Holy Matrimony!
"I can't believe it, da twerp actually won!" Meowth gasped out as Ash's Pikachu was declared the winner.
"So if he won a Pokemon League, where exactly does that leave us? We've never beaten him before..." James muttered out.
"Why it's simple, we'll go someplace far away where the twerps haven't been and probably never will go to." Jessie boldly remarked while staring off in a random direction as if she were making that statement to somebody that wasn't there. James, Meowth and Wobbuffet all seemed to understand what was going on though.
"And where will that be, Jess?" James questioned with a light tilt of his head.
"Yeah, signs seem to point towards the twerp visiting Hoenn and Sinnoh after his adventure in the Johto region." Meowth spoke up. "Where else is there to go?"
"Well why not Alola?" Jessie questioned while her gaze flickered towards Flash and Giselle. "There seems to be powerful Pokemon residing there that we could make use of, Salazzle in particular intrigues me. Although the twerp did beat one, I can't help but feel a connection to the species for some reason."
"Maybe because you both have fiery personalities and enjoy bossing men around?" James asked.
"Heh, now that you mention it I do see a resemblance between them." Meowth laughed out. "Salazzle's the perfect Pokemon for you, Jess!"
"Wobbu!" Even Wobbuffet laughed though he quickly shut his mouth upon noticing his trainer's eye twitch moments before she bonked Meowth and James atop their heads.
"No, it's because Salazzle's beauty matches that of yours truly!" Jessie boldly exclaimed causing Meowth and James to sweat.
"You think Salazzle is beautiful?" James questioned.
"Oi vey, I can see why some Pokemon find her attractive but she just doesn't do it for me." Meowth stated with a light shake of his head. "I mean she's no Gardevoir, Lopunny, Meowth or Skitty but there's something about her that just makes her appealing to certain Pokemon, or maybe that's just the pheromones!"
"Of course she is, though I wouldn't expect you to understand true beauty if it hit you both in the face!" Jessie exclaimed while fondly stroking her long hair. "After all neither of you comment on my beauty."
James went silent as his eyes darted to the side. He did think Jessie was beautiful but there was a reason he didn't make a move on her.
"No offense Jess but I'm not attracted to humans." Meowth frowned.
Jessie rolled her eyes before grabbing their arms as she began to drag them away. "Oh whatever, let's get going before the show is over. I want to get to Alola as soon as possible!"
"Huh, the twerp lost against Lance." Meowth muttered out as the pair left Akala Island's airport, his eyes glued onto their shared Rotom Phone as it sat within his paws.
"Sounds like you three need to step up your game, you'll never steal Pikachu and Eevee at this rate." Their Rotom Phone spoke in a mocking tone.
Jessie's eye twitched shortly before she shouted out at the phone. "Well I don't see you doing anything to help us out, last I checked you were a Pokemon so why don't you hop out of this phone and control one of our mechs?!"
"Bzzt. Because I don't feel like it. Besides having to provide you numbskulls with information is already annoying as it is. How hard is it to identify a Pokemon? We say our names!"
"There's more to it than that, saying your name doesn't provide us with details on what you're capable of. Besides there are some Pokemon that simply screech or buzz like Pidgeot and Beedrill." James commented.
"Meowth, that's right! You know you're a pretty big jerk, Rotom!"
"My stars, did that Meowth just talk?!"
"Hey that Meowth looks different!" The trio soon found themselves surrounded by a large group of locals who began taking pictures of Meowth while some began recording.
"Say something else, strange looking Meowth!"
"Er... Meowth!" Meowth sweated before licking himself in an attempt to get the locals to back off as he tried passing himself off as one of the regular Meowth he used to associate himself with.
Jessie, James and Wobbuffet all sweated beneath their disguises as they silently prayed that the tourists would go away.
"Bzzzt. Buzz off ya bums, nothing to see here!" Their Rotom Phone shouted out causing James to go pale as he quickly stuffed it into his pocket.
"Heh..." Sweat began pouring down James' forehead as the crowd gave the trio rather murderous looks.
"They just called us bums!"
"I say we teach these out of towners a lesson!"
"Eeee!" James gasped out while Meowth and Jessie were quick to grab his hand as they ran off, the crowd in hot pursuit as they chased the Rocket trio out of the airport and further into the city.
"Where exactly are we going to hide?" Meowth asked as they ran.
"Wobbu!" Wobbuffet frantically exclaimed while shooting an anxious glance back towards their pursuers.
"I'm not sure exactly, unless one of you happens to know the lay of the land we're screwed!" James went pale at Jessie's words, his eyes briefly darted to the side as he wondered how he'd explain the situation to his friends. His mouth then opened up as if he were about to say something but he'd soon find himself interrupted by the loud sound of screeching tires as a solid gold limo came racing into view before coming to an abrupt halt beside the Rocket trio. The front window rolled down, revealing quite the old gentleman wearing a rather fashionable suit.
"Master James?" The butler spoke in a Galarian accent. "Good heavens, it is you! I say your parents have been worried sick about you!"
"Sebastian?!" James went pale upon seeing one of his families many butlers. "W-What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, Master James. I was simply tending to your family's summer home and getting it prepped up for their annual visit. Granted they won't be here for a few months but I reckon they'll be here as soon as they hear you're around!"
"Excuse me but did you just call James, Master?" Meowth questioned with a quizzical expression.
"Summer home? You mean you were rich this whole time?!" Jessie shot James a hostile look as he began nervously sweating. "All those hours sweating away for terrible bosses while you could have been fronting the bill for our mechs with your family's money? Or better yet, eating well done steak rather than settling for mac and cheese and whatever's on the Pokedollar menu!"
"Er-about that, I don't exactly have access to it anymore... haven't for awhile." James twiddled his fingers.
"There they are!"
"Let's get them!"
"Right well I suggest that the four of you hop right in, you can fill each other in on the way to the summer home!" Sebastian remarked as he unlocked the back doors. "Hop in!"
"Come on James, what are you waiting for?" Jessie asked as her partner froze in place.
"I-Er... shouldn't we be looking for new Pokemon? I mean that's the whole reason we came here." James sweated.
"Nonsense master James, I must insist that you come back to the manor with me. You look as if you haven't had a decent meal in months, I'll cook something up for you and your friends then get the hot tub up and going. You look quite stressed, I'm sure a good soak and the company of your loved one will help calm you down."
James went pale at the mention of his 'loved one'. "Er... Jessebelle's not there is she?" He asked while his hand slowly inched towards the car door handle, ready to jump back out if his evil fiancée was present.
"Jessebelle? What are you talking about, James? I'm right here!" Jessie scowled.
"Yeah, you should get your eyes checked." Meowth stated while giving his friend a look of concern.
"Oh no, Jessebelle is James' fiancée!" Sebastian revealed while looking back at the trio through the front mirror as he drove down the road. "Master James' parents set it up back when they were children, neither of their children have access to their inheritance or parent's funding until the marriage is official."
"So you're blackmailing James into marrying this Jessebelle broad?" Meowth questioned with a look of disgust while Jessie was fuming out venom at the prospect of James getting with another women.
"Oh no, not me! I could never do that to master James, I'm afraid that it's his parents doing... well them and Jessebelle, she's been searching everywhere for you James. She's constantly flying to your family homes throughout Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos in an attempt at tracking you down. It appears that she loves you dearly."
"Or the money..." Jessie snarled out.
"Eh..." James sweated with a fearful expression. "I wish that were the case, getting rid of her would be so much easier..."
"Arceus, a crazy broad is in love with you!" Meowth gasped out at the realization.
Jessie's eye violently twitched, her fists tightly clenched. "Well maybe we can scare this Jessebelle girl off?"
"Not likely, I tried. Even put soap bubbles around my precious Growlie's mouth and had him gently bite me in an attempt to make her run off but she chose to go after poor Growlie with a frying pan instead..." James sweated. "She even tried urging my parents to get rid of Growlie and that was the final straw, I planned on running away with Growlie and start a new life together but when I woke up he was nowhere to be found. I searched everywhere but there was no sign of him anywhere, eventually I had no choice but to run away without him. I'm pretty sure she killed him..." James frowned while tears began falling from his eyes.
The limo came to a sudden screech as Sebastian turned to look towards James. "Master James, Growlie isn't dead. Your parents did try getting rid of him but I know how much he meant to you so I snuck him back to my place and have been keeping a close watch on him ever since. When I said your 'loved one' was waiting for you, I didn't mean your fiancée it was Growlie!"
James eyes lit up as a large grin spread across his face. "You mean Growlie's here?!"
Sebastian gave James a light nod and smiled before starting the limo back up as he took a turn down a street full of large and luxurious buildings. The tallest was a large white manor with golden trims and gating with "Aether Manor" labeled across the gateway while further down the street was another manor that was significantly smaller than the Aether manor but still a decent size in comparison to a regular home. The outer walls were a lighter shade of blue while the roof had black plating, the manor gate soon opened up as a red import sports car came racing out.
"Hey I recognize that car, it's from one of those regions near Galar and Kalos!" Meowth exclaimed.
"That manor's new." James commented while giving it a look of interest.
"Quite so, Lady Lusamine gave a generous portion of her land off to Phoenix Industies in exchange for their help on a project. It's usually abandoned but I did hear that some urgent business forced Mister Phoenix back here, something about an escaped experimental Pokemon?"
"Escaped experimental Pokemon?! That sounds dangerous!" James exclaimed with a frightened tone.
"I hate to say it but James is right, should we really be here?" Jessie questioned while frantically glancing around as if she expected the experimental Pokemon to come charging towards them.
"Wobbu!" Wobbuffet shivered with fright.
"Oh I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Sebastian waved it off with a light laugh. "James you're too young to remember this but the Aether Paradise is miles away from Akala Island, you don't have to worry about it finding it's way here. In fact if you need reassurance, I happen to know that Lusamine's daughter is safely locked away inside Aether Manor while Mister Phoenix's son is within his manor. If they were in any danger they wouldn't just up and leave, I'll have you know that they truly love their kids and wouldn't risk harm coming to them."
"Huh, well when you put it like that it does sound reassuring." Meowth noted while looking towards a third manor that was coming up, one that was thrice the size of a standard house but not quite as big as the other two. "I-Is that your summer home?"
"Hm? Oh no, that is Growlie's dog house." Sebastian causally revealed while Jessie, Meowth and Wobbuffet's jaws dropped to the floor of the car.
"His dog house?!"
"Wobbu?!"
James sweated and uttered out a nervous chuckle before slowly pointing towards a larger building that laid beyond Growlie's dog house. "T-That is the summer home!"
"Wow!" Meowth and Jessie's eyes lit up as they saw the driveway full of sports cars while a large and luxurious looking fountain sat at the driveway's center.
"Bzzt! I can't believe this bozo's actually loaded!" The Rotom Phone chimed out from within James' pocket. Jessie scowled and quickly whipped the phone out of his pocket before holding it over the fountain in a threatening manner upon stepping out of the limo.
"I could just drop you in, you know."
"Jessie!" James quickly grabbed hold of her hand, preventing her from dropping their Rotom Phone. "You know how expensive those things are? If you drop that in there it could take us years to get a replacement! Besides the boss will be ticked if he can't get ahold of us..."
"Besides I'm pretty sure that it'd kill it, I mean I've never seen what happens if a device a Rotom is controlling gets blown up." Meowth spoke up.
Jessie scowled lightly before placing the Rotom Phone back into James' pocket. James meanwhile glanced around before whistling out. "Growlie!"
"Grow!" A delightful bark could be heard as a well groomed and healthy looking Growlithe came racing around the side of the manor showing that Sebastian had indeed been tending to Growlie's care. Growlie released a series of excited barks as he leaped into his beloved master's arms before licking his face. "Grow.."
James couldn't help but laugh out as he felt Growlie's tongue running across his face. "It's good to see you too, Growlie! I missed you..."
"Growlithe!" Growlithe barked while affectionately nuzzling against his trainer's face.
Jessie and Meowth smiled at the sight. "All of his Pokemon seem to adore him."
"Well you can't blame them, he seems even closer to his Pokemon than the twerps are with theirs!" Meowth exclaimed.
"This way, my good sirs." Sebastian beckoned towards the front door while holding it open for the trio.
Jessie couldn't help but smirk as she raised her head up. "Now this is more like it, about time I'm treated like royalty!"
"More like a royal pain..." Meowth muttered.
Wobbuffet covered his mouth as a light snicker escaped. "Wobbu..."
Fortunately for them Jessie didn't appear to hear as she quickly got distracted by a picture that sat on one of the manor's inner walls, the picture contained a woman that could easily be mistaken for Jessie herself as they looked nearly identical. The only difference being that the woman appeared to be quite well off from the way she dressed as she wore quite the luxurious looking dress one in which Jessie could see herself wearing if she could afford it. Her hairstyle was even eerily similar to that of Jessie's Contest persona 'Jessilina'.
"Is that your fiancée?" Jessie questioned while thumbing towards the painting.
"Arceus almighty, she looks just like you Jess!" Meowth gasped.
"Wobbu..."
James looked absolutely petrified as his gaze landed upon Jeesebelle's picture. Growlie let out an angry huff before firing out a small stream of fire from his mouth, burning the picture to ash. "Y-Yes, that's her..." James spoke with a shaken tone of voice.
Jessie frowned as she realized why James likely never put any effort into trying to form a relationship with her, it'd be extremely difficult to form a romantic relationship with somebody if they looked like their psychotic ex. Jessie glanced around the entryway and began to notice that there were quite a significant amount of Jessebelle pictures as there was at least one every foot or so. 'And they call me vain.' Jessie sourly thought to herself before glancing towards James with a look of concern as she saw him shaking in place, his eyes constantly darting about as they tried escaping Jessebelle's pictures. "Sebastian, how long exactly will it take you to cook up the meal?"
"An hour or two, why?" Sebastian questioned with a raised brow.
"I figure that James could use some fresh air," Jessie stated while wrapping her arm around James' to get his attention. "Maybe finding a Pokemon will help get his mind off of things." She motioned towards the pictures with her free hand.
"Huh? O-Oh!" Sebastian's eyes widened as he took note of Jessebelle's pictures. "Quite sorry about that, master James. Do go out and play with your friends, I'll lock these away in the closet for the duration of your stay. They're only on display to keep Jessebelle 'happy', I never imagined that you'd actually show up here. I'll put them all away and then get started on preparations right away. Growlie, why don't you join James? I'm sure that your company will calm him down."
"Grow!" Growlie barked out before nuzzling affectionately against James' leg. "Grow..."
James smiled at his beloved canine's action and reached down to give him an affectionate pat atop his head. "You always did know how to cheer me up, Growlie."
"Grow!"
James smiled once more before turning his attention back towards Jessie and Meowth. "Jessie's right, we can come back for the meal... it'd be nice eating a proper meal after all but we can't stay, I can't risk Jessebelle discovering I'm here. Besides if we stay too long, we'll lose sight of the twerps. We need to focus and get to work on capturing new Pokemon!"
"And capturing one for da boss too!" Meowth added on while pointing towards James' pocket. "He'll realize our phone's signal is in Alola sooner or later and start asking questions, best we have something ta show we weren't goofing off the whole time."
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet added on.
"That's right," Jessie began ushering James out the mansion's door while Meowth and Wobbuffet quickly followed. "I doubt Sebastian would know where to find Pokemon so I figure it best we track down a local and ask their opinion, especially as our Rotom Phone isn't all too reliable."
"Bzzt, I heard that!"
"A local?" Meowth shot a look around. He didn't want to go back onto the streets and risk coming across the angry villagers again so he tried identifying one of the grounds keepers of the manors or perhaps a tourist. His eyes soon took notice of quite the unusual sight as just down the road a younger boy could be seen climbing over one of the manor gates however rather than climbing into the yard, he was climbing out of it and didn't appear to be carrying any stolen goods either. A light blue and black blur whisked over the fence before a small jackal pup came into view, the pup held his arms up as if he were ready to catch his friend if he fell.
"Rio..."
"Hey that Pokemon looks just like the one that the blonde twerp was using against our twerp!" Meowth exclaimed.
"What an idiot. It's because that's the pre-evolved form of Lucario, a Riolu." The Rotom Phone spoke up with an annoyed tone. "It uses waves called aura to... yeah, not feeling like explaining it today. Goodnight, chumps!"
James sweated lightly while Jessie looked as if she was ready to smash the device against the ground though Rotom Phone was soon saved as their attention turned back towards the boy as he shouted out.
"Ahh!" His jacket appeared to have gotten caught at the fences tip causing the jacket's sleeve to tear open and expose his right arm as he came crashing towards the ground.
"Rio rio!" Riolu raced about with his paws outstretched as he prepared to catch his friend only to fail as he soon fell and faceplanted onto the sidewalk directly behind the jackal pup.
"Ow..."
"Rio..." Riolu sweated. His eyes shot a bright blue color as he swiftly looked his buddy over before uttering out a sigh of relief upon discovering that he was okay.
The boy groaned out as he slowly got up to his feet. "I'm okay Riolu, I just-Oh Arceus, she's going to kill me!" He exclaimed with a frightened expression, seeming far more concern over the jacket's state than the fall he'd just taken.
"Rio rio!" Riolu waved his paw as if to reassure him that it was okay however his attention soon diverted towards the now approaching trio and Wobbuffet. "Rio.." Riolu's eyes shot blue as he got into a combat stance before soon lightening his stance upon seeing that they meant no harm.
"Hello there!" Jessie waved to get the boy's attention.
"Hello-Er, Alola!" The boy awkwardly waved back with his right arm. Meowth's keen eyes were quick to take notice of what appeared to be a tattoo of a green serpentine dragon that spiraled around the boy's arm with the tail tip stopping a few inches away from his hands. Meowth tilted his head as he tried identifying the Pokemon but he wasn't about to place it. "Sorry about that, I just... forgot my keys." He sweated.
"But you were coming out of your home?" James spoke with a questioning tone as Riolu facepalmed.
The boy soon began to sweat as his gaze nervously looked to the side. "My father locked me in, okay?" He didn't even want to be there as he'd much rather be hanging out with May and spending time with her family like he did any other time his father disappeared on business trips, but her family was vacationing in Slateport for the weekend so Ezekiel didn't have any choice but to drag him along. While choosing to lock him up as to keep his presence a secret from Lusamine, knowing that she'd try setting him up with Lillie if she knew that he was there. Of course his son was in the dark about this and merely chose to break out to fulfill a promise that he had made. "I was sneaking out to buy a souvenir for a close friend of mine." He spoke with a certain tone while nervously rubbing his arm. "I sort of promised her that I'd bring something back for her."
"Sounds like you want to be more than just friends." Meowth commented with a sly smirk.
"Eh?" The boy formed a confused expression while Jessie and James turned to each other and shared a brief smirk as it reminded them of Ash and Chloe's friendship before they got together. "Of course she's more than just a friend, she's my best friend! Well one of them anyways."
"Rio!" Riolu facepalmed.
"Forget what I said." Meowth quickly waved it off with a shake of his paw before pointing towards the serpentine dragon. "So seeing how you're not afraid to be rebellious, I'm guessing you got a tattoo to impress a girl? What Dragon Pokemon is that if you don't mind me asking?"
"A tattoo? I'd never get one of those..." The boy frowned before realizing which arm was exposed. His eyes turned wide before he shyly made an attempt to block the dragon marking from view. "Oh that, that's a birthmark. I honestly have no idea what it's supposed to be but I actually did see it flying above me once." His tone suggested that he was telling the truth causing the trio to raise their eyebrows.
"That's an unusual birthmark." Jessie commented.
"Which is why I hide it, it brings too much attention..." The boy sweated while diverting his gaze from the trio. "Is there anything I can help you three with?"
"Well yes actually," Jessie spoke while fishing a picture of Salazzle from her pocket before showing it off to the boy. "This is a Salazzle, any idea where I can find one of those?"
The boy glanced towards the photo before sweating as he shook his head. "Sorry, this is my first time here so I wouldn't know... but that honestly looks like a Fire type, maybe it's in that volcano over there?" The boy pointed towards the distant horizon where a fairly large volcano could be seen causing the trio to sweat as they couldn't believe they hadn't noticed that earlier.
"Of course, if Salazzle's anywhere then it's bound ta be up there!" Meowth eagerly exclaimed.
"Wobbuffet!"
"...Hold up, did that Meowth just talk?" The boy asked, having calmed down enough to take notice of the talking Meowth. Jessie, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet all sweated before quickly bolting off.
"Well would you look at the time, we've got to get going. Thanks for the help!" They shouted out while disappearing over the horizon.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Rio..."
"What a weird bunch... well hopefully they find what they're looking for, though I doubt we'll find out as we'll likely never see them again." The boy laughed before heading in the opposite direction as he made his way towards the city. "I'm not sure what their accents were but they sure aren't from Hoenn or Sinnoh."
"Rio." Riolu couldn't help but smile as he nodded in agreement, the chances of them seeing the strange trio again was quite low!
"Arceus it's hot!" Jessie gasped out as they walked up the mountainside.
James looked back towards the ground before turning towards his partner. "Jess, we're still twenty feet away from the ground. It's only going to get hotter from here."
"Then send out Gyarados and have him cool us off with Hurricane!"
"R-Right," James nervously sweated while gripping at Gyarados' Pokeball. "Gyarados, help us cool off with Hurricane!"
"GYAAAA!" Gyarados uttered out an intimidating roar as he burst from his Pokeball. He was took a deep breath as he prepared to unleash the mighty wind upon them before suddenly jerking his head to the side as something got his attention. "Gyaaa..." Hearts filled his eyes as drool poured from his mouth.
"Wobbu..." Wobbuffet began drooling as well while Meowth facepalmed.
"I guess we've found a Salazzle... I can smell her pheromones a-and losing sense of control... Oooh Salazzle!" Hearts filled Meowth's eyes as he began to drool.
Jessie scowled as a Salazzle climbed down the mountainside above before leaping down, landing in front of the trio with an intimidating expression as she stuck out her long venomous tongue. "Salazz..."
"Gyarados return!" James fearfully cried out as he worried Gyarados might lash out and hurt somebody under Salazzle's orders.
"Grow..."
"Wobbu..."
"Salazzle..." Meowth gushed alongside the other male Pokemon.
"Salaz..." Salazzle flicked her tail towards Jessie and James as if to command the male Pokemon to attack them.
"Grow!"
"Wobbu!"
"Anything for you, love!"
"Oh please..." Jessie sighed out, she quickly grabbed Victreebel's ball from James' belt and shoved it into his hands before reaching for her own belt. "James, use Vine Whip to knock the guys back I'll handle Salazzle!"
"Right, Victreebel let's go-"
"Reeee!" Victreebel flew towards James before engulfing his head.
"No not me, go get them!" James frantically cried out while pointing towards the love sick Growlie, Wobbuffet and Meowth.
"Reee!" Victreebel knocked the three back with her lone vine.
"Lickilicky, use Rollout!" Although Lickilicky was a male, his Oblivious nature made him immune to Salazzle's pheromones.
"Lickilicky!" Lickilicky quickly curled out into a ball and rolled towards Salazzle before crushing her beneath his weight. Salazzle grunted out beneath Lickilicky before retaliating with a stream of fire. Lickilicky grunted out as he shot up into the air before promptly patting down his butt upon reaching the ground while flashing Salazzle a harsh glare.
"Slam!" Jessie shouted out.
"Lickilicky!" Lickilicky leaped high into the air before slamming towards the ground below, crushing Salazzle beneath his heavy belly!
"S-Salazzle!" Salazzle's eyes widened as she coughed and gasped out for air before going limp shortly afterwards as swirls filled her eyes. "Salaz..."
"Alright!" Jessie clenched her fists before hastily retrieving an empty Pokeball, the ball began enlarging as she pulled back her arm before giving the ball a good throw. The ball soared through the air before opening up as it approached the down Salazzle, engulfing the lizard in a beam of bright red light as she was absorbed into the Pokeball. The ball landed on the ground and began shaking back and forth before chiming out to announce the capture a success! "Alright, we just caught ourselves a Salazzle!" Jessie cackled out while James and Meowth, who had just returned to normal, clapped and cheered for their partner as she held Salazzle's ball above her head.
The group arrived at a nearby beach not long after the successful capture of Salazzle, giving themselves a chance to cool off while potentially opening themselves up to another capture. Their Pokemon rested peacefully alongside them as they laid on their backs and basked in the sunlight while uttering occasional sighs of relaxation. A pair of bright blue eyes rose from the ocean depths and watched the group from a safe distance before slowly closing in upon realizing they were distracted. The Pokemon soon began emerging from the water, revealing a blue octopus Pokemon that had quite the muscular looking tentacles.
"Grapp..." The octopus suddenly lashed out and grabbed hold of James as he was the closest, pulling him into a tight grasp before harshly squeezing him. "Grapp!"
"Ack!" James coughed out, his face began turning bright blue as he began losing oxygen.
"James!" Jessie and Meowth screamed out, the two were about to help their best friend but Growlie was quicker. The canine howled as it rushed past them and knocked Grapploct away with surprising strength before the two Pokemon disappeared beneath a dust cloud as vicious snarls and bites could be heard.
"That was Play Rough..." Meowth gasped while helping James back to his feet.
"James, are you okay?!" Jessie frantically exclaimed while looking him over. "I almost thought I'd-We'd lose you!"
"I-I'm alright, I-I'm quite used to being squeezed by Pokemon..." James breathed out before shooting an anxious glance towards the snarling. "Growlie!" Though as the dust cleared away, James would find that Growlie was quite alright as the canine stood atop Grapploct's defeated form while uttering out a victory howl.
"Groooo!"
"Just how strong is that Growlithe?" Meowth sweated.
"Er-Well..." James nervously scratched the back of his neck. "I sort of spoiled him with Rare Candy back when I could afford it."
"What?!" Jessie and Meowth gasped out before shooting their attention back towards Growlie.
"Just imagine if we had him this whole time, that twerp and twerpette's Pikachu and Eevee would have been ours!" Meowth shook his head.
"Let's not dwell on that thought, our secret weapon just helped us capture another Pokemon!" Jessie eagerly clapped her hands before motioning towards James. "Well then it's all yours, James!"
James nervously sweated at the thought of having a Pokemon that nearly killed him on his team but he wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to strengthen their roster. He pulled back his arm before giving an empty Pokeball a good throw. "Just what is that Pokemon anyways?"
"Grapploct the Jujitsu Pokemon, a body made up of nothing but muscle makes the grappling moves this Pokémon performs with its tentacles tremendously powerful. I must admit it's quite an impressive feat that you caught one." The Rotom Phone spoke up as the ball chimed out.
James nervously shook as he approached the ball before carefully placing it onto his belt. "T-There, we caught Grapploct!"
"And now that the two of you caught something, we ought ta find something for da boss!" Meowth exclaimed.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Stuff!" A pink panda cub uttered out a horrified shout as he raced through the forest, a large purple scorpion Pokemon lumbered after him. The poisonous scorpion was quite an unusual sight for the Alola region and based on the various scars that were present across his body, he'd definitely seen a lot of action over the years.
"Drapion!" The scorpion Pokemon cried out as it burrowed beneath the ground, disappearing from sight before his tail remerged directly behind Stufful. Drapion lashed out, striking Stufful's back with the poisonous tip of his tail causing the panda cub to cry out in agony as it collapsed to the ground. Stufful's cheeks turned a bright purple color as he laid against the forest floor, unable to move with the poison running through his veins.
A sinister cackle filled the air as a man not much older than Jessie and James stepped out from the nearby bushes. The man appeared to be just as scarred as his Pokemon as there were several scars visible across his face and neck with a fairly large scar going directly across his left eye, the color had left the affected eye indicating that he was half-blind though his good eye was a healthy shade of blue. The poacher had long platinum blonde hair and wore a tattered grey leather jacket along with green camo cargo pants and a pair of black hiker boots. The poacher flashed Stufful a mocking smirk while giving Drapion's back a light pat. "Thought that you could escape Pokemon Hunter A, did you? Well that isn't going to happen, some rich Kalosian is paying me big bucks for a Stufful hide purse and I intend on collecting!" The man cackled out while reaching for a knife that was hosteled within his belt. "Now say your prayers as you're about to meet our maker!"
"S-Stufful!" Stufful teared up and desperately cried out for his mother. Unfortunately his mother wasn't close enough to hear but someone else was, Meowth's ear twitched as he heard the baby Pokemon's cry and he was quick to race through the forest without further word.
"Meowth, where do you think you're going?!" Jessie called out as she pursued Meowth alongside James.
"He's never taken off like that before, I wonder if he heard something." James pondered.
"Wobbuffet..."
Meowth's claws turned a black-purple color as he activated Night Slash, the feline sped along the forest before leaping out to swipe at the poacher's dagger right as it was about to penetrate Stufful's neck!
"S-Stufful..." Stufful's eyes filled with adoration as he gazed towards his savior. "Stuff..."
"Hey you, killing a defenseless Pokemon like that ain't right!" Meowth hissed out.
"Gah!" Pokemon Hunter A held onto his arm as Meowth had drawn a bit of blood. "Y-You can talk...? What sort of Alolan witchcraft is this?"
"Nothing ta do with magic, I'm self taught!" Meowth exclaimed while spreading his arms as he stood protectively in front of Stufful. "Now leave this poor Stufful alone!"
"Yeah, leave the kid alone!" Jessie and James leaped beside their friend with Wobbuffet soon joining them as they stood defensively in front of Stufful. "We're not going to let you kill that Pokemon!"
"Wobbuffet!"
"...You're Team Rocket." Pokemon Hunter A's eyes lingered on the red R on Jessie and James' chest. "I suggest you clowns back off, your boss and I are on good terms with one another."
"Our boss?" Jessie, James and Meowth gave him a questionable look. Giovanni hated poaching so surely he wasn't telling the truth.
"Yeah, I've never seen his face but he wears a mask and has this mysterious air about him." Pokemon Hunter A responded while a smirk began to form upon seeing a look of familiarity flash across their faces. "See, I do know your boss so now will you kindly step aside?"
"That's not our boss!" James angrily shouted.
"Yeah that's the villainous traitor, the Masked Maniac!" Jessie shouted.
"He's a traitor and not part of our organization!" Meowth hissed. "His men tried to kill us!"
"Wobbuffet!"
"I see, well the offer still stands. If you four walk away right now, I won't be forced to make a mess of things..." Pokemon Hunter A threatened.
"Drapion..." Drapion snarled out.
"We aren't going anywhere!" Meowth shouted.
"Yeah, we're staying right here!" James shouted.
"You're not hurting that cub!"
"Wobbuffet!"
"So be it, Drapion use Cross Poison!"
"Drapi!" Drapion's pincers turned a bright purple color as he raised them into the air, preparing to strike the Rocket trio down!
"Salazzle use Attract!" Jessie shouted out.
"Grapploct use Octazooka!" James just picked a move at random as they didn't exactly know what Grapploct was capable of yet.
"Sala!" Salazzle performed a seductive pose causing Drapion to freeze in place as hearts filled his eyes.
"Drapion..."
"Grapp!" Grapploct fired off a black ball of ink which shot through the air and splattered across Drapion's face, obscuring his vision as the ink covered his eyes.
"Drapion..." The scorpion groaned out as he tried wiping away at his eyes, though now that he couldn't see his infatuation appeared to have disappeared.
"You don't need to see to unleash this move, Earthquake!"
"Drap!" Drapion slammed his foot against the ground causing it to violently shake before splintering apart beneath Salazzle and Grapploct.
"My turn, take this!" Meowth snarled out as he raked his glowing black-purple claws across Drapion's face causing the scorpion to cry out as Salazzle and Grapploct recovered.
"Salazzle use Flamethrower!" Jessie shouted out.
"Grapploct use Close Combat?" James ordered with a questioning tone.
"Sala!" Salazzle fired a powerful stream of fire towards Drapion causing him to cry out as the flames spread across his body. Grapploct sprang forward as the flames died out and began rapidly punching his opponent with his tentacles, Drapion grunted out as his head was repeatedly punched until he lost consciousness showing that Grapploct was quite the merciless fighter.
"Grapploct..." Grapploct crossed his tentacles and gave his opponent a look that seemed to say 'Stay down'.
Pokemon Hunter A's jaw dropped at the sight of the downed scorpion. "N-No, I can't lose... t-this is impossible, I-I've never lost before..."
"Well you should get used to it, we lose nearly every day. It's quite nice being on the opposite end of this actually!" Jessie beamed while James crouched down to offer Stufful a Pecha berry.
"Here you go little guy..."
"S-Stuff..." Stufful flashed James an appreciative look before weakly biting at the berry, the purple tint began to slowly fade away as he recovered from the poison.
"Well I've still got one card left, Metagross destroy them!"
"META!" A large intimidating blue metallic Pokemon burst out, his red eyes narrowed as he gave the Rocket trio a harsh look before preparing an attack as he clamped his legs together.
"W-What Pokemon is that?!" Jessie shrieked out.
"I-I haven't the slightest idea!" James screeched while throwing his arm around her as a terrified expression spread across his face.
"Meteor Mash!"
"META!"
"Beweee!" A large pink and black blur shot across the clearing followed by Metagross being launched across the field as a large muscular pink panda delivered a singular punch to the Hoenn Pokemon.
"Arceus... it's the mother!" Pokemon Hunter A hissed out. "I'd know that ticked off expression anywhere!"
"BEWEAR!" The panda spread her arms as she leered down at the poacher with an intimidating gaze, Metagross laid beside the poacher in an unconscious heap leaving the man quite defenseless.
The poacher slowly returned Metagross to his ball before raising his hands into the air. "Heh... I don't suppose we can chalk this off as a misunderstanding?"
"BEWEAR!" The panda screeched out before delivering a powerful punch to the poacher's stomach, the man's eyes widened as he had the air knocked out of him while his body skyrocketed into the air before disappearing over the horizon, seeming to go way further than the trio did whenever Pikachu zapped them. Jessie, James, Wobbuffet, Meowth, Growlie and Salazzle all huddled together and shook from fear as Bewear turned her gaze towards them. Grapploct however appeared to view Bewear as a rival.
"Grapploct..." The octopus punched at the air as he approached the panda.
"BEWEAR!" Bewear let out a screech as she held out her arms as if she were ready to crush Grapploct!
"Eeeek!" James hastily returned Grapploct to his Pokeball before shooting towards the forest's exit. "Let's get out of here!"
"Right!"
"Wobbu!"
"Sala!"
"Grow!" Team Rocket and their Pokemon raced out of the woods as fast at they could go. Bewear leered after them for a moment before turning her attention towards Stufful as the panda cup hopped back to his feet.
"Stuff!" The panda affectionately nuzzled against his mother's leg while relying the day's events to her. Bewear gazed down at Stufful for a moment before turning her gaze back towards Team Rocket as they scampered off. Her eyes went soft for a moment as a smile crossed her face.
"Bewear..."
"I can't believe we didn't find a single Pokemon to give to the boss!" Jessie frowned as the trio walked back onto the manor's grounds.
"It was either that or die, I quite prefer living..." James sweated.
"Yeah but da boss is going to be ticked if we don't get him a Pokemon soon." Meowth frowned.
"We could just take that kid's Riolu." Jessie pointed towards the boy from earlier who could be seen climbing back over the fence with a gift bag in hand, likely having found a gift to give to his 'friend'.
"Jess, are you insane? That is Cynthia's nephew, we don't need that kind of heat!" James hissed out. "Besides that kid's relationship with Riolu reminds me of mine and Growlie's, I couldn't do that."
"James is right, Cynthia would be on us before we even got back to Kanto." Meowth shook his head. "Besides that Riolu's just a pup, we need something that'll really knock the boss's socks off. But what?"
"I think that's a question that'll have to wait for later." James sweated as he opened the manor's door causing the alluring aroma of steak to come whooshing out towards them. "Looks like the food is ready."
Growlie gave the air a sniff before uttering out a cautious growl.
"Oh relax Growlie, I'm sure that there'll be enough to share some with you!" James gave his friend a pat before stepping foot into the house. "Sebastian, we're back!" He called out as Jessie, Meowth, Wobbuffet and Growlie followed him into the manor.
"Jameson?!" A snobbish voice could be heard causing James to tense up as his face turned a pale color.
"J-Jessebelle!" He shrieked out.
"The crazy chick?! Let's bail!" Meowth turned around only to find the doorway blocked by a duo of Machamp that crackled their knuckles while giving the trio intimidating stares. Meowth quickly backed away from them while Jessie turned to snarl at Jessebelle.
"Look you spoiled brat, James isn't your property! You can't just force us to stay here, we're full grown adults!"
"I know and that means James and I can finally get married!" Jessebelle clasped her hands together while casting a dreamy look towards James as he shivered from displeasure. "All that money will soon be ours James..."
"All of it? What do you mean by that...?" James questioned with a light tilt of his head though he wouldn't receive an answer as blue-green powder fell down from the ceiling causing Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet and Growlie to hit the floor as exhaustion hit, the group began snoring heavily while Sebastian entered the room with a guilt ridden expression.
"Sorry master James, I didn't have a choice..."
"Shut up!" Jessebelle snapped while pointing towards the unconscious Rocket trio. "Now help my dear Machamp carry them down to the basement, we must begin preparations immediately."
"Yes, mistress Jessebelle." Sebastian sighed out as he made his way towards Growlie and Meowth before hoisting them into his grasp.
"Huh? W-What? W-Where am I...? W-Why is it so bright and... pink?" James looked down before uttering out a terrified shriek as he found himself wearing a tuxedo. He tried ripping it off but soon found himself constrained by a series of vines that belonged to a Vileplume, likely the culprit responsible for the Sleep Powder attack. "N-No no no!" James uttered out a terrified shout as wedding music began to play. "Get me out of here!"
"James!" Jessie burst free from her bonds but a Machamp quickly pinned her down.
"U-Ugh, I can't move my claws!" Meowth hissed out as he struggled with his own bondage.
"Mmmmph!" Wobbuffet's mouth had been taped shut in addition to having the same bondage as Meowth and Jessie.
"Grooo!" Growlie howled out in sorrow as he found himself locked in a fire proof cage.
Jessebelle clasped her arms together as she walked down the bright pink colored wedding aisle, a large smile spread across her face as she gushed out. "Oh James it's just how I always imagined our wedding, all of our closest friends gathered together to see the union of our love!"
"You dreamed of this?! Lady you are one sick freak!" Meowth hissed out.
"You may have me here but I'll never say 'I do' to you. I hate you, Jessebelle." James huffed as he turned his head away only to find it moving back towards Jessebelle on it's own as his fiancée flashed him a sadistic grin.
"Oh I know, that's why I bought a Psychic type!"
"Bruxish!" A rather ugly fish Pokemon floated alongside her leg while smirking up towards James with an equally sadistic look.
"Eeee!"
"Dearly beloved-" A priest spoke up with a nervous tone, showing that he clearly didn't want to do this and it was likely that Jessebelle was threatening him in some manner.
"Let's cut to the part where we say 'I do'." Jessebelle smirked. "I do."
James began nervously sweating as the priest turned towards James. "James, do you take Jessebelle as your wife? Promise to-"
"Heck no!" James shouted out before grunting as Bruxish fought to control his mind, James closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he tried resisting Bruxish's control but found himself growing weaker by the second.
"Come on James, you can do it! Fight it then kick her ass for me!" Jessie shouted out.
"You can do it, James!" Meowth shouted out.
"Mmmph!" Wobbuffet groaned.
"Groow!"
"N-No... I-NO! I d-NO! I d-d-d-" James clearly lost the battle but before he could say the proper words a loud crash could be heard as Bewear crash landed into the basement.
"BEWEAR!" The pink panda delivered a swift punch to Bruxish, knocking the Psychic type out before turning her attention towards the Machamp as they raced towards her. With a single punch she knocked one back causing him to fly into the other before both landed upon the basement floor in a defeated slump, swirls filled their eyes as they groaned out.
"Sleep Pow-" Jessebelle shouted only for it to be in vain as Vileplume seemed to know it was pointless and chose to flee rather than face the powerful creature that stood before her!
"BEWEAR!" Bewear spread out her arms and roared out causing Jessebelle to close her eyes and scream out as she feared being eaten alive. However when her eyes opened a few seconds later, she'd find that Bewear had left along with James, Jessie, Meowth, Growlie and Wobbuffet all of whom were currently within the panda's arms as she raced across the island at mach speed before delivering them to the safety of her den. "Bewear..." Bewear gave Stufful a fond look before turning to the Rocket trio with an affectionate look. "Bewear..."
"S-She says she wants to thank us for saving her cub's life, she's rewarding us with a feast!" Meowth gasped out as Bewear motioned towards a massive pile of berries.
"Bewear!" Bewear spread out her arms once more before pulling them all into a tight hug.
"A-And she wants to make us part of her sleuth!"
"Sleuth? Like a detective?" Jessie questioned.
"I believe he means sleuth as in a group of bears..." James sweated. "Look Bewear we're honored but we're already part of a family."
"Bewear..." Bewear wasn't going to take no for an answer as she promptly stuffed her paw into a jar of honey before pulling out to shove her honey covered fist into James' mouth, effectively shutting him up as his mouth filled with honey.
"Mmm..."
"Why refuse a terrifyingly powerful bear's offer? She could eat us if we ticked her off." Meowth sweated.
"Yeah, I say we take her up on the offer but sneak off overnight. Give us enough time to plan our escape back to Kanto."
"Right." James, Wobbuffet and Meowth nodded in agreement while Growlie silently watched James with a look of interest.
"Grow..."
"Huh?" James turned back towards Growlie as he heard his best friend whimper. "Something wrong, Growlie?" Growlie rested his head on his master's knee while looking up at him with a pleading expression as if to say he didn't want to lose James again. James frowned as he scratched Growlie behind the ears before snapping his fingers as he reached deep into his pocket before withdrawing an older and slightly worn Pokeball. "I still have your old ball on me, what do you say chum? Wanna ditch the luxury life and travel with me across the world?"
"Grooow!" Growlie leaped into his master's arms before affectionately licking his cheek. James laughed out before giving Growlie's head a light tap with the Pokeball to see if the ball still worked, Growlie was soon engulfed by a bright red beam as he returned to the ball. The ball shook within James' hand, showing that Growlie was excited to see the world with his trainer.
James closed his eyes and smiled as he was thankful to be reunited with his old friend.
"Freeze, international police!" Several police officers raced into the basement as Bewear stood in front of Jessebelle. Bewear took one look at the police officers before scooping the Rocket trio, Wobbuffet and Growlie into her arms.
"Bewear!" She roared out before blasting through the roof, disappearing from view as she raced back home.
"What the..." One of the officer's gasped out.
"That's going to be hard to explain on the papers."
"We'll just leave that part out of the papers, rookie. We'll be excused of taking stuff we ain't using if we try describing that."
"James!" Jessebelle screamed out, tears flowing from her eyes before she found herself being handcuffed by an officer.
"Jessebelle, you're under arrest for kidnapping and attempting to force somebody into a marriage with Psychic manipulation. That is a serious offense young lady, you'll be going away for life!"
"What?! No, you can't do this to me! Don't you know who I am?!" Jessebelle shrieked out.
"A deranged lunatic that'll never appear again?" One of the officers remarked with a light smirk.
Sebastian soon revealed himself from behind the officers. "I trust all is well, my lady?"
"You! You set me up didn't you?!"
"I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about." Sebastian turned away to hide a smirk.
"You'll pay for this!" Jessebelle snarled out. "When my lawyers hear-"
"You mean the lawyers that James' parents paid for? Your engagement is null and void now that you are a common criminal and with both of them no longer of this world, bless their souls, that leaves James in complete control of the family wealth. You won't see a dime of it without his permission!"
"Blimey, that is one lucky son of a gun... does he know that he's rich now?" An officer asked.
Sebastian shook his head before gazing off towards the distance with a warm smile. "No but I'm sure that I'll be able to tell him about it someday."
Bewear awoke the following morning to find Team Rocket had vanished, she looked around the cave before whisking across the island in search of them but to no avail as they appeared to have vanished without a trace. Stufful gazed up at his mother and cried out, stating that he missed them.
"Bewear..." Bewear nodded in agreement and wished to track them down but she didn't have the slightest idea where to start, that is until she caught sight of Jessie's 'Jessilina' persona in a rerun of the Grand Festival on the television that sat within her den. Fire flared within Bewear's eyes as she realized what region her newfound family was in. "BEWEAR!" The panda punched at the air with newfound resolve as she swore to follow them to the end's of the earth until they accepted her as part of their family.
"Stuff!" Stufful clapped his paws together before leaping onto his mother's shoulders as Bewear took off, racing across the ocean surface as she made her way towards the distant region of Kanto.
Happy 25th anniversary, Team Rocket! :)
Team Rocket won't be around for the first bit of the Orange Islands so this is basically what they're doing while Ash is off doing his own thing.