Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Team Rocket's Secret ❯ Chapter 13

Part 13

Early the next morning, the entire hotel woke to the sounds of frantic screaming of "ninety-seven percent" from the lobby. The screamer got into an elevator, climbed to the twelfth floor and ran down the hall, never needing to catch his breath. A minute after that he burst into James' and Jessie's room, waving three papers in his hand.

"Ninety-seven percent," Professor Oak yelled. "Ninety-seven percent!"

Without closing the door, he ran through the suite into the bedroom. "Ninety-seven per--oh my!" He stared at the pair fast asleep in each other's arms long enough to blush, then turned and slammed the door behind himself.

Still half-asleep, Jessie blinked and raised her head. "Wha?"

"Whowazzat?" James asked, stretching under the covers.

"Old man, professor guy," she said with a yawn. "Tree, Maple something."

"Mm, go back to sleep."

"Mm-hmm." She lay back down and let James rest his head on her shoulder. "Night night."

At the foot of the bed, Meowth rolled on his back. "More like morning morning."

Inside the front room, Professor Oak sat down and caught his breath, spreading his papers out on the table. "Ninety-seven percent," he said in a quieter voice. "Simply amazing. And they didn't even cheat."

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Pardon?" Professor Oak looked up and saw Brock and Misty in the door, Ash hovering behind them with dark circles under his eyes and his cap on crooked. "Oh, hi guys. You'll never believe this. Ninety-seven percent."

"I think the whole hotel knows ninety-seven percent," Brock said as they sat down. "What's it about though?"

"That's right, I forgot you don't know. Look here." He turned the papers so they could see. "Two weeks ago those three took the Pokemon Academy ExCeT Exam, and I just got the results. Their average was ninety-seven percent."

"You mean they passed?" Brock asked. "No way."

"Did they even study?" Misty asked.

"Not a bit," Professor Oak said. "They started the test cold and went right through it. Jessie didn't even need her eraser."

"Wait a sec." Ash leaned over the table and examined the sheets. "You said 'those three' took the test."

"Yes, Meowth took it, too." He turned over the sheets and tapped them together. "In fact, he got a higher score than the academy headmaster did. The reason it took two weeks to get the scores is that they couldn't believe it and checked them over a dozen times."

"Wow," Misty said. "Do they know yet?"

The blush crept over the professor's face again. "Um, no, not yet. They're still...um, they're still in bed right now."

"What? If we've gotta be awake, they should be awake, too!" Ash ran towards their door, ignoring the professor's cry, and flung it open. "Hey, you two, wake--up?"

From the large bed came a muffled curse and a loud groan, followed a barrage of pillows that knocked Ash backward.

"Can't anyone let us sleep?" Jessie said, flinging another pillow that took off Ash's cap.

"Why is everyone barging in on us today?" James asked. "We just want to sleep."

With the doors wide open, everyone could see them in each other's arms.

"Oh my gosh." Misty put her hand over Togepi's eyes and turned around. "Ash, close the door."

"Oh wow...Jessie..." Brock said, his cheeks flushing.

"Hey!" James sat upright and sent a pillow straight into Brock's face.

"Um, maybe we ought to give those two some privacy," Professor Oak said, and ushered all of them outside.

*

Wide awake and dressed in her black croptop and skirt, Jessie opened the suite door and raised her fist. "That's it, I warned you that the next reporter would get it right upside their--Officer Jenny?"

"Hi, Jessie." Officer Jenny looked down the hall at the twenty reporters and camera crews held back by five officers. "Sorry about this. I don't know how they found out where we put you. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Jessie stepped back to let her in, then slammed the door as a reporter tried to enter. They heard her hit the other wall as her microphone broke.

"Ow..."

"Serves you right!" Jessie yelled.

"How long have they been here?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Since the twerps and the professor left." Jessie sat down on the couch and lowered the television volume. "They heard him screaming his head off about our test scores and followed him up. I've been chasing them out all day."

"Really?" Officer Jenny tilted her head. "They got in?"

"One of them came in through the vents and dropped in on us in bed," she said. "Another climbed in through the window, and five of them charged the door at once."

"Oh my, what did you then?"

"I beat them all up and threw them out." Jessie looked over her shoulder at the kitchenette. "James, Meowth, are you almost done in there?"

"Just a few more seconds," James said. "This pot takes awhile to percolate."

"Yeah," Meowth said. "You could say it perco's late!"

"That was a horrible joke," James said. "And get off the counter. You're getting your dirty paws all over it."

"Oh yeah? Dirty this!"

"Careful, that coffee's hot!"

While the sound of crashing dishes filled the kitchen, Jessie sighed and lay her head back on the couch. "Those two..."

"Speaking of ninety-seven percent," Officer Jenny said, "I heard about your test scores. That's really good."

"Mm, better than being labeled the school idiots."

"No, I'm serious. With scores like that, you could open your own gym." Officer Jenny smiled. "In fact, you could probably redeem the name of Team Rocket."

"That'd be cute," Jessie said. "Little badges shaped like rockets...but really, a gym takes money, and all the points on a test doesn't matter for that."

"If your testimony brings Giovanni in as Team Rocket's leader, you'll be rolling in money," Officer Jenny said.

"What?" Jessie blinked. "Oh my...I forgot all about the reward. But isn't that just five thousand dollars?"

"No, it's five million."

Before Jessie could say anything, Meowth and James plopped down beside her, holding their coffee and sitting straight as boards.

"Five million?" Meowth asked. "Free and clear?"

"Actually, it's around six," Jenny said, "but after taxes, it comes to an even five. But you don't have to rely on your scores or the reward."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"You saw all the reporters out there," Jenny said.

"Yeah," James said. "Jessie had to stuff one back into the vents with a mop."

"Anyway, all those reporters mean you could make a lot of money going on talk shows, writing books, giving lessons on how to talk to pokemon. In fact, you could probably teach classes at a university for that."

Dollar signs popped briefly over their eyes. Jessie shook them out and smacked James' head. "Quit daydreaming, you two. We have to survive long enough to collect, remember?"

"Survive?" Officer Jenny asked. "You think Giovanni will try something?"

"Well, we are the star witnesses," James said.

"If we disappear," Meowth said, "the boss gets off scot free, right?"

"That's not going to happen," Jenny said. "The trial's only a few days away now. He may be worried, but he'll probably go after you on the stand. He'd have to be nuts to openly attack you."

A canister rolled along the floor out of the kitchen and into the living room, cracking in half and shooting out thick smoke. Officer Jenny started coughing and drew her gun, but she couldn't see anyone else in the room. Jessie stood up and glanced in the kitchen's general direction.

"Where are you? Show yourselves."

"Prepare for trouble and make it double," a gravelly voice said.

"To infect the world with devastation," came a female voice.

"To blight all people's in every nation."

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our wrath to the stars above."

"Oh my Lord," Officer Jenny said. "Does he smoke twelve packs a day or something?"

The smoke cleared, leaving a blue haired boy and an orange haired girl framed by the smoldering kitchen doorway.

"Cassidy."

"Butch."

"We're Team Rocket circling Earth all day and night."

"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight."

"That's right."

"Raticate."

"I knew we'd be taking you in someday," Cassidy said. "You two were always our most pathetic members."

"And now that you don't have any pokemon," Butch said, "you're history."

"Freeze!" Officer Jenny yelled. "You're under arrest."

"Raticate." Cassidy pointed at Jenny. "Take her out with your claw attack."

Still sitting on the couch, James and Meowth exchanged a look and then threw their hot coffee all over Cassidy and Butch, who screamed and jumped up and down. Both of them tried to peel off their wet shirts, but as their shirts went over their heads, James and Jessie picked up the sofa and tossed it at them. Pinned under the sofa, Butch and Cassidy groaned while raticate's tail twitched.

"Why the sofa?" Officer Jenny asked. "You could have just tackled them."

"I couldn't have touched them," James said. "They're too scary."

The sound of breaking glass came from the kitchen and several black-shirted Team Rocket members ran in, tossing more smoke canisters everywhere.

"Jessie, James," one of them yelled. "Surrender or die!"

Before Officer Jenny could react, Jessie, James and Meowth all screamed and bolted for the door. Jessie threw it open, and two reporters fell inside. They ran over the reporters and into the nearest open door, knocking Ash down as they tumbled into his room.

"What the heck?" Ash asked.

"Lock the door," Jessie said. "For God's sake, lock the door!"

Misty reached the door before he did and slid the bolt in place just as something heavy slammed against it. "What was that?"

"Team Rocket's after us," James said. "Jessie, I don't want to be experimented on."

"No one's going to experiment on you," Jessie said. "We're getting out of here."

"But we're twenty stories up," Brock said. "You can't just jump out a window."

More pounding came on the door, bending the wood in a few inches. In the hall, reporters screamed and ran away, their cameras exploding behind them. "Jessie, James, open up! You can't hide forever."

"We can't jump," Jessie said. "We can't go out the door. Is there any other way out?"

"Well," James said, "the reporters came through the vents. Maybe we can do the same?"

"But there's a grate on the front," Brock said. "And we don't have any screwdrivers."

"Right." Jessie grabbed his hand and pulled him to the vent above the door. "We have to hurry. James, brace yourself."

"What--oof!" James' eyes bugged out as Jessie climbed onto his shoulders.

"Come on, Meowth," she said. "Your claws should be able to get this grate out of our way."

"Coming," Meowth said, starting up.

"Ow, watch your claws," James said.

After a few seconds, Meowth stood on Jessie's shoulders and raised his arms, two inches short. "I can't reach!"

"Hang on," Ash said. With Pikachu on his shoulder, he climbed up James and Jessie and sat on her shoulders, holding Meowth up to the grate. "How's that?"

At the bottom, James groaned. "It'd be better if you didn't have Pikachu up there. He's heavy."

"Pikapi." *Am not.*

"It's perfect." Meowth took out the first screw, dropping it on Ash's head, and it fell onto Jessie's and then James'.

"Hey, watch it up there," she said.

"Second one coming," he said. A moment later came the third.

"Hurry up," Misty said. "The door's starting to splinter." She and Brock stood against it for support, but they stumbled forward with every push from the other side.

"It's off," Meowth said, letting the grate hit Ash's head. He scrambled into the vent and looked around. "I think the coast's clear. Let's go."

Without any way down, Ash climbed after Meowth and turned to help Jessie. She pushed him forward and helped James up. A second later, Misty and Brock joined them.

"Can we get the grate back in?" Misty asked.

"No time," Jessie said. "Meowth, get moving, and don't get us lost."

"But I can't see anything. It's all dusty."

"Pikachu," Ash said, "can you give us a little light?"

A moment later, a yellow glow filled the vent. The little group crawled through the tunnels, turning left and going straight until Meowth stopped, nearly falling forward as Pikachu bumped into him. Then Ash bumped into them, followed by Jessie, James, Misty and Brock.

"Meowth," Jessie snapped. "Why'd you stop?"

"There's a big hole here," Meowth said. "And it looks like a cable in the middle."

"The elevator," James said. "Is it up or down?"

"I think it's above us, and it's not moving. There's a funny red light blinking on the bottom of it."

"Team Rocket's attack probably made them shut it off," Misty said. "I think it's stuck there."

With a deep breath, Jessie nodded to herself. "Then we'll have to slide down the cable and make a break for it. Meowth, go."

"What?" He turned and hissed at Jessie. "No way, you can't see how dark it is down there. I'm not going down where there might be monsters."

"Monsters?" Ash asked. "Gee, it does look kinda dark. Are you sure there's not another way?"

"We have to go before they come after us," James said.

Sick of arguing, Jessie shoved Ash forward, forcing him, Meowth and Pikachu into the empty air. They screamed and flailed and caught the cable. "Now slide down."

"But--"

"But--"

"Pik--"

"We'll be right after you," Jessie said. "Now go."

A minute later, they all slid down the cable, occasionally running into each other. Halfway there, Meowth mewed and looked at one of his paws.

"Ow, my claws feel like they're burning. I don't wanna do this no more."

"You can always let go," Jessie said.

"I'm going, I'm going."

A few more minutes, and they froze when they heard a metallic thump.

"What was that?" Ash said. "A monster?"

"I'm on top of the elevator," Meowth said. "It must be in the basement, 'cause the main door's right in front of me."

"Hang on," Jessie said.

After everyone landed, they split in half and each group grabbed the edge of the doors. Grunting and groaning, they forced the doors open and looked around.

"Why aren't there any police out here?" Ash asked.

"They all probably went upstairs," James said. "Let's go."

Flashlight beams swept through the elevator shaft, focusing on them. "Hey, there they are," a Team Rocket member yelled. "They're on the main floor."

"Get 'em!"

Meowth jumped onto James' shoulder. "Run for it!"

Just as they cleared the front doors, though, they froze. Before them stood dozens of Team Rocket members, a different pokemon beside each, and in the center was Giovanni in his own black suit and mask, his persian in his arms.

"Finally," he said. "Took you long enough to get out here."

James whimpered and pressed close to Jessie, who hugged him.

"You should be honored," Giovanni said. "I haven't worn this uniform in ages. You two're coming back with us. And I see you brought that Pikachu with you. Figures you'd only do something right when you're doing something wrong."

"You're not taking any of them, Giovanni," Brock yelled so anyone nearby could hear.

"Yeah," Ash said. "We won't let you."

"So cute," Giovanni said. He dropped his persian to the ground. "Tear them apart!"

Fangs bared, his persian hissed and lunged straight at James. Before it could reach him, though, Meowth jumped forward and lashed out with his own claws, raking them across persian's nose. With a high-pitched yowl, persian turned and ran behind Giovanni.

"Meowth," Jessie said. "That was amazing."

Meowth looked down at his bloody paws. "Wow...I didn't have time to think, or else I might not'a done that."

"You saved my life!" James cheered, hugging Meowth tight.
"Celebrate later," Brock said. "We gotta run!"

"We can't get away from all of them," Misty said.

"Sure we can," Ash said. "Pikachu, thundershock now!"

"Pika...CHU!"

Yellow electricity coursed through the Team Rocket mob, sending them all twitching into the sky until they disappeared with a ding, but as the lightning faded, they heard more yelling coming from inside the hotel.

"Oh no," Jessie said. "We forgot about the ones inside."

"It'll take some time for him to recharge," Ash said, picking up Pikachu.

"Then we'd better get moving," James said.

They all took off down the street, the rest of Team Rocket right on their heels.

To Be Continued...