Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Team Rocket's Secret ❯ Chapter 12

Part 12

Five days later, Jessie leaned on one arm and drummed her fingers on the table. "How much longer do we have to do this?"

Professor Oak sent the Bulbasaur back out to the trainer in the hall and called in another pokemon. "I want to see if you can talk to every pokemon, or if there are certain speech patterns for different types of pokemon. We have to keep going."

Lowering his head into his arms, James groaned and closed his eyes. "But we've already talked to seventy five types. I'm tired. I want to take a break."

"You're tired?" Meowth lay back in Jessie's lap. "I gotta translate everything for Jessie first. At least you can do it all on your own."

Professor Oak shook his head and switched the papers on his clipboard. "I don't understand why you aren't as excited as I am. I don't leave my lab for just anything, you know. This could be the breakthrough of the century, and you three are as enthusiastic as a Snorlax."

"Doing it for years kind of takes away the special feeling," James said.

Meowth laughed. "So does being hunted."

"All right then," Professor Oak said. He turned around and waved at the entering trainer. "Sorry to do this, but could you come back in an hour? I need some time to sort the data I have."

The trainer nodded and hugged her jolteon. "Not a problem. I'll be back at one." She left, and the door locked behind her.

"Thank goodness," Jessie sighed. "I think my head's about to explode."

"Can we watch tv now?" James asked.

The professor shook his head. "Nope. I need you to tell me how you started talking to pokemon in the first place."

"I thought we already did," James said.

"No, you just told me when. I need details." Professor Oak opened a new notebook. "James, what started you talking to pokemon?"

James shrugged and leaned back. "Growly was the only one who would listen to me."

"And how old were you at the time?"

"I don't know. Three, maybe?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Your parents didn't talk to you."

"Oh, they did, but it was only to tell me to do something, or that I was doing something wrong."

"Did you have any friends to talk to?"

"No, the kids at school were always mean to me, and my parents wouldn't let the servants play with me very much. I spent most of my time in Growly's house."

"Your pokemon had its own house?"

James nodded. "My parents didn't want a growlithe in the house, so they bought him his own."

"Like a dog house?"

Meowth shook his head. "More like his own little mansion."

Putting her boots on the desk, Jessie slipped her hands behind her head and leaned back. "That pokemon lives better than most people do."

Professor Oak reached for his first notebook and opened it to the first page. "I hadn't thought of it before, but your last name...you're James Kojiro. Son of Edward Kojiro, right?"

James just looked at him.

"But...you're a millionaire. You could have anything you wanted. Why would you choose to work for Team Rocket?"

A faint blush crept over James' face. "I can't stand being shut up in a big empty house, with no one listening or paying any attention to me. I like living on the road a lot more."

"Besides," Jessie said, "if he want back, he'd have to marry that awful Jessiebell."

James shuddered.

Closing his notebook, Professor Oak stared at James. "So your pokemon was the only one that would talk to you? When did you start to understand him?"

"A few days after I started talking to him. He realized I could understand a little of what he was saying, things like food and bed, and he talked slower so I could pick more up."

"And how long did it take for you to completely master the language?"

"A week."

Professor Oak dropped his pen. "A week? But...that's so fast..."

"James isn't stupid," Jessie said, frowning and sat straight.

Meowth coughed once. "Er..."

Taking a moment to smack Meowth's head once, Jessie looked back at Professor Oak. "He can learn things just as fast as everyone else."

James smiled and held her hand under the table.

Smiling, Professor Oak waved his hands and shook his head. "You misunderstand me. Languages are hard to learn. It can take people years to master one, but James here learned it in a matter of days. Unless pokemon is easier to learn than human--"

Meowth barked a laugh. "Nope, human is definitely easier. Pokemon has a lot of different inflections."

"And how long have you been learning pokemon?" the professor asked Jessie.

"James only just started teaching me." Her shoulders slumped. "Three weeks now, and I still can't understand them. I can only talk to them."

"Amazing," he said, scribbling in his notebook. "Such a dichotomy...and that it even exists...well, I must admit I'm rather surprised to hear that both of you are progressing so fast. James' experience is certainly spectacular, but three weeks is still fast for anyone, Jessie." He opened a yellow folder and spread out the contents. "Especially considering your previous academic scores. I've never seen test scores so low."

The pair groaned and covered their faces. "Not this again..."

Jessie smacked James' head. "We should never have partied that last week."

"But Jessie, it was your idea."

Professor Oak blinked. "Partied?"

While James rubbed his sore head, Jessie crossed her arms. "Yes, partied. We knew all the answers cold so we went to parties every night. Both of us had hangovers on the exam day."

"It was hell seeing our scores," James sighed. "I knew jolteons would burn their tails out at six hundred thousand volts, so why did I choose six million? They'd explode."

"And why would I write that mankeys are susceptible to fleas when everyone knows it's ticks they get?"

James pulled out a rose and started pulling out petals. "And now everyone thinks we're the class idiots."

"It's so mean of them," Jessie said. "I mean, they didn't have to tell everybody."

Professor Oak stared at the teenagers in front of him. To learn a new language so fast, and then this..."What if I offered you a chance to retake that test?"

They looked up at him. "What?"

"It wouldn't be the same exact test, but I imagine they'd let you retest, especially if I asked."

James shook his head. "No, they'd never let us. They like picking on us."

"Trust me. I'll tell them to send a pair down."

"You'd do that for us?" Jessie exchanged a look with James. "Why?"

"Well, I admit, I studied up on your pasts while I was flying out here. Both of you seem to have had it harder than any kids should have. You deserve a second chance." He stood and picked up his pen. "I'll go call them right now and have two tests sent over, okay?"

"Three!"

They all looked down at Meowth, who hopped up on the table.

"I wanna take da test, too."

James scratched his head. "But Meowth, you've never studied pokemon...have you?"

Tail waving fast, Meowth crossed his arms and grinned. "Nope, and you haven't studied in years. Besides, who'd know pokemon better than another pokemon?"

A smile spread over Professor Oak's face. "All right, three tests, then. Be back in a few minutes."

The door hadn't clicked shut before Jessie leaned over the table and started looking through the piles of papers and notebooks. James sat straight and tilted his head. "Um, Jessie, what are you looking for?"

"I want to see what he wrote about us," she said. "Aren't you even curious?"

"Well, a little. Found anything?"

She sat on the desk and read through the first notebook. "Hmm...this looks like his notes on our backgrounds."

"What's he say?"

"'Jessie, obvious leader of the three. Forceful and domineering." She grinned. "James, takes Jessie's orders. Shy and somewhat naive. Meowth, rumors are true. He can talk, and talks a lot."

Laughing, James ducked the pokemon's claw attack. "Don't get angry with me, Meowth. He wrote it."

"And look, he's got copies of files where we've been. 'Never been arrested, although officers sometimes come close. Similarly, the trio usually come close to their objectives. If confronted, they will flee. If cornered, they will fight. Sidenote: these fights are often more humorous than dangerous, and often serve only as a distraction until they can escape. No fatalities, but often massive property damage. Largest loss on record is an entire cruise ship."

James squawked. "Hey, that one wasn't all our fault."

"Other charges include theft, breaking and entering, sabotage and impersonating various authority figures. Note: these three are masters of disguise and often fool their victims. If confronted, their confidence breaks and they will flee, but more often than not they will easily escape detection."

"What else does it say?"

Jessie glossed over the next page, but her eyes lit up when she saw the third. "Oh my. They think we're both sixteen."

"Really? Why?"

Jessie tried to smack him, but he ducked in time. "Obviously because we're so good looking. Of course, they think we're underage drinkers and--" her eyes opened wide.

"What? What?"

"'The pair may also be sexually involved'," she read aloud.

James cleared his throat and blushed. "That's pretty personal, isn't it? I don't see why they should care."

"Well, you two are pretty notorious," Professor Oak said.

James fell backwards in his chair while Jessie shrieked and jumped back. "How long have you been standing there?"

Ignoring that question, Professor Oak sat down and set three stacks of paper down. "The police just wanted to have as much information on you two as possible. I guess they thought you'd be the easiest to catch."

"Well they were wrong," Jessie said, helping James back up.

"Hey," Meowth cried, jumping back onto the table. "Are those the tests?"

Professor Oak nodded. "Mm-hmm. Would you like to take them now, and get them out of the way?"

"I'll need a pencil," James said.

"I've got three," Professor Oak said, but he frowned when he looked at Meowth. "I don't know if this will fit your paw."

"No problem." Meowth grabbed his pencil and sat down in front of one of the stacks. His tail flipped back and forth and he drummed his left hind foot on the table while he thought. Professor Oak made a note and a quick sketch of Meowth's position.

On the other side of the table, Jessie grabbed the test James had taken out of his hand and the pencil he'd been reaching for. He pouted and tried to snatch it back, but she turned around and hunched over.

"Jessie, that's not fair," he said, taking the last test and pencil. "You always take the top stuff."

"You're too slow," she said. She bit her eraser and gently pulled it out from the pencil, then turned and flipped it at James.

"That's enough, you two," Professor Oak said. "There's no talking during the test. Jessie, you'll need that eraser."

"No way," she said, sticking her tongue out. "It's rolled on the ground now. It's all icky."

"I hope you change your mind on all your answers," James said.

"Shut up you two," Meowth said. "I'm trying to work here."

After glaring at him, they both quieted down and began bubbling in answers. Professor Oak sat back and watched them, wondering how they could be older than Ash and yet less mature.