Chapter Three: The Special Trainers



James couldn’t hide his surprise. "Annie? But what- what- are you doing here?"

"Oh, come now, James.... surely you remember the mission you botched." Annie said with acid in her voice. "You know, that’s the only mission I have ever been involved with that failed. I didn’t take it very well knowing that it would be in my Team Rocket file." Annie said a bit too lightly, as she circled James like a mountain lion stalking it’s injured prey. "In fact, you might say I got very, very upset. But now, thanks to a favor from the Boss, you are going to help me get over it."

James was numb. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Annie rolled her eyes. James hadn’t gotten any smarter since they had last met. "Oh, for crying out loud. Don’t you get it, you fool? You were never really promoted!"

"But- but the Boss told me..." James stammered.

"A favor to me." Annie replied simply. "Surely you didn’t honestly believe you’d been promoted? White to Red? Ha!"

James could only stand there, blinking. "No, James, you’re in for something more interesting than just a promotion." Annie said in an evil tone of voice. "You will undergo extreme Red Rocket training. If it doesn’t kill you, you’ll surely quit Team Rocket before you finish."

"And if it doesn’t kill me and I do complete it?" James asked defiantly. Annie looked back at him coolly.

"Impossible. I’ll see to that." she replied. James’ hopes sunk. "Of course, I can’t do this alone." Annie continued. "Therefore, I did some digging and found someone who was all too anxious to help me train you the way you need to be trained- strictly, thoroughly, and brutally- until you either die or leave."

James gulped as a sweatdrop formed on his forehead. "Who?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"A person from your past." Annie said with a sneer. "Do you recognize this voice?"

From behind James came a voice... a voice peppered with a thick southern accent that made his skin crawl. "James, mah sweet! Reunited at last!"

No, James thought. It can’t be. When the figure came around, however, there was no escaping the truth... it was indeed Jessebelle. The very reason he had left home.. the psychotic fiancée whom he had feared more than anyone or anything. Now, she walked to stand beside Annie. Jessebelle was dressed in a wine red equestrian outfit, and seemed to fit perfectly alongside Annie in her tight red uniform dress. At her side was a large coiled bullwhip.

"James." she began her thick southern accent. "You should know that you just can’t keep running around playing these silly little criminal games all your life. Why, it simply isn’t suitable for a young gentleman like yourself. Now, be a gentleman and thank this nice Annie person for bringing us back together."

James folded his arms across his chest. "Never." he replied angrily.

"James, James, James! Now is that any way to talk to your Red Rocket Trainer?" Annie asked. James looked at her blankly.

"Certainly not." Jessebelle added. "Let the training begin!" With that, Jessebelle’s arm snapped forward, cracking her whip in James’ direction. With a yelp, James quickly ran out of the way.

"Come on. We’re wasting time." Annie said coldly. She led the way, as Jessebelle, her arm wrapped around James’ arm, followed closely. They walked the opposite way the others had gone, and James’ fear increased as he realized this.

Annie came to a stop in front of a large building that resembled an old airplane hangar. A large red "R" was painted on the door, but otherwise the building was bare and unpainted. Annie pulled the door open and led the way inside.

In contrast to the stark outside of the building, the inside of the building had a much more completed feel to it. A gym had been set up inside, loaded with equipment. James looked around desperately for way out, but the only window was a small open one in the skylight in the ceiling some 25 feet above his head. James felt very sick as he realized that the door he had just come through was the only way out, and that Jessebelle was now locking it with a padlock on a hasp.

James looked at Annie, who was opening a locked cabinet on the wall. From inside, she drew a handgun. Filled with horror, James remembered that Annie was a skilled sharpshooter and was deadly with a gun.

"What- what- what’s that for?" he asked, his legs shaking.

Annie began to speak in a lecturing tone. "A Red Rocket must be agile. Militant trainers or Officer Jennies may well fire weapons at you, and you must know how to dodge a bullet." With that, she fired a shot at James’ feet. James reflexively jumped out of the way. The bullet tore into the floor, missing his foot by an inch.

"Very good." Annie said in a teacher tone of voice. "Now let’s see you do it again." She raised the gun again, aiming for James’ feet and smiling coldly.

Suddenly, Annie felt a hand on her shoulder. "This won’t kill him, will it?" Jessebelle asked. What good was a dead James?

"No." Annie replied, wondering if it was wise having involved Jessebelle. "At worst it’ll just wound him. At best, it’ll stress him out and strengthen his urge to quit." Jessebelle smiled. Annie knew she had chosen wisely on including Jessebelle. Now she would have someone who James hated to throw him to when her revenge was complete and his spirit was broken into a million pieces.

Having satisfied Jessebelle, Annie turned back to James. "Now where were we?" she asked, scratching an itch on her cheek with the barrel of the gun. "Ah yes... agility training!" Annie laughed maniacally as she fired shot after shot at James’ feet and he frantically jumped out of the way. Somehow, he managed to dodge the bullets as they came, stopping to catch his breath only while Annie reloaded. Then it would begin again, with Annie and Jessebelle laughing all the way.

After five clips (or maybe it was six- James lost count) Annie grew tired of the agility training. James was panting for breath. "One minute rest time." she said cruelly. After precisely sixty seconds, Annie said, "Now, a Red Rocket must be fast. Jessebelle will help with this training. Jessebelle, my dear, be so kind as to explain how this will work."

"Oh, he knows already." Jessebelle said with a grin. "James, kiss me."

James’ face registered shock mixed with repulsion. "No.. no..." he began, suddenly wishing Annie were still shooting at him.

"James, why must we play like this?" Jessebelle asked coolly. "I am your betrothed. You must learn to obey your wife’s wishes!" Again, she cracked her whip. Terrified, James took off running around the gym as Jessebelle chased him, cracking her whip.

Annie watched the chase, laughing hysterically. The chase finally ended fifteen minutes later when James collapsed from exhaustion and lack of breath and Jessebelle caught up with him, sitting on him and kissing him on the mouth. James had never felt worse in his life, and he knew it was just the beginning.

The rest of the day dragged on, with Annie and Jessebelle "training" James alternately. Finally, long after the sun set, Annie declared the day’s training over. She slipped out of the gym for a few minutes, leaving Jessebelle to guard James, who was sprawled out on the floor from exhaustion.

When Annie returned, she had a single bologna sandwich and a canteen of water. She set these down by James. "Eat." she commanded. James was all too happy to oblige her, devouring the food. "Training will continue at 6:00 tomorrow morning." Annie announced. "Sleep well." She and Jessebelle stood up to leave, and Jessebelle blew a kiss at James. They left through the door, and James heard the sound of a padlock clicking into place on the outside of the door. James stood up and despite his exhausted state, tried the door. It was locked securely, and there was no chance of escape. He walked to the gun cabinet, and tried it, but it too was locked securely. He collapsed on the floor sobbing. Oh, how he wished he were with Jessie! He missed everything they had shared so much, and now he couldn’t even talk to her, tell her what danger he was in...

James looked up at the open window in the skylight, knowing it was far too high for him to hope to reach by any means. He wished he could fly like a bird... he would fly right up and out of here, back to Jessie. Then it hit him. James felt his pocket, and realized what he wanted was still there. He reached in and pulled out a Pokeball. Inside was his faithful Pokemon Weezing. James looked around somewhat nervously, as if expecting to see another agent in the gym with him. Quietly, he pressed the release button and whispered, "Weezing, go."

With a flash of light, Weezing appeared.

"Weezing." it said, hovering near James and seeming a bit confused that Jessie and Meowth were nowhere to be found.

James smiled, but he couldn’t hide his despair or exhaustion, which Weezing obviously sensed. James told Weezing the story, how he had supposedly been promoted, how it had been a trap, and how he was now a prisoner. "What I need you to do, Weezing, is fly back to Viridian City and find Jessie and Meowth. Tell them what’s happening. Meowth will understand, and translate it to Jessie. Maybe they can do something, anything. Weezing, you have to get through to them... you’re my only hope." James finished.

Weezing indicated that he understood, and James pointed to the skylight. "There’s your way out, Weezing. Can you make it?"

"Weez. Weezing." came the reply. Weezing hovered upwards and out of the skylight, and James watched through the window as he flew over the building and away from the camp. James only prayed that he would make it back to Viridian City in time. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take....

Revenge Chapter Four: Weezing's Message