The Dare

“So you’re going to capture Pikachu all by yourself, Meowth?” asked James, his arms crossed across his chest.

“Yeah, I got the perfect plan! You two won’t have to lift a finger! The Top Cat will take care of it all!”

“Meowth, you have the same chance of capturing that Pikachu without being blasted off as I do of… of… kissing Jessie on the lips without being whacked with a mallet.” James looked around nervously, hoping Jessie hadn’t heard that.

Meowth got a crafty look on his face. “Hey, that’s it, we’ll make a bet. If I show up with Pikachu tonight, you have to kiss Jessie! Which you want to do anyway.”

James blushed. “Mind your own business! But since you’re not going to get your hands on the rat by yourself, it doesn’t matter.”

“So it’s a bet?”

James shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Fine. And if you fail, how about you wash our clothes yourself for a week.”

“Whatever, ‘cause I ain’t gonna lose.”

Later that night Jessie and James sat on the grass eating cold sandwiches and complaining.

Meowth looked up suddenly, winked at James, and said, “I got somethin’ I gotta go do.”

He snuck off, while Jessie gave both him and James an odd look. James didn’t explain however, and she went back to eating.

Meowth hiked a mile to where Ash, Misty and Brock were staying. They were already asleep, with Pikachu awake by Ash’s head.

Meowth hid behind a tree and threw a bottle of ketchup into the clearing, attached to a ball of string.

Pikachu looked up and ran over to the ketchup. He began sniffing at the bottle and trying to get it open. Slowly the bottle began to inch away from him. Confused, he followed.

Eventually he got behind the tree and saw Meowth. “Pika!” he yelled. (It’s a trick!)

As his cheeks began sparking, Meowth took a bigger bottle of ketchup out of a bag. “Hey, buddy, there’s more where this came from. What do you say we go visit Jessie and James?”

Pikachu looked suspicious, then shrugged. “Pi, pika chu, chu…” (I can always thundershock them if they try anything…)

Meowth looked nervous. “You would, wouldn’t you…Well, it’ll be worth the look on their faces when they see you. Especially James.”

“Pika?”

“Never mind… come on…”

Jessie and James dropped their sandwiches in shock when Meowth and Pikachu appeared. Pikachu smiled at them and continued drinking ketchup.

James walked up to Meowth and whispered to him. “Uh, Meowth, shouldn’t he be tied up or something? I mean how are we going to get him to the boss?”

“That’s your problem. Meanwhile, you lose the bet.”

“What do you mean that’s our problem?”

Meowth tapped his paw on the grass. “I’m waiting…”

“I didn’t say you could watch!”

“Then how will I know you really did it?”

“You’ll hear Jessie yell at me, then you’ll hear me yell when she hits me.”

“I hear that all the time.”

Finally Jessie walked over. “Look, what are you two talking about? Why aren’t you doing something to that Pikachu?”

Meowth glared at her. “Well, it seems to me he’ll stay with us at least until the ketchup runs out.”

“He’s got a point,” said James.

“So we’re going to drag him and a bottle of ketchup to the boss and say what?” asked Jessie.

James put on a goofy smile. “Hello, sir, would you like a Pikachu? Or perhaps some ketchup?”

“Get a life, James.”

They were still staring at Pikachu when Psyduck arrived.

Jessie, James and Meowth stared as Pikachu began sharing ketchup with Psyduck.

“Why did you let him follow you here,” grumbled James.

“I dunno, maybe he just smelled ketchup or something.”

Jessie peeked around a tree. “The twerps are following Psyduck…”

Ash ran into the clearing first.

“Prepare for trouble!” he shouted.

“Oh, shut up!” yelled Jessie.

“This isn’t supposed to work this way…” whined James.

Meanwhile Pikachu and Psyduck were struggling with Ash, Misty, and Brock, who had decided to handle the situation by grabbing the ketchup bottles.

Suddenly Pikachu began sparking his cheeks.

“Pi… ka… chu!” he shouted and Ash Misty and Brock went flying off.

“Looks like Team Twerp is blasting off again!” screamed James hysterically.

Pikachu and Psyduck were running in the direction of the flying twerps with Meowth’s bag of ketchup bottles but the three Rocket members were laughing too hard to care.

Still laughing, James went behind a tree. “Come here, Jessie,” he said.

“Why?” said Jessie, walking toward him.

“Come closer.”

“Huh?”

James leaned in toward her. “Um, you have something in your eye.”

“What?”

Finally James kissed her briefly on the lips.

Jessie looked surprised, but not furious. “What was that for?” she asked.

“Ummm, Meowth dared me.”

Jessie raised an eyebrow. “Oh really, and what else did he dare you to do?”

“Nothing. I think you were supposed to hit me in the head next, but can we skip that?”

“Only if you kiss me again.”

“No problem.”

Meowth peeked at them eventually, but he only kept laughing.