"Okay, so lemme lay this out for you—there's eleven levels on this floating resort, this ship's as big as a wailord—so tell me, again, how you expect to find two relatively small Pokémon on board?!"

Jessie glared at Meowth with eyes like daggers. "Are you suggesting that I just give up and leave my Pokémon onboard and never see them again?"

Meowth sighed. "No, you drama queen—I'm suggesting that we have some sort of plan in place to avoid this whole debacle toinin' into a wild goose chase!"

"I know Wobbuffet and Gourgeist like the back of my hand," Jessie said confidently. "We'll find them. And they're going to wish I'd never found them," she added darkly.

Meowth looked back and forth at the cheerful tourists shuffling about them, their minds only on the start of their happy voyage. "Okay, and then what? I ain't exactly sure how you plan on getting all of us off a cruise ship."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Jessie groused. Plowing her way through the passengers (Meowth still clinging desperately to her forearm), she spun her head back and forth, looking for her two runaway Pokémon, the conflicting desires of wanting to find them safe and wanting to harangue them until she was blue in the face meeting in a strange, unexpected harmony in her consciousness.

How could her loyal Pokémon abandon her like this? They had seemed so dedicated to her that Jessie would have never imagined they'd leave her high and dry. A desperate recess of her mind still clung to the hope that there was something valuable onboard that they had been pursuing, but the nagging suspicion that she had pushed them too far during practice refused to silence itself. Had they finally snapped, decided that her mood swings weren't worth it? It was maddening and painful to ponder. After all, both James and Meowth were free to choose anything or anyone else at the end of the day, and yet she could never question their devotion, especially after the surprising events of the last few days had unfolded. She shouldn't have ever had reason to question the devotion of her Pokémon, either… after all, Jessie was their trainer. Their devotion to her should have been unconditional. Were her methods so alienating that she had managed to push away her own Pokémon, beings who normally would have followed her into the depths of hell itself? Was that why they had abandoned her so readily, why they had left her up shit creek without a paddle? Were James and Meowth next?

Jessie didn't want to consider that rationalization. And, as the length of time that her Pokémon had gone missing grew longer and longer, she certainly didn't want to exacerbate the problem by putzing around and giving them more and more reason to hightail it away from her.

"Think, Meowth!" she growled, pushing her panicked worries aside. "We're on a veritable floating nirvana. Where would they go? Where would you go?"

"Someplace with food," Meowth admitted.

"Seems to be a reasonable assumption for them, too," Jessie decided, her attentions diverted to figuring out where on the ship they currently were and where two hungry and desperate Pokémon would traverse.

"There's probably lots of restaurants on this ship," Meowth said. "This still doesn't really narrow anything down."

"At least it gives us a starting place." Jessie stopped short, her probing leading her straight to the three elevators located in the center of the ship. "We should search every restaurant on board until we find them."

Despite himself, Meowth brightened a bit. "As long as we can grab some samples at each place, I ain't got no problems with that."

"We're not here for a buffet!" Jessie snapped. "Although… do you think these a fancy cruise like this would have a buffet or two?"

"I'd say that's a safe bet."

"Then we'll try there first."

"Alright… you got a map or do you just plan to use echolocation?"

Jessie paused, not wanting to admit Meowth had a point. It was all well and good to take charge and attempt to rectify this situation, but all of the gallant intentions in the world couldn't make up for the fact that she didn't actually know where to proceed next.

But then her eye caught a glimpse of something on the wall near the elevators, and she smiled. "There's a map. Right by the elevators. Looks like it lists everything by level!" She fought her way through the throngs of people to get a better look, not bothering to apologize to anyone whose toes she stepped on or sides she jabbed, Meowth still attached to her arm and giving her victims an apologetic look.

"There's a buffet on level nine!" she proclaimed triumphantly after a quick glance at the map. "TO THE ELEVATOR, MEOWTH!"

The left elevator dinged and its doors opened a second later, a young couple having already called the elevator. Jessie muscled her way through and leapt in, Meowth along for the ride and just shrugging to the passengers.

The young couple exchanged a glance. "We'll just take the next one."

"Your loss!" Jessie sneered. The doors closed before she could get in another jab.

"Man, Jess, you should bottle up your rage and sell it as a repellant," Meowth remarked, finally releasing his grip from Jessie's arm and dropping to the floor.

"If you don't shut your mouth I'll shut it for you!" Jessie fumed, taking out her anger on the "9" button with a loud smack. "The sooner we find Wobbuffet and Gourgeist and get off this boat, the better!"

"Come on, it ain't that bad," Meowth countered. "There are woise places to end up!"

"Oh really?" Veins seemed to be about ready to pop out from Jessie's forehead. "We need a large practice field to prepare for our showcase that's tomorrow, practicing that should be happening right now—but we're steadily moving away from land, trying to find two Pokémon on a ship this size will be like finding a needle in a haystack, James is back at the hotel and has no clue where we currently are—need I go on?"

"Nah, I get the picture." Meowth gave Jessie a large smile in an attempt, however moot, to lift her spirits. "But hey, at least we got food and indoor plumbing for once!"

Jessie opened her mouth to shoot back another complaint when the elevator suddenly shuddered and lurched to an abrupt stop, the lights flickering twice before plunging the cab in complete darkness. She and Meowth both shrieked in surprise and terror.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jessie screamed once her initial shock morphed into realization of what had happened. "Are you freaking kidding me right now?!"

"Oh man, now we're really up a creek!"

"You think?!"

"Quit your screechin'! There's gotta be an emoigency call button somewhere…"

BONK!

"OW! Watch where you're going!"

"I'm trying but I can't see a thing in—OUCH! That's my TAIL!"

"Well keep your tail away from my FEET!"

"Ya want me to find the button or not?!"

"Oh for the love of—STAND STILL! I'll find it!" Jessie fumbled in the dark and grazed her hand along the wall until she found the elevator buttons, hitting each one, hoping to find at least one that worked. None did.

"Oh yeah, if the power's out none of the buttons are gonna work…" Meowth mused.

"If you have nothing helpful to say kindly STUFF IT!"

"Me, stuff it? Never! Listen, they're gonna have to realize soon that one of their elevators ain't woikin'. They'll get us outta here in no time. In the meantime, to save either one of us from going nuts without anything to see or hear, I'm gonna keep yappin' my flap!"

"I don't want to talk." Drained, Jessie slumped against the left wall of the elevator cab, her shoulders sagging pathetically. The one good thing about the power being out was that Meowth couldn't actually see her like this. "I just want to scream. Today has been nothing but a shitstorm!"

"It wasn't all bad, was it?" Meowth asked, his voice coming from the other side of the elevator cab, cautiously encouraging. "We got a good start to your freestyle routine, at least. That's something!"

"It's nothing when your Pokémon apparently hate your guts so much that they cut and run the first chance they get."

"That ain't the case and you know it. They think the world of you, you know."

Jessie seethed, blinking back angry tears. "They sure do a piss-poor job of showing it."

"Whattaya talkin' about? Look at how long they've stuck by your side despite the raw hand we always seem to get in life—Wobbuffet especially, I can barely remember a time without him! They wouldn't have hung around a fraction of that time if they didn't really care about you!"

Jessie clicked her tongue, hiding her confused and frustrated internal screaming. Meowth was right, of course, and ages of loyal dedication certainly couldn't be negated by simply one day of intense training. Besides… she was Jessie! Her class and style more than made up for any difficulties in dealing with her, and being told that she commanded such allegiance should have been a no-brainer. Allegiance from her Pokémon, from Meowth, from James… of course all that was very firmly hers.

Why, then, was she still scared of going too far, of crossing the ultimate line that would drive them all way from her, permanently? She couldn't shake the fear, despite herself. Maybe she really was impossible to put up with. Either that or none of her companions were as patient and tolerant as she'd previously believed. She was terrified of the former, and not too crazy about the latter, either.

"Am I just stupid, Meowth?" Jessie blurted out. "I'm either stupid for doubting how much you all care, or you're all stupid for caring for me after everything we've put up with."

"I think we're all stupid," Meowth admitted candidly, surprising Jessie. "But we're all stupid together, and we've been through things that have brought us all closer than anything else in the woild could." There was a slight pause. Jessie wished she could see Meowth's expression. "And you wanna know how I know I'm stupid?" he finally continued. "I wouldn't trade any of those experiences for nothin'! You know how much of the woild I've gotten to see being with youse two? None of that woulda been in the cards for me if I'da just been somebody's house pet. Sure, we've had some real crummy times, but we've had lots of great times, too! Yeah, it's probably stupid of me, but I'd rather be stupid than sedentary."

Jessie finally smiled genuinely. "I suppose I feel the same way… although I'd rather not be either." She hesitated, wanting to speak and yet not wanting to lay herself bare at the same time. "I just feel so stupid about… everything. Stupid to not realize when I might be too close to pushing you all too far. Stupid… stupid to be stuck sitting here and not even know how or why any of this happened!"

"Eh, that's not stupid," Meowth said. "That's just not payin' attention to anything outside of yourself."

"And not doing that is stupid." Jessie sighed, her mind drifting back to wondering what James was up to at that moment, and while she thought she would have been nothing but jealous with the knowledge that whatever he was doing he wasn't stuck in a depowered elevator on a huge cruise going who-knows-where, she was surprised that all she was feeling was the dull ache of missing him. "Meowth… tell me the truth. James and I ending up together… was it obvious? Was I just blind all this time? I can't stop believing that now…"

Meowth gave a bit of a wry laugh, one that was hard to interpret without seeing the expression that went along with it. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Jess. …No offense, but I never figured he was your type."

"Yeah… neither did I," Jessie admitted quietly. "I guess I'm just full of surprises."

"Yeah, a real enigma," Meowth teased. "I still don't have you figured out."

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us." She sighed. "I'm not even mad right now, I just miss him. Isn't that weird?"

"Cut the crap, Jess… you are too mad. You just want two people to complain to instead of only one."

Jessie smirked, and a sharp laugh escaped her lips. "I don't need any reason more than that, now do I?"

"Yeah, that's more like it."

"Why haven't any of these numbskulls noticed that their elevators are stuck yet?" Jessie grumbled. "Surely they should have been tipped off by now!"

"It could be just this one. If the other two are still runnin' normally, they ain't gonna notice just one outta commission for a while yet."

"What did I tell you about shutting that big mouth of yours if you had nothing helpful to say?!"

"I got the feeling that we're gonna be in here awhile…"

"SHUT! UP!"

…

With lots of Team Rocket experience under their belts, Wobbuffet and Gourgeist knew better than to just waltz into the main buffet area and expect a free meal. No, they had learned that life was tough, especially when one was a criminal (or was associated with criminals)… but on that note, they also could sneak and steal with the best of them.

Besides, even taking into account how much food was arranged in the main dining area, the two Pokémon knew that that amount would be tenfold in the back.

Wobbuffet flung open the back pantry door, only barely remembering to stop himself from proudly proclaiming his name for all to hear. The chefs and waiters were all currently occupied out in the dining area by singing an elaborate happy birthday number to a very well-dressed guest, the two Pokémon ample time to rush to the storage area, into which hopefully the buffet workers wouldn't have to venture for awhile anyway.

The food here was merely scratch ingredients, not the cooked confections that awaited the customers, but Wobbuffet and Gourgeist were so overjoyed with the sheer amount of comestibles that they were perfectly happy with assembling their own plates. Gourgeist zipped over to a row of bagged croutons with an ecstatic squeal, while Wobbuffet wobbled over to the large storage freezer as fast as his stubby appendages could carry him. As Gourgeist grabbed a bag and yanked it from its perch, a plate to the side rattled and nearly tumbled off along with it. She shot out one feathery limb to catch it, the other still grasping the crouton bag.

She grinned widely when she saw what the mystery platter contained—a full plate of Poképuffs! They seemed to be the only already-made pastries in the entire pantry, and they smelled absolutely delicious. Gourgeist called to Wobbuffet, sharing the news of her wonderful discovery.

Wobbuffet poked his head out of the walk-in freezer, a large tub of ice cream in his arms. Hearing what Gourgeist had found, he happily joined her, placing the ice cream between the 'puffs and the croutons. Gourgeist, meanwhile, tore open the bag of croutons and popped one into her mouth. Wobbuffet was holding two spoons that he had found somewhere and handed one to Gourgeist before he himself dug in to the ice cream.

The pumpkin Pokémon let out an excited laugh, exclaiming how wonderful everything looked and smelled… in fact, she'd gladly stay there all day if she could and just gorge herself. Wobbuffet nodded in understanding, if not in agreement, reminding Gourgeist that they would have to get back to shore and meet up with Jessie before the day was done. Exchanging a rather guilty look, the two Pokémon nodded, concurring their decision to eat quickly and then waste no time getting back to their trainer. As wonderfully distracting as everything on this ship was (especially the food), both Pokémon had no intention of abandoning Jessie, or even making her wait long for them. (Unfortunately, both Pokémon also had no sense of time, neither realizing just how long they had actually been gone.)

They both scooped a spoonful of ice cream, pleased with how refreshed they were feeling and how much better they would be during rehearsals today and the showcase tomorrow. Gourgeist reached out with her other feeler and grabbed one of the scrumptious looking Poképuffs to go with her bite, casually tossing aside a small sheet of paper topping the 'puffs. She split the 'puff in half and gave one half to Wobbuffet with a smile. Wobbuffet took it, thanking her profusely. The two friends swallowed their halves in one go, the taste and texture so appealing that both immediately reached for another, the note fluttering to the ground and forgotten.

Forgotten or remembered, it didn't really matter, as neither one could read. If they could, though, perhaps they would have held back upon reading that these were extra special Poképuffs, baked with a special ingredient… making them more fit for an after dinner snack at the end of the day. The ingredient was alcohol, in a large enough amount that made each 'puff quite boozy.

Wobbuffet and Gourgeist gobbled them all.

…

Back on land, things at the resort were frightfully dull.

James sighed as he stood up and pushed in his chair at the small café on the main hotel floor, finishing the last bite of his unsatisfying sandwich with a final swig of soda, carefully pocketing the small bottle cap. Inkay seemed a bit more pleased with the pastries he had had for lunch, or was pleased with his surroundings at least, and quickly floated to his trainer's side in an attempt to lift his spirits. James gave Inkay a small, grateful smile.

"Seems Jessie and the others are giving their rehearsal their all," he said. "That means my hopes of sharing lunchtime with them are dashed, of course, but at least they're utilizing their time to perfect their routine to the fullest."

"Inkay," Inkay said, nodding in agreement.

James glanced at the large, ornate clock above the check-in desk and groaned, seeing it was only 12:32. This was shaping up to be the longest day of his life. At least he'd finally gotten over the halfway point. He knew, logically, that he shouldn't be bored… there was plenty to do and see here, after all. The problem was that he and Inkay had already done all of it. Well, everything that James had any interest in doing, that is, which wasn't much more than soaking in the hot tub and steaming in the sauna for a few relaxing hours. Sure, there were salons and fancy restaurants that served the most glamorous three-course meals, all the kind of establishments that Jessie was inextricably drawn to… but having grown up in that world himself, James had had more than enough exposure to that pompous, hollow existence. Even in Jessie's company it was only barely tolerable; without her, he felt it start to suffocate him, as if the air from his lungs was extracted from every ritzy ode to extravagance he passed.

"Let's go back to the room," James said aloud to Inkay, surprised at how worn-down he sounded. The atmosphere took more out of him than he'd realized. "Taking everything into consideration, the most appealing activity to pursue next is taking a nice long nap."

"Inkay!" Inkay sounded enthusiastic.

"Not only will some rest be welcome, but sleeping will make the day go by faster." He headed towards the elevators, keeping his eyes away from the hostile reminders of his youth at every turn.

"'Kay!" Inkay just seemed happy to go wherever James wanted to go. James smiled fondly. Inkay hadn't been in his Pokéball once today, instead accompanying him everywhere in this sprawling labyrinth of a resort. He was happy for the company, and despite the language barrier, Inkay was proving to be a welcome companion through this long, lonesome day.

"Seems doubtful I'll sleep for five hours, though… unfortunately." James frowned as he pushed the up button, summoning the elevator. Inkay gave him an inquisitive look. "But that's a good thing!" James exclaimed with a burst of insight. "That give me plenty of time to figure out—" One of the elevator's doors dinged open and James stopped his sentence in its tracks. As close as he was to his Pokémon, he wasn't feeling open enough to discuss the issues he was currently facing in his love life. Wasn't really their business… at all.

However, Inkay's curiosity was already piqued. "Inkay?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with." James felt his face burn with embarrassment, stepping into the elevator and pressing the 9 button. Inkay followed him with a smirk.

James tried to ignore his Pokémon, pointedly directing his focus to the matter at hand. He had had a whole day to work on fixing his earlier blunders, and yet had wasted half of it by just bumming around and selfishly thinking only of himself and his own desires. Jessie deserved better than that… she deserved so much better than that, and he hadn't even started to put in the effort of bettering himself for her sake. What a failure he was. Above all else, even his own well-being, he knew he had to commit himself to learning how to be a better partner to her, in every way imaginable.

Including in bed.

He flushed, the inability to comprehend any greater ecstasy than what he had encountered while intimate with her manifesting itself in such horrid contrast with the reality that he had not been able to return it in kind. Every tender emotion that had for god knows how long been buried within him without his knowledge seemed to be exploding out of him as if from a burst dam… every time he was with her now, especially intimately, he felt almost knocked back with the depth and intensity of his love for her, but perhaps the sheer magnitude of these feelings was so unexpected and sudden that he was left helpless with how to deal with them. Much to Jessie's detriment, unfortunately. James looked down at the floor of the elevator cab, despising himself. He wasn't even half the person she deserved… and even then she was gracious enough to him another chance… a chance he was currently squandering.

Jolted out of his funk with a newfound resolve, James stood up straighter, fierce determination flashing across his face. No, he was not going to nap this afternoon. He was going to pour every ounce of energy he had into learning how to make Jessie satisfied. She deserved nothing less than all the effort he could possibly give her.

"New plan, Inkay!" he announced assuredly. "You're free to nap or spend the afternoon however you choose, but I have research to be conducting—starting now!" As the elevator dinged their arrival at their floor and the doors opened, James pulled his Team Rocket-issued tablet out of his jacket pocket, instantly switching it on.

Inkay hovered over his shoulder inquisitively as they headed towards their hotel room. "Innnnn….?"

"I can do this research myself, thank you," James said tersely, trying to still be polite. "Again, it's nothing you need concern yourself with." He protectively hunched over his device, shielding the screen from view, as he unlocked the door to his room. "Believe me, there are many better uses for your time than attempting to find the solution to a problem that is mine and mine alone." He shut the door behind him, sat down on the edge of the bed, and brought up the online search engine on his tablet, a sudden frightful thought that headquarters was keeping tabs on his searches only after he'd typed his query and hit "enter".

"Inkaaay?" The Pokémon almost sounded a bit offended.

"Oh, Inkay, don't take it so personally," James said reassuringly. His attempt at being polite had apparently backfired. "I only wish to avoid bothering you with difficulties brought on solely from my own ignorance, through no fault of your own—while I appreciate your support, it isn't fair to accept your help for an issue that is mine and no one else's—WAIT DON'T LOOK AT THAT!"

Inkay's hurt tone and expression were now gone as he gleefully hovered again above James's shoulder, a shocked smile on his face as he saw just what the search term had brought up—the screen was filled with various instructional photos of attractive couples in different sexual positions, and Inkay's reaction couldn't have been more favorable, once he was over his initial astonishment.

Even James slamming the tablet screen side down on the bed in utter mortification couldn't wipe the grin off of Inkay's face. "Wipe that dirty smile off your face, this is for research purposes only, you depraved denizen of debauchery!"

Inkay didn't comply with that request, instead giving James an approving leer. "In-kaaaay."

James flushed ten shades of red, covering the full gamut of emotions from anger to embarrassment. "This is a side of you of which I was previously unware. And I wish I was still unaware."

"In-kay!"