Team Rocket and the Forgotten Birthday It was a rare day off for Team Rocket, a day without Pokéball hunting or explosive plans. Jessie was polishing her boots, James was practicing a new flower-tying technique, and Meowth, yes, he was still counting coins. Suddenly, they heard a faint sob from an alley. "What's that pitiful sound?" Jessie whimpered, rarely able to bear tears unless they were her own. They looked into the alley and found a little boy huddled together with a sad, homemade birthday hat on his head. Around him lay scattered streamers and a few balloons that had already begun to collapse. He was crying quietly into his hands. "What's the matter, little friend?" James asked, his voice surprisingly gentle. He had always had a soft spot for children, although he rarely admitted it. The boy lifted his red face. "Nobody came... Nobody came to my birthday," he snorted. His voice cracked, and he started to cry again. Jessie and Meowth exchanged a look. This wasn't a Pikachu-captive situation. This was a case of a broken child's heart. And for some reason, some strange, inexplicable reason, it touched them. "What are you talking about?" Jessie said, putting her hands on her sides. "Team Rocket is here! And we know a good party when we see one!" James, always ready to follow Jessie's lead, even when it was completely unexpected, stepped forward. "Yes! Every birthday deserves a celebration! Especially one with... er... such lovely streamers!" Meowth, who, with an unusual generosity, dug out a few shiny coins. "Look here, kid! You can use these to buy yourself a proper layer cake!" The boy looked up at them in surprise. He recognized them from the news he had once seen about a pair of "villains" who were always chasing Pikachu. But they weren't acting like villains at all now. Team Rocket began to improvise. Jessie tied the balloons to the boy's hatband so they stood proudly. James found a few empty boxes and stacked them up to form a makeshift "table," while Meowth, with a wag of his tail, "sang" the birthday song in his characteristic, high-pitched voice. It wasn't pretty, but it was heartwarming. The boy began to laugh, a pure, effortless sound that filled the alley. It might not have been the birthday party he had imagined, but it was one he would never forget. When a neighbor finally found the boy and came to pick him up, Team Rocket was already walking away, their hands in their pockets and a strange warmth in their chests. "It was... strangely satisfying," Jessie admitted. "Yeah," James said. "Maybe we should consider a career in event planning?" Meowth shook his head. "Forget it. It's way too much work for too little reward. I'd rather catch that Pikachu." But even Meowth couldn't hide the small smile that played on his lips. For a brief moment, the three villains had been the best birthday guests a lonely boy could ever ask for.