When we arrived at the gym we were taken to see Serena instantly. She was beautiful, in a cold way. She sat in a huge chair, and I felt as if we were being granted an audience with a queen. I began to regret the whole business.
"I have an important job," she began, in a calm, almost icy voice, "and I have reason to believe you can work well for me."
"We're already employed," I replied, as calmly as possible.
"Your employer is not particularly eager to retain your services. Since I find it convenient to work with him on occasion, he has agreed to release you to me, permanently if necessary."
"Giovanni would never just let someone leave Team Rocket," said James. "Even someone as pathetic as us."
I was about to tell him to speak for himself, but I didn't want to bicker in front of Sabrina.
"Giovanni isn't interested in assassinating someone from a family as prominent as yours, James. Nor is he interested in harming the daughter of Miyamoto."
I was shocked. Even James hardly dared mention her name to me, and I had almost never spoken of her to anyone else since I was an adult.
"What do you know about my mother?"
"I have my contacts in Team Rocket," she replied.
"Now you're going to tell me your Giovanni's boss," sneered James.
Sabrina laughed. "Oh no, no one is Giovanni's boss, not even me. I just find it convenient not to be his enemy, even though I'm not always on Giovanni's side of the law."
She turned to me, "I have my contacts in the Jennys as well, Jessie. If you do this job for me, perhaps I can have something done about your father."
"Leave him out of this too. Giovanni can't just sell us to you, anyway."
"No, not at all," replied Sabrina. "I imagine with enough humiliation he will allow you to continue your work for Team Rocket. But I thought it would be refreshing for you to have a challenge. Giovanni thinks you're pathetic. I don't."
I didn't know how to respond to that and evidently James didn't either. Finally it was Meowth who spoke up. "So what the heck do you want us to do, anyway?"
"I want you to help me fight my brother," replied Sabrina.
Meowth spoke up again, "If he's anything like you, I think we're in trouble."
I looked over and saw James's lower lip quivering. Clearly he was struggling not to laugh at Meowth's remark. I didn't think it was so funny; we probably were in trouble again.
"He's my half-brother, really. My father left his mother when she insisted on being too indulgent in controlling their son's budding psychic powers. Later, my father allowed my mother to make that mistake with me."
She shrugged. "But that's another story."
"My brother started out as a gym leader like me," she went on. "Saner than I was, even. But he began to control people as well as pokemon with his psychic powers and as usual in such cases he began to fall apart mentally. Currently he's trying to control a very dangerous situation involving several people and pokemon. He believes they're his slaves, and they believe it too, but violence could erupt at any time. I was willing to let the whole thing destroy itself naturally, until he came all the way here to steal my Alakazam."
"You're going to fight him over a Pokemon? That's ridiculous," I said.
She looked at me calmly. "You risked yourselves to save your Meowth."
"I ain't their Meowth," objected Meowth.
"Wait a minute, not even the Jennys know about that!" said James.
"You'd be very surprised what I know," replied Sabrina. "Speaking of which, one reason I wished to choose your team is that one of you has a personal stake in this. One Pokemon who is trapped with its trainer is familiar to you." She showed us a picture of a Meowth. It looked like any other Meowth to me, but Meowth immediately blurted out, "That's Meo."
Meo was a female that Meowth had become interested in, who seemed interested in him as well. Shortly after that they had both been captured for experiments in Professor Oak's lab. James and I had saved both of them, but Meowth had encouraged Meo to leave him. He didn't think offering her a life in Team Rocket would be fair. I knew how he felt; this was one of the unspoken issues between James and I. Was this going to be a chance for all of us to get out, or were we only getting into something worse?
"When you come back tomorrow, we'll discuss the details," said Sabrina.
"What if we don't come back?" I asked.
Sabrina shrugged. For once she looked vulnerable. "I'd love to say I'm certain you will, or that I can force you too. But really, it's up to you."
We were all silent as we left. We began wandering around the city. "You want to go get Meo, don't you? I asked Meowth.
He nodded. "I'd want to get any Meowth out of something like that. But I'm still not sure why Sabrina thinks we can do this."
I sighed. "I guess she'll tell us tomorrow if we decide to go."
Meowth left for the hotel room, James and I began wandering in a large park. Finally we sat under a tree and James pulled me onto his lap. This was one of the good things, being able to get a hug without pretending to be terrified.
"We're going back tomorrow, aren't we?" I said.
James nodded. "I don't see how we can't."