As the last rays of the evening sun finally dipped below the horizon, dozens upon dozens of Pokemon gathered beneath the forest canopy. Here, far from any clearings or human trails, beside a clear, bubbling spring, they awaited the word of the self-appointed leader. Even gathered together ostensibly for a single cause, few clans or packs mingled beyond their own species, if that. Many had been enemies or rivals for generations, some even predator and prey. The fact that this Luna was of a totally new species and, to the best of everyone’s knowledge, had never eaten anyone’s grandpa was half the reason any of them had been willing to listen to her in the first place.
The princess herself stared down at her somewhat ragtag, heavily-segregated forces from a perch atop a high, thick tree branch. It reminded her, in a way, of her days leading armies composed of rough alliances of peasant levies and knights sworn to scores of different lords, great and petty alike. That thought made her feel strangely nostalgic.
“Hearken to my words,” she said in a commanding tone, and to her satisfaction what little conversation there had been died almost at once. “As I forewarned you, the enemy of us all has not proven content with the lives they have already stolen away. They have erected a camp in midst of your woodlands, all the better to steal the very minds from your family and friends.”
Several Pokémon flinched at that, but Luna was pleased to see more of them looking angry. Some even bared fangs or snarled.
“We must drive them out and dash their schemes to ruin,” the alicorn declared. “They must not be allowed to ravage this fair wood any further!”
That won a series of barks, growls, and screeches, mostly approving.
“But,” Luna held up a hoof for silence. “We must also consider that they come so openly because they come in numbers. They are prepared for a fight.” She looked down into the Pokémon’s faces, hard eyes meeting many an upward gaze. “If we are to ensure that we do not share the fate of those already taken, we must know how prepared.” She paused a moment. “I have a stratagem, but I will require volunteers with superb night vision and a keen sense of patience.”
Pokémon looked at one another and hurled, some muttering faintly.
“We will not simply rush in ignorantly to our doom,” Luna said firmly. “I require those of quick wit and not bound by pride. They must be prepared both to brave proximity to the enemy camp, and to retreat on a moment’s notice should they be spotted. Am I understood?” She swept her eyes across the crowd again, careful not to so much as blink. “This is a mission of the strictest observation, not engagement. No one is to so much as growl at them until I give the word. Now… which of you believes that they can accomplish this?”
“Hey guys, look!” Jessie called out the next day. “You’ll never guess who’s here!”
“Santa Claus?” Meowth grumbled sarcastically, cracking open an eye from where he was sunbathing.
“Even better!” Jessie smiled as her two cohorts looked up at her. “It’s Delibird!”
“It’s here already?” James’ eyes widened. “It made a cross-continent flight by itself in just one night?”
“Or maybe it already arrived in Kalos earlier and set out from there,” Twilight suggested from a perch a few trees down. “Delibird are known for stamina, due to the extreme conditions of their native environment, but not for exceptional flight speed. Oh, and why would a Delibird seeking us out be a good thing again?”
“Come on, let’s go!” Jessie beckoned as she went, summarily ignoring the alicorn. “The boss sent us a gift and we don’t want to keep to keep him waiting!”
“She’s right!” James got to his feet and started running towards the descending bird as well. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!”
“Huh – hey!” Meowth had barely had time to sit up and stretch before he was forced to scramble up and onto his paws, chasing after the two humans. “Wait for me!”
The trio ran out of the trees and into one of the forest’s many clearings, waving up cheerfully at the red and white Pokémon now coming directly towards them. Delibird was a chubby-looking Pokémon that seemed to fly in active defiance of the laws of physics, totally lacking any visible flight feathers or appropriate tail. While it flapped its stubby “wings” to carry itself along, it hoisted a sack over its back and clutched the bag’s tip with its yellow beak.
When Delibird landed, Team Rocket were there to greet it with the sparkling eyes of children on Christmas Eve. Celestia, Twilight, and the others watched with vague interest as Delibird reached into its sack and handed Jessie two Poke Balls. It reached back in and handed James a single red and white orb.
“Hey!” he complained. “How come she gets two and I only get one?”
“Because the boss knows who the best battler is,” Jessie smiled. “Wouldn’t want to waste too many Pokémon, now would we?”
James ground his teeth.
Ignoring both of them, Delibird handed Meowth a tube, follow by a flat tablet. The white cat Pokemon frowned and took a look at a note taped to the corner of the machine. He sat it down on the ground and hit the power button. While it was booting up, Delibird turned and took off, flying back the way it had come. An image of an elderly, mustached man sporting a white lab coat and monocle appeared, and all three of the trio snapped to attention immediately.
“This is a prerecorded message from Dr. Zager,” the old man said. “Jessie, James, Meowth, I hope this finds you well, and quickly. The boss feels that, with you as the sole Team Rocket operatives left in Kalos, you need more firepower at your disposal. You had left these Pokémon at our base because they weren’t native to the regions your travels took you to, but Giovanni now believes the possibility of increased suspicion is acceptable.”
“Hold on…” Jessie’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean…”
Immediately, she tossed both Poke Balls in the air. Two flashes of silvery light later and a black snake with prominent red fangs and knifelike tail appeared alongside a titanic green dragonfly with red eyes and four wings ending in red spots. Jessie barely had a chance to smile before the two were on her, and she was wrapped up by the snake’s coils while the dragonfly landed atop her long hair.
“Seviper! Yanmega!” Jessie cried happily, hugging the former around the neck. “I’ve missed you guys!”
Seviper replied by licking her in the face with its forked tongue, while Yanmega eagerly nuzzled the top of her head with its own.
“James, I recall that you had said that Mime Jr. was not a battle-ready Pokémon,” Dr. Zager’s message continued. “And that you didn’t wish to place it in any danger. We anticipate serious dangers in the days ahead, so we opted to continue caring for it here.”
“If Mime Jr’s still at headquarters,” James said, looking down at his Poke Ball, “then this can only be-”
The Poke Ball spontaneously exploded into silver light before he could finish that sentence, and he was immediately all but swallowed up by something green.
“Carnivine, I’m happy to see you too!” came James’ muffled protest. “But please, for the love of Team Rocket GET OFF OF MY HEAD!”
The venus flytrap-like Pokémon totally ignored his screams and flailing, pulling him closer in a hug with a big grin on its massive jaws.
“Is it trying to eat him?” Celestia stood up, a worried expression on her face.
“Nah,” Pikachu waved a hand. “It always does that. Look, it’s happy to see him.”
James ran around in a circle, screaming and waving his arms around. Carnivine hung on with a massive smile on its face, hugging him close while clamping down ever harder with its jaws. Meanwhile, Seviper was coiled tight about Jessie and Yanmega had crawled forwards so its face could peer down into Jessie’s, buzzing happily. Meowth was totally ignoring his teammates, focusing solely on Dr. Zager.
“And we’ve also sent your entire team another useful asset, though unfortunately it was too heavy for Delibird to carry. Since we lack any further agents in Kalos, we had to…” he looked embarrassed. “Ship it legally. Do you have any idea what Kalos Post charges for overnight international shipping? I thought we were the extortionists. Also, they don’t exactly deliver to the middle of the woods, so we had to send it to a warehouse in a nearby town.” Zager shook his head. “I’ve included the address and proper credentials on the blueprints. It’s just a few hours out of your way, and that’s including the do it yourself parts. Regardless, I designed it myself to suit your current needs. If you’ll take the time to go and collect it, I’m certain you’ll find that it’s definitely worth the trouble.”
Meowth unscrewed the plastic top of the tube Delibird had given him, extracting a cylinder of blue paper. Almost the moment he unrolled it, his eyes widened, then gleamed.
“Oh yeah,” he grinned. “Dis is definitely gonna be worth it.”