The Banquet

"You look so good!"

"James, stop talking to the mirror already!" I yelled. I went into the living room, where he was doing exactly that. He did look good in that tuxedo. He usually looks good, really, but as usual I didn't have the nerve to tell him so.

"James, will you help me zip this up?" I was wearing a jade-green off-the-shoulder mini-dress that was too tight for me to zip. James stood there for a moment, just looking at me with a weird open-mouthed expression. Was he actually impressed by my looks too? Suddenly I wanted to think that he was. But I was afraid to ask.

"Stop standing there with your mouth open like a Magikarp and zip this thing," I said finally.

He walked behind me, but it seemed to take him forever. I could feel his hand touching the ringlets hanging down the back of my neck. I hadn't put my hair up in years but I thought it looked great that way.

"So, how do I look, James?"

"You look very..."

"Are you two finally ready?" Meowth had to pick that moment to come interrupt us. He was wearing his own little tuxedo and looked very... ridiculous. A pokemon in clothes, even Meowth, just reminds me of our failed fashion design/pokemon stealing venture.

Of course we didn't have clothes like this to go to Professor Oak's charity banquet; we were only going there to steal Pokemon. But we couldn't stand to be underdressed.

We drove off to the hotel where the banquet was being held. Mondo had outdone himself with this getaway car: a stretch limo. Of course it was a bit conspicuous, especially in white with that big red R on the side, and it probably wouldn't do well in a car chase. But it was too cool to pass up.

The banquet itself was almost over when we got there, but our plan involved the party for big Pokemon trainers afterward. We had reserved the suite next door to that party and planned to burst into the middle of the celebration and demand everyone's Pokemon.

"Jesse, I'm hungry," whined James. "We should have gone to the banquet first so we could have something to eat."

"Don't be stupid, James, food at charity banquets is wretched, everyone knows that."

"Well, I'm going to still some of the food from this party too!"

I rolled my eyes.

Finally we got to the hotel. We told Meowth to park the getaway car at the rear entrance and we went upstairs. Meowth would wait in the car until he was needed. I imagined that heads were turning to see our gorgeous selves as we waited for the elevator.

When we go to Suite 2112 we opened the door and went in. James made sure the door between the suites was unlocked. Then he said, "Wait a minute, what if they open the door from their side?"

He found the lock and locked it from our side. "There now they can't open it! But I still don't understand why didn't we just burst in the front door? This way they can leave through their door."

"Meowth's going to guard that door with Victreebell, James."

"Thanks for ordering Victreebell around, Jesse."

"Well somebody has to!"

James gave me a nasty look. It seemed like lately it actually hurt his feelings when I yelled at him. It made me wonder what his feelings really were.

We could hear the party guests arriving, but they wouldn't hear us in here. I started trying to cheer James up by talking about all the great Pokemon we would get.

"Who knows what they may have? I could end up with a Flareon," I said.

James clasped my hands in his. "You deserve a Flareon, Jesse!" he said. He really seemed to mean it, and he was looking straight into my eyes. Suddenly the atmosphere changed and we both knew it. James leaned forward and kissed me.

It had never occurred to me that he would kiss me. O.K., that's a lie, it had occurred to me. But I really hadn't imagined it would be so much fun. I just relaxed and enjoyed myself. I even started running my hands through his hair. He had started to kiss my neck before I remembered what we were supposed to be doing.

"Hey!" I said. "It's about time we got in there and did our job!" At least that would keep me from having to worry about the ramifications of what had happened.

"Right!" said James. He was still smiling at me though. He went to open the door and... couldn't.

"Uh-oh, Jesse, I think they locked the door on their side."

"Wouldn't we hear them lock it? We've been standing in front of this door all night!"

"Well, we were busy for a little bit there..."

"This is all your fault James!" I lifted up the fan.

James cowered and covered his head. "Fine, one minute you kiss me, the next minute you try to hit me," he hissed.

"I must have been crazy to let me kiss you. Just because I forgot how pathetic you are for two minutes doesn't mean I'm going to forget it now!"

James looked so hurt by that that the fan seemed like overkill. I put it away.

"Jesse, why don't we just go around to the front? They can't get out here, it's locked!"

"You call that a dramatic entrance, James? I'll call Meowth on the car phone to come guard the other door, and we'll break through this one."

"Fine, Jesse." He still sounded resentful. Maybe I couldn't afford to treat him nicely.

I called Meowth on the car phone and gave him fifteen minutes to get into position with Victreebell. Then James jumped at the door to strike it with his shoulder and it flew open! I jumped in after him. Two dozen rich philanthropic pokemon trainers, all in tuxedos and dresses, were staring at us. James didn't seem to be getting up, so I jumped on his back and started the motto. James said his lines through a mouthful of carpet and interrupted several times to say, "Get off of me!" and "Those heels are poking me, &^$% it!"

I threw Arbok's pokeball, then grabbed the pokeball from James's suspenders and threw Weezing too. "Give us your Pokemon now, or face our wrath!" I shouted.

The trainers looked at each other for a minute. I heard a lot of muttering.

"I didn't have any belt on this tuxedo for my Pokeballs"

"Pokeballs won't fit in this handbag."

I think I've got a Weedle I don't want in here somewhere," said one man.

He actually handed me the pokeball. What an idiot!

Finally one woman said, "This is ridiculous, I'm out of here!" She started running out the door and the rest followed her. I could hear the sound of faint protests as they ran right over Meowth and Victreebell.

I went and got those two, who were battered but conscious. Just to make a night of it, we all climbed out the window to the roof of the next building. I didn't think the pokemon trainers would bother with the police, they seemed almost as pathetic as we did right now.

James and I settled in the back seat of the limo. I tried to be cheerful. "Well, even though you messed up, I've got a Weedle. That's more than I've managed before."

"I messed up!" said James. "The only way I messed up was kissing you. Well, you can trust me that it won't happen again!"

Now I was hurt. "It certainly won't, if you don't want a mallet between the eyes!"

Then we both calmed down and looked at each other. "I'm sorry," said James. "But, really, you don't have to worry I'll try that again, since you don't want me to."

Now I was stuck. I could never admit that I really did want him to. "It wasn't so bad," I muttered. After a few minutes James got sleepy and I let him settle his head on my shoulder. "You're O.K., James..." I murmured.

Well, if he would never kiss me again, I would just have to get up the nerve to kiss him! And I hope I will. Someday.

The End