Episode 154: Pride and Nemesis

Gillian Meridian announces, "The Kanaveral Contest! In accordance with long-standing tradition, it's the final Pokémon contest of the Tenno Grand Festival Circuit!" It's some kind of commercial playing. Various stock footage clips of Pokémon contest performances are shown as Gillian speaks. "That's right! Pokémon Coordinators still looking to earn their fifth ribbon ahead of next month's Grand Festival have exactly one chance left! That makes the Kanaveral Contest the most important of them all!"

Gillian is now in a park outside of a contest hall. It's filled with coordinators and their Pokémon training. "The contest isn't until tomorrow, but already coordinators are hard at work preparing for the big day! Let's ask someone how they feel." She looks around and spots Jessie, dressed in her over-the-top Princess Jessileia costume. "Excuse me! It's Jessileia, right?"

Jessie scoffs, "No. Not right. You may address me as Princess Jessileia. Her Royal Majesty, Jessileia, Princess of the Stars, for short."

James and Meowth, disguised in civilian clothes nearby, groan.

Gillian chuckles awkwardly. "Right…well I'll just go with Princess Jessileia."

"Acceptable."

"Tell us, Jessileia—"

"Princess Jessileia."

"Tell us, Princess Jessileia, how are you feeling ahead of tomorrow? How does the fact that it's your last chance to gain entrance into the Grand Festival make you feel? Are you nervous?"

"Nonsense! Princesses don't get nervous! That ribbon is as good as mine! All of my loyal subjects across the cosmos agree!"

"Wow! Not a single shred of anxiety! It makes this host wonder what she has up her sleeves. We'll all find out together, tomorrow!"

The program is playing on the big screen on the side of one of Kanaveral's many skyscrapers. Happening to walk by in civilian clothes is Butch and Cassidy. Cassidy freezes when she hears Jessie's laugh from the screen. She looks up. "Is that…Jessie!?"

Gillian declares, "There's still time to enter, folks! If you think you can beat the likes of Princess Jessileia, then come sign up for tomorrow's Kanaveral Contest!"

Butch squints. "Jessie…I don't see it."

Cassidy shakes her head. "No. I'd recognize that arrogant cackle anywhere. It's her. What does she think she's doing, wasting her time entering a Pokémon Contest of all things? What an insult to Team Rocket."

"Um…Cassidy…I don't think we care about that anymore."

"Quiet, Boy!"

Butch hesitates. "Were you calling me boy, as in a child, or did you think my name is Boy? 'Cause it's not. It's Butch."

Cassidy ignores him. "If Jessie has forgotten the lesson I taught her all those years ago, she's about to get a refresher course!"

Butch groans. "Dare I ask from whom?"

"From me, of course!" She cackles. "I'm going to enter the Kanaveral Contest!"

Butch groans. "Oh Butch…" He quickly corrects, "I mean boy."

Audience members fill the stands of the Kanaveral Contest Hall, which looks much larger than most. Among them is Ash, Brock, and Brenda. Brenda says, "It's going to be really fun to watch a Pokémon Contest for once."

Brock nods in agreement. "You must be feeling really relieved right now, already having your five ribbons."

Brenda nods back. "I sure do. Seeing all these coordinators still fighting for their fifth ribbon just makes me feel that much more grateful." She hesitates. "Does that make me selfish?"

Ash laughs. "You earned that feeling, Brenda. You worked really hard for those ribbons."

"You're right. I did." They take their seats.

Our coordinator hero may have earned five ribbons, but not our coordinator villain! The Kanaveral Contest is Jessie's final chance at entering the Grand Festival!

Gillian steps out onto the stage. "Hello Pokémon contest fans! I know you've all been waiting eagerly for this one, so let's not delay on this introduction! But it would be amiss of me to skip the introduction of our wonderful panel of judges! First, you know him, you love him, and he's the Contest Director! It's Mr. Contesta!"

Mr. Contesta takes a slight bow. "I look forward to the Kanaveral Contest more than any other. Seeing coordinators put everything on the line for their final ribbon makes for a wonderful show!"

"Then there's the equally lovable head of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo!"

"Is there a word that means something more than remarkable? Because that's what I expect out of this contest!"

"And last, but never least, is today's guest judge! Kanaveral City's Nurse Joy!"

"I see so many Pokémon working at the largest Pokémon Center in Tenno, but I still can't wait to see more!"

Backstage, Jessie doesn't even bother to watch the introduction. "They might as well hand me my ribbon now, and we could all be on our way. No need for this waste of everyone's time."

James urges, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Jess."

Meowth adds, "Let's not forget, your contest record is less than perfect."

Jessie laughs. "You're forgetting one critical detail. The twerpette already got her five ribbons. Without her here to foil me, I'm a shoo-in to win."

James considers this. "Huh. You actually have a point. You've won every contest you've entered without the Twerpette participating."

"Of course I have a point. Why would I have said it if I didn't have a point?"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Somebody's overconfident." Cassidy walks towards Jessie. But she's wearing an outfit even more outrageous than Jessie's. It's a flowing, silky dress with a long trail dragging behind her. Where Jessie's is covered in a dense starfield, Cassidy's is covered in a rainbow of nebulae. Butch and their Raticate walk behind her.

Jessie gasps. "Cassidy!? What are you doing here!?"

Cassidy chuckles. "Beating you. That's what."

Jessie stares at her for several moments. Then she cracks up in laughter. "What kind of joke is this!?"

"Oh, this is no joke, sister. I'm going to be the one taking that ribbon today."

Jessie pauses her laughter. "Wait…you are serious… You can't enter this contest! You don't have four ribbons!"

"There's no rule against entering this contest with less than four ribbons. Besides, I'm not here to enter the Grand Festival anyways. I'm here to put you in your place."

Jessie glares at her with fire in her eyes. "We'll see about that."

Cassidy laughs. "Yes. We will." She arrogantly turns around to strut away.

Before turning itself, Raticate says to Meowth, "Rat. Raticate rat."

Meowth's eyes widen. "Why you little…" Raticate walks away, ignoring Meowth.

"The nerve!" Jessie shouts. "She thinks she can just enter her first ever contest and show me up!? Never! I'll show her who the real star of this show is!"

Meowth clenches his fists. "You and me both, Jessie."

Jessie looks to him with confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about."

"Put me in, Jessie. I'll teach that Raticate a thing or two."

Jessie grins.

Gillian announces, "Next up for the appeal stage is…" She pauses and holds her hand up to her ear to better hear through her earpiece. She shakes her head in disbelief and mutters under her breath, "Really? Another one? Fine." Then she introduces, "Her Royal Highness, Cassidala! Queen of the Galaxy!"

Cassidy moves out onto the stage.

Backstage, Jessie is completely enraged. "She stole my schtick!"

Meowth laughs. "She did more than that. She's trying to outdo your schtick."

In the audience, James shakes his head disapprovingly. "Jessie's not going to be happy about this."

Someone standing next to him says, "She can get in line."

James looks up to see Butch. He crosses his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm only here because Cassidy is forcing me."

James laughs. "I suppose I could say the same about Jessie."

"Mind if I take that seat?" Butch points to the open seat next to James.

"Be my guest."

Now out on the stage, Cassidy pulls out her Pokéball of choice and tosses it straight into the air. "Come forth, my loyal servant!"

A cascade of twinkling stars explodes from the Pokéball's capsule and Raticate emerges from the light display. "Raticate!"

Backstage, Meowth grimaces at seeing the Pokémon appear.

"Raticate, use Dark Pulse!"

"Rati!" Raticate fires an orb composed of concentric dark purple rings into the air above it.

"Now Super Fang!" Raticate leaps into the air. As it jumps, its incisors glow white and grow longer. It catches up to the Dark Pulse and bites down on it. The glowing teeth squeeze down on the Dark Pulse and force the many concentric rings to explode outwards in all directions. "Then give it a Swift with a spin!"

Raticate spins itself about as it fires off star-shaped projectiles all about it. The stars made of light strike the rings made of darkness. Upon contact, the two annihilate each other and explode into a shower of gold and purple sparkles.

Gillian shouts in awe, "So beautiful! Light and darkness have combined together to create a brilliant spectacle!"

Raticate lands beneath the shower of glitter. Cassidy orders, "Quickly now, Dark Pulse, then Swift!"

"Raticate!" As ordered, Raticate swaps between the two attacks. The stars of Swift pierce straight through the Dark Pulse, creating an even more concentrated version of the sparkling explosion. Now there's a centralized density of them, as well as the more diffuse light show all about the stage.

Cassidy grins smugly as she takes her bow.

Mr. Contesta is the first to give judgment. "I was surprised to hear that someone who has never entered a contest before would choose the Kanaveral Contest of all things to make a debut, but I think you've proven yourself regardless."

Then it's Mr. Sukizo. "I love the glittering! It's remarkable!"

Nurse Joy follows up with, "I always love the concept of taking opposites like light and dark and making them work together."

As everybody claps, Jessie in infuriated. "She won't get away with this. I'll upstage her!"

Meowth emphasizes, "We'll upstage them." His focus is entirely on Raticate.

Who's That Pokémon!?

It secretly marks potential targets with a scent. By following the scent, it stalks its targets and steals from them when they least expect it.

"Next, we have even more royalty! It's Princess Jessileia!"

Jessie runs out onto the stage and announces, "No! I am no longer Princess Jessileia! From this day forward, my loyal subjects may refer to me as Her Ascendent Royal Majesty Supreme Galactic Empress of the Cosmos Jessileia!"

The clapping of the audience ceases as its replaced by general utterances of confusion.

James face-palms himself.

Butch nods. "I understand your pain all too well."

Not even noticing the confusion of the audience, Jessie continues on. "Step forward, my loyal subject!"

Meowth leaps forward. "Meeeeooow!" He lands on all fours, as if he were a regular Meowth.

Jessie grins. She steps out into the middle of the stage herself and sets down a stool. This only continues to confuse her audience. She sits in it, and Meowth jumps onto her lap. She announces, "Believe it or not, folks, by my Meowth here is a very special Meowth! This Meowth can talk! Isn't that right, Meowth?"

Meowth shouts, "That's right!" As he says that, Jessie subtly moves her lips in time with his voice.

Ash gasps, "A talking a Meowth! Is it Team Rocket's Meowth!?"

Brock laughs. "No Ash, look again. Jessileia is just barely moving her mouth. It's a ventriloquist act."

Ash nods. "The Meowth's a dummy. I get it."

Jessie prompts, "Say hello to our audience, Meowth."

"Hello to our audience, Meowth!" This elicits some laughter.

Jessie fakes annoyance. "You know that's not what I meant!"

"Then maybe you should have said what you meant! But I forget, not all of us are born perfect speakers now, are we?"

"Excuse me? You wouldn't have a voice without me!"

"And how would you know? Seeing as you're not around to hear for yourself when I'm without you." There's some more laughter. It's gaining in vigor.

Butch shouts, "This is cheating! She's only pretending this is ventriloquism!"

James laughs. "Bill, we're all villains here."

Butch crosses his arms and looks away. "Speak for yourself." He adds under his breath, "And I hope you get your own name wrong when you do."

Meowth says, "You know, if you're a princess—"

Breaking character, Jessie shouts, "That's Supreme Galactic Empress!"

Meowth is taken aback. "Oh… Um…" These words aren't synched with Jessie's lips, but no one seems to notice. But they both recover. "Sorry, what I meant to ask was if you're a Supreme Galactic Empress, what does that make me?"

"Uh…the Supreme Galactic Empress' Meowth?"

"No. I need a title. Something majestic. Unless you're telling me you want to associate with a commoner Meowth."

"Good point. What title would you like?"

"Hmm…how about Supreme Galactic Raticate Catcher?"

Jessie, once again falling out of character, groans. "Can you get Raticate off your mind for just one minute? This is my show!"

"Can you stop being so full of yourself for just one minute?"

Brenda gasps. "No way! Now she's not moving her mouth at all! She's a great ventriloquist!"

"Are you forgetting who's the dummy in this situation, Meowth?"

"Dummy! I'm no dummy! You're the dummy! Dummy!"

"Why I never! How dare you!" This argument seems to be amusing the audience. There is laughter abound.

Meowth jumps off of Jessie's lap and stands up on his hind legs. He brandishes his claws. "You want a piece of Meowth? I'll give you a piece of Meowth!"

Jessie grunts angrily but can't come up with a response.

"What's wrong? Meowth got your tongue? I thought you were supposed to be the one coming up with all the words! See, you are the dummy after all!"

"I'll make you eat those words!" Jessie runs at Meowth.

"What? The words you're supposedly making me say? Like I would ever want to eat anything that you spat out first!" Meowth runs at her. It looks like things are going to get physical, until they both stop inches away from contact as they suddenly remember they're on stage. The entire audience is laughing at their antics. They glance briefly at each other, then together take a bow.

Jessie announces, "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Meeeow!"

Mr. Contesta is chuckling heartily. "A Pokémon ventriloquism show. What a novel idea!"

"Ventriloquism is remarkable!"

"You could have fooled me into believing that Meowth was actually talking! And that argument seemed so real! Great job!"

It's Thievul!

Jessie and Meowth sit backstage after their performance. Jessie laughs. "Somehow, despite your fumbling, that performance turned out to be one worthy of my new title."

Meowth crosses his arms. "My fumbling?"

Before the argument can progress, they're interrupted by a slow clapping. Cassidy approaches them. "I would congratulate you on your performance, but I'm not fooled like that audience. I know you stumbled through it as clumsily as you do everything else in life."

Jessie is instantly standing. Her eyes alit with flames, she leans in closely to Cassidy. "It doesn't matter. They liked my performance better."

"As if! You'll be seeing my name on top when they announce who's moving on."

"Impossible. There can't be two names on top, and mine's going to be there. And it's all thanks to my talent for creativity."

Cassidy laughs derisively. "Talent for creativity? As if! More like a talent for blundering!"

Jessie clenches her fists. "The only blundering one here is you! Why are you even here, Cassidy!? Contests are my thing! Get your own thing!"

Cassidy taunts, "Oh, they're your thing now? After you gave up on them? Don't you remember, Jessie?"

Something she said outrages Jessie even more. "Get out of here! I hate just having to share the same room with you."

"You and me both!" Cassidy turns around marches out without another word.

As she leaves, James enters. "Dare I ask what that was about?"

Jessie crosses her arms. "It's just Cassidy being her usual self. She's been that way since the Team Rocket Academy."

Meowth ponders, "You two didn't get along back then either. I came in after you two already hated each other. What's up with the bad blood?"

Jessie looks as if she's not going to tell the story, but then sighs and decides otherwise. She asks with a somber tone, "Have I ever told you two what I did before signing up for the Team Rocket Academy?"

Meowth asks, "You failed as an idol?"

James suggests. "You were kicked out of Pokémon Tech?"

Jessie shakes her head. "Those happened, but earlier."

Meowth thinks further. "Well…you also flunked out as a Pokémon nurse."

James adds, "There was the Bridge Bike Gang."

"Also, not what I'm referring to." She takes a deep breath. "You see, in one last attempt to achieve the fame and fortune I knew I deserved, I tried to become a top coordinator in the Hoenn Region."

Meowth realizes, "Wait a second… When we first arrived in Hoenn, you recognized Littleroot Town as 'the city whose colors will never change.'"

James adds, "And when you tried entering the Rustboro Contest, you had an expired Hoenn Contest Pass."

Jessie nods as she sighs. "Exactly. Both were hints of a past I have yet to share with you guys."

James gasps. "How did we not know!?"

Jessie averts her eyes. "I don't like talking about those days…"

Meowth looks to her with concern. "Why's that?"

Jessie hesitates to answer. "Because…because they were really what drove in what a failure I was… My idol career… Pokémon Tech… Pokémon nursing… I failed at everything… Contests were no different…" She shakes her head. "No. It was worse."

James asks, "How?"

In a flashback, a younger Jessie stands on one end of a contest hall stage. Her Ekans falls to the ground and the judges declare a knockout. A Rattata has just landed a battle-ending blow. Young Jessie looks up at her opponent. It's a young Cassidy, who's cackling at Jessie's misfortune.

"You see?" Cassidy asks. "I told you that you couldn't defeat me. You lack the talent. You lack the skill. But most of all, you lack the beauty. You just blunder."

Jessie looks at Cassidy with hatred. "I'll show you someday…"

Back in the present, Meowth asks, "Wait, Cassidy defeated you in the contest?"

"Not just that contest. Every contest. It seemed like anywhere I went, she showed up in an attempt to prove she was better than me. And she was…"

James gasps. He whispers in Meowth's ear, "Did I hear that right? Did Jessie just admit someone was better than her?"

Meowth shakes his head in disbelief, "I don't know how, but you did."

Jessie continues, "I learned the hard way that being a coordinator wasn't the route for me, like so many of the other routes before. And that was it. I had exhausted my options. All that was left was to join Team Rocket. For just a little, I thought I had found my calling. But then one day, Cassidy showed up at the Team Rocket Academy as well. She didn't need to tell me anything. I knew instantly why she was there. She wanted to show me up yet again. She wanted to assert that anything I could do, she could do better. But this time I had nowhere else to go. It was Team Rocket or bust. I couldn't let it go. So I fought tooth and nail to prove myself better than Cassidy. And I still do to this day."

James is stunned. "Wow Jessie… I never knew your rivalry with her was so…personal…"

Meowth nods in agreement. "Yeah. Here I was just wanting to beat that Raticate of hers because of something rude it said… But you…you need to beat Cassidy to prove so much more…"

Jessie stands up. "And I will prove it."

James grins. "You will, Jessie. You're already the better Team Rocket agent, so let's prove to her that you're also the better coordinator."

Meowth adds, "We'll be cheering for you all the way."

Jessie is touched. "You guys… Thank you…"

Gillian shouts, "The judges have reached their verdict! It's time to see what lucky sixteen coordinators will be advancing to the Battle Round! Direct your attention to the screen!"

Wasting no time at all, Jessie's is the first image to appear, immediately followed by Cassidy's.

Jessie gasps. "I did it… I beat out Cassidy in the Appeals…"

Cassidy jeers, "Don't get used to it, Jessie. I'll be taking first in the end."

Jessie sticks her tongue out and makes a rather rude and un-princess-like face at her in response.

The next several rounds proceed quickly as both Jessie and Cassidy climb through the ranks. Both of them make it to the final round.

Each stand on opposite sides of the stage, staring the other down with a fiery intensity. Gillian announces, "It all comes down to this! The princess versus the queen!"

Jessie shouts, "That's empress! I'm an empress now!"

Gillian ignores her entirely. "One is looking for her fifth ribbon, the other eyes her first! I couldn't tell you what it is, but trust me when I say these two coordinators of supposed royalty have history that stretches way back! Will that history translate to a show the likes of which we've never seen? Only time will tell!"

Without turning to face Butch, James asks, "Standard wager?"

Butch laughs. "You're on." He taps his fingers together like a scheming villain. "When Cassidy mops the floor with Jessie, you'll have to say my name."

Meowth, now sitting next to James, glances at Butch. "Huh? What kind of a wager is that? What do you get out of him saying Bach"

Butch groans. "Nobody understands my pain…"

James whispers to Meowth, "Don't remind him. I've got a lot to earn on this bet."

Meowth grins mischievously. "I get you."

Cassidy shouts to Jessie, "It's not too late to give up and save yourself the humiliation. If I were you, I wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last time we met on the stage."

Jessie asserts, "I don't want a repeat. That's why it will be you who suffers the humiliating loss."

"That's some bold speak coming from someone who couldn't beat me even once in a contest battle."

Jessie just glares at Cassidy. Cassidy returns the glare.

Gillian proclaims, "Five minutes on the clock! Let's get this show on the road!"

Jessie and Cassidy both throw Pokéballs. "Repiv!"

"Vipyre!"

The two snake Pokémon appear from their Pokéballs. Both understand their trainers' feelings and glare at each other with the same ferocity.

"Piiiiiiiiv!"

"Pyyyyyyre!"

At the same time, both coordinators order, "Poison Sting!"

The two snake Pokémon both fire a cascade of poisonous needles. The purple needles collide and scatter.

Jessie quickly follows, "Wrap!" Repiv lunges forward to wrap around Vipyre.
But Cassidy orders, "Coil!"

The two serpents twist and contort about each other. They try to ensnare the other, but both are too thin and moving too quickly to become tangled by the other.

Gillian shouts, "The dance of two serpentine Pokémon is captivating, but neither has the upper hand!" This results in points being drained from coordinators' scores.

This time Cassidy is the first to issue a new order. "Fire Fang!"

As if thinking the exact same thing, Jessie instantly orders, "Poison Fang!"

Both Pokémon bite down on the other. Both only barely manage to sink their fangs into the other's tail before it slips out of range. Again, both Jessie and Cassidy lose equal amounts of points.

Given that both had their tails bitten, both are unable to hold down their own attacks for long. The two Pokémon each leap apart from each other once they've had enough.

Cassidy looks annoyed. "Let's show them a move they can't copy! Flame Wheel!" Vipyre rolls up its body into a wheel of flames and rolls at Repiv.

Jessie objects, "It's you that's copying me! Don't forget who it was that started doing contests first! Both times! Repiv, use Dig!"

Just before Vipyre can tumble over Repiv, it digs into the ground. The perfect timing earns Jessie a decrease to Cassidy's points. She's the first to pull into the lead.

"Vipyre, stop rolling and start Poison Stinging!" Vipyre uncoils and shoots its Poison Sting into Repiv's hole.

"Repiv, out now!"

"In the air!"

Repiv emerges from beneath Vipyre to attack, but Vipyre has already leapt upwards.

Gillian realizes, "Repiv may have been able to get out before the Poison Sting could do any good, but Vipyre forced it out on its own terms, giving the advantage to Cassidala!" Now Jessie's points drop.

"Fire Fang!"

"Poison Fang!"

Once again, both Pokémon snap their heads at the other to bite down. But this time, while still in the air, Vipyre has a positional advantage and is able to bite on Repiv's neck, which stops the Poison Fang before it can ever connect. They both land on the ground with Repiv still firmly in Vipyre's jaw. Jessie's points drop further.

Butch cheers. "Yeah! Go Cassidy!" He glances at James. "I'd start practicing now, because I'm not letting you off the hook until you say it right! That's Butch! B-U-T-C-H! Butch!"

James rolls his eyes. "I know how to spell your name, Bunch!"

Instead of complaining, Butch announces, "Your blunders only make my prize all the sweeter!"

Cassidy asserts, "Don't tell me this isn't familiar to you! It's all going to end the same! Give up!"

Jessie has a flashback to her and Cassidy's previous contest battle. Ekans is caught in the teeth of Rattata, much like Repiv is in Vipyre's.

Flashback Cassidy cackles. "I thought you were worth something, but apparently, I was wrong! You're nothing!"

The memory just adds to Jessie's resolve. "We are not nothing! Repiv, let's escape with a show both beauty and strength! Use Wrap! Then fling it up!" Repiv may not be able to move its head, but it's able to whip its tail and body at Vipyre's body. It wraps around the Pokémon, rips it away from its neck, then flings it up. "Now Poison Sting!"

"Piiiiiiiv!" Repiv fires its barrage of needles at its airborne opponent.

Gillian shouts, "Beauty and strength indeed! Those movements were elegant, yet powerful!" Cassidy's points drop.

Cassidy finds herself in a flashback of her own. She's watching TV with a friend. A contest is being televised. An Ekans use its tail to wrap around a Loudred. The Loudred is flung into the air, then pummeled by a Poison Sting.

The Loudred's coordinator orders, "Hyper Voice!" Loudred aims its mouth at Ekans and screams loud enough to create ripping sound waves. Ekans is knocked out.

Young Cassidy says with awe, "What beauty and strength."

Her friend agrees, "Yeah, that Loudred is pretty great."

Cassidy shakes her head. "No. I mean the Ekans."

"But it just lost."

"Maybe so, but that's a coordinator that I want to be like." She stands up. "That decides it. I'm entering the next contest!" The TV shows a young Jessie recalling Ekans.

Cassidy shakes off the memories and returns to the present. "Vipyre, use Flame Wheel as you fall!" Vipyre curls into a wheel and hits the ground rolling. It quickly moves in on Repiv.

"Dodge!" Repiv manages to slither aside fast enough for Vipyre to roll by.

"Unfurl and Poison Sting!" Vipyre abruptly puts on the brakes and turns to use Poison Sting so fast that Repiv can't react. This leads to a point deduction from Jessie. Cassidy asserts,
"It doesn't matter what you do! I'm better than you! You can't beat me!"

Jessie stomps a foot down angrily. "I've had enough of your degrading attitude! It's as if you exist for the sole purpose of putting me down, and I'm done with it! You showed up at every contest to beat me! You made sure I had nowhere to go but the academy, and you still weren't satisfied with yourself! You enrolled in the academy, just to beat me! And even now you show up here only to beat me! Enough is enough! Poison Sting!" Repiv uses a Poison Sting of its own to fend off Vipyre's.

Cassidy is taken aback. "The academy…just to beat you…?"

She's drawn into another flashback. A younger her shouts, "No! You can't drop me! You said you would make me a star!"

A man in a suit shakes his head. "I'm sorry. You may have shown promise in the beginning, but ever since that Jessie girl left the contest circuit, you haven't been the same. That promise is gone. You don't have the talent to make it as a top coordinator. Take it from someone who's been an agent to some of the most successful upstart coordinators."

"But I have nowhere else to go! I gave up everything to pursue this career!"

The man shakes his head unapologetically. "Sorry, not my problem."

Cassidy is crying. "I have nowhere to go…"

The flashback ends and Cassidy thinks to herself, Jessie only joined with Team Rocket because I ruined her career… But…she was the reason I became a coordinator in the first place…not because I wanted to beat her…but because she inspired me… I wasn't there just to beat her… And I didn't even know she joined Team Rocket… But I did know she was in this contest… I did enter this contest just to beat her… When did everything change…?

Jessie orders, "Repiv, use Poison Fang!"

Cassidy is too caught up in her own thoughts to come up with a counter. Vipyre looks at her expectingly, but she's frozen up.

Repiv bites down on Vipyre.

Gillian shouts, "That's it! Cassidala's hesitation just cost her the last of her points! The battle is over, and the winner is Jessileia!"

Jessie stagers back in surprise. "I…won…?"

James leaps up and cheers. "Jessie won!" He points at Butch. "I hope you're willing to pay up!"

Butch sighs. He pulls something out of his pocket and flicks it at James like a coin. "There's your garbage."

James catches it and observes it with glee. "Ooh! It's a misprint! Amazing!"

Meowth asks, "What? What is it? A rare and valuable coin?"

James shakes his head. "Even better! It's a bottle cap!" He holds it out triumphantly.

Meowth sighs. "I should have known better…"

Butch, confused by James' enthusiasm, comments, "It came off my lunch yesterday."

"And it's your loss!"

Back on stage, Jessie is still jumping up and down in celebration.

Cassidy approaches her and offers a handshake. "Good job…Jessie…"

Jessie stops her celebration to eye Cassidy suspiciously. "What gives…?"

Cassidy sighs. "I owe you an apology. I never realized how much I ruined your life."

Jessie crosses her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Cassidy shakes her head in dismay. "Look… This is hard for me to admit…but you were the reason I started entering contests in the first place. I watched your debut performance on TV and was inspired. I wanted to be like you. But then I beat you in our first battle, and my ugly side showed itself. I was so proud of myself for beating the person that inspired me, that I got caught up in that pride. Suddenly, it became my mission to beat you. But, as it turns out, you were the only person I could beat. After you left the contest circuit, I faced nothing but losses. I was left with nowhere to go. I hit rock bottom. That's why I enrolled in the Team Rocket Academy."

Jessie puts the pieces together. "Wait…you didn't follow me there to beat me…?"

Cassidy shakes her head. "No. But I was still too prideful. I could never admit that I was there for the same reasons you were. So, our rivalry just got worse. And somewhere along the line, it did become my sole mission to prove that I was better than you at everything. It helped me feel better about myself after all my other failures. If I couldn't be successful elsewhere, at least I could call myself better than you. But now I can't anymore. You beat me."

Jessie stares long and hard at Cassidy. She's uncertain of how to respond. Finally, she accepts Cassidy's outreached hand and shakes. This leads to great applause from the audience.

Jessie accepts her ribbon from Mr. Contesta. "Jessileia, you have always been a standout coordinator thanks to your…unusual methods. It is my pleasure to award you with your final ribbon needed to enter the Grand Festival."

Jessie rips both the ribbon and the microphone out of Contesta's hands. "And it is my pleasure to accept this ribbon! I prepared a few words to say." She pulls out a piece of paper. It unrolls to the ground and keep on going. It's a very long piece of paper. "First, I' like to thank—"

Contesta takes back the microphone. "How about you save that for the post-contest interviews…"

"Why, certainly!"

With that crisis averted, Gillian breathes a sigh of relief. Then she announces, "Before we wrap here, it's time to announce the location of this year's Grand Festival! In two weeks, you can meet me at Tenno's world-famous Rest Stop for the show of a lifetime!"

Brenda nods. "The Rest Stop. Two weeks. The Grand Festival."

Ash points out, "That should give us enough time to travel there, and still make it back to Kanaveral City in time to take a boat to the Cosmic Conference."

Brock asks, "Are you ready, Brenda?"

Brenda hesitates momentarily. "Maybe I'm not now, but with all the training I'm going to be cramming into the next two weeks, I will be."

Jessie, James, Meowth, Butch, and Cassidy all stand outside of the Kanaveral Contest Hall in civilian clothes. Cassidy asks, "So, you'll be entering the Grand Festival now, Jessie?"

Jessie nods. "I'll win it." After a pause, she adds, "For both of us."

Cassidy grins. "Sounds like a plan."

Jessie adds, "I may have proven myself the better coordinator today, but don't think I'm going to give up on proving myself the better Rocket operative. Next time we meet, I'll have captured that Pikachu and earned The Boss' favor."

Butch says, "Better Rocket operative? That won't be hard because—"

Cassidy laughs as she puts a hand over Butch's mouth. "Jessie, just don't go throwing everything away for Team Rocket. Make sure you give the Grand Festival the attention it deserves. Because you deserve more than just Team Rocket."

Butch rips Cassidy's hand away and asks, "Cassidy, shouldn't we tell them that—"

Cassidy uses her other hand to cover his mouth. "Do you promise, Jessie?"

Jessie nods. "I promise."

"Good. Then our business is done here. See you around, Jessie." She turns away and drags Butch with her.

Jessie shouts, "Bye, Cassidy!"

James shouts, "So long, Lord Butchington Reginald Montgomery the Third Esquire! You really should consider coming up with something people can call you for short!"

Butch flinches without looking back. "How can he be so close, yet so far?" He sighs and looks to Cassidy. "Cassidy, don't you think we should tell them that there's life beyond Team Rocket?"

Cassidy shakes her head. "No. Jessie has found a way to work both Team Rocket and Pokémon contests into her life. She's found her purpose. I'm still looking for mine. Team Rocket is her life. It is where she belongs. I don't want to discourage her."

Butch shakes his head in disbelief. "It's still hard to believe that we actually quit. What are we without Team Rocket?"

Cassidy smiles. "I don't know yet. But if Jessie can find her place, I know that I'll find mine. Come on. Let's go to that café I was telling you about."

"Yes. Let's go. There's also a bakery I'd love to show you."

Cassidy grins at him. "Sound great, Butch."

Butch's eyes widen as he looks to Cassidy. He's on the verge of tears. "My name…you got it right… I could die happy right now."

Jessie and Cassidy have been rivals for as long as we've known them. But now it seems like that rivalry may finally be at an end. Both have officially begun to walk on separate paths. Perhaps they'll meet again in future journeys.

To Be Continued…

Important Author's Note: As of this episode, it's official that Cosmic Quest takes place before the end of Pokémon Journeys. Butch and Cassidy having just quit Team Rocket is set up for the Journeys episode "The Good, The Bad, and The Lucky," where we meet them again having already left Team Rocket. Since it's conception, Cosmic Quest has always taken place after all existing and future series, but given the nature of how Journeys ended and the fact that Ash is no longer the main character, it was impossible for Cosmic Quest to take place after the series. However, Ash has still referenced traveling to Galar, knowing about Dynamax Pokémon, and owning a Dragonite in Cosmic Quest, so Cosmic Quest currently takes place some time in the middle of Journeys. In the near future, I will retcon and/or rewrite earlier episodes, especially the first, to clarify exactly where in the timeline Cosmic Quest belongs. See this episode's review (when made available) on the Cosmic Quest Website for more details.