Episode 113: Holy Matri-Phony!

Jessie, James, and Meowth are gathered around a drawing table. Have you ever wondered how Team Rocket come up with all their ridiculous plans? Let's take a peek.

Jessie suggests, "Okay, just hear me out. What if we instead of building a pitfall, we build an inverse pitfall?"

Meowth questions, "An inverse pitfall? What in the world is that supposed to be?"

She explains, "You see, when we dig a pitfall, we simply remove the dirt underneath the twerps. What if instead we dig away everything around the twerps instead, leaving them on a floating mass of ground. There'd be no possible way for them to escape."

James stares at Jessie with bewilderment. "I honestly can't decide if that was meant as a serious suggestion or not, and that scares me."

Flames burn in Jessie's eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Meowth laughs. "It means he thinks you're not the sharpest tool in the shed."

Jessie calms slightly. "Well that hardly matters, seeing as I'm not a tool, nor am I in a shed."

Meowth laughs some more. "That means he thinks you're not smart."

Jessie's rage is renewed. "Oh, does he?" She stomps menacingly at James.

James backs away slowly, "Now now, Jessie, let's not do anything we might regret."

Jessie doesn't listen and leaps in at James to attack. The two end up in a tussle that kicks up an obscuring cloud of dust.

Meowth sighs. "Here we go again. I swear, sometimes those two do nothing but fight all day. Time to pass the time." He turns to the drawing table, which has a small portable radio sitting on it. He turns it on.

A voice is in the middle of saying, "This family is known as one of the wealthiest of the Kanto Region."

Meowth says to himself, "I love these celebrity gossip shows, it's liking I'm living wealthy vicariously through them."

The voice continues, "And they made headlines last night when they announced that they would immediately grant half of their entire fortune to their son the moment he proves that he's married. They don't care who he marries, they just want to see him wed."

Meowth laughs. "Ha! I wonder who that poor sap is."

As if to answer, the radio adds, "Their son's name is James, and he has repeatedly refused to marry his arranged fiancée, Jessibelle."

Meowth's mouth drops, and Jessie and James freeze mid-struggle. Jessie gets up and asks, "Did I just hear what I think I heard?"

Meowth responds, "I think you did. James' parents are sick of waiting for him to get married, so they're going to pay him to!" Jessie and Meowth both look to James mischievously.

James shakes his head. "No way, absolutely not." He has a flashback to his fiancée, Jessibelle, cackling. He shivers. "I am not marrying Jessibelle. We've been over this before."

Meowth points out, "But the radio said you could marry anyone."

"Whoop-de-doo. Unless you know someone else I can marry, then you're fresh out of luck."

A devilish smile crosses Jessie's face. "I guess we're getting married then."

James shouts at the top of his lungs, "WHAAAAAAAAT!?" His scream is so loud that the ground itself seems to shake, and Apprentichick are startled and fly out of the surrounding trees. "I can't marry Jessie!"

Jessie puts her hands to her hips. "Excuse me, any man should consider himself lucky to marry this prime example of feminine beauty. But that doesn't matter, because we're not going to actually stay married."

James looks at her questioningly. "What does that mean?"

"Your parents never said you have stay married. Only that you have to get married. Once we get that money from them, we'll just get a divorce. Easy."

James takes a deep breath. "I don't know…"

Meowth encourages, "Come on James, think about how much money that would get us, and at practically no cost at all to us."

James complains, "Easy for you to say, you're not the one who has to marry Jessie…"

Jessie says, "So you'll do it?"

James asks with despair, "Do I have a choice?"

Jessie and Meowth simultaneously respond, "Nope."

"Then I guess we'll do it." He sighs. "One of my family's holiday condos is near here. We can have the wedding there, and the butler on-staff their can report it to my parents."

Jessie grins. "You're not going to regret this, James."

James sinks his face into his hands. "Then why do I have that feeling in the pit of my stomach already…?"

James has showed Jessie and Meowth to the entrance of a massive and opulent mansion. Jessie and Meowth are stunned. Meowth asks, "James, didn't you say this was a condo?"

James is too disturbed to fully gives a response, but he answers, "Yeah, so what…?"

Jessie responds, "So, this is no condo, by any definition of the word. It's massive."

James shrugs. "Is it? But it's so small and cozy."

Jessie and Meowth decide not to respond to this statement.

Not that it matters, because before they could, a man comes running out from the entrance of the mansion, shouting, "Could it be!? Has Master James returned!?" The man is a tall and skinny elderly man with finely combed silver hair and a fancy goatee. He's dressed in an elegant black suit. He bursts through the gates and embraces James in hug. "You won't believe how relieved I am to see you!" He's crying now. "I was so distraught when I heard you ran away, but now I see you're safe, and that warms my heart."

James sighs. "Yes, it's good to see you too, Edwin." He looks to Jessie and James. "Guys, this is Edwin, he was butler who stayed on staff at this house 24/7. He would take care of me when I came here on vacation."

Meowth extends a paw. "Pleased to meet you."

Edwin scoffs. "Sorry, but I don't touch the poor."

Meowth frowns. "Wow, what a kind soul you are."

Edwin looks to Jessie. "And you must be the bride!" James cringes upon hearing this. "I must admit, I never thought the day would come. I am so proud of you, young Master James." He takes another look at Jessie. "Hmm, and it would seem she bares a certain resemblance to another of your brides-to-be. I see you have a type."

James cringes again. He prepares to object, before Jessie smacks him in the face and answers for him, "We don't compare me to her. Besides, I'm far more beautiful than she ever could hope to be."

Edwin nods. "Yes, of course. My apologies. Now please, come inside. We have wedding plans to make." He practically drags James in, as Jessie and Meowth follow.

Edwin has seated them in an elegant dining room at a table packed with a grand feast. Jessie, Meowth, and Wobbuffet are stuffing their faces, while James looks like he's going to be sick. He just sits there silently, staring at the floor. Mime Jr. sits in the chair beside him, mimicking this stance.

Edwin marches back and forth along the long table. He's saying, "I will, of course, take care of all fine details, such as decoration and planning, but you must take care of the people."

With a stuffed mouth, Jessie asks, "People?"

Edwin nods. "Of course, what's a wedding without people? You'll need to decide on the best man, the bride of honor, the ring bearer, the flower girl, etcetera. Oh, and you'll need guests too."

Once more with a stuffed mouth, Jessie asks, "Guests…?"

Edwin laughs. "Oh ho! You can't possibly expect to have a wedding without guests. You'll need to invite all of your closest friends."

Jessie, James, and Meowth all look to each other and say together, "Friends…?"

Who's that Pokémon!?

Molten magma courses throughout this Pokémon's circulatory system. If it is chilled, the magma cools and hardens. Its body turns brittle and chunks fall off, reducing its size.

Ash, Brock, Brenda, and all their Pokémon are gathered around boulder atop which Arborrior and Curemodo are locked in an arm wrestle. The two Pokémon struggle to get the advantage over the other, but neither has a clear lead. Everyone cheers them on.

Curemodo's face strains as it attempts to put all of its remaining strength at once into forcing Arborrior's arm down, but Arborrior puts a burst of strength of its own into fight, and seconds later, Curemodo's arm gives way, and Arborrior slams it down to the rock.

Everyone breaks out cheering. As Arborrior throws its fists into the air in celebration, Curemodo looks away in shame. It then turns back to Arborrior and offers a handshake. Arborrior accepts.

Ash says, "Don't worry, Curemodo. Once you get used to your new strength, I bet you'll become a force to behold."

"Modo."

Arborrior turns to all the Pokémon and asks in challenge, "Borrior! Arbor arbor?"

The Pokémon all seem like they don't want to accept the challenge. But then Blissey steps forward, pushing Frostcicle and Turtsol aside. It has a look of resolve on its face. "Blissey."

Arborrior smiles. "Borrior."

The two Pokémon take their positions on either side of the boulder, placing their elbows on the rock.

Brock encourages, "Go on Blissey, show Arborrior what real strength looks like."

Ash cheers, "Keep up that streak, Arborrior! I know you can do it!"

The two Pokémon lock hands, and Kappaqueous gives them a countdown. The moment it hits zero, Blissey has slammed Arborrior's arm down into the rock so hard, that it smashes straight through the rock.

Blissey thrusts its arms towards the sky in triumph, while Arborrior rubs its throbbing hand.

Ash ponders something. "On second thought, I guess I should have seen that coming."

Everyone's laughter and enjoyment is suddenly cut short when James greets in a forced jovial tone, "Greetings, twerps."

Ash, Brock, Brenda, and the Pokémon leap back in surprise and turn to face Jessie, James, and Meowth. Meowth gives a little wave.

Brenda demands, "Team Rocket! What do you want?"

Jessie says, "Hear us out, we have something we need to talk to you about."

Ash looks at them skeptically. "Excuse me? What?"

Meowth assures, "We've come here in nothing but peace."

Brock asks, "And why should we believe that?"

James points out, "If we here to steal your Pokémon, don't you think we would have said our motto already?"

Brenda ponders this. "He does have a point."

Jessie adds, "Besides, the last thing I want to do on my wedding day is work up a sweat."

This statement is responded to with blank looks of confusion from Ash and the others.

James sighs. "We're here to invite you to a wedding…" After a pause of reluctance, he adds, "Our wedding…"

The words he just said take several moments to sink in. Brenda is the first to speak up, shouting excitedly, "Finally! It's about time!"

Everyone, Jessie and James included, look to Brenda with bewilderment.

Brenda looks from Ash, to Brock, and back to Ash. "Come on guys, don't tell me you haven't been shipping those two since you first met them. It's so obvious!"

Brock slowly nods. "I suppose you're not wrong. Doesn't change how out of nowhere this is."

Ash looks back to Jessie and James. "Is this some sort of joke? Some sort of scheme to get us to lower our guard?"

James shakes his head. "Unfortunately, it's not."

Brock speaks up. "Let's say we believe that you're getting married. Why would you invite us to the wedding?"

Meowth explains, "As hard as this may be for you to believe… we don't really have any friends…"

Ash responds sarcastically, "I'm even more shocked about that than you are after you blast off."

Pikachu chuckles. "Pik pik pik."

Jessie cuts to the chase. "And look, it's more than just regular guests we need. A bride as gorgeous as me requires a maid of honor to make me look even more beautiful by comparison." She looks to Brenda. "What do you say, Twerpette?"

Brenda questions with surprise, "Me? A maid of honor?" She suddenly gushes, "I've always dreamed of being maid of honor in a real wedding! Oh my goodness! Do I get to wear a pretty dress?"

Jessie flatly responds, "Only one that's less pretty than my wedding dress."

Brenda nods. "We'll make it work. It's a deal!"

Then James looks to Brock, "And you, Big Twerp, you're the wisest guy I know. You would be perfect to officiate the wedding."

Brock's brows rise. "You want me to run the ceremony?" He thinks this over for a moment, and suddenly the romantic in him takes over. "The chance to bring a new partnership of love and romance into the world? How could I say no!?"

Seeing how excited Brock and Brenda are getting, Ash says, "So, I suppose that means you'll want me to be the best man? I suppose I could be…"

James shakes his head. "Sorry, Twerp. Meowth already has that role."

Ash is upset by this. "What!? He's not even a man!" He quickly realizes he lost his cool, and attempts to hide how much he cares.

Meowth objects, "Hey! Who says a Pokémon can't also be a man!?"

Ash feigns further disinterest. "Okay, fine. I guess that means you'll be asking me to be the ring bearer."

Jessie shakes her head. "Nope, that's Wobbuffet."

"Excuse me? Wobbuffet?"

Wobbuffet appears to announce, "Wobbuffet!"

Ash desperately tries to think of any other role he can. "Well… um… how about the flower… person…?" He says that last word with uncertainty.

For Brock and Brenda, this immediately puts an image of Ash wearing a white dress, skipping down an aisle throwing flowers. She shudder at the thought.

James shakes his head. "Mime Jr.'s got that part covered."

Ash sighs. "Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

Jessie says, "Well, we do need regular audience members too. You'll just be sitting in one of the chairs."

Ash looks hurt. "Oh… chairs… great…"

It's Slugma!

James, now dressed in a tuxedo, paces nervously back and forth in what looks to be the room of a child. The walls are covered in various Pokémon posters. Two pictures on a dresser feature a Growlithe and a Carnevine. The bed is shaped like a rocket ship and has a Chimecho plush doll resting on top. This is clearly James' childhood room. Mime Jr. is mimicking his pacing.

There's a knock on the door. Meowth peeks in and asks, "Can I come in?"

James nods. "Yeah, sure."

Meowth walks in. He is dressed in a tuxedo as well. "How you doing, James?"

James sighs. "I'm not really sure how to answer that question."

Meowth nods. "Pre-wedding jitters. Everyone gets them."

James falls back onto his be to sit. "Yeah, but not everyone has to marry Jessie."

Meowth takes a seat next to James. "That is true."

There's an awkward moment of silence before James says, "Meowth, I can't do this. I can't marry Jessie. I don't love her."

Meowth laughs. "Who ever said marriages have to be about love?"

James gives Meowth a fierce look.

Meowth laughs it off. "Relax, that was joke. Don't forget, this isn't a real wedding. Once you get your inheritance, we just cancel everything. You don't need to love Jessie to go through with that, right?"

James sighs as he puts his head into his hands. "It's not that simple, Meowth. Back when I was young, before I was engaged to Jessibelle, I would dream about getting married. I would obsess over the details. Imagine exactly what my wedding would be like. This isn't what I imagined. Not at all."

"Come on James, it's not like this is the end of your life. You've got so much ahead of you after this. You'll find someone eventually. Someone you can get married to for real."

James objects, "But it won't be the same. It won't be the first time. Everything that's supposed to make the day special will be gone."

Meowth gets up. Before he leaves, he says, "Look, James, I may not be one to speak, since I'm not marrying Jessie, but maybe you should just try giving things a chance, maybe they won't be as bad as you'd think. On the bright side, she's not Jessibelle."

James nods. "She's not Jessibelle…" His face suddenly brightens. "She's not Jessibelle." He thinks, If I'm married to Jessie, then Jessibelle would never be able to bother me again.

Once Meowth is gone, James resumes his pacing. Suddenly, a glint of light catches his attention. He looks towards the source, underneath the bed. He bends over to pick it up. It's a golden bottle cap, with an image of a diamond ring printed on top. "No way…"

Seeing the cap sends James into a flashback. As a child, he sits in the same room, on the same bed. He's sobbing into his hands.

There's a knock on the door, and two people walk in. It's James' grandparents, Nanny and Pop-Pop. Nanny says, "I heard you're having a rough time. What's wrong, Little James?"

James peeks up at them. "Nanny? Pop-Pop? When did you get here?"

Pop-Pop answers, "Edwin told us you weren't doing well, so we decided to travel all the way to Tenno to see what was wrong."

Nanny adds, "That's how much we love you." They sit down on either side of James. "Now why don't you tell us what's wrong?"

James hiccups a couple times as tries to stop sobbing. "It's my parents."

Pop-Pop encourages, "Come on now, you've got to give us more than that."

"They arranged for me to be married."

Nanny exclaims, "That's great! You've always talked about how much you'd love to get married."

James shakes his head. "That's what I thought at first, but it's not. She's terrible. She's a monster."

Pop-Pop says, "Come now Little James, it can't be that bad."

James shakes his head again. "You've never met Jessibelle. She's terrible. She wanted me to get rid of Growlie."

Nanny says with surprise, "Oh my. Not sweet Growlie."

"She's hates Growlie, so I hate her. I can't marry someone I don't love! But my parents are going to make me." He begins to sob again. "What do I do?"

Nanny and Pop-Pop stroke James' back lovingly. Nanny says, "Little James, you're still just a boy. No one's going to make you get married any time soon. Give it time. Your parents aren't going to force you to marry someone you don't like."

James shakes his head emphatically. "If you think that, you don't know them." He looks up to them. "All I want is to marry someone who I can love like you two love each other. I want to be happy with my wife…"

Pop-Pop pulls something out from a pocket. "Little James, we brought you a present." He hands James the same golden bottle cap he found in the present.

James' eyes widen as he snatches it from Pop-Pop's hands. Suddenly turning cheerful, he exclaims, "No way! This one's limited-edition, ultra-rare!"

Seeing James happy again makes Nanny and Pop-Pop smile. Nanny says, "There's a diamond ring on that cap, it's a symbol of marriage. Someday, when you're older and more ready, you'll meet a special girl who you do want to marry. When that happens, I want you to give this bottle cap to that girl. Whether that be Jessibelle, or any other girl that strikes your fancy."

Pop-Pop adds, "But also, you should try to get to know Jessibelle better. Maybe on the surface you two are incompatible, but deep down, there might be more. Maybe she might be the right girl."

Nanny adds to that, "But if she isn't, that's fine too. Only you can decide who you marry James, and don't let your parents tell you any differently."

James slowly nods as he stares at the cap.

The flashback advances forward in time. On another day, James, still a child, is sitting on the bed, once again observing the bottle cap. He says to himself, "Someday, I'll find someone I really want to marry. We'll be happy and grow old together, just like Nanny and Pop-Pop."

Suddenly his door bursts open, and a child Jessibelle barges into the room. "So this is where you've been hiding! No amount of travel can keep me away from my future husband! Now come on, we have to begin today's training session! There's no time to waste, I have to mold you into the perfect husband before our wedding!"

James shouts in terror, "Jessibelle!" In his shock, the bottle cap drops and rolls underneath his bed, to the spot where he found it years later.

The flashback ends and James is left staring at bottlecap, now tarnished with age. The words of advice Pop-Pop gave him echo through his head, "Maybe on the surface you two are incompatible, but deep down, there might be more."

James asks himself, "Could this be some kind of sign…?" He clenches his fist around the cap. He nods. "Okay, I'll give Jessie a chance. I'll go through with the wedding."

Meanwhile, Jessie sits in a dressing room, admiring herself in a mirror. She's dressed in a white wedding gown that's ridiculously gaudy and overly designed. She says to herself, "This dress is absolutely perfect. I'll be the center of attention. Everyone will be wishing they were me. Just like it should be."

The sound of a door bursting open is heard. A familiar voice says, "Funny you should say that."

Jessie demands, "Who dares to interrupt me when I'm getting ready for my most important day?" She turns around to look at the unseen visitor. She scowls as she says with loathing, "What are you doing here?"

James is standing at an altar in the mansion's opulent backyard. Meowth stands aside him, while Brenda, dressed in a simple, yet elegant yellow dress, stands across, next to the spot where Jessie will stand. Brock, wearing a tuxedo and red tie, stands between them, holding a book in his hands. In front of the altar are several rows of chairs, though most of them are empty. Ash, also in a suit, sits slumped to the side in one chair, looking utterly bored. Repiv, Haking, Ivine, and Buzzsaw are also seated in other chairs. Haking and Ivine are sobbing as they hug each other.

Ash glances over at Repiv, sitting next to him. As if trying to initiate small talk, he asks, "So, you on the bride or groom's side?"

Repiv hisses, "Piiiiiv."

Ash nods. "Yeah. I'm not really on either. I'm just here."

"Piiiiiiiiv."

Ash sighs at his situation.

Edwin is sitting at a nearby pipe organ. He begins to play the wedding march.

Jessie has stepped onto the aisle. Wobbuffet and Mime Jr. walk in front of her. Wobbuffet carries a pillow with two rings, and Mime Jr. is tossing flower petals from a basket as it skips down the aisle. Jessie slowly strides down the aisle in step with the music, following the path of flower petals. She looks to James with a real smile.

James gulps nervously and forces a smile back.

Jessie makes it all the way to the alter and takes her position. The music stops. Brock takes a deep breath to prepare himself. Much to James' combined surprise and unsettlement, Jessie is staring lovingly into his eyes. He tries to meet her gaze but finds it too awkward.

Brock reads, "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Jessie and James in matrimony. I can speak firmly from experience when I say that there are few duos in this world that are as perfectly in-sync as these two. Rarely is there a moment when they are not together. And as they were in partners in crime, they will now become as partners in life. Yes, they have their differences, but what else is marriage, if not a journey to overcome those differences?"

James subtly nods, taking these words to heart.

Brock continues, "For the definition of a wedding is much more than the marriage of two people. It's also the creation of something new. These two, together, will be blasting off at the speed of light into a new frontier. There will be trouble, but for that they're prepared. They won't surrender, together they're prepared to fight. Jessie, James, are you ready to exchange your vows?"

Jessie speaks, "Yes, please, James darling, let me go first."

James gulps and nods. "Yeah. Go ahead."

Jessie smiles, "James, you may not realize it, but I have loved you since the moment we first met."

James' eyes widen in surprise.

"Everything I did, I did for you, but it never seemed to matter, you would never look at me the same way I looked at you. James, I simply know that we were meant to be together."

James ask with shock, "Jessie, is that true?"

She nods emphatically. "Every word of it."

James looks down one of his fists. He unclenches it, revealing the bottlecap from earlier.

Brock asks, "James, is there anything you would like to say?"

James is still caught speechless. After a moment of not being sure what to say, he just shakes his head.

Brock is somewhat surprised by this. "Oh, okay then. In that case, let's move on." He looks out to the audience and declares, "If any of you has a reason why these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Suddenly Jessie, but not the Jessie standing across from James, shouts, "I object!"

Everyone gasps. As they turn to see a second Jessie, wedding dress and all, standing in the aisle, fuming with rage. James shouts with shock, "Wha!?"

The Jessie across from him groans with annoyance. Suddenly adopting a southern accent, she complains, "You just had to barge in just now. You couldn't have waited two more minutes. Why'd you have to ruin my perfect day?"

The other Jessie fumes, "It's you who ruined my perfect day!" The two of them break into incessant, nearly indecipherable argument.

Brenda whispers to Brock, "What's happening?"

Brock responds, oddly excitedly, "It's just like my favorite soap opera!"

James, finally having had enough, shouts in a rage, "That's enough! What's going on here!?"

The Jessie with the accent says, "James, my darling, I'm your really bride. That one's an imposter come to take away our happily ever after."

The other Jessie shouts angrily, "What!? I'm the real Jessie!"

The first one giggles. "Now, now, I never claimed I was Jessie."

James' eyes widen as he makes a realization. "Jessibelle!?"

She looks at him and smiles, "Yes, my love?"

James freezes up as his entire world shatters around him. "I almost married Jessibelle!?" He screams in terror at the top of his lungs.

Jessie demands, "Now get down from that alter this very minute."

Jessibelle grins. "Make me."

Jessie looks to Repiv and beckons for it to come over to her. "We will!"

Jessibelle pulls out and throws a Pokéball, sending out her Vileplume. "Vileplume, honey, use your Moon Blast!"

"Pluuuuuume!" Vileplume creates in orb of energy in the shape of a full Moon, and then launches it at Repiv.

Jessie orders, "Dodge it, then use Poison Sting!" Repiv twists around the blast of energy, then counterattacks with a barrage of glowing purple needles, which continuously buffet their target.

At this point, Ash has walked up next to Brock and Brenda. Notably, James is still frozen, while Meowth is watching the battle while eating popcorn. Ash asks, "So… should we do anything?"

Brock says, "I think it might be best for them to work this out themselves."

Jessibelle shouts, "Vileplume, use Stun Spore!" From Vileplume's petals, a cloud of sparkling yellow dust bursts out.

Jessie urges, "Hold your breath! Don't breathe it in!" Repiv does so, as the cloud surrounds it, and then dissipates. "And now use Poison Fang!"

"Piiiv!" Repiv lunges at Vileplume like a missile, then bites down on one of Vileplume's petals with glowing purple fangs.

Vileplume cries out in pain.

Jessibelle shouts, "We won't take that from a man stealer!"

Jessie takes offense. "Excuse me!? You're the one who crashed my wedding!"

"Yeah, your wedding with my fiancé!"

Jessie shouts in further anger, "Newsflash! He was your fiancé in name only! You're the last person he'd want to marry!"

Jessibelle objects, "What would you know?"

Jessie shouts I defiance, "What would I know!? I'm his partner! I've worked with James for longer than you've ever spent time with him! You don't know him at all!"

James unstiffens slightly. He says with surprise under his breath, "Jessie…?"

Jessie continues, "You don't know what James likes! You don't know how, despite his rich upbringing, he never takes anything for granted! You don't know how he treats every day like a gift! You don't know how he never stops dreaming about a better tomorrow! You don't know how he's the kindest, most sincere person I've met! You don't know anything about him!"

James is left stunned. He says to himself, "Jessie… you really do care about me… All those times I always thought you hated me… was it all just a façade…?" He looks to his bottlecap once more.

Jessibelle shouts back, "I know that James is my fiancé, and that's all that matters! He's far from the perfect husband, but I can make him that! With just a little training from me, he'll be the best husband a woman could ask for!"

Jessie shouts back, "And the fact that you see the need to change him is exactly the reason why you aren't the right woman for him! Repiv, use Double-Edge!" Repiv rams itself into Vileplume, knocking it back into Jessibelle.

James finally asks, "Jessibelle, what are you even doing here?"

That's when two people leap out from behind a nearby hedge. It's James' parents. They both say, "That would be because of us."

James' eyes widen in terror. "Mother and Father!? What are you doing here!?"

His dad asks, "Isn't it obvious? Your mother and I got tired of waiting for you to marry Jessibelle, so we decided to make it happen."

His mother continues, "We knew that if we offered enough incentive, you would hold a marriage with the Jessie woman, and it would be simple to swap her with Jessibelle in order to get you to marry her instead."

His father adds, "It's quite the ingenious plan, if I do say so myself."

His mother agrees, "Yes, you're quite the planner, honey."

James shouts in anger, "You two can't do this to me! It's my choice who I marry! Mine and only mine!"

His parents don't seem to agree. His father says, "That's where you're wrong. We're your parents, and we'll always know what's best for you. And marrying Jessibelle is what's best."

His mother asserts, "And if you can't understand that, we're going to have to make you understand." She pulls out a Pokéball.

Brenda grabs a fistful of Meowth's popcorn. "This really is a soap opera."

James nods. "Fine, we'll battle. If I win, you go away and leave me alone. If you win, I'll marry Jessibelle."

Jessie objects, "James, you don't have to do this!"

James shakes his head. "No, I do."

He's looking towards Haking and Ivine to decide what to use, but then a Pokémon barks, "Growl growl!"

James looks to the source, saying, "No, it couldn't be…" A Growlithe tackles him to ground and licks his face. "It is! Growlie!" He hugs the Pokémon tightly. "I'm so glad you came. You must have known that Mother and Father were up to something."

Growlie affirms, "Growl!"

James gets back up. "Okay then, let's do this, Growlie."

"Growl growl!" Growlie is ready for battle.

James' dad shouts, "Bad dog!" He and James' mom both throw their Pokéballs, sending out a Gallade and a Gardevoir respectively.

James' mom asserts, "We'll show you the power of a married couple!"

Father orders, "Gallade, use Swords Dance!"

Mother adds, "Gardevoir, use Captivate!" The two Pokémon join hands and begin to dance a waltz. Edwin returns to playing the organ to give them music to dance to. An energy field surrounds them, empowering them from their mutual attacks.

James shouts, "Growlie, use Fire Fang!" Growlie runs at its dancing opponents to attack, but the moment it gets close, Gallade, as if part of its dance, raises an arm up suddenly, which smacks Growlie away. James grimaces, but doesn't give up. "Try Flamethrower instead!"

"Groooowl!" Growlithe attacks with fire, but the dancing Pokémon dodge away in an elegant spin, in-tune with the music.

The Pokémon then momentarily separate, raise their arms upwards, then launch an attack. Gallade throws blades of energy with Psycho Cut, and Gardevoir unleashes telekinetic power with Psychic. As if it where a part of their dance, the two return to looking at each other.

Growlithe is hit hard by the attacks. James shouts, "Growlie! No!"

Jessie suddenly runs to James' side, declaring, "Two-on-one is no fair! Let's even the odds, Repiv!"

A tear comes to James eye. "Jessie… you want to help me?"

Jessie smiles at him. "You're my partner, of course I'm going to help you. Now let's beat these two so they never bug us again!"

James nods. "Right! Growlie, Flamethrower again!"

Jessie adds, "And you use Poison Sting, Repiv!"

Gardevoir leans back in Gallade's arms to avoid the attack, the fire flying straight above its face, but it is unable to avoid the poison needles, which land a powerful blow. Still, the Pokémon continue to dance.

Gallade twirls Gardevoir around, and Gardevoir attacks with psychic shockwaves as it spins. The attack proves too difficult for Repiv and Growlie to dodge.

James declares, "If we want to really cause some damage, we have to do what they're doing and attack as one."

Jessie nods. "Then what are we waiting for? Repiv, coil up!" Repiv winds itself into a tight coil.

James nods, understanding her intentions instantly. For a split moment, he thinks, Jessie and I have worked together for so long, that we can read each other easier than even a married couple. The bond we share is something more than that. He orders, "Growlie, get on top of Repiv!" Growlie rushes over and hops atop the coiled Pokémon.

Jessie shouts, "Repiv, put some spring in Growlie's step!" Repiv quickly pops its head up, like a spring bouncing up, launching Growlie into the air towards Gallade and Gardevoir.

James commands, "Now Growlie, use Flame Wheel!" While flying over the ground, Growlie curls up and creates a ball of fire around itself. It spins faster and faster as it gains momentum. Gallade and Gardevoir attempt to avoid the attack, but it's too fast and sudden. Growlie crashes into them, causing them to tumble back and knock into James' parents.

James father shouts, "Why I never!"

James mother demands, "James, how could you!? We raised you better!"

James announces, "It's over, I never want to hear about you making me marry Jessibelle again!"

At this point, Meowth, Ash, Brock, Brenda, Wobbuffet, Mime Jr., Ivine, Haking, and Buzzsaw have all joined Meowth, sitting down on the altar and partake in his popcorn. Brenda comments, "This is getting good."

Jessibelle leaps in front the downed parents. She shouts, "Maybe your parents made that deal, but I agreed to no such thing! We are going to be married, if it's the last thing I do! But first, we have to get rid of that wretched Pokémon!" She looks to Growlie with disgust.

James groans. Jessie looks to him and asks, "Shall we?"

James nods. "Yes. We shall."

Jessie orders, "Repiv, Poison Sting!"

James adds, "Growlie, Flamethrower!"

The two Pokémon attack together, aimed right at Jessibelle. Jessibelle shouts, "Hey, you can't attack your fiancée! What do you think you're-!" She's cut off by the impact of the attacks. She's sent flying back into James' parents and their Pokémon, and the lot of them are sent hurtling upwards. Jessibelle demands, "What's this!? I'm blasting off!?" They disappear in a glimmer of light.

James breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." He bends over to pet Growlie. "Thank you so much, my friend, you're always there when I need you most." He looks up to Jessie. "And you too, Jessie. Thank you."

Jessie smiles. "What are partners for?"

James looks back down to Growlie. "I hate to have to ask you this, but do you think you can go find my parents and make sure they're okay? The first blast off sure can be a doozy."

Growlithe nods. "Growl!"

James scratches its ear. "Thank you, Growlie. We'll meet again before long, I promise."

"Growl growl!" Growlithe licks James hand, and then runs off to chase after his parents.

Jessie says, "So let me just make sure I understand this, your parents were never really going to pay you to marry me?"

James nods. "Yes, this was yet another one of their convoluted schemes.

Brenda suddenly stands up, knocking over Meowth's popcorn bucket. Meowth objects, "Hey!"

Sounding upset, Brenda demands, "So let me get this straight, the wedding was never real? You were just doing this for money!?"

Jessie and James look to each other, then to Brenda. At once, they both say, "Yeah, pretty much."

Brenda storms of angrily. "Of all the nerve. Faking a wedding, who does that?" Ash and Brock race off after her.

Meowth gets up and says, "So, I guess that ends this little scheme. I suppose we should get going."

Jessie says, "I don't suppose we could stick around here for another meal…?"

James grins. "I don't see why not." He claps. "Oh Edwin."

Edwin is immediately at his side. "Yes, Master James."

"We'll be having that wedding dinner now."

"Of course, Master James."

Team Rocket eat away like there's no tomorrow. James pauses to look down to something in his hands. He speaks up, "Hey, Jessie."

With her mouth stuffed and words barely understandable, Jessie asks, "What is it?"

"I have something I want to give you." He hands something to her.

She looks at it with confusion. She swallows everything with a big gulp and asks, "What is it?"

James smiles. "It's nothing, just a token of my appreciation for being such a great partner."

Jessie skeptically nods. "Okay then…" She looks at it once more, revealing that it's the bottlecap with the diamond ring. She shrugs, pockets it, and returns to eating.

James grins at her and returns to eating as well.

Well, Jessie and James may not be getting married, but it would seem the events of today has made their unspoken bond as partners in crime all the stronger.

Jessie takes just long enough between bites to say, "So, I'd like to put the idea of a reverse pitfall back on the table."

This takes James off-guard. "Surely you're joking."

"Why would I be joking about suggesting an ingenious idea?"

James groans. "Because it's not. It's a horrible idea."

Jessie stands up, showing some anger. "Excuse me. I'll have you know that my plans are always ingenious, every single time."

James stands up. "Then why is that we always fail when we use your plans?"

"Because you two mess them up!"

James pounds a fist down on the table. "Okay, that's it. Give me back that bottlecap!"

Jessie looks at the cap. "What, this piece of garbage?" She flicks it into a nearby trashcan. "There, now it's where it belongs."

James shouts in rage, "Jessie!" He leaps at her over the table, and the get into another tussle.

As Meowth continues to eat, he says, "Well, some things never change."

That they don't, Meowth, that they don't.

To Be Continued…