Catching Pikachu was the most difficult mission Team Rocket had ever given themselves. Hundreds upon hundreds of failures, and even more failed successes — it was a wonder they had gotten so close to a successful success before.
Then again, with how many times they'd failed, it wasn't a surprise they'd get lucky every once in a while. But of course, it usually ended in things like the current situation where they were stuck in a tree after having been blasted off yet again.
"Dat Pikachu, I tell ya... He's really somethin'," Meowth declared while hanging off a branch.
"Something of a pest..." said Jessie, upside down from the landing.
"Maybe we shouldn't be so harsh on it," James began while pulling his foot out of a hole in the tree. "It's probably just as annoyed by us as we are with it."
"You've got a point dere, Jimmy."
"Are you saying we're the pests!?" Jessie roared from the branch above. "That little rat, he really shouldn't think he's any better than the three of us–"
"Wobbuffet!"
"Make that four of us..."
The trio collectively sighed before James spoke up.
"You know, it's probably been nearly a thousand times that we've tried to catch that Pikachu..."
"A thousand? Try a million," Meowth muttered.
"So we'll keep trying even if we reach a billion!" Jessie declared.
"...About that, I have a proposition."
"What, James? We don't have all week."
"We actually do, long as I can build a giant robot while he's talkin'!" Meowth interjected.
"Suppose we call it a decade with Pikachu..."
Complete silence fell amongst the trio as confusion appeared on Jessie and Meowth's faces.
"...A decade? I could've sworn it was less than a year ago."
"Nah, it's been 25 years, guys, cat's intuition."
"But we're 25..."
"Exactly!"
"...Putting Meowth's nonsense aside, we absolutely can't stop chasing Pikachu, James! How long have we been doing this for aga– Wait, never mind, it's been too long to stop, anyway! We have a reputation to uphold!"
"A reputation as losers who could've been successful somewhere else?"
"Now you understand!"
"I'm not sure I do..."
"What's gotten into you? You've been goin' along with our plans th' whole time!"
"It's just... we've been so much more successful as agents when we haven't been chasing Pikachu, you know."
"...He's got a point, Jess."
"No, he doesn't!" Jessie declared. "Catching Pikachu is our life's work! Our purpose! Our mission that we can't give up on!"
"Jessie, he's the World Champion's ace... Don't you think it's a little above our pay grade now?"
"That's never stopped us before! Besides... what would we even do if we stopped chasing the rat?"
"We could leave Team Rocket and become entertainers!" Meowth interjected.
"Even I wouldn't go that far, Meowth!" James exclaimed. "I was rather thinking we could work like we worked in Unova, expanding our influence in a region, ideally one where the twerps aren't around..."
"...Ya know, Jessie, he's got some good ideas for once."
"As tempting as they are," Jessie scoffed, "we simply can't stop chasing Pikachu. Not after however long we've been doing it."
"Nah, Jess, I'm with Jimmy here. De Team Rocket life ain't just chasing one mouse, and our track record means we're jus' better suited for somethin' else."
"It's two against one, you know."
"That isn't fair..." Jessie sighed. "...But you're right. Maybe we have been pursuing Pikachu long enough."
"...Say, how are we gonna get outta this tree?"
"Same way we always do..."
They proceeded to let go, collectively scream, and hit the ground with a crash.
"...We've got to find a better way of doing that," said James.
And then they immediately got up in two frames as Jessie took out the Rotom Phone.
"Since we're no longer catching Pikachu, we'll have to assign ourselves to a mission now... Hijack a Pokemon Contest in Johto..."
"You won't get a ribbon that way."
"Then I won't do it! ...Steal a Sobble in Galar?"
"With our luck, it'll be de next World Champ's starter..."
"...Good point. Maybe just a mission to establish presence?"
"Sounds good t'me!"
"I can't disagree with that."
The Rotom Phone proceeded to ping, and Jessie immediately checked their messages — her eyes then widened at the contents.
"...How did the boss know so fast?"
"They probably record valuable information."
"Well, dat's embarrassing."
"Anyway! We have a mission from him! He wants us to head to the Byron region and immediately try to establish a presence there!"
"Byron? Isn't that the region where everything tries to kill you–"
"So what, that's the whole world for us ever since we joined Team Rocket! And we have experience from the best in the Kanto Union, don't we?!"
"Dat's right! We'll just do what we did in Hoenn and Sinnoh!"
"We'll be executives!"
"We'll have luxury suites!"
"What a great feeling!"
"...Now we've just got to head to Byron."
"How do we get there, though? It's quite far away."
"I'll just build us a new Meowth balloon an' we'll be on our way, guys!"
And so, Jessie, James, and Meowth began working on their Byron expansion mission. Their adventures will continue on and on... in Rescattered Stardust!