Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don't own Jessie, James, or Meowth, but I DID create Pearl, so don't steal her! Arigato. ^.^
THE SETTING: A dark and gloomy day deep in the forest. Kind of the way
most horror movies start out. Our heroes are wandering through the
forest, most likely lost.
JAMES: "Hey, isn't this the way most horror movies start out?"
JESSIE: "That was already covered in the setting, you nimrod."
JAMES: "So is this a horror movie then?"
MEOWTH: "No, it ain't. The author's just in a crummy mood."
JAMES: "Oh... that explains it."
*Minutes pass as they continue wandering, with no other purpose than
to facilitate the plot. They come to a stop in front of a large wooden
sign with nothing written on it.*
JAMES: "But is it really a sign if there's nothing on it?"
MEOWTH: "Geez, ain't we full of questions today."
JAMES: "I'm inconsequent."
MEOWTH: "I think he meant inquisitive. Well, do we keep on going or
just turn back?"
JESSIE: "Either way, we'll probably end up more lost than before, so
it doesn't matter."
JAMES: "Then let's just go on then!" *steps around the sign and
immediately disappears from sight*
JESSIE: *sweatdrops* "Wasn't he..."
MEOWTH: "...just there?"
*They both peek cautiously around the sign to see a hole in the ground
with James laying at the bottom on what looks like a metal platform.*
MEOWTH: "I get a sense of déjŕ vu..."
JESSIE: *yells* "Are you OK down there?"
JAMES: *sits up slowly* I don't think I broke anything... but I think
you guys should see this..."
JESSIE: "See what?"
JAMES: "It looks like some kind of elevator or something."
*Jessie and Meowth exchange a glance, then shrug.*
MEOWTH: "We could take a look, I guess."
*They lower themselves into the hole (James being there rather
conveniently to break their fall), and stare in amazement at the vast
array of buttons on a panel at the far end of the platform.*
JESSIE: "There must be a hundred, but which one to push..."
MEOWTH: "How about the one with the 'down' arrow on it?"
JESSIE: *sweatdrops, then pushes it*
*The platform lurches, then plummets down at an amazing speed. Two
feet above the bottom, it slows to a crawl, then clicks into place. The
trio stumbles off, visibly shaken.*
MEOWTH: "I'm think I'm gonna be sick..."
JESSIE: "Why can't these things ever be simple..."
JAMES: "That's technology for you..."
*They gaze around them in disbelief at the room they've come to; a
simple, square room with nothing at all inside.*
JESSIE: "There's no doors or anything... could this be a trap?"
JAMES: "Let's just stay close together. This place scares me..."
MEOWTH: *muttering* Everything scares James..."
JAMES: "That's not true, you walking hairball!"
JESSIE: "Both of you shut up or I'll--"
*Jessie stops in mid-sentence as the ground suddenly gives way beneath
their feet, sending them all hurtling downward.*
JAMES: *screaming* "This is it, we're doomed!"
JESSIE: *screaming just as loud* "I'm too young, beautiful, and
multi-talented to die!"
MEOWTH: "We're gonna die, and you're flattering yourself."
*Their fall ends abruptly, but not in the way they expect.*
JESSIE: "A..."
JAMES: "...net?"
MEOWTH: "I knew it! This is a trap!"
*A pair of spotlights flash on, totally blinding their vision.*
FEMALE VOICE: "Well, let's see what we've caught in our little trap
today, Eevee. Hopefully something better than a Rattata, I-- Well, what
do you know... That's the wierdest looking Pokémon I've ever seen..."
JESSIE: "We're not a Pokémon! We're human! Now let us out of this
thing!"
FEMALE VOICE: *amused tone* "Oh, quite sorry."
*A click is heard, and the spotlights dim, along with the net dropping
to the floor along with Jessie, James, and Meowth.*
JAMES: "A little more gently would have been preferable..."
FEMALE VOICE: "Sorry again. I've been meaning to get that fixed."
*Our heroes' visions clear to reveal a yellow-haired girl dressed in a
Team Rocket uniform similar to Jessie's, except the top is longer as well
as sleeveless and the skirt is knee-length. Her long gloves that cover
even her shoulders and her knee-high boots are grey. She peers at Jessie,
James, and Meowth from light blue eyes beneath a white hat with a large
black brim; an Eevee stands close by her heels.*
GIRL: "Now, how in the world did you manage to... Oh, what an adorable
Meowth!" *snatches Meowth up and hugs him*
MEOWTH: *squirms uncomfortably* "Hey, I don't think you--"
GIRL: "And it talks!" *an amazed expression crosses over her face as
she holds Meowth up in front of her* "You must be the cutest
Pokémon I've ever seen!"
MEOWTH: *blushes* "Well, if you put it that way..."
JESSIE: "Hold on a minute! I want to know who you are. Obviously
you're a member of Team Rocket, *points at the distinctive red 'R' on the
girl's shirt* but who are you? And what is this place?"
GIRL: "I'm sorry... guess I got carried away and forgot to introduce
myself." *gently places Meowth on the floor* "My name is Pearl. *bows
slightly* "And this place you've managed to stumble upon is none other
than Team Rocket's Underground Lair!" *smiles as though awaiting
approval*
JESSIE: "You mean this hole is... what? I've never even heard of any
"Underground Lair".
PEARL: *falls over* "You mean you've never... heard of..." *jumps back
to her feet* "Well, just don't call it a hole, alright? Oh, and this is
my Eevee, I didn't mean to forget to introduce you, girl." *bends down to
ruffle the Eevee's shiny brown fur*
EEVEE: "Vee!"
PEARL: *shifts her gaze back to Jessie, James, and Meowth* "And you
all would be..."
JESSIE: "We'll introduce ourselves the proper way! To protect the
world from devastation!"
JAMES: "To unite all peoples within our nation."
JESSIE: "To denounce the evils of truth and love."
JAMES: "To extend our reach to the stars above."
JESSIE: "Jessie!"
JAMES: "James!"
PEARL: "Oh, it is you! That's what I was thinking all along."
*nods*
JESSIE: "Umm... what do you mean?"
PEARL: "I've already met James." *smiles*
JAMES: "You..."
JESSIE: "...have?"
PEARL: "Oh yes. Of course, back then we were only about so tall.
*indicates her waist level* But I definitely remember that face. *smiles
faintly*
JAMES: "Pearl... yes, I do remember..." *looks embarrassed*
JESSIE: *glances sideways at James* "So, how do you two know each
other?"
*Pearl and James exchange a glance; James' look is pleading while
Pearl's is slightly amused.*
PEARL: "Well, if James won't tell, I won't volunteer. C'mon. I'll show
you around, since you've never even heard of this place before." *waves
for them to follow as her Eevee walks along beside her*
JESSIE: "Well... alright..."
*Jessie and James begin to follow, but look back when they realize
Meowth isn't following. Meowth is still standing in the same spot that
Pearl had set him in, staring after her.*
JESSIE: "Meowth, what are you doing? Will you wake up already?"
MEOWTH: *still staring, now with big hearts in his eyes* "Poil...
she's... she's... poifect..."
JESSIE: *growls* "Give me a break." *grabs one of Meowth's ears and
drags him along*
MEOWTH: "MeeeeOUCH! Watch what your doin'!"
JESSIE: "So, what's the deal with this place being so... wierd?"
*The three humans and two Pokémon are walking down a seemingly endless hallway, Pearl in the lead with Eevee and Meowth closely trailing her while Jessie and James follow more slowly.*
PEARL: "Well, it's not like just anyone can waltz in here uninvited. The Lair contains a lot of top secret info. If it ever fell into the wrong hands..."
JAMES: "So why the hole and net?"
MEOWTH: "Not ta mention dat elevator..."
PEARL: "Oh those... actually, the hole and net are for any stray Pokémon that happen to wander into them..." *smiles sheepishly* "They're kind of my own added feature."
JESSIE: "And the elevator?"
PEARL: "Been meaning to get that fixed..."
*They suddenly come to a large, well-lit room with dozens of lighted panels filling every possible space. Some display video screens, others buttons, and still others levers and switches.*
MEOWTH: "It's huge!"
PEARL: "Welcome to Control. You can do just about anything here. If you know what buttons to push, of course. I suppose you don't want to see everything, because that might take forever."
*Jessie, James, and Meowth continue staring blankly.*
PEARL: "Anyway, Files Storage is one floor down, and two floors down is Equipment Storage."
JESSIE: "And you're in charge of all of this?"
PEARL: "I sure am." *folds her arms proudly* "It's all state of the art technology too. The finest... James, what are you doing?"
JAMES: "I was just curious..." *lifts his finger off of the large red button he'd just pressed with a guilty expression*
PEARL: *studies the panel a moment* "Well, I think you just pressed the 'In Case of Emergency, Auto-Destruct, Sit Back and Try Not to Scream' button."
JESSIE&MEOWTH: "WHAAAAAT??"
PEARL: "Oh never mind, that one just flushes every toilet over at HQ simultaneously. Silly me."
*everyone else falls over*
PEARL: "Well, I'll take you somewhere we can sit down. I want to talk to you guys some more..."
*Jessie, James, and Meowth slowly get up and follow her out of the room.*
JAMES: *muttering* "They have a button for that...?"
*Minutes later they find themselves seated around a small table in what appears to be a gigantic kitchen combined with a bedroom, of all things. The offer of food is declined by Jessie, with James and Meowth looking more than disappointed.*
PEARL: "Now, I want to hear everything about you guys that you can tell me... spare no detail." *smiles*
*Five minutes later...*
PEARL: *blinks* "I... wow. That's very interesting, but... the files I have on you seem to differ in a few ways..."
JAMES: "Heh... heh..."
JESSIE: "Then why did you ask if you already knew everything?"
PEARL: "For my own personal amusement." *grins*
MEOWTH: "OK, we're Team Rocket rejects, if ya want ta be blunt about it."
JAMES: "We're lower than rejects, actually..."
JESSIE: *smacks them both* "Don't talk like that! We... have a lot of potential to be great, that's all!"
JAMES: "The potential to be great losers all of our lives, possibly."
JESSIE: *doesn't even look at James, but still manages to use her mallet quite effectively*
JAMES: *now sprawled halfway across the table* "Well, when you put it like that, we have a lot of potential to be great."
JESSIE: "Exactly."
PEARL: *giggles* "You two sure seem to get along well."
JESSIE: "Well, I..." *pointedly avoids looking at James* "...suppose."
JAMES: *regains his seat while avoiding looking at Jessie* "Well, I... guess."
MEOWTH: *stares at Pearl dreamily* "Meeeeowth..."
PEARL: *smiles and scratches behind Meowth's ears* "Cute."
*Eevee gets up from being curled around Pearl's feet and jumps up on the table, immediately heading for James, who is still inconspicuously rubbing the lump on his head and whimpering in an undertone.*
EEVEE: "Eeee..." *rubs it's head against his sleeve*
PEARL: "You know, I think Eevee really likes you."
JAMES: "Oh..." *smiles tiredly and pets Eevee a bit*
PEARL: "Of course, my last boyfriend had blue hair... After he broke up with me, she nearly bit all his fingers off. She might have mistaken you for him and is trying to get you off-guard... but it's unlikely."
JAMES: *snatches his hand away with an unintelligible noise*
PEARL: "Oh, I'm sure she can tell the difference. My old boyfriend only had to spend a week in the hospital, so it's nothing to worry about really."
JAMES: "Heh..." *abruptly drops his head down on the table*
PEARL: *laughs* "Oh James, you sure haven't changed much. It's still so much fun to tease you." *grins wickedly*
JESSIE: "While we're talking about... Pokémon... here, do you have any others?"
PEARL: "I've had Eevee as long as I can remember, but I've recently caught a Butterfree and an Oddish in my little net traps. What about you?"
JESSIE: "I have an Arbok and a Lickitung, and he *indicates James, who still has his head on the table, muttering incomprehensibly while Eevee tries to prod his head back up with it's paws* has a Weezing and a Victreebel. A very high-strung Victreebel..." *sighs*
PEARL: "And Meowth belongs to...?"
JESSIE: "Meowth's just a little furball who's lucky we keep him around."
MEOWTH: *suddenly wakes up from his daze* "What about me?"
JESSIE: "Nothing."
PEARL: "Say... you wouldn't be interested in a Pokémon battle, would you?"
JESSIE: "Me?"
PEARL: "Well, whoever wants to! I'd love to test my new Pokémon's skills."
JESSIE: "You're on then! Just lead the way."
*Jessie grabs Meowth's tail in one hand and the collar of James' shirt in the other, dragging them along behind her as she follows Pearl with Eevee trailing close behind.*
*Pearl leads the group to a gigantic arena, obviously meant for Pokémon battling.*
JESSIE: "This place DOES have everything..."
PEARL: *walks to one end of the arena* "Alright! Who's my first challenger?"
*James is chosen to go first, after some minor discussion.*
JESSIE: "It's silly to be scared of a little Eevee, James! Now get OUT there and don't embarrass me!" *pushes James forward, aiming a kick at his backside for good measure*
JAMES: "Alright, alright already!" *walks over to take his place, then stands fidgeting with his two Pokéballs as though deciding which to call out*
JESSIE: *roars from the sideline* "GET GOING!"
JAMES: *blinks, then nods to himself and tosses out a Pokéball* "Weezing, go!"
PEARL: "I hate to interrupt, but didn't you just call out Weezing?"
JAMES: "Mmmf."
PEARL: "I will say that your Victreebel has a good reflex time..."
JAMES: *voice muffled through the Victreebel* "Why thank you."
JESSIE: *steps out and drags James off to the side with an irritated expression* "Just battle me instead. Go, Arbok!"
PEARL: *nods, then tosses in a Pokéball* "Butterfree!"
JESSIE: "Arbok, bite it!"
PEARL: "Alright Butterfree... Cuteness attack!"
JESSIE: *jaw drops* "Cuteness... attack...?"
*The Butterfree flutters above Arbok's head, somehow managing to look cuter than a normal Butterfree. Arbok looks confused and backs down.*
JESSIE: "Arbok! Don't let it fool you! I said bite it!"
ARBOK: "Charrr... bok..."
PEARL: "Now, tackle it, quick!"
*Butterfree immediately rams into Arbok, amazingly throwing it completely off-balance and knocking it, dazed, to the floor.*
PEARL: "You did it! That was wonderful! Return, Butterfree!"
JESSIE: *calls back Arbok and stands looking shocked* "I can't believe that you just... I don't think that attack could be legal..."
PEARL: "We're Team Rocket, right? We're not legal, so my attacks needn't be either." *grins*
JESSIE: "Well, I want another match! I don't think you could do that again!"
PEARL: "Alright, have it your way."
JESSIE: *tosses out her second Pokéball* "Lickitung!"
PEARL: *looks down at Eevee and smiles* "Your turn, girl. Do your worst."
EEVEE: "Eee!"
JESSIE: "Lickitung, paralyze it before it gets the chance to do any stupid attacks!"
LICKITUNG: "Licki licki!"
*Pearl watches with a smile as Eevee sits down and begins grooming itself. Lickitung watches, apparently transfixed by Eevee's amazing cuteness. Finally Eevee gets up and runs toward Lickitung and begins to circle it rapidly, appearing to become just a blur of brown fur. When Lickitung starts getting dizzy, Eevee tackles it, knocking it over, as dazed as Arbok was.*
JESSIE: "You... you..."
PEARL: "That was great!" *runs to scoop Eevee into her arms* "You're the cutest Pokémon in the world!"
EEVEE: "Ee! Vee!"
MEOWTH: *looks shocked* "I thought I was..."
JAMES: "What attack was that, anyway?"
PEARL: "Oh." *smiles widely* "That was Eevee's Super Adorable Irresistibility Attack."
*Jessie, James, and Meowth all stare blankly.*
JESSIE: "Weird attacks."
PEARL: "But they sure work, don't they Eevee?"
EEVEE: "Veeee..."
JESSIE: "As much fun as this has been and all... we really better be going."
MEOWTH: "Do we have to..."
JESSIE: "Yes, we HAVE to, don't argue with me!" *grabs Meowth and shakes him*
MEOWTH: "Mee... ee... ow... oww.. alright! Someone's obviously in a bad mood because she lost another match!"
JESSIE: "Just shut up." *tosses Meowth aside and Pearl catches him*
PEARL: "You're all welcome to come back anytime, you know... it's not like I get company every day." *scratches behind Meowth's ears again as he purrs in delight*
JESSIE: "We'll see."
JAMES: "I'm sure we will."
PEARL: "It was nice to see you again, James... next time we can talk more, maybe." *grins*
JAMES: *blushes slightly and rubs the back of his head* "Yes... that would be nice."
JESSIE: *eyes James but doesn't say anything more on the subject* "Well, let's get going then."
*After Jessie manages to pry Meowth off Pearl, they all head back for the same elevator the came in on.*
JESSIE: "This thing isn't going to act up the way it did before, is it?"
PEARL: "Oh, it should be just fine, I think. I had a really great time today, so... I'll see you around."
*Everyone waves goodbye as Pearl pushes the button to send them back up, which sends the platform rocketing up at a dizzying speed.*
PEARL: *yells up* "Next time it'll be fixed, I swear!"
*Jessie, James, and Meowth stagger off the platform, and try once again to get their directions straight.*
JESSIE: "According to my calculations... we go this way." *points straight ahead*
MEOWTH: "And what calculations are those?"
JESSIE: "The ones I just made up. Now let's get moving!"
MEOWTH: "I miss Poil already..."
JESSIE: "Please, Meowth. James, you're going to tell me how you know that girl."
JAMES: "Can't."
JESSIE: *sinister tone* "Can't...?"
JAMES: "I... forgot."
JESSIE: "You did NOT, you're going to tell me! And what was with embarrassing me by calling out Victreebel in there?" *kicks at him*
JAMES: "Ouch! I thought it was Weezing, I swear!"
*The trio heads off through the forest again, Jessie continuing to yell at James as well as kicking him occasionally, while Meowth hums happily.*
*Back in the Lair*
PEARL: "I know we'll see them again... it's just a matter of time." *smiles at Eevee* "Let's get back to work then."
Write me and tell me what you think of this one. I know it's wierd, so tell me anything other than that. ^_^
