Prologue
Once upon a time, a seventeen-year-old girl discovered she was a Lady-in-Waiting for the Moon Kingdom. Two years later, the nineteen year old found out she was the Queen of the Star of the Moon. Four years have passed, and the young woman of age twenty-three is about to embark on yet another journey. Her tale is full of comedy, suspense, adventure, friendship, and love.
Along with her partner, this woman will defeat a foe far greater than any foe she has ever faced before...A bunch of icky bugs.
The key to fame is Pokémon!
Chapter 1 - "Hold Me Tight"
The morning sun shone brightly through Jessie's bedroom window. Jessie's eyes shot open and blinked a few times, getting used to the light. She stretched her arms over her head and then lay her hands on her waist. What a lovely morning, she thought. She grinned and closed her eyes again.
Before long she heard a noise at the door. She looked over to see James. "Good morning," he said, walking to her bedside, leaning over, and kissing her.
As she kissed him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down onto her bed. The two cuddled for the longest time. "You know," Jessie said through kisses. "If we get caught, we'll be in hot water."
"I believe I already am," James laughed. He stopped and looked at her. "When I met you, I knew I would go over the deep end."
Jessie snickered. "By how do you mean?"
"Lots of ways," he sighed. "First in partnership, and then this whole Princess slash Queen stuff. You're pretty special."
"And you're no exception, my love."
They kissed again. Soon they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Jessie sat straight up. "Quick, James! Get under the covers."
James blushed. "What?"
"Just do it! You wanna get caught?" James ducked under her sheets and got down as flat as he could. Jessie pushed herself up higher and smoothed out her hair and nightgown. "Ahem...Come in!"
A small white figure entered. "Meowth! Are you up yet?"
"Does it look like I'm asleep?" Jessie snarled. "What do you want?"
Meowth smiled. "I was looking for James..."
Jessie got a sweatdrop. "And why are you in here then?"
"Where else would he be than in your bed? You can stop hiding him."
James popped his head out from the foot of Jessie's bed. "Hi!"
"You are an idiot," Jessie said.
Meowth grabbed James by his small strand of hair in front of his face with his paw. "Alright, James Bond, time to stop foolin' around and get ready. We got work to do."
"Not more!" Jessie sighed. A little mushroom cloud popped out of her mouth. "It's Saturday."
"And you think dat dat means it's play day?" Jessie and James nodded with huge smiles on their faces. "Youse guys are disgusting."
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Meowthy was wandering around in the cafeteria waiting for Team Rocket. Finally they came down. It would be best if I told them, she thought to herself. I've been putting it off for a long time, but I don't think I can anymore. She ran to greet the trio.
"Meowth-chan!" she purred.
"Good morning, Meowthy," Jessie smiled, bending down and scratching Meowthy behind her ears.
"Hello Jessie-san and James-senpai!"
"Hello," James said, still feeling a tad disappointed his Saturday morning had been disturbed.
"I need to talk to you guys," Meowthy said. Her speech had much improved over the past four years, since the first time she met them.
"Can we talk over breakfast?" James said, rubbing his stomach.
"Uhh...Of course, James-senpai..."
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James sat down to a hearty meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, a stack of pancakes, a glass of orange juice, a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, an apple, and two pieces of buttered toast. Jessie just had some plain oatmeal. Meowth and Meowthy sat on the table alongside them. "So," James began during bites of food. "What did you wanna talk to us about?"
Meowthy wrung her paws together. "Well, Meowth and I have known each other for a while now..."
Jessie nodded and swallowed a spoon-full of her breakfast. "Yeah?" Meowth asked. "So?"
"Well...This proves it. It's pretty hard for me to say, but..."
"Confound it, Meowthy!" James shouted. "What is it?"
She blushed. "...I'm pregnant..."
"WOT?!?" Team Rocket yelled in unison. They fell over Anime-style and Meowthy got a sweatdrop.
Chapter 2 - "All Together Now"
It had been four years. It had been four, stinking years since the notorious Bloody Mary of Team Rocket had been defeated. The newspaper article said an 'unknown blast of the supernatural' was what caused her death. But he knew the real reason.
A young man, just beginning manhood, sat in a small café outside of Celadon City. He sipped his mug of coffee silently as he read the article he had read numerous times over. Such a pity Mary was dead.
He couldn't say he liked her that much. Sure, she was always picking on him and his older brothers. However, she was family. And she was murdered. What was a kid to do?
Team Rocket had taught him to never be a weakling. It was his job to steal Pokémon and get rid of anyone in his path. He could do it without any help, but it was still upsetting to have his entire family stripped from him. Now he was alone in the world.
He smiled and neatly folded the paper that already had creases in it. It didn't matter he was alone. He'd fix it so he was never looked down upon again. For many years he was 'the baby of the family'. No respect, no kindness, and worst of all, the best nasty jokes were never told to him. Now he'd prove himself. The man stood up, put the paper in his pocket, and left a fine tip for the cute waitress that served him.
After four years of planning, he was ready to return to his home and get his revenge.
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"PREGNANT?"
"Pregnant as in BABY pregnant?" James exclaimed.
"There's no other way, James," Jessie said.
"Not just a baby," Meowth said, holding his head between his paws. "A whole litter!"
Meowthy nodded and bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn't have told them quite yet.
"How many months?" Jessie asked, seeming to get excited.
"About one and a half...But I think it's different in Pokémon years than in human years."
"Oh, that's right," the female Rocketeer nodded scooping Meowthy off the ground and into her arms. "Then we shall have to make preparations fast. We need to decorate, and call up the closest Nurse Joy, and..."
As she continued on, Meowth and James looked appalled. "Dames!" Meowth groaned. "Dey always love dis kid stuff."
James nodded. "I hope I never become pregnant."
"Ya can't, idiot."
"Oh yeah!" He grinned and Meowth rolled his eyes. "Wait a minute," James thought aloud. "Doesn't that make you a father, Meowth?"
Sweat streamed down Meowth's face. "Well...umm...Gee..."
"A daddy!" James announced. This time it was he who scooped Meowth up off the floor. "We're going to have to get you a better job. After all, you're going to have around ten Meowths to feed."
Meowth gulped. "T-ten...?"
"Or maybe even twelve, fifteen, twenty! Who knows."
"TWENTY?!?"
"And we'll get you a suit and tie. Oh! And no more Pikachu-hunting for you. And you'll have to learn to control that darn temper of yours..."
"I do not have a temper!" Meowth yelled as he scratched James across the face.
Jessie hit James over the head. "Don't scare Meowth! This is a very stressful time for him."
"How would you know?" James asked. "Have you ever gone through this before?"
She blushed. "No, but I'm planning to..."
James' whole face turned red. Meowth fell over Anime-style. Meowthy sweatdropped again.
"I wonder if this is a good conversation to be talking about in the open," Meowthy said as she looked at the millions of Team Rocket members staring at the scene. "Heh heh..."
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Meanwhile, in a dark crevice not far from the cafeteria, a dark and secret discussion was being held. It was so dark and secret, that the beings telling it were completely still, listening to the speaker's every word. They were so completely still that the pounding of their hearts could be heard when the speaker paused.
"My friends," the speaker began. He had an English accent and a creepy tone. "This is serious. If we do not have a song for next Wednesday's ball, we shall be kicked out of the music society. We shall be mocked, jeered at, and stepped upon!"
"But we're already stepped on," one of the three listeners interjected, his voice having a similar accent. "We're bugs."
The other three beings in the room gasped. "Boy!" the speaker yelled angrily. "We are not just..." He shuddered at the word. "...'Bugs'! We are beetles! We are THE Beetles!"
The others nodded and glared at their very rude friend who said they were nothing more than skittering insects.
"But what kind of song should we write?" the third one asked. He also had an English accent. "We've written everything. From a girl named Michelle to a walrus."
They thought. An immense silence came over the room. "C'mon! Let's think...All together now..."
Chapter 3 - "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
"Hello? Is anyone...Or anything here?"
Nothing answered but echoes.
"Ummm...How do you do? My name is Tack, and I work for Team Rocket..."
Still no answer.
"Well, I need some help." Tack continued down the long, rocky corridor. It had taken him about two hours to get to this place. Outside, a beautiful beach stretched for miles with a blue sky and green sea behind it. He had climbed up the rocky ledge nearby and entered a cave. This was where he was now. It was cold, dark, and damp. Tack had to hurry. When the ocean got high enough, its waves could flood the cave. Anything in it would be washed away. Or drowned. "Please, someone help me."
He thought to himself for a moment. If this place were truly dangerous, then why would someone in his or her right mind be in here? In fact, why was he in here? The old woman at the last Pokémon Center he visited said this was truly the place to come if you wanted to do something evil. So he took the advice. But there was nothing here. Serves me right for listening to an old, senile bat, he thought to himself. Now, I'm probably going to die thanks to her.
But no sooner had those words left his head than a great rumbling was heard. The movement of the ground shook stronger than a great earthquake and knocked Tack to the ground. He panicked and began to look for a safe hiding spot. "It's the ocean!" he gasped. "It's rising!" However, when he looked outside, the water was as still as glass. "What the Hell is going on?"
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While the world was about to end to some people, it was beginning anew for others.
"Serena!"
"Oh, she looks beautiful, doesn't she?"
"Yeah! Serena's dress is gorgeous."
"I always wanted to be a bride!"
A young woman walked toward her friends in a flowing white gown. She sparkled from head-to-toe in glistening lace and satin. Her blue eyes glowed with excitement. "What d'ya think, guys?"
Her four friends squealed with delight. One woman with long black hair and dark eyes ran to her in tears. "Oh my God, Serena! You're so perfect. You will make the best bride ever."
Serena smiled and hugged her friend. "Thank you, Raye-chan. You truly are a great friend."
"Darien is gonna love it!" exclaimed a tall women with olive eyes and a long ponytail. "You look like a Princess."
"She is a Princess, Lita!" giggled a sweet woman with short blue hair and blue eyes. "Her whole visage tells us, too."
"Stop it, Amy," Serena blushed. "I'm not that perfect."
Raye nodded. "Yep! You're still as klutzy as when you were fourteen!" The women laughed.
"I would give anything to be a bride," said the last woman, whose shimmering hair was pulled back in a big red bow. "But I'm cursed with love-relationships."
"Ya got that right, Mina!" Lita laughed.
"Shut up, Lita!" Mina growled angrily. "I've been trying to find the perfect guy for years. I had hoped that when the Three Lights came to our school, I would've had something..."
Amy and Serena groaned. "Mina-chan, you're hopeless."
"Hello everyone!" came a small, gentle voice.
"Holly-chan!" the girls cried. They ran to a girl much younger than themselves. She had short black hair and deep violet eyes. In her hands she carried two shopping bags. "What are you doing here?"
Holly giggled. "Well, I was shopping with Michelle. She went to try on swimsuits. Then I heard familiar laughter, and here you guys were." She stopped and looked at Serena's gown. "Princess! Is this the gown you are wearing for the wedding with Endymion-san?"
Serena nodded and hugged Holly. "Yep, this is it."
"It's too bad Reenie can't come," Holly sighed, resting her bags on the floor.
"I know you miss her," Serena replied. "But she belonged in the Future, where she came from. Besides, think of how lonely Future Princess Saturn would miss her." Holly's eyes brightened and she nodded. Serena snapped her fingers. "Hey! How about after I'm done changing, the seven of us go out for ice cream? My treat!"
"Serena's treat?" Raye gasped. "It's a miracle!" Serena punched her in the arm softly.
Holly nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'll go get Michelle!"
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Tack knew this was the end. Whatever was causing the ground to shake was something big. He said his prayers and laments. Then he told his brothers and sister he'd be joining them shortly. Soon, the rumbling stopped. Tack sighed a sigh of relief. A couple seconds later, a loud screeching was heard. At first, Tack thought it was an animal, but then he heard more than one distinct voice. It was a chorus of screeches. Yes, now he was truly in for it.
He looked deeper into the cave. A cold gust of wind surrounded him. It was so cold, it almost froze him to his place. Then the air turned very warm. Soon he felt as if it were over one hundred degrees. But it all passed again, only to have another element nearly kill him. It was thunder. Electricity surrounded him. Tack did everything he could to try to avoid it.
Then the rumbling began again. Tack clung to the side of the cave as three large animals swooped past him and out of the cave. When they had left, he ran to the entrance and followed them with his eyes. No...It couldn't be... Tack reached for his Pokéballs, but realized it was too late for the catch. He would have to wait for another opportunity. Regardless, the birds had flown.
Chapter 4 - "A Hard Day's Night"
"I need hot water!" Jessie yelled through the massive halls of Team Rocket Headquarters. She saw Meowth and James leaning against a wall exhausted. "Don't just loaf around!" she screamed. "Meowthy is depending on us!"
"Yes, ma'am!" James and Meowth said as they gasped for air. They ran all the way down to the cafeteria and back up again. Each was carrying a coffeepot filled with warm water.
Meowth handed Jessie the cup. "Is she gonna be alright?"
Jessie's face softened. She petted Meowth on the head. "She'll be just fine. Don't worry..." Then she disappeared back into the room where she and Meowthy had been for almost eight hours now.
Meowth began to pace. "Dis is terrible!"
"What is?" James asked.
"All da anticipation, and stuff. Meowth don't know if he'll be able to handle it."
James smiled and joined him in the pacing. "C'mon!" he said. "You are a tough Pokémon. There is nothing you can't handle."
Meowth smiled. Soon, Jessie's head popped out the door again. "Towels!"
"Okay!" the men groaned in unison. They ran down to the restrooms in search of towels.
"How long does this labor-thing last?" James sighed.
"I think much longer..." Meowth replied sadly.
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"I've got it!"
"Got what?"
"An idea for our next song!"
Three beetles crowded around the one triumphant individual who could just be their savior. "Tell us, man."
"What have ya got?"
Their friend grinned. "We can write a song about Pokémon!" The others fell over Anime-style. "What? What's wrong with that idea?"
The leader faced his friend. "Man, Pokémon is a thing of the past! There was already that stupid Poké-Rap created. Do you wanna get tossed into the garbage like those other wash-ups?"
"No..."
"Besides, I don't think people from our hometown would know what the bloody word means."
"I see..."
"Do you?"
"Of course I do. I got ten eyes, don't I?"
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"I'm so bored, Meowth!" James whined. "We've been up and down for hours. I need to sleep."
"Ya can go if ya want to," Meowth said. "I'll take over."
James was shocked. "What do you mean?"
"I'm worried about Meowthy. I want to do everything I can to help her." Meowth looked up at James with wide, tired eyes.
He nodded and smiled. "Meowth-chan," James said. "I know what it feels like to care about someone."
"You're not worried about Jessie, are ya?"
"No, not really. She's not the one having a litter."
Meowth shook his head and laughed. "Boy, you're all mixed up!"
Just then, the knob on the door to the room turned. Meowth and James jumped to their feet. Jessie came out of the room tired but with a huge smile on her face. "Five..."
"FIVE!" James exclaimed. "Oh, how cute! More little Meowths!"
Meowth ran through Jessie's legs and to Meowthy's side. She lay in a small basket with five other balls. His eyes watered. The small Pokémon purred and mewed. Meowth gently poked at one. The small face looked up at him with wide eyes. He then turned to his wife. "Meowthy-chan, how are you?"
"Tired," she said weakly. But, like Jessie, she beamed a grin.
Jessie and James walked in. James ran to the basket. "Awwwww!"
"You're just like a little child," Jessie giggled.
James picked up one of the kittens. It yawned and snuggled deep into his glove. "You're so precious!" James whispered to the kitten. "But...Where's your coin?"
"They don't grow on until about two weeks from birth," Meowthy explained. "They'll be bald for awhile."
"What are you going to name your beautiful children?" Jessie asked.
Meowthy looked at Meowth. He shrugged. "Umm, we haven't gotten dat far yet."
James continued to coo to the little puffball in his hand. Then he looked at the other four. "This one seems smaller than the others."
Jessie nodded. "She is the runt. She was lucky to make it out alive."
Meowth and James looked at her appalled. "What do you mean by dat?" Meowth gasped.
"She almost died," Meowthy purred. "But Jessie helped her."
"All I did was talk to her," Jessie said. "I heard somewhere that you should keep talking to a person whose about to die. I told her that she would be letting down a whole bunch of people if she left us."
"Jessie!" James exclaimed.
"What?" Jessie asked.
"Not you. The kitten. Her name should be Jessie!" He smiled and nuzzled the Meowth. "How do you like that name?" he asked her. She looked up at him and continued to purr.
"I don't think it's your choice, James," Jessie stated. "Meowthy should be the one to decide." She then looked at Meowthy. James and the kitten did as well.
Meowthy purred something in Pokémon-talk to the kitten. It smiled and nodded. "It's up to you, James-senpai."
James laughed and, ever so gently, hugged the kitten. "Then Jessie is who you shall be!"