As Team Rocket finished up their breakfast in the café located in the nook off the lobby, Jessie spoke excitedly over the murmur of other hotel guests and clinking silverware, gesturing to her printed schedule as she did so. "…I figure around noon or so we can take a quick lunch break, and then it's back to work on our freestyle performance! If we can spare time for a break around three I suppose we can squeeze one in, but then it's practice, practice, practice until dinner back here at the hotel at seven!"
Wobbuffet and Gourgeist, who normally regarded their trainer with reverence if not all-out awe, were paling a bit at the demanding schedule Jessie was laying before them, exchanging wary glances. Meowth, on the other hand, had no qualms against voicing his grievances.
"You tryin' to wear us so thin we'll snap?" he protested.
"Did I or did I not just say that I was willing to schedule in a break?" Jessie shot back. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were just planning to lounge around all day! There's no time for dicking around! We have to win this one!"
James, meanwhile, handed his last croissant to Inkay, who gobbled it up eagerly. While his newfound intimacy with Jessie was more marvelous than he'd ever dared to imagine, at times like this he was happy to stay back and just observe her as a detached outsider. After all, he quite liked the view… she was at her most determined and fiery at the moment, and while it did scare him a bit, this was also the Jessie that he knew and loved so well. And Jessie was never sexier than she was when she had her mind so thoroughly made up on her next course of action towards personal fulfillment— and of course, that Jessie was often best (and most safely) enjoyed from a distance.
"We can't win if you literally woik us to death!" Meowth countered grumpily.
"You know I will be rehearsing right along with you, right?" Jessie asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm asking no more of you than what I expect of me!"
"Expect a little less outta you, then!"
Wanting to defuse the impending blowup between his two companions (or at least delay it to when they had already left, keeping him safely away), James piped up quickly, "Jessie, dear, when did you say you'd be returning again?"
Jessie turned her attentions to James, chirping cheerfully, "Dinnertime. Seven o'clock. It'll be held in the ballroom, all participants and their guests are invited, and my understanding is that there'll be a dance and a DJ afterwards. They pull out all the stops for us here, don't they?"
"That's quite a long time you'll be gone. What about lunch?"
"Lunch isn't really indicated on the schedule. Actually, nothing is between now and dinnertime. I suppose we're all on our own for lunch." Jessie shrugged lightly. "If I see you around then we can have that meal together too, but don't wait up for us."
"Oh," said James casually, trying to hide his disappointment.
"Aw, poor James," Meowth teased, a bite in his voice. "Having to hang around all day with nothing to ease his boredom but spas, pools, salons, gift shops, fine dining establishments…"
"We are not here for a vacation!" Jessie snapped at him. "Now have you finished eating so we can get started?"
"I suppose so," Meowth sighed, moving his paws so that Jessie could collect his plate. She gathered his and her Pokémon's trash so fast that Wobbuffet had to scramble to shove another bite of crepes into his mouth.
"Wob-wobba," he said sadly as Jessie was already halfway to the trash receptacles.
"Gee, Wobbuffet, you look almost as downcast as James," said Meowth. He looked at James and smirked. "Whatever will he do without his sweet honey-boo around?"
"…what did you call her?" James asked, blinking, his mouth contorting into befuddled shock. "Honey-boo?"
Meowth just laughed. Wobbuffet, Gourgeist, and Inkay all exchanged knowing smiles as well, and the realization as to why crashed into James like a charging tauros.
And Jessie, who hadn't taken her time dumping the remains of breakfast in the trash, had returned with ample time to witness and discover what Meowth had done, too. "Meowth! Did you tell them about us?"
"You're objecting to that over him calling you a honey-boo?" James asked, surprised.
"You think I was gonna keep quiet about something like this?" Meowth laughed. "Of course I told them! And why shouldn't I? It's a bit of info that's important to all of us as a whole, ain't it?"
"True… and this isn't exactly something we can hide, not from our Pokémon, at least," James admitted.
"Well then," huffed Jessie, "I suppose since everything's out in the open and there's no secrets between any of us, I can bid farewell to James in the most over-the-top way possible." She strolled over to him, yanked him up out of his chair, and smothered him in a crushing, exaggerated kiss.
"I really should know better than to encourage her," sighed Meowth. Inkay, Gourgeist, and Wobbuffet, too busy staring at the spectacle with emotions running the gamut from astonished to approving, said nothing.
"Try to not get too bored without me, dear," Jessie said equably, pulling away from James and straightening his collar.
"Try to not get too carried away with your routine," James quipped back.
"Me? Carried away?" Jessie laughed haughtily. "Everyone else will be carried away when they witness me—carried away with jealousy! Wobbuffet! Gourgeist! Meowth! Let's go!" She twirled on one heel and snapped her fingers, motioning for her co-performers to follow.
"Ya don't gotta snap," Meowth grumbled. He trailed a bit behind Wobbuffet and Gourgeist, who were obediently if still a bit apprehensively following Jessie to begin what would surely be a grueling day of preparation.
"I'll see you at dinner, then!" James called after them as they disappeared out of the main hotel doors. Inkay floated near his ear with a cheeky smile.
"In-kaaaaay," he said with a smirk.
"Oh, wipe that smile off of your face," said James, sounding about as threatening as a docile skitty. "I don't know what Meowth told you, but I assure you that the reality is hardly interesting or important."
"Inkay," said Inkay skeptically.
James sighed. "Yes, I am a bad liar, aren't I? Come on. We should decide how we're going to spend our day to ourselves."
Inkay brightened. "Inkay!"
…
"Is everyone in place?" Jessie called out.
"Yep, just like the last eighteen times!" Meowth answered, annoyed.
"Practice makes perfect!" Jessie shrieked in response.
"Yeah, whatever. Why do I gotta be the one to throw the glitter, again?"
"Because you don't have the moves that Wobbuffet and Gourgeist do. Now shut up!" Jessie looked upon the outdoor practice field with determination, where Wobbuffet waited patiently about ten yards ahead of her and Gourgeist hovered above him. She couldn't see Meowth, but knew he was a little further past Wobbuffet. "On my count… one… two… THREE!"
As gracefully and quickly as she could, Jessie pranced her way to Wobbuffet, grabbing him and flinging him in the air. "Wobbuffet!" he called out jubilantly.
"Now seed bomb, Gourgeist—and counter, Wobbuffet!" Jessie instructed.
"Gour-GEIST!" Gourgeist shrieked, the seeds shooting out from her rapid-fire.
Wobbuffet, meanwhile, had reached his apex in the air at just the right time. His body glowed in anticipation just before Gourgeist's seed bomb reached him. The attack bounced off him, hurtling back through the air like a canopy over Jessie and Meowth, who had reached her and clamored on top of her head. As the seeds fell, Jessie twirled below them as Meowth tossed pawfuls of glitter towards the seeds, creating a sparkling shower. Gourgeist reached Wobbuffet and grabbed him before he fell back down to the ground, spinning him in the air as well. The glitter bounded off of him just as the seeds had.
"Now, leech seed staircase!" Jessie exclaimed.
Very carefully, Gourgeist released Wobbuffet behind her just as Meowth pushed himself off of Jessie's shoulder. The trajectory of the path this time, unlike the other eighteen times, was perfect, and Wobbuffet was able to grab Meowth flawlessly and softly land back on the ground. Meanwhile, Gourgeist shot out more seeds, having to accurately aim and place them into a block staircase in front of Jessie. The attempt appeared to start successfully, and Jessie, triumphant, began to ascend with her arms outstretched.
This was further than their previous attempts had gotten, and Gourgeist was so excited at how everything was coming together that she momentarily forgot to continue planting seeds for Jessie's staircase, too busy happily watching her—and thus got to witness the full shock and blunder as Jessie took one step too far and, with a shriek, tumbled down. Horrified, Gourgeist frantically tried to rectify her mistake by producing and firing off another seed building block, but as both the structure and Jessie were in the midst of collapsing to the ground, all it did was hit Jessie square in the face. Meowth and Wobbuffet ran to the rescue—and only served to cushion Jessie's fall, as she landed on Wobbuffet, who in turn landed on Meowth.
It was a desperate and apologetic Gourgeist who zoomed back down to the ground to help her trainer. "Gourgeist gourgeist!" she cried wretchedly, extending a limb to help Jessie back on her feet.
"Dammit," Jessie grumbled as she hoisted herself up with Gourgeist's help, although her curse was not directed at her Pokémon.
"Wobbuffettttttttt," groaned Wobbuffet, struggling to get upright himself.
"Ouch," Meowth squeaked brokenly from underneath Wobbuffet.
"I know I'm distracting, Gourgeist, but try to keep your focus on the performance!" Jessie groused, with a sigh that was more weary than angry.
"Gourgeist," Gourgeist said apologetically.
"Man, you know we've been at this forever—you're too tired to even be angry," Meowth commented, rubbing a sore limb as Wobbuffet finally pushed himself off the ground and erect.
"I'm not tired. Nowhere near tired." Blazing eyes and a confident smirk helped back up that statement. "But… well, even if that hadn't happened, I still haven't figured out what to do after that." She plopped down on the ground, resting her chin in her palms. "We need something exciting. Something new. Something grand. Something that'll stand out and ensure our place as the crowd's favorite."
"Which would be…"
Jessie sighed. "That's the problem. I don't know. I keep drawing up blanks." She looked towards Meowth and her Pokémon. "Do any of you have ideas?"
"Er… not particularly," Meowth admitted, as Gourgeist and Wobbuffet exchanged a hapless look. "I'm sure the four of us together can think of somethin', though!"
"You three can put your heads together. I think better in solitude." Jessie stood up and pointedly made her way over to a bench on the sidelines.
Meowth sighed. "Whatever. We can think up a positively poifect ending without her. Maybe we could use actual bombs!"
"Gourgeist!" Gourgeist looked a bit aghast.
"Aw, ya weenie. It wouldn't be that dangerous. Besides, have you got any better ideas?"
"Gourgeist… gourgeist-geist."
"Now that's just stupid."
"Gourgeist!" Now Gourgeist just sounded offended.
"Don't gimme that! I'm putting my foot down on any formations involving hearts! Especially since glitter's already involved! C'mon, Wobbuffet, back me up here!"
Silence. Both Meowth and Gourgeist turned their heads to the left… and to the right… but no matter where they looked, Wobbuffet was nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, cheese and crackers!" Meowth spluttered, Gourgeist letting out something sounding like a mild curse as well. "Wobbuffet! Where are you?!"
"Gourgeist!" Gourgeist called, floating up in the air to get a better look.
But Wobbuffet had already made considerable distance away from the group, dead set in following the shiny caterpie that had crawled in front of him just after Jessie had left them to think up a routine. The yellow caterpie seemed to be moving so intently towards its unknown destination that Wobbuffet felt absolutely compelled to follow it and learn just where it was so keen on reaching, Jessie and the performance rehearsal blotted out of his consciousness. It scurried along at a surprisingly rapid pace, and Wobbuffet had to hustle to keep up. The caterpie turned and locked eyes for a moment with Wobbuffet, apparently aware it was being followed and wanting to make sure its tracker was keeping up. Wobbuffet stumbled after it, nearly tripping over his tail in the process.
Hovering above, Gourgeist finally spotted Wobbuffet, who to her horror was not only making a beeline away from them, but away from the Ocean Paradise resort area entirely. Panic clouding her senses, she didn't think to alert either Meowth or Jessie to Wobbuffet's current location, instead giving a shriek and zipping after him, her only thought grabbing him and bringing him back.
Meanwhile, on the practice field, Meowth gripped his head in alarm and continued to rapidly look back and forth for his missing teammate for only a few moments before doing what Gourgeist had failed to do: "Jessie! Jessie! We gotta problem here!"
"Would you stop yelling, I'm trying to think!" Jessie spat out, snapping around to face Meowth. Her anger quickly evaporated when she realized he was the only Pokémon she was addressing. "Meowth… where are—"
"That's what I'm tryin' ta tell ya, Wobbuffet's missing!"
"Wobbuffet—and what about Gourgeist?"
"She—" Meowth again frantically examined the area around him, his expression falling to an even more flustered and anxious one, if that was even possible. "She was just here with me, I swear!"
"Shit!" hissed Jessie, leaping to her feet. "Shit shit shit shit shit!"
"Can ya not do that, you're makin' my ears bleed—"
"Shut up and help me find them!" Jessie snatched Meowth by the arm and flew down the practice field, leaving him no room for any further complaints.
…
The shiny caterpie was a fast little Pokémon, and it had already made its way to a confident perch on a branch at the Vigroux City docks before stopping again to glance at Wobbuffet, still in vigorous pursuit.
"Wobba…" Wobbuffet had to stop for a moment, not only to catch his breath, but to gaze in awe at where he had ended up. Vigroux City was more than just a tourist locale; it was also a port. Mix the two together, and you've got a prime cruise destination. The cruise ship currently docked was grand in scale, towering above Wobbuffet like a mountain. The tourists mulling about the dock looked like miniscule insects in comparison. He froze in place, and so did the caterpie, both daunted and in awe.
And then the caterpie leapt off its perch, apparently deciding that it was due for a cruise. It inched its way down the slope and to the dock. Wobbuffet jolted out of his torpor and resumed the chase, with a demanding call of "Wobbuf-fet!" in an attempt to get the small bug Pokémon to slow down.
This call did nothing to alter the caterpie's speed or intended destination, but it did alert Gourgeist, still frantically searching for Wobbuffet from the air, to his presence. She, too, was momentarily a bit taken aback by the imposing ship, screeching to a halt mid-air with a tiny squeak of "Gourgeist!" exhaled from her lungs like a contracting squeezebox. A flash of blue on the ground shot straight to her brain and pushed her forward, and she gave a little shriek of anxious annoyance as the reminder of her mission flooded her focus again.
The shiny caterpie had made it to the hull of the ship and was crawling up on a stabilizing rope inconspicuously. Catching up, Wobbuffet flung himself at the same mooring rope with a loud, brash cry of "Wobbuffet!", making him considerably less conspicuous than his prey. Blind to the questioning stares of onlookers at the bizarre sight, Wobbuffet hoisted himself up on the rope and awkwardly tried to follow, although weak arms and even weaker legs made the attempt mostly fruitless, and completely pathetic. The caterpie had more than enough time to ascend the rope… and Gourgeist had more than enough time to finally catch up to Wobbuffet.
Her accusing shriek was ear-piercing, and Wobbuffet gave a rare flush of shame as she reminded him of where he was supposed to be and what the bleep did he think he was doing, anyway? And Wobbuffet struggled to get a word in—an even rarer struggle for him—as he tried desperately to explain just how captivatingly remarkable that caterpie was, that the drive to follow it was more a compulsion than a choice, if she had seen it herself she'd understand—and Gourgeist shrieked again in frustration, nearly breaking his eardrums, so much that the ship's horn blasting was muted in comparison.
But the slow lurch of the ship and the loosening of the mooring rope from the dock got through crystal clear.
Wobbuffet, still clutching the rope that was now only attached to a moving ship (yes, a ship that was moving slowly, but still moving away from land), and Gourgeist, still hovering near him, stared at each other in dread, mouths agape, for a good ten seconds.
Wobbuffet then looked down at the water that was now underneath him, and at the rope that was still in his grasp, and concluded that as unskilled he was at rope climbing, he was apt to be even less successful at swimming.
And so, with a squeaky yelp of "Wobbuffet!", he chose to remove himself from the threat of the ocean in the only way he could at the moment—by awkwardly yet quickly shimmying up the rope as fast as his mitts could take him.
"Gourgeist!" Gourgeist shrieked, trying to stop him. Wobbuffet would have none of it. Fear of a watery plummet gave him a momentary burst of competence as he hustled up the rope and hoisted himself over the ledge of the ship's promenade deck as if he'd been rope climbing his entire life. A furious Gourgeist was right behind him.
And back on land, Jessie had torn her way through the numerous tourist kiosks and food vendors dotted along the boardwalk with only just enough time to witness her Pokémon disappearing behind the ship's railing.
She screamed like a banshee and took off again, sprinting down towards the dock and the departing ship, still with a death-grip on Meowth who flapped and fluttered behind her running form like a windsock.
"I don't know what you just saw, but please don't let go of me!" Meowth begged, his words nearly lost in the rush.
"I—cannot—BELIEVE—those two!" Her voice sounded as if it could slice through steel.
"Can you just tell me what's going oooOOOOOONNNNNN!"
Meowth's question was cut short in the worst possible way as Jessie took a flying leap at another rope dangling off the ship. She gathered the rope in her free hand and flung the arm that Meowth was attached to around the rope tightly, and upon seeing where they had ended up and how precarious their current situation was, it was Meowth's turn to let out a scream.
"Hold on to my arm! I need two hands to do this!"
"Jessie, are you out of your mind?!"
"Wobbuffet and Gourgeist are on this ship! I have no clue WHY they're on this ship, but we're going to find them and we're going to find out! Now hold on!"
Meowth desperately wrapped his limbs around Jessie's arm, freeing her other hand to grab onto the rope and stabilize herself. "It'd better be a pretty stinkin' good reason to make you put me through all this—but I doubt it!"
Jessie scaled the rope expertly, even despite the fact that she was in her cocktail dress and high heels, and also that she was being guided more by rage than rationality. "There is no reason in the world good enough for them to ditch rehearsal—and me!—like this! After all of this there had better damn well be sheets of gold on this ship—and if there isn't, heads will roll!"
"My head ain't involved in this kerfuffle, just a friendly reminder!"
Jessie snapped her head in Meowth's direction, eyes blazing. "You're the one who let them wander off in the FIRST place!"
"Lay off!" Meowth snapped back. "They're your Pokémon, not mine! Which means they're your responsibility!"
"They're your responsibility now because if I don't find them SOMEONE is going to have to answer to me!" Jessie had reached the top of the rope and swung herself over the railing and onto the deck. Meowth continued to cling to her arm, still terrified, but probably now less of their perilous situation and more just of Jessie herself. "They could be anywhere on this ship by now. We've got to search for them!"
"Split up?" Meowth suggested, trying to unlock his limbs and release his hold on her arm, although terror was obviously still pumping through his veins and holding him in place.
"NO! This ship is far too big—it's going to hard enough to find Wobbuffet and Gourgeist, and I don't want to have to spend half the day trying to find you again, too!"
"Good thinking—but where are we even gonna start looking?"
"Anywhere—everywhere! Come on!" Jessie took off again down the deck, before Meowth had a chance to fully pry himself away from her—and probably for the best, as she was once again blazing a path like a fearow on speed.
"Why me?" Meowth groaned, bracing himself for yet another rough, insane ride.
…
Unbeknownst to Jessie, Wobbuffet and Gourgeist were quite some distance away from her. They had made their ascent on the port side of the ship, while Jessie and Meowth had climbed up a loose rope on the starboard side. Wobbuffet was moving as fast as he could, trying to catch a glimpse of the shiny caterpie that had kicked off this whole mess in an attempt, however feeble, to vindicate himself to Gourgeist, but said bug Pokémon seemed to have completely vanished. Wobbuffet braced himself for a chewing-out by his companion, but Gourgeist's anger had run its course quickly. While still clearly annoyed with him, Gourgeist now seemed a bit in awe of and distracted by their new locale, gazing up at the top deck of the ship where hundreds of passengers were already swimming, tanning, or enjoying drinks at the bar. And the scent of the food from the snack shack adjacent to the pool was wafting its way down to the two wayward Pokémon, and it smelled so delectable that soon Wobbuffet had forgotten all about the shiny caterpie, and Gourgeist had forgotten all about their rehearsal.
Wobbuffet suggested to Gourgeist that they grab a bite to eat, and Gourgeist was in enthusiastic agreement. She examined the flow of passengers, both on their deck and from what she could see on the decks above them, and noted that that they were both arriving and leaving through somewhere in the center of the ship. Motioning for Wobbuffet to follow her, she weaved her way through the excited cruise goers, Wobbuffet dutifully trailing her. As they moved closer and closer to the center, they spotted a row of three elevators.
Exclaiming jubilantly at their discovery, they rushed the rest of the way, Wobbuffet practically smacking the up arrow button. As they awaited the elevator, he and Gourgeist eagerly discussed how amazing the food smelled and how good it was going to taste, especially after that scrumptious breakfast in the hotel lobby area that morning and the gourmet specialty Pokémon food that they had dined on last night (both sharing an approving laugh at the memory of Meowth confidently declaring that "this food is too good for the likes of humans!"). The center elevator dinged and the doors opened, and after letting a ship's officer step out, Wobbuffet and Gourgeist jumped in.
"Wobbuffet?" Wobbuffet asked, not knowing which button to push.
"Gour… geist…" Gourgeist breathed, not looking at Wobbuffet or any of the buttons. Instead, she was looking at the poster on the wall of the elevator cab… advertising the buffet on level nine. The poster was almost overflowing with images of entrees, pastries, salads, desserts, and grill options. Pokémon rarely drooled, but Gourgeist had a puddle forming in her mouth as she gaped, slack-jawed, at the picture.
Wobbuffet, curious, turned his attentions to the poster, and almost immediately assumed the same posture and expression as Gourgeist. "Wobb… wobba…"
The two Pokémon looked at each other for a few moments.
And then both nodded in understanding.
Wobbuffet slapped the "9" button on the elevator with conviction.