"All right, I think everything's set up," James said, putting his shovel down and wiping the sweat off of his brow.
"...This is your plan?" Meowstic sighed. Their 'plan', if you could even call it that, was to lure the twerps into a trap hole that they dug, then use a mechanical arm to snatch Pikachu.
"Hey, don't bash on da classics!" Meowth said. "It's been a while since we dug a hole."
"So you've tried this plan before," Meowstic asked.
"Oh yeah, we used ta trap da twerps like dis all da time!" Meowth answered.
"...And seeing how Ash-er, the 'twerp' still has his Pikachu, I'm guessing those plans failed."
"Correct."
"...So what makes you think this time will be different?"
"..." Meowth couldn't think of an answer. "D-Dey got lucky last time! Dey won't be so lucky dis time!"
Meowstic rolled her eyes. She was about to speak up in protest, but the twerps' voices could be heard getting closer.
"Shh! Into the bushes!" Jessie ordered, shoving the group into their hiding place. Meowstic sighed, knowing that this wouldn't end well.
"So you all set for the Master Class tournament?" Ash asked.
"Of course!" Serena replied. "Though a bit more practice wouldn't hurt."
"It's still two days away, right?" Clemont said. "You have a lot of time to - WAH!" before he could finish his sentence, the group fell into the hole that Team Rocket prepared.
"Ow ow ow!" Bonnie cried, having landed pretty roughly. "Where'd this stupid hole come from?!"
In response, the familiar trio burst from the bushes.
"Prepare for trouble, it came from us!"
"And make it double, you're about to go bust!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Meowth's da name!"
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, dat's right!" (at the same time) "M-Meowstic, that's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
Meowstic instantly blushed and buried her face in her paws. "That was so embarrassing..." she said. "Do you guys really do this every time you attempt a robbery?"
"Yes, every time," Ash sighed, getting lifted out of the hole by Talonflame. Noivern lifted Bonnie and Clemont out, while Hawlucha lifted Serena.
"N-No way!" James yelled. "How did you escape from our trap?!"
The twerps fell over backwards. Meowstic didn't blame them.
"I dunno," Meowstic started. "Why don't we ask the three Flying-type Pokémon flapping their wings above them?"
"Grr... forget the hole!" Jessie said. "Let's just make this a good old fashioned shake down. Gourgeist, let's go!" Her Pokémon materialized before her, ready to fight, though the pumpkin Pokémon shot a glare at Meowstic when they made eye contact. Seems Gourgeist was still mad about the soda incident.
"Meowstic, would you like to be Gourgeist's partner today?" James asked. He didn't notice the tension between the two.
"Er... I don't think that's such a great idea..." Meowstic responded.
"Gour? Gourgeist gour? (What's the matter, chicken?)" Gourgeist said in a taunting tone. Meowstic flared up in anger.
"On second thought, sure. Just tell that over-sized pumpkin to stay out of my way," Meowstic responded. Gourgeist just stuck her tongue out at her.
"Pikachu, you ready?" Ash said. His starter yipped in affirmation, jumping off of his shoulder and taking a battle stance in front of him.
"How about you, Pancham?" Serena asked. "Feel like getting some practice in?" Pancham nodded happily and took its place next to Pikachu. "All right Pancham, start this off with Stone Edge! On Gourgeist!" Pancham slammed its paws down on the ground, sending a line of stones directly at its target.
"Gourgeist, dodge!" Gourgeist jerked to its left to get out of the way of the oncoming stones... accidentally slamming her body against Meowstic in the process.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Meowstic yelled.
"Gourgeiiiist (Oopsie)!" Gourgeist said unapologetically, infuriating Meowstic even more.
"Meowstic, use Energy Ball!" James ordered. Meowstic complied, forming several green balls of energy around her and launching them at the twerps' Pokémon. Pikachu and Pancham deftly darted around, avoiding the balls but still getting grazed by a few of the explosions. Suddenly, one Energy Ball smacked Gourgeist right in the face.
"Oops, that one must have slipped," Meowstic said sarcastically. Gourgeist did not look happy.
"Gourgeist gour?! (That was quite the slip, you twit!)" Gourgeist said angrily. This time, Meowstic stuck her tongue out at the pumpkin.
"Meowstic, counter with Psybeam!"
"Block it with Seed Bomb, Gourgeist!"
"With pleasure," the two Pokémon said, unaware that during their argument, the twerps directed a Thunderbolt and Dark Pulse at them. Meowstic uncovered the symbols on her ears and let loose an intense beam of colorful energy at the pumpkin. Gourgeist, in turn, fired off a relentless stream of seeds back at the cat. The two fierce attacks cancelled each other out. Jessie and James slapped their foreheads as the twerps' attacks slammed into their two Pokémon unopposed, knocking them back to the villains with enough force to send them blasting off.
"WAAAH! What's going on?!" Meowstic yelled.
"What's going on is..." Meowth started.
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" the group cried.
"Again? I'm assuming this happens a lot, then..." Meowstic said.
"You did this to me twice just the other day!" Meowth complained.
"Hey! I was hypnotized one of those times!"
"Yeah, I guess you're ri-" Meowth started before realizing something. "Wait, how'd ya know you blasted me off if you were hypnotized?"
Meowstic froze.
"I don't remember Lord William ordering you to fling Meowth, either," James added.
"Er... So how do you guys usually land in these situations?" Meowstic said, trying to change the subject.
"..." The group gave her blank stares, not quite sure what to tell her.
"Um... on our feet?" James said.
"W-What?!" Meowstic yelled. "We're like, a thousand feet high! Won't that, you know, hurt?!"
The group shrugged at her in response. They were rapidly approaching the ground, falling faster with every second. While the criminals were fine with plowing into the ground, Meowstic had a better idea. She used Psychic to slow her's and James's downward plummet. She wasn't powerful enough to completely stop their fall, but it was enough to allow them to actually land on their feet without breaking their leg bones. Meowth and Jessie, on the other hand, landed pretty roughly onto the dirt. When Jessie saw James and his Pokémon landing softly, she got a little mad.
"Uh, hello? What about us?" Jessie said, gesturing towards herself, Meowth, and her Pokémon.
"Oh, I..." Meowstic said, wracking her mind or an excuse as to why she didn't help the teammates she didn't like, without using her dislike of them as the reason. "I...didn't have enough strength to lift all of us," she lied.
Jessie gave her a glare, obviously not believing that for a second.
"Oh, whatever," Jessie said, seemingly letting it go. "What's more important is that the Master Class tournament is in two days, and I still only have two keys! This next showcase might be my last chance..." Jessie clenched her fists in determination. "So let's go, Wobbuffet, Gourgeist, Meowth." The female Rocket went off to find a field to practice.
"Pfft. Good riddance," Meowstic said.
"Meowstic..." James started. "If you're going to be travelling with us, you're going to have to get along with the rest of the gang,"
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied fake-innocently. "I'm getting along great with the others." James gave her a look. "Okay, fine, maybe I could make a bit more of an effort to make up..."
James looked thoughtful for a moment.
"You know... showcases can be pretty fun to participate in..." James said in a way that implied Meowstic doing something she was opposed to doing.
"Uh, no. Not happening. There's no way I'm working with that stupid pumpkin, or letting that red-haired idiot order me around," she said. "You're the only idiot that gets to boss me around," she added playfully.
"Aw, c'mon, please Meowstic? It'd mean a lot to me if you and Jessie got along well enough to win a performance!"
"No way. Nuh-uh. Not happening." Meowstic continued to adamantly refuse.
In response, James buckled down and gave off his best pleading, pathetic face. His eyes grew wide and shimmering, on the brink of tears; his hands were clapped together in front of him in the pleading gesture; and he was down on his knees, on eye-level with the feline. Meowstic tried to resist his charms, but eventually relented.
"All right," she sighed. "I'll give it a try."
"Hooray!" James cheered. He wrapped his arms around Meowstic and gave her a big hug. Meowstic gladly returned the gesture. After a few seconds, James put her down. "You should go practice with Jessie now. You're going to need it!"
"All right, Gourgeist, use Shadow Ball! And you use Mirror Coat, Wobbuffet!" Jessie ordered. Gourgeist fired off its ball of purple energy at the blue blob. Wobbuffet, in turn, reflected the attack. Except, instead of reflecting it back at Gourgeist, Wobbuffet spread the energy out, shooting purple sparks in all directions and darkening the area for a bit.
"Wow, pretty good!" Meowth said, watching from the sides. Jessie, however, sighed.
"Yeah. 'Good'... unless your audience's culture worships the sun," Jessie said.
"What're you talkin' about?" Meowth asked.
"The town that the next showcase is in is known for its people's worship of the sun and light," Jessie explained. "They probably wouldn't like it if I used a performance that darkened the stage. If only I had a Pokémon with a more colorful attack..."
"Gourgeist... (I'm sorry...)" Gourgeist said sadly.
"Aww, don't worry, Gourgeist. We'll think of another trick," Jessie said, giving her pumpkin a comforting cuddle.
"In less den a day?" Meowth asked. Jessie visibly panicked in response, realizing that she had less than 24 hours to come up with a routine.
"Er... I could help with that..." Meowstic said, walking up to them. "I have a lot of bright and colorful attacks. Psybeam, Energy Ball..."
"Hmph!" Jessie interrupted, turning away from the feline. Gourgeist did the same. "Let's try a different routine... Maybe you can throw your charm into the light, Meowth and then... hmm..."
"Oh well, I tried," Meowstic said, starting to walk away.
"H-Hold on!" James said. "Come on, Jess, give Meowstic a chance," he pleaded.
"If what you're sayin' about dat town bein' full of whacko sun-worshippers is true, den Meowstic might be our only shot!" Meowth added.
"I don't know..." Jessie still looked hesitant. Suddenly, arrogant, snooty laughter sounded off behind the group. They looked to the source and saw an elegant looking woman with waist-length black hair, a fancy purple sunhat, and a purple dress.
"If that's going to be your freestyle performance, then I've got this in the bag," the woman said. "Don't you know that the people of Soleil City worship the sun? A proper coordinator should always research their audience."
"Oh? And who are you supposed to be?" Jessie asked angrily.
"Baroness Amelia von Fleurrh," Meowstic said. "Stuck-up, arrogant niece of Count Fleurrh."
"Oh?" Amelia asked. It took a second for her to recognize the feline, but when she did, she smirked. "Ah, it's you. Quite a ways from home, aren't we, Lady Meowstic?" Amelia said. She noticed Team Rocket's torn uniforms and dirtiness. "And traveling with peasants, no less! How the mighty have fallen!"
"You're quite a ways away from home yourself," Meowstic responded, scorn evident in her voice. "By the way, I heard you got beaten at your own game by a rookie. In your hometown, of all places!"
"That's no way to talk to a superior," Amelia said angrily.
"Superior? I'm a higher rank than you." Meowstic shuddered as she remembered her technical noble title. Amelia was a baroness, while Meowstic was set to become a countess.
Oh, right... Meowstic thought. That title was from her former owners. There's no way she'll be getting that title now.
"From that stupid look on your face, I'm assuming you've realized how quickly information passes between nobles," Amelia said. "I'm a noble; you're a peasant. You don't stand a chance against me at the next showcase!"
Meowstic gritted her teeth. "Just because you're a noble doesn't mean you're superior to everyone! Why can't you rich snobs get that?" Meowstic said angrily. "I'm gonna prove you wrong. Jessie and I are going to win that showcase!"
"We are?" Jessie asked, confused. "O-Oh! Right, we are! I'm gonna win my third princess key and become Kalos Queen!"
"You?" Amelia said scornfully. "With that ridiculous hairdo? And those rags you call clothes? Don't make me laugh."
"Grr... I'll show you ridiculous! Gourgeist, Shadow Ball!" Jessie ordered. Gourgeist charged up a purple, shadowy blob of energy and hurled it at the woman who dared insult her master's image. Amelia deftly and gracefully dodged it, then sent out her own Pokémon.
"Espeon, use Psybeam! Show them a real attack!" Amelia ordered. Her Espeon's red gem started shining brilliantly for a moment, before loosing a bright, colorful, beautiful beam at Gourgeist. The beam struck the pumpkin Pokémon head on, knocking it back to its trainer with enough force to send them both into the ground and coating Jessie's already torn uniform in dirt.
"Ohoho! Now your uniform really matches your social status! Filthy, ill-maintained, cheap..." Amelia said, looking down at the beaten performer. "Face it, honey - you're just not good enough for the big time," she said, continuing down the path to the showcase. The words struck Jessie like an arrow to the heart. Normally she'd be furious from the insult, but this time, she just looked... broken. Sad. As though Amelia's words brought up painful memories of her past.
James started getting worried over Jessie's silence.
"Jess? Jessie, are you okay?" the man asked his partner. It took a second, but Jessie snapped out of her melancholic stupor.
"Yeah...yeah I'm fine," she said. She then went back to her usual self. "I'll show that snot-nosed brat who the real Kalos Queen is! I'm gonna stomp her into the ground in the showcase!" Her Gourgeist chirped in agreement and determination.
"Not without me you're not," Meowstic said. "I want to grind her in the dust, too."
"We don't need your-"
"Yes, you do," Meowstic interrupted. "Come on, can't we at least call a truce until we beat little Miss Baroness?" She extended out a paw. Jessie stared at it for a while, thinking. Eventually, she relented and shook it.
"Fine. But we're doing it my way," Jessie said. "Here's the routine I was thinking of..."
A/N: Woo. Renamed the titles to make it clearer where stories start and end. Guess I'm going with cat puns for all the titles lol. Also, yeah, Meowstic will interact with the twerps now and again. I probably won't make Team Rocket blast off too often, if ever again in this fic, though. They'll mostly interact in other ways. Maybe work together sometimes, since I tend to like those episodes. As for Giovanni... mmm, maybe. I also want Butch and Cassidy to appear sometime.
Anyway, as always, any reviews/thoughts/criticisms/comments would be much appreciated!