James x Reader | Pokemon | - | REWRITE |

TR | Jessie's Excuses (She's Crazy, Just Go Along With It)

James sat on the couch, where Jessie told him to wait until she was back.

Meowth was curled up near him. He unfurled himself and started situating his fur. He looked around to make sure Jessie was gone.

After enough silence, he said quietly, "Jeez Jimmy, I don'know if it's just me but I tink Jessie's been in a bad mood lately..."

James looked around and waited for his own spot of silence before replying. "Quite the opposite. Have you seen the high she's been on? I think she's finally getting the hang of being a true villian. You know," he looked away, "the bad kind."

Meowth waited for his turn amongst the silence again. He looked away as well. "...Maybe we oughtta do somethin' about it."

"Like what?" James waited. "It's not like she'd ever listen to us. And she definitely wouldn't change her plans after she's set on them---not for us, not for anyone. And she's been very set on things."

Meowth sighed. "Maybe I only thought somethin' was wrong because she's been more confident lately..." He shook his head. "But I still don' think it's good."

"Me neither. But what can we do?" James looked out the window, watching Jessie walk to the door. "Just hope it's not as bad as we think it is?"

Meowth watched Jessie with him. "I don' know how bad I tink it is yet. I just don' like it."

"You're right."

Jessie opened the door. She was holding the trainer's bag.

She walked up to the couch and sat on the other, disconnected half. She placed the bag on the table between her and James (and Meowth) and began carefully placing the contents outside of it.

"I kept it in the van to make sure you both didn't misplace it."

James and Meowth looked to each other as if to say, "yeah, we, sure."

They looked back to Jessie as she continued. "They should have at least some low level items and pokemon. I'll find a use for it all somehow."

After pulling out a few items, Jessie grabbed an armful of pokeballs. "I'm not sure how many of these are full and how many are empty. James, I'll have you examine their pokemon outside later." She left them in the bag.

Jessie grabbed a handful of berries and set them down. And then another handful.

Jessie put the second handful back, as there was no room on the table. "Meowth, get me a bowl."

Meowth walked to the kitchen and stared at the towering countertop. It was intimidating, in a way. A challenge. An enemy. Just standing there...menacingly...

He's a cat, he should be able to do this...

As he stared, his instinctively put his front paws down to jump. But he felt...disgusted by himself. Humiliated.

He looked back. They weren't looking. Thank Arceus.

He grabbed the foldable step ladder and unfolded it. He slid it over and hopped onto the slippery-smooth counter, grabbed a small bowl from the cupboard, and hopped back down.

He walked back over to Jessie and James with a new sense of his identity and a shiny bowl.

He held it up to Jessie.

Jessie scooped up the berries from the table into a handful and dropped them into the bowl. She shoveled the rest of the berries from the bag into the it. It filled the entire bowl, and then some, rolling onto the floor.

Jessie took the filled bowl and placed it onto the coffeetable.

Meowth took the berries on the floor and started popping them into his mouth.

Jessie saw him. "Meowth, what kind of berries are these?"

Meowth's mouth was half full. "Oran berries I tink. But Johto jus calls 'em berries since they don't got any other kinds around here."

The rest of the space on the table was taken up by healing potions. Jessie left the pokeballs in the bag for James to take later.

"Jessie..."

"What?"

"I was just thinking," James said, "about what you're planning to do with that trainer upstairs. I'd rather not have them kept up in that room all the time, you know..." He looked away. "Because, well...because they might escape with enough downtime to themself?" He was just making that up, and it was obvious. The thought of keeping someone locked in a room...it was just villainous---and not the kind of villainous he preferred. Hopefully Jessie would hear his excuses soon.

"And I don't even know what we'd do with a servant." He smiled and looked down. "We already have Meowth."

Meowth smiled at James and considered yelling at him, but he looked back to Jessie instead. "He's right, Jess. I don' know what we'd do either."

"James, I've been planning for that very question." Jessie seemed very proud of herself, and even more than normal. Such levels of confidence were dangerous, especially with Jessie, and both James and Meowth could feel the tension that Jessie had just made for them.

"James, you'll teach them how to battle with pokemon. Meowth, you'll get them to help you with the chores and the more mundane tasks. And I'll make sure they don't step out of line. Before you both know it, they'll be an unwavering servant to us, and we won't have to do nearly as much for the same results."

James and Meowth stared at Jessie for long seconds.

James said what was on both of their minds. "Jessie...I don't think you understand how near impossible that would be."

Jessie glared at James, but James started to elaborate before she could say anything. "I-I mean, not to say it's a bad plan or anything, but..." he looked to Meowth, and then back up to Jessie, "I just think it's unlikely we could convince them to be so loyal."

Jessie replied, "Well, we'll just have to find out then. And if you remembered what I said, you would know that I wasn't planning to keep them if they turned out to be useless, anyway. And if they report us for kidnapping---this I know I told you as well---they'd be found by more of Team Rocket's members."

"So that wasn't a bluff, then?"

"Of course it wasn't."

"But...if they do end up reporting us...we'll still go to prison, won't we?"

"Team Rocket's crimes are always covered up. We have a whole base in Mahogany Town; Johto is heavily controlled by us in general."

James knew he couldn't press on the subject. "Well, if you're so sure."

"Of course I'm sure, James," Jessie said. "Rightfully sure. Now that we've taken over most of Johto, I'm free to experiment however I want to. I have so many plans, and this is just one of them. Soon, we will be known as the best Team Rocket trio in the world!"

James and Meowth looked to each other in silence. Jessie was too pleased to notice.

Just another one of her phases, James thought, and was sure Meowth thought it as well.