THE DIFFERENCE

@->->-

Life is a waterfall,
We're one in the river,
And one again after the fall.
Swimming through the void,
We hear the word.
We lose ourselves,
But we find it all...
Cause we are the ones that want to play,
Always want to go,
But you never want to stay.
And we are the ones that want to choose,
Always want to play,
But you never want to lose.

Aerials, in the sky.
When you lose small mind,
You free your life.

Life is a waterfall,
We drink from the river,
Then we turn around and put up our walls.
Swimming through the void,
We hear the word.
We lose ourselves,
But we find it all...
Cause we are the ones that want to play,
Always want to go,
But you never want to stay.
And we are the ones that want to choose,
Always want to play,
But you never want to lose.

Aerials, in the sky.
When you lose small mind,
You free your life.
Aerials, so up high.
When you free your eyes
Eternal prize.

Aerials, in the sky.
When you lose small mind,
You free your life.
Aerials, so up high.
When you free your eyes
Eternal prize.

-- System of a Down, "Aerials"

@->->-

You know, whoever made up that "good guys always have to win and bad guys always have to lose, regardless of the circumstances" rule really had their head stuck where the sun don't shine. I swear, today could have been one of the best days of our lives...but thanks to that damn rule (and those damn so-called good guys), it ended up sucking!

"We lost food, friends, and a festival," James sighed as he watched the fading fireworks of the Wobbuffet Festival in the distance...a festival where WE should've been honored guests. "We should've quit while we were ahead...."

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" Meowth groaned.

Jessie said something after that...something that sounded a lot like praise, but I wasn't listening to her. All I could think about was our latest defeat and how it never should've happened....

@->->-

It all started that morning, when Jessie, James, Meowth, and I arrived in a small village populated entirely by Wobbuffet trainers. Normally, people would take just one look at Jessie and James's Team Rocket uniforms and waste no time in running us out of town, trying to have us arrested, or beating the living daylights out of us. But today could hardly be considred normal. When one of the villagers -- a nice lady named Lulu -- saw me with Jessie, she assumed that we were in town for their annual Wobbuffet Festival, and she invited us to her house.

And Lulu was, indeed, a gracious host -- she gave us a big plate of hamburgers and sandwiches and told us all about the festival. She then told Jessie and James that I was a special pokemon, and she even tied a big, yellow ribbon around my head so that everybody else could see how special I was, too!

It was a rare occasion when my friends and I were treated with such kindness by a total stranger. Unfortunately, it wasn't to last.

After lunch, the four of us went on a tour of the village and met some of the other Wobbuffet trainers. Jessie briefly considered stealing the festival food and making a hasty exit when we came across the store-house (who knows where our next meal would come from once the festival was over, after all?), but James and Meowth didn't feel right about doing something like that to the people who'd been so nice to us.

Before we could debate the finer moral points of the issue, however, the twerps showed up and accused us of attacking the villagers' Wobbuffets! (I honestly don't know where that accusation came from! Granted, we may be thieves, but hurting pokemon just isn't our way! I guess those kids are just so goddamned stupid that their microscopic minds can't grasp the concept that we're not really evil! All they see is the Team Rocket uniforms that Jessie and James wear. That's pretty sad, if you ask me!) Jessie, James, and Meowth tried to explain that they hadn't hurt anybody or anything, and Lulu even came to our defense and told Ash that we're nice people, but he still refused to believe us. And when the real culprits showed up to crash the festival, those brats didn't even have the decency to apologize for wrongfully accusing us -- they just got nasty with us again! (I swear, those twerps are the shittiest excuse for heroes that I've ever seen!)

Well, we were all pretty outraged by the way we'd just been treated, and now more than ever, Jessie wanted to just take the food and leave. We couldn't enjoy the festival now that those brats were here -- even when we're just minding our own business, they always assume we're up to no good and hassle us...as this latest encounter had just proven. And even if we tried to help them stop whoever was causing all of this trouble, we knew they'd only repay us by finding some way to turn the villagers against us and screw us over again. We can never do anything right when those damn kids are around.

While we were getting ready to leave, however, we saw what all of the commotion was about. Apparently, the three punks who were beating up the Wobbuffets had once used their pokemon to vandalize the town. Lulu and her Wobbuffet had defeated them and run them off before...but now they were back for revenge, and they wouldn't be satisfied until they'd thrashed every Wobbuffet in the village! And to make matters worse, there was some rule that prohibited pokemon battles during the Wobbuffet Festival, so there was nothing the villagers could do to defend themselves...and nothing the brats could do since Officer Jenny wouldn't let them fight either.

As we watched those hooligans destroying the giant Wobbuffet statue in the town square, we knew that we couldn't sit idly by and allow them to get away with it! Rules or no rules, they were going to completely trash the village if somebody didn't do something to stop them! And since my Wobbuffet honor was at stake (and we think rules are stupid anyway), that somebody was going to be us!

Wasting no time, we got into our balloon, and Jessie dropped a flash-bomb on the vandals. Then, she and James challenged them to a battle. Officer Jenny tried to stop us, but she backed off when she realized that this was one time when the law had to be broken.

Jessie and James fought valiantly, but Arbok and Victreebel were no match for a Hitmonlee, a Machoke, and a Primeape. When my two companions were defeated, the punks began to gloat, but this battle wasn't over yet.

This battle wouldn't be over until they'd faced me.

The three of them laughed and jeered when Jessie sent me forth, saying that I was just one more Wobbuffet for them to beat, but I didn't let it get to me. I wasn't just fighting this battle for my friends -- I was fighting it for a village of people who'd actually treated us with hospitality...and I was fighting it for Wobbuffets everywhere. I was sick and tired of everybody always thinking that I'm a loser pokemon just because I can't initiate attacks, and I'd be damned if I let them win!

When the battle began, I waited patiently for the enemies to attack...and when they did, Jessie commanded me to fight back with my Counter. Sure enough, my patience paid off -- every attack that Hitmonlee, Machoke, and Primeape unleashed on me, no matter how powerful, got sent back on them when I countered. Before long, all three of the fighting-types had been defeated, and their trainers ran off in disgrace.

That should've been the moment when things turned around for us. We'd protected the villagers and saved the Wobbuffet Festival! Surely now those brats could see that Jessie and James were good people and give them a freakin' break, but alas, it wasn't to be. Instead of allowing us to celebrate, Officer Jenny just scolded us for breaking the festival rule...and the twerps STILL wouldn't admit that they were wrong about us! (Yeah, there's a fine how-do-you-do! Sheesh!)

Not wanting to stick around and get in trouble, Jessie and James agreed that they were bad for breaking the rules and volunteered to leave town. As we got back into the balloon and took to the sky again, however, we made a big mistake.

We got greedy.

"Hey! Since Officer Jenny and those brats were going to hassle us anyway, why don't we just go ahead and take the food?" Jessie suggested.

James frowned and shook his head. "I still don't think it's a good idea, Jess."

"Why not?!" she demanded. "We saved the day, and we weren't even going to get so much as a thank you! I say we've MORE than earned that food!"

"I know," he sighed. "But these people actually treated us with kindness and gave us a chance, Jessie. It just wouldn't be right to turn on them like that."

"We're not turning on them," she replied. "We're just claiming a few free meals as our reward for helping them."

Heh. Can you say "rationalization," boys and girls? I remarked.

"Good one, Wobbuffet!" Meowth snickered.

Jessie scowled at me. "Oh, don't tell me YOU'RE on their side, too!"

Well, James and Meowth are right -- stealing from people who were nice to us is a scummy thing to do, and we're better than that! I retorted.

"Wobbuffet sez it'd just be scummy of us ta take dere food," Meowth translated. "He don't want no part a dis either."

A pained expression crossed Jessie's face when she heard this. "Et tu, Wobbuffet?" she sighed. "What's wrong with you?! Don't you want some kind of reward for doing the right thing?!"

"Of course he does, Jessie," James replied for me. "We all do. But it's the principle of the thing. If these people had treated us like shit, then I wouldn't have any qualms about taking all of their food...but they didn't...."

"I know they were nice to us, James," said Jessie. "But where are our principles going to get us five or six days down the road, when we're starving to death again? I wish it didn't have to be like this, but we have to look at the big picture!"

"I guess yer right," Meowth sighed. "Principles ain't gonna feed us."

"Okay, you win, Jess. We'll take the food," James said reluctantly.

Alright, I conceded. But I still have a bad feeling about this....

Jessie smiled. "Good! I'm glad to see that you've all come to your senses! Now let's grab that food!"

When our balloon drifted over the store-house, Jessie pulled a lever, and a large claw extended from the base of the basket and broke through the roof. After a moment, it emerged with a large sack of food.

Before we could relish our victory, however, the villagers saw what we'd done, and Officer Jenny and the twerps gave chase. Misty sent her Staryu to bust a hole in our balloon, and she and the others were waiting for us when we crashed down in the woods outside of town.

Not wanting our day of victories to be ruined, Jessie brought out Arbok again and prepared to defend our food. Unfortunately, now that we weren't in town anymore, nothing was stopping Officer Jenny or the brats from fighting...and Ash promptly sent his Pikachu after us. The little electric rat used his Thunderbolt and fried us before I could fight back with my Counter.

And just like always, Team Rocket went blasting off again....

@->->-

And now, as we all sat together on a remote cliff, reflecting on our day and bemoaning all we'd lost, I found myself growing angrier and angrier with every passing second.

I was really annoyed with Jessie. It had been her idea to steal the food, and if she'd just left well enough alone, we might not be in this predicament now. But as angry as I was with her, Jess wasn't really the problem. She'd only wanted to take the food because we were hungry, and she knew that we had to keep ourselves fed. Granted, it hadn't been a very nice thing to do, and it had only ended up causing more trouble than necessary for us...but she could hardly be blamed for wanting to keep us from starving. No, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was all the twerps' fault!

If they hadn't shown up, there'd have been no reason for us to leave town...or try to steal the food! I'm sure that stupid Officer Jenny still would've given us a hard time for breaking the festival rule, but I'd overheard several villagers praising us for what we'd done. They probably could have persuaded her to go easy on us, considering that we'd only broken the damn rule to save their festival! But no. Just like always, those goddamned twerps had to ruin everything for us!

Ever since the day I met them, I've hated those kids. I remember, when my old trainer, Benny, took me to the swap-meet in Pompona, he ran into them, and they quickly became his friends. That alone was enough to make me despise them. You see, Benny may have seemed like a nice kid on the surface, but in reality, he was one of the worst trainers imaginable! He was always cutting me down, telling me how stupid and worthless I am, just because I can't initiate attacks, and he always told me I was ugly, too. But then when it came time for that big swap-meet, he couldn't stop gushing about how great I was! (Yeah, if I was such a great pokemon, then how come he couldn't wait to get rid of me? If he just wanted to raise a new pokemon, like he said, then how come he couldn't just go out and catch a new one? No leaps in logic there, folks!) I guess I hated Benny because he was such a phony, and everybody bought into his act...especially those twerps. Lickitung even told me that after we blasted off, he put on this whole Oh, I hope that lady takes good care of my Wobbuffet! I'm gonna miss him so much! production, and that it made her sick. Truth be told, I'm glad Benny wanted to trade me -- I couldn't wait to get away from that little wank...and I'm glad that Licki escaped from him and came back to Jessie, too! No pokemon deserves a trainer that doesn't love them and has no qualms about trading them away on a whim. But as good as it felt to finally be free from Benny, it still hurt to know that I wasn't good enough for him...that he got rid of me because he thought I was ugly and useless.

But I'm digressing, aren't I? Back to the twerps. I hated them from the get-go because they thought Benny was so great, and they couldn't see him for what he really was. And they became just as phony as he was so that they could help him trade me. They didn't even know me, but they put on these big, cheesy grins in front of everybody and couldn't stop talking me up -- the whole business made my stomach turn!

I know for a fact that Misty was lying through her teeth -- when she first saw me, she basically told me to my face that nobody in their right mind would ever want to trade for a pokemon like me...and then when she found out that the others had overheard, she put on one of those cheesy grins, too and told them she'd really meant to say that I was a great pokemon. (Doesn't she know that we pokemon can understand human speech?! How stupid did she think I was, that I wouldn't even know she'd insulted me...or that a remark like that wouldn't hurt my feelings?!)

Jessie, James, and Meowth are trying to be friends with Misty now, but I feel no such compunction. I know what that little bitch really thinks of me -- she's no friend of mine! And quite frankly, I don't even think she's being a good friend to Jessie, James, and Meowth! She told them not to take it to heart when she's mean to them from now on and that she's only doing it to keep up appearances, but if you ask me, she's trying a little TOO hard to keep up appearances. If anything, she's been nastier to them than ever! If she were really their friend, she'd make some kind of effort to be more civil to them in public, or at least tell Ash to lay off every once in awhile! If I were Jessie and James, I'd tell the brat that her lame attempt at friendship just isn't working out and to take a hike!

And as bad as Misty is, Ash is about a million times worse! I knew he was a phony when I met him at that swap meet, and he pretended to like me in order to help Benny. But when I got traded to Team Rocket later that day, he showed his true colors -- I learned that he hates me...for no other reason than because I'm Jessie's pokemon. Come to think of it, Lickitung said the same thing happened to her -- she told me that the twerps always treated her like shit when she was Jessie's pokemon, but then when Benny had her at the swap-meet, they didn't have a problem with her anymore. Something tells me those little pricks are gonna start hating her again if Jess ever puts her back in the active party. I've heard horror stories from the other pokemon, too -- Meowth and Weezing told me about times when Ash insulted a wild Meowth and another trainer's Weezing, just because he associates them with Team Rocket! But the worst, I think, is what Arbok told me. She said that a little over a year ago, she was badly injured in a car crash, and when Jessie took her to the hospital, Ash tried to keep the doctor from helping her! Arbok could have died, but that kid didn't even care -- he didn't think she deserved treatment, just because she's Jessie's pokemon! It's like Ash automatically hates any pokemon associated with Team Rocket...like we're all evil or inferior, just because we love Jessie and James. (Real nice attitude for somebody who claims to love all pokemon and wants to be a pokemon master! Sheesh!)

Well, if there's one thing I know about that kid, it's that he's never going to be a true pokemon master. Not unless dumb luck is on his side, anyway -- he's sure as hell not gonna get there with his skills! I swear, that kid is so stupid it makes my head hurt! And as if that weren't bad enough, he's a mean little bugger, too! I haven't known him for very long, but I do know that he's never won a match against us fair and square -- he always outnumbers us by using several of his pokemon at once, or he gets his friends to gang up on us! That doesn't exactly strike me as the most ethical way to fight a pokemon battle -- if he were a REAL trainer, he'd have the rocks to keep the match even, but he doesn't. I can only conclude that he's a coward who has no honor.

And to make matters worse, he even uses his pokemon to attack Jessie and James themselves! It doesn't take a rocket scientist (no pun intended) to see just how wrong that is. Using pokemon to attack humans is about the most despicable thing a trainer can do! The worst I've ever seen Jessie and James do is use Arbok or Victreebel to scare off somebody who's hassling us or get Weezing to create a diversion so that we can escape from a dangerous situation. They've never commanded any of us to attack a human (at least not as viciously as the twerps do), and nor do I think they'd be capable of using us like that -- it's just not in their nature. Ash, meanwhile, seems to get some kind of sick pleasure out of it! He'll even attack us after we surrender, or when we've been utterly defeated and have no way of defending ourselves! It's like winning (I use the term loosely) isn't good enough for him -- he's not happy until we've been beaten senseless, electrocuted, and sent blasting over the horizon! Like I said before, only a coward with no honor would maliciously attack somebody who doesn't want to fight anymore or kick somebody when they're down...and he does it to us all the time! Yes, I've definitely got that kid's number -- he's not just a sucky trainer, he's a pretty lame-assed excuse for a human being, too!

Everything that went wrong today was ultimately his fault. Jessie may have exacerbated the situation by taking the food, but she'd only done it for the sake of the team -- no matter how much she postured about pulling one over on those "bumpkins," I know she hadn't meant any real harm. But there was nothing harmless or well-meaning about the way Ash treated us today -- the venom in his voice when he accused us of attacking the other Wobbuffets, the shitty attitude he and his friends gave us even after they found out that we were innocent, the evil gleam in his eye when he got Pikachu to electrocute us and blast us off again -- everything he did to us today was to make us suffer...for no other reason than because we're Team Rocket. And now, he and his friends were probably all celebrating at that Wobbuffet Festival...the festival that WE'D saved! Those little assholes didn't do a damn thing except cause trouble for us, and they're getting all the glory! Meanwhile, we did our best to help everybody, and all they could do was crap on us!

God, I hate those twerps.

@->->-

I don't know how long I sat there stewing, but when my mental rant against the brats ended, I saw that James and Meowth had fallen asleep. Jessie, however, was still sitting at my side. Her back was turned to me, and she was looking up at the starry night sky...and I could tell from the way she was trembling that she was crying.

It broke my heart to see her so upset, so I scooted closer. Hey! What's the matter, Jessie? I asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Grrr! Get lost!" she growled, slapping me away.

I don't think so, I replied. Now tell me what's wrong! Please?

Jessie looked at me with tear-filled eyes. "Y-you just want to talk, don't you?"

I nodded.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Wobbuffet. This is all my fault...."

I frowned.

"You were a real hero today," she continued. "It was your time to shine, and I totally ruined it for you...and now you're trying to make me feel better, and I'm treating you like shit...." When she said this, her voice trailed off, and she began to cry again.

I put my arms around Jessie and let her rest her head on top of mine. It's okay, I whispered.

"You're a good pokemon, Wobbuffet," she muttered. "You're sweet, you're cute, you're funny, and you're so brave and unselfish...but I'm such a bad trainer. All I ever do is yell at you and insult you. I don't know why you even put up with me...."

I tell you, hearing Jessie say such terrible things about herself made me feel even worse than I already did. I don't know how she could think she's a bad trainer -- she and James are the only humans who've ever shown me love and accepted me for who I am! I know she picks on me sometimes, but she never means anything by it. That's just the way Jessie, James, and Meowth are -- they pick on each other and tease each other every now and then because they love each other...because they're a family. I actually like it when Jessie teases me -- I know it's her way of saying that she loves me. It makes me feel like part of the family.

I swear, I never knew true happiness until the day I became Jessie's pokemon. Ever since then, I've felt like I finally found a place where I belong. That's why I come out of my poke ball so much -- I just enjoy spending time with Jessie, James, and Meowth, and I don't want to miss any of the fun! I love Jessie and James's motto...and the fact that they let me join in on it sometimes, I love seeing how deeply they all care for each other, I love when Jessie makes little Wobbuffet-sized costumes for me on special occasions (more proof that she loves me -- she wouldn't bother with something like that if she didn't care), and I even love hanging out with Meowth! That cat is such a good friend, and I've learned so much from him. He taught me the fine art of sarcasm and how to curse, you know. (Sometimes I wish that stupid Ash had an actual brain cell in that empty head of his so he could understand some of the things I call him when he shows up!) But more important than the sarcasm and sailor-talk, Meowth has taught me that I don't need human approval to be a worthwhile pokemon.

Becoming a part of Team Rocket has enriched my life in so many ways and done wonders for my self-esteem. It doesn't really matter that we can't ever seem to beat those twerps -- it's the friendships we forge with each other and the adventures we share along the way that are really important. I know that Jessie and James are still trying to get used to the fact that I'm not a normal pokemon, and that sometimes my enthusiasm tries their patience, but I also know that they love me. There's never been a doubt in my mind about that.

So how could Jessie possibly think she wasn't good enough for me?!

Jessie returned my embrace and gently stroked the top of my head. "I'm so sorry, Wobbuffet," she whispered. "I'm so sorry you had to end up with such a terrible trainer...."

I placed my hand over her mouth and silenced her. You stop that right now! I scolded her. Jessie, I don't blame you for what happened today!

She raised an eyebrow. "Y-you mean you're not mad at me?"

I shook my head. I've already forgiven you, Jessie. So, why can't you forgive yourself?

Jessie smiled weakly at me and then cast a forlorn glance at James and Meowth, who were curled up in their sleeping bags several feet away. "You're too nice," she sighed. "I just wish they felt the same...."

I frowned again. Are they mad at you, Jessie? I asked.

"They haven't spoken to me since we blasted off...and they didn't even say good night to me when they went to sleep," she replied. "Yeah, I think it's pretty safe to say they're mad at me. Can't really blame them, though. I did make them do a pretty despicable thing against their better judgement...."

Oh, don't worry about it, Jess -- you weren't that bad, I told her. You've done worse things before, and James never stays mad at you for long. He loves you so much.

Jessie looked down at the ring on her left hand and smiled again. "I know James loves me and never stays mad for long...I don't worry about that too much anymore," she said. "But it still makes me feel like a rat when I do something to upset him. I'm trying to be better about stuff like that...."

And I'd say you're doing a damn good job, I told her, putting an arm around her shoulders again. I'm always hearing James and Meowth say how much sweeter you are now than you were a long time ago. And no matter how bad you think you are, you always come through for us in the end....

As I said this, a light began to shine in Jessie's sapphire eyes. "Wobbuffet, you just gave me an idea!"

I looked up at her. I did?

"I have to go back to that village and apologize to all those people I tried to steal from," she explained. "You guys were right -- trying to take their food after they were so nice to us was wrong. I know it's not much, but I owe them an explanation...and I need to make this up to you, too."

This made me smile. I think that's a great idea, Jess!

Jessie's smile became a grin as she got to her feet. "Then come on! Let's go!" she exclaimed.

Uh...just one question, I said. How the hell are we going to get back to the village?! In case you haven't noticed, we're stuck on a cliff!

Jessie tip-toed over to James's backpack and began to root through it. "Ah! Here we are!" she whispered, bringing out one of his poke balls.

What are you doing with James's pokemon? I asked.

Jessie smirked at me. "That was two questions...and we're going to use Victreebel, here, to climb down, of course! Now keep quiet -- I don't want you to wake James and Meowth up!"

You mean they're not coming with us?

She shook her head. "Wobbuffet, those people are really mad at us...and those twerps and Officer Jenny might still be around. This could be dangerous, and I don't want them to put themselves at risk. I'm the one who screwed up, so I have to be the one who makes it right again."

I guess, I conceded. But I still think they'd want to help.

Ignoring me, Jessie tossed James's poke ball and released Victreebel.

JAMES!!!!! Victreebel screamed as he emerged from the ball and gave Jessie's head a love-bite.

"Ugh! Get off of me, you over-affectionate lunk!" Jessie cried, wriggling free from his grasp. "I'm not James!"

Victreebel grinned sheepishly. Oops! Sorry about that, Jessie!

"And be quiet, for godsake!" she hissed. "Don't wake him up!"

Victreebel gave her a quizzical look. Why? What's going on?

Vic, we need you to use your vines and help us down that cliff, I explained. Jessie wants to go back to the village and apologize for all the trouble she thinks she caused.

Victreebel frowned. But Jessie DIDN'T cause any trouble! he said. She and James helped everybody, if I recall correctly!

Yeah, but the twerps were there, I told him. They....

Victreebel rolled his eyes. Oh. The twerps. Say no more.

"Uh, are you guys just going to sit around and talk all night, or are you going to help me?" Jessie asked with more than a hint of impatience in her voice.

Of course I'll help, Jess! Victreebel replied. I don't know how the hell those brats managed to screw us over this time, but if you're trying to set things right, then count me in! With that, he wrapped his vines around me and Jessie and braced himself so that we could climb down the cliff without falling.

"Thanks, Victreebel," Jessie whispered as we began our descent. "I knew we could count on you!"

Yeah! We owe ya one, Viccie! I said.

Victreebel winked at us and made a thumbs-up gesture with one of his leaves.

@->->-

After a bit of struggling and a few slips that would've ended in disaster if not for Victreebel's vines, Jessie and I managed to make it to the base of the cliff. Once we were safe on the ground, we untied ourselves and started heading back towards the village.

So, how are we gonna go about apologizing to everybody once we get back to the village? I mean, do we have a plan for that, or anything? I queried.

"I want to talk to Lulu first," Jessie replied. "She was the nicest one -- giving us lunch and sticking up for us when Ash tried to cause trouble -- if I owe anybody an explanation...and an apology, it's her."

I nodded.

As we continued on our way, however, Jessie suddenly stopped.

What's wrong? I asked.

Jessie placed a finger to her lips and looked over her shoulder. "Somebody's out there, Wobbuffet. We're being followed," she whispered.

I turned around and peered into the dark woods, but I didn't see anything. I could feel something, though. She was right -- we were being followed!

Jessie slowly brought out Arbok's poke ball and assumed a fighting-stance. "Get ready, Wobbuffet," she said. "Who knows what could be lurking in these woods...."

"Heh. Should've known we couldn't sneak up on you," a familiar voice said.

Jessie raised an eyebrow. "James?"

As if on cue, James and Meowth emerged from behind a cluster of trees.

When she saw them, Jessie's look of surprise gave way to annoyance. "What are you guys doing here?!" she demanded.

James folded his arms across his chest and smirked. "I could ask you the same thing," he replied.

"Well...I asked first!" she huffed.

James ran a hand through his blue-violet hair and sighed. "I kept waiting and waiting for you to come to bed, but you never did, so I wasn't sleeping very well," he told her. "Then, I thought I heard Victreebel screaming, and sure as shit, when I woke up, I saw him out of his poke ball...and you were nowhere to be found."

"Yeah! And den Viccie told us dat you and Wobbuffet was on yer way back ta the village cuz ya wanted ta set things right with dose people," Meowth continued. "James and I didn't wanna miss out on all the fun, so we decided ta follow ya."

"Jessie, why are you doing this?" James asked.

"You KNOW why!" she said. "You were right about how we shouldn't have taken the food -- we had a good thing going today, but I ruined it for us all. I've been beating myself up about it all night...and I won't be able to live with myself until I've made up for it somehow...."

"I know that," James whispered, placing his hand on her cheek. "I meant, why are you doing this without me and Meowth?"

"Because none of this was your fault, James," Jessie replied. "I'm the one who screwed up, so this is my responsibility. Besides...I thought you were mad at me."

James gently caressed her cheek. "No, Jessie. I'm not mad at you," he told her. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Jessie hung her head and blushed. "Because you weren't talking to me...and because of how I messed everything up. Goodness knows, you have every right to be mad."

"Jess, I wasn't talkative because I wasn't feeling well," James said as he put his arms around Jessie and held her to him. "I didn't blame you for it, though. I was never angry with you. I'm sorry if I made you think I was, honey."

"It's okay, James. Really," Jessie said as she returned his embrace.

James smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "Besides, it takes a lot more than what you did today to make me angry," he continued. "Not everybody has a temper as short as yours, you know."

"Yeah! Thank goodness for dat!" Meowth laughed.

Jessie frowned at him.

"Now, what would really make me mad," James said, cupping Jessie's chin in his hand and forcing her to look back at him, "is if you think you can actually get away with doing this without the rest of us."

"You mean you really want to come with me? To take part of the blame for what happened?" she asked.

"Of course!" he told her. "Jess, we were all to blame in some way -- if I were adamant about not taking the food, I could've stopped you, you know. Deep down, I wanted the food, too."

"Dat's right! We screwed up as a team, so we're gonna fix dis as a team, and dere ain't no two-ways about it!" said Meowth.

"Well...okay. If you guys insist," Jessie sighed.

"As a matter of fact, we do!" came Meowth's reply.

James smiled again and gently tweaked Jessie's nose. "Yeah! You don't get rid of us that easily!"

Jessie returned James's smile and tweaked his nose right back. "I love you, sweetie," she said.

James tightened his hold on Jessie and rested his forehead against her own. "I love you too, Jess," he replied.

As they gazed into each other's eyes, Jessie and James leaned closer and rubbed noses. Then, their lips were locked in a passionate kiss.

My heart swelled with joy as I watched the two of them. Jessie and James are such beautiful people...on the outside and the inside, and it just gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to see how deeply in love with each other they are. In a way, it reminds me of my own life -- they've endured so much rejection and heartbreak...but now that they have each other, they've found the love and security they always needed. Their love for each other reminds me that I have love in my life now, too...that I finally belong somewhere. And that gives me the sense of security I've always needed.

Still, as beautiful as Jessie and James's love was, it wasn't going to help us make amends with those villagers. We had work to do, and we didn't have time to stand around in this forest all night!

"Hey! Break it up, youse two!" Meowth shouted, as if he could read my mind.

But Jessie and James didn't hear him (or decided to ignore him) -- they just held each other closer, and their kiss deepened.

Heh. We're gonna be here for awhile, aren't we? I asked.

Meowth put his paws behind his head and sighed. "Yep. Looks like Team Rocket's makin' out again...."

@->->-

When Jessie and James finally stopped kissing (Meowth had to threaten to turn a hose on them), we continued on our way. Jessie filled James and Meowth in on her plan to go to Lulu's house first, and they agreed that it was a good idea. It felt as if a great weight was being lifted from our conscience as we drew closer to our destination, but at the same time, I could sense a collective apprehension...fear that our good intentions were all going to blow up in our faces.

Before long, we found ourselves on the outskirts of the village once again. It was about ten o'clock, and the Wobbuffet Festival was still going on, but the festivities were starting to wind down. All of the young families had already gone home (to put their children to bed, no doubt), and only a few teenagers and adults remained, milling around the giant Wobbuffet statue in the town square.

One of those people was Lulu. She was standing at the buffet table and helping a young, dark-haired woman wrap up the leftovers from the feast. The two of them had grim expressions on their faces and seemed to be talking about something important. Knowing that it wasn't yet the right time to reveal our presence, Jessie, James, Meowth, and I remained hidden in the bushes and did our best to listen in on their conversation.

"I just don't understand what happened, Rachel," Lulu sighed. "I thought it was pointless, myself."

"Sounds to me like she screwed up big-time," the woman named Rachel replied. "First thing tomorrow morning, I'm gonna talk to the chief of police and get this all sorted out."

Lulu nodded approvingly. "Good. Because I saw the whole thing...and it just wasn't right. Something needs to be done."

"Something WILL be done," Rachel assured her. "Just go home and take it easy tonight -- I'll see what I can do."

Lulu smiled and picked up a package of the food that she'd helped wrap. "Thank you."

"Whaddaya think dey was talkin' about?" Meowth whispered as Lulu took her leave.

"I heard them mention the police," James replied. "They were probably talking about what we did today."

"No doubt," Jessie grumbled. "That goddamned Officer Jenny really had it in for us -- it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to launch some kind of criminal investigation."

Oh, quit being such a pessimist! I told her. Do you really think Lulu, of all people, would be calling for the police to come after us?!

"Wobbuffet is right!" said Meowth. "If anybody in dis burg is still on our side, it's her!"

James nodded. "Yeah! Somehow, I doubt she'd turn on us like that -- she's a nice lady, Jess."

"I know," she sighed. "But actually seeing her again just made me feel worse than ever about what I did...."

"And that's precisely why we're here," James reminded her. "This is our chance to make it up to her."

Jessie looked at him.

James smiled and extended his hand. "Now, come on. Let's go," he said softly.

Jessie smiled back at James and placed her hand in his. "Okay," she whispered.

Then, Meowth put his paw on top of their hands, and I put my hand on top of his paw.

We remained there for several minutes, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes. Now more than ever, I was grateful that James and Meowth were here with us...that we were doing this as a team. Once we'd mustered enough courage, we broke from our huddle and followed Lulu to her house, taking care to stay out of sight.

When we arrived at Lulu's, I could sense that Jessie was losing her nerve again, but after a moment of hesitation, she steeled herself and walked up to the door.

"Here goes nothing," she whispered as she began to knock.

James smiled at her again and put a hand on her shoulder.

After a couple of minutes, the door slowly creaked open. Lulu's eyes widened when she saw us. "Jess?!" she exclaimed.

"L-Lulu? Can I talk to you? Please?" Jessie asked nervously.

Lulu studied us for a moment and nodded. "Of course," she replied. "Come on in."

"Thank you," said Jessie.

Once we were inside, Lulu closed the door behind us. Then, she walked over to the window and drew the drapes. She obviously didn't want anybody to see us in her house. "I thought Officer Jenny ran you guys out of town! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Lulu," Jessie began, "we came back to tell you how sorry we are for what we did today."

"And to explain why we did it," James added.

Lulu nodded and gestured for us to sit down. "I'm listening," she said.

"We...we didn't mean to cause any trouble, Lulu," Jessie told her as we seated ourselves at the table.

"Yes. We only took the food because we were hungry," said James.

Lulu raised an eyebrow. "Hungry?! But I gave you lunch before we went to the festival -- you ate an entire plate of hamburgers! How in the world could you have been hungry?!"

"Well, we wasn't hungry right at dat moment," Meowth told her. "But believe it or not, dat lunch ya gave us was the first real meal we'd had in days!"

"Are you serious?!" she gasped.

All four of us nodded.

"Well, no wonder you had such an appetite," she remarked.

"We didn't know when the next time we'd have a chance to eat was going to be," James explained. "That's why we took the food. It wasn't anything personal or to be mean -- it was just a survival thing."

"You were so kind to us, Lulu, and we really do appreciate the hospitality you showed us," Jessie sighed. "Stealing your food was a terrible thing to do, and we regret it. I just wanted you to know that."

Lulu's expression became grim again as she listened to Jessie.

"You have every right to be angry about what happened, and I don't expect to be forgiven for what I did," Jessie continued. "But please don't be mad at my friends. James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet didn't want to take the food, and they tried to talk me out of it, but I wouldn't listen to them. They didn't do anything wrong -- this is all my fault. If you're going to hate anybody, then hate me...."

"I don't hate you, Jessie," Lulu said.

Jessie looked up at her. "You don't?"

Lulu shook her head. "I don't hate any of you -- I'm actually glad to see you again."

"You are?!" Jessie, James, and Meowth asked in unison.

"When you first arrived in town and when you were my lunch guests, I didn't see bad people," Lulu explained as she placed her hand on my head. "Your Wobbuffet is so happy and energetic -- nobody with a pokemon like this can possibly have evil in their heart. Jessie, I knew from the moment I saw your Wobbuffet that you and your friends were good people. But...I guess that's why I was so shocked to see you trying to steal the festival food. I knew that you were nice, and I just didn't understand how you could be capable of doing something like that. I understand now, though. Thank you for telling me."

Jessie hung her head. "It was the very least I could do."

"Well, it's greatly appreciated," Lulu told her. "And if you four will stay awhile, I'll see what I can do to help you."

"Help...us?" Jessie asked.

Lulu nodded. "The way you saved our festival...and our village was nothing short of heroic," she said. "It wasn't fair that those children accused you of hurting our Wobbuffets without any proof, it wasn't fair that Officer Jenny was so quick to condemn you for breaking the festival rule when you only did it to help us, it wasn't fair that you were forced to leave town...and now that I know why you took our food, I don't think it was fair that you were punished so severely for it."

"Life is never fair," James sighed. "We're used to it by now."

"Yeah," said Meowth. "Life's a shit sammich, and every day we take a bite."

"Watch your language, Meowth! We are guests in this woman's home!" James scolded him.

Meowth blushed. "Whoops. Sorry about dat."

Jessie and I said nothing, just exchanged looks and snickered.

"That's okay," Lulu replied as she got back to her feet and headed for the kitchen. "And there's still no justification for the way you were treated today. Even though you were stealing our food, we could've let you have it as payment for helping us -- we have plenty and to spare. There was no reason for Officer Jenny or those children to hurt you. It was just wrong. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment...."

After Lulu went to the kitchen, Jessie, James, Meowth, and I fell silent and reflected on everything she'd just told us. When she returned a few minutes later, she was carrying a large plate of chocolate mint cookies and a steaming kettle.

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's unfairness," she continued as she set the cookies on the table and poured us each a mug of hot green tea. "And there was nothing fair about what happened to you."

James, Meowth, and I each grabbed a handful of cookies and began to eat. The chocolate coating melted in my mouth, and the inside was crisp and cool. They were the best cookies I'd ever tasted...and actually getting to eat twice in one day was a rare treat, indeed!

"You really are on our side, aren't you?" Jessie asked as she took a sip of her tea and grabbed a few cookies for herself.

"Yes," Lulu replied. "I consider you guys to be my friends...and I never turn my back on a friend."

The four of us stopped eating and looked up at her in disbelief when she said this.

"I spoke with the mayor earlier," she told us. "And she doesn't think Officer Jenny was right to punish you, either. She promised me that she's going to call the police chief first thing tomorrow morning and see if he can look into it...."

"That lady Lulu was talking to at the festival -- that must've been the mayor," James whispered to Jessie.

"And that must've been what they were talking about!" Jessie whispered back.

See! Didn't I tell you it was silly to think that Lulu would send the cops after us? I said.

"....And if you guys visit the mayor tomorrow and explain the whole situation to her, I'm sure she'll help you find a way to sort this mess out with the rest of the village, too," she continued.

"You really think so?" James asked.

"I know so," said Lulu.

Jessie smiled, and her normally sparkling eyes went dull with tears. "Thank you," she whispered. "I only wanted to apologize -- I didn't expect any kind of forgiveness or hospitality...but you've given us both."

Lulu returned her smile. "Well, the very fact that you came back to apologize proves that you're good people...that you deserve to be forgiven."

"See, Jess. I knew she'd understand!" said Meowth.

"Yeah," James told Jessie as he put an arm around her shoulders. "Lulu is a good friend -- we didn't have anything to worry about."

Lulu chuckled and seated herself at the table again. "Not to be nosy, but why were you guys starving in the first place?" she asked, changing the subject. "I see those uniforms you're wearing, and you even said that you're members of Team Rocket -- that must mean you have jobs. Why can't you just buy food?"

"I wish it was dat simple," Meowth sighed. "But paltry don't even begin ta describe our salary -- we can barely make ends meet, even after we put all three of our paychecks tagedda!"

"And we're not exactly the best employees," Jessie grumbled. "You saw with your own eyes how incompetent we are at stealing. We don't get that many bonuses, and a raise is pretty much out of the question."

"I see," said Lulu.

"And the budget we're on kind of complicates things, too," James added. "We don't really want to be thieves -- circumstance kind of forced this line of work on us. We're working our butts off to do something worthwhile with our lives, though...and Jessie and I want to get married and have a family someday soon." Jessie smiled at him and blushed when he said this, and he blushed, too. "But starting a business, having a nice wedding, being able to provide for children...it's taking a lot of saving and planning ahead. We've been setting aside most of our money so we can have that better life. But we've had to make a lot of sacrifices in order to do that, and money is so tight to begin with that we sometimes have to sacrifice necessities like food. We stretch our paychecks as far as they'll go, but more often than not, we don't even get to eat the entire week before pay day...."

"How awful!" Lulu whispered. "I'm so sorry to hear that!"

"We even take second or third jobs whenever we get the chance, but those never last long because we're always on the road," Jessie said. "We're doing everything we can, but sometimes our backs are against the wall, and we have no other choice but to steal. I know that's not an excuse for what we did to you today...but it is the truth."

"Well, I think it's admirable that you young people are working so hard to make something of yourselves...and you've proven that when you do have a choice, you choose to do good. That's all the more reason you deserve a second chance," Lulu told us. "I have a guest-room. Please stay for the night. In the morning, I'll do whatever I can to see that you get your second chance."

James nodded and shook her hand. "Thank you, Lulu," he said. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to us."

"Don't mention it," she replied. Then, gesturing towards the hallway, "Come on. I'll show you to your room."

@->->-

After Lulu took us to the guest-room and told us to make ourselves at home, Jessie and James set up a small cot next to the bed so that Meowth and I would have a place to sleep. (Much to my delight, Jessie had decided that I didn't have to go back into my poke ball since I was the reason we were here.) Once they had everything in order, the two of them stripped off their uniforms and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

While Jessie and James were bathing, I flopped onto the cot and stretched myself out. Nice place, I remarked.

"Yeah," Meowth agreed as he admired the cross-stitch pictures and family photographs that adorned the walls. "Real homey."

I smiled and found my thoughts returning to what James had told Lulu about wanting to marry Jessie and have kids with her. Meowth?

"Huh?"

Do you think we'll ever have a place like this someday? I asked. A place that we can call our home?

Meowth returned my smile. "Well, in a way, we already have a home...with each other. But I know what ya mean...and yeah, I think we will. Like James said, dat's why we're workin' our asses off now."

Do you ever think about what it's going to be like when we finally do have that better life?

Meowth's smile grew even wider as he jumped onto the cot and seated himself next to me. "Only all the time."

I like to think about what Jessie and James's children are gonna be like, I told him. Except for the twerps and my old trainer, I've always loved kids. I really want to see the day when those two have some of their own.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I can't wait ta be a uncle...and I think dere kids'll love you, too."

You think so?

He nodded. "I know we pick on ya a lot, Wobbu, but we really are happy dat yer a part of our family now. We woulda missed out on so much if we never met ya."

This made me smile. Thanks, Meowth.

"Ah, don't mention it."

After a moment, Jessie and James emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed in their pajamas.

"Making yourselves comfy?" James asked when he saw us.

"Yep. A cat could get used ta dis," Meowth replied.

I nodded and saluted him.

Jessie came to my side and smiled. "Everything good that happened to us today happened because of you. Thank you, Wobbuffet," she told me as she planted a kiss atop my head.

I felt my heart skip a beat when she did this. (Even if Jessie is a human, I have to admit I've got a bit of a crush on her. Who can resist a beautiful woman like that, after all?) Aww! Thanks, Jess!

"Good night, you guys," said James.

"Sleep tight," said Jessie.

"Good night," Meowth replied. "And be sure ta keep the noise to a minimum if yer gonna get amorous -- we're guests in dis woman's home!"

Jessie and James stuck their tongues out at him and pulled down their eyelids. This only made Meowth laugh, and I began to laugh, too.

Ignoring us, the two of them sighed contentedly as they laid down in the bed and snuggled together beneath the covers.

"This is so much nicer than camping out on a cliff in the middle of nowhere," Jessie muttered.

"It sure is," James agreed.

Jessie yawned and rested her head on James's chest. "Good night, James. I love you...."

"Good night, Jessie," he said as he put his arms around her. "I love you, too."

After Jessie fell asleep, James stayed awake for a few more minutes, gazing adoringly at her and running his fingers through her sea of crimson hair.

"It never ceases to amaze me how sweet you can be," he whispered as he traced the outlines of her facial features with the tip of his finger. "No matter how tough you try to act, you have a heart of gold, Jess. I love you so much...."

I smiled again as I watched James give Jessie a tender kiss on the forehead and join her in slumber. I'd heard horror stories about how she'd had her heart broken in the past, and it made me happy to see her with a wonderful man like James now. In a way, she reminds me of myself -- what she went through with her ex is sort of like what I went through with Benny. But now that she and I have finally found people who really do love us, it gives me hope that everything will be okay.

A sense of peace came over me as I thought about the events of the day and everything Jessie, James, and Meowth had said. Maybe they're right, I said to myself. Maybe all of the suffering we go through now really will pay off someday....

And so, with my sense of hope renewed, I, too, drifted into peaceful repose...and beautiful dreams of the bright future that lay ahead of us.

@->->-

I was awakened the next morning by the familiar gnawing pain of hunger in my stomach...a pain made all the worse by the warm, sweet aroma of food that was permeating the room. Jessie and James must've smelled it too because they were already out of bed and getting dressed, and even Meowth (who normally likes to sleep in) was awake.

"Whatever Lulu's making for breakfast, it sure smells good!" Jessie said as she brushed her hair.

After pulling on his shirt, James closed his eyes and sniffed the air. "Smells like pancakes," he remarked.

Meowth sniffed the air, too. "Not just regular pancakes either -- blueberry pancakes!"

Jessie grinned. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's eat!"

"Yeah!" James and Meowth cheered.

With that, the three of them raced out of the room. And not wanting to miss out on breakfast (especially not one that smelled so delicious), I followed.

Sure enough, when we got to the kitchen, Lulu had a giant platter of blueberry pancakes ready for us. "Good morning, guys," she said cheerfully. "You're certainly up early!"

"How could we sleep when dere's food ta be eaten?!" Meowth replied as he stacked his plate with pancakes and began shoveling forkfuls of them into his mouth.

Jessie and James gave him a playful whack on the head.

"Mind your manners, Meowth!" Jessie snapped.

James grinned sheepishly. "He means good morning, Lulu," he told her.

"Don't worry about it," she chuckled. "Just eat up -- we have a busy day today!"

"Oh, yeah. We gotta visit the mayor, don't we?" Meowth said.

Jessie and James stopped eating for a moment and exchanged looks.

"It's okay. Mayor Houlihan is nice," Lulu said when she saw the concerned expressions on their faces. "I wouldn't take you to her if I didn't think she'd be willing to help."

"I know," Jessie said.

"Yeah. We trust your judgement, Lulu," said James.

This made her smile. "Like I said last night -- I talked to her for awhile, and she's on your side. Just tell her what you told me, and everything should be just fine."

"Sweet!" Meowth exclaimed.

Jessie sighed as she poured two cups of coffee and fixed a plate of pancakes for me. "I just hope everybody else is as reasonable as Lulu and the mayor," she whispered to James, handing him one of the cups.

James stirred a bit of milk and sugar into his coffee and took a sip. "I'm sure they will be, Jess," he assured her.

I smiled at Jessie and saluted as she set the plate in front of me. I knew that we could trust Lulu, but in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but share Jessie's concerns. Could we really trust the rest of the village to give us a chance to tell our side of the story and hear us out?

I guess only time would tell.

@->->-

After we finished our breakfast, Meowth and I volunteered to clear the table, and Jessie and James did the dishes. Once we'd cleaned the kitchen...and ourselves up, Lulu set out to take us to Mayor Houlihan. While we were on our way to Town Hall, however, we ran into an unexpected problem.

"Come on, guys! The sooner we get to Ecruteak City, the sooner I can win a new badge!" I heard an annoying voice say.

Oh, god. Don't tell me he's still here.... I said to myself.

My fears were confirmed when I looked and saw Ash, Misty, and Brock. They'd just left the local pokemon center...and they were heading our way!

At my side, Jessie, James, and Meowth tensed. They'd seen the brats, too.

Fortunately, Jessie and James weren't dressed in their Team Rocket uniforms this morning -- they'd opted to leave their jackets and gloves off and wear blue jeans with their black shirts instead. The twerps never recognize them when they're out of uniform, so I was hoping that we could simply pass by unnoticed. The last thing we needed was those jerks picking another fight with us when we were only trying to make peace.

Unfortunately, Ash did catch sight of Lulu...and to make matters worse, he decided to talk to her. Go figure.

"Heeey! Lulu!" Ash cried as he raced up the sidewalk and came to her side.

"Oh. Good morning, Ash," Lulu replied.

"My friends and I are off to Ecruteak City!" he announced proudly. "I'm gonna win my fourth Johto League badge there!"

"That's nice," she said dryly.

"God, I hate dat kid, always struttin' around like he's king a the freakin' world," Meowth muttered.

Yeah, he's king, alright -- King Shit of Turd Mountain! I replied.

James's eyes widened when he heard us. "Whoa! That's a new one!" he remarked.

"Meowth, have you been teaching Wobbuffet how to curse again?!" Jessie whispered.

"Don't lookit me -- I already taught him every word in my extensive off-color vocabulary! I dunno where he picked dat one up!" Meowth said innocently. Then, turning to me and grinning, "Dat's a good one, though -- I'm gonna hafta remember it!" With that, he produced a pen and a note pad and wrote it down. Once he was finished, the two of us high-fived.

Jessie buried her face in her hands and groaned. James just shrugged.

Fortunately, the twerps still hadn't taken note of us, and they hadn't heard our exchange.

"We had a lot of fun at the Wobbuffet Festival yesterday!" Brock told Lulu. "Thank you so much for inviting us."

"You're welcome, Brock."

"We're just sorry we can't stay longer...and that those punks and Team Rocket caused so much trouble for you," said Misty.

You little two-faced phony! I thought as I listened to Misty insulting us...yet again. Didn't anybody ever tell you that friends don't talk shit about each other behind their backs?! I don't know why Jessie, James, and Meowth even gave you a chance in the first place! Stupid back-stabbing bitch....

Ash smirked. "I'm just glad you guys finally realized how evil and rotten Team Rocket really is and ran them out of town!" he said. "I can't believe everybody actually thought they were nice! That's a laugh!"

Lulu sweatdropped.

"Hello! We're standin' right here, dipshit!" Meowth grumbled.

Really! Jeezus Christ on a motorcycle, this kid is such a dumbass! I agreed.

Jessie and James gritted their teeth and clenched their fists. I could tell they were supressing the urge to say something.

"Say, who are your friends, here?" Ash asked when he finally noticed us. "I don't think we've been introduced."

The sweatdrop on Lulu's temple doubled in size. "Uh, does he even recognize you?" she whispered to Jessie and James.

"He never does," they replied.

Lulu rolled her eyes.

"You know...you guys look kind of familiar...." Ash remarked after studying us for a moment. It was then that it finally registered with him. "Hey! Wait a minute! You're Team Rocket!" he shouted, pointing to us with an accusing finger.

Not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, are ya, kid? I asked, though I'm sure all he heard was, "Wob-buf-fet."

"GRRR!!! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!?!?!" Ash demanded. "DIDN'T YOU CAUSE ENOUGH TROUBLE ALREADY?!"

"Now, you hold it right there!" Lulu said, coming to our defense again. "Jessie, James, and Meowth aren't here to cause trouble! As a matter of fact, they're here to make up for what they did yesterday!"

"Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna believe that!" Ash sneered, fixing us with a venomous glare.

"Fine! Nobody said you had to believe us!" Jessie shot back.

"I DON'T believe you!" he snapped.

"Whatever," Meowth growled.

"Just leave us alone, kid," said James. "We have work to do."

"I will not!" he cried. "You may have fooled these people once, but you're not gonna do it again! I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"

"And we decline," James replied cooly.

"What's the matter?!" Ash jeered. "You losers afraid to fight me because you know I'll win?!"

"No. We're just not in the mood for your putrescence," Jessie retorted.

"I don't know what that means, but you'd better take it back right now!" he shouted.

Jessie folded her arms across her chest. "No," she said defiantly.

James hooked Jessie's arm in his own and turned away from the brats. "Come on, guys. We don't have to put up with this," he said.

As we continued on our way, however, Ash followed us and lobbed three of his poke balls. "Oh, no you don't! Come back here and fight me, you cowards! Pikachu, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile! GET THEM!!!"

Instead of following his commands and mercilessly attacking us like they usually do, however, Ash's pokemon did nothing, just stood there and stared at us.

"What's the matter with you?!" Ash demanded. "It's Team Rocket! Go get them!"

Pikachu frowned and flattened his ears. "Pikaaa? (Ash, don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?)" he sighed.

Chikorita frowned, too. "Chi-kor-ii. (I don't wanna attack them if they don't wanna fight. It just seems wrong.)" she said.

Cyndaquil nodded. "Quiiil! (Yeah! They're not causing trouble this time!)" he agreed.

Totodile studied us for a moment and nodded, too. "To-to. To-to-dile? (That's right! Can't we give them the benefit of the doubt?)" he asked.

I couldn't help but smile as I listened to the four pokemon. Even though they don't always fight fair, I don't really hate them -- they're actually kind of okay when Ash isn't barking out orders. I was relieved that they'd decided to assess the situation themselves rather than blindly follow his commands this time.

Ash, however, didn't share my feelings. "Come on!!! Why won't you fight?!" he wailed.

"Cuz we didn't come here ta fight! Dat's why!" Meowth snapped.

Brock grabbed Ash by the arm and pulled him back. "They said they don't want to fight. Let it go, Ash," he said.

"Yeah! You're making a fool of yourself!" Misty said, grabbing him by his other arm.

It's about friggin' time those other twerps called Ash on what a jerk he is! I said as I watched the exchange.

"Really!" Meowth agreed.

Lulu shook her head and sighed.

"It's obvious he's not going to listen to reason," James told her. "Let's just go before he tries to start something again."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Come on, guys. I know you're not troublemakers."

With that, we turned away from the twerps and continued on our way once more. However, my instincts told me that this encounter wasn't over yet. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ash break away from Brock and Misty...and when I turned completely around, I saw him pick up a rock and throw it at us.

And it was going to hit James if I didn't do something!

LOOK OUT!!! I shouted.

At the sound of my voice, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Lulu turned around and saw what Ash was doing.

Acting on instinct once again, I jumped in front of James and prepared to use my Counter attack. As the rock hurdled towards me, I began to glow, and when it struck me, it bounced harmlessly off of my body. I breathed a sigh of relief as it landed at my feet.

"Oh, my god!" Lulu gasped. "Why did you do that, Ash?! Somebody could've been hurt!"

"Yeah! Namely, me!" James snapped.

"What part of we don't wanna fight don't you understand, kid?!" Meowth demanded.

"Quit playing innocent, Team Rocket!" Ash shouted. "It's bad enough that you tried to ruin the Wobbuffet Festival yesterday, but coming back to cause even more trouble is a new low! I'm not gonna let you bastards get away with it!"

Jessie's face contorted in anger when she heard this. "How DARE you?!" she cried. As she began to reach for Arbok's poke ball, however, James stopped her.

"Don't do it, Jess," he said softly as he placed a hand on her arm. "He's only trying to provoke us -- if we fight him, he wins. Don't give him the satisfaction."

"Fine," she grumbled.

Lulu frowned. "Listen, Ash, I didn't say anything yesterday or this morning because I was trying to be nice, but I'm not going to keep quiet anymore! You have a lot of nerve treating such nice people so shabbily!"

Ash's eyes widened. "What?! Don't tell me you're still on their side -- they're TEAM ROCKET!!!"

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Lulu shot back.

"They're...they're Team Rocket!" he cried! "They're evil, heartless, pokemon thieves who can't be trusted! Just look at what they did yesterday -- they pretended to be your friends, and then they tried to steal all of your food!"

"For your information, they only took the food because they hadn't eaten in days and didn't know when the next time they'd eat would be!" Lulu told him. "And if you ask me, they EARNED that food! There was nothing pretend about the way they saved our festival -- it was an act of true heroism!"

Ash scowled.

"Tell me, Ash," she said. "If it were anybody but Team Rocket, taking food for no other reason than because they were starving to death and needed something to eat, would you have been more understanding?"

Silence.

"Well?"

Ash averted his eyes. "Yeah, probably," he grumbled.

"And why is that?"

Again, Ash gave no reply.

"Is it because you're so blinded by your hatred that you can't even see that they're living things, too?" Lulu ventured. "That they're being driven by the need to survive and not the desire to do evil? Do you truly hate them so much that you don't even think they deserve the right to exist?"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but I do know the difference between right and wrong!" Ash retorted.

Lulu raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I don't think you do."

"Stealing is wrong!" he cried. "And Team Rocket is ALWAYS stealing! Why can't you understand that?!"

"And why can't you understand what I'm trying to say?" she asked. "Sometimes there's a difference between what's legal and what's right -- Jessie, James, and Meowth proved that yesterday when they broke our festival rule to save our village. It was illegal, but it was an act of pure good, nevertheless. And stealing our food may have been illegal, too...but it wasn't done with evil intent."

"But...but they're Team Rocket!" Ash whined.

Ugh! Shut up, kid! You sound like a broken record! I thought. I may be the patient pokemon, but my patience with him had worn out.

Lulu shook her head and sighed. "Your hatred really has blinded you, Ash. All you see is Team Rocket, and you've lost sight of the humans and pokemon. You can't understand that they're not evil because you've spent so much time lying to yourself and convincing yourself that they are...and I think that's a shame."

"Oh, I don't believe this!" Ash cried. "They've got you fooled -- you're falling for their act again! Can't you see that?!"

"I think the only person around here who can't see is you," Lulu retorted. "I'm proud to call Jessie, James, and Meowth my friends. They may not be perfect, but then, nobody is. That doesn't change the fact that they're good people. I'm sorry if you can't accept that."

"I don't accept it!" he told her.

"Obviously," she said. "Your behavior towards them yesterday -- the way you were so quick to accuse them of attacking our Wobbuffets without any evidence and the way you were so quick to condemn them for everything else -- was a slap in the face. But you know what? They didn't come back here to fight you or retaliate for the way they were treated! They came back to apologize to us and try to atone for what they did. They're trying to make amends, and what do you do? You just slap them in the face again when they turn the other cheek! You're a very mean and spiteful person, Ash Ketchum. I can forgive someone who makes an honest mistake, but I have no tolerance for real troublemakers. And if you insist on causing trouble for my friends when they're trying their best to do the right thing, then perhaps you should leave."

Ash stared at Lulu in disbelief when she said this.

"What?!" Meowth said defensively. "Is it really so hard ta believe dat we're tryin' ta do somethin' decent for a change?!"

"As a matter of fact, it is!" he retorted.

"Well, it's the truth plain and simple! Deal with it, kid!" Jessie told him.

"Yeah! Call us back once you've wrapped your brain around that one!" said James.

Of course, that's operating on the assumption that he actually has a brain! I remarked.

Jessie facefaulted. "Hmmm...that's a good point, Wobbuffet."

Ash frowned again. "Fine. I guess you really are trying to be nice this time...but that doesn't mean I trust you now -- that's just not gonna happen!"

"Nobody said you had to," James replied. "But it wouldn't kill you to act like a civilized human being around us. We have feelings too, you know."

"Yeah. Whatever," Ash grumbled. With that, he turned on his heel and walked off in a huff. "Come on, Brock, Misty. Let's go."

Before following Ash, however, Brock and Misty approached us.

"I guess we really do owe you an apology," said Brock. "It was wrong of us to jump to conclusions and assume you were up to no good without any kind of proof...and it was wrong of us to be so nasty with you when it turned out that we were wrong. I really am sorry that happened...and I'm sorry for the way Ash acted just now -- it was completely uncalled for. I honestly don't know what got into him. I know he hates you guys, but he's not normally like this...."

"I think dat's the problem right dere -- he hates us," Meowth replied.

"That's still no excuse for him being so rude...especially when you're trying to do something good," Brock continued. Then, to Lulu, "You're right about a lot of things. I promise I'll talk to Ash once he cools off. Maybe he'll listen to me."

"I appreciate that," said Lulu. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Brock. I'm sorry your visit had to end like this."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, too," he said. "I hope my friends and I can visit your village again someday...under better circumstances."

Lulu nodded as Brock waved and took his leave.

"I'm sorry, too," Misty said once Brock was gone.

Yeah, right! I thought. You may be apologizing now, kiddo, but the next time you see us, you'll go right back to being mean!

"Funny thing, Misty, but we're havin' a real hard time believin' ya," Meowth told her.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Misty, it's easy to treat somebody like crap and then say you're sorry, but real friendship takes work," James explained. "And...well...we just get the feeling you're not ready for that."

"Look, I know I still say mean things about you, but I told you not to take it to heart!" she protested.

"That's easier said than done," Jessie sighed. "To be honest, it was easier to take your insults back when we knew you hated us. But now that you're supposed to be our friend...well, it just feels like betrayal."

"But you guys make fun of each other all the time, and...."

"That's different," James told her. "Jessie, Meowth, and I can get away with teasing each other because we're close, and we know it's all in good fun." He then took Jessie by the hand. "And when we say or do something that really is hurtful, we don't just apologize -- we make a real effort to work through it and make things better."

"And you just can't do that, Misty...not while you're trying so hard to keep up the appearance of hating us, anyway," Jessie chimed in.

Yes! I said to myself as I watched the exchange. Tell her off once and for all!

"Are...are you saying you don't want to be friends anymore?" she asked sadly.

"That depends on whether you want to be our friend or not," Jessie replied.

"Yeah. Friendship isn't about appearances or deception," James added. "You're not doing Ash and Brock any favors by lying to them about us...and you're certainly not doing us any favors, either. All we're saying is that you need to stop pretending. Be our friend, or don't be our friend -- you can't have it both ways."

"That's a lot to ask," she muttered. "You saw for yourself how Ash went ballistic just now -- he wouldn't be able to understand."

"Well, if pretendin' ta hate us for his sake is more important ta you den treatin' us with a bit a civility, den maybe bein' friends with ya ain't such a good idea!" Meowth snapped.

"Does this mean we're enemies again?" Misty sighed. "I don't want that."

"Then stop acting like we're enemies, for godsake! If that's too much to ask, then you don't have any business calling yourself our friend in the first place!" Jessie cried. "I used to have a friend like you -- her name was Cassidy. And do you know what I did when I couldn't take her back-stabbing and toying with me anymore? I told her to hit the road, that's what. I didn't need a friend like her, and if you insist on treating us like shit just for the sake of appearance, then we don't need a friend like you, either!"

"Jessie and Meowth are right," James agreed. "Misty, if you want this friendship to work, it's going to take a lot more than being mean to us in public and then apologizing when nobody is looking. Real friends don't put on acts like that. Real friends aren't embarrassed to admit that they're friends with each other. We've been trying to be nicer to you...now it's your turn to try and be nicer to us. I know that's not going to be easy, but whether or not it's worth the effort is up to you."

"Think about it," Jessie said coldly. "If you want to be our friend, then be our friend. But if being a phony is more important, then you can go to hell for all we care."

Misty hung her head. "I guess that's it, then. I already told you I just can't let Ash and Brock know."

"Den I guess we ain't worth bein' friends with, huh?" Meowth asked sarcastically.

"You're the ones who said it, not me," she replied.

"You might not have said it with words, but you're always saying it with your actions...and every apology you make just rings more and more hollow," Jessie told her. "If that's your choice, then go back to your real friends, and leave us alone."

Misty's eyes filled with tears as she turned away from us and followed Ash and Brock.

"We really did want to be friends, Misty," James called after her. "Maybe someday we can make friendship work, but you have a lot of growing up to do before that can ever happen."

"Maybe...." she muttered.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched Misty walking away. Good! I thought. Maybe now Jessie, James, and Meowth won't feel obligated to be so nice to her when she acts like a bitch! It's about time they told her like it is!

Once we were alone again, Jessie put her arms around James. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked.

"I'm fine...thanks to Wobbuffet," he replied.

I smiled again.

Jessie and James returned my smile and patted me on the head.

"I still can't believe the way Ash spazzed out on us!" Meowth remarked. "He's done some pretty crappy stuff ta us before, but jeez!"

"I know! Why did he have to be so mean?" James asked.

I think he still had a hair up his ass because he couldn't stand the fact that we were doing good, and he was wrong about us, I replied.

"Yer prolly right, Wobbu," Meowth sighed.

Jessie frowned. "Has it really gotten to that point, James? Do you really think he's so convinced that we're evil that he just doesn't know how to accept the fact that we're not monsters?"

"It sure seems that way, Jess," he said.

"Lulu is right -- that is sad," she muttered.

As Jessie rested her head on James's shoulder, he looked at Lulu and smiled. "Thank you for coming to our defense again."

"Well, I meant every word of what I said," she told us. "Don't worry about Ash -- I know you're good people, even if he doesn't. And I'll see to it that everybody else in this town has a chance to hear the truth about you guys, too. Speaking of which...we have an appointment to keep with Mayor Houlihan. Come on."

And so, doing our best to shake off our unpleasant encounter with the twerps, we followed Lulu to Town Hall.

@->->-

When we arrived at our destination, a secretary escorted us to the mayor's office. "Ms. Mayor, Lulu is here to see you...and she has a couple of people with her that she says need to see you, too," the secretary announced.

"Send them in," the mayor replied.

As we stepped into the office, we saw the mayor sitting at her desk. She was on the phone with somebody, and her back was turned to us, but I could tell that she was, indeed, the small, dark-haired woman that we'd seen Lulu speaking with at the festival.

The mayor glanced over her shoulder at us for a second and turned back to the man on the vid-screen of her phone. "Can you hold for a minute, Chief Wigguns?" she asked. "Something just came up."

"Of course," the man replied.

With that, the mayor put him on hold and turned to face us. "What can I do for you, Lulu? And who are your friends?"

"Rachel, this is Jessie, James, Meowth, and their Wobbuffet," Lulu told her.

The mayor's eyes widened. "You mean the ones you told me about yesterday? The ones who saved the festival?"

"This is them, all right," she replied.

"But...what are they doing here?" the mayor asked. "I thought you said Officer Jenny ran them out of town!"

"She did...but they came back because they felt bad about what happened, and they want to make things up to us," Lulu said. "I brought them here so that you could hear their side of the story and work something out with the chief of police."

The mayor smiled. "Well, your timing couldn't be better -- I'm on the phone with Chief Wigguns right now! We're about to do a conference call with Officer Jenny."

Jessie and James tensed at the mention of Officer Jenny's name.

The mayor got to her feet and approached us. "Don't worry, guys -- Town Hall is on your side, and I'm going to get this whole thing sorted out. Mayor Rachel M. Houlihan is at your service."

"Thank you, Mayor Houlihan," Jessie replied, shaking her hand.

James shook her hand, too. "Yes, we really appreciate this."

"Houlihan?" Meowth said as he extended his paw. "Can I just call ya Hot Lips?"

Hey! Easy there, Hawkeye! I said, giving the cat a playful whack on the head.

"Uh...you'll have to excuse Meowth," James said sheepishly.

"Yeah. He's been watching too many reruns of M*A*S*H," Jessie added.

The mayor grinned and scratched behind Meowth's ears. "Aren't you cute?!" she laughed. Then, she looked at me. "And you must be the Wobbuffet I've heard so much about!"

I nodded.

"Well, hello there, Wobby! You're a cutie, too!"

Lulu is right -- this lady seems really nice! I thought as she patted me on the head and played with the yellow ribbon I was still wearing.

Once the mayor was done admiring me, she turned her attention back to Jessie and James and asked them about what happened at the festival. Jessie and James then explained how the three punks with the fighting-type pokemon had come to beat up all of the Wobbuffets and vandalize the village and how nobody would fight them off because of the festival rule. They then told her about how we'd decided to break the rule so that the punks wouldn't hurt anybody or ruin the festival and that Officer Jenny gave us a hard time because we'd chosen to fight. And after a moment of hesitation, Jessie even admitted to stealing the festival food, but James quickly explained why she did it.

Mayor Houlihan's expression grew increasingly grim as she listened to the tale. "That sounds exactly like what Lulu told me...except now I know why you took the food," she remarked. "So, Officer Jenny really did want to punish you, even though you only broke our rule to help us?"

"Pretty much," Jessie and James said in unison.

She rolled her eyes. "Good lord! What was that woman thinking?!"

"Um...not to be rude, ma'am," James interjected, "but...weren't you at the festival when all of this happened?"

The mayor frowned again. "As a matter of fact, I wasn't," she grumbled. "I had to attend a commissioners' meeting over to the county seat, and I didn't get back until yesterday evening. I wasn't there to see you or those punks for myself, and I didn't hear about it until Lulu filled me in."

James nodded. "I see."

"I swear, those county commissioners pick the most inconvenient times to hold their damn meetings!" she continued. "Last month they held their meeting on the day of the Hoppip Festival in Windydale...and the month before that, on the day of the Sunflora Festival in Merryvale. I don't think there's a mayor in this whole county that's actually been able to attend their own town's festival because of the way the commissioners plan things! Morons...." She paused for a moment and looked back at us. "But I'm getting off the subject, aren't I? Let me get back to Chief Wigguns. Hold on for a minute."

"So, what do you think is going to happen now?" Jessie whispered as the mayor picked up the phone again.

"I don't know," James replied. "I guess we just have to wait and see."

"Hey. I'm back," the mayor said.

Chief Wigguns nodded. "I took the liberty of calling Jenny while I was on hold -- she's on the other line right now. Shall I conference her in?"

"Yes, please," she replied.

After a moment, the image on the vid-screen spilt in two, and Officer Jenny appeared on one side. "Mayor Houlihan. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Officer...it's been brought to my attention that something out of the ordinary happened at the Wobbuffet Festival while I was away," she began. "Care to tell me about it?"

Officer Jenny saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" she said. "Those three vandals who tried to cause trouble awhile back returned and attacked some of the villagers' Wobbuffets. Then, a couple of crooks who said they were with Team Rocket showed up and dishonored our festival by battling them in the town square! And as if that weren't bad enough, they resisted arrest and stole all of the festival food when they tried to escape!"

No, this isn't a lop-sided retelling, I thought.

"Fortunately, they weren't very bright -- once they were outside of town, a nice little boy named Ash Ketchum fought them off with his Pikachu and helped me get the food back!" Officer Jenny continued.

Behind me, I could hear Jessie muttering a string of curses under her breath. I looked and saw James place his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her.

"Yeah. Fought off. More like viciously attacked," Meowth grumbled.

Lulu said nothing, just snorted at the mention of Ash's name.

"You know, it's funny how your account of what happened is so different from everything else I've heard," the mayor remarked.

"Mayor Houlihan, with all due respect, you weren't there," said Officer Jenny.

"Yes, but I did hear an eyewitness account from Lulu," she explained. "We know she'd never lie to protect criminals -- she's the one who ran the vandals out of town the first time! And she got to know these other so-called crooks before the fight broke out. She says that they're good people who didn't mean any harm."

"Are you saying that you believe one citizen's eyewitness account and not the official police report?!" Officer Jenny gasped.

"No, that's not what I'm saying," the mayor replied. "Because I also have an account from the perpetrators themselves, and their story sounds exactly like what Lulu told me. I'm just taking the side that's supported by more evidence...and more credible evidence, at that!"

"You mean they came back?!" she cried.

Mayor Houlihan moved aside and revealed us standing behind her. "Yes, they did."

Officer Jenny frowned. "Ms. Mayor, these people are dangerous criminals -- I'm placing them under arrest for hooliganism, resisting arrest, and larceny! If you'll detain them for me, I'll come and get them as soon as possible!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth tensed, and I felt a drop of sweat forming on my face. This wasn't what we'd had in mind when we said we wanted to work things out!

"You'll do no such thing!" the mayor interjected. "From what I heard, their hooliganism is precisely what saved our festival! Am I correct?"

"Well...yes."

"And from what they tell me, they only took our food because they were starving," she continued.

"Theft is still a crime, regardless of why it was committed!" Officer Jenny argued.

"Yes, but shouldn't the fact that they didn't harm anybody and only stole as a matter of survival count for something?" the mayor asked. "And shouldn't they have been entitled to some kind of reward for helping our village?"

"No! Because they committed a crime, and then they committed another!" she retorted.

"The only crime around here is the way these folks were treated!" Lulu broke in. "They helped us, and we only repaid them with punishment!"

"Chief Wigguns, surely you understand what a serious offense breaking the Wobbuffet Festival rule is!" Officer Jenny said. "It's a total insult to our most time-honored tradition!"

"I'm aware of that, officer," Chief Wigguns replied. "But which is more important? Upholding tradition, or ensuring the safety of the general public?"

Silence.

"Would you stand idly by, allowing people and pokemon to be hurt and acts of vandalism to take place, just for the sake of tradition?" he asked.

"Well...um...." she stammered.

"Because from everything I've heard from Mayor Houlihan and everything you yourself told me, that's precisely what you did yesterday," he continued. "You endangered the citizens and pokemon of our village with your insistence on upholding tradition. You did nothing to stop the people who would have destroyed our village, and yet you wish to punish those who helped to save our village. Law or no law, that's a serious violation of protocol."

Officer Jenny scowled.

"Because they saved our Wobbuffets, our festival, and our village with their criminal acts, I'm granting Jessie, James, and Meowth an official pardon for breaking our festival rule...and that pardon extends to the attempted theft of our food as well," said the mayor. "Stealing food because of hunger isn't a crime...not as serious a crime as assault, battery, and vandalism, anyway."

"And as of now, you're hereby relieved of duty," Chief Wigguns told Officer Jenny. "There's a difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law...a difference which I think you need to learn. Your job as a police officer was to serve and protect the citizens, not the law. Perhaps you need to learn that as well. Dismissed." With that, he disconnected the line that Officer Jenny was on, and her image vanished from the vid-screen. Then, he looked past the mayor and addressed us. "I apologize for the way Jenny handled yesterday's situation."

"Quite alright," James replied.

Chief Wigguns nodded and turned his attention back to the mayor. "And I'll dispatch a new officer to your district as soon as possible. One who can serve and protect with a greater degree of competence."

Mayor Houlihan nodded. "You've been a great help, Chief Wigguns. Thank you," she replied.

"No. Thank you for bringing Jenny's actions to my attention," he said. "I don't need officers like that on my force."

The mayor and the chief of police nodded at each other and smiled as they disconnected and ended the call.

"Well, I guess that takes care of that!" she sighed.

"Um...not quite," said Jessie.

"Yeah! Dere's still the matter of sortin' things out with the rest a the villagers!" Meowth added.

"Rachel, how quickly can you organize a town meeting?" Lulu asked.

Mayor Houlihan thought for a moment. "I can have one ready by this evening if I get the word out now."

"Then that's what we need to do," said Lulu. "If we can get the whole village together, then Jessie, James, and Meowth will have a chance to address everybody and explain things to them!"

"That sounds like a great idea!" the mayor exclaimed. "I think there were a lot of misunderstandings yesterday -- this'll be the perfect opportunity to clear them up!" With that, she got back on the phone and started making arrangements.

@->->-

Fortunately for us, the village was small, and it was easy for Lulu and Mayor Houlihan to get a town meeting organized. Within a couple of hours, everybody was assembled in the town square, eager to hear the announcement their mayor had to make.

As we watched the milling crowd from Town Hall, however, I could sense that Jessie was losing her nerve again.

"A public apology in front of all these people...." she sighed. "God, this is going to be so embarrassing!"

James draped his arm around Jessie's shoulders and rested his head against her own. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart," he whispered. "It's not like you're going to be alone -- Meowth, Wobbuffet, and I will be up there with you."

"I guess," she said as she returned his embrace.

"Look at the bright side," he continued. "Lulu forgave us, and the mayor is our friend now!"

"We was officially pardoned!" Meowth added.

And Officer Jenny got fired! I chimed in.

"Yeah! You guys are right!" Jessie said as she listened to us. "A lot of good things came out of this, after all!"

"And this won't be so bad either," James promised as he touched his lips to hers.

Meowth and I exchanged looks and smiled. And as I watched James kissing Jessie, I knew that he was right -- only good things could come from what we were going to do.

After a couple of minutes, Lulu returned. "It's time. Are you guys ready?" she asked.

Jessie and James looked at each other for a moment. Then, they turned to face her again and smiled.

"As ready as we'll ever be," James replied.

"Then let's go!"

Taking a deep breath, Jessie, James, Meowth, and I joined hands (and paws) and followed her to the town square.

@->->-

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mayor Houlihan began. "It's been brought to my attention by one of our most upstanding citizens that some very extraordinary things happened at yesterday's Wobbuffet Festival."

Several villagers began to applaud.

"Our festival was almost ruined by the cruel and selfish acts of three young vandals...and then saved when the festival rule was broken by three well-meaning visitors," she continued. "Even though these visitors did some harmful things yesterday, it wasn't without reason. And today, they've returned to tell us what those reasons are. All I ask, ladies and gentlemen, is that you hear them out. They want to make amends for what they've done. The least we can do is give them the chance."

Jessie began to tremble as the mayor stepped aside and gave us the floor.

James gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "You can do it, Jess," he whispered.

When the mayor handed her the microphone, Jessie cleared her throat and stepped forward. "Uh...hi," she said nervously.

Her greeting was met with stony silence...and several of the villagers even scowled.

Jessie sweatdropped. "Um...I guess you all remember who we are...not too fondly, I'd imagine." She shrugged. "Well, I can't blame you for that -- I did some really terrible things to you and your village yesterday. My friend and I broke one of your most important traditions and insulted the spirit of your most beloved pokemon...but we didn't mean any harm. We only did it because we saw that your village was in danger and wanted to do something to help...."

James then stepped forward and took the microphone from Jessie. "We can't plead ignorance -- we knew about your tradition...and we chose to break it anyway," he said. "But we did it because we saw a situation where somebody had to stand up and fight. We didn't like seeing innocent people and Wobbuffets being hurt and a wonderful festival being ruined. We have nothing but respect for what your festival is about, and as Wobbuffet trainers ourselves, we understand the love you have for these pokemon -- we just wanted to do whatever we could to protect that. We're truly sorry if our actions did more harm than good -- that was never our intent."

With confidence renewed, Jessie took the microphone back from James and addressed the crowd once more. "That's why we broke your rule...but that still doesn't explain why we took your food...."

The villagers scowled again and began to mutter amongst themselves when she said this.

"Well, believe it or not, we didn't mean any harm when we did that, either," she continued. "We...we hadn't eaten in days when we found the food in your store-house, and...well...the morality of the situation wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind. All I saw was an opportunity to keep myself and my friends alive, and I wanted to take it. I know that's not an excuse for what I did. I didn't come here to make excuses or ask for forgiveness. I just came here to tell you the truth...because I feel I owe it to you."

Jessie paused for a moment and placed a hand on my back, gently nudging me forward. "This Wobbuffet is a hero," she told them. "He didn't break the rule when he defeated the trainers who were attacking your village. He just wanted to defend his fellow Wobbuffets...and he did it in the spirit of what the festival was all about -- without fighting. I was the one who chose to fight. Please don't think badly of my Wobbuffet, just because of what I did -- he's a good pokemon. It's not his fault he has a bad trainer. And...please don't think badly of my friends, James and Meowth, either. They were every bit as hungry as I was, but they didn't want to take your food...and they even tried to stop me...."

I felt a lump forming in my throat as I listened to her. It was touching to hear Jessie calling me a hero...but at the same time, it hurt to hear her calling herself a bad trainer. That's not true, and you know it, Jessie! I thought. The only reason I'm a hero is because I followed your commands -- you and James were every bit a part of that as I was! And I don't care what anybody else thinks -- you guys ARE heroic!

"....Anyway, that's what I came here to say," Jessie muttered. "I know you're all probably still mad at me, and I don't expect to be forgiven. I just wanted you to know that none of this was my friends' fault...and that we're all sorry for what I did. I...I guess we'll be leaving now -- we've already wasted enough of your time. Thank you for listening, though."

As Jessie handed the microphone back to the mayor and turned away from the crowd, her eyes filled with tears.

James smiled and put an arm around her. "Well done, Jessie," he whispered. "That was beautiful."

"Our work is done," she said softly. "Come on, guys. Let's get out of here."

As James, Meowth, and I began to follow her, however, we suddenly heard the sound of somebody clapping. When we turned to face the crowd again, we saw that Lulu had gotten to her feet and was now applauding us.

I smiled again. Good ol' Lulu!

Meowth smiled, too. "Yeah. Good ol' Lulu," he echoed.

And as Lulu continued to clap, the mayor began to clap, too. After a couple of minutes, some of the villagers started clapping as well. Before long, everybody in town was giving us a standing ovation!

"I...I don't understand," Jessie stammered. "I thought they were mad at us!"

"Obviously not," James replied.

"Hey! What gives?" Meowth asked.

Once the applause died down, Mayor Houlihan took the microphone and addressed the crowd again. "Well, our visitors didn't come back to us expecting forgiveness, but it looks like they've received it anyway," she began.

Everybody started clapping again.

"Jessie, James, and Meowth may have broken our festival rule, but they had a good reason for doing it," she said.

"Right on!" somebody in the audience shouted.

"....And I think they've taught us a valuable lesson, too," the mayor continued. "For as long as we've had our Wobbuffet Festival, we've had the tradition of not battling during the festival. But yesterday's events showed us that sticking to tradition no matter what isn't always the best thing to do. We must never forget who we are or abandon our customs...but sometimes traditions have to change when they become outmoded, and rules have to be broken when it does more harm than good to follow them. Jessie, James, Meowth...and their Wobbuffet taught us that when they broke our festival rule to save us. Breaking rules isn't a crime when it serves the greater good -- that's what they did yesterday...and yet, we punished them for it. We punished them because we didn't understand...but I think we understand now, and I think we owe these four a debt of gratitude."

The villagers' applause began anew.

"Mayor Houlihan has granted them an official pardon for the crimes they committed yesterday," Lulu announced. "But it doesn't seem like enough to me. I think it was wrong that they didn't even get the chance to enjoy the festival that they helped save. I think we should hold another festival...to make up for the one that got interrupted yesterday and to give our new friends the credit they deserve!"

Lulu's remark was met with cheers.

"I think that's a great idea, Lulu...especially since I missed out on the festivities yesterday, too," said the mayor. "Let's have a vote! Those in favor of holding a second festival?"

All of the villagers raised their hands.

"Those opposed?"

Silence.

"Then it's unanimous -- we're having another party!"

Everybody began to cheer again.

Jessie's blue eyes sparkled as she listened to the crowd. "Wow! Who would've imagined?!" she whispered. "I had no idea that when I came back...."

"....Things would go so well?" James ventured. His emerald eyes were sparkling, too.

She nodded.

"Heh. We're finally gettin' credit for doin' somethin' right!" Meowth remarked. "I kinda like it!"

"I like it, too," James sighed as he wrapped his arms around Jessie's waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "And we owe it all to Jessie and Wobbuffet!"

"M-me?!" Jessie said. "What did I do?"

"Well, it was your idea to come back here and fix things!" he told her.

"Yeah...only because I'm the one who messed things up in the first place!" she argued.

"True," James admitted. "But in a way...your messing things up was actually for the best! Jess, you heard them say that they learned something from our battle -- they've changed, they've grown...all because one heroic Wobbuffet stood up and did the right thing, for no other reason than because it was the right thing to do. But he wouldn't have been able to do it without his wonderful trainer!"

Jessie's eyes sparkled again. "And I couldn't have done it without you and Meowth," she replied. "I couldn't ask for better friends than you!"

Meowth smiled. "Thanks, Jess!"

"Yeah. Thanks, Jess," James echoed.

Slowly, Jessie turned to face James and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Then, she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his. "I love you," she muttered between kisses.

"I love you, too," he muttered back.

My heart fluttered as I watched Jessie and James kissing again. No matter how tough and "villainous" they try to act, there's no denying how sweet and affectionate they really are. Their goodness always shines through in the end.

"James is right, ya know," Meowth remarked. "Dis all happened cuz of you, Wobbuffet -- us bein' welcomed here, us gettin' ta help dese people, everythin' dat's happenin' now -- it never woulda been possible if you wasn't with us."

I smiled at him. Thanks, Meowth.

"Well, it's true!" he said. "I said it last night, and I'm gonna say it again -- we're glad ta have ya as part of our family. You rock, Wobbu!"

Well, I'm glad to be here, I replied. I can honestly say that being with you has given me true happiness.

And I meant it, too. Becoming part of Team Rocket is the best thing that ever happened to me...and things could only get better from here!

@->->-

As luck would have it, the decorations from yesterday were still up, and there were some fireworks left over, too...and since everybody was already in the town square, arranging another party was a simple matter. The only problem was that there wasn't enough food left over from yesterday's festival, but Lulu quickly remedied that by suggesting that they make the party into a potluck dinner. It took a couple of hours for everybody to go home and make a dish to bring, but it was well worth it...and getting to sample everybody's cooking gave a real "down home" feeling to the party.

And now, as my friends and I stood at the buffet table, helping ourselves to lettuce wraps, roasted chicken, pimento cheese sandwiches, strawberry rhubarb pie, and various other things that the villagers had made, I found myself thinking again about this festival and everything it symbolized. In a way, it blows my mind to know that there's an entire village of people in this world that honor and revere pokemon like me. From the way Benny treated me, I never would've imagined that I was a pokemon worth being respected...and I never would've learned about this village or this festival if not for Jessie, James, and Meowth.

Once everybody had finished eating, the mayor took the microphone again and addressed us. "So, are you all having a good time?" she asked.

Her question was met with a round of applause.

"Then why don't we give a cheer to the folks who made this possible?" she suggested. With that, she gestured to the four of us.

Jessie blushed, and James grinned sheepishly as everybody around us started clapping and cheering once more.

"Speech! Speech!" Meowth cried, pushing the two of them towards the front of the crowd.

James's face turned as red as Jessie's when everybody else stated chanting for them to give a speech, too.

"I'll get you for this, Meowth!" Jessie said through clenched teeth.

"Aw, come on! It won't be so bad!" he told them.

Yeah! Can't be any worse than that big apology you gave earlier! I chimed in as I helped the cat push them forward.

When the mayor handed the microphone back to Jessie, she cleared her throat and thought for a moment about what she was going to say. "Y-you know...when we were watching the fireworks last night...and heard the festival music in the distance...I felt like the scum of the earth. I'd done my friends and my pokemon a great disservice, and as I watched the festivities, it made me feel even worse because my friends deserved to be celebrated, and they were missing out because of me," she began. "And...knowing that I'd done something hurtful to you made me feel bad, too. Nobody has ever treated us with so much kindness as the people of this village -- we're usually hated and despised wherever we go. I considered you to be our friends as well...and I couldn't live with myself knowing what I'd done to you.

"I came back here last night for no other reason than to apologize and explain myself. I never expected anything like this," she continued. "So...I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for forgiving me and my friends. Thank you for giving us a second chance. From the bottom of my heart...thank you."

As Jessie finished her speech, James kissed her on the forehead and took the microphone. "I'd like to thank all of you, too," he said. "Not just for the kindness, understanding, and hospitality you've shown us...but for reminding us of what we're working for. You see, what we want is what you have -- a place that we can call our home, a little house with cross-stitch pictures on the walls and home-made afghans on the beds, a big yard for children and pokemon to play in, maybe even a rose garden -- you get the idea. Sometimes it feels hopeless, but being here and seeing what you have just reminds us that if we keep working at it, someday we'll have what you have, too. Thank you for renewing our hope...for showing us that our goal is in sight."

When James's speech drew to a close, Meowth took the microphone from him. "Just remember dat sometimes ya gotta break the rules ta make dis world a better place," he told them. "But no matter what happens, dere's two rules dat should never be broken. Coincidentally, dey're also the only two rules for tonight's festival. And dose two rules are, be excellent ta each other...."

....And PARTY ON, DUDES!!! I chimed in, finishing the sentence for him.

"Thank you, Bill and Ted!" James laughed.

"Those pokemon have been watching way too much TV," Jessie groaned.

Once the applause our speeches were met with died down a little, the mayor took back the microphone and addressed the villagers once again. "Well, who are we to break rules?" she said. "Let's party!" She then gestured to the town's pyrotechnician, who started the firework show.

As the crowd "Ooohhhed" and "Aaahhhed" at the fireworks, the four of us approached the mayor once more.

"Enjoying the show?" she asked. "Andrew is a real expert -- he plans all the firework displays himself...."

"Yeah! Dey're real gorgeous!" Meowth replied as a pink and purple fireburst with a green halo exploded in the sky.

"We just wanted to thank you again, Mayor Houlihan," said James.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal," she told us. "All my friends call me Rachel."

"Okay. Then thanks...Rachel," Jessie said.

"Don't mention it."

I smiled at them and turned my attention back to the fireworks. Last night they'd seemed so distant, a bitter reminder of our constant failure. But now that I actually saw them up close...now that they were for me and my friends, I finally noticed just how wonderful they were. Like snowflakes, no two were exactly alike -- each explosion was a different color and form. There was one that fanned out like golden palm fronds, one that exploded in the shape of a silver star, a spinning Catherine wheel, a fireburst that was every color of the rainbow -- each one was beautiful in its own special way.

One firework in particular caught my attention, however -- it exploded in the shape of a giant red heart. Seeing it reminded me of the love we all have for each other...and the bright future that Jessie and James's love was going to make possible.

Not wanting them to miss out, I tapped their legs and pointed to the big heart in the sky. Hey, guys! This one's for you!

"Alright, alright, we'll watch the fireworks with you," Jessie replied.

She and James were having a conversation with Lulu and Rachel, and they were reluctant to end it, but when they saw the firework, they smiled.

"Wow! That's really beautiful!" Jessie sighed.

"Think he wanted us to see it for a reason?" James queried.

I nodded.

"Awww! Is dat yer way of sayin' ya love us, Wobbu?" Meowth asked.

Yeah, it is, I told him. But I was also hoping it'd make Jess and Jim get all lovey-dovey again.

"Heh! Great minds think alike!" Meowth laughed. Then, turning back to James, "Hey! Wobbu sez he wants ya ta give Jessie a kiss!"

James blushed.

Come on, lover-boy! Give her a big, juicy, wet one! You know you want to! I said.

Jessie blushed too when she heard me.

James smiled shyly and wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, what could it hurt, Jess?" he asked. "These people already know we're in love!"

Jessie returned his smile and his embrace. "Yeah. Not everybody's as dense as that twerp."

"Thank goodness for that!" he chuckled.

Jessie giggled and leaned closer to James. And as their lips met, they tightened their hold on each other and melted with passion.

Several people clapped when they saw Jessie and James kissing, but the two of them paid no mind. They were too engrossed in each other to care about anything anymore. And as they kissed, the fireworks continued to explode behind them, each one more dazzling than the last. It was almost as if the fireworks were for them and them alone, celebrating their life...and their love.

It seemed only fitting.

@->->-

When the party finally ended several hours later, the four of us returned to Lulu's house and spent another night in her guest-room. And after another hearty breakfast the next morning, Jessie and James told her that we'd soon be leaving.

"I figured you weren't going to stay long," Lulu said, with more than a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I wish we could stay awhile, but we have a long journey ahead of us...and a lot of work to do," Jessie replied.

"But thank you for sharing your home with us," said James. "My friends and I will never forget your hospitality."

"Well, you'll always have a home here -- my village won't soon forget what you did for us either," Lulu told us. "I hope we meet again someday."

Meowth smiled. "I hope we do, too. Yer a real class-act, Lulu!"

Yeah! It's not every day we meet a nice person like you! I chimed in.

Lulu returned our smiles and patted me on the head. "You take good care of your friends, Wobbuffet," she whispered.

Don't worry -- I will! I promised, saluting her.

As Lulu followed us outside so that she could walk us to our balloon, however, we saw a large group of villagers being led by Rachel. And they were coming our way.

"Wh-what's going on?" Jessie asked.

"We figured you were going to be leaving soon, so we came to see you off," Rachel explained. "We have some stuff for you."

James raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

Rachel nodded and handed something to Jessie. "I had this plaque made for you."

Jessie smiled and showed the plaque to us. It was made of smooth, polished cherry wood, and the gold plate had our likenesses engraved on it, along with the words, In honor of Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet of Team Rocket -- the heroes who broke the law to save the day.

"Sweet!" Meowth exclaimed.

"It's exquisite!" James remarked. "Thank you so much, Rachel!"

"I also put one just like it at the base of our Wobbuffet statue in the town square," she said. "That way, we can always remember you and what you've done for us."

Jessie blushed. "Why...thank you so much! This is a real honor!"

"We have something else for you, too," she added.

When she said this, several villagers stepped forward and handed a large package to each of us.

"What's all dis?" Meowth asked.

"Food," the mayor replied. "I know it's not much, but...."

"It's more than we ever could've asked for," Jessie said, cutting her off.

"Yeah!" said James. "Who are we to scoff at free food?"

Rachel shook her head. "It's not free -- you've earned every bit of it...and more."

"Well, free or not, you can bet we'll enjoy it!" Meowth told her.

Rachel smiled as Jessie and James started packing our stuff into the balloon. "I'm just glad we could do something to help."

Once all of our stuff was packed and we'd piled into the basket, James fired up the balloon.

"Come back and visit us real soon!" Lulu called to us. "But until then, farewell, wherever you fare!"

"We'll try!" Meowth called back to her.

Jessie and James waved to the crowd. "Good-bye!"

Bye! I said as I waved, too.

Everybody waved back at us, their farewells and good wishes echoing in our ears long after the village disappeared over the horizon.

And so, we continued on our journey with a fresh supply of food, an honorary plaque...and more importantly, the memories of an amazing adventure and a village full of friends at our backs.

@->->-

"Well, Jessie, it looks like we ended up with food, friends, and a festival, after all!" James remarked later that afternoon.

"Yeah! Not bad for a bunch of criminals! Not bad at all!" Jessie laughed.

When she said this, I found myself reflecting on something Lulu had told Ash yesterday -- sometimes there's a difference between what's legal and what's right. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that she was right! My friends may not always obey the law, and sometimes circumstance forces them to do bad things, but when they have a choice, they always choose to do good. And they're never afraid to put themselves at risk when it serves the greater good...no matter what the cost. They may be criminals, but they're not bad. I just wish more people were able to understand that.

Oh, well. I guess it's not completely hopeless -- Lulu, Rachel, and the rest of those villagers saw the goodness in our hearts, after all, I said to myself. Maybe someday more people will wake up and realize that we don't live in a world where good and evil are defined by laws and boundaries, but by the desire to do what's right. One can only hope....

Suddenly, my train of thought was derailed by a jab in the ribs from Meowth.

Ouch! What was that for?! I demanded.

"Check it out, Wobbu!" he snickered. "It would appear dat our friends is renewin' dere membership in the Mile High Club...yet again!"

I looked and saw that Jessie and James were kissing. They'd taken off their shirts, and James was unhooking Jessie's bra while she unzipped his pants.

Yep. Looks like Team Rocket's gettin' it on again! I agreed.

Jessie and James stopped what they were doing when they heard us.

James sweatdropped, and I saw him mouth the word, "shit." Then, turning back to Jessie, "Uh...we're not going to do this with the pokemon watching, are we, Jess?!"

"Of course not!" she replied. "Wobbuffet can always go back into his poke ball!"

A mischievous grin spread across James's lips as he looked over his shoulder at us once again. "And we can always jettison Meowth!" he said.

"Oh, no ya don't!" Meowth snapped.

"Just kidding!" Jessie and James said in unison.

"I guess I'll just go up top and catch some rays for awhile," he sighed.

The two of them grinned as Meowth let down the rope ladder and climbed up to the top of the balloon.

Once he was gone, Jessie brought out my poke ball. "And now, it's your turn...."

Wait! I said before she could activate the ball.

Jessie closed her eyes and exhaled in a loud huff. "I'm not leaving you out -- when it comes to the dirty jokes and smart remarks, you're just as bad as Meowth!"

I shrugged. What can I say? I learned from the best!

"Back in the poke ball, wise-ass!" she grumbled.

Aw, come on! I pleaded. I'm all for giving you guys some privacy, but I don't wanna go back in my ball! Can't I go up top with Meowth? Please?

"I don't see why not," James replied. "As long as we have our privacy, it doesn't matter either way to us."

"Yeah, but Meowth is probably going to teach him every sex in the sky joke in the book," Jessie sighed.

James cupped Jessie's chin in his hand. "He's going to learn them eventually anyway, Jess -- he's one of us now, you know," he told her. "Besides, I think we owe him for making these past couple of days possible. Leaving him out of his ball awhile longer is the least we can do."

"You're right," she conceded. Then, she turned to me and pointed up the ladder. "Go ahead...but if I hear even ONE smart remark out of you about this, you're going back in your ball and not coming out for a whole week!"

Okay, I won't say anything when I get back, I promised as I started climbing up the ladder. Then, looking back at James for a moment, I'll let you shoot up the Red Baron now, Flying Ace!

Jessie's face turned as red as her hair, and she clenched her teeth. "Ooohhh, you little...."

James facefaulted. "Well, he did say when he got back...."

Jessie facefaulted, too. "He's definitely one of us," she groaned.

"Oh, don't let it bother you," James told Jessie as he took her in his arms again. "We're going to hear every joke and smart remark he and Meowth can dish out anyway...so let's just enjoy ourselves and give them something to joke about!"

"Good point," she whispered as she leaned closer and caressed his back with the tips of her fingers.

As Jessie and James started kissing again and continued to undress each other, I resumed my climb up the ladder and joined Meowth on top of the balloon. He was reclining on one of the ears and soaking up the warm rays of the afternoon sun.

"So, I guess ya didn't hafta go back in yer ball?" he remarked when he saw me.

Nope, I replied as I stretched myself out in front of the other ear. They said I could stay out for awhile since I was so helpful back there.

"Yeah, I'd say ya definitely earned it," he agreed. "Oh, and I heard dat Flyin' Ace joke. Good one!"

Well, I did learn from the best! I told him.

Meowth grinned and high-fived me. "So true, my friend! So true!"

Below us, I could hear Jessie and James giggling and crying out each other's names.

Meowth sweatdropped. "Heh. Dey sure do get frisky when dey go for over a day without makin' love, don't dey? Damn horny teenagers...."

Aw, cut them some slack, Meowth, I said. They're young, they're in love, and they're going to spend the rest of their lives together -- I think it's beautiful that they have such a healthy sex-life!

"I know. I think it is, too -- I crack on 'em a lot, but dey're good kids," he replied. "I actually kinda enjoy goin' off by myself and givin' 'em dere privacy. Gives me a chance ta think about stuff and unwind...though I do get lonely sometimes."

I know the feeling, I sighed. I've spent most of my life being lonely. I don't feel lonely anymore, though. And you're not alone either, Meowth. Jessie and James will always be there for you...and I'm here, too.

"A long time ago...back when I first learned ta talk, I felt like the loneliest thing in the world," Meowth whispered. "I wasn't like other pokemon...but I wasn't human either. Every night, I'd look up at the moon and ask myself if dere was another me somewhere. I always used ta be so sad cuz for the longest time, I didn't think dere was...but den I met Jessie and James. When dey accepted me for who I am and called me dere friend, I finally realized dat I'd found others like me! And even Arbok, Weezin', Lickitung, Victreebel, and you are like me in a lotta ways. You all feel like kindred spirits...like my family. Dere's no place in dis world I'd rather be."

Same here, I agreed. On the day I met you, I could sense that you were outcasts like me...and that you were all really close with each other. I was actually pretty nervous at first because everybody was so upset about Lickitung being gone -- I was afraid I wouldn't be accepted as part of the group...and when Licki came back, I was worried Jess might send me back to Benny!

"I remember dat," Meowth remarked. "Boy, talk about groundless fears! Dat's almost as bad as back in the old days, when Jess and Jim was afraid ta admit dat dey was in love with each other!"

You know, as close as they are now, I honestly can't picture them not being a couple! I said.

"Yeah. It was so frustratin' for me ta see 'em wantin' each other and not doin' anythin' about it cuz dey was afraid of bein' rejected."

I'll bet!

"But dey didn't need ta be afraid of bein' rejected, and neither do you," he continued. "We never turn our backs on anybody we care about...and as unpopular as we are, we make sure ta treat the people who actually do like us right! Yer one of us, Wobbu, and dat ain't ever gonna change!"

I'm thankful for that, I told him. I like finally having a place where I belong...and being able to think about a better tomorrow. I want so much to be a part of that.

"James calls it our white tomorrow...and you will be a part of it," Meowth promised. "We wouldn't have it any other way!"

Good! Because you're stuck with me! I laughed.

Meowth laughed, too. "Well, dere ain't nobody we'd rather be stuck with!"

@->->-

Meowth and I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting together on top of the balloon and talking. And as we talked, I thought again about everything that had happened to us over the past couple of days.

And now that I think about it, maybe that "good guys always win and bad guys always lose" rule isn't so hard and fast, after all. When all was said and done, the twerp was the one who got thrown out of town, and we were the ones who ended up being celebrated! I think James said it best when we faced off against those hoodlums the other day -- some rules are made to be broken! And who better to break stupid rules than us?

But on the other hand...maybe we didn't break that "good guy/bad guy" rule! Ash left town in disgrace because he was violent and rude...and we were celebrated for being selfless and courageous. Maybe the tables turned because Ash was the bad guy, and we were the good guys! We may not be able to beat him in pokemon battles, but we sure do have him beat when it comes to being decent human beings! I think everybody will get what they deserve in the end, and we just have to have patience until then.

I know that with all of the work we're putting in now and all of the love we have for each other, we're definitely going to have our white tomorrow...and I can definitely wait for it!

I am the patient pokemon, after all.