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"Ninety-five bucks."
Meowth balked at the price. "You can't be serious? That much for a room in this rat-infested motel?" he cried in shock.
"You're a cat. Do somethin' about it." The motel owner, a none-too-clean, gruff looking man, yawned theatrically and picked up his magazine, flipping through to look at the pictures. With a sigh, Meowth slammed the money down in front of the man. Taking the keys from underneath the desk, the owner tossed them to the angry pokémon.
"Check-out's tomorrow at nine in the mornin', or I'll charge ya for another night." Grumbling, Meowth stomped across the lobby. He glared daggers at Jessie and James, who stood just outside the door, a little disgusted at the condition of the place. The look Meowth gave them almost dared them to make a comment. It had been a while since he had gotten to use his furry swipes and the idea seemed intriguing. The human members of Team Rocket wisely refrained from saying anything.
"Let's go get our stuff. I have a problem with leaving anything out of sight in this neighborhood." James nodded at Meowth's suggestion. When he was younger, he had lived in places far worse than this and one of the most important rules you learned was to never leave anything you cared about unattended - that applied to any material possessions you owned, your children, your significant other, and your pokémon. James reached in the back of the jeep and began to grab their things. On the way to Cerise City, Jessie had spotted a broken down jeep of a model identical to their own on the side of the road. Luckily, what was broken down on that one wasn't the same as on theirs. She fixed the jeep right up and they had left the truck, which, according to Meowth, was nice because that thing just guzzled gas money. Of course, Meowth had grumbled almost non-stop about how behind schedule they were. Fixing up the jeep, while easy to do, was horribly time consuming. They were still about five hours away from Cerise City and it was very late at night. James had noticed Jessie nodding off at the wheel and insisted they find a place to stay for the night.
They never brought much when they went on trips. All they had were two backpacks and three small satchels. Meowth often smugly commented how nice it was to not have to worry about lugging clothes around. James train of thought derailed when he heard a small beeping coming from Meowth's satchel. Grabbing the small bag out of James' hands, Meowth reached in and turned his back to Jessie and James. They exchanged curious glances and Jessie shrugged. Her eyes said it all. It was almost as if James could read her thoughts. What was Meowth up to?
With a sigh, said pokémon turned to look at the remainder of Team Rocket.
"I gotta go," was all he said. He popped open the trunk of the Jeep and pulled out a small, collapsible, electric scooter. Quickly putting it together, he started the engine.
"I'll be back within two hours," announced the pokémon. He tossed the motel keys to Jessie and drove off without a second look back. He disappeared in a cloud of dust. Jessie held the keys firmly in her hand, watching where he had gone. After a moment, she shook her head and began chewing on her lip. She gestured to James to close and lock the jeep, grabbed her bags, and trudged up the steps to their room. Looking off to her right, she saw they were at the "Sleep EAZY Motel" Yeah, right, she mused.
There were two beds in the room. They didn't look too bad. They even seemed to have clean sheets, a luxury Jessie didn't expect. Dropping her stuff to the floor, she sat cross-legged on one of the beds, lost in thought. She didn't even notice when James walked into the room.
Noticing her lost in concentration, he attempted to be extra quiet, not wanting to disturb her. A disturbed Jessie was more than he could handle right now. James was keenly aware of three times when you should leave Jessie alone at all costs. One was the week prior to that time of the month. The second was when he had done something wrong and hadn't realized it yet. The third was when she was thinking to herself, trying to solve a puzzle on her own. James knew Jessie's biological rhythms pretty well, so he knew it wasn't the first reason. Also, from their recent excursion, he didn't think he had done anything wrong. So it must be the third. And that meant Meowth. James couldn't blame her. The recent activities of their favorite talking pokémon had made him curious as well.
Bored and not expecting Jessie to be much company, James began to poke around the room. It was a small, one-room thing. He found a nice enough bathroom in the back. It was a little dingy, but nothing too horrible. For all outward appearances, this motel was rather decent. The only thing that bothered him was the heat in the room. James idly wondered if the management had discovered air conditioning. Hearing Jessie curse softly and begin to move around the room, James flipped off the bathroom light and went to see what was the matter.
Jessie had changed into a rather slinky black nightgown. It wasn't unexpected, given the temperature of the room. Most women might feel weird dressed as she was, unmarried, with her boyfriend sharing a room with her in a sleazy motel. However, years of living occasionally in the woods, in very crowded hotel rooms, and the rare stays in prison had robbed the young woman of any sense of modesty she might have had. Still, James couldn't help but marvel at Jessie's beauty and feel slightly embarrassed and intimidated by it. Hearing James' gasp, she turned and smiled in amusement at her partner's slightly red face.
"Oh, please James. It's nothing you haven't seen before," she chastised, pulling on a robe. She was right of course. James wondered what had compelled him to feel so embarrassed at looking at her. Sometimes, one's own body played the cruelest of tricks. Jessie wouldn't let him get away, though. She walked up to him and leaned over to whisper seductively in his ear.
"And it's something you could see again..." she whispered softly. Just as James was about to respond, she kissed him on the cheek, gave him a quick hug and walked towards the bathroom.
"But not tonight," she concluded and shut the door. James heard her turn on the shower. He sighed and got changed for bed. He was asleep by the time Jessie got out.
Fire. It had been a fire. So hot, he could feel his skin blistering, the smell of burning hair and clothes hovering in his nose even away from the dream state. He heard the cries of agony - his own as well as those of people he thought he knew, but didn't. At least, not as far as he could remember. Then there was the light. Oh, the bright, burning light from the fire had been so intense! He could feel his vision being sucked away, even as he was forced to continue to stare into the brightness. The worst part, however, was the air. With every breath he took, he could feel the lining of his lungs being seared away. He'd coughed and gasped, tried to hold his breath, but wasn't able to. Every intake of air took him one step closer to death and he knew it. But he couldn't help it. The dream had ended suddenly when a strong arm had yanked him away from the blaze, leaving him someplace cool, but equally terrifying. And worst of all, he still couldn't breath.
James bit his lip to keep from sobbing. Never had he had a dream this intense! The nightmare he usually had paled in comparison. It was a terror unlike anything he had ever experienced. He had been completely helpless - he couldn't save himself, his parents, or his sister.
Sister? James forced his eyes open. The room was dark. Jess was breathing softly against James' neck and Meowth was snoring from the other bed. It was still a little warm in the room, but it James' didn't notice it. He was more focused on figuring out what was happening to him. He was James. He had a good job, a lover, and a friend. He had a little brother. His parents were alive and very obnoxious. He was in the motel with his Team. Tomorrow they would travel to Cerise City.
I'm here. I'm in Jessie's arms. James closed his eyes, focusing on his best friend gentle embrace. Slowly, the flames died away, the terror melting out of his system. He felt calm and at peace. James sighed softly and fell back into an easy sleep.
Meowth only received a grunt in reply from the lovely, charming thief. James rubbed is eyes and tried very hard to keep them open, but his body had other ideas. He felt himself nodding off, only to wake up suddenly. He had a haunted look in his eyes and a small cut on his lip. Jessie tore her eyes from the road and looked over at him.
He really did look bad. Jessie didn't wake up last night, but that didn't mean James hadn't had that nightmare again. She looked back at the road and chewed her bottom lip. James still didn't like to talk about the dreams, not if he could avoid it. At first, she thought it was because of TMS (Typical Male Stubbornness), but changed her mind. The more James talked about the dreams, the more real they became to him. Even though he wanted to talk about it, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He also didn't want to worry her. Jessie felt herself grinding her teeth. He always wanted to protect her. Most girls would die for that kind of treatment. Jessie just found it irritating. But, she amended with a sigh, she also found it very sweet and somewhat comforting.
A sign on the road read "Cerise City: 20 MILES"
Umiko looked up from a fashion magazine and rolled her eyes. Kytty had lined up some beer cans and was shooting them down with rubber band missiles. They had been ordered to rush to Cerise City without knowing what exactly for, only to be ordered to wait. Umiko looked around the nearly empty, uninteresting room. At least we're not the only ones here… she thought with a sigh. When this many of their best people gathered, it was never a good sign.
Reece was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her fingers darting at lightning speed on her laptop's keyboard. Reece had spent a few months with Jessie and James, but was ordered back to Headquarters a few weeks ago. She had proven to be a more than apt pupil, learning gun control, some martial arts, and few other tricks to the trade relatively quickly. Her greatest skill still lay in computers though, so she was more of a informant than anything else. She was intent on hacking into some system, but at the same time was listening intently to Gengiess as he regaled her with another tale from his long tenure at Team Rocket.
Having Gengiess here was weird. He was usually a lone wolf when it came to missions. He never worked with a partner and only with a group under extreme circumstances. As gruff and tough as he was, Umiko couldn't help but notice how fatherly he was acting towards Reece. She had long suspected that Gengiess was a softy at heart. This just proved it.
"Lucky!!"
Umiko was startled out of her thoughts by her pokémon, crying for attention. She picked up the pink animal and cooed softly at her, massaging her head. She purred softly. Gengiess looked over at her.
"When did you get that, Umiko?"
"James gave her to me. Isn't she precious?" Umiko reached into a bag and fed her some pellets.
Gengiess walked over and scratched the Lucky on the head. "This is a Japanese Chancy, isn't it? Where did James find such a thing?"
Umiko shrugged. "I really don't know. He brought it back with him from where ever he was while we were on a mission. We stayed with Jessie and James for a few days while we waited for new orders." Umiko left out that they had gone to a training session. Training was always a private matter. If you weren't invited, you never knew about it.
"Huh." Gengiess made a mental note to ask James about it the next time he was in their sector of town. Gengiess began to pace the length of the room. He hated waiting.
"What's the damn hold up?" he muttered under his breath.
Jessie was standing next to the jeep, her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her face. Meowth stood next to her, expressionless. James was busy getting things out of the vehicle. The building they stood in front of was an abandoned warehouse, condemned by the city, looking as though it might collapse at any minute. The neighborhood surrounding it was almost in the same condition. The roads leading to this part of town were full of potholes and clutter, making the way almost impassable. Nobody lived here. Nobody came here.
"It's the perfect place," confirmed Meowth.
"Perfect for what?" scoffed Jessie. "Demolition?" She already didn't like this mission. It had been a long road trip and for what? To look at an old building, probably infested with ratatats and other less pleasant creatures? Jessie wrinkled her nose. The whole area smelled like a garbage dump.
"Don't be so smart," growled Meowth. "The boss ordered us here and here is where we are. Now hurry it up!" called the pokémon, shooting a glance over his shoulder at James who was still unloading the jeep. "We don't have all day." After gathering their things, they walked into the shadowy entrance of the building.
James went first, for no other reason then he happened to be in the lead. He paused for a moment, allowing his eyes a minute to adjust to the dark. He walked slowly, cringing at every step. We sound like an army, marching through this silent place, he thought with some regret. Ever since they'd arrived, James couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Now, he was almost certain of it. He barely had enough time to react when he heard the familiar click of a cocking gun.
His pistol was out of his holster and resting on the forehead of their would be assailant faster than anyone could see. Unfortunately, the other person had done the same thing. James felt the barrel of his enemy's gun press against his head, even as James was consciously aware of himself gearing up to pull the trigger. Behind him, Jessie had also trained her gun on the assailant. Things could get really messy, thought James with a silent sigh.
"Dyabin on the Market Square! Meowth!"
"Hardly, for the Criers sigh a song of drepers," responded the person behind the gun on James' forehead.
In an instant, the tension dropped from the room and every gun was uncocked and back in its holster. James smiled warmly at the person whom moments before he was prepared to have given another breathing hole. It was too dark to see still, but he knew the voice in a heartbeat.
"Hello, Gengiess. Nice to see you again," said James mildly. He couldn't say more, for the gruff senior Team Rocket member has swept him up in a crushing hug.
Jessie mearly nodded. "Hey Umiko, Kytty, Reece," she said waving at each of them in turn.
"Wow! Hi guys!" Reece rushed over and gave Jessie a hug, which she returned. Then, she gave James a hug, which he barely returned. He looked distracted. The young girl frowned at James.
"What was the big hold up?" asked Kytty. She was working on opening a bag of potato chips. After a moment, she gave up and used her teeth. Jessie still couldn't get over how different Kytty and Umiko were. Kytty, with her loose, plaid blouse, worn blue jeans, smooth country accent and bright, blond curly hair, and clean life-style was the exact opposite of her partner in every sense of the word except for gender.
"Car trouble." Jessie flopped down on a dusty crate at one of the room. Earlier, and feeling bored, Reece had set up the main room, pulling seven of the crates into a semi-circle. She had had a feeling that Jessie, James and Meowth would probably show up and had set up enough places for all of them.
"I wonder why we're here," remarked the computer genius. Her hair was still green. She had actually continued to dye the roots, finding she rather liked the look it gave her. She was dressed in typical teenage fashion - flared jeans and a sleeveless, brightly colored yellow tank top. She had styled her hair in twin braids on the side of her head. On her nose rested a tiny pair of John Lennon style sunglasses, which no doubt did nothing to shade her eyes. She hadn't had a partner. Hacking into systems rarely required one. It was nice to be around a lot of people again.
Gengiess looked around at the group that had gathered in the semi-circle. He frowned slightly. It was the best and brightest. Umiko and Kytty - a team so efficient they had nearly put his own record to shame. Then there was Reece, one of the most brilliant people he had ever met. Not to mention himself, he felt he could boast, one of the most successful members of The Organization, and of course, the Golden Three, as he liked to think of them. Jessie and James. If they were involved it was serious. They were The Boss's elite Team. He gave them most of the really tough assignments. Except for the Pikachu thing, amended Gengiess to himself. And Meowth - Gengiess scowled. That cat knew a lot more than he was telling. Gengiess found himself startled out of his revelry as James sat down next to him. He glanced over at the young man. He looked very tired. His troubled eyes darted this way and that, only seeming to find peace when they met with Jessie's. Gengiess was about to ask him what was wrong when Meowth's scratchy voice interrupted him.
"I know you all are wondering why you are gathered here today. I can tell you," began the pokémon. This came as a surprise to no one in the group, with the exception of Reece.
"You're in charge, Meowth?" she asked incredulous.
"Yes," replied the pokémon. "I am. We are all gathered here today because we have been selected to embark on a very important mission." Meowth paused a moment. At first, Gengiess thought it was to make sure everybody was listening. His eyes narrowed when he saw the cat regarding James for a moment, sadness encompassing his feline eyes. At an instant, Gengiess had a feeling of how serious this mission was going to be.
"Some... thing was stolen from The Boss by our rival group, The Dark Defiers," continued Meowth.
"Who?" interrupted Reece.
"The Dark Defiers," explained Umiko. "They're a criminal organization similar to our own, but not very big. And a lot more ruthless."
"Yep. That's for dang sure, sugar," added Kytty. "They's a whole lot meaner than us. When we do our work, we are told to try to keep casualties down to a minimum. You hear about the massive Pokécenter bombing not three months back?"
"You mean the one where like three nurses and seven travelers were killed, scores more injured?
"That's the one," nodded Kytty. "That's Defier work."
"Alleged Defier work," corrected Jessie. "We still aren't certain who really did it."
"But it was defiantly their style," pointed out Gengiess. He was waiting for James to jump in and add his opinion as well. However, the young man was sullen and silent, staring aimlessly off into space. Gengiess wondered if he was even listening.
"This thing they stole was very, very important to the Boss. If it fell into the wrong hands, we could be in very serious trouble," continued Meowth. "We're on a mission to retrieve it."
"Well, it'll be hard to do if you don't tell us what it is," snapped Jessie.
Again, Meowth looked at James. He seemed to hesitate before answering. "I'm not at liberty to tell you."
"Well, where is it?"
"I can't tell you."
Jessie sighed and slapped her legs. She stood up suddenly and started pacing around. She really hated this mission.
"What you're telling us is that we are supposed find a place, we don't know how, break in to it, but we don't know where, and steal back what they took from us, but we don't know what?" asked Umiko, incredulous.
"That's it," affirmed Meowth.
"This is really stupid," stated Kytty. The others, minus Gengiess and James, nodded.
"No, it's business as usual," corrected Gengiess, standing up. He decided he was going to take control of the situation. "Meowth, when was this thing taken and from where? You have to at least tell us that."
"Well," began the pokémon, "it was actually taken last night from Azure City."
"Last night? How is that possible?" demanded Jessie. "We were called away for this mission yesterday morning!" There were murmurs of agreement from all around.
"To be honest," replied Meowth, "we already knew the robbery was going to take place."
"Then why weren't we assigned to guard the thing instead of having to go get it later?" asked Kytty.
"Because you want to find out where their hideout is, right?" piped Reece. Meowth nodded.
"We needed to know and now we have the opportunity to find out for sure." Meowth walked over to a map rolled out on the floor. He peered at it intently for a moment. "I know where we need to go. I can tell you what to bring and I'll lead the way. Basically, D standard supplies. We'll need to be ready to go in two days, at least."
"Check," responded Gengiess. "Reece, Umiko and Jessie will ride into town and get the food we need. James," he actually made eye contact with Gengiess at this point, " you and Kytty are gonna do a check on all the equipment and the pokémon." Everyone nodded and walked away to do there jobs. Meowth started to head off as well, but Gengiess picked him up by the scruff of the neck and set him on a crate at eye level with himself.
"Alright Meowth. Your going to tell me exactly what is going on, how it relates to James, and what's wrong with him. He hardly said anything the entire time and I haven't gotten more than a sentence out of him since he got here. I've never seen him look so tired and act so closed up," growled the veteran. Meowth made direct, unflinching eye contact with the scarred elder.
"I can't tell you what's going on," he said firmly. "I want to, but I really can't. As for James..." Meowth shrugged and looked away. "I don't know why he's so out of it. I tried talking to Jessie earlier. She said it was something about bad dreams keeping him up at night, but was pretty vague and evasive. Maybe you could find out more from her." The pokémon sighed loudly. "I just hope he snaps out of it soon. He'll need his strength." Meowth leapt backwards off the crate, skulking off in the darkness to leave Gengiess with his thoughts.