A White Tomorrow [A Team Rocket Fanfiction]

Chapter 11

"Good morning guys," Ash greeted the next morning as Jessie, James, and Meowth walked into the kitchen. The boy poured some milk into a bowl of cereal before sitting down at a table beside Brock and Pikachu.

"Hey," Jessie greeted back, and James, who still wasn't much of a morning person, just waved a hand to the kids in response.

"I made some coffee if you guys want any," Brock offered and pointed to the counter nearby. "It's black coffee, though. We ran out of regular."

Jessie walked over to grab a cup as James sat down at the table. "Perfect, just how I like it."

"She likes her coffee as dark as her personality," Meowth commented as he watched the steam rise from the mug. Jessie gave him a look and pushed him off the counter before grabbing some creamer and shaking it in front of his face to make a point.

"Light and soft-hearted, sounds about right," James said and briefly lifted his head from the table, only to receive a glare from the woman too. He just smiled back in return before putting his head in his arms again.

Once she was finished Jessie sat down beside them and looked at the empty chair beside Ash. "Hey, where's Misty?"

"She went out with her sisters around town. Gym leader business or something," Ash answered with slight hesitation and set his spoon down back into his bowl. Jessie just shrugged and nodded in response as she took a sip, and looked back at Ash and Brock when they didn't do or say anything.

"Is... something wrong?"

Ash opened his mouth and looked away for a moment "Uh- no. Nothing bad, we were just thinking..."

Jessie eyed him warily. "About what?"

"Well... we've been here for quite a while, and I'd like at least two months of training with all my badges before entering the league-"

"And you want to go to Viridian now," Jessie finished for him.

Ash and Brock both gave her a sorry look, and Ash tried to ease a little of the idea. "But you don't have to come with us! We're not going right now, we can still wait a little while longer. And since you've stayed here for so long, you can just stick with Misty's sisters until we get back!"

"You're all going?" James asked, finally managing to keep his head up to listen in on the conversation.

"Yeah," Brock answered, "Cerulean's pretty safe, we haven't seen Team Rocket for a while-"

"Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't here," Jessie said, a little more fearfully than she'd like. "They're everywhere. And Misty's sisters are about as helpful as a trio of skitties!"

Brock's jaw dropped at the insult, but he shook it off. "You don't have to get worked up now, nothing's set in stone. I don't know why you wouldn't want to stay with Violet, Lily, and Daisy, though, I'd love to stay with them for an extra week! Actually, Ash, I can stay behind and-"

"Guess who's baack?" Misty sang and poked her head through the doorway.

"Who?" Ash asked, making the second redhead in the room now irritated. He silently thanked her for interrupting Brock.