All According to Plan+ Pt 7: Shopper

Pacing  back and forth out front of the Celadon City Game Corner, Jamie heart  was beating a mile a minute. This was it. The whole reason she had  originally gotten into the mess in the first place. Hard to believe this  all happened because her moms needed a kid. For this occasion, she had  gone with lavender sundress and a pair of peep-toe heels in a similar  shade. While super duper cute, she would need to change into her regular  grunt uniform for the picnic. Something that could be looked past for  now.

“Ready  to make the journey to Viridian City?” Lucia called out and Jamie  perked up. Dressed in her mechanic overalls, the journey from Cerulean  Cave to Celadon had cut into the time they had before heading off once  more rather short.

Waiting  a moment for Lucia to close the distance, she pulled her in for a kiss.  Accepting the gesture, Lucia kissed her back. Breaking away, that was  Mawile’s cue to run up and give her a hug. Knocking her bag back, it  wasn’t enough to send it flying. Would suck it somehow did.

“We  have a tiny bit of time. Do you think we do a bit of shopping at the  department store?” Lucia inquired and Jamie turned red. They had thrown  the possibility around the last time they had been together, but that  was also very much under the idea of it being a full day thing. This  would be a short excursion, cut off by way of the main event. Unless  Lucia had some kind of ulterior motive for wanting to go into the  department store.

“I  would be willing to give that a shot.” Jamie answered as Hatterene  appeared. Giving a wave, that was Mawile’s cue to run over to her  companion. Giving their companion a hug, Hatterene lifted the deceiver  pokemon up and did her best to give a hug as well. Afterwards, Mawile  was set down.

“I  messaged my parents, Doc and Delia earlier about whether they were  meeting us here or we were meeting them in Viridian City.” Jamie  explained and watched Lucia bring a hand to her chin. While she had the  exact same conversation with her adopted mother, she had dodged the  question for some reason. What exactly could that be about? No matter.  She had a mission to accomplish. One that would require keeping Jamie in  the dark here. While something she preferred not to do (this was her  girlfriend, after all), it was necesa-

Before  she could finish that thought, Jamie reached out for her hand. Letting  her grab hold, Lucia gave her a squeeze. Feeling quite good, time was  taken to motion for their pokemon to follow.

“So,  how have you been?” Lucia inquired and Jamie’s face went red. Not  helping matters was Mawile jumping on her back and climbing her way up.  Coming to a stop, Jamie let her partner get comfortable. Once Mawile  had, the deceiver pokemon took a seat.

“Quite  well, actually. The prototypes for my food preservation techniques are  just about ready for field testing. A shame that I can’t take one of the  samples out and test it for myself.” Jamie explained and got a nod from  her girlfriend. While they were still a long way off from sneaking into  Galar and getting to the Crown Tundra, any advantage they could get was  worth it. Within reason, of course. “How about you?”

Lucia chuckled.

“Some  idiot managed to drag a magikarp sub all the way from the Orange  Islands to the base.” Lucia explained and Jamie froze. She honestly  wasn’t surprised. “Though, there aren’t any reports of agents being  deployed in that area.”

Looking away, Jamie let out a sigh.

“That’s  probably another one of my parents’ mechs.” Jamie answered as she  shifted her attention in the direction of the Department Store. Quite a  bright and colorful building, it was a far cry from the underground  refuge that lay under their feet. Making their entrance, the couple was  met with cream-colored walls with a triangular tiled floor. Said  triangles were done up pale green, green and blue respectively. An odd  combination, fitted well with the image that the department store was  going for here.

“You  know? I’m not that surprised.” Lucia answered as she squeezed Jamie’s  hand. Jamie squeezed back, taking care to not accidentally drop Mawile  in the process.

“Yeah.  They chased me across the Orange Islands while I attempted to take on  the Orange Islands League.” Jamie continued and cracked a smile. Hard to  believe that was so long ago. It didn’t seem like that long ago she was  dealing with the various wacky hijinks the islands had to offer. “Their  hearts were in the right place, but their methods were a bit iffy.”

Lucia  raised her free hand to her mouth, trying her best to hide her  chuckling. Quite a bit harder than one would expect it to be, all things  considered. Thankfully, reaching the entrance to their destination.

“Any  floor in particular you want to go too?” Jamie inquired and Lucia  brought her hand down. Shifting her focus to a nearby map, it was  cycling through the various maps of the floors. How exactly this was  supposed to help people with finding their way around this place was  beyond them. Jamie and Lucia could look past that fact, though.

“The  fourth floor.” Lucia answered and looked over to her girlfriend.  Getting a nod, they made their way over to the elevator. Taking care to  leave some room for any people who might be coming out, the walk over  was rather short. Stopping right at the panel, Lucia pressed the ‘up’  button. Stepping off to the side, the couple’s gazes met.

“Anything  interesting happening in Cerulean City?” Jamie whispered and Lucia let  out a sigh. Reaching to her girlfriend’s hand, she grabbed hold. In  turn, the scientist squeezed back.

“They’re  having a funeral for that Daisy chick in a couple days.” Lucia answered  and Jamie raised an eyebrow. While her knowledge on the sensational  sisters was rusty (beyond the fact that Misty hated their guts), the gym  leader didn’t seem like the sort to commit acts of murder. At least,  not without probable cause. “The Jenny’s came down in Cerulean Cave, but  didn’t come close to the base. Though, there’s also been claims she  drowned herself in the hopes of pinning it on MIsty.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. While her girlfriend could be right there, it felt farfetched.

“I  doubt it.” the scientist answered and felt Mawile shift her position.  Taking a moment to get her thoughts in order, she decided on her theory.  “It could’ve just as likely been whoever supplied her with those two  eggs needing to get rid of her for whatever reason.”

Lucia rolled her eyes.

“Even  with Giovanni’s death, there are still admins like Doc who can very  much wreck anyone dumb enough too think that we are sitting ducks to be  taken advantage of.” Lucia answered as the elevator doors opened up.  Heading over, Jamie set Mawile at her side. As much as she wanted to  keep the deceiver pokemon on her shoulder, the height of the elevator  prevented that from being possible. Once they got to their destination,  then Mawile could continue her shoulder ride. For now, her partner had  settled for holding onto Hatterene's hat hand. But not before sneaking  in a hug as they stepped into the elevator. "Aww…"

Jamie  held in a chuckle, gingerly reaching out to her girlfriend’s hand.  Grabbing hold, Lucia squeezed back. Using her free hand, she pressed the  '4' button. The elevator doors closed and the box began its ascent  upwards. Nothing in the way of windows, the couple turned their  attention to each other.

“Any  interesting gossip?” Lucia cooed and watched her girlfriend’s face glow  red. Muttering escaped her lips, none of which coherent enough to be of  use here.

“Supposedly,  one of Erika’s apprentices has stepped up as Gym Leader. Though, it’s  in name only and not actually approved. Beyond that, I don’t think  they’ve gotten back into the perfume business. At least, not to the  level that they used to be.” Jamie explained and Lucia nodded. Looking  over to their pokemon, smiles formed on the couple's faces. “Do you know  how much longer we have on our assignments?”

Lucia  brought a hand to her chin. They had to be getting to the tail end of  their first assignments. Having shown an ability to work hard and follow  orders (to an extent), that was bound to be weighed heavily when the  time came around to move. Perhaps they would even get a longer  assignment… together. That last part was the big thing. The thought of  sharing a room with the person she loved excited her. At the same time,  could they make it work? It was one thing to live in close proximity to  one another. It was another to live together in the same room. It would  mean sharing their possessions and in turn - make it work. Yet, she  wanted to see her and Jamie try. Yeah.

“We  still have a bit before we’re reassigned. Any preferences?” Lucia  inquired as the elevator slowed. Jamie looked away, tightening her grip  on Lucia’s hand. There were a couple parts of Johto she would love to go  back too. Did Team Rocket have a base near Mt Silver? If they did, she  had a chance to visit Larvitar. Hopefully they still remembered her. Or  at least, the person she used to be. Beyond that, going to Mahogany Town  did sound nice. Even then, Jamie liked to think she wasn’t picky.

“I’m  fine anywhere with you.” she announced in the most flirty tone her  voice could manage, Lucia’s cheeks turning a very bright shade of pink.  Searching for something to focus on here, she was saved by the elevator  stopping. The doors opened up and the couple stepped out. Their pokemon  followed right behind, Mawile making a beeline for Jamie’s backside.  Climbing up to the scientist’s shoulder, she took a seat. In turn, Jamie  gave her partner a head pat and looked at her girlfriend. Lucia’s  cheeks had returned to their normal color, bringing with it the mechanic  reaching out to Jamie’s hand. Letting her grab hold, their attention  turned to the floor of the department itself. Toys, dolls and plushies  as far as the eye could see, with pokemon and their attendants to boot. A  strange bear creature that looked like a giant plush was waving at  patrons, all while occasionally glaring at the magneton floating by a  set of mecha figurines.

“Would  you mind if we went over to the figurines first?” Lucia inquired and  Jamie nodded. Heading in the direction of the figurines, the scientist  couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. If not on a  security system, then someone who had plans for them. But that was  probably just her paranoia rather than anything concrete. Shifting her  attention ahead, Jamie focused in on the figurines. Far taller than she  was expecting here, the scientist could see why she would be interested.  Done up to a level of detail one wouldn’t think was possible, the  titular leader was that of a purple-haired girl done up in a style  typical of those shows. Dressed in a yellow and gray skin-tight  jumpsuit, a set of crimson eyes stare out on everyone who might pass by.  Or in this case, Lucia.

“What  do you think, Jamie?” Lucia inquired and Jamie looked away. Both their  birthdays were coming up and that brought with it the need to buy  presents. First, her birthday and then her beloved’s. Though, they would  likely celebrate together.

“Do  you want it now or do you want to wait for your birthday?” Jamie  inquired and watched Lucia raise a hand to her chin. On one hand, they  were right here. Their paycheck was likely more than enough to pay for  this figure and then some. Yet, it would make it far more worth it if  Jamie came back later and bought for her. Though, she also needed to  figure out what to get Jamie in turn. Her girlfriend didn’t really need  anything. At least, she hadn’t said anything. Traveling long distances  on foot was bound to be annoying. Even in civilian clothes, no less.  Yet, there had to be a better way. Perhaps Sapphire or one of Jamie’s  mothers might know? Yeah. Might be good to ask one of them for  suggestions.

“I’m  willing to wait for my birthday.” Lucia answered as Mawile waved at the  Magneton. Watching the magnet pokemon casually float down, that was her  cue to give all three parts of the body a hug. While accepting of the  gesture, they were quite confused why it had happened in the first  place.

“Maw.” Mawile announced and waved one more time at the magneton for good measure. Afterwards, she got a head pat from Jamie.

“Onto  the plushies then?” Jamie inquired as she brought her hand back down.  Feeling Lucia grab hold once more, the couple and Hatterene made their  way over to the strange-looking bear pokemon. Standing right beside a  display of cute plushies, most of which neither teenage girl quite  recognized. Of note was a strange plush that looked like a failed  knock-off pikachu plush. While not quite lifelike enough to pass for a  proper pokemon, it did look kind of cute.

“Is  there anything in particular that you want for your birthday?” Lucia  inquired and Jamie looked away. Feeling her cheeks burn up, the words  refused to come to her. Of all the things she had put off, this was not  one of them.

“A  bikini.” Jamie answered and turned back to Lucia. Squeezing her  girlfriend’s hand right after, she let out a deep breath. Then it’s over  too the strange-looking bear pokemon. “By any chance do you have any  Snorlax plushies in stock?”

The  bear pokemon raised a paw to their place. Looking around for their  trainer, a woman eventually walked up. Dressed in a blue top and pants  with an apron over it, what looked to be ‘Stuff a Stufful’ was proudly  displayed. Stitched right in, the titular ‘stufful’ sat right atop the  words. A small bear pokemon, it looked quite cute.

“Yes,  but it has to be mailed to one of the major cities here in Kanto.” the  attendant explained, only to be met with an eyebrow raise from her  customers. While Kanto was home to its fair share of places that were  not quite on the map, they were still big enough to lay claim to a  Pokemon Center and Mart. Did it have something to do with the size of  the Snorlax Plush? Jamie could see that. Yet, there had to be more to  this… right?

“Okay.  Is Pallet Town considered a major city then?” Jamie inquired and  watched the attendant’s eyes glaze over. Looking over to Lucia, the  scientist was met with a sigh.

“I’m  fine with it being sent to Cerulean. I just need to be careful that  ‘she’ doesn’t catch wind and has it confiscated by the Jenny’s.” Lucia  muttered and Jamie held a hand over her face. Trying her best to conceal  her laughter, that was a heck of a lot harder than she was expecting it  to be here.

“Cerulean  City it is then.” Jamie announced as she dug into her purse. Out came  her debit card. Waiting a moment for the attendant to bring out her  keypad, the transaction that followed is relatively smooth.

“I’m  going to need a name for the person picking it up.” the attendant  continued as she pulled a clipboard and pen out. Pointing it in the  couple’s direction, it was Lucia who grabbed the pen and wrote her name  down. While she did that, Jamie took the opportunity to slip her card  back into her purse. Turning her attention back to the attendant, that  was Mawile’s cue to give the strange bear pokemon a hug. In turn, the  strange bear pokemon attempted what looked more like a squeeze than a  hug. Perhaps a touch too tight for Mawile’s liking. “Bewear, I told you  can’t crush pokemon. Apologize to Mawile, okay?”

Bewear rolled their eyes and focused on Mawile.

“Bewar.” the strong arm pokemon announced and got a wave from Mawile. Afterwards, she shifted her focus to Jamie.

“See  anything else that is catching your eye here?” Jamie whispered and  Lucia scanned the area around them. While there were a bunch of other  toy displays and aisles that they could go down here, nothing was really  catching her eye here. Let alone Jamie’s, for that matter.

“Not  really.” Lucia answered as she pulled her girlfriend along in the  direction of the stairs. While they could take the elevator again,  something about taking the stairs down a floor sounded nice at the  moment. “Do you want the bikini now or do you want to wait until your  birthday?”

Jamie  brought her free hand to her chin. While it felt odd to be trying on a  garment set related to an activity that Lucia feared, this was likely to  be her birthday present.

“I’m  willing to wait until, but are you certain of this?” Jamie inquired and  Lucia nodded. The mechanic got where her girlfriend was getting at.  While she liked to think her phobia wasn't as bad as it used to be, this  was just one more activity that could help here.

"Yes.  I can’t live in fear forever. Especially if we need to go to the Crown  Tundra in Galar." Lucia answered and squeezed Jamie’s hand. Jamie  squeezed back and let a smile form on her face. The entrance to the  stairs was now in view, bringing with it a thought to the scientist's  mind.

"How  has brionne been?" Jamie inquired as they stepped into the stairwell.  Catching a chuckle from her girlfriend, she held in the look she wanted  to give here. While neutral, it would do little to actually change the  conversation.

"Quite  well, actually. They've gotten quite a bit of affection around base.  Wish it was a touch easier to exercise them." Lucia answered as they  began the descent down. Taking the steps one at a time, she focused on  Jamie and Mawile. "How's Ferrothorn handling their new body?"

Jamie stared at a wall.

“Quite  well actually, minus their introduction.” Jamie answered, her thoughts  turning to that of the last time that she had sent out Ferrothorn.  Surprising her co-workers, care was taken in approaching them to prevent  any accidents. But that had quickly turned to laughter when Ferrothorn  attempted to close the distance and failed miserably. “Give them enough  time and they’ll be quite the star.”

Lucia  nodded as the landing came into view. Looking behind her to see that  Hatterene was still following behind, the mechanic found her partner  very much was. Turning back ahead, she reached out to Jamie’s hand.  Giving it a squeeze, their feet landed successfully on the landing.  Turning to the left, they were met with the doorway into the floor  proper. Even from the little angle they were provided, a variety of  clothes were on full display.

“How  are you holding up, Hatterene?” Jamie inquired and got a glimpse of  Hatterene’s hat hand. Giving a wave, that was all the scientist needed  to see here. Shifting her focus back to the doorway, she and Lucia  stepped through. Taking care to cautiously look around for the swimsuit  section, the couple didn’t need to look far. Even if the feeling of  being watched began to sneak up on them. Yet, it also felt familiar. “So  has anything happened to the Battle Factory or has it been business as  usual?”

Lucia  brought a hand to her chin. Gazing around for anything in relation to  Iron Grace or any other Paldean pokemon, she found herself coming up  empty here. Though, it was likely that Iron Grace had some kind of  cloaking function to allow her to blend in without anyone noticing.

“Not  really? They were shut down for a day and a bunch of weirdos insistent  on tracking legendary pokemon. Once they had cleared out, things went  back to normal.” Lucia answered as Jamie caught a glimpse of the  swimsuit section. Squeezing her girlfriend’s hand, that was enough to  get her attention and get them to head in that direction. Not before  Mawile took this as her opportunity to climb down and stay at Jamie’s  side. While a part of her had wanted a longer ride, this was probably  for the best if her trainer wanted to try on bikinis. Though, it was  quite nice to hold onto Hatterene’s hat hand here.

“Any  colors in particular that you’re looking for?” Lucia inquired as the  couple crossed into the swimsuit section proper. Assaulted on all sides  by a variety of colors, patterns and styles from all across the pokemon  world (except Galar and Paldea), where to even begin with a place like  this?

“Maybe one in  purple. Lavender and violet are fine too.” Jamie answered, resisting the  urge to bring her hand back up to her chin. While it did make her look  smarter, it also made her look like she was plotting here. Which was the  exact opposite of what was occurring here. That, and it created more  suspicion on her, Lucia and their pokemon. For now, Jamie shoved that  thought away. Wasn’t worth thinking about right now.

“Okay.”  Lucia answered and scanned the selection. Eventually seeing a set that  fit the bill, she pulled the scientist over. “How about this one?”

Jamie  looked at the bikini. As plain as bikinis got before you got into the  high-end range, it had a charm to it. Grabbing it off the rack, she  scanned the area for anything resembling a changing room. Thankfully,  the pair didn’t need to look far for one. Yet, one question remained.

“Do  you think I should grab one or two more bikinis?” Jamie inquired and  the couple looked around one more time for good measure. While a couple  bikinis stuck out as possible contenders for the scientist to wear, they  weren’t really calling out hard enough to warrant walking over and  pulling them off the rack. For now, they would just stick with the sole  option and hope that it was good enough here. If not, then maybe they  could check out those other bikinis. Definitely for the best.

“This  should be good enough.” Lucia cooed and planted a kiss on her  girlfriend’s cheek. Watching Jamie’s face turn red, that was the  scientist’s cue to hand over her bag. Accepting it for the moment, they  made the short walk over to the changing rooms. Relatively plain in  comparison to the rest of the department store, that was likely done on  purpose. Why else would they paint the entrance to them a sandy shade of  tan? “Take as much time as you like.”

Jamie  nodded and entered the changing room. Met with four walls of sandy tan,  the store had gone through the trouble of installing a full-body mirror  and rectangular ‘seat’ for someone to sit in. Setting the bikini down  there, she wasted little time in stripping all the way down. Afterwards,  the scientist’s gaze shifted to the mirror. Staring in, a purple-haired  teenager with green eyes stared back. The direct result of a very minor  procedure, she had been so surprised how easy it was to change. One  would think that would extend to the rest of her gender-affirming care,  but sadly not. Thankfully, her hair was. Due to the repeated dye  attempts done to it, the last traces of black were well on their way out  of here.

“Has  it really been a year?” Jamie thought and set a hand on her left  breast. While her pills had no doubt done the heavy lifting, having  supportive friends and family no doubt helped. Though, it was a matter  of time before she was recommended to get the last part of her removed.  Something to think about another time as Jamie pulled herself away from  the mirror. Turning to the bikini, she wasted little time in slipping  into the bikini. Done up in the right shade of purple to her liking, it  fit just right on her body. Even if it did feel a touch like she was  wearing waterproof underwear.

Taking  care to get the outfit to look just right, Jamie shot the mirror one  more glance. She clearly could pass as a swimmer if she wanted too.  While the thought was nice, there wasn’t any interest in doing so.  Nonetheless, she stepped out of the changing room.

Lucia and their pokemon were waiting patiently, their gaze right on the scientist.

“What  do you think?” Jamie called out and watched Lucia’s face turn red.  Holding in her laughter, it was far harder than she was expecting it to  be. Especially as Jessie and Jasmine walked up. Dressed in the same  attire as the day they brought Articuno to Pallet Town, the only  difference looked to be that of the duffel bags at their side. No sign  of Meowth though.

“I  think you look divine, dear.” Jasmine cooed and Jessie nodded in  agreement. Fishing out her pokegear, that was the perfect time to snap a  photo of Jamie.

“Mom…”  Jamie playfully whined and took a moment to strike a better pose. More  than enough time for Mawile to rush over and climb up her partner’s  back. Taking a seat on her shoulder once more, she smiled for the  camera.

“Perfect.”  Jessie announced and flashed a thumbs-up in Jamie’s direction. Giving  her mother a nod, it was over to Lucia. Whispering something under her  breath, the mechanic very much caught it.

“If  you have no objections, I have no objections either.” Lucia answered  and got a nod from her girlfriend. Watching Jamie set Mawile back down,  her gaze shifted over to Jessie and Jasmine.

“How  have you two been?” the mechanic inquired and was met with smiles from  the couple. While a part of Lucia felt a touch nosy for going about it  this way, Jamie was likely to not mind.

“Quite  well, actually.” Jessie answered as Wobbuffet appeared out of his ball.  Giving a wave, Lucia waved back. Stepping out of the way, Mawile took  this as her opportunity to walk over and hug the patient pokemon. Then  it was over to Jessie and Jasmine. Accepting the gesture, they took the  time to pick the deceiver pokemon up and give her a hug. Once they were  done, the couple set Mawile back down. “While it’s a far cry from  traveling the lands, it has given Jasmine ample time to transition.”

Jasmine  nodded, shifting her duffel bag ever so slightly. Meeting Lucia’s gaze,  that didn't stop her hand from reaching out to Jessie's hand. A squeeze  followed.

"This  is the first time I'm wearing the female uniform. Since I'm around  Jessie's height, I'm borrowing her spare uniform. Though, I’ll probably  ask for my own at the picnic." Jasmine continued and forced her gaze  back over to Lucia. Just in time for Jamie to step back out. Dressed in  her casual attire, the bikini had been returned to its hanger. Passing  it over to Lucia, the mechanic handed back her girlfriend’s bag. Taking  care to string it across her side, she motioned for Mawile to approach.  Mawile did just that, taking care to climb up and take her seat on  Jamie’s shoulder.

"Hi mom." Jamie greeted as she petted Wobbuffet's head. Afterwards, she met her mom’s gazes. “Where’s Meowth?”

Jasmine held in a chuckle.

“Outside  with everyone else. Probably talking with Billie.” Jessie announced and  Jamie nodded. Turning her attention to the area around them, it was  quite easy to find the kiosk where one paid for their stuff. Manned by a  singular woman, her gaze seemed to have locked onto the group. Not that  this fact stopped Jamie and Lucia from heading over. Hatterene  following right behind, they took care to keep up. Wouldn’t want to be  accidentally left behind because one of them hadn’t noticed. Not that  Jamie or Lucia would ever do that.

“I  trust that you’re ready to check out?” the lady at the kiosk announced  and Lucia nodded. Setting the bikini down on the kiosk’s counter, she  dug into her purse. Out came her card. Then it’s just a matter of going  through the usual payment process. “Would you like this wrapped up or  put in a box for your special someone?”

Lucia looked over to her girlfriend. It was more Jamie’s call than hers on how she wanted to accept it when the time came.

“I’m  fine with it being in a box.” Jamie announced and looked over to Lucia.  Getting a nod from the mechanic, that was all she needed to see in  order to set it in a generic present box. Wrapping ribbon around the  outside to keep it snug, she handed the box over to Lucia. Taking a  moment to slip it into her bag, her gaze returned to the woman. A wave  followed, then it was time to head back to Jessie and Jasmine. Walking  hand-in-hand, care was given to not accidentally knock Mawile. Not that  she had anything to worry about here as they reached their destination.

“Ready  to go?” Jessie inquired and was met with nods from the couple.  Returning Wobbuffet right after, that was Mawile’s cue to get down from  Jamie’s shoulder. Standing at Jamie’s side, that got her yet another  head pat. This time from Jasmine as the group made their way to the  elevator. While relatively quiet, a question did echo across Jamie’s  mind. One that probably should’ve been asked right before the initial  attempt to get her ready for the picnic, but only occurred to her now.

“Mom,  can I ask you something?” Jamie inquired as they stopped at the  elevator panel. Watching her mother press the down arrow, she promptly  spun around to meet Jamie’s gaze.

“Go  on ahead.” Jessie answered and Jamie nodded. Taking a moment to check  that Mawile was still at her side (she was), she met her mother’s gaze  once more.

“Did  Miyamoto and Doc take you to any of these picnics?” Jamie inquired,  Jessie’s gaze falling to the floor. Muttering something to the flooring  for good measure.

“I  wish.” Jessie muttered as she pulled her gaze back up. Splitting her  gaze between Jamie and Jasmine, that was enough of a cue for the latter  to reach out to her hand. Giving it a squeeze, it looked quite nice.  “Miyamoto wasn’t the sort that wanted to show her daughter off to the  world. In a way, history almost repeated twice. Doc, on the other hand,  was too busy looking for her.”

Jamie  looked away. While she wasn’t wrong, it didn’t change the fact that  things could’ve gone differently. In another world, perhaps she actually  managed to get to the initial picnic. Changing a lot, yet a little at  the same time.

Before  Jamie had a chance to continue with that thought, the elevator doors  opened up. The group stepped inside and Jasmine pressed the ground floor  button. Watching the doors close, the elevator began the descent  downwards. Relatively faster than the ascent, it left little time to  actually think things over. Perhaps for the best as the scientist  reached out to her girlfriend’s hand. Grabbing hold, she squeezed tight.  Lasting a couple moments, it was more than enough to center her here.  Especially as the elevator stopped and the door opened up. The group  stepped out. While the entranceway looked the same, Jamie couldn’t help  but feel watched. Gazing about the area, her gaze eventually settled on a  metallic figure. Rubbing a hand in front of her eyes, the metallic  figure was still there. Done up in a shiny white and green, a set of  familiar red lenses gaze about in anticipation.

“Wait.  Is that Iron Grace?” Jamie whispered and lightly tapped Lucia. Spinning  to face the same direction as the scientist, she too was met with this  unknown metal figure. Only now, Iron Grace was staring back. “Crap.”

Letting  out a deep breath, the temptation to pull out Ferrothorn’s pokeball  hung tightly in her mind. Jamie decided against it. Iron Grace wasn’t  even attempting to interact with them. If anything, it was probably  spying on them. Slightly worse, but still something to work around.

“If  it is, then it’s probably best that we get out of here.” Lucia  whispered back, the couple catching a look from Jamie’s parents. Nodding  in agreement, they made the short walk to the door. Not even looking to  see if Iron Grace was following, the group exited.

Outside,  Celadon City looked to be in the same state as it had been when Jame  and Lucia had entered it earlier. The only difference was the group of  people and pokemon waiting patiently for them to get back.

“There  you are.” Delia greeted as she shifted her focus over to Jamie.  Cracking a smile, Jamie did her best to maintain eye contact on her  former mother. Even as the Dragonite tried its hardest to regain that  focus. “Now, now, we can continue chatting later. I need to get this out  of the way. Ok-”

Delia  didn’t get to finish that sentence, Sceptile appeared from their ball  and shot both parties a look. Then it’s over to Jamie. An attempt was  made to hide, but all that accomplished was making their new attire all  the more obvious. A cheerleader uniform had been lovingly made to hang  to the forest pokemon’s body, done up in the same black and red colors  as the Team Rocket grunt uniform that they would be wearing at the  picnic. The skirt came down to an appropriate length, done up with a  jagged hem to accentuate the almost contradictory nature of the garment.  Nothing in the way of shoes, but instead, the finishing touch was a  massive black and bow

“Hi  Sceptile, you look quite nice today.” Jamie announced and watched  Sceptile’s cheeks turn light green. Trying their hardest to look away,  all it accomplished was being forced to be a big sister to Mawile.  Getting a hug, they hug the deceiver pokemon back. Then it’s dragonite’s  turn to get a hug. Even if they weren’t particularly happy to do so.

“Drago  dragonite!” Dragonite announced, cut off by a look from Delia.  Muttering something in the dragon pokemon’s direction, that shuts them  up. Just in time for Billie to walk over.

“Sorry  about that. She… difficult.” Billie explained as she came to a stop.  Dressed in a version of her attire that lacked the Team Rocket insignia,  it fit her perfectly. Giving a wave, Jamie waved back. Which was  promptly Mawile’s cue to hug her as well.

“Yeah.  Swears like a sailor too.” Meowth added as he made his approach, Delia  oddly nodding in agreement. Mawile rushed over, she took care to not  accidentally lift him up in the process. Then it’s back over to Jamie.

“How  exactly are we getting to the picnic?” Lucia inquired and Billie  pointed upwards. Staring up, Doc and Sapphire awaited on Articuno and  Moltres respectively. Descending down, out came Zapdos to carry the rest  of them.

“Zap.”  Zapdos announced as Jamie and Lucia got on. Giving Mawile a moment to  get one more hug, they returned their pokemon. Looking over to their  companions, they caught a glimpse of Sceptile and Dragonite being  returned. Meowth took a seat next to his partners, Jasmine being the one  to grab hold of him. With that, they ascended up into the sky. Their  flight was bound to be a short one, but they would savor it all the  same.

.

Iron Grace scanned the area one more time.

"Target  found." she announced, locking on a strange humanoid bug pokemon. A set  of battered brown eyes meet that of the paradox pokemon's. Locks of jet  black hair hang down, signs of pain on full display. Antennae stick  out, twitching about in relation to the various sounds. "Engaging  following mode."

For now, she would bide her time and kill two birds with one stone. That would make things right.