"Squishy?!" said a very surprised Jessie, James and Meowth together while coming out of their protective huddle but remaining on the ground.
"Oh!" exclaimed Meowth. "It's dat Z creature!"
"Hmmm strange," contemplated Jessie scratching her head, "It certainly sounded like something bigger than that was stalking us…and how could it catch up so fast? That thing doesn't even have legs!"
"Remember how it changed into a canine-like creature that time in Terminus cave?" offered James.
The other nodded.
"Well," continued James, "I bet it grew into that when chasing us."
"I sure am glad it shrank back down den!" commented Meowth, "Dog-like Pokémon creep me out a little."
"Scaredy cat," teased Jessie.
Bonnie had meanwhile approached her friend and was embracing him in a hug while singing softly to it.
"I wonder why it didn't attack us?" questioned Jessie who remembered seeing how powerful it was once in action. "I'm sure that thing doesn't see us as friends."
"Squishy, was probably chasing us thinking you had kidnapped me or something," said Bonnie happily having overheard. "He must have changed his mind when he saw you two shield me as then he knew you weren't a danger to me. Isn't that right Squishy?"
Squishy made a small happy sound in response. Bonnie threw him a little into the air and caught him, then happily giggled and hugged the creature once again saying in the kind of voice one uses when talking to a baby "Yes you did. You wanted to look after me. Now it's my turn to look after you."
Team Rocket rolled their eyes at the display despite the fact they even they found it kinda adorable.
"Thank you, by the way," said Bonnie in a more serious voice while looking up at them.
"For what?" asked the Rockets.
"For trying to protect me," explained Bonnie. "I didn't think you really cared about me but since you both shielded me from what you thought was a danger I know you must actually like me." Bonnie then ran up to the two adults and gave them a hug. Jessie and James were shocked by this but instinctually hugged her back briefly.
" Look like dese two gots dem paternal and maternal instincts after all," joked Meowth.
Jessie suddenly realised what they were doing. They were hugging a twerp! Albeit a miniature one, but a twerp none the less. She stopped sharply and took a step back. James having the same realisation followed suit.
"Don't read into it twerpette," Jessie said acting like the hug never happened. "We just know that if anything happens to you the other twerps will zap, burn and hydro pump us with all their Pokémon."
"Yeah," added James dusting himself off and avoiding eye contact. "We don't really feel like getting our uniforms ruined and blasted off to boot."
Bonnie smiled mischievously. " Sure, sure…whatever you say but I know you like me."
"No, we don't," Jessie, argued.
"Ha, ha you like me," teased Bonnie sticking out her tongue.
"No we DON'T," retorted Jessie.
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"DO NOT!"
"It's OK Jessie, I like you too!" and with that, she hugged Jessie again, more to get her stirred up rather than out of affection.
"Whatever," said Jessie, pushing the girl off, deciding to stop the pointless argument.
" Hmm well since we ran all this way up the hill, I think we deserve a rest stop and perhaps lunch," announced James changing the subject.
"Agreed," chorused the others.
As luck would have it there was a fruit tree growing nearby. James asked Inkay to get down some of the delicious apple-like fruit growing from the tree and bring it down for them. Inkay happily brought down more than enough for all of them to be satisfied. Squishy found a sunny rock to lie on and soak up the sunbeams.
While they were sitting around eating, a middle-aged couple that were hiking up the mountain passed by them.
"So nice to see a young couple taking their kid hiking," exclaimed the man.
" Your daughter is so pretty!" said the woman to Jessie and James. Bonnie beamed at this and blushed a little.
"HOW DARE…." Jessie began about to unleash her fury at the implication that she was old enough to be Bonnie's mother before James quickly covered her mouth with his hand.
"Ha, ha, what my wife means to say is thank you," explained James with a sweat drop forming behind his head. Jessie growled from underneath his hand.
The couple gave a little bit of a confused look at the two as Jessie's face which still had James's hand over her mouth was turning red.
"Ha, ha she's so exhausted from the climb and the altitude make her go a little nuts…ha, ha," continued a nervous James. "It's alright dearest just breath in and out and everything will be OK," he said to Jessie, talking to her like someone trying to calm down a crazy person.
The couple shrugged and hurried on their way. Once they were a far way away James removed his hand from Jessie's mouth.
"JAMES, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" yelled Jessie.
"Preventing a scene," shrugged James. "No need to start a fight with total strangers we'll never see again."
"THEY DESERVED A SCENE AND MY FURY. HOW DARE THEY IMPLY I'M OLD ENOUGH TO BE TWERPETTE'S MOTHER!" Jessie was livid and stomped her foot on the ground in rage.
" Well, maybe yous are," thought Meowth scratching his chin. "How old was you when you had your first…"
Jessie kicked a good five feet away before he could finish his rather inappropriate question.
Bonnie just watched Jessie's little tantrum with amusement. She made a mental note to never imply the fiery redhead was old if she wanted to live.
After a few more bites to eat, and a certain someone had calmed back down the group consulted the map again and decided to move on.
The end of the forest was actually quite close by, as they had run quite far in their mad panic to get away from imaginary Pokémon that wanted to eat them. Bonnie's leg was feeling better since the lunch break since Jessie had taken that opportunity to change the bandages. She no longer felt she needed a stick, which was good since she has lost it during the chase. She even had a little spring in her step and she walked with the two Rockets knowing that Squishy was now safely in her bag and she would soon be reunited with her brother and friends.
xxxxxx
The group emerged from the forest and enjoyed the sun on their skin. Bonnie looked around and sighed sadly.
"They're not here."
"Good, we beat them," said James looking around and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Now, where should we start digging the hole?"
"WHAT!" shouted Bonnie angrily.
"Sorry," laughed James awkwardly remembering suddenly that the purpose of the meeting was not to capture Pikachu for once. "Old habits die hard."
Jessie and Meowth just rolled their eyes.
"Well, since we're here first we betta go hide behind dem bushes," put forward Meowth pointing towards some bushes on the edge of the forest. The others, bar Bonnie, nodded.
"Guys!" cried Bonnie exasperated. "I thought you were just going to take me back to my brother and friends..."
"Relax twerpette,' said Jessie as they headed towards the bushes. "We're not going to do anything, we just need to make an entrance before saying the motto."
"Yeah, it's a tradition!" added James happily. "The twerps would be so disappointed if we didn't."
Bonnie fell backwards in disbelief. "I really don't think they'd mind if you skipped it this once," she grumbled stomping after them towards the bushes. "We've heard that stupid thing so much we can say it in our sleep," she said under her breath.
"Shows what you know," grinned Meowth before jumping into his hiding spot.
"Come on twerpette!" said Jessie poking her head out of the bush seeing that Bonnie had walked up to the hiding spot but was not hiding. "You'll blow our cover!"
"You guys just keep getting stranger and stranger!" sighed Bonnie. Then she got an idea, "I'll hide too on one condition."
"And what might that be?" asked Jessie raising an eyebrow partly intrigued.
"You let me do something that will screw with Clement, Serena and Ash's heads a little."
"Oh I like da sound of dat!" said Meowth. "You gots a delightful little evil side that you really should let out more."
Bonnie giggled at this and looked at Jessie to see if she'd agree to her terms.
Jessie gave a nod and Bonnie hid herself with the Rockets and together they worked on a plan.