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"A proposal?" Jessie looked at the woman suspiciously.
"As you know, Giovanni has many legal businesses and he is a very rich and dignitary man. The only way to destroy him is by ruining his reputation. That is what I tried to do 10 years ago. But no one believed me, because it was my word against his. That's what I need you for- so it'll be both of us against him."
Jessie was confused. "I don't understand."
"I filed a complaint against Giovanni, complaining that he had sexually harassed me, and I need you to do the same."
"What!?" Jessie almost fell down from her chair. "Are you out of your mind?! He never touched me!"
"I know he didn't."
"Did he touch you?"
Lauren lowered her head and spoke quietly: "We had a short affair, but it was over when I realized how evil he was."
"So it's all about getting a revenge at an ex-lover, isn't it?" Jessie said angrily.
"It's not that at all. I tried to save the world from the evilness of Giovanni, and I'm trying to do that now."
"Why now? Why me?"
"Because I know you and I know what you are capable of, like your mother was. And I think that now you are ready more than ever and you are wiser more than ever."
"You are crazy. I can't face Giovanni like that, no one can."
"You are underestimating yourself, Jessica."
Jessie was completely shocked. She wanted to say something when she heard someone calling her. It was James, and he ran fast towards her.
"Jessie, where have you been? The boss is waiting and we couldn't find you anywhere!"
Jessie got up and was about to go with James when Lauren grabbed her hand and put a piece of paper in it. "Think it over and if you decide to help me, give me a call", She said quietly. Jessie looked at her and didn't say a thing, put the paper in her pocket and followed James.
"Where have you been?" James asked, "You look upset... who was that woman and what did she want?"
"Nothing, James. She's nobody."
"I'm sorry, sir... I was..."
"Shut up!" He yelled at Jessie and she cringed in her place. "I don't care. I am very disappointed with all of you. You are a bunch of useless losers who can't do anything right. You are a disgrace for Team Rocket." Suddenly he got up from his chair and got a bit closer to them. He never got close to them before, and it scared them. The boss' face disgusted Jessie, and Lauren's words still echoed in her mind.
The boss got even closer to them and said: "I have no other choice than to separate you. And James- you are out of the Team. You're the biggest loser of them all."
"What?" James cried out.
Jessie felt extremely mad at that point. "You can't do this, sir!" She said, in a sudden courage. "I won't have it!"
The boss looked at her in total rage. "What did you say?" He got closer to her and suddenly put his hand on her neck and forced her to fall on her knees. "And since when are you in charge? You will do what ever I'll say or you all pay the price!"
"She's sorry, boss!" Meowth panicked when he saw Jessie on her knees, "We'll do what eva ya say!"
The boss let go of her and stepped back. "You will return back here next Monday to meet your new partner, and James- I don't want to see you here ever again. You will never meet Jessie or Meowth again after this week."
Jessie pulled herself from the floor, still coughing. She gave the boss a hateful look and stepped out of the room with James and Meowth. When they were outside the room she noticed a tear falling from James' eye, and it broke her heart. She came closer to him and hugged his arm.
"I don't want to never see you again", he said quietly and wiped the tear off of his cheek.
"I know James, I don't want it neither."
"This thing sucks", mentioned Meowth, looking sadly at his partners. He will miss James, of course, but he was more upset when he thought about how Jessie's going to handle it.
They went back to their little house without saying a thing. The sun was already setting; they had spent the entire day in the HQ because of the delay that Jessie and Lauren's conversation caused- They had to wait 4 hours until the boss let them in to see him. They got to their little home when it was time for dinner, but nobody was hungry. James went out side and sat on the grass, and Meowth followed him.
"Yer ok, James?"
James smiled sadly at the Cat-Pokemon. "How can I be ok? You know what's going to happen next week."
"I know, James. I'm sorry 'bout that."
"Yeah", James said shortly, trying to hide the pain in his voice.
"Have ya thought of what yer going to do after ya left da team?"
"Maybe I'll go back to my parents and marry Jessebelle..."
"You don't wanna do dat..."
"No, I don't... maybe I'll go and follow my dream to be a Pokemon master?"
"Like the twerp?" Meowth tried to make James smile, "You'll wear yer cap backwards and challenge every trainer ya meet?"
James laughed a little. "Maybe I will!" and then his eyes turned sad.
"You'll miss Jessie, huh?" Meowth asked sympathetically.
He sighed. "Oh, god, I will. I will miss her more than anything."
Meowth felt sorry for him. "I'm sorry things happen the way dey did."
"Me too, Meowth."
In the meanwhile, Jessie was looking through the window on her two friends, and she cried. She didn't want to lose James; He'd been a part of her for so long, and now the boss is going to make sure they'd be apart for life. The same boss that... killed... her mother? Could it be true? Can he be responsible for the biggest tragedy in Jessie's life?
She took the little paper out of her uniform pocket, and looked at it. It was a phone number, a mobile phone number. She looked at it for a while and then walked slowly over to the phone.
She dialed once and then hung up. This thing that Lauren wanted her to do was big and risky, but it might be the only way to stop Giovanni from tearing her apart from the only man that she had ever truly loved.
Her fingers pressed slowly on the phone buttons and she waited a few rings. She was about to hang up again when a feminine voice answered:
"Hello?"
"Mss. Malone?" Jessie's voice trembled.
"Yes, this is Lauren Malone."
"Lauren, It's Jessie, I need to speak with you, as soon as possible."