After listening to Jessie's explanation, Tetsuya had a general understanding of the situation. Giovanni's personal charisma was truly admirable. Countless members of Team Rocket were willing to risk everything for him.
"However, Giovanni didn't attend this event. And even if he had, it was yesterday's event. It's already over today," Tetsuya said.
"Oh no! Does that mean I made this trip for nothing…? Uwaa~ Giovanni-sama, when will I ever get to meet you!?" Jessie cried out in frustration.
"You'll have another chance."
After saying that, Tetsuya prepared to leave. Sooner or later, he would inevitably cross paths with Jessie again. Although her personality differed from James's, their true natures were remarkably similar. Both were loyal to Team Rocket and Giovanni, and both genuinely loved their Pokémon.
"Wait!" Jessie called out to stop him.
"…What is it?"
"You said I bumped into you. I guess that means we're fated to meet, so we should at least get to know each other! My name's Jessie. What's yours?" Jessie asked.
'When I said that…?'
Tetsuya had a bad feeling that something unpleasant was about to happen!
With a trace of suspicion, he replied, "Tetsuya."
"Tetsuya? Ok! Well, you see, you bumped into a weak little girl like me and hurt me so badly… Shouldn't you at least… eh, you know, compensate me with some medical expenses?" Jessie suddenly changed her tone and spoke in a pitiful voice.
"…You've run out of money for your train ticket, haven't you?" Tetsuya asked bluntly.
"W-Wha…"
Jessie's face immediately filled with embarrassment. She had not expected him to see through her intentions at a glance. She had been penniless to begin with, and she had only managed to scrape together enough money for the trip to Vermilion City.
In the end, she had made the journey for nothing. Now she did not even have enough money for a ticket back. Walking home was out of the question. Without any Pokémon, it would be a death sentence!
"W-Who says that's true? You! You bumped into me. Shouldn't you be paying my medical expenses…?" Jessie said, though her voice had clearly lost its confidence.
The only way to deal with someone like Jessie was to be even "tougher". "Don't try turning the tables on me! There are surveillance cameras everywhere here. I haven't even held you responsible yet, and you're already trying to blame me.
On me!? If you know what's good for you, get out of the way. Otherwise, my Pokémon can deal with you."
With that, Tetsuya immediately threw Golurk's Poké Ball. A gigantic figure suddenly appeared beside him, frightening Jessie so badly that her legs began to tremble.
"Y-You actually have Pokémon!"
"Can I leave now?" Tetsuya asked.
'…' Unexpectedly, Jessie immediately switched tactics and began playing the victim. She truly deserved to be called a queen of adaptability.
"Uwaaa! I don't have any money to get home, and I don't even have money for food! Sob~ I'm practically going to starve to death on the streets! Can't you at least take pity on a helpless girl like me…?"
By then, quite a crowd had gathered around the station to watch. Jessie did not care in the slightest, but Tetsuya had no desire to become the center of attention. In the end, he gave in.
"…Let's go inside the ramen shop and get something to eat first, all right?"
"Really? That's great! You're buying me ramen~!?" Jessie accepted the offer as though they were old friends, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Tetsuya could only sigh helplessly. With the money he currently had, buying the entire ramen shop would not even be a problem.
Heh~ A few bowls of ramen meant nothing to him!
"Another bowl of Gyukotsu Ramen~!" Jessie called out as she put down her third empty bowl.
"…"
---◓---
Meanwhile, Tetsuya was still working on his very first bowl, his attention focused entirely on the superhuman appetite that Jessie was exhibiting.
"Kyaa~ I'm so full! That was absolutely delicious. I've never eaten anything so good before!" Jessie finally put down her chopsticks after finishing her fifth bowl, still looking as though she wanted more.
After a brief pause, Tetsuya said, "Where are you going? I'll only buy you a ticket this one last time."
"Viridian City!" Jessie answered without hesitation, completely ignoring the second part of what he said.
"Your home is in Viridian City?" Tetsuya asked.
"Nop. I'm going to Viridian City because I want to meet Giovanni-sama in person!" Jessie replied.
"Heh, so you're going to Viridian City too. But without any Pokémon, you're not even qualified to challenge Viridian Gym. You still won't be able to meet Giovanni."
Tetsuya said this because Jessie was completely infatuated with Giovanni at this point. Unfortunately, her financial situation was so poor that she did not even own a Pokémon.
People like that were the ones most likely to die in the wilderness. Of course, Jessie was an exception. She was the "powerhouse" who had caught Seviper with her bare hands after it had bitten off a chunk of her hair, mangling poor Seviper with her "Fury Swipes" and "Mega Kick".
"Humph! This time I'll definitely meet Giovanni-sama! As long as I wait outside Viridian Gym, sooner or later a Trainer will take me inside," Jessie said firmly.
"Don't you know Viridian Gym's rules? Only one Pokémon Trainer is allowed inside at a time. I think you should just go home," Tetsuya said.
Jessie clearly found that impossible to accept. It felt as though she had fallen straight into hell.
"T-This… how could this be…? You must be lying!"
"I don't have time to keep talking. I'm leaving for Viridian City to challenge the Gym. Make up your mind quickly," Tetsuya said. He also wanted to build a good relationship with Jessie. He had already come into contact with two members of the TRio. One day, they would surely be of help to him, provided it did not harm Team Rocket's interests.
"Then I'm going to Viridian City too!" Jessie declared. Secretly, she was already making her own plans. When the time came, she would simply kept insisting to Tetsuya until he lent her two Pokémon, allowing her to slip into Viridian Gym successfully.
Although she did not even know how to battle with Pokémon, as long as she could meet Giovanni-sama~, she would be completely satisfied!
"You'd better think it through. I'll only buy you one ticket. Once we reach Viridian City, how you get back will be your own problem," Tetsuya said sternly.
Jessie snorted.
"Humph, you're such a heartless person… Fine! One ticket it is. Go buy it!"
What Tetsuya continued to think about was Giovanni himself. Just what kind of leader had such remarkable personal charisma that even complete strangers could admire him so deeply? Jessie, James, and Meowth devoted themselves to Team Rocket without expecting any reward in return.
---◓---
Tetsuya bought Jessie a ticket, and together they set off for Viridian City.
On the train, Tetsuya sat with his eyes half closed while Jessie chattered endlessly beside him. Fortunately, Tetsuya had long since mastered the art of tuning people out.
Although the train was usually not particularly busy, this trip was completely full. Asea had already sent people to follow Tetsuya, and they would continue doing so until she made her decision.
After a smooth half-day journey, they finally arrived in Viridian City and had just stepped off the train.
Jessie immediately asked impatiently, "Where's Viridian Gym!? Where is it!? Aren't you going to challenge Viridian Gym!? Hurry up and go! Go!"
"…You can't even get inside. Why are you in such a hurry?" Tetsuya said helplessly.
Jessie was left speechless after being unexpectedly rebuffed.
Whenever arriving in a new city, the first place to visit was naturally the Pokémon Center. Challenges at Viridian Gym required an appointment, and without waiting at least three to five days, there was no chance of getting a turn.
Going there immediately would only result in finding the doors closed. At present, Tetsuya's only way to meet Giovanni was through a Gym challenge.