Author Notes:
Clio-name of the Greek muse of history. Muses were considered to be the very best in their practice/field and challenging them ultimately leads to defeat.
Hill of Laurel- based off of La Bastille, which is the largest tourist site in Grenoble.
Laurel museum- based off of Grenoble Archaeological Museum, which is at the foot of the famous site La Bastille (a mountain not to be confused with the obvious). The museum used to be Saint Laurent church.
Cularo Museum-this is based off of the Grenoble museum of fine arts. They have a sculpture garden among other things.
Chapter 10: Strange Hunting
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"Sounds of water rippling through my body..."
**Tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock**
Slowly turning around to only see blades of grass fly about. In the far of distance standing in the grassy field was a tall dark human figure covered in shadows.
**Tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock**
"Timing is everything..." Anthony's voice echoed as the sound of ticking clocks filled the air. The dark figure vanished as a giant white clock took the shadow's place and the barren valley in the lower part of the mountains replaced the fields.
**Tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock**
"Timing is everything..." Anthony's voice echoed as the sound of ticking clocks filled the air. The clock had no hands as it ticked away, while it also had a strong resemblance to the moon. The clock released multiple orbs of light as it dissolved, revealing the cave that it was blocking. As Meowth began to move forward, it felt a large dark presence behind it. Slowly turning to see none other than the dark shadow figure standing right behind him as blades of grass flew about. The human slowly reached his dark hand out to touch Meowth's forehead, as cold, dark air seemed to emanate from the man's body.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" The orbs of light quickly engulfed Meowth as he screamed pushing the shadow figure away. The shadow figure stepped back, as the orbs of light fluttered away towards the cave.
"Follow...me..." He heard a quiet voice, however the shadow figure multiplied himself, surrounding Meowth.
**Tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock**
The voice of the clock filled its ears again as it saw the orbs of light disappearing into the cave.
"Follow me..." He heard the quiet voice but couldn't get threw as the shadow figures slowly raised their dark hands up towards Meowth, allowing the cold, dark air to emanate from their bodies.
"Follow me..." He heard the quiet voice again as a bright light shunned the shadows, leaving Meowth alone with an orb of light that came from the high mountain peaks in the far off distance.
**Tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock, tic-tock**
"Follow me..." He heard the quiet voice again as the orb of light went towards the cave.
"Follow me...Follow...me..."
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Meowth was waiting patiently for the annoying girl by an old building on the northwest side of town. It was called the Laurel Museum and it was near a large hilltop and the river served as the town's border on the west side. Like the area where Nomia Inn was located this area also had a rustic charm with its weathered down cobblestone paths. It was pretty quiet as well, but that was only due to how early Meowth was required to meet this girl. Meowth was sitting by the river bank taking in all the sounds surrounding him; the birds were chirping, the sound of the wheels from a bicycle riding along the uneven trails as its rider rang its bell once in a while, the sound of the light breeze the wind gave as it brushed the flowers that Meowth was sitting nearby and the sound of the fast rushing water of the river. It was all peaceful but it couldn't wash away the irritation that was building up for what was to come.
"I couldn't sleep at all again. At least she wants to do it early, I don't know how much more I can take."
"PIKA BOO!" She pops up from behind him.
"GAHHH! Why You..." She raised her hand to silence him.
"I want to do this properly," she started as she placed her right hand over her heart with her left reaching out openly. "My name is Clio and I want to be your Rusui for the day. I promise I will take good care of you." She smiled openly.
Meowth who was still peeved couldn't help but smile a little as the pigtailed girl gleamed in front of him; "I'm Meowth, as a..." Meowth paused on the next word, not sure if it was right for him to say. However, the girl's energy was so lively that it filled him with the confidence to be proud of what it is.
"Everything happens for reason, right?"
"As a Rocketeer I promise to make today a blastastic adventure!" He said proudly as he returned the gesture extending his paw to touch her hand. Sparks fluttered through Meowth's body once he touched her, an image of a cave appeared.
"What?" Meowth thought while catching his breath as the sensation left.
"Oh, I almost forgot." She dropped her bag on the ground and pulled out something that made Meowth go pale.
"Here it is!" She presented a cream colored collar with a leash attached to it.
"What do you intend to do with that?" Meowth asked fearfully.
"What do you think? Now hold still..."
"Hold on! There's no way I'm wearing that thing! I'm not your pet!"
"I caught you fair and square yesterday, remember? You are to do what I say when I say it. Now hold still or do you want me to tell Daddy the story about the little Rocketeer that got lost in the Kalos region." Clio threatened.
"Forget it! I will pretend that you are my protector for the day but a leash is where I draw the line! I just got rid of the last annoying pest, so don't you start getting on my nerves so early on in the day!"
"Huh, Are you talking about that boy who came by yesterday? I was wondering about that, I saw you help him win the games. So what's the deal between you two?"
"We are enemies, he would always interfere with Team Rocket's plans. I got separated from my teammates and unfortunately, I ran into the twerp. They practically forced me to travel with them, thinking that they could change me; it was unbearable being with them. But it doesn't matter now; I'm not traveling with them anymore. Knowing the twerp, he will be on the first train headed towards Snowbelle City for his next gym badge." Meowth spoke frustratingly.
"They? You were traveling with a group of Xenos? That sounds awful!" Clio observed the thrashing water of the river before she spoke up again.
"Alright, I won't do the leash, just put on the collar. The rules for all organizations are pretty much the same. There are multiple ways to catching a Pokéteer and I did catch you yesterday so the least you can do is wear the collar." Meowth mulled it over before reluctantly sighing in defeat.
"Fine, but just for today and please do me a favor..."
"Don't mention that detail to anyone else, got it!" She interrupted as she gave him a thumbs up. Clio grinned, as she was able to place the collar onto Meowth. She twirled happily in her dark red sundress completed with a black bow at the waist and a silver necklace in the shape of the sun.
"When I'm old enough I want to become an agent for the organization that my family works for. I have heard stories about Miss. Miyamoto. She was a strong and intelligent agent for Team Rocket. I want to become a Rusui for one of our organization's Pokéteers because that is how Miss. Miyamoto and my grandmother started off. I want to be just like them when I grow up. So that is where you come in, I need you to teach me how to be a strong, dependable agent." She turned her attention to the strong currents of the river as she sat down and pulled out a lunch box with some croissants and apple slices.
"I brought us some breakfast, so sit down and let's eat." Meowth sat next to her as she handed it a croissant.
"I'm not hungry."
"Did you eat already?" Meowth shook its head as its eyes were filled with sorrow. "I just haven't been hungry lately."
"Here," she broke off a little piece of her croissant, "Breakfast is the best way to start off any day to gain extra energy. These croissants are the best, they are so flaky and buttery." She said with a warm smile as she bit into her own. "Soooo good!"
"She is right..." Meowth thought as he observed her energetic response to the taste. "Is it that good?"
Meowth looked at the flaky piece of pastry before gradually nibbling on it, "Yummy."
Clio smiled as she watched it. "This is going to be a great day!"
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Ash vigorously took a bite out of his breakfast as if he were attacking it like a ferocious beast.
"I guess Team Rocket wasn't easy to find this time," Serena spoke carefully.
"It's quite unfortunate, I was truly hoping for the best. Do you really think that Meowth was telling the truth?" Clemont voiced his concerns. "I kind of find it hard to believe that they didn't try to attack you right then and there. They're not exactly subtle." Ash stopped eating as he looked at his messy plate, thinking back to last night.
"Okay, well our train doesn't leave till the afternoon. I will come back in a while after I do some shopping. While I'm out I will keep my eyes open for anything suspicious." Serena said.
"I'll come with you!" Bonnie announced.
"We're off!" They waved goodbye.
Ash continued to look down at his plate as he thought about last night.
"I want to understand it..." Meowth's voice rang through his mind. "Maybe we are, maybe we're not."
"Was it lying?" Ash pondered over the idea but then he remembered what Meowth said about not caring what Team Rocket does is wrong and not caring how their evil deeds affect others. He aggressively took another bite.
"We should stay here! Team Rocket is probably going to attack the inn to try to steal our Pokémon!"
"Uh...okay...whatever you say, Ash," Clemont said anxiously as he watched Ash viciously eat his breakfast.
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"Ah...what a good way to start off the day!" Clio exclaimed as Meowth was sulking internally about the collar.
"So what do you want to do today?" Meowth asked miserably as Clio was putting away her lunch box. As she stood back up a note fell out of her pocket, which caught Meowth's attention.
"What's that?"
"Looks like a note from my brother." She answered. "Huh...it looks like he wants me to do a scavenger hunt with you. It says: Timing can be a great healer or it can cause great pain. Reveal the secrets yourself, otherwise, it will all be meaningless."
"Time?" Meowth thought. "Wait, did you say brother?"
"Yeah, we watched you at the games together."
"This whole thing is completely pointless!" Meowth cried as it shriveled up onto the ground with the evil collar still around its neck.
"Don't worry, he's not going to tell anyone, I promise. Please, let's do it together, I want this to be my first mission as an agent."
"Fine, but I don't see how this would qualify as a mission for you since there most likely won't be any stealing." They both looked at the first clue and to Meowth's dismay, it was a riddle.
Dark crypt you will surely trip, light it up and you will surely skip.
"Dark Crypt?"
"There happens to be a crypt here in the museum maybe it's about that," Clio answered.
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The museum had interesting trinkets and some of them were quite shiny, distracting Meowth from the task at hand as it ran off to get closer, "So shiny...that one is shiny and round, I want it."
"Remember what we're here for," Clio chastised, "The crypt is this way."
She led the way to a dark stairwell that was off-limits. While no one was looking they snuck past the blocked entry to get inside the crypt. It was dark so Meowth flicked its koban to active its flash.
"Whoa!" Clio whispered her amazement. The crypt was being used as the museum's storage unit. Looking through some boxes Meowth noticed some crystals and other gems that were labeled with the location of where they were found. Still looking around Meowth spotted an old vase with a Skiploom on it. Meowth stopped Clio and pointed her to it. She reached inside and sure enough, there was another clue.
"Huh? Why is there light on down here?" The two froze as they heard a security guard's voice. Meowth immediately turned off the flash and pulled Clio close.
"Follow me." He whispered as he led her through the dark crypt avoiding the security guard's flashlight as Meowth followed the scent of air that could get them out a different way.
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Catching their breath from all the excitement, they were back where they started by the river's edge. Clio remembered the clue and handed it over to Meowth.
In the field, the sunlight should heal the yellow flower of the little fellow.
"Is there a field around here?" Meowth asked.
"I think he means the soccer field by the park, there's a group of Skiploom that like to hang out there. We just have to go through town to get to it."
They reached the park and saw the field up ahead where a group of Skiploom were floating about.
"Hey, can we get a closer look at you guys? We're looking for a clue." Meowth asked the Skiploom. But the Skiploom took one look at him and floated away in disgust.
"So much for that." Meowth sighed dejectedly as it watched the Skiploom scatter. Team Rocket or no Team Rocket, it didn't matter, it was a rare occurrence when a Pokémon accepted him for who he was. It looked around and saw one Skiploom on the ground, so Meowth walked up to it.
"Does the way I talk offend you too?" Meowth asked spitefully as it was slightly hurt by the rejection. The Skiploom didn't respond or move. Clio came up to get a closer look and smiled.
"It's a fake, the note must be inside. Pop it open." She suggested. Meowth did so by poking a claw into it, popping it open with confetti flying about along with the next clue.
Flowers bloom, towers stand tall, clocks tick the hours away but all share the sun for the day.
"What the...?" They puzzled over it.
"Could your brother mean the Kairos Clock Tower?"
"Oh...you could be right. Okay, let's go!" She snickered as she started to drag it into town.
"Please take this horrible thing off me! " Meowth begged as he pointed to the collar.
"No way! Clio teased. She suddenly stopped as something startled her; she grabbed Meowth and ran so they were hidden in a dark alley. Meowth was surprised by this and was about to say something till he saw two older boys that were walking past the alley they were in. He tensed up as Clio held onto him close. Feeling her shudder as she tightened her grip, he allowed it as he started to relax. It seemed like she needed it. He allowed her a few minutes before pawing her nose, then gently pushing her away.
"They hate my brother and they like to pick on me when he is not around. When I become an agent I'm going to make those Xenos pay for everything." She said with a hint of vengeance in her young voice. Meowth smiled softly as he started to understand the poor girl's predicament. Meowth tapped her on the nose again as he smiled, pointing to the collar with a plea full stare.
"No way!"
Meowth collapsed to its defeat, disappointed with the situation. "This girl..."
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They reached the town square as they ran up to get a closer look at the Kairos Clock Tower. Meowth couldn't help but feel the judgmental stares it was receiving from other Pokémon. "This is so humiliating!"
"Isn't it beautiful? Grandpa told me that Kairos Clock Tower is about following the right moment."
"The right moment?"
**Tic-tock**
"My Grandpa also told me that the fountains surrounding it represent the phases of the moon." She led it to one of the fountains to see the bottom had a painting of a Waning Gibbous. They walked around to look at the others, but Meowth made a mental note that there was no fountain for the full moon. They came to the fountain that represented the new moon, which was right in front of the statue with its head down.
**Tic-tock**
Meowth looked up at the statue and for the first time noticed that the statue had a necklace in the shape of the sun. Meowth quickly pulled on Clio's dress for her attention as it pointed towards the statue. "The sun is for all, that's my big brother for ya!"
**Tic-tock**
Meowth observed the statue a little more. This one didn't have a blindfold like the other one; it just had its head down with its right hand over its heart with a necklace in the shape of the sun. Meowth looked closer and saw what appeared to be a note in its hand that was over the heart. In a matter of seconds, Meowth jumped towards the statue and grabbed the note.
"Hand it over I'll read it this time," Clio said.
Voices sing at the spring, relax and enjoy the spot but please don't stay too long for only a fool does not know to cool when it's too hot
"Oh, No it couldn't possibly mean what I think it means." Meowth thought in horror.
"Hmm...he must mean Nomia Inn that's the only place around here with hot springs." Meowth became pale at the thought of going there in its current dilemma. Its ears twitched to a familiar voice, Meowth turned to see that his nightmare was starting as he saw Bonnie and Serena exiting a shop.
"I can't let them see me!" He quickly grabbed Clio and pulled her behind the tower to hide with him.
"Hey! What gives?" She shouted.
"SHHH..." Meowth pointed towards the twerps. She looked up not entirely sure what he was pointing too.
"Is that Meowth...Hey Meowth!" He heard Serena's voice from afar.
"No, No, No, No!" Meowth quickly ran off with Clio right behind him.
"Huh...who was that girl?" Serena asked as they both watched the fleeing duo.
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Finally feeling that they have lost sight of the twerps, Meowth stopped behind a building that was off the beaten path towards the inn.
"Care to tell me what's going on?" Clio asked as she panted.
"The twerp's friends were out there. They were the ones I was traveling with and there is no way I will have them see me like this." He pointed to the collar. "I made him believe I found Team Rocket last night. If they find out that I was lying they are going to try to force me to travel with them again and unfortunately they are currently staying at the Nomia Inn."
"Oh, well that certainly is a problem." She nods excitedly, "Okay, operation avoid the Xenos at all cost is now in session! Don't worry; I will make sure they won't see you. I know this inn like the back of my hand; we can just sneak in from the back. That's where the springs are and that is probably where our next clue will be."
"Yay, but their Pokémon may still be out."
"That's okay, just stay hidden in the bushes that are near the surrounding walls and if you get confronted by one just talk like a normal Pokémon."
"That's not," Meowth sighed as he saw how excited she was for this mission of hers. "Okay, I will follow your lead."
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Meowth picked the lock to the gate that blocked their way to the springs. Luckily, none of the Pokémon were around, but Meowth quickly ducked and pulled Clio down with him.
"Do you know what rooms those windows belong too." She looked over and noticed the few windows and the glass sliding doors.
"The windows belong to the kitchen and so do the glass doors. No guests are allowed in that area, if they were to come out here they would have to use those doors over there." She pointed to the old wooden doors.
"Phew, they must be packing up since their train leaves in the afternoon." He got up to resume their search.
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Ash and Clemont were in their room, packing their belongs while some of their Pokémon were relaxing. An inaudible noise to the humans caught Hawlucha's attention and started to wander off. Pikachu watched it leave as its ears started to twitch picking up on the sound that caused its friend to wander off.
"Huh, Pikachu?"
"They're probably going to go join the others at the hot spring," Clemont suggested.
"It's been relatively quiet, maybe Meowth was lying." Ash paused as he looked up at Clemont.
"Don't you think Team Rocket would have already attacked us by now?" Ash thought about it but didn't say anything as he resumed packing his belongings as he thought about the events of last night. Rummaging through his backpack he found the cookies that Meowth left behind at the park. Ash sighed deeply as he eyed the sweet treats questionably.
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Meowth was contemplating over what the clue could mean as he walked up towards the spring.
"Could it be underwater?" The steam from the water became thick, as he got closer.
"Whoa..." Meowth lost his balance as the steam was causing him to get lightheaded.
"Are you alright?" Clio asked as she was looking around the patio.
"Uh...yeah, I'm fine." Meowth tried his best to sound cheerful. Greninja suddenly jumped out of the water and pounced towards Meowth. "Gah!"
"Grrreee..." Greninja growled. Meowth felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Pancham standing behind him.
"Where are they all coming from!?" Meowth thought in horror.
"Pancham, Pan, Pan." (Pikachu told us everything. Is it true? Are you really back with Team Rocket?) Pancham asked disheartened by the circumstances but was also angry that nothing has changed.
"Greninja, Gren, Greninja." (I'm not surprised! There's nothing good about you! You're a disgrace to all Pokémon! You don't belong here, so get out of here before I force you out!)
"Hold on I'm just here for a clue. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have too. Was there anything underwater?" Meowth tried to stay calm and collected as furious Pokémon surrounded it.
"I don't think it would be underwater." Clio walked beside it as she glared at the other Pokémon.
"Greninja?" (Who's she?)
"Braxien, Brax, Braxien?" (What's this thing?) Braxien pulled on the collar with her stick.
"Hey get off!" Clio pushed Braxien away.
"Way to make things worse." Meowth thought as all eyes narrowed onto him.
"Greninja, Gren." (Look who's the pet now!) Greninja snickered, as all the Pokémon laughed.
"It's still you!" Meowth shouted menacingly causing everyone to glare at it. Just then Hawlucha and Pikachu finally arrived onto the scene.
"Pika, Pikachu!" (Meowth, how dare you show yourself after last night!) Pikachu threatened as sparks of lighting were ready to fly.
"Would you all just Shut Up! I'm not here to fight you and don't worry I will be out of here once I find what I'm looking for, so just stay out of my way!" Meowth stopped, as its dizziness got a little worse; it started to wobble towards the patio to get away from the hot spring.
"Hawlucha?" (What are you looking for?) It asked calmly. Meowth ignores the question as he turned his attention to the girl who ran up to him.
"I need to see the clue again." He spoke calmly as she handed it over while a mix of agitated and impartial Pokémon watched.
"Is there something around here that involves voices?" Meowth asked looking around, "Like maybe a picture of a Jigglypuff?"
Clio looked at him puzzled, as she clearly didn't have an answer. Hawlucha, Bunnelby, and Pancham came up behind them.
"I wasn't asking you!" Meowth barked at them.
"Bun, Bun, Bunnel?" (What are you doing?) It asked as it was trying to stay neutral.
"None of your business so beat it!"
"Pika, Pikachu..." Hawlucha raised its wing in front of Pikachu to silence him, as it continued its gaze onto the unsteady Pokémon. Clio observed the situation closely as Meowth was clearly struggling to stay on its feet.
"I'm going to go inside and get us something to eat." She stated as she headed for the glass doors.
"No wait, you can't go inside! I can't let the twerps see me. We need to find the next clue so we can get out of here as fast as we can. Furthermore, why are you going inside that way?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you my Grandpa owns this inn."
"WHAT!? Your Grandpa! Wait, could he be affiliated with the organization too?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course, he is! He used to be an agent as well."
"What have I gotten myself into!?" Meowth goes completely pale. "You didn't tell him about me, did you? Just who are you, people?" He asked franticly.
"Don't worry, my Grandpa is retired and I promised I wouldn't tell. You have nothing to fear." With that, she ran inside. Meowth lost its balance completely as everything weighed itself down.
"What have I gotten myself into!?" He cried as he pouted on the ground as all the Pokémon watched dumbfounded to what was going on.
"Pika?" (What's going on?)
Meowth ignored the questionable stares as it laid face down on the ground, troubled with the circumstances it found itself in.
"Can this day get any worse...huh?" It felt something cool land on its back as it looked up to see Pancham giving it a cool towel.
"Pan." (Here)
Shocked by the gesture, Meowth observed the cool fabric.
"Cool when it's too hot?" It muttered to itself. "Cool when it's too hot." A little louder, "Cool when it's too hot!" It exclaimed excitedly
"Pancham where did you find this? Are there more?" Pancham was taken back by the sudden change of behavior it then pointed to the cooler with the towels inside. Meowth quickly stood up only to lose its balance again as it became increasingly dizzy.
"I shouldn't have done that." Meowth slowly sat up straight as it held its head, then got back on its feet slowly. Too distracted by the task at hand, he ran passed the concerned and confused Pokémon. Collapsing again in front of the cooler this time, Meowth opened it up, desperately pulling out all of the towels to find the next clue.
"Where is it?" He couldn't find it. He looked through the pile of discarded towels, "Where is it?" Finally, a clue popped out of the towels, "I found it!"
As he was about to grab it, a gust of wind picked it up carrying it over to the spring but was saved by Greninja who held it begrudgingly. Meowth glared at him coldly as he began to wobble towards the giant frog.
"Hand it over!" Meowth demanded menacingly.
"Hawlucha, Hawlucha, Lucha, Haw." (Greninja, he helped us win the games. We had the feast, let him have what he came for.) Greninja returned an even more threating glare before giving the clue to Meowth who swiped it out of its hand forcefully. Ready to look it over, Meowth lost its balance again as it tried to read in its weakened state.
"I brought out some chocolate pudding for everyone!" Clio exclaimed as she carried out a tray. Some of the Pokémon ran up to her as she placed the tray down for each of them to get one for themselves. She grabbed one for Meowth and ran over to it, who was still sitting where it collapsed as some of the Pokémon were still gathered around it.
"You found the clue! Here, eat up!" She tried handing him the pudding cup.
"I'm not hungry." He mumbled.
"The steam from the hot springs is making you feel dizzy because you have an empty stomach. The steam wouldn't bother you as much once you have a few bites of something."
"Then let's leave, I don't want to stay here any longer than I have too." It demanded as it slowly got up.
"Pika! Pikachu?"
"Pancham, Pam!"
"Shut up! I got what I came here for, now I'm leaving!" He shouted as he headed for the gate they entered in from. Hawlucha, however, was not going to let that happen as it blocked the gate entirely with its wingspan spread out.
"Hawlucha! Hawlucha, Haw!" (I understand clearly now that you have lied to Ash and Pikachu yesterday.) Pancham and Bunnelby joined up with Hawlucha as well.
"Bun, Bunnelby, Bunnel, by, by." (You should really eat something, there's no need for you to leave so hastily.)
"Pan, Pan!" (That's right!)
"Are you all joking? I had no intention of being a friend to any of you because I want to return to Team Rocket. I never lied to you about that. I never wanted to travel with the twerps in the first place and yet you all treated me like it was my idea, that it was apart of some great big scheme. So what if I lied yesterday, none of you wanted me around to begin with. How Dare You!" He shouted as he stomped his foot hard into the ground. "You never cared about me before so how dare you all act as if you care now!" He shouted.
"Get...out of my way!" He growled venomously as he stared down the Pokémon who refused to back away.
"PIKA PI! PIKA PI!" Pikachu screamed for Ash as all the other Pokémon followed suit.
"Quick, run for that alley we were in before!" He ordered Clio.
"What about you?"
"I will meet you there, now hurry!" She ran out through the glass doors as Meowth returned his full glare back onto the blockade in front of him. Meowth quickly spun around using flash on everyone, which seemed to have multiplied but they couldn't really tell since the light was too bright.
"Pikachu! Everyone! What's wrong?" Ash came running out with Clemont right behind him. As the Pokémon regained their vision they saw that Meowth was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That was quick!" Clio noted as she was catching her breath when Meowth showed up.
"I really shouldn't have done that." Meowth thought dizzily.
"What on earth happened back there?"
"Let's just say I finally ended my affiliation with them." He said proudly as they watched quietly in the shadows as Serena and Bonnie went inside. "I finally did it! I got rid of them! The twerps are going to call back all of their Pokémon now, head for the train and that will be the end of it."
All steel and no time to heal, ears like a bunny with a poke ball for a body, hop away in the garden today before time runs away.
"More riddles..." Meowth whined.
"Hmm...steel...garden...I think he is talking about the sculpture garden at the museum."
"I didn't see any gardens there."
"Not that one. Cularo Town's Museum of Fine Arts."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ash and Clemont were trying to calm down the Pokémon as they each started to call them back into their poke balls.
"We're back!" Bonnie exclaimed as she and Serena joined everyone outside.
"Guess what, we saw Meowth headed this way," Bonnie said.
"Yeah, and it was headed this way with some girl about Bonnie's age," Serena added.
"A girl you say?" Ash echoed.
"Pika Pi, Pikachu, Pi, Pikachu." Pikachu tried to explain to Ash.
"Huh...what is it Pikachu?"
"Yeah, and we didn't see any signs of Team Rocket while we were out." Ash looked at Serena unsure what to say.
"Meowth is...pretty good at deceiving people, isn't it?" Clemont spoke softly as Ash turned to Clemont to see Saul was walking up behind him.
"I see my granddaughter has handed out some pudding cups to your Pokémon." He said causing everyone to take notice of the empty pudding cups that were littered on the tray.
"Did you enjoy your stay?" Saul asked as he stared at Ash who was downcasted.
"Yes we did, thank you," Clemont answered.
Saul looked at his wristwatch, "Shouldn't you all be heading towards the train station? You should hurry, you don't want to miss your ride."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laurel Museum was minuscule in comparison to the Cularo Town Museum, which was on the far southwest side of town. The building was the size of a modern-day palace, with a garden just as large.
"This is going to take us all day." Meowth thought miserably as it sluggishly followed Clio.
"Let's sit here." She suggested to a stone bench that had some bushes in the shape of poke balls and a fountain behind it.
"They make the best crepes here." She pointed to a food cart that was across from them.
"I'm going to go get us some, wait here." She ran off before Meowth could protest to the idea. It wasn't long till she came back and handed Meowth a small crepe of its own as she sat down.
"This one is my favorite, it has strawberries and mangos with a hazelnut chocolate drizzle."
"Thank you, but I told you before that I haven't been hungry lately," Meowth said solemnly.
"I know but its really good, I just couldn't resist not getting one." She said as she bit into her own. "After this, we will find that next clue in no time." Meowth watched her energetically enjoy the crepe. He looked at his and started to smile lightly.
"Well, I do love mangos...and chocolate of course." He thought as he started to nibble at it slowly, "Wow, this is good!" He exclaimed as he continued to eat it.
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"That was a yummy snack!" Clio said as both of them finished their stuffed crepes.
"We should go look at a map to see where the correct statue might be." They both walked up to a giant board that had a map with all the statues, fountains and any other artwork that was spread throughout the garden.
"Ears like a bunny with a poke ball for a body." She muttered. "Hmm...there's a Buneary statute over here and there's a Lopunny fountain over there, but how would the body of a poke ball come into play."
"Maybe it's the combination of one with an Electrode or maybe it's holding a poke ball," Meowth suggested as he viewed the map.
"Let's just start looking, I'm sure we'll find it." He said confidently.
They walked through the garden passing by art sculptures of all sorts of Pokémon. One even had a Meowth and a Persian playing together.
"What kind of cruel person would make such an awful thing," Meowth said in repugnance.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Everything!"
"But isn't that what you evolve into."
"People who want a stupid Persian are complete idiots!" Meowth declared as he walked on leaving behind a baffled Clio.
"Did I miss something here?"
A large metal statue caught Meowth's eyes as it saw large bunny shaped ears sticking out as the statue itself was behind a hedge.
"What's that statue over there?" He asked as he pointed towards it. They walked around the hedge to see it was a giant metal statue with bunny like ears and a body in the shape of a poke ball.
"What is it supposed to be?" He questioned as Clio walked up to the plaque.
"It called Magearna." They gazed at it for a while in awe. Meowth snapped out of its gaze remembering what it was here for. The ball gown had an opening for its feet. Meowth hopped onto the platform when no one was looking to go underneath it, sure enough, there was a clue taped to one of its feet. Meowth quickly jumped off before anyone saw it as it rejoined Clio to read the next clue.
Congratulations, you are almost there. Now climb to the top to see what is there.
"Another riddle..." Clio said unhappily. "Climb to the top, he must mean the Hill of Laurel, which is by the museum we were at earlier today."
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They began to walk through town, as they were about to cross some train tracks. The crossing rang its bells as the train was coming to pass. Watching the train go by Meowth smiled widely as it waved the train goodbye.
"Later Twerps! Ha, Ha!" He laughed as he was finally free of them. Clio reached over and unclipped the collar, causing Meowth to quickly snap his attention to her.
"Let's go finish what we started!" She said encouragingly as she too waved the train goodbye. The train was gone and their path was unblocked with the hilltop in their sights.
"Yes!" Meowth said as it lit up with delight with a big smile enhancing its features.
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"Are we really going to leave without Meowth?" Bonnie asked sadly as she and everyone else were looking at Ash.
Serena looked around, "Where's Pancham and Hawlucha? I didn't see them inside?"
"Pika Pi! Pikachu!" Ash looked to Pikachu not sure what it was trying to say.
"I think the Pokémon are trying to say they went to go look for it." Clemont tried his best to translate as the Pokémon nodded, showing their approval to the answer.
"Meowth is missing?" Saul asked as he looked around. "I see, may I ask how you kids came into contact with that Meowth?"
"What do you mean?" Clemont asked.
"I knew immediately that Meowth didn't belong to any of you and I think it's safe to assume you know who it's connected too."
"You're right, it works for Team Rocket," Ash spoke up.
"And it told me that it was rejoining Team Rocket here in town to steal again." He finished his last sentence bitterly.
"I see."
"When I found it at the park a girl got it to agree to pretend to be her Pokémon for the entire day. It was odd; it didn't make any sense to me at all so when it said that she was just a messenger, I believed it. You were right Clemont, I still have some resentment towards Meowth...it just made me so angry that I didn't want to see past it all." He spoke softly as his frustration with himself, with Meowth and with everything else shook his entire being.
"It made a deal with a girl? Could you be talking about my granddaughter?" Saul inquired.
"She didn't say her name, just that she claimed she caught Meowth just by grabbing it. Which is totally ridiculous!" Ash explained as his voice started to fill up with annoyance.
"I see...sounds like my granddaughter, alright. I must apologize to you for her behavior. Luckily, I think I have an idea of where they might be. Collect your Pokémon and I will lead you to them in time for you to catch the last train that will leave for Snowbelle City."
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The sun was starting to set as they walked up to the steep hill. Meowth was fighting with its own body to keep going as its muscles started to tighten and its mind was shutting down fast as it continued to walk up the hill beside Clio.
"I'm so tired, I hope we're almost done." They reached the top and Meowth plopped itself down onto the ground forcing a mini-break session for the two.
"You have got to see the view!" She exclaimed as she pulled it up and dragged it towards the fenced edge of the cliff. Looking over to see the whole town as the sun was covering it with a warm glow. Meowth kneeled down to lean over the lowest part of the fence as its energy was seeping out of it faster than snow melting in the summer heat. Looking up it saw a tower viewer that was nearby.
"Hey what is that thing over there?" He pointed over to it.
"It's a tower viewer. You can get a closer look at the town square by using it."
Meowth slowly walked up to it to examine it closer, "How do you use it?" Clio took out a quarter and hopped onto the stand.
"They are like binoculars, you just put a quarter in the slot here, then you pull the lever to remove the blinds so you can see." She explained as she did just that. When she pulled the lever a note slipped out; Meowth quickly grabbed it before it could fly away.
"The view of Kairos Clock Tower is really cool." She directed Meowth to see for itself. As Meowth was about to climb up it felt a light tap on its shoulder. It turns around to see that it was Pancham.
"AHHHH...What are you doing here?" Meowth screamed franticly as he saw Pancham and Hawlucha who perched itself on the fence. It was a miracle as its energy rushed back to evaluate the situation in a complete panic.
"No, No, No, No, this can't be happening! Why are you here? You should all be on the train heading for Snowbelle City." Pancham didn't answer as it glared at Meowth, as its true feelings of grief were clearly visible in its eyes.
"Hawlucha, Haw!" Hawlucha bellowed as it jumped up to fly above them, causing Meowth to panic even more.
"We need to get out of here and fast!" He shouted to Clio, "I don't know how much time we have but I am not going back, you hear me?" He yelled his last sentence out to the Pokémon who in return ignored his protests.
"Ha, Ha, Ha," Evil laughter was heard from afar. The two boys from earlier walked towards them. Clio started to cower as she backed away.
"Where's your brother, you little yaban!?" The fat light skinned toned boy asked tauntingly. Clio felt the need to run but saw the two Pokémon in front of her unaware of the situation. She took a big gulp and started to walk forward to protect them, trying hard to wear a brave face.
"We want to battle him! Bring us to him you brat!" The other boy demanded who was shorter in height.
"He's not here so go away!" She cried in fear as tears threatened to roll down. The fatter boy called out his Axew.
"You need to learn your place, yaban!" The small boy said as he called out his Murkrow. They ordered their Pokémon to attack Clio directly as Murkrow used peck and Axew used scratch, causing her to fall to the ground.
Meowth was shocked by what he was witnessing, "I remember her being scared of them. I figured they were just bullies but I never imagined it would be like this."
"Wait we can't keep fighting her like this brother. " The small boy mocked.
"Heh...It never stopped us before." The other one answered sadistically. They both ordered their Pokémon to attack again, but this time Meowth stepped in and covered the girl by taking the hit itself, shocking everyone who watched. Meowth looked up as the tears continued to fall from the girl's violet eyes. He pawed her nose gently and smiled warmly.
"We agents never grant the satisfaction to our enemies by showing our tears." He whispered, "Let's show them what it means to be a true agent."
He handed her the clue as her lavender eyes shined. Meowth turned around to face her tormenters. "I think I'm starting to understand now..."
"Pancham, Pan!" Pancham joined Meowth, as it too was ready to fight. Hawlucha swooped in front of the boys as it flapped its wings ready to attack them directly itself.
"Gah...where did all these Pokémon come from? You stole them, didn't you! You're just like your brother, you no good for nothing..."
"Shut Up!" Meowth shouted as he pulled Pancham back and eyed Hawlucha to step down. For the first time, Hawlucha and Pancham saw its sapphire eyes radiate, as it's whole demeanor was filled with its own willpower.
"Did that Meowth just talk?" The taller boy gasped. He began to laugh sinisterly as he pulled out an empty poke ball, "Consider today your lucky day kitty cat...Axew use dragon claw on that Meowth!"
"Murkrow use sucker punch!"
"Did he just call me..." Meowth gave a menacing glare as it used double team to avoid both attacks. Like a speeding bullet, Meowth took out both Pokémon in a matter of seconds. Did it just tackle them or use fury swipes? No one was able to tell, the battle was over before it even started. Meowth stepped over the fainted Pokémon as it walked towards the two buffoons.
"Still want to fight?" It asked snidely with a paw on its hip. The boys hysterically called back their Pokémon.
"We'll be back just you wait!" The tall fat boy threatened. Hawlucha was having none of it as it chased them down using flying press to finish them off.
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"You did it! You did it!" "Pancham! Pancham!" They both cheered.
"I shouldn't have done that." Meowth's cool demeanor was overtaken by its true state of mind as it shriveled up collapsing to the ground.
"I have no energy left," Meowth thought as it slowly sat upright.
"MEOWTH!" A familiar voice shouted from afar.
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Author notes:
Meowth is a cat, and if you have ever owned a cat you most likely experienced a paw in your face for attention. I intend to bring light to the cuteness that cats bring to the table, hence the constant tapping Clio's nose.
I think this fact is slowly becoming common knowledge to Pokemon fans, but for those of you who don't know Miyamoto is Jessie's mom who was an agent that got lost searching for Mew.
I don't remember Meowth coming across a Tower viewer in the anime, if he did...oops, again I don't watch the new stuff. And again I am treating Meowth for what it is and that is a Pokemon, meaning its not going to know everything or understand everything that a typical human does...its going to understand how a typical Pokemon does with the ability to learn more than the average Pokemon.
If you don't know there will be a new Pokemon movie coming out this summer and one of the Pokemon is call Magearna. You can find it online to see what it looks like.
Yaban means savage in Japanese with one of the kanji symbols meaning barbarian. I am not going to explain any further at this point, but if you kept up with me this far, I assure you there are big reasons why I am doing this.