Giovanni praised their results. Meowth leapt up on the table in a gesture of glee. "I always wanna do my best for you, boss! Is this gonna help Team Rocket with world domination?" it asked.
"Hmph." Giovanni smirked. "Quite possibly, actually. It's been a ways off for years, but now we're getting closer than you might think."
"Will you tell me more? Oh, and maybe you have a special mission for us!" Meowth said.
Giovanni straightened the old papers before placing them on a stack next to him. "Remain on standby here. I'm sure I'll have a use for valuable agents such as yourselves soon."
"Yes, sir!" Jessie and James said in unison before they left.
But Meowth stayed. "Hey boss, let me tell you all about how we found all that for you! And that porygon, too. Did you know it has a nickname?" it started to ramble on.
"You even found out that much? Let me know it and I'll inform the scientists that will be working with it. Some pokemon have difficulties adjusting to receiving orders without hearing the name they're used to."
With Giovanni's rapt attention, Meowth kept talking on and on about the details of their journeys, perhaps with some embellishment here and there. The rocket boss listened and replied before getting back to some reading, though still allowing Meowth to stay. Was it finally becoming the boss's top cat again? That seemed to be the case. Meowth had been praised, and even eventually fell asleep on the boss's desk, just like the old days. Even with Persian on the floor nearby, Meowth was high up above it, feeling the best it had in a long time.
Thanks to everyone who's been reading.
Comments/reviews very much appreciated!
Next chapter: Erika vs. Misty