Epic Equipment

Jessie and James shuddered a bit as they walked through the Silph Co. building, the disdainful glares of their coworkers upon them as they marched through the hall. Every step toward Giovanni’s office felt like a heartbeat closer to a death stroke… They knew that they hadn’t been in good graces with the rest of Team Rocket lately, and when Giovanni asked to see them? They only hoped that the rumors of him using a charizard to literally fire those he was displeased with were nothing more than hearsay.

James poked his head in the door just a little, enough to see Giovanni’s chair with its back turned toward the desk, “You wanted to see us, boss?”

“Yes… Come in, and make sure you close the door behind you,” the crime lord commanded. Though it was difficult to make out expressions with him facing away, it was clear that he was looking downward from the angle of his head, the dim light from the blinds casting a harsh shadow of him and his chair. “Tell me, do you two know why I have called you in here?”

“You want to give us a raise?” James joked, only to have Jessie jab him in the side with her elbow, eliciting a quick, “Ow!”

“Boss, I know we haven’t procured any pokemon lately,” Jessie tried to keep James from digging their graves any deeper, “but right now we’re on the middle of a huge lead… One that will be worth the time and then some, I promise!”

“A huge lead?” the crime lord chuckled mockingly. “And I trust this doesn’t have anything to do with a common electric rat which I could find at almost any pet store?” Jessie froze up at that comment, and after about a minute of silence, Giovanni turned to face the two of them, his eyes glaring angrily at his subordinates, though his voice still remained calm, eerily so, “Jessie, James… I like to think of Team Rocket as a big family… We all help each other, and grow stronger because of it… But from time to time, every family tree needs some… Pruning…”

James started to blurt out: “But I’m allergic to hedge trim-”

“But it’s not our fault boss! Give us one last chance, we’re still working with this second rate equipment, you can’t expect us to work like professionals without proper tools!” Jessie tried to reason.

Giovanni paused for a moment, at first angered that not one- but both of the rocketeers would interrupt him so blatantly. But then he began to laugh for a moment before slamming his fist against his desk as he leaned forward to look them in the eyes, first Jessie, then James. “Fine… If you think that it’s the tools that are holding you back, then I’ll make you a little wager... “ He then reached to his side, and held out a single pokeball; its designed resembled that of a Master Ball, with the standard dual color being interrupted by two ovaloid shapes on top of the ball, and an “E” just above the button, and with gold and black replacing the pink and purple respectively. “This is the Essence Ball, a prototype pokeball which we’ve developed; if you think that tools are what you lack, then I will allow you to use this. Whatever pokemon is inside of it, the trainer may use its powers as their own. You have one week to bring me the greatest pokemon you can manage… And if, even after this gift, you still manage to fail me, then you will be reassigned as guinea pigs in the genetic testing labs, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes boss!” the two of them said in unison as Jessie took the pokeball in hand.

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“So… We just have to throw it at the first pokemon we see, right?” James asked as he looked at Jessie’s belt, eyeing the prototype.

“If we just throw it at the first pokemon we find, we’ll be right back where we started… We need to wait to find the right one, a pokemon that will not only get us back in the boss’ good graces, maybe even get us a promotion,” Jessie said as she sat upon a rock by the riverside, pondering where they might find a suitable pokemon. They’d seen a few legendaries in their time, but it wasn’t as though they could simply waltz about and find Mewtwo or Lugia at a whim, despite how much such a scenario appealed to them at the time.

“Jessie… Why did the water just stop?”

“Who knows? There’s probably a dry season upstream… I’m trying to concentrate on more important matters right now,” Jessie said as she waved her hand to dismiss her partner.

“No, the water’s still there, but it’s… Stopped. It’s like it’s frozen but… It’s not that cold.”

Jessie looked up from where she had been sitting to take look, at first staring at James as though he were crazy, but then noticing that he was entirely correct. The water simply sat there, as though it were a photograph. She reached a hand in to touch, it and sure enough, it still felt wet, but where she had her hands, the water did not flow to refill.

You two cannot begin to comprehend the powers you are playing with, came a voice that seemed to originate from all directions, prompting the thieves to look about worriedly. No human is meant to wield the power of my children.

Finally, James fell back and stammered in shock: “Oh... My... God…”

Such is one title I have been given, spoke a pokemon with no peer; a strange creature looking almost like a mixture between a wolf and a reindeer with a halo-like ring around his torso stared at the thieves, Arceus, the first pokemon, and the creator of their world.

Jessie simply stared in shock, unable to come to terms with what they were seeing. They had seen some amazing sights in their journeys- some of which they didn’t bother telling about as they were too fantastical for most to believe- but none could even begin to compare to this.

Relinquish the pokeball at once, and I will ensure Giovanni is unable to harm you, Arceus demanded as he slowly walked over toward the thieves, the two of them still too much in shock to truly react.

When finally Arceus was no more that ten feet away, Jessie snapped out of it and quickly took the Essence Ball into hand, handing it off to James and then shoving him, “Don’t let him get it, it’s our only shot at a promotion right now!”

James quickly began to run, more by instinct than thought, screaming all the while as he ran through the forest, only for him to find he ran right into Arceus. An unwise choice, human… I wish you no harm, I wish only to prevent the catastrophe that such a device may bring. Render it unto me, and you have my divine word that I shall not harm you.

“Over here!” Jessie shouted to James, who didn’t hesitate to give up the prize, eager to pass the burden to someone else, and gladly returning it to Jessie, who then began to run back in the opposite direction.

I have been patient, mortal, but do not try me… Just because I can spend an eternity chasing you does not mean that I am willing to allow such to come to pass! Arceus said before letting out a roar which shook the very universe, causing Jessie to stop in her tracks, falling to the ground below and staring at the seemingly omnipotent pokemon in awe. As the divine creature approach Jessie once more, she attempted to toss the pokeball to James, only for it to hit Arceus. The usual red glow surrounded Arceus, pulling him into the small device as it shook a bit on the ground below.

“Did you just…” James looked down and shook, “You did… As soon as he gets out, we’re dead… Even we’re not prepared for this kind of trouble!”

“Maybe if we run now... “ Jessie stopped and shook her head, realizing that if they tried running, Arceus could simply teleport to where they were.

Then, the pokeball stopped moving, the central button no longer glowing. The two of them stared at the pokeball for a few seconds, then at each other in awe.

“Did it just stop?” Jessie was the first to speak.

“But doesn’t that mean-” James started before being interrupted.

“We… We caught Arceus!” Jessie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry as she approached the pokeball and knelt down to pick it up “That promotion will be ours for sure! We’ll be the boss’ favorites after this!” But as she picked up the Essence Ball, Jessie paused and stopped a moment. The sound of the river flowing could be heard again as she did such, and with that, Jessie’s laughter began to fill the ears of every person on the planet.

“J-Jessie? How are you doing that?” James asked nervously as he looked at his partner in crime, having hoped he was just delusional after the ordeal they had been through. “What just happened?”

“What just happened? I just handed in my resignation, that’s what happened,” Jessie grinned as Giovanni appeared before them.

The crime lord looked around in confusion… He had just been in the Viridian City gym, his Nidoking crushing a Shellder beneath its foot, and now he wasn’t even sure what was going on. As he looked around, he soon spotted Jessie and James, “What did you two do? How on earth did I get he-”

“Silence!” Jessie shouted, and as she spoke that word, Giovanni found he was unable to talk, as though the vocal cords in his throat had never existed. James gulped heavily, still trying to figure out what was going on as Jessie circled around her former boss. She held the Essence Ball tightly in her hand as she chuckled, “Hello ‘boss’... We managed to catch a pokemon with that new toy of yours… Care to guess what it was?” Jessie didn’t bother to answer verbally, instead bombarding Giovanni’s mind with images that no mortal could comprehend, visions of the creation and destruction of entire planes of reality, of the formation of souls and wills.

“You… You… No… I… I gave you this power… It’s mine by right!” Giovanni demanded as soon as Jessie returned his ability to speak.

Jessie simply shook her head and clicked her tongue, “I decide to hear if you have anything nicer to say, and you still are complaining like a petulant child?” She then sighed. “To think that I wasted so much of my life trying to please you… It’s time I remade the universe in my image, but don’t think that your next life will be so blessed as this one…”

With that, there was a blinding flash of light as the universe both ended and began.

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Jessie laughed as she reclined on a chair of finer materials than could ever be possible on the mortal plane, her feet resting against a certain red-haired girl’s back. “Stop squirming so much, you haven’t even been there a century yet, I was just getting comfy!” the goddess complained to Misty. Jessie then looked to her right, noticing that she was feeling warmer than she should. She then complained to Ash: “Twerp, did I tell you that you could stop fanning? Keep it up and I won’t let you have your break next millenium!”

“I don’t get it… You have all these mortals, why do we have to toil like this for eternity?” Brock asked as he carried in a tray of wine, crackers, and cheese, setting it  on a table and beginning to pour a glass before handing it to the goddess, with Jessie being the only one with any memory of how Arceus’ world had been.

“Because those who displease me are punished, and the faithful are rewarded…” Jessie laughed as she watched back on earth, where the one person she had found to be a true friend to her in her past life now enjoyed far greater successes in his current one.

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Giovanni shuddered a bit as he walked through the Silph Co. building, the disdainful glares of his coworkers upon him as he marched through the hall. Every step toward the office felt like a heartbeat closer to a death stroke… He knew that he hadn’t been in good graces with the rest of Team Rocket lately, and when the boss asked to see them? He only hoped that the rumors of him using a charizard to literally fire those he was displeased with were nothing more than hearsay.

Giovanni poked his head in the door just a little, “You wanted to see me, boss?”

“Yes… Come in, and make sure you close the door behind you,” James commanded, seated so that the back of his chair faced his desk.