On the outskirts of Saffron City, in the Kanto region.
"Damn it! That Pikachu got away again!"
A furious roar full of resentment suddenly rang out from a deserted alley.
With her long red hair a tangled mess, Jessie sat fuming by the roadside, her once-white Team Rocket uniform now covered in dust.
Beside her, James held his lower back, grimacing in pain.
"This is all your fault, Jessie! I told you that capture device hadn't been tested, but you insisted on using it to catch Pikachu!"
"What did you say?!"
Jessie whipped her head around.
"You were the one in charge of building it! Of course it's your fault if something went wrong!"
"But you were the one who pressed the start button!"
"How dare you talk back?!"
As the two looked ready to start arguing again, Meowth, who was crouching nearby, finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Enough, meow!"
He extended a paw and slapped the ground in irritation.
"What's the point of arguing about this now? Pikachu's already long gone, and we haven't even had lunch, meow!"
At the word "lunch," Jessie and James fell silent at the same time.
Grrrrumble-
Someone's stomach growled first, though it was hard to tell whose.
Immediately afterward, the other two's stomachs joined in.
The three exchanged looks.
Finally, James sighed.
"Forget it. Let's find somewhere to rest first."
As it happened, they had originally come up with a rather perfect plan for today.
While that twerp named Ash was resting by the roadside with Pikachu, they would secretly set up a capture device, then whisk Pikachu away in one go.
For this operation, James had even spent an entire night making a metal trap that could automatically contract.
But the moment the device started up, it emitted a cloud of black smoke because the wiring was wrong.
Not only had they failed to catch Pikachu, they had also given away their own position.
What happened next went without saying.
With a Thunderbolt from Pikachu, the three once again experienced a free flight.
By the time they finally landed on the outskirts of Saffron City, even the money they had on them had disappeared who knew where.
"It's all that twerp's fault!"
The more Jessie thought about it, the angrier she became.
"One day, I'm definitely going to steal his Pikachu!"
"Meow! You've said that plenty of times already!"
"What did you say?!"
"N-nothing, meow!"
Meowth hurriedly shut his mouth.
The three walked along the street for quite a while before finally finding a small restaurant beside a shopping street.
The restaurant wasn't large, with a few tables set out by the entrance and a rack holding newspapers and magazines in the corner.
The aroma of food drifted through the air.
Jessie's eyes lit up the moment she stepped inside.
"That smells so good!"
James felt around in his pockets, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Um... Jessie."
"What?"
"We don't seem to have much money left."
The smile vanished from Jessie's face.
"What?!"
Meowth hurriedly rummaged through his backpack.
After searching for ages, he found only a few scattered League coins.
The three stared at that meager sum in silence for a long while.
In the end, they ordered only the cheapest set meal and three glasses of plain water.
"Why does a lady like me have to live like this?!"
Jessie slumped over the table, looking as though she had nothing left to live for.
James divided their few pieces of bread into three portions, accepting reality rather quickly.
"At least we have something to eat."
"Meow..."
Meowth chewed his bread, his eyes wandering around the restaurant.
As a Pokémon who could speak human language, one of his greatest everyday pleasures was studying all sorts of novel things humans made.
Just then, he noticed the magazine rack nearby.
In its most prominent spot sat a manga magazine with a beautifully designed cover.
"Shonen Adventure."
Meowth had only meant to give it a casual glance, but the Pokémon on the cover soon caught his attention.
"Huh?"
He jumped off his chair, ran over to the magazine rack, and pulled out the manga.
In the center of the cover, a boy wearing a red cap stood among several Pokémon, poised for battle.
Beside him were several large, eye-catching words.
"Pokémon Adventures"!
"A Pokémon manga?"
Meowth immediately became interested.
"Meow! Even Pokémon get to be manga protagonists now?"
He carried the magazine back to his seat and eagerly began flipping through it.
Jessie glanced at it with a look of disdain.
"Meowth, since when did you start liking this stuff for little kids?"
"Exactly."
James casually agreed as he ate his bread.
"You'd be better off spending that time thinking about how to catch Pikachu."
"What do you two know, meow!"
Meowth didn't even look up.
"There might be some powerful Pokémon tactics in here that we could use against the twerp!"
At that, James became somewhat interested.
"Really?"
"We'll find out if we read it, meow!"
And so, a man and a cat huddled together and began reading the manga intently.
At first, Jessie thought nothing of it.
But before long, she heard James suddenly cry out in surprise.
"Huh?!"
"What is it?"
"Jessie, come take a look!"
"What is it now?"
Jessie leaned over impatiently.
Then she froze too.
In the manga, a group of people in black uniforms stood inside a Secret Base.
Printed prominently on the chests of those uniforms was a striking letter.
R!
All three lowered their heads at the same time and looked at their own clothes.
Then they looked back up at the manga.
Finally, Meowth was the first to shout.
"Team Rocket?!"
"There's actually a Team Rocket in this manga too, meow!"
Jessie snatched the magazine and began examining it closely.
The more she read, the more excited she looked.
"Hahaha! Look, their uniforms are almost exactly like ours!"
"They really are!"
James leaned closer and pointed at the Team Rocket members in the panels.
"And they actually have such a huge Secret Base!"
"And so many powerful Pokémon!"
Meowth's eyes shone as he read too.
The Team Rocket in the manga was tightly organized and possessed all kinds of advanced equipment, and its members wore serious expressions when carrying out missions, looking very professional.
Especially those Team Rocket executives.
Each looked more imposing than the last!
Staring at the panels, Jessie couldn't help looking envious.
"How nice..."
James glanced at her.
"What's wrong?"
"Just look at them!"
Jessie pointed at the Team Rocket executives in the manga.
"They're in Team Rocket too, but look how impressive they are when they make an entrance!"
"They have a whole crowd of subordinates following them, and even a dedicated Secret Base!"
As she spoke, she looked down at the pitiful piece of bread in front of her.
Her expression immediately darkened.
"Now look at us!"
James laughed awkwardly.
"Haha... at least our uniforms are more distinctive."
"What good does that do?!"
Jessie slapped the table in anger.
"I want a promotion! A promotion, understand?!"
"Meow! Stop slapping the table! You're going to spill the water!"
Meowth hurriedly protected the glasses on the table.
James, however, suddenly noticed something interesting.
"Wait, Jessie."
"What now?"
"Don't you think the Team Rocket in this manga would be perfect for promoting our organization?"
Jessie paused.
"Promoting?"
"That's right!"
The more James thought about it, the more sense it made to him.
"Look how powerful Team Rocket is in the manga! If we let everyone see these exciting stories, more people are sure to learn about us!"
Jessie's eyes lit up.
"That makes sense!"
She abruptly stood up and planted both hands on her hips.
"I never would have thought it, James! Even you come up with a smart suggestion once in a while!"
"What do you mean, once in a while...?"
"Maybe we can even use this manga to make Team Rocket more famous!"
Listening to their discussion, Meowth couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"But we're a secret organization to begin with, meow..."
A secret organization doing publicity?
What would be secret about that anymore?
Jessie, however, clearly hadn't considered that much.
She had already begun imagining whether, if Team Rocket became a household name, she would receive attention too as an outstanding member.
Maybe someday there would even be a manga starring the great Jessie herself!
At the thought, Jessie couldn't help laughing aloud.
"Ohohoho!"
"That's a pretty good idea!"
James nodded along.
"It'd be even better if they drew us into the manga."
"Yes, exactly!"
Jessie immediately perked up.
"When that happens, I absolutely have to be the most important character!"
"What about me?"
"You can be my underling!"
"Why should I?!"
Seeing the two about to start arguing again, Meowth hurriedly turned a page.
"Stop arguing, you two, meow!"
"Look here!"
In the picture, a middle-aged man in a suit sat behind a large desk.
The man had an imposing expression and a sharp gaze, with a languid-looking Persian lying at his feet.
In front of him, several Team Rocket executives were reporting on their missions with their heads lowered.
The whole image exuded an oppressive air.
Meowth stared at the picture for several seconds.
Then his eyes suddenly went wide.
"Meow?!"
"Th-this person..."
James leaned over, puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
Meowth was so excited he nearly dropped the magazine on the floor.
"Look!"
"Isn't that the boss?!"
Jessie and James both froze.
The two hurriedly leaned over the manga, carefully examining the man in the picture.
That familiar face.
That familiar suit.
And that signature Persian.
"Boss Giovanni?!"
Jessie couldn't help exclaiming.
James's mouth fell open too.
"It really is! They even drew Persian!"
The three huddled around the magazine, looking it over several times.
They truly hadn't expected the real leader of Team Rocket to appear in a manga they had happened to pick up.
And he was drawn so vividly!
Meowth even felt that Giovanni in the picture looked a little more imposing than he usually did in person.
"Meow! This manga artist is amazing!"
Jessie nodded repeatedly too.
"Exactly! Look at the boss's eyes! So commanding!"
"And all these executives are so respectful toward him."
James looked deeply impressed.
"That's our boss for you!"
But after flipping through a few pages, he grew a little puzzled.
"Wait, how does this manga artist know about Boss Giovanni?"
Meowth paused.
"Oh, right, meow."
Although they knew Giovanni was Team Rocket's leader, ordinary people shouldn't have known his true identity.
Jessie, however, waved a hand dismissively.
"What's so strange about that?"
"It's manga! Of course they can make up whatever stories they want!"
"Maybe the author just thought Boss Giovanni would make a great big shot and drew him in!"
James thought it over and felt that seemed reasonable.
Meowth didn't look into it any further either.
In any case, Team Rocket looked very impressive in the manga.
Just looking at those beautiful pictures made him imagine himself becoming a high-ranking Team Rocket executive someday.
"Wait, meow!"
Meowth suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"I've got a great idea!"
Jessie and James both turned to him.
"What?"
Meowth excitedly held up the magazine.
"We can give this manga to Boss Giovanni, meow!"
"Give it to the boss?"
"Yes!"
Meowth grew more excited as he spoke.
"Think about it! The boss is so busy with work, he must hardly ever have time to read manga!"
"If we send him this manga showing his heroic image, he'll definitely be delighted!"
Jessie's eyes gradually lit up.
James couldn't help smiling too.
"That's right!"
"And it'll prove we're always thinking of the boss!"
"Maybe he'll be so happy that he'll give us promotions and raises!"
At the words "promotions and raises," Jessie immediately slapped the table and sprang to her feet.
"That's what we'll do!"
She could practically see herself in a high-ranking executive's uniform, standing at Team Rocket headquarters to receive a commendation.
James started fantasizing too.
If Boss Giovanni was satisfied, he might even reward them with some operational funds.
Then they wouldn't have to worry about putting food on the table every day!
Meowth's thoughts went straight to that Persian.
"Hehehe!"
"Once the boss sees what I've done, maybe he'll value me even more, meow!"
At the thought of regaining Giovanni's affection, Meowth couldn't even keep his tail from curling upward.
The more the three thought about it, the more excited they became.
They even began discussing which wrapping paper would make the gift look more luxurious.
However, just then.
The restaurant owner suddenly walked over.
"Um... excuse me."
"Hmm?"
Jessie turned her head.
The owner pointed at the manga on the table.
"This magazine is here for our customers to read. You can't take it away."
All three froze.
They looked down at the magazine, then back at the owner.
After a moment of silence, James gave an awkward laugh.
"Hahaha, of course we know."
"We're just borrowing it for a look..."
Once the owner left, Jessie immediately lowered her voice.
"What do we do? We can't take this one!"
Meowth thought for a moment.
"Then we'll buy a new copy at a bookstore, meow!"
"But we don't have any money!"
James spread his hands.
The three fell silent again.
After a long while, Jessie suddenly gritted her teeth.
"Oh, fine!"
"What's a little investment if it gets us promoted?!"
"We'll go work some part-time jobs later and earn enough to buy the manga first!"
James and Meowth looked miserable at her words.
More part-time work?!
Still, at the thought of the generous rewards they might receive in the future, they ultimately gritted their teeth and agreed.
That evening.
In a bookstore in Saffron City, three grimy figures finally scraped together enough money to buy a brand-new copy of Shonen Adventure.
Jessie carefully slipped the magazine into a bag, as though it contained some precious treasure.
James had already started looking into how to send the manga to Team Rocket headquarters.
As for Meowth.
He was hugging the magazine, admiring Giovanni's image with an enraptured expression.
"Hehehe!"
"We've really made a great contribution this time, meow!"
Jessie and James laughed along.
The three exchanged glances, as though they could already see a wonderful future of promotions and raises.
Meowth even held up the manga smugly.
"The boss will definitely be happy to see himself looking so impressive in a manga, meow!"