Beginnings: Pokemon Tech

This is the story of Jessie's first night at Pokemon Tech, explaining how she and James first became friends. Look for some surprises to be revealed as well (like appearances by those two "other" Rockets!)

The shiny black taxi sped down the main road, sunlight glinting off the red R painted on its side. In the back seat, the young, crimson-haired girl was tossed from side to side as the taxi raced down the road. The reckless driving only added to Jessie's nervousness and excitement, the Butterfree in her stomach turning cartwheels as the cab careened around a sharp corner. She nervously rubbed one of her beautiful green earrings, her good-luck charm. Jessie still remembered the day her mother had given them to her, right before leaving on that fateful mission. The reassuring voice of her mother echoed through Jessie's mind as the taxi sped on.

My darling Jessie, she had said. You know I don't want to leave you, but maybe this will be the start of a better life for both of us. Then she had handed Jessie a small, wrapped package, giving her a warm hug. Please don't forget me, my darling. you know I'll always be with you in my heart.

Then Jessie's mother had left, bright violet ponytails bouncing as she walked confidently to the Boss's office. Turning around one last time, she gently blew a kiss to her daughter, then vanished from Jessie's life forever.

Blinking away a tear, Jessie rubbed her earring again, thoughts of her loving mother still on her mind. "Don't worry, mama," Jessie whispered, "I'll make you proud of me."

Jessie still couldn't bring herself to believe that she was on her way to Pokemon Tech, the most exclusive training school in the world. Of course, "exclusive" was just a fancy word for "expensive", and Pokemon Tech was universally known as an elite school that only millionaires' kids had the benefit of attending. At least that's how it usually worked.

However, there were a few opportunities for less-wealthy trainers to become enrolled. Every year, the Team Rocket organization would send one lucky kid to the elite school with an all-expenses-paid scholarship. After graduation, it was assumed that the scholarship winner would apply for Team Rocket membership; then he or she would automatically start off in Class A, the rank of Black Rockets.

Jessie had never dared hope she would actually win the scholarship; the whole thing just seemed like some wonderful dream. The odds of her attending the most exclusive Pokemon academy in the world were absolutely astronomical, especially since she had grown up in near-poverty.

Suddenly, Jessie lurched forward as the Team Rocket taxi slammed on its brakes. Snapping out of her reverie, she gazed out the window to see the towering walls of the legendary Pokemon academy.

"'S your stop," grunted the driver, his face obscured by the shadow of his black hat.

Jessie grabbed her single suitcase and pushed the back door open. "Thank you," she said, stepping out of the cab and closing the door behind her.

The driver immediately took off, racing back to Rocket Headquarters for his next assignment. He was half-embarrassed that he had been ordered to drive the kid to the school. After all, ferrying kids to school was hardly in his job description, even if he was a Rocket grunt.

* * * * *

Beginnings: Pokemon Tech

After her last class of the day, Jessie came back to her room, thoroughly exhausted. She collapsed on her bed, thinking over the events of her first day at the elite school. Pokemon Tech was nothing like she'd hoped it would be, and she didn't know how she was going to make it all the way to graduation. After all, she didn't have any friends here. except maybe that James kid whom she had defended from those bullies at lunch, and where had that attempt at friendship gotten her? Nothing but a free trip to detention, and on her very first day of school! Now all the lunch monitors watched her like a hawk, always keeping a close watch that she wouldn't get into any more fights. Of course, nobody ever noticed when the gangs of bullies attacked James; THEIR parents were high-status members of the community, and who was she? Just some little "street urchin" who had won a scholarship to Pokemon Tech from the Team Rocket organization.

A few moments later, Jessie's roommate, Cassidy, entered the room and promptly picked up the phone without so much as a hello. Within moments, she was sitting on her bed, giggling hysterically into the receiver and sharing gossip with whoever was on the other line.

"Well, I know it's none of my business, but when someone shows up in an atrocious outfit like THAT and tries to get one of those gorgeous guys to notice her it's hardly going to be a surprise when she gets turned down flat like the show-off she is," she said, hardly taking a breath. Then she giggled again into the phone. "And OH MY GOSH what did you think of that new kid in our Intro to Pokemon Breeding class today, like, wasn't he a total hottie?"

Jessie sighed to herself. Her roommate hadn't said a single word to her, and had done nothing but talk on the phone at every possibly opportunity.

Cassidy grabbed a small bottle of florescent pink nail polish from her nightstand, pulled off her left shoe and sock, and began painting her toenails the ghastly shade as she talked, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder. Jessie coughed as the foul-smelling fumes wafted across the room. Finally, after another ten minutes of gossiping and giggling, Cassidy hung up the phone and turned to Jessie for the first time all day.

"So I take it you're my new roommate, huh?" she said, somewhat less than friendly.

"Yeah, my name's Jessie."

"If you don't know already, I'm Cassidy, one of the most popular students here at Pokemon Tech. Don't ask me WHY they put you with me, but I suppose we'll just have to make the best of it."

Cassidy blew lightly on her toenails for a moment, then pulled off her other shoe and sock. "Oh, and another thing," she added casually, not even looking up as she began painting the nails on her other foot, "I almost forgot to tell you, the most popular Tech students, myself included of course, we're known as the Vaporeon Society, and we're holding a get-together sleepover party tonight down in the Lounge on the first floor and they suggested that I invite my new roomie and see if you're Vaporeon material."

Jessie almost gasped in shock. One of the most popular girls in school was inviting HER to maybe join her group, and on the very first day of classes! "That sounds like fun. What time should I show up?"

"Oh don't worry, you'll be leaving with me," Cassidy answered, totally absorbed in what she was doing. "And trust me, it will be a night to remember."

As Jessie unpacked her pink nightgown from her small suitcase, she failed to notice the malicious glint in Cassidy's eye.

Several hours later, Jessie, Cassidy, and the members of the Vaporeon Society were sitting in the large, comfortable chairs of the first floor Lounge. Most of the girls were poring over beauty magazines and trying out new makeup techniques and hairstyles. Loud music blared from a small stereo one girl had brought down.

"Hey, new girl, you're name's Jessie, right?" asked a girl with shoulder-length green hair.

"Yeah, that's me," Jessie said, wondering how everyone seemed to know her name.

"I've just GOT to give you a new makeover," the girl said, giving a phony-looking smile. "I saw this in a magazine and it just seems PERFECT for you."

"Oh, thanks," Jessie said, still a little nervous around so many people she didn't know yet.

The green-haired girl pulled out an enormous box of makeup from beside her chair and motioned for Jessie to pull her chair over near her. She selected several tubes of lipstick from the box and looked more closely at Jessie's face.

"Hey, Crysta, Lina, Cassy, come over here. I need some help with Style 609."

"Ooh, Style 609?" asked Cassidy, rushing over and grabbing an eyeshadow and a mascara. "That's one that will definitely take a little work but if you ask me I'm sure the results will be more than worth it."

"Let's get to work, girls," said Crysta, brushing a strand of fuchsia hair from her face as she reached for a blush brush. Then she gave Jessie a syrupy smile. "We're all style experts, I'm sure you'll be surprised when you see how good you look."

"Just be patient, and you'll just LOVE what we do to your face!" added Lina with a high-pitched giggle.

As they caked makeup on Jessie's face, one of the other Vaporeon girls called out, "I know what would be fun. why don't we all play Truth or Dare?"

The other girls in the room squealed with delight at the suggestion. "Me first! Me first!" screeched Cassidy as she brushed more eyeshadow on Jessie's face.

The girl who suggested the game smiled slyly and answered, "Ok, Cass, Truth. or Dare?"

"Ummm," said Cassidy, playing with one of her yellow-orange ponytails as she thought, "Truth!"

"Ok, Truth. any suggestions?" the girl asked, turning to the group.

"I've got one," said a girl with long violet hair. "Cass, who do you think is the HOTTEST guy on the football team?" All the girls giggled, waiting for her answer.

"Well." began Cassidy, grinning with delight at being the center of attention. "I think that kid with the blue-green hair is kinda cute."

"You mean old froggy-voice?" Lina asked snidely.

"Hey, he's a cutie!" Cassidy insisted. "Besides, he's a 'bad boy', always sneaking off campus for a quick smoke."

"Ooh!" squealed a couple of the girls, who then burst into laughter.

"Goin' for the rebel type, eh, Cass?" added Crysta.

"Well, maybe," said Cassidy, looking around. "Hey, we shouldn't ignore our guest, why don't we let Jessie go next?" She gave Jessie a smug smile.

Jessie hesitated to join, as the girls doing her makeup all stared at her. "Well, I don't know." she began.

"Oh come on," said the green-haired girl. "Whatsa matter, you scared?"

"I am not!"

"Then do it. Unless you're too chicken to try."

"Fine, I'll do it."

"All right, Jess." began Cassidy, giving her a sly look, "Truth. or Dare?"

"Ummmm. Truth."

Cassidy grinned evilly as she began the question. "Rumor has it, Jessie, that you really don't belong in an elite school like this at all, that you're just some poor nobody with no background and no family of any mention. Isn't that right, Jess?"

Jessie flushed a deep red as the Vaporeon Society burst into loud laughter.

"No answer?" sneered Cassidy. "Maybe you'd rather try. the Dare?"

Jessie blinked back hot tears and nodded. "Fine, what do I have to do?" she replied, desperately trying not to get upset in front of the group.

"Hmm, what to do, what to do." mused Cassidy, pacing around the room. Suddenly, Lina rushed over and whispered something in her ear. Cassidy smiled wickedly and whispered something back. Lina nodded, then whispered something else. Cassidy burst out laughing and turned to Jessie.

"All right, Jess, this is what you have to do. You know that spoiled little mama's boy you were talking to today, Jimmy? Well. you have to go to his room RIGHT NOW, bring him down here, and in front of all of us, you have to tell him that you don't ever want such a little baby like him talking to you again. and if he asks you why, you have to smack him across the face. Got it?"

All the girls laughed and applauded as Cassidy triumphantly walked over to Jessie, and leaned in close to her face. Her voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "And if you don't do it, don't expect to have any friends here at Pokemon Tech."

Jessie said nothing. She really didn't want to hurt the only person who had been nice to her all day, but she also didn't want to be the school outcast. She stared down at the floor, wishing it would open beneath her feet and get her out of this horrible situation.

Crysta called out, "Well, Jess, what are you gonna do, huh? Are you afraid to do it?"

The green-haired girl giggled. "Maybe. she's in LOVE with him!" she crowed.

"OOH!" the Vaporeon Society squealed. "Jessie's in love! Jessie's in love!"

Jessie jumped up from her chair and ran from the room, tears streaking down her face. She heard the girls' mocking laugher echoing down the hallway as she ran, heading for her room.

When she reached the door, however, she found it locked. She pushed at the door fruitlessly as she tried to force it open. With a sinking feeling, Jessie realized that she had never thought to bring the key with her. Cassidy's words from earlier in the evening suddenly popped into her mind: 'Oh don't worry, you'll be leaving with me.' Jessie then realized that she had been set up. Cassidy and the other girls had never intended for her to join their elite society at all, but to attend the party as an object of ridicule.

Jessie slumped down against the door to her room, tears coursing through the heavy makeup on her cheeks. Obviously she couldn't go back to the party; that would just show the Vaporeon girls that they had won. Even though she felt totally humiliated, Jessie refused to admit defeat. But sleeping in the middle of the hallway was hardly an attractive option.

Jessie was just about to make the best of it and sleep in the hallway when she suddenly realized that she did have somewhere to go, at least for tonight. Standing up, drying her eyes as best she could, Jessie cautiously walked to the main stairwell and climbed the old concrete steps to the third floor. Hoping she had remembered the correct room number, she nervously walked to the end of the hallway and tapped on the door of room #354.

"James?" she called softly, her voice still choked up. She tapped insistently on the door. "James, are you there? I. I really need to see you."

From within, she heard footsteps approach the door. "Jessie, is that you?" James asked through the door.

"Yes, it's me," she said, trying to hold back her tears. "Could you. could you please open the door?" She was trying desperately to not sound pathetic, but her whole "tough girl" attitude from the earlier confrontation on the schoolyard was totally gone. No longer did she sound like the fighter that nobody messed with; she was just a frightened, vulnerable girl.

James quickly opened the door. He was wearing a dark blue bathrobe and his purple-blue hair was soaking wet, dripping onto his shoulders. His face was full of concern as he looked at Jessie.

"Jess, what happened?" he asked worriedly.

As soon as she heard his voice, Jessie broke down crying. She tried so hard to hold back, but her tears came rushing out anyway. James put his arms around her and tried to calm her down.

"Shh. shh," he said softly, holding her close. He gently stroked her crimson hair as she cried on his shoulder. "Why don't you come in and tell me about it?"

Jessie nodded and allowed him to lead her into the room. She sat down on the bed as James quietly closed the door behind them. He sat down next to her, handing her a tissue. "Maybe talking about it would help," he suggested, trying to be as supportive as he knew how.

Wiping at her eyes, Jessie blurted out the whole story of her roommate's invitation and the Vaporeon Society's party, her voice racked with sobs. James listened, inwardly fuming at the cruelty of the other girls.

"And. and when they. they wanted me to. to. to bring you. d-d-d-down there." she said, dabbing at her eyes, "I j-j-just ran out. They were just. just using me to. to hurt you."

She started crying again and James gently took her hands in his, cold anger blazing in his emerald eyes. "Jessie, they wanted to hurt both of us. You said they gave you some kind of 'makeover'?" Jessie nodded silently.

"Did you see what they did to you?" he asked softly, trying not to hurt her feelings further. Jessie shook her head. James walked over to his dresser and picked up a small hand mirror. As he turned to Jessie, James looked like he was about to start crying too.

"Jessie, I've never seen anything as awful as what those girls tried to do to you. Maybe you'd better see for yourself." He handed her the mirror, facedown.

Jessie took the mirror and turned it over, almost dropping it when she saw her reflection. The 'makeover' that Cassidy and the other girls had given her was a horrible mixture of garish shades. Her face was smeared with gobs of hideous makeup colors, with eyeshadow and lipstick everywhere. She stared at the mirror in shock for a few moments, then set it down and covered her face with her hands. James ran to the small bathroom and brought back a warm washcloth.

James gently pulled Jessie's hands away and began washing the ghastly makeup from her pale face. He was inwardly burning with anger as he scrubbed away the horrible 'makeover'.

"They were trying to use me to hurt you, too," he said softly. "They probably thought that when you came to my room, I'd just laugh at the way you looked. But believe me, Jessica, I would never do anything like that to you." He looked deep into her eyes and added, "Even if you had done what they dared you to."

Jessie looked up at him hopefully. It was so hard for her to trust anyone, especially after what had just happened tonight, but James seemed so honest, so sincere. And for the first time in her life, Jessie felt that someone actually cared about her, and wanted to be her friend. She smiled for the first time since the party.

"I. I never could have done. what they told me to," she added softly. "I don't know why they had to. to choose me to pick on."

James wiped the last remains of makeup from her face and gave her a small smile. "It's obvious to me. they're just jealous of you."

Jessie looked away. "Who'd be jealous of someone like me?"

"You're the only person who's ever cared about me, Jessie," he said, his voice quivering with emotion. "You're. you're very special."

Jessie and James sat on the bed for a few minutes, lost in the moment, when suddenly Jessie stood up. "I just remembered," she began, "I don't have anywhere to sleep. My roommate locked our room when we left for the party, and I don't have my key with me. Would you and your roommate mind terribly if I slept on your floor, just for tonight? I promise I won't be any trouble."

"Well, first of all, I don't have a roommate," said James. Jessie looked at him quizzically. "It was Mother and Father's idea," he explained, "They didn't want me to be influenced by anyone else, especially as far as getting schoolwork and studying done, so they paid extra so that I could have my own room."

"Oh, I see," said Jessie, realizing for the first time that James must have come from a wealthy family. The thought had never entered her mind, since he was so different from the "snotty rich kids" she had known.

"But they're not here, of course," he said with a mischievous smile, "so they'll never know whether I actually have a roommate or not. There's an extra bed and dresser in the room anyway. would you want to stay here permanently?"

Jessie was totally surprised by this generous offer. "I don't know." she began.

"I'm sure you don't want to stay with your current roommate," James continued. "And it would be nice to have someone to talk to for a change."

Jessie realized that James was probably very lonely at Pokemon Tech. He didn't seem to have any friends, except now for her, and the only contact he had with anyone else seemed to involve him getting picked on and beat up. Maybe being a rich kid wasn't always so great, either.

"That would be awfully nice," she said. But she frowned as she realized something unfortunate. "But everything I own is back in my old room," she said anxiously. "If I don't go back, how will I get my stuff back? Like my clothes." she looked down at her pink nightgown. "I certainly can't go to class like this."

James dropped his voice to a confidential whisper. "I can take care of that. Just lead the way to your room."

Jessie laughed. "What are you going to do, break in?"

James walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer.

Rummaging around for a few seconds, he produced a tiny object and held it up for her to see. "No locked door can ever stand in my way for long."

"You can pick locks?" she asked incredulously. "What are you, an undercover member of Team Rocket?"

"Maybe some day," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, me too," Jessie replied, and they both burst out laughing.

As they were about to leave the room, Jessie noticed the time on a small wall clock. "It's 1:30 already?" she asked in disbelief. "But curfew's at 11:00! I don't want to get detention again today."

"Yeah," said James, silently closing the door behind him. "I've never broken the rules at school before, and I'd hate for my parents to find out if I get into trouble. They'd be furious, and believe me, that's not a pretty sight."

"Are you sure you want to help?" asked Jessie, looking up and down the hallway. "I'd hate to cause you any problems."

"Let's live dangerously, if only for tonight," he answered with a reckless smile. "After all, I've never had much fun following the rules."

The pair slunk stealthily down the 3rd floor corridor, ducking into the shadows and keeping as silent as possible as they passed rooms of sleeping students. James led them to a back stairway, filthy from disuse.

"I've often had to use these stairs as a hideout," he whispered. "None of those bullies have ever found me here. I doubt many people even know this place exists."

As they reached the first floor, Jessie reached for the handle of the door that led to the main hallway from the stairwell. As her fingers closed around the icy metal, she heard a noise from the other side of the door. Startled, she jumped back and bumped into James, who accidentally dropped his lock pick on the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" she whispered, kneeling down to search for the small metal object in the inch-thick dust that coated the floor.

"Don't worry about it," he said, reaching into the dirt and quickly recovering his lock pick. Suddenly he looked up, hearing a noise, and pushed Jessie into the shadows in the corner of the stairwell. She shot him an angry glare and was about to demand what he was doing when he slid next to her and put his hand to her lips.

A second later, one of the older Tech students threw open the stairwell door and noisily stomped up the stairs. As his footsteps faded above them, James stood up and walked to the door.

"Sorry about that, are you all right?" he asked, helping Jessie to her feet. "There was no time to explain."

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Jessie, brushing dirt from her nightgown. "But we'd better be more careful if we're going to pull this off."

Jessie and James opened the stairwell door and cautiously walked out into the hallway of the first floor. The whole place seemed deserted; a few faint snoring sounds were heard from further down the hallway, but that was all.

"Where's your room?" asked James in a barely-audible whisper.

"Room #145." she replied, trying to keep her voice down. "We've got to pass the Lounge to get there, though."

As the pair tiptoed down the hall, they stopped outside the Lounge before continuing on. The door was open just a crack, and the faint sound of the TV was heard, along with an assorted collection of snores. All the Vaporeon girls appeared to be sleeping, and the room was totally dark except for the eerie bluish glow of the television.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Jessie and James continued past the Lounge and finally came to Jessie's room. After a few deft turns of the lock pick, James heard a soft click as the door unlocked. Opening the door quietly, they entered and quickly shut the door, switching on the lights.

Jessie had hardly unpacked any of her things, so she only needed a few moments to gather the rest of her belongings and stuff them into her small suitcase. Grabbing her treasured green earrings from the bedside table, Jessie looked around the room a final time, making sure she hadn't left anything behind. She turned to leave, but suddenly stopped as a brilliant idea came to her. She sat down on her bed, a small smile on her lips.

"What's on your mind, Jess?" asked James.

"Hmm?" she asked, then blushed. "You'd probably think I'm an awful person if I told you."

"Try me."

"Well, I was just thinking. all those horrible girls are asleep in the Lounge, right? I just had the perfect little idea for payback." She stopped guiltily. "Maybe it's wrong, but it wouldn't really hurt anyone." She whispered her plan into his ear.

James giggled. "I think you should do it!"

"You do?"

He nodded. "It's a wonderful idea!"

Smiling, the pair left the room and quietly closed the door behind them. Silently, Jessie opened the Lounge door and pulled a felt-tipped marker from her suitcase. Looking around the room, she quickly located the particular girls who had given her the horrible 'makeover' earlier. Going over to Lina, Jessie carefully drew a large, swirling mustache on her face. On Crysta, she drew a pair of gorfy-looking glasses, and the green-haired girl received a set of bushy black eyebrows. She approached Cassidy, still not sure of what to draw, when she was suddenly struck with a burst of inspiration. Smiling broadly, Jessie wrote "LOSER" across Cassidy's forehead in big capital letters.

Barely stifling a giggle, Jessie quietly capped her marker and tiptoed across the room. Just as she was almost out, Jessie bumped her suitcase against the door, which creaked angrily. Cassidy snorted loudly and Jessie bolted from the room, barely able to contain her laughter. Closing the door behind her, Jessie ran into the hallway, grabbed James's hand, and the two of them ran for the back staircase.

"So how did it go?" asked James when they had finally reached the safety of his room. Jessie was collapsed on the other bed, laughing uncontrollably from the thrill of their late-night exploits.

"Let's just say that I gave them a couple 'makeovers' that they'll never forget!" she giggled. She was unbelievably relieved that they hadn't been caught, but a part of her seemed to enjoy the thrill of what they had done. 'What's wrong with me?' she wondered. Even though she had grown up in the Team Rocket Headquarters, she never dreamed that danger could be so exciting. There was such a great risk of being caught, but maybe that's what made it so much fun. And with a great partner like James by her side, their adventure had seemed even more enjoyable. She smiled at him, glad she had finally found a friend in this stuck-up school.

James returned her smile, glad to see her finally laughing instead of crying. He had never been so angry, so infuriated, as when he saw how much those girls had hurt her. Sure, he had been picked on and beaten up countless times, and it was hardly a pleasant experience, but to see the girl who had defended him be treated in such a terrible way, he wanted more than anything to retaliate against those who had hurt her.

But none of that seemed to matter now. It was just the two of them now, enjoying each other's company and sharing an adventure. James had never dreamed of breaking even a simple rule like curfew, but for Jessie, he would do anything to make her happy.

James looked idly around his room, collecting his thoughts. Suddenly, he jumped when his eyes settled on the clock. "It's 3:00 AM already?" he gasped.

Jessie sat straight up. "And I have a 9:00 class tomorrow!" she cried. "I've got to get some sleep!"

James nodded and quickly switched off the main overhead light. A small nightlight gave off a pink glow from the corner of the room. He blushed, hoping Jessie wouldn't say anything about it. He was still a little nervous about sleeping in total darkness, but he would never admit such a silly fear to anyone. He looked over at Jessie, half-afraid of her reaction.

She was smiling dreamily, gazing at the light. "That's so pretty," she commented.

James sighed with relief, and lay down on his bed. He half-closed his eyes as he watched Jessie brush her long, crimson hair in the soft, rose-colored light. After a few minutes, she set down her brush and pulled back the blankets on her bed, lying down as well.

"Goodnight, James," she said softly as she closed her eyes. "I have to get my beauty sleep, but I'll see you in the morning."

"You don't need it," he whispered softly.

"Hmm?" she asked, opening her eyes again.

"Umm, goodnight, Jessie," he said, pretending to be half-asleep. "See you tomorrow."

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