Meowth stretched as he woke up and blinked; It was still dark.
"Meowth." Someone hissed and the cat jumped to his paws- Sonic was out of his pokeball. "Please tell me that this is all part of the plan." While part of him really did make him seem as if he was pleading, most of his voice was full of menace and threat that made Meowth's fur stand on end.
"It could be." He bit his lip as Sonic's outline advanced on him, but the cat stayed his ground "Sonic, it's complicated-" Meowth began, but the hedgehog slammed him to the wall and held him there with one gloved hand pressing against his throat.
"You said you'd tell me what the plan was, if I let Jessie dress me up." Now that Sonic was closer, Meowth could see his eyes as they narrowed "She dressed me up really well, don't you think? So now I want to hear your plan." His grip loosened on Meowth, who gasped for air and stiffled a cough.
"It depends on how the professor got you here in the first place." He huffed out in a whisper.
"I was traded."
"Then we trade you back." Meowth leaned against the wall tiredly "I'll talk to the boss about how to find more of you, you act oblivious, he'll ask Professor Oak and he'll put him through to whoever sent you here-"
"Eggman."
"Ok, great, I don't know him. Anyway, when he talks to the Eggy guy, we'll grab his number and send you through to him. You'll be in your pokeball, but you seem to know how to get out of it." The cat gave him a small thumbs up "Satisfied?"
"No. How will I get this collar off? And how do I stop that Pokemon with the pendant?" Sonic clenched his fists as Meowth narrowed his eyes.
"You mean a hypno? Just run away. You're good at that." He sat down on his bed and curled up.
"Just because I'm good at running, doesn't mean I run away." Sonic snarled furiously, but Meowth wasn't interested.
"I only promised to get you home, not to sort out every little problem you come across." The cat muttered sleepily.
"Little problems?" The hedgehog bristled, but when he saw that Meowth was asleep, he just scowled and walked off, sitting by his empty pokeball quietly.
When Meowth woke again, it was because the persian stood over him. It growled softly.
I heard you last night. Meowth tensed, but then smiled lightly. The persian couldn't talk to Giovanni. Better hope I don't find any evidence against you. The Pokemon smiled slightly and turned to stalk away, but stopped momentarily and glanced back with narrowed eyes Sonic's having a Pokemon battle. Our master is testing his... endurance. Meowth didn't respond and the persian didn't wait for him to. Instead it stalked away, leaving the smaller cat to scramble up and run to see how Sonic was doing, but as he walked in, all he could see was a blastoise completely soaking the hedgehog, who was pinned against the wall with the force of his water attack. Finally, the water ceased and the blue hedgehog dropped to his knees, coughing up water that had forced its way into him.
"Get back up." Giovanni was sat down with a clipboard in his hand and was scoring him. Sonic ignored him as he panted and watched as droplets rolled off of his spikes with a fast and steady tempo. "Blastoise." The boss sighed and the creature moved towards Sonic and aimed again, but the hedgehog obviously wasn't ready for another soaking. He was on his feet and leapt through the air, soaring towards the beast, who quickly receded into his shell, and Sonic sat on top of him.
"How much longer are you planning to do this?" The blue blurs voice was hoarse and ragged, but he was still defiant as he glared at the boss.
"Until you collapse." He replied honestly, without looking up, and Sonic bristled furiously. "You're doing ok. You've taken some serious hits in the last three hours, but you're still going. Most Pokemon would have fainted by now. Or have beaten their opponent." Giovanni added critically. Meowth slid over to his side and purred when the boss patted his head absent-mindedly.
"I won't do what you say." Sonic rasped "I won't hurt these animals." A head whipped out of the shell and went to grab him, but Sonic had instinctively run away from him and quickly suffered the consequences. While he collapsed to the floor, riddled with electric shocks, Giovanni turned to Meowth.
"Do you know anything that might motivate him?" He asked, resting his hand on the cats head.
"Hmm." Meowth purred "You could try bribing him. Tell him he can run for an hour or something." Giovanni narrowed his eyes in thought as Sonic struggled back to his feet and faced the blastoise again. They went for another hour before Sonic was victim to another hydro pump attack and collapsed completely, coughing up water as he attempted to stay conscious, but his eyes flickered and he went still. The boss pulled out a pokeball and blastoise quickly disappeared into it, before he purposefully strode over to Sonic and knelt down to him, Meowth at his heels. He flicked something on the hedgehogs collar and pressed his thumb against a small scanner that appeared from behind a small compartment in the choker. Then he pressed a few more buttons before thumbing it again and standing up. Sonic groaned and opened an eye weakly.
"I have a deal for you." He told him, chucking him a small potion, which Sonic snatched from the air and silently drank. Then he pulled himself into a sitting position and glared up at him, ignoring Meowth. "I'm going to send out a kingler and if you battle, you can go outside and move as fast as you want for an hour, but if you're not back in the house within that hour, you will be shocked into paralysis and I'll have Meowth come and get you." Giovanni threw a pokeball and the crab Pokemon snapped its pincers, ready for battle. "Your choice." He went and sat down again, Meowth right behind him.
After a moments hesitation, Sonic stood up and walked over to kingler.
