Janet road her motorcycle through the woods, just barely navigating through the woods. She looked determined to make her father proud of her.
In the distance, she saw what looked like a Team Rocket Meowth balloon. Where there was Team Rocket, there were Pokemon.
Jessie and James waved Pikachu around. The rodent was shocking away, but it was useless-- He was trapped within a shockproof, glass cage that merely lit up a light bulb for his captures.
Meowth grinned widely. "Finally! We got Pikachu!"
"This was far too easy", James said, his voice a little shaky
"Aw, come on! We caught Pikachu! That's all that matters!", Jessie told her partner, grinning wildly. "This is it! Those twerps are through!"
"I know their Pokemon are injured, but I still have this uneasy feeling", James whined, brushing his lavender hair from his eyes. Team Rocket watched as Ash and his friends chased after the balloon desperately below them.
"With no Pokemon to help them, Pikachu is ours", Jessie repeated, smiling cruelly.
"I guess", her partner whined.
Meowth was leaning over the balloon. "Isn't that a Rocket motorcycle down der?"
The Team followed Meowth's gaze and saw a white motorcycle speeding past Ash and his friends. Jessie nodded. "Yeah, it is."
"Is that a pink bazooka?", James asked, arching his eyebrows.
"Pink?", Meowth asked, face-falling. The bazooka was aimed for the balloon, and in a split second it released a spiked missile, sending the Meowth balloon crashing down.
In the pure surprise of the attack, Jessie had dropped Pikachu. "Oh no!"
"Butterfingers!", Meowth cried crossly. "Look what'cha did!"
Janet caught the cage Pikachu was trapped in with a wicked grin. "You're the Pikachu Daddy's after!", she told the yellow rodent.
"Pika?", Pikachu squeaked, recognizing the girl from earlier that day.
"It's Janet", Misty said. "And she has Pikachu!"
"Oh great", Brock whined. "Now we have to chase a motorcycle with no Pokemon!"
Janet started up her bike, and grinned at the twerps. "Well, we meet again, you liars! You told me you had no rare Pokemon when, in reality, you had the Pikachu Daddy was after", she taunted them. "Which I'm gonna take to him right now! So, arrivederchi!"
She hit the gas and drove into the trees with incredible speed, leaving a trail of dust behind her.
Team Rocket emerged from their rubble, scowling. "But we caught that Pikachu!", Jessie screamed.
"Yeah, dat's right!", Meowth cried crossly. "Dat's our Pikachu, little girl!"
Janet was already long gone.
James frowned. "I knew something bad was going to happen."
Jessie hit him upside the head. "You could have informed the rest of us", she snapped. James cried. "Owww..."
Ash crossed his arms over his chest. "This is awful", he stated, frowning. "First the losers almost get Pikachu, then she takes it from them!"
"We're not losers!", Jessie and James screamed in defense.
"Yeah, right", Ash replied sarcastically.
Jessie huffed. "This isn't fair! That Pikachu was ours! How dare that twerp steal our big chance with the Boss!"
"She said her father wanted it", Misty said absently-mindedly. "Does your Boss have a daughter?"
"Don't be ridiculous", Meowth stated. "I woulda known if he had a kid."
"I don't care whose daughter she is, I just want my Pikachu", Ash stated, a look of determination on his face.
"But we better go back to Joy, and get our Pokemon first", Misty suggested. Ash nodded, listening to her voice of reason. "Right."
Janet kicked her motorcycle miles away from the twerps and her fellow Rockets. "Stupid bike! You ran out of gas too quickly!"
She sighed in annoyance, and crossed her arms across her chest. "Well, I guess I can walk home."
She searched her pockets for her map, and froze.
She could not find her map.
"Pikachu did you take my map?", she asked sweetly.
Pikachu shook his head from inside his glass cage. "Pi."
Janet face-faulted. "If you don't have, and I don't have it... Argh, I'm lost!"
She threw her arms into the air with a frown. "Aw, man! Maledica la mia fortuna marcia!"
She sat down next to Pikachu's cage. "Che cosa ho fatto per meritare questo?"
Pikachu looked at her questioningly. "Pika?"
"Oh, sorry. Guess you don't speak Italian", Janet said weakly. "I said 'What did I do to deserve this' and before that I said 'Damn my rotten luck'."
Pikachu nodded. "Pika."
"My parents, they're both Italian", Janet explained. "My Mommy taught me to speak it, Daddy taught me curses. On accident, of course." She grinned. "Yeah, I miss it when my Mommy was with us, I guess. But I love my Daddy. I just wanna make him happy."
She frowned. "But I get the weirdest feeling he's sometimes annoyed with me."
Pikachu smiled weakly. He had the feeling that he was always annoyed with her.
"But now I'll never see him again", she whimpered. Pikachu shook his head. She was being a bit over-dramatic.
She smiled. "Aw, thanks Pikachu. But, what if I don't see Daddy again?"
She wrinkled her nose. "What if Domi has to take care of me?!"
Pikachu blinked. "Pika?"
"She's-- Oh, never mind."
Pikachu nodded. Janet sighed once more. "I wonder if Daddy's worried about me?"
Back in his office, Giovanni was balancing a pencil on his nose.
He thought a moment. "Did Janet come back yet?"
"No, but she's probably out causing some sort of damage", Domino muttered.
"Nonsense! We'd have heard the sirens by now."
"... You're right."
Back in the woods, Ash cradled Noctowl's Pokeball. He opened the ball up, and in a flash came his trustworthy owl. "Noctowl, I want you to patrol the area for a girl. She's got Pikachu."
Noctowl nodded with a shriekish trill. With a flap of it's amber wings, it had disappeared into the sky.
"This isn't fair."
Team Rocket stood, watching them with a scowl. "This isn't fair", Jessie repeated.
"We almost had it!", Meowth growled.
"It was ours for the taking", James agreed.
"And SHE took it!", the cried in unison, hugging one another in desperate sobs.
"Oh, pipe down", Brock said in annoyance. Team Rocket glared at him collectively. "Quiet, twerp!"
He quickly silenced, but his annoyed look remained.
Within moments, Noctowl returned, flapping it's wings and calling out loudly.
"What's it saying, Meowth?", Misty asked the talking cat-type.
Meowth listened intently. "Noctowl says yer Pikachu and that kid are just a few hundred yards in the distance. Her bike must have ran outta gas."
"All right!", Ash grinned. The trio ran in the direction Noctowl flew in, followed by Team Rocket at their heels.
Janet raised her head at the sound of a group of footsteps. Pikachu squeaked excitedly. "Pika pi!"
Ash grinned. "Pikachu!"
"Pika pi!", Pikachu responded. Janet sweatdropped. "Oh no."
Misty took out a Pokeball, and released her Staryu. "Staryu, break the glass with your swift attack!"
"Hiyah!", the orange starfish yelled as it obeyed.
The glass shattered, releasing the yellow rodent, who quickly scampered over to it's master.
"Pika pi!", it shouted, hugging Ash. Ash gently hugged back. "Pikachu, I'm glad you're safe."
Janet smiled weakly. "Uh, allrighty then. Guess I'll be going."
"You'll be going all right", Jessie told her, waving. James nodded, grinning. "The hard way."
"Yeah. Have a nice flight, Red", Meowth said with a wicked smirk. Janet didn't get it.
"Pikachu teach her not to steal from us", Ash commanded. Pikachu nodded, smiling a fanged, cruel smile as it's cheeks flashed with lightning. "Pika..."
Janet face-faulted. "What?"
In a blast of yellow light, Janet was charged with lightning, and sent blasting into the atmosphere.
She crashed down momentarily, right in front of Mondo at the Team Rocket head quarters. "Th-this feels bad", she moaned, charred and injured. Mondo frowned. "That Ash boy?"
"Y-yeah", she said, still dazed. "Ooh, look at the pretty Pikachu..."
Mondo continued to frown as he saw his seniors blast off in the sky in an opposite direction. "Oh boy..."
Janet pushed herself up, and walked over to the building weakly. Mondo helped her keep her balance. "Easy there..."
"Must tell Daddy", she said, giggling insanely. "Daddy must know."
"Y-yes, Miss DiMarco", Mondo said weakly. "Just hold on until we get to the elevator, Miss DiMarco."
Janet nodded, still in a daze. "Yeah..."
Mondo hit the eighth floor button. He knew Giovanni wouldn't mind if he were to take Janet in to him. Afterall, Mondo liked him. He was loyal. He had potential. He was a good Rocket that never failed.
Unlike his seniors.
He sighed as the elevator stopped. "We're here, Miss DiMarco."
Janet had managed to pull herself together to walk out of the elevator. "You can go now, Mondo."
Mondo face-faulted. "But, Miss DiMarco--"
"Are you questioning a Red Rocket?!", Janet snapped, turning around sharply. Mondo gulped. "N-no, Miss DiMarco!"
"Than do as you're told!", she shouted. He nodded, and disappeared into the elevator.
She calmed down, and passed her security card to open her father's doors. Her father was sitting on his desk, throwing playing cards into a hat.
"Janet. Welcome back", he said, looking up. He didn't seem to notice her charred uniform and look of defeat.
"So, where's Pikachu?", he asked, grinning.
Janet frowned angrily. "I shot down a balloon. I stole a Pikachu. I almost got away. And what happens? I get the Pikachu stolen back, attacked by said Pikachu and--"
She pouted. "I lost my bazooka."
She regained herself. "So I have one thing to say to you, Daddy."
"Yes?", he asked, blinking.
"GET YOUR OWN STUPID PIKACHU BECAUSE IT ISN'T WORTH IT!", she shouted, stomping out of the room and slamming the doors. The pictures on the walls fell with the force of the door.
Domino blinked. "She's pissed."
"No, you think?!", Giovanni snapped sarcastically.
Janet walked past Rockets of every color with a defeated scowl on her face. She pushed a White Rocket over a railing, sending him falling to the next floor. Every other Rocket got out of the young girl's way.
She kicked open her door, and scowled at the soft, blue pastels and the pink, stuffed Pokemon. Her faithful Eevee galloped over to her instantly, nuzzling her leg. "Vui!"
She smiled. "Hi, boy."
"Vui", the dog replied.
She closed her door and stood in front of her mirror. Her uniform, that of a boy, was charred, singed and smoking. Her hair was cracked, sizzled. Her eyes were tired.
"Team Rocket sucks", she stated, going over to her bed. She fell to the blue pastel sheets and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.