"Stupid bird bath," Dyani mumbled, kicking aimlessly at a rotting orange laying on the ground in her backyard. Her mom's exact words had been, 'go and put water in your bird bath before those poor things die of thirst!'

Dyani wondered bitterly how the birds had managed to survive before she'd gotten the bird bath. But suddenly, something she saw out of the corner of her eye caused her to forget her annoyance and stop in her tracks.

There, between her dad's old shed and a huge oak tree, in a beat-up and all-but-forgotten hammock, lay Team Rocket: Jessi, James and Meowth.

Dyani took off her glasses, cleaned them frantically, put them back on and looked again. They were still there. She began hyperventilating, dropped the hose she'd been carrying, and ran around in circles shreiking like mad.

After a moment or two of this, she managed to calm down. If that could have described it. Basically she stopped screaming and began to breathe normally again. Her heart was still beating abnormally fast, though, as she approached the three, apparently asleep in the hammock.

As she got closer, Dyani could see that they looked pretty beat up. Jessi and James were hugging. A kind of shippiness high came over Dyani and she giggled suddenly, a very uncharacteristic thing for her to do. She clamped a hand over her mouth suddenly - she had woken up Meowth!

For a moment, she fought the urge to grab the Pokemon and hug him, as she had in a few fanfics she'd written. But she knew that if this wasn't a dream, as she hoped it wasn't, she had to ty to stay calm. It was hard, however, when her biggest heroes were right in front of her, something that she'd thought was impossible.

Meowth blinked a few times. "Hey!" he exclaimed upon seeing Dyani. "What are you doin' here?"

Dyani couldn't help herself. She dropped to her knees, bowing almost reverently before answering. "I don't think you knew this, and I don't mind, really, but you're in my yard. You're welcome to stay!" she chirped at a second thought.

Meowth was quite pleased and surprised that this girl seemed to adore him so much. He grinned and woke up his friends by jumping on their stomachs.

The two sat up, yawning and mumbling in annoyance at being disturbed. Meowth, Dyani noticed, didn't seem concerned by this. "Look, youse two! Dis girl says we're in her yard!" The cat Pokemon pointed to Dyani with one claw. She was still bowing, but looked up when Jessi and James looked at her. Her heart leapt - they looked the same as on TV!

"Little girl," Jessi wheedled, interrupting Dyani's thoughts. "Do you happen to know which way we'd go to get to Pallet Town?"

Dyani stood up. "Um, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you aren't in Kan-... oh wait, that's way too overdone..."

"Huh?" all three asked in unison.

"Never mind. But I don't think you are where you think you are."

"Where are we, then?" James asked, confused.

"In the United States, in Florida, in my backyard, in a hammock," she replied, saluting as if she were reporting to them.

James and Meowth laughed, but Jessi wasn't as amused. "So how'd we get here?"

Meowth put a paw to his forehead, thinking. "What was we doin' before we woke up?"

"Sleeping?" James suggested, earning a whack from Jessi. Dyani cringed at this, wondering if, since this wasn't anime, he would actually be hurt, but apparently he was able to bounce back as usual.

"Meowth means, what was the last thing you remember? I mean, I don't remember getting in this hammock," Jessi explained.

"Were you trying to get Pikachu?" Dyani asked meekly. The three stared at her for a moment.

"Actually... I do remember a new plan to get Pikachu..." James said thoughtfully. His friends nodded.

"But how'd ya know dat?" Meowth asked Dyani curiously. She shrugged, blushing. "Long story..."

"What's your name?" Jessi asked her a bit grudgingly, standing from the hammock. Dyani grinned at her despite her tone.

"I'm Dyani. And I know who you guys are - you're my heroes!! You're the best Team Rocket agents ever!! Lots of people think so," she added, remembering all of the people on the internet who loved Team Rocket as much as she did.

The Pokemon theives looked excitedly at each other. "I always knew we'd be famous!" James joyfully said.

"Dey love us!" crowed Meowth.

Jessi was grinning despite herself. "So, you admire our amazing skill at stealing Pokemon, making up elaborate plans, and just general evilness?" she asked Dyani.

"Well, yeah, but mostly 'cuz of the underlying hints of roman- umm... You know, we still didn't figure out how you got here!!" Dyani finished overenthusiastically, trying to cover up her near-mistake. Her heroes didn't seem to notice. Dyani silently thanked The Guy Who Created Anime for making the characters conveniently overlook awkward things that were said.

"So we tried to get Pikachu," Meowth began. "And... it didn't work. Pikachu..."

"...blasted us off," they finished together, sighing.

"Don't worry!" Dyani said happily. "Always keep trying!" Dyani wouldn't be able to live knowing she'd been responsible for Team Rocket's removal from the show. If they gave up on Pikachu, they might not be included anymore.

The trio perked up. "So," Jessi began, "we must have landed here after blasting off. Right?"

"Um... no." Dyani didn't really know how to tell them that they weren't in their own world anymore. "Look... I think Pikachu must have, umm... blasted you into the future." She thought about that for a moment as she let it sink in. It actually made sense. "That's it! See, that's how I know who you are!"

They stared blankly. "The future?" they asked in unison. Dyani nodded vigorously, hoping they'd believe her and noticing at the same time that they seemed to speak in unison even more than on TV.

"How'll we get back, then?" James asked, suddenly close to tears in an anime-type fashion. Jessi put an arm around him inconspicuously, but Dyani noticed. She thought, excitedly, that she was the only one who'd seen that subtly shippy moment.

"Well, if you got here through electricity, electricity should get you back."

"Do ya have a Pikachu, den?" Meowth asked excitedly.

"Ah... no. We'll have to wait 'til the thunderstorm this afternoom."

"How do you know it'll rain?" Jessi asked doubtfully.

Dyani shrugged. "Hey, it's Florida and it's summer. If there isn't a drought, then there's a thunderstorm every afternoon."

"Then I guess we have to wait," sighed James.

Dyani made them all peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. She told her mom she was feeding the birds, and she wasn't questioned. She'd told Team Rocket to stay outside, because she didn't know how her parents would react to her entertaining cartoon villains as lunch guests. Also, she didn't want her brother knowing about this.

The four sat in the shade of the oak tree, eating their sandwiches and talking while they watched dark clouds gather overhead. Dyani asked many fascinated questions about Pokemon, so Jessi and James let out Arbok, Lickitung, Weezing and Victreebel so that she could meet them. They were appalled that there were no Pokemon around in the "future".

"So what happened to all the Pokemon?" James asked.

"I don't know," Dyani said, half-truthfully. "They just aren't around anymore."

Meowth shuddered. "How far in da future are we?" Dyani could only shake her head.

"So, what's in our future, Dyani?" Jessi asked. "What's gonna happen to us? Will we ever get Pikachu?"

"I don't remember," Dyani lied. So far she didn't know of any upcoming episodes where Pikachu was caught permanently, and she wasn't sure what episode they had been in when they were blasted here.

Meowth snickered. "Do these two loveboids eva get togetha?" he whispered, so that only Dyani could hear. She laughed, thinking of the pictures from the Pokemon manga that were hung on her bedroom door.

"Do they ever!" she giggled. Jessi and James looked puzzled, and Meowth was rolling on the ground with laughter.

"It's nothing," Dyani said, holding up her hands and attempting to calm down. "Meowth, don't you tell!" The cat Pokemon was barely able to nod through his laughter.

Another conversation they had concerned why Dyani liked them so much.

"I mean, we always lose... at least so far we do," James amended. "But what do we ever do to make you like us so much?"

"Well, you're just... well... let's see..." Dyani couldn't say anything about the fact that Jessi and James looked so good together, lest she tempt Jessi's wrath.

"You're just such a good team," she finally said. "You work so well together. And you never give up. I admire that. Oh, and I love your Pokemon!" she finished, waving a hand toward the assortment of Pokemon. "These are my favorites! I wish I had Pokemon as cool as yours. Actually, I wish I had any Pokemon at all." Dyani was depressed by now.

"Well, maybe dey'll come back someday," Meowth said comfortingly, putting a paw on Dyani's shoulder. Dyani smiled at him. She certainly hoped that would happen, but seeing as this wasn't really the future Pokemon world, it wasn't likely.

They also talked about music. Dyani brought her little crummy radio out and they listened to a modern music station. Jessi liked it, but James and Meowth couldn't stand it. The only song that they all liked was "All Star" by Smash Mouth.

"Whoa, dis is a good one!" Meowth said, listening to the lyrics. "I like dis song! It's got a good sound."

"And the lyrics are cool, too," James added.

"This should be our theme song!" Jessi told her partners. They very enthusiastically agreed.

"Wait just a minute!" Dyani told them, excitedly. She ran into her house, grabbed her Smash Mouth CD and a blank tape, and recorded "All Star" for her friends. She ran back out with the tape in hand.

"Here!" she said triumphantly, handing the tape to Jessi. "Play it next time you attack the twerps. Maybe it'll give you the confidence you need to win!" Jessi smiled and gratefully put the tape away, in an invisible pocket somewhere. Dyani wondered for a moment how Jessi did that, and considered asking, but decided against it.

"I'm sure the twerps will be surprised when they hear this instead of our old music," James smirked. "Maybe they'll be so surprised that we'll be able to get away with Pikachu before they recover."

"Uh-huh," Dyani said sarcastically. "Slim chance. But it sounds cool anyway!"

They chatted on for quite a while. Finally, as Dyani was stroking Arbok and listening intently to Team Rocket's description of their last encounter with the twerps and all the stupid things Ash had said and done, thunder boomed in the distance.

"Oh, no," Dyani moaned. "Do you really have to go?"

"Well, we do if we ever want to capture Pikachu," James said sadly, getting up from the hammock.

Jessi and Meowth did the same. "Right. We'd better get ready, or we'll miss the lightning," Jessi sighed.

"You sure dis is gonna work?" Meowth asked Dyani. She only shook her head.

"It's the only way I can possibly think of. And besides, it always works on TV," she said, unable to hide a grin. Her friends smiled at her joke as well, but didn't get the entire significance of it. Dyani frowned again. "I'm really gonna miss you guys."

"We'll miss you too," James told her. She gingerly stepped toward him, unsure of how to say goodbye. James hugged her slightly, in a friendly way, and she hugged back, relieved. Dyani then turned to Jessi.

"Thanks for your help," Jessi said sincerely. The girls shook hands, smiling at each other. Meowth leaped onto Dyani's shoulder, and she laughed. "Goodbye, Meowth!" she said fondly, scratching the Pokemon behind the ears as he purred happily.

Lightning flashed in the sky, a warning for them to hurry up. Dyani sighed and fought back tears. How she wished they could stay! But she couldn't be that selfish. A thought suddenly occurred to her... as long as she wasn't being selfish, she could do the world a favor.

"Jessi? Can you come here for a second?" Dyani asked, motioning toward a spot on the other side of the small shed. Jessi was puzzled, but followed obligingly.

"What is it?" the redhead asked.

"Would you mind doing me a favor?"

Jessi raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess I do owe you one. It depends on what you want."

Dyani stood on tiptoe and whispered something in Jessi's ear. The older girl's eyes went wide.

"Wha... how did you... why do you..." Jessi was too shocked to form a sentence, let alone be angry.

"Please?" Dyani begged, brown eyes pleading. "It would... make history. Definitely. Your thousands... no, probably millions of fans are counting on you!!" Jessi was wavering. "Besides," Dyani ventured, "you know you want to. You aren't afraid, are you?"

That did it. Jessi sighed, defeated. Dyani clasped her hands and started jumping up and down.

"When should I do this? If I decide to, that is," Jessi warned.

"Next time you fight the twerps," Dyani said, grinning uncontrollably.

"Okay... you'd better be right about this..."

"This is the future, remember? I know I'm right."

Thunder crashed again, closer this time. The girls went back to James and Meowth. "What was dat about?" Meowth asked.

"Nothing," both girls answered, glancing nervously at James. He, however, didn't notice.

"Now, if you just stand right by this tree..." Dyani had to stop talking for a moment to get her voice back under control. "Oh, I'm really never going to forget this!!" she exclaimed, overwhelmed with sadness.

"Here," James said gently, handing her a small white box. "It's a present - our thanks for your help." Dyani took it gratefully. "Now we have to go," he sighed, pocketing Weezing and Victreebel's Pokeballs. Jessi had just recalled Arbok and Lickitung.

"Maybe we'll see ya again," Meowth told Dyani, hopefully.

"You guys are just as awesome as I imagined," Dyani whispered. "Goodbye!"

"Bye!" they called. Dyani backed away. She knew, at least, that they wouldn't be hurt by the lightning, but she wasn't an anime character, so she'd have to get far away.

She saw the lightning strike. One second, Jessi, James and Meowth were there, and the next second they weren't. Only charred grass remained where they'd been standing. Dyani let a tear fall and walked back into her house.

Dyani sat down at her computer, wiping away a tear for the tenth time since her friends had gone. She hoped they were safely back home. She hoped that, by the miracle of anime, the tape she'd given Jessi still worked. And most of all, she hoped she'd see the results of Jessi's promise in the next day's new episode.

Dyani clicked on the Internet Explorer icon on her computer's Desktop. He friends from the message board she frequented probably wouldn't believe her experience, but she had to share it with fellow Poke-fans. And besides, it would at least make a good fanfic.

The next morning was a Saturday. Dyani woke up a little later than usual. She rolled over in bed and saw the box Team Rocket had given her. Then it hadn't been a dream... She opened the box. Inside was a rose, obviously from James, that Dyani was pleased to note hadn't wilted at all, due to its anime-ness. Beneath that was a gold charm, exactly the same as Meowth had on his forehead. Dyani took both of these items out and laid them on her bed.

What she saw left in the box caused her to gasp in shock. It was a Pokeball. Did it... did it have a Pokemon inside? Dyani picked up the ball with a shaking hand. She pushed the button on the front as she had seen trainers on Pokemon do. Then she gingerly tossed it onto her bed.

Red light appeared from the ball, slowly materializing into the shape of a Pokemon. Dyani's heart beat wildly as she recognized the creature as one from the new Gold and Silver games. She knew it as Cyndaquil, the starter Fire type. It was sleeping, but very obviously real and alive.

A sound jarred her from her shock, and she quickly recalled the Pokemon, also as she'd seen on TV. "All Star" by Smash Mouth was playing in her living room.

From the TV.

Dyani flew out of bed and ran into her living room. Her brother was on the couch watching the new episode of Pokemon.

"Whoa! How come they have this song on?" he asked, amazed. Dyani didn't answer.

On the screen, Team Rocket was attacking the twerps. Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt. In a sequence of unbelievable events, Jessi pulled James out of the path of the blast. Jessi and James were both caught off guard when they ended up practically in each others' arms, blushing furiously and staring into each others' eyes.

"Jessi..." James began nervously, but Jessi wasn't paying attention. She slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips to James'.

Dyani, still in her cat-pattern pajamas, in the middle of her living room, squealed ecstatically and began jumping up and down. Now on the screen, Ash and the other twerps were shocked by the display of emotion. Meowth was grinning in a knowing way. And in the background, the last part of "All Star" played. As it ended, the screen showed Jessi and James finally breaking their kiss.

Dyani nearly fell down from her excitement. All over the world, people watched with the same absolute shock as she had. This included the people from the message board, whom Dyani had told of her encounter. They hadn't believed her, but now... They were rethinking their opinions.

Later, after the episode was long over, Dyani went back into her room and locked the door. She picked up James' rose and sniffed it; it smelled as fresh as if it'd just been picked. Meowth's gold charm glittered in the light streaming in from her window.

Dyani picked up the Pokeball Jessi had given her, and looked at it. She had told Jessi how much she wished she could have a Pokemon. Jessi could have kept this and given it to the Boss, but instead she'd given it to her. She tossed the Pokeball, and Cyndaquil reappeared. It was awake this time, and it regarded Dyani curiously before approaching her and curling up into her lap. It was obviously a baby.

Dyani pet the Pokemon with a trembling hand. It didn't feel hot at all. It must trust me, Dyani realized, smiling.

"Thanks, you guys," Dyani whispered into the silence of her room. "I hope I'll get a chance to meet you again, and I hope you know how grateful I am.

"You think Dyani liked our present?" James asked Jessi. It was now evening. They had left the twerps in permanent shock and decided to forget about Pikachu for the day so that Jessi and James could spend time together.

"I think she did," Meowth said happily, curled up beside his friends, who were cuddling beside their campfire.

"I think," Jessi murmured, putting her arms around James, "that Dyani gave us a better present than we could ever give her."

James and Meowth didn't know quite what she meant by that, but were more than willing to agree.