James polished his two-year-old motorcycle with care on that warm, summer night. He didn't usually ride it unless he and Jessie were in the mood to go out for a joyride. Just then, Jessie came outside. She obviously looked worried.

  "James, you have a phone call! It's from the boss!"

  "The boss?" said James. "Calling for me? Why, that's ridiculous! The boss would never call me! Besides, what could he possibly want to talk to me about?"

  "Go answer the phone and see," said Jessie. "You'll never know until you find out!"

  James was still confused, but he did as he was told and went to answer the phone. Giovanni was still on the other end, even though Jessie put him on hold before she went to fetch him.

  "Yes, sir? You wanted to speak to me?"

  "Yes, James," said Giovanni. "I did want to speak to you! But, I wish to do it in my office! Why don't you come down to the headquarters? We can have our conversation there!"

  "Sure thing, sir," said James. "I'll just tell Jessie and...."

  "No," said Giovanni, cutting the young Rocket off. "Come alone! Jessie mustn't know about this! I want to have a man-to-man talk with you, James! And don't worry, I'm not going to reprimand you, if that's what you're thinking! Just come on down to the headquarters! If Miranda gives you trouble, just ignore her! She hasn't been in the best of moods  lately, and quite frankly, I'm considering having her fired!"

  "Whatever you say, sir," said James. "I'll be right there!"
  "Excellent," said Giovanni. "I'll be expecting you!"

  After he hung up with Giovanni, James felt a feeling of uncertainty inside him. Usually, he and Jessie went to the headquarters together, but now, he was told to come alone. It wasn't like Giovanni to tell him that. Nevertheless, he did as he was told and changed out of his greasy clothes and into his Team Rocket uniform. As he was about to leave, he ran into Jessie.

  "What was that about?"
  "The boss wants to see me," said James. "I'll be back soon!"
  "Without me?" said Jessie. "Can't I come along?"

  "Not this time, Jess," said James, hugging her. "I'm afraid that he wants to talk to me this time! I'll fill you in when I get back! Maybe I can even tell you over a candlelit dinner, how's that sound?"

  "I'd like that," said Jessie. "Just be careful! Even though your motorcycle was Stan's last gift to you, you'll never know what can happen on the road!"

  James nodded and after kissing her tenderly, he got his helmet on, go on his motorcycle, and rode off. Jessie went back inside only to be greeted by Meowth, who noticed how jittery she was.

  "What's wrong, Jess?"

  "Meowth," said Jessie. "I'm worried about James! The boss called and said that he wanted to talk to him alone! I don't like this one bit! The boss never sees us separately!"

  "I don't like it either," said Meowth. "It's almost as if the boss has somethin' evil up his sleeve! But, then against, he always has somethin' evil up his sleeve!"

  "Meowth," said Jessie. "I want you to follow James! You know, to see what this little meeting is about! I have this feeling that something bad is going to happen!"

  "Why can't you do it?"

  "He'll get suspicious if I did," said Jessie. "Please, Meowth? You're the only one of us clever enough to actually follow someone without being seen!"

  "All right," said Meowth. "I just hope you know what you're doin', Jess! I mean, sendin' me after your boyfriend is kinda sneaky, don't you think?"

  "Just follow him," said Jessie. "I'd feel better knowing that at least someone is making sure that nothing bad happens to him!" Then, quickly, she added, "And whatever you do, don't let him see you! Otherwise, you'll blow your cover!"

  "I won't let him see me," said Meowth. "I've got catlike agility and mobility, which enable me to hide very quickly before anyone notices me!  You can count on me, Jessie!"

  Then, the cat went off to follow James. After he left, Jessie went to the bedroom and laid down on the bed in fetal position. She was doubly worried now, especially since she didn't know what it was that Giovanni had planned.

  Meanwhile, James pulled up at the Team Rocket headquarters, which was located about two blocks down the street from the apartment complex. He parked his motorcycle in the parking lot, got off, and started walking toward the entrance, little knowing that Meowth was following him. The cat was determined not to be noticed, especially when he promised Jessie that he'd be extra careful just before he left.

  The young Rocket then boarded the elevator and rode it to the thirteenth floor, where Giovanni's office was located. Miranda gave him a nasty look, but James ignored it. Seeing that the door was open, he walked right on. Giovanni saw him coming and smiled. His Persian rubbed up against James's leg affectionately and purred happily, which was very unusual, even for Persian.

  "I've been expecting you, my boy," said Giovanni. "As I mentioned to you on the phone, there was something that I wanted to talk to you about! Is that correct?"

  "It is, sir," said James, taking a seat in one of the chairs. "But, what exactly was it you wished to tell me?"

  "I've seen the way you battle, James," said Giovanni. "And even though you're not very good in that category, I'm willing to see your skills in person! In other words, I want you to battle for me!"

  "Battle?" said James. "With whom? One of your agents? They'd massacre me if that was the case!"
  "No, dear boy," said Giovanni. "The person I want you to battle with is that lovely partner of yours!"
  James became scared. "Jessie?"
  "That's right," said Giovanni. "I want you to battle with Jessie!  She's the perfect opponent for you!"
  "But, sir," said James. "I can't battle with Jessie! I love her too much to ever hurt her Pokemon!"

  Giovanni's smile was reduced to an angry, threatening glare. "Refuse me and I'll kill the both of you! Your very lives depend on this match!  If you win, I'll be generous and spare you! However, should you lose, then you'll die! Or, maybe even worse!"

  "H-How m-much worse?"

  "I'll send you back to your family's estate," said Giovanni. "And you'll marry your fiancee and never see your precious Jessie again! Is this in any way unclear?"

  "N-No," said James. "I-I understand perfectly, sir!"

  "Good," said Giovanni. "Now, you'd better get out of here before I change my mind! Leave my sight immediately! And by the way, the match is set for tomorrow morning!"

  Panicky, James rushed out of the office, went down to the lobby, exited the building, and sped away on his motorcycle. Meowth, who had overheard the whole thing from his hiding place in the air vents, was literally scared out of his feline mind.

  "The boss is gonna make Jessie and James battle with each other," he said to himself. "And their lives are ridin' on it! Oh, God, this is just awful!"

  James arrived at the apartment complex before Meowth did and was back in the safety of the apartment in a flash. Jessie came out of the bedroom to find him on the couch, crying his eyes out.

  "James?" she said. "What's wrong?"

  "The boss told me that I was to battle against you," said James. "And our lives are depending on it! He threatened to kill us both if I refused! So, I had no choice but to obey!"

  "Battle against me?" said Jessie. "When?"
 
  "Tomorrow," said James. "If I lose, I'll be sent back to my parents, and they'll make me marry Jessibell! I'll never see you again!"

  "I guess we have no choice then," said Jessie. "If the boss wants us to battle each other, then we'll have to show him what battlers we are!  In order to save our lives, we have to do whatever the boss says!"

  All night, the two young Rockets laid in each other's arms, as if it were the last night they were going to be together. Meowth had gotten back just seconds after James did and was very concerned indeed.

  The next day, Jessie and James reported to the stadium that Giovanni had set up. Both of them were nervous, but they knew that they had no choice. So, when the bell rang, the battle began. Jessie sent out Arbok, and James sent out Weezing. Both Pokemon battled valiantly, and for some reason, Arbok let Weezing beat her by only using weak attacks. The next battle was Lickitung versus Victreebel. Victreebel defeated Lickitung by hitting her with a few Razor Leaf blows. Jessie then sadly called her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs. Giovanni was impressed.

  "I guess you two have what it takes," he said with a sigh. "But, that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you off that easy!"

  Taking out a knife, Giovanni lunged toward James. Before he could attack, Jessie pushed her lover out of the way, which caused her hair to be sliced off by the sharp knife. Seeing this happen, James got revenge on Jessie's haircut by shooting Giovanni in his arm before anything worse could happen to Jessie.

  "Are you all right?"
  "I'm fine," said Jessie. "Thanks to you!"
  "Come on," said James, scooping Jessie off her feet. "Let's go home before something worse happens!"

  Then, after a tender kiss, the two young Rockets go on James's motorcycle and rode away from the stadium, having proven that they were stronger than Giovanni.