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Jessie, James and Meowth lay on their backs in their sleeping bags. Meowth had already drifted off to sleep, while the two human members of Team Rocket had yet to do so.
"You never mentioned Jessiebelle before," said Jessie, her voice cutting through the stark silence, giving James a start.
"Huh, I didn't? Uh, right, I guess I didn't, but it's not like I talked much about my past." James sighed, his brow creasing in a frown. "Especially her. I mean, you saw her, Jessie, you know what a frightening woman she is. She used to strike fear into my heart." He shuddered. "Still does, actually."
"I suppose you're right," Jessie murmured. "She was quite a fearsome woman indeed, so it's no wonder you wanted to get away from her." Licking her dry lips, she scanned the overhead trees with her gaze. "You know, I was kind of surprised that she looked so much like me."
"Hm?" James blinked. "Oh, yeah. To be honest, I hadn't really noticed it until now but there really was a resemblance. Weird how that worked out."
A long silence followed, filled only by the faint sound of the wind rustling through the tree branches. "So," Jessie said quietly, "you really, definitely never had a thing for her, then?"
James let out a spluttering snort. "For Jessiebelle? Are you crazy?" He paused, then spoke again, his voice softer. "At the beginning, I might have thought she was cute, but then she showed her true colours and well, I definitely feel anything for her after that, and I sure as heck don't now. There's no way I would want to return to that terrifying woman."
"I see." There was a palpable hint of relief in Jessie's voice.
"How come you're asking anyway?" James turned over, his eyes shining with mirth. "Not jealous or something?"
"Of... of course not!" Jessie exclaimed indignantly. "That's absurd. Now why don't we just get to sleep already?" She let out a loud huff and closed her eyes. Fortunately, it was dark, so James couldn't see the slight flush in her face.
"Alright." James made an amused noise and rolled back over, closing his eyes as well.