Uprising

Chapter 8

By the time Nanu and Team Rocket arrived in Kanto at their organization's private dock, it was already nightfall. The Lycanroc's moon had risen high in the sky and its bright orangey, Jack-o-lantern-like light casted an eerie pall over the treetops of Viridian Forest. Meowth walked slowly and cautiously to the edge of the boat and stepped gingerly onto the dock. By the time the pads of his paw reached the faded wooden boards, he felt a sharp cold rush through his tiny, furry body as if the dock beneath him was freezing. By arriving in this neck of the woods, especially at night, Meowth felt like something was terribly amiss, yet he couldn't seem to put his paw on it.

"Dere's a bad moon on da rise..." Meowth sung to himself as he looked into the starless, dark purple sky above him.

Jessie and James followed his lead, cautiously taking their time to climb over the low wall of the ferry and joining the feline Pokémon where he stood.

"You could sing that again..." Jessie whispered, her eyes transfixed on the moon's haunting light. There was a sincere tinge of fear in her voice. It was a total change in pace from her usual enraged shout, and James and Meowth thought that it made her sound almost motherly.

"Dere's a bad moon on da rise..."

Jessie scowled a little. "I didn't mean it literally..." Despite her obvious disapproval, that softness hadn't completely left her voice.

James sighed, "I always thought Viridian was creepy at night. This honestly reaffirms my original opinions. Gee, you could've sworn it was Halloween or something by the looks of that sky..."

Wobbuffet popped out of his Pokeball and joined the group. He took one look at the beckoning forest in front of him and immediately grabbed onto one of his trainer's legs for comfort. Instead of getting mad, Jessie reached down and stroked the top of the sentient punching bag's smooth head twice to soothe his nerves. James watched this moment lovingly. It wasn't every day that Jessie was this nice to Wobbuffet, and just knowing that she cared enough about him to make sure his fears were mollified, made him feel a little safer.

Still lagging behind, Nanu thanked the captain of the ferry, climbed off the boat, and walked past the fearful trio into the mouth of the forest. He stopped for a second, turned around, noticing that his teammates were still standing at the edge of the dock like statues.

"Well, are you coming?" he asked apathetically, glaring at them from afar.

"Y-you go right ahead!" James shouted, waving to him like a tearful maiden holding a handkerchief in an old-fashioned movie, "We'll be here, guarding the boat."

"The boat's been gone for almost five minutes now, James." Nanu grumbled.

James turned around. The ex-Team Rocket agent was right- the boat was no longer tied to its post.

"Oh." He simply replied, "My offer still stands."

Nanu scowled, "What, are you scared or something? Arceus, you three are such babies." He turned to leave.

"Nanu, No. Wait just a second." Meowth hissed, disregarding the uneasiness he felt when they had first docked, "It's just dat... well... Da bawse... Da bawse..." He looked up at his human companions, waiting for them to provide him with a valid excuse. Luckily, James came up with one in the nick of time.

"...The boss doesn't... exactly know we're here with you..."

"And? Why does that matter?"

"Well... you see... We aren't exactly... on his nice list, if you get what I'm saying."

"He sent you to Alola. He mentioned to me during his calls that he had a team of three agents stationed there, and by the way he mentioned it, it sounds like you three were the only three he sent there."

"Y-yes, but he really only does it so he can get ri-" Jessie covered James's mouth with both her hands to silence him.

"You're right, James. Grumpy old man does have a point, doesn't he? Let's start acting like we're members of Team Rocket instead of puny little twerps. Let's get a move on..." She picked up her feet stiffly and mechanically, forcing them to walk across the creaky wooden dock. James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet almost immediately did the same and followed her lead into Viridian Forest on their journey to reach Team Rocket Headquarters. However, during their walk there, all three members of the trio kept painfully silent, using their eyes to communicate with one another:

Jessie?

Yes James?

Something... BIG... is going to happen... And... I have a feeling it's not something good...

-

After hours of walking in never-ending darkness and the bitter cold, Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet, and Nanu finally arrived at the towering iron gates of Team Rocket Headquarters. Nanu walked up to the intercom and pressed the button, activating some phone in one of the offices inside the massive building.

"What's the password" a commanding female voice barked harshly over the speaker. Jessie knew this voice all to well.

"Ugh..." She scoffed, "Wendy..."

"I figured..." James whispered back.

"At least it ain't Cassidy..." Meowth mumbled.

Nanu turned to Jessie and James frantically, "Anybody remember the password?"

"What password?" Jessie asked, slightly exasperated, "If there was a password, witchy Wendy never told us what it was. And you can't remember what it is?"

"Jessie, I retired from a life of crime and joined Alola's police force nearly thirty years ago. You think I'd remember..."

"I haven't got all day." Wendy hissed from the intercom.

Nanu sighed and pressed the button once more to activate the microphone, "Look, I'm here to speak to Giovanni about something."

"Shall I tell him who's calling?"

"Tell him this is Senior Agent Nanu."

Upon Nanu's introduction, Wendy immediately came back over the intercom to apologize for her previously rude behavior and never pressed the button to open the automated gates so hard in her entire career.

"No need to apologize, agent." Nanu replied, smirking slightly, pleased that just by saying his name he had made a high-ranking Team Rocket agent intimidated by him, "Thank you."

"I-it's not trouble at all, s-sir. I wish you and Giovanni a successful meeting."

They walked through to the other side, recognizing that they were now officially in Team Rocket's territory.