The girl stood on the edge of Maiden’s Peak, gazing at the water-fashioned sculpture. Her lavender-blue hair danced in the wind. She breathed in the sea air. Her watch beeped, causing her to jump back in surprise. “Already?” she exclaimed. “Alright, Professor Oak. I’m coming.” The face in the watch nodded. She took one last look at the Maiden. And ran back to the laboratory.
Jesse was bored. Very bored. Extremely bored. She wanted to scream. They had done nothing all day. Meowth was teaching Scratch Attack to his kittens. His girlfriend, Meowi and James were sorting through all the photo albums. Since leaving Team Rocket, nothing exciting had happened. She began to miss ‘blasting off’. “I’m going for a walk,” she announced. James grunted, and Meowi gave a half-hearted wave in response. Usually Jesse would’ve hit them. But she just wasn’t in the mood.
Jesse meandered in and out of the trees until she found Viridian Lane. It led straight to Pewter City. “I think I’ll visit the Pokémon Museum.” (We all know that this is totally out of character, truth is she just wants to buy some souvenirs from the gift shop) Jesse’s pace quickened now that this walk had a sense of purpose. She jogged down the road, keeping as far to the side as possible. She stopped abruptly. Was something, someone, following her? She had an eerie feeling. She didn’t feel alone. She turned around and stood on a twig. The snapping of the branch made her jump backwards into a ditch. She slipped in the mud and fell on her ass. She shook her head and looked up to find a young girl, trying desperately to stifle her laughter. “I’m really sorry, miss,” she giggled.
Jesse growled. “What do you think you’re playing at?”
The girl offered her hand but Jesse pushed it aside. The girl mumbled, “I did say sorry.” Jesse was adamant. The girl could only watch as Jesse tried to climb back up the ditch in vain. “It’s too steep,” warned the girl, but Jesse paid no attention. Eventually she admitted defeat. “Fine, help me if you must.”
The girl nodded and produced a wheel-less skateboard from her rucksack. She put her feet into the holds and pressed a red button. The board rose from the ground and the girl floated into the ditch and stopped before an amazed Jesse. “How did you do that?”
“It’s my hover board. I air-surf in my spare time.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“Get on, and I’ll air-surf you back home.”
“Er…thanks.” Jesse frowned. Something wasn’t quite right about the girl.
Jesse loved air surfing. The girl even did a few tricks for her. A loop-de-loop and some Salchows. Jesse wanted to know where she could get one, but the girl avoided her questions. They soon found the mansion. They landed in the garden and Meowth ran out to greet them. “Where’ve ya bin, Jess? We waz worried ‘bout ya.”
The girl went to him and picked him up. “How adorable!” she crooned.
Meowth grinned, “Tanks!” James ran out to see Jesse. He eyed the girl suspiciously. “Another twerp?”
“No. My name’s Billie. I’m not from here.” The girl bowed in greeting.
“She gave me a ride home.”
“How?” asked James. Billie showed him her hover board. “Wow!” James insisted that she stay for dinner. Billie refused at first but was soon persuaded by the appetising aroma that was coming from the kitchen.
Billie told them all about herself at dinner. She was 12, and came from Sunny Town. She was here on business. She wouldn’t say what business though. Mr and Mrs Morgan offered for her to stay at their mansion whilst she was in town, which she accepted gladly. Throughout, James couldn’t understand why she looked so familiar. She had long blue hair, in two plaits (braids) with a small lock falling over her forehead. Her eyes were icy-blue and she wore green earrings, PokéBelt, a white t-shirt and black skirt with knee-high boots like their old rocket uniform. Maybe she was a member of Team Rocket? No, she was too young for that. A fan of Team Rocket? Possibly…
Jesse hardly slept that night. When she did, her dreams were filled with hover boards and blue-haired girls. The kid bugged her. Jesse couldn’t put her finger on what was weird about her. Billie seemed nice enough. Jesse got out of bed and walked towards Meowth’s room. He and Meowi were curled up on their bed sleeping soundly. Jesse hit him. He stirred and before he could shout at her, Jesse put her hand over his mouth. She motioned for him to follow her.
Meowth and Jesse sat by Billie’s bed watching her sleep. “Do you see it?” Jesse asked.
Meowth yawned. “See what?”
Jesse grew impatient. “She looks just like James.”
“She does?” Meowth peered at Billie. “She don’t look stupid enough, if ya ask me-owth.” He looked again. “But ya right. Dere is a resemblance.”
Jesse frowned at Billie. “I thought James was an only child,” she whispered.
“Maybe Billie’s a cuzin…of course!” Meowth leapt up. “She’s here ta do Jim in so that she can get de inheritance! Dat explains it. She said she were here on business. James is da job she’s gotta finish off.”
Jesse crossed her arms. “Meowth, you were in Hollywood too long…”
“You’re da drama queen in the da group, not me-owth!”
Billie was a Pokémon Trainer. As all kids are in the alternate universe of Pokémon. She decided it was time that she caught up on her training. James offered to help, of course. When it came to Pokémon he got almost as excited as the twerps did. Billie had 5 PokéBalls on her belt. She chose her first one against Weezing. “Go, Redda!” A huge crimson snake emerged from the PokéBall. Its fangs dripped venom on to the grass, which shrivelled up instantly. As it reared up in front of Weezing, a massive hood stood up on its neck; the tail rattled fiercely and it hissed, “Reddarrrr.” Weezing turned to James with a large sweat drop on its head. James was even more worried. He’d never seen a Redda before. “Go, Weezing! Smog Attack!”
“Weezing.”
“Redda, Fang Launcher!”
“Fang what?” James gasped as the snake coiled around Weezing and sunk it’s fangs in. The battle was already lost. James was angry. “Ok, so you want to play tough. Go Victreebel!”
“Redda return.” Billie called it back and reached for a second PokéBall. “Go, Slobbamowth.” This Pokémon was a wide mouthed, pink frog-like creature. James didn’t notice at first. He was busy trying to get his head out of Victreebel’s mouth. Billie giggled, “Need help?”
James mumbled, “I’m fine,” from within. Soon, the battle was underway. “Victreebel, use Stunspore.” Slobbamowth dodged the attack easily. It was amazingly agile. Its frog legs helped it jump really high. Victreebel couldn’t use any attacks on it. “Ok, Slobbamowth,” Billie ordered. “Finish it with Tongue Tie!” Slobbamowth’s tongue wrapped right around Victreebel, rendering it helpless. James growled. There was no way he was going to lose again. “Use Sleep Powder.” Billie realised what she’d done. Slobbamowth was now close enough for Victreebel to use its attacks. “Damn. Slobbamowth return! I choose you, Gaspin.”
Gaspin was just a huge black ball with ugly craters and dents in its skin. Three red eyes glowed dimly and a narrow mouth sneered at James. “Gaspin, use Sewer Breath,” cried Billie.
“Quick use Stunspore, Victreebel!” But it was too late. Victreebel was out of the match. James called it back.
“Amusing.” James looked up to see Jesse clapping sarcastically.
“Can you do better, Jess?”
Jesse said, “Of course I can. I’m Jesse!” Billie called back Gaspin and reached for her fourth Pokémon.
“I’ll not lose.”
Jesse grinned. “Yes, you will.”
Jesse chose Arbok. Her favourite and most faithful Pokémon. It looked pleased at being able to battle again. It was bored with slithering about the Morgan’s gardens. “Charrrbok!” hissed Arbok.
Billie smiled. “Go! Donnabell!” Donnabell was a grass-type. A huge Venus flytrap with eyes on stalks and razor sharp leaves. “Arbok, Wrap attack it now!” Arbok curled itself around Donnabell. It didn’t look too bothered. “Absorb and Emanate, Donnabell.” Donnabell’s leaves began absorbing the sunlight. Its eyes glowed brightly. “What’s it doing?” James whispered. “Solarbeam?” Donnabell’s eyes suddenly flashed and everyone was blinded by the brightness of its radiating body. When they could see again, they saw that Arbok was lying on the floor, unconscious. “Arbok…” said Jesse. She wiped away her tears of anger. “Alright kid, that’s it. Go Lickitung!” Donnabell effortlessly blew it away with a razor leaf attack. “I just don’t get it. Even the tw-Ash doesn’t beat us that quickly.”
“That’s because he’s stupid, James,” said Jesse.
“You shouldn’t talk like that about your own brother!” Billie said. Jesse and James stared at Billie. “How did you know that?” gasped Jesse. Billie was taken aback.
“Er, I…”
Jesse growled. “Who are you really? Confess, kid.” Billie looked around her, and then at James. Her eyes pleaded at him to save her. He wasn’t sure what to do. “I told her,” he muttered finally. Jesse frowned at him.
“Why? It’s my business, not hers.”
“Sorry.” James shrugged. His eyes didn’t meet hers.
Billie found James playing chess with Meowth that evening in the leisure room. “Meowth, can you excuse us?” Meowth obliged her and ran down the hallway to the kitchen. He was hungry anyway. “Thank you,” said Billie.
James looked at her. “Tell me the truth.”
“I can’t. Please understand.”
“Did the Boss send you?”
She shook her head. “No. Giovanni didn’t send me.”
“What’s your business here?”
Billie walked over to the fireplace. She gazed at the embers as they cracked and crumbled under one another. She looked bewildered and scared. “If I tell you anything, I run the risk of destroying my life. And yours. It was risky telling you my name. Maybe I should have avoided you all.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m here to speak to Professor Oak. To collect an Eevee. But not Samuel Oak, Gary Oak.”
“He’s a professor?”
“He will be.” Billie sighed. “I’m from the future. And I half lied to you. The Boss did send me. But not your old Boss. The new Boss of Team Rocket is Ash Ketchum.”
James burst out laughing. “You mean, the twerp goes bad!? Gary becomes a professor!”
“No. Team Rocket becomes the Multinational Pokémon Rescue Service. Ash is still a hero.”
“Damn. Jess won’t be happy.”
“Miyamoto overthrows Giovanni, but she doesn’t want to run Team Rocket. So she gives it to Ash. He decides to put becoming a Pokémon Master on hold for a while.”
“Why doesn’t Jess run it?”
Billie grinned. “Er…she’s busy. With the Meowth Casino, formally the Rocket Corner.”
“She’s always been a career girl. What about me?”
“You’re a house-husband. You’ve moved out of the mansion because you didn’t want to rely on servants.”
James blushed. “Yeah, that sounds like me. And Meowth?”
“Stays here.” There was now an awkward silence between them. A question was on James lips. She knew what it was. He knew she knew. And so on. So she answered it before he could muster the courage to ask.
Meowth wandered down the hallway towards the bathroom. As he rounded the corner he stopped in surprise. Jesse was stood next to a wall with a glass pressed to it. “Watcha doin’ Jess?”
“Shut your big meowth! I’m listening.” Meowth waited, impatiently tapping his foot. Without warning, Jesse moved away from the wall in a swift motion and stepped back onto Meowth’s tail. He yelled and she grabbed his head and covered his mouth. “You’ll get us busted!” she whispered angrily. Meowth nodded and clambered out of her grip. “Come on. They’re coming out.” Jesse and Meowth ran down to the bathroom. Meowth watched as James and Billie walked out of the room and down the stairs. “So, what happened wit’ Jim an’ da kid?”
Jesse sighed heavily, “Billie is James’ daughter from the future.”
“You an’ James ‘ave a kid? Great!”
Jesse sighed again. “I don’t know. She doesn’t know who her mother is. Her
parents die whilst she’s a child. She only tracked James down because of his last name. They’re the only Morgans around here.”
“If you isn’t her mother, den who is?”
“Well, once…we were short for cash. So we went to a bank.”
“What does taking out a loan ‘ave anyting ta do ‘bout it?”
“Not that kind of bank!” she laughed.
Meowth gasped. “Dat’s sick! Who would ask for a father wit’ blue hair and green eyes anyway?”
Their eyes widened…“Jessebelle!”
Jesse had planned to go and visit Jessebelle that day. But Billie asked to speak with Jesse first. Jesse was eating a sushi roll (doughnut to you Yankee translators!) when she asked and she almost choked. “Why?” she spluttered.
“You’ll find out.”
Jesse followed Billie out into the gardens to feed the Goldeen. They chimed, “Goldeen, goldeen,” gratefully. Jesse decided to cut to the chase.
“Am I your mother? I know everything else except that.” Billie gazed into Jesse’s eyes.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I was adopted. James Morgan was the only information given to me.”
Jesse was deep in thought. Whoever gave Billie up, didn’t want to be known. But why leave James’ name? “Why didn’t you visit your future father?”
“Because I wanted to see my parents again. I don’t remember them. It’s my birthday today and I wanted to visit them.”
Jesse’s eyes wobbled with tears (as in anime). “May 9th…it can’t be…” Jesse clung to Billie’s shoulders. “It is! Those are my earrings. I gave those to her.”
“What?” Billie had no idea what Jesse was talking about. Jesse began her story…
“James and I had partied the night before our exam at Pokémon Tech. What he doesn’t know is that we got a little drunk and well…you know. He didn’t remember a thing, so I kept quiet about it. Why spoil a good friendship? When we were kicked out, we decided to go our separate ways for a while. It was by chance that we met again in our bike gang.”
“Whilst I was by myself, I discovered I was pregnant. I was lucky in that sense. James would never have to find out. But I didn’t want to leave my daughter in the dark. So I left behind my earrings and James’ name. So that if she tried to contact a relative, at least it would be a nice one. When we met again, James noticed my earrings were missing and he bought me a new pair. I’d forgotten about them.”
Billie twiddled her earrings. They were similar. And so were the two of them. The blue eyes, the fighting attitude. But she got her blue hair and hourglass figure from her dad. (!) “Mum!” she sobbed.
After visiting Gary Oak and collecting his Eevee (of course she lied about why she needed it, and didn’t tell him about his future) and reuniting with her parents and Chibi-Billie, Mirai-Billie decided it was time to go. Everyone within the Morgan household had found out the whole truth. So, it was a tearful goodbye for them. Before she went, Billie had another surprise for them. Her 5th PokéBall. She gave it to Meowth and simply said, “It’s a Saber. Your evolved form.”
“I evolve?!”
“You skip the Persian level and become a Saber. A Saber can de-evolve. You can be either Meowth or Saber in the future.”
“Dat’s pretty cool!” Billie turned to her parents and grandparents. She smiled as she tried to blink back the tears. “I’ll say hello to Frank for you.”
“Who’s Frank?” James asked.
Billie grinned. “Your son of course. I told you Jesse was busy in the future. She’s a full-time working mother!”
Jesse sweat dropped. Billie entered the date onto her watch. “I’ll say hi to Uncle Ash and cousin Rainey too.”
Jesse groaned, “Don’t tell me, Rainey is Ash and Misty’s daughter.” Billie didn’t answer. She was starting to dematerialise in front of them. James and Meowth held each other as they bawled in vain. Jesse held out her hand to her daughter’s hand. It passed right through hers. Jesse whispered, “Here’s looking at you Billie the Kid,” and with that, Billie disappeared. Jesse turned round to see James and Meowth on the ground, looking bewildered. “Y’know,” Jesse said, “I have a sudden urge to go see my mother. Coming?”
The blue haired girl and red haired boy rejoiced at seeing each other again. “Were they as crazy as they are now?” Frank grinned.
Billie chuckled. “Crazier!” A woman with ginger hair appeared over the horizon, with a man in a suit, an aging Pikachu and a dark haired girl with blue-green eyes. Behind them were Jesse and James. “Uncle Ash!” Billie raced over to greet her family. “I didn’t have time to visit you guys. Maybe next time, huh?” He nodded. They all walked towards the laboratory, and they did so in complete unison, Billie realised that she was incredibly lucky. She started to hum a lucky song…
