Strange Voice: Hello. These are the Mystery Pokémon Theater 2187 people. Welcome to Zelda's Unaired Episode 2. Our commenters are:

Cat: Hello, my name is Cat.

John: Hey! Mine's John.

Fun Board: Wassup? I'm Fun Board!

Suzy: Hi, I'm Suzy!

Kitty: Yo, call me Kitty.

Toby: Howdy! I'm Toby.

Strange Voice: Today we join our commenters as… well, I'd rather not say. Let's just get ON WITH THE FIC!

<

Disclaimer: Still don't own anyone.

Rating: PG-13, but nothing really dirty this time. Jesse does call Cassidy a very bad word though... >>

Toby: Darn. I mean, we are just dirty people!

Kitty: Do we get the good ol' baseball bat today, or do we get something else? (Kitty is handed a boomerang [like Link's in super smash bro's]) Thanks! (uses it on Toby)

<<Other: Ash's comment concerning evil people and their feelings is actually a direct quote from a friend of mine concerning Sailor Moon(when it was the "ite" people and the chick died and the guy was sad?). It is not meant to be an insult to non-Rocketshippers. If Butch and Cassidy seem a bit "off," it's because I've only seen bits and pieces of their first episode, and I don't really like them anyways. ^_^ But Zelda does like mail. So if you want to send me a few nasty letters, send 'em to Zelda. Another side note, this was written when there was the rumor that the Princess Day episode wasn't going to air in the US(hence J+J's confusion about Lickitung)Also, something I learned the other day was that the chick is not only named Zoicite, but wasn't a chick in Japan... >>

John: Did we really need to know that?

<>

Cat: Hey, Giovanni? Little hint. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT! They merely are trying to cover up for the fact at least one member of each team is homosexual!

Suzy: Even I don't believe that. Both Butch and Cassidy seem pretty hetero.

Fun Board: Cassidy was hot looking. (notices Suzy bringing out the boomerang) But not as hot as a real person!

Toby: Suzy, weren't you not going to come to this one?

Kitty: Fun Board er… converted her to one of us full time commenters.

<>

Cat: AH-HA!

Kitty: Oh, don't you steal my phrase.

Cat: Okay… SEE!

Kitty: Much better.

<>

All: Two?

<<***

Jesse slowly opened her eyes and found James lying very close to her. Extremely close. One of them must have rolled over in their sleep again. It seemed to happen a lot. She wondered if she could move a bit closer. He might not notice. She was just about to make her move when James woke up. They stared at each other, not quite sure what to do. >>

Kitty: AH-HA!

Toby: (imitating Brock on Together Forever) Oh, no. Not this again.

<Sweatdropping like there was no tomorrow, Jesse and James quickly jerked away from each other, grinning sheepishly before getting on with the day. While James started cooking, they discussed the plan. "What if we go to a pet store, buy a Pikachu, and say it's the one we were supposed to get?" James suggested.

"What if we get caught?" Jesse asked in reply.

"Oh yeah..."

"We could pretend we're selling Girl Scout cookies and once they're distracted-"

"We can capture the Pikachu!" >>

John: Proof that at heart, it's all about the Pikachu. Even Jessiebelle will one day try to capture Pikachu.

Cat: What the…

<Jesse shrugged. "Everyone likes Girl Scouts."

"And they have such cute uniforms!" James squealed. "Do we get to eat the cookies afterwards?"

After breakfast, Team Rocket was ready for action! >>

Toby: What kind of action? Oh, Kitty's converted me to Rocketshipper-hood!

<<"I refuse to wear the beret," Meowth said, squinting at the pile of green and white Jesse had handed him.

"Just get dressed," Jesse snapped at him. James had already taken off his jacket and gloves. Jesse abruptly stopped unbuttoning her own jacket. They always changed together--it was faster and easier. At first Jesse hadn't thought anything of it, but lately she'd started watching James. He didn't seem to notice her staring at him when he was practically naked, which was a very good thing for Jesse's pride. By now his entire uniform was in nearby pile. "Can you hand me that blouse?" he asked her. Jesse numbly did and tried to get her fingers to move again. He picked up a green pleated skirt and checked the size. "This is yours...here we go!" Jesse let out a sigh of relief as James was not only dressed again but also in women's clothing. That helped. She quickly removed her own uniform and pulled on the garish green and white ensemble. >>

Kitty: Ah-ha!

Fun Board: Nobody ever said Jesse's gay. Only James. Besides, this author is annoying!

<<"Ready?" she asked, pulling on the beret. James nodded.

Meowth muttered something inappropriate. Then he noticed the envelope that had mysteriously appeared at the edge of their camp. Using his claws as a letter opener, he quickly shredded the envelope and pulled out the contents. "Uh-oh...."

"What?" Jesse and James asked in unison, looking up from their make-up.

"Da Boss sent dis around again." Meowth handed them the pamphlet.

"I wonder why?" James asked, flipping through it. A large sweatdrop appeared over his temple.

With a sweatdrop of her own, Jesse added, "It's not as if we're anything but professionals." >>

Toby: Only a professional will call themselves a NidoKing of Love and their colleague a lovely Nidorina.

<"Oh, that was you?" James said, letting go of Jesse.

"I thought it was a ghost!" Jesse laughed sheepishly.

"You knew dat was me!" Meowth screamed. "Maybe you two should pay more attention to number seven," he added, preparing to scratch them. He stopped mid-attack when James pulled a small note out from between the brochure's pages. "What's dat?"

"It looks like a note from the Boss," James said. " 'I've heard of certain activities not supported by the Team Rocket handbook occurring between you and your partner. Generous man that I am, I have decided to temporarily reassign...' " James and Jesse exchanged a nervous glance. " 'reassign you both to temporary partners. Hopefully this will give you time to think about the potential mistakes you're making. You will meet with your temporary partners at the next Pokécenter.' Maybe they'll have a different next Pokécenter," James said hopefully. >>

Fun Board: Outta luck, James. Maybe it'll be a guy for you!

<<"Either way, I smell a rattata," Jesse said, looking at Meowth.

"Yeah, someone must have snitched on us!" James added, fists clenching. "Not that we've done anything."

"Of course not! Nothing that can't be easily explained."

"Right."

"Right." The two looked at each other again. "There has to be someway out of this!" Jesse cried, throwing her arms around James just as he threw her arms around her.

"This plan was even guaranteed to work!"

Meowth decided that it was time to act. "Do you lame brains know what the word 'temporary' means?" he screeched, scratching them both. >>

Cat: That Meowth is the coolest character in Pokémon! He's smart!

<<"My face!" Jesse wailed, looking at herself in her mirror. She slammed a mallet into Meowth's head. "How dare you desecrate such beauty!" >>

John: And not quite as vain as some.

<<***

" '...at the next Pokécenter,' " Cassidy finished. "I can't believe this!" Butch exhaled another cloud of smoke and said nothing. "Who could possibly have known?" Cassidy continued.

"Jesse and James?" Butch suggested, naming the only other Team Rocket members he could currently remember. >>

All: Uh-oh.

<"What about the plan?"

"I guess we can save it for later," Cassidy sighed. "Besides, an order from the Boss is far more important."

***

By an astonishing coincidence, the next Pokécenter was the same for both sets of disgruntled Rockets. "Jesse, fancy meeting you here," Cassidy said in the sweet voice women use right before they rip someone's throat out. >>

All boys: What a familiar voice!

All girls: (take boomerang and one by one hit their boy) Don't even think about insulting us, even if it is true!

<<"Don't tell me you got one of these?" Jesse asked, holding up Giovanni's note. "Or are you just here to admire our superior looks and style?" Cassidy reluctantly held up an identical piece of paper.

"So how're we gonna do dis?" Meowth asked. The fur was already starting to rise on the back of his neck.

"I'll go with Cassidy," Jesse said. "Even James doesn't deserve her as a partner."

"Do you think Butch wants to deal with James?" Cassidy spat back. The two women glared at each other, fists ready.

"Ooo! Cat fight!" James exclaimed. >>

Cat: I resent that remark.

<<"We're supposed to be capturing Pikachu, correct?" Meowth asked. Jesse and Cassidy nodded. "Since it's a bit obvious that you...ladies have a slim to none chance of surviving if left alone, why not trade guys?" When this proposal was not met with acclaim, Meowth asked Cassidy, "Just how assertive as Butch?" Cassidy looked at the ground. "Exactly. So we'd have one group with the pushiest people I've ever met, and one group that would sit on its hands." >>

Fun Board: Just how assertive “AS” Butch? Okay…

<Jesse looked at James. Food. >>

Toby: Survey says: Number 2!

<>

Toby: Survey says: Number one! Congratulations, Meowth! You won! See you next time on “Pokémon feud!”

<<"Raticate comes with me," Cassidy said. Butch shrugged.

"Jesse, I don't want to deal with the Raticate and her!" James whined to his partner in a low voice.

"Is there some way we could...pretend to have done this?" Jesse asked.

Butch and Cassidy shook their heads. "I'm not going to throw away a promising career over something like this. I'm not pathetically dependant," Cassidy said.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Jesse.

***

A few minutes and several insults later, after tightly squeezing James' hand, Jesse found herself following the trail of Ash and his friends with Butch and Meowth. "Are we keeping da same plan as before?" Meowth asked, a devilish grin on his face.

Jesse nodded. "If that's all right with you, Butch," she said. He shrugged.

Meowth and Jesse exchanged a giddy look. There could be some fun in this after all. Jesse tossed Butch his costume. "What's this?" he asked. >>

All: (Pause)

All: (crack up)

<<"We're Girl Scouts," Jesse explained. "Once we've distracted the pests with cookies..." She stopped, waiting for her partner to finish her sentence. Butch only looked at her, wondering why she had stopped talking.

Out of pity, Meowth eventually said, "...the pikachu will be ours!" Jesse smiled gratefully at him. "Dis isn't going well..." he muttered under his breath.

***

James looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed since he'd said goodbye to Jesse, and he was already on the verge of insanity. Cassidy would not shut up. At first he'd tried to be understanding. If he had a voice like Butch's he would have been the strong silent type too, but not only was Cassidy overly talkative, she was also boring. At least the Raticate was in its Pokéball. That thing gave him the creeps. >>

Fun Board: Who do I know who is overly talkative and boring. Could it be Su- (remembers boomerang) I mean, Ben Stein?

Suzy: Nice save. (Hits him anyways)

<<"Now, after I say that, you nod," Cassidy was saying to him.

The plan was something involving lab coats. It didn't inspire him at all.

Cassidy glared at her temporary partner. He didn't seem to be listening to her. "Still awake, pretty boy?" >>

Cat: SEE!

<<"Pretty boy?" he repeated indignantly. He hoped this would be over soon.

***

Butch emerged from behind the bushes, feeling like the world's biggest idiot. Jesse and Meowth were staring at him with what looked like a combination of surprise and disgust. Hopefully they'd be willing to rearrange their idiotic plan. >>

Suzy: Smoker's voice… hey, didn't Jesse have a crush on him last unaired ep?

John: Suzy, there is something Ed taught me a long time ago. In a romantic comedy Pokémon fanfiction, do not worry about continuity. Except if it is by Rocket Jesse, Frogwoman, etc. certified geniuses.(Webmistress' note: What, what what?!)

<<"This might take some work..." Jesse said. "Can you prance?"

"Prance?"

"Maybe you should let us do the talking," Meowth suggested as he straightened his beret. He whispered to Jesse, "Dis isn't going to work."

"They might not recognize us this way," Jesse said, sounding more than slightly depressed.

Meowth squinted towards the road. "There they are!" he announced.

***

"If you could be any kind of Pokémon, what kind would you be?" Ash asked.

"I'd be a dratini," said Misty. >>

John: It is very rare to see such a strong runt.

<<"Pikachu!" Pikachu said.

"Awww," Ash, Brock, and Misty said in unison. Pikachu was just so darned cute!

"I'd be a raichu," said Ash. "How about you, Brock?" >>

Cat: Ash's got issues… has to be better than everyone, even his best buddy Pick-a-chew.

<<"I'd want to be a koffing."

Just as Brock was about to receive a serious McCarthyism style beat down, a voice from behind them called, "Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?" >>

Fun Board: Hey! We just learned about McCarthyism in school! Ash is a commie! Comrade Ketchum!

<<"Oh boy!" Ash exclaimed. "Cookies!"

"Girl Scouts!" exclaimed Brock.

Misty sighed. "Boys..." >>

All girls: Know the feeling.

Toby: Do we get a weapon? (is handed a paper fan) Okay… (all boys, in sequence, hit all girls.)

<>

Suzy: Wouldn't Jesse hit him?

<<"Would you like some thin mints?" Butch asked.

"Aughhh!" Ash and Brock immediately recoiled. >>

MPT Authors Note: That's exactly what people would do if I was a girl scout!

<<"Excuse me," said a voice in the opposite direction. "Is that your pikachu?"

Ash and Brock looked towards the man and woman in lab coats. "Did you know that the lightning involved in thundershock and other pikachu attacks can cause serious and permanent injury?" the woman asked. The man nodded.

"Isn't that..." Jesse started to say.

"Who else?" Meowth replied.

"Uhh, no..." Ash said.

"Lightning can literally fry sections of the brain-"

Misty laughed. "Well, that explains you, Ash!"

"And Team Rocket," Brock added. >>

Kitty: But James has his own song!

<"I know I've heard that voice..." Ash began, then stopped. He looked from Butch to James and back again, "before...but...wait...why isn't..."

Cassidy sadly shook her head. "Already feeling the negative effects."

"What...should I do?" Ash asked.

"Prepare for trouble and make it double," Butch and Cassidy said in unison while Jesse said , "Prepare for trouble," which was immediately followed by James' "Make it double." >>

Cat: Huh?

<"This doesn't make any sense!" Ash screamed, clutching his head in his hands. "There's...four of them and...but...they're not on the right..."

Having managed to return to their uniforms first, Jesse and Butch gained first dibs on motto saying. "To protect the world from devastation," Jesse said.

"To blight all peoples within our nation," Butch joined in. >>

Toby: It's “To blight all peoples IN EVERY nation, DAMMIT!

<<"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above,"

Jesse glared at him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm saying the motto," he replied.

"You've got the words completely wrong," James said.

Ash looked for an escape. "They've got us surrounded!" he moaned.

"And completely confused," Misty said. >>

All: But the reader is much more confused than…(INSERT 50 BAZILLION BLANK LINES HERE

Kitty: BROCK!

<<"He knows what he's doing," Cassidy added. "Unlike a certain pair I can think of."

"It was our motto first!" Meowth snapped. "You stole it from us!"

Ash motioned for his friends to join him in a hundle. "I'll take Jesse. You two take James," he said. >>

Fun Board: What's a hundle?

<Noticing the pests' strategy session, Meowth pulled on his trusty rubber gloves. "If ya want something done right..."

Jesse had also noticed the huddle. "We can talk about this later," she said. "Now we have to get the pikachu. Arbok, go!"

"Charrrbok!" the snake hissed. >>

John: Yay! Snakey! Arbok always reminds me of Snakey, my Cobra.

<"Bulbasaur!"

The Pokémon circled each other, waiting for the command to attack.

"Where's the other one?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, since when did you guys stop cheating?" Misty asked.

Jesse looked at Butch. "Don't you have any Pokémon?" He shook his head. Sighing, she handed him a Pokéball.

"Go..."

"Lickitung."

"Go Lickitung!"

"Where'd that come from?" James asked. >>

Toby: (Jesse) We've kind of been carrying this catching Pokémon role-playing thing a bit to far…

<<"I..." Jesse's mind drew a blank. "I don't know..."

Cassidy folded her arms across her chest. "If you two are done with your illegal fraternization..."

"Bulbasaur, vine whip!" Ash called out.

"Arbok, bind!" Jesse called. Bulbasaur and Arbok lunged at each other, then stopped abruptly.

"Bok!" Arbok hissed impatiently at Likitung.

Likitung looked at Butch. "Lickitung...umm...lick?"

Ash smiled. This wouldn't take long.

Meanwhile, Misty and Brock faced Cassidy and James. "Do you know what's going on?" Misty asked in a low voice.

Brock shook his head. "Not a clue."

The battle was slowed by a second motto conflict. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Cassidy snarled.

"Me? You're the one saying it wrong!"

"As if it weren't bad enough to have to hear that thing twice in one day..." Ash said. Bulbasaur had quickly trounced Arbok and Lickitung. Now all he had to do was hold Togepi for Misty and try to stay awake.>>

John: That egg gets around almost as much as Pikachu!

<<"Idiot," Jesse said to Butch as she retrieved her Pokémon. She whacked him with a frying pan. "Don't you know anything about Pokémon?"

Cassidy was just about to send out Raticate when she heard the painful "clang." "Don't hit him!" she yelled at Jesse. >>

Suzy: Underneath that beautiful head of hair, Butch has a weak skull.

<"I can't believe you don't even have any Pokémon of your own!" she snarled. She was about to deliver another blow, this time with the fan for a bit of variety, when Cassidy grabbed her arm. >>

Fun Board: Ooh! Paper fans! (tests his out on that Ditto who will inevitably be here soon)

<<"Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm trying to beat some sense into him. What does it look like?"

"Are we going to battle or not?" Brock asked James, the only one who seemed in any position to fight. James' eyes widened considerably. Mute, he pointed in the direction of Jesse and Cassidy, just as Jesse screamed, "Denounce the goodness of this, bitch!" >>

Kitty: Er, I would say a-ha, but…

<<"C-c-c-Cat fight!" Brock cheered. His eyes almost opened, and he was twitching slightly. >>

Cat: I really, really, really hate that expression. Brock, however… I feel like I'm in a fanfic by that girl, Tiny or something. I lust after Brock.

John: C'mon, Cat! I thought that we had something special.

Suzy: You still have a crush on Misty!

John: Untrue. I just want Misty and Jesse to get it on. Meant to be.

Kitty: Alright! I'M SICK OF THIS! The girls name is Mini, and John, you are a B*tchshipper. Both pieces of info are available on this authors rare candy site.

<"I don't get it," Misty said. "What's the big deal?"

Ash was crouched behind her, hiding. "I don't know! Girls are scary!" >>

All boys: I'll say.

<<"Looks like today doesn't suck after all!" James said happily.

Butch walked over to James, one hand balled up in a fist. "Are you staring at my woman?"

"No. Are you staring at mi--my partner?"

"More tearing and less punching!" Brock called to the female Rockets. Anger veins began popping up throughout Team Rocket, while Ash and Misty began sweating with embarrassment. >>

Fun Board: Sweatdropping, I believe is the term.

<<"I can't believe he said that to us!" Cassidy said angrily.

"After all, we are Team Rocket!" Jesse agreed. "Some of us more than others, of course..."

Meowth cleared his throat loudly and held up Pikachu. "Time to blast off!" he announced.

Ash buried his face in his hands. This whole Pokémon journey thing hadn't been going well lately...

Moving with incredible speed, Jesse and James exchanged a rarely used celebrational hug. "We've finally captured Pikachu!" James exclaimed. >>

Kitty: AHA!

<<"The Boss is sure to give us that raise now!" Jesse added.

"Raise?" Cassidy asked. "Why on earth would you need a raise?"

"We could retire right now," Butch said smugly. >>

Kitty: You can talk smugly with a voice like that?

<<"Exactly how much are you two making?"

Jesse and James both sweatdropped. "Plenty," Jesse quickly replied.

"We're just greedy!"

Butch and Cassidy exchanged a glance that quite clearly said "500 yen an hour." >>

John: I don't get it.

Toby: Ditto. (the Ditto pops up, but of it faints, because Fun Board of the past hit it.)

<"Gary?" Misty and Brock asked in puzzled unison.

"And you haven't captured anything!" Cassidy snapped at James. "You're with me now, remember?"

"Let go, you stupid Cat!" yelled Ash as Meowth tried to scratch him with gloves on. >>

Cat: I resent that remark.

<<"Great, now how are we supposed to suck up to the Boss?" Jesse whispered.

"Don't worry, Jesse," James replied. "I've got an idea."

Jesse sighed. "I hope it's better than your last one..."

"It's brilliant!"

Jesse would have protested more, but with the celebrational hug still in progress and James smiling at her, her voice immediately went on hiatus until they stepped away from each other. Then she hissed at him, "Which one of my outfits do you need to stretch out this time?"(Sadly, only in Ranma 1/2 do clothes fit a boy and girl of similar height perfectly.) >>

All: (Pause)

All: (crack up)

<<"Nothing of yours," he assured her.

"After all, you two have completely different coloring," Cassidy said sarcastically.

"I hate to break up the lame name convention," Ash said, giving up on Pikachu for the moment, "but can I at least know who's stealing my Pikachu?" >>

John: (Todd) I am. I want to do to him like I did to Jesse.

<<"We are," Jesse said. "Jesse and," she sighed, "Butch."

Cassidy's eyes narrowed. Nothing irked her more than half of her least favorite people succeeding before she did. Nothing except of course for both of her least favorite people succeeding first, but Jesse was enough of a least favorite person to justify an attack. "Raticate, go! Raticate, hyper fang!"

"Cate!" Raticate screeched, its teeth bared at Meowth.

Meowth dropped Pikachu and pulled off his gloves. "Meowth, fury swipes!" >>

Suzy: Okay… Proof Meowth has no Master… well, maybe Giovanni, the coolest guy on Pokémon…

<"I don't care! I just want to get away from here!" Ash replied.

"Can we stop by a Pokécenter?" asked Brock. "Vulpix...uhhh...got poisoned."

"When?" Ash asked suspiciously.

"Ummm...during the battle."

"We didn't even have a battle!" Misty yelled at him. "You got distracted by that stupid fight!"

"Well...uhh...James was distracted too!" >>

Fun Board: I wish I could've seen the fight.

<<***

Later, Jesse was sitting by Team Rocket's latest campfire, checking her make-up. Meowth sat down beside her, holding a bottle of max potion in his paw. "So when do you think we'll get James back?" Meowth asked.

"He said he had a plan."

"What'd he borrow?"

"Nothing."

Meowth sighed. "He must have been lying."

Jesse smiled weakly. "We used to be able to have plans that didn't involve costumes..." she said.

"I remember dat. Remember when Arbok and Wheezing used to win, before we met that awful kid?" They both sighed happily. >>

Suzy: Weren't they an Ekans and Koffing back then?

<>

Toby: “Sure do have our freedom.” “Wonderful dresser.” “I just hate chicks like that.” Yeah, very inadvertently.

<>

All: (Pause)

All: (Crack up)

<<***

James sat on his sleeping bag, brushing a blonde wig and humming West Side Story's "Tonight" to himself. If he pulled this off, Jesse would be thrilled. Maybe she'd be happy enough for them to have their first kiss, a beautiful, passionate moment set against the sunset, just the two of...

He stopped mid fantasy. First kiss? He and Jesse had been together for years, several of which being when puberty hit. Inept as they both were at times, it seemed impossible that they could have made it so long without kissing at least once. Then he remembered. It'd been a game of Spin the Bottle back at Pokémon Tech...she'd been wrapped up in her "first love" jock boy, and he'd had a crush on someone else as well so it had only been the second most humiliating thing that had happened to them at Tech, but it still counted as a first kiss.(the first most humiliating thing was not flunking out, but the circumstances of their second kiss...) >>

Kitty: AHA! Twice kissed!

<>

Suzy: Didn't Jesse's paragraph say the same thing?

<She missed Butch a lot. At least she didn't have to worry about him stealing her clothes. She was even starting to miss the sound of his voice... >>

All: EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

<He continued brushing the wig. "Don't you want to get rid of me?"

"What do your nasty little fetishes have to do with that?" She pulled the whip back. "And I've got to get this cleaned."

"Want to make a trade?"

***

Meowth sat up and stretched. Another morning, another day of failure ahead. He'd started to get used to it. "Now, without James here to cook breakfast..." He looked at Jesse who was mumbling in her sleep. After understanding a few snippets of her gibberish, Meowth decided that he wanted her nowhere near his food. "Which leaves only the human wheezing..." >>

Kitty: Something about… James as a NidoKing.

<"If you don't like it, you can starve," Meowth announced.

Jesse muttered something vicious and started to change into her uniform. Butch, who was seated by the fire, coughed nervously.

"James isn't back yet," Meowth said.

"Is that...normal?" Butch asked as Jesse quickly moved towards some all concealing bushes. >>

Suzy: Jesus! *pronounced Hey-sus*

<<"Not by my standards."

Blushing furiously, Jesse emerged. She sat down and Meowth handed her a bowl. "Meowth, these are burnt Corn Pops."

"Yeah, so what?" Meowth asked defensively. "We were out of Lucky Charms." >>

All: Hearts, stars, and Horseshoes; clovers and blue moons! Pots of gold and rainbows, and the red balloons!

<Butch made a Cat noise. Both Jesse and Meowth glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" Jesse asked. >>

Cat: Once again, I resent that remark.

<<"Don't insult my people!" Meowth hissed, scratching him.

"Are you always like this?" Butch asked Jesse in return.

"Like what?"

"Violent, temperamental..."

"Why you raspy..."

"At least I know the meaning of the word 'professional relationship,'"

Before a violent screaming match could break out, Cassidy and James entered, the former positively beaming. Cassidy motioned to Jesse, indicating an area several feet away. To the general surprise of all spectators, Jesse smiled back. The two girls started whispering and giggling together. Meowth looked at James. He would have tried to talk to him, but James looked violently miffed about something. Probably because Jesse didn't say hello to him...Meowth thought. That was even stranger than Jesse giggling with her enemy. >>

Fun Board: Who do we know who is constantly violently miffed? Could it be Su- (remembers boomerang) Cassidy?

Suzy: Nice save. (hits him anyway)

<I'll be dead before sundown Meowth said to himself as he watched Jesse and Cassidy shake hands while James and Butch left. >>

Kitty: (in a very good Austin Powers imitation) Poor little bugger. I salute you.

<<***

Meanwhile, tension was rising on a certain Pokémon journey. "We're lost again!" Brock announced. "I don't see how, when there's only one possible route to almost every city, but we're lost!"

"It's Ash's fault," Misty said as they stopped to look over the map.

Ash began shifting from one foot to the other. "C'mon, let's get going!" he whined.

"Yeah, Ash, you still need to get your 'Flaming Moron Badge' from the 'Middle of No Where Gym,'" Misty said sarcastically. >>

Cat: Shameless plug alert!

John: That Rare Candy site offers a Flaming Moron Badge!

<"You know what it is," Misty told him.

"Sandshrew, a ground type Pokémon. Its favorite food is berries," said Dexter, who for some reason had become just as helpful as its game equivalent.

"I'm going to Catch it!" Ash said happily. "Pikachu, thundershock!"

"Pika....chuuuuu!" Nothing happened.

"Uhmm..." Ash looked nervously at Misty and Brock who were glaring at him. "Try it again!"

"Pika....chuuu!" Pikachu used a bit less enthusiasm this time.

"Shre, shre, shre!" laughed the Sandshrew. Then it dug a hole. >>

All: Buh-bye.

<<"Hey, I have to Catch you!" Ash yelled at it.

"Ash, do you know what a ground Pokémon is?" asked Brock.

Using dig, the Sandshrew flung Pikachu several feet back, then scampered away, still laughing. "I don't understand!" Ash said as he hugged Pikachu. "What went wrong?"

***

A ways up the road...

"Never gonna work," Meowth muttered.

"Shut up and keep digging!" said Cassidy.

"It's pure Team Rocket genius," Jesse explained. "After they fall in the hole--"

"We throw the net on them!"

Meowth rolled his eyes. "The pikachu zaps us, we blast off, I cry myself to sleep again tonight."

Cassidy stopped digging to pose. "It can't fail since I'm here, and I'm perfect!" she said. This sent both her and Jesse into another one of their giggling fits. >>

John: I don't get it.

Toby: Ditto.

(the ditto pops out again, and is again smashed by a Paper Fan from the past)

<<***

"I just hope Team Rocket doesn't show up," Ash muttered.

"Ka," Pikachu agreed from his shoulder.

"Ash, can you remember a time when they didn't show up?" Misty asked.

Ash thought for a moment. "They weren't at the beach..."

"What?"

"When you entered the Pretty Girl/Disguised--"

Misty vomited into the bushes. "They were there, " Brock said. "Very definitely there..."

"I don't remember that..."

"How could you forget?" Misty asked.

"I feel kind of sorry for them," Brock said, changing the subject because no one really wanted to think about, talk about, or even remember James with breasts.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Me too," added Misty. "I mean, they are just trying to do their jobs..."

"And we've ruined their plans even when they weren't trying to steal Pikachu."

Misty nodded. "I wonder what was going on yesterday."

"Maybe they were reassigned," Brock suggested, somehow guessing the correct answer.>>

Suzy: That's my Brock!

<<"Oohh, that's so sad!" Misty sighed, tightly hugging Togepi. "I've never told anyone this before but...I always hoped they'd get together one day..." >>

John: This author is stupid. Misty, you like Jesse! Why else did you want to keep that picture of her!

<"I thought they were already a couple," Brock said to Misty.

"I didn't think so..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ash. "They can't be in love; they're evil!" Brock and Misty both gave him a look. "Evil people don't have...those kinds of feelings!" >>

Fun Board: Even I agree that's stupid.

<"Glad he was walking in front of us," Misty added.

"Pika," agreed Pikachu who had jumped off of Ash just in time.

"Can someone--oof!" Ash was cut off by a net falling onto him. "Team Rocket's behind this!"

"Duh," Misty said as the music started playing.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation..."

"To unite all peoples within our nation..."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love..."

"To extend our reach to the stars above..."

"Jesse!"

"Cassidy!"

"Well, at least there's only two of them today," Brock said.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" >>

John: Cassidy said the motto right? I don't get it.

Toby: Ditto.

(the ditto pops out again, and is again smashed by a weapon from the beginning)

<<"Yadda yadda yadda, let's get this over with," muttered Meowth.

"Hand over the Pikachu," Jesse called to Ash.

"I can't. He's up there."

"Oh. Hand over the Pikachu!" she called to Brock and Misty.

"Where's James?" Misty asked.

Jesse blushed. "He was...reassigned for...ummm..."

"A team building exercise," Cassidy finished.>>

Suzy: Team building, my ass.

Fun Board: Someone admits their ass is so big, it needs a team to build it. (gets hit by a boomerang)

<<"When are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know," Jesse replied. Cassidy giggled.

"That's so sad!" Misty said sympathetically.>>

Toby: EMPATHETICALLY!

<<"Just out of curiosity, what are you going to do with Pikachu?" asked Brock.

"Give it to the Boss," Jesse answered.

"What will he do with it?"

"Probably just add it to his collection," Cassidy said.

Meowth sighed. "I wish I was still one of his favorite Pokémon..."

Misty and Brock began whispering to each other. "Would you use thundershock on a Sandshrew?" Misty finally asked. >>

All: NO!

<"Hey!" shouted Ash from the bottom of the hole.

"Piiiikaa!" Pikachu screamed, struggling against Brock.

"There's lots of ketchup there," Meowth told him.

"Pika?" asked Pikachu. ("Really?")

Meowth nodded. "And lots of other pikachus."

"Pi pikachu?"("Girl pikachus?")

"Tons of 'em." >>

Suzy: Then why would he want him?

<>

John: Pikachu, stop it! You're a bigger player than… Mario! From all those Nintendo games!

<<"Pikachu, I thought you were my friend!" wailed Ash.

The little rodent thought things over. Good food and women, or his slowbro-witted best friend... "Pika, pikachu?" he asked Jesse.

"What?" she said.

Meowth and even Ash smirked. "He wants your advice," Meowth translated.

"Pi chu pika pika chu,"

"Because you're an expert on the subject."

There's that vein again thought Meowth.

"Chu pika, pi pika-pi chu ka?"

"What did he say?" Jesse asked.

"He wants to know if you'd ever leave James."

"Pika pika."

"For good food and babes." >>

Kitty: No, James is your babe!

<>

Kitty: AHA!

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, throwing his arms around Pikachu. He lost his grip and fell back into the hole. "Aughh!" *Whump!*

Meowth slapped his hand against his forehead. "Idiot! We could have had him if you hadn't said that crap! James isn't even here!" He turned to Cassidy. "And there's no reason for you to look so smug!" >>

Toby: Probably there is a reason.

<<"Looks like we're going to have to fight," Cassidy said, avoiding Meowth's glare.

Jesse nodded. "Arbok, go!"

"I loaned my Raticate to Butch," Cassidy told her.

Arbok sighed and looked at his mistress. "Bok!" he hissed. "Chhharrbok?"("Where's Wheezing?")

Jesse smiled feebly at him. "He's not here right now. He's with James."

"Chhharrrrbok! Bok!"("I'm not fighting without Wheezing.")

Jesse was starting to get annoyed. "Wheezing isn't here!"

Arbok's tongue flicked out. "Charbok."("I can smell James.")

"The scent's probably still on Jesse's clothes," muttered Meowth. >>

Toby: Probably.

<<"What's wrong with Lickitung?" Arbok's hood flared out in anger. Jesse buried her face in her hands. "You're supposed to be loyal to me, not that stupid gas bag."

"Chharrrbok!"

Ash climbed out of the hole, Pikachu clinging to his back. The little Pokémon leapt off. "Pikachu, thundershock it now!" Ash ordered.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, shaking his head. "Pi pika pi chu ka pi."

"I don't care how lonely Arbok is! Just thundershock him!" When Pikachu didn't respond, Ash pulled out a Pokéball. "Fine, I'll use someone who will obey me."

"Pika-chu," Pikachu said, shrugging.

"Charizard, go!" >>

Toby: I wish I could sweatdrop.

Fun Board: Steal his hat again, Mist? Pretty please?

<<"Ummm...Ash," Misty said, tapping his shoulder. "Maybe that's not the best idea..."

"Oh, yeah..." Ash said, replacing the Pokéball. "Hmmm..."

Brock sighed. "Ash, does it really matter? Arbok won't even fight!"

Cassidy pulled out a Pokéball. "What's this doing here?" she asked. "I gave Raticate to Butch..."

"Try it," Jesse said, grinning at her.

"Pokéball, go!" >>

All: GO! All the children sing NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA!

<<"Whee-zing..."

"What the hell?" asked Cassidy and Meowth in unison.

Meowth quickly recovered from his surprise and snickered. "I wish I could see James' face right now..." he laughed to himself. >>

Toby: You probably could.

Kitty: Okay, Toby, we know you read ahead and all, but don't tell us stuff like that!

<<"Charrrbok!" Arbok excitedly hissed.

Jesse whispered something to Cassidy. "Wheezing, smoke screen!" Cassidy called out.

"Arbok, bite!"

Ash looked at Pikachu. "Now will you thundershock them?"

Pikachu nodded. "Piiiii....kaaaa...chuuuuuuu!"

Team Rocket was, of course, hurled up into the air along with their Pokémon. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Ash watched them, then turned his hat backwards. "Let's go find the Middle of Nowhere Gym!" he shouted and began running down the road. Pikachu gleefully followed. >>

All: (cough nervously)

Fun Board: Speaking of Flaming Morons…

<Brock shrugged. "I just don't think he's that cute anymore..."

***

After landing, Cassidy said, "We should check in with the Boss now."

Meowth looked at her in surprise. "We generally try to put that off for as long as possible." >>

Suzy: You forgot tha dialect!

<<"I think we should call him now," Cassidy repeated, winking at Jesse.

"We have to do it sometime," Jesse sighed.

Once they were in front of the large, video phone, Cassidy smiled at Meowth. "You dial," she ordered. Meowth reluctantly punched in the number, muttering bitter thoughts to himself as he did. He turned around just in time to see Cassidy pull Jesse close for a rather intimate kiss with Jesse giving very little resistance. >>

All: EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

<Jesse looked up from the atrocity that used to be a breakfast cereal and noticed James and Cassidy approaching. Eyes focusing in on the black Team Rocket uniform she thought, God, James, how could you wear that thing?

Once they were a safe distance away, Jesse whispered, "Is it really you?"

He nodded. "I feel so dirty..." he whispered back, tugging distastefully at his sleeve.

She giggled. "How did you get your hair to do that?" This time he laughed with her. "Wait'll we tell Meowth..."

"We can't," James said, sounding very serious. "Do you know what the Boss'll do to me?" he whined. >>

Suzy: Giovanni, just as hot as Brock…

Fun Board: You're starting to sound like Brock.

<<"You?" Jesse asked. "What about me? I'm an accomplice now!"

James giggled again. "Of course!"

Jesse found herself giggling with him. "How'd you get the wig to do that?"

"Wire and hairspray." >>

John: How'd you make Cassidy's hair do that?

<Have to be cool about this he said to himself as he looked her in the eyes. If I do this right, she won't think it's just part of the plan..."Jesse?" he said softly.

"Yes, Ja--Cassidy?"

"I..." Missed you, couldn't wait to see you again, realized I couldn't live without you, "Just play along, ok?" Idiot! Wishing there was a frying pan handy to beat himself with, James took a deep breath, then kissed his partner. >>

Kitty: AHA!

<Just part of the plan, of course, Jesse thought bitterly. And naturally it'd have to be when he was dressed like Cassidy. But I'd better just play along... she decided with absolutely no reluctance. I think he was in drag last time, too... >>

Toby: AH-eww.

<>

All: (pause)

All: (crack up)

<>

John: How? I don't get it.

Toby: Ditto.

(the ditto pops out again, and is hit by a Paper fan from the future?)

<<"I want you both back with your original partners as soon as possible. There's no need for me to speak with them." Giovanni hung up and mopped his forehead with a handkerchief. "Yow." His Persian began grooming itself, trying to lick the coffee off its fur. >>

Cat: (Giovanni) It's unstoppable! No matter who she's with, Jesse loves her partner… hey, what if I put her with some actually gay GUY…

<Meowth watched his team mates' standard victory dance grope-a-thon with narrowed eyes. "Two days," he said. "Actually, one day. One lousy day!"

"If I hadn't taken action, it could have been longer," James said, glaring at Meowth but still holding Jesse.

Meowth rolled his eyes. "It might have been a whole week."

"A whole week of burnt Corn Pops," Jesse muttered.

"Wow, your cooking really does suck!" James said. Jesse stopped hugging him long enough to swat him with a paper fan. >>

Fun Board: YAY! Fanny! (uses it on the most recent past ditto)

<<"And we had the Pikachu!" Meowth continued ranting. "It would have happily come with us, but no...you had to go completely soft on us! And why didn't you tell me about this?!"

"You might have been the one who reported us in the first place," Jesse said. Her eyes met James'. "Err...lied about us, that is."

Meowth nodded patronizingly. "Of course. You just have yer arms around each other--again--because..."

"We're close friends," Jesse said, both of them taking a simultaneous step backwards.

"Very close friends," James added.

"Uh-huh."

"We've only kissed three times!" James snapped at him. >>

Toby: Very professional.

<<"And of course neither one of you can still remember the place, date, time, and circumstances."

"Of course not!" Jesse laughed. Not the time. Without looking in my diary. Jesse started blushing. The aforementioned pages for the first two incidents happened to be bookmarked, but hopefully Meowth hadn't figure that out yet. >>

Kitty: He would have read those.

<<"Who remembers something like that?" James asked. "I sure don't!" He laughed with a bit less confidence than Jesse. I mean, I can only remember the dates because they're marked on my calendar... He rubbed the back of his head, starting to sweatdrop. >>

John: Jesus, *pronounced Hey-sus*.

<<"And this last little display was all in the line of duty, naturally," Meowth added. He felt a bit guilty, but they were just so much fun to goad.

"We're just friends!" Jesse and James screamed at him.

Trying to regain her composure, Jesse slid into one of her standard solitary poses. "After all, we are here to denounce the evils of truth and love." Way to go, Jesse she said to herself. Way to flirt with him. How old are we, twelve?

"Oh yeah, there's a lot of that going around," Meowth said scornfully.

"We're damn good at the truth part!" James said defensively. "And...ummm..the...non-platonic love part." I think I can see why Jesse hits me so much... James thought as he looked at her. Why does this have to be so hard? he silently whined before going on to think a few thoughts that were definitely non-platonic. >>

Toby: AHA! Beat ya too it!

<<"So what should we do with the rest of the day?" Jesse asked, hoping a subject change would return her blushing face to normal.

"Trade dirty secrets about Butch and Cassidy!" Meowth cheered.

Jesse noticed that James was standing very still, a daydreaming expression on his face. She nudged him. "Huh?" James asked, abruptly coming back to a vicious world where Meowth was there, Jesse was wearing all of her uniform, and his thoughts lost a good deal of their original meaning when they became words. >>

Kitty: AHA! Is that enough for you, FB, Su-Z, Cat, John?

All 4 of them: No. This is just a fanfic.

<<"We're going to gossip," she informed him.

"Hooray!" he cried before going to search for his spare uniform.

***

During one of Meowth's especially long anecdotes, James started looking through his pockets. "It has to be here somewhere..." he mumbled.

Jesse held a ball of green yarn out to him.

Grinning, he took it and threw it over Meowth's head. Fortunately there was a slight hill behind the Cat... "That ought to keep him busy," James laughed as an ecstatic Meowth began chasing the string.

"I can't believe it works," Jesse said, shaking her head.

He shrugged. "I really missed you."

"James, it was only a day." She looked at the ground. "I missed you, too."

He looked at his hands. "Uhh...Jesse, I was wondering...if...ummm..."

"10:19 PM and 4:53 AM." >>

John: I thought she had to look at her diary. I don't get it.

Toby: Ditto.

(the ditto pops out again, and is once again smashed by a Paper Fan from the past)

<<"Thanks."

As we leave our heroes, we can only hope to someday find out why Jesse and James were together with one of them in drag, no less, at five in the morning. What kind of standards do they have at Pokemon Tech? And will Ash be able to find the Middle of Nowhere Gym before Gary does? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Pokemon!

To be continued... Back >>

Suzy: This author's actually pretty good! I mean, there was Brock, Butch, Giovanni, James, Ash, Meowth, all kinds of Boys!

Cat: Meowth is awesome… but not in that way! Suzy, you perv!

Fun Board: The authors okay. And I don't mind the fact Suzy's a pervert at all…

John: Cat… why can't you be a pervert?

Kitty: Hm… right… license revoked for the sake of humanity… John, shut up.

Toby: Why must that Ditto pop up every time John and I don't get something?

Strange Voice: Who knows, or cares, for that matter. You've got the next episode of this series tomorrow at 8 am sharp. Now you can all go back to your little pervert games.