James x Reader | Pokemon | - | REWRITE |

TR | Whispers in the Wind

The Team Rocket Trio locked their gaze on the trainer, the newest in Johto.

The trio had spied from many trees before, but being perched onto a tree in Ilex forest was particularly uncomfortable. The canopy was a scorching temperature with the sunlight glaring onto it, which made the trunk unpleasantly warm. The surrounding air was humid, because, well, heat rises, and Jessie insisted that they had to hide higher up to avoid the trainer catching on to their scheming prematurely.

James looked at the trainer's bag. "Jessie, I know you said we would steal all of their items, but do we have to?" he whined. "Their bag looks heavy."

Meowth replied, "Dat's just a normal bag. And theys arms looks...small."

Jessie smiled. "They're weak and most likely poorly trained in battling. Once we steal their pokemon, they won't be able to fight our plans at all."

"Well you're certaintly observant."

Jessie frowned, a neutral expression when James said anything. "We've been following them for two days, James. The least I can do is gauge their vulnerability and plan accordingly." She added, "All you do is complain."

"Correction: all I do is charm all of our onlookers with my gorgeous hair and personality."

Jessie sighed. "Stand around and look pretty later, James. I'm trying to concentrate."

"Yes, carry on. I know my beauty can be so distracting..."

Meowth glared at him. "She meant shut up, James."

James smirked. "Don't you think that's a bit rude to the person who originally found said trainer?"

Jessie turned her head to James for a moment, just to make sure he saw her current expression. "For the last time, James, you didn't miraculously find them. You almost walked into them while we were about to rob the Pokemart a few towns back."

Meowth looked to James. "You've bwought dis up thwee times alweady and it's only been two days."

James looked back to Meowth. "I'm not aloud to brag about being the best?"

Jessie replied, "Not when you clearly aren't."

The trio continued to watch the trainer carefully from above.

James was getting cramped with his back against the hard, warm, rough trunk of the tree. There were definitely some twigs in his hair, pulled loose from the tree with the wind. The only thing on his mind at the moment was convincing Jessie that this whole ordeal wasn't worth it, so they could leave and spend their time comfortably plotting some other scheme in the comfort of anywhere but atop a tree in Ilex Forest.

And now with the wind settled, his hair fell back onto his sweaty shoulders and a few strands stuck to his forehead.

He pushed his hair back and ran his fingers through it. It messed up his hairline, but the parting was getting annoying. Besides, he still knew that no one could come close to his fabulous hair. Especially not Jessie.

...Maybe Meowth.

"Jessie," James said before yawning, "don't you find it a little odd that they're just standing there?"

Meowth's tone was a bit panicked. "You don't think dey hear us up 'ere do ya??"

"Highly unlikely," Jessie said. "Who cares what they're doing? I'm not going to get caught up in the specifics."

James huffed. "Of course you're not. Maybe Meowth and I have a point for once. Maybe one day you'll realize our greatness."

"And in a few hours, you'll realize the greatness of my plan."

James tilted his head down. "It's not going to work, Jess."

"It might."

James fixed his hair, sat in silence, and then fixed his hair again. This cycle continued for a very long time. His hair was too flowy to stay slicked back, but he would keep it that way if it meant fixing it every five seconds, because he couldn't stand having his hair in his face in this heat.

Jessie glanced at James for a moment before looking back down at the trainer. "James. Stop messing around with your hair and pay attention."

James huffed again. "I'm not messing around with my hair, I'm fixing it. It's my hair, I can do what I want."

"You're acting childish."

"Well you're acting old."

"Do you want me to put you in time out or something?! I could easily push you off that branch, you know."

"Do you want me to get your walker? I could drive you back to the nursing home after this."

"JAMES."

"Just an offer."

"I'm starting to think you have a death wish."

"Anything to get me out of this unbearable tree."

Jessie looked to James. "Oh really?"

James looked back to Jessie. "You wouldn't. You're not nice enough to do that."

"But I'm mean enough to."

"You say that as if it's a bragging right. Your 'mean' is akin to that of a bird."

"What?"

"Tweeting loudly with puffed up feathers. But in the end..."

"In the end what?"

"I don't know. I could only think of half of the insult."