Once again, it was the middle of the night, only this time, the setting was not outside Lucy and Vincent's room, but rather, the roof. James was watching the Berry plants, a slightly excited look on his face in spite of the plan that Meowth and Jessie had laid out. The flowers had closed up this morning, and fruit had begun to form. Unless he missed his guess, it was nearly time for-

A flash from the plants cut his thoughts short as the fruits fully formed. The Berries were ready, and he smiled despite himself at having helped bring this about. This...this felt right. Gardening again. Helping to bring good, wholesome things into the world, rather than any of their prior antics, which usually only ended in drama and misery all around. He breathed in for a moment, content with what he had helped do, enjoying the satisfaction of a job well-done.

The moment was promptly ruined by the others showing up. "Is that it?" Meowth questioned. "Are they done now?"

James turned around to see Jessie and Meowth standing at the doorway, looking at him expectantly. Well, one was looking expectant. Jessie seemed to be conflicted about something. The Roserade nodded once, slowly, a decision resolving itself in his heart. "Yes, they just got done. If you wanted to, you could pick them clean right now, were it not for one simple thing." He took a stance between the two standing at the rooftop entrance and the Berry plants, ready to stop them if, no, when he had to.

The felines tilted their heads in confusion, but Jessie seemed to catch on and smile slightly. Meowth, however, was unaware of his companions changing their minds about his proposed plan. "What would that be?" Meowth questioned.

Jessie answered him by standing in front of James, nodding once, and then turning to stand at his side, facing Meowth. "We're done."

The smaller cat blinked a few times in confusion. "Done?" He questioned out loud.

"Think about it, Meowth. It is highly unlikely Giovanni is here. And even if he were, Vincent has proffered us sanctuary. Food, water, a place to rest our heads. Actual sanctuary and safety from others, as he demonstrated." The Pyroar gestured to the city beyond the roof with one of her paws as she continued. "Out there is a world of potential, of fresh starts, for not just everyone else, but us too. We...would be doing a disservice to Arceus himself if we didn't take it. Me and Jessie?"

"Done," Jessie repeated. "Done with Rocket. Done with them and their ideals. We followed them for so long, and this is the first clean chance to break away from them we've had in a while. One with a brighter future on the other side of the break. If you want to follow their ways, that's up to you. But we're not helping you."

The smaller cat's jaw dropped at the proclamation. "You...you guys...what would you even do here? Grow plants and help a Porygon-Z?"

"It's actually not a bad idea," Jessie said with a bit of a smirk. "After all, James helped grow these Berries, and Bit apparently has designs on re-creating some of Earth's technology here on Equus. This is likely to be one of the safer, more well-supplied places in the near future, and one I want to be a resident of."

"But...but the money! The chance to make so much money from this! You're just going to let it slip by?"

"Yes," James said first. "I am. And really, you should have thought of a better argument than that one, Meowth."

Jessie nodded and held a paw up to her chin as she thought. "Actually, considering the water tank they've talked about, the generator, the furnace, the air-conditioning, this Berry garden...if they but expand this garden, then...they won't need much money, if any, to run this place or live here. Why wouldn't we stay here and help?"

"Well," a new voice said from behind Meowth, causing him to yelp and run towards Jessie and James while turning around. This revealed the owner to be an elderly Bellossom, and she was only lightly glaring at the three of them. After a moment for the feline to get his heart back under control, the plant continued.

"Well, kudos to you two for standing up to him, but really, you shouldn't have taken this long to do it."

Before Jessie or James could offer a rebuttal, the Bellossom stalked up to Meowth and glared a very impressive glare for being as short as she was. "And as for you. For even thinking about doing that to my son or this house he's helping run. I should by all rights tell him who you are, then stand back and watch the fireworks."

This left the Rocket trio very nonplussed. "Why would him knowing who we are or were set off any 'fireworks'?" James questioned.

"Oh. Permit me to introduce myself. Jeanne Delaine. At least, that's my maiden name. When I married, I took the last name of Nurem," the Bellossom said with a short curtsy.

The effect her former last name had on the three former Rocket members was akin to an electric current being run through them. "That...explains a few things," James said, muttering and looking to one side as he contemplated the stories of the mad scientist.

"Yes, but it doesn't quite answer the question as to why Vincent knowing who we are would change anything," Jessie tacked on. Jeanne looked at the both of them and crossed her arms while huffing.

"Because the Doctor's first real victim from all of the demented and likely-true stories you heard was his own son," she explained. "It left Vincent with a bitter hatred for those that would abuse Pokemon...I think. I got that impression from him today, at least." Jeanne seemed to think for a moment, then shrug as she continued her little rant. "As such, I can only think that hearing about who Team Rocket was and what they did, assuming he doesn't already know, along with your names and the fact that you were a part of them-"

"-Would really not go over well," James finished with a nod. "Especially our boss's involvement in the Mewtwo Event."

Meowth seemed to finally catch on to what was being said about Vincent and gulped. "But...surely if I mentioned the idea of selling the Berries to the kid, he'd listen?"

"He might," Jeanne said with a shrug before resuming her glare. "But that doesn't mean you get to pressure him or take them for your own. I hear so much as one word of such a thing happening and find out it was you, I'll tell Vincent about your pasts. You can bring it up, but if he says no, then you leave it be."

She breathed deeply for a moment before smiling and nodding at the trio. "I would hate to leave on a sour note, though. I'm a bit too old to be holding a grudge like that anymore. So...take care, you three."

With that, Jeanne left the three former Rockets up on the roof, to ponder just how close they had come to complete catastrophe. If Vincent knew who they were, it would likely end with him either turning his power on them or kicking them out of his home, neither of which were outcomes they wanted.

Unanimously, they decided to leave the Berries be.

Morning brought a surprise to the apartment door of the Nurem family. One in the form of a Roserade and a Meowth. Lucy looked at the two as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with one paw. The other was busy holding her mug of coffee. "Yes?"

"Well," James began, "It would appear that we've just run out of whatever non-perishable food the last tenants left in our apartment, so we were hoping you knew of a good place to go buy more, so that we could have some form of breakfast."

"Somewhere that wouldn't judge us for being Pokemon," Meowth added.

The Lucario sipped her coffee as she considered the question. "Bit, while being the oddest of the family, does most of our shopping. Mostly because he has more information jam-packed into him about Equestria than we might ever know, so he knows how best to read a shopkeeper and avoid being cheated. I think he's out buying a few groceries for us, actually..."

There was a bang and a clatter from the kitchen before a familiar female voice spoke up. "Lucy, that you at the door?"

The Lucario grumbled a bit before shouting her reply. "Yes, Jeanne!"

"Who was it?"

"James and Meowth, they need a good place to pick up food in town!"

There was a pause before the Bellossom spoke up again. "Why?"

"They ran out before they could have breakfast this morning!"

"Oh is that all! Invite them in, I can make more!"

To say the two former Rockets were stunned by this sudden act of generosity would be like saying Discord mildly enjoyed mayhem; a gross understatement. Meowth and James exchanged a look before giving one to Lucy, who was similarly bemused. After a moment, she stood to one side and waved them in. "C'mon in, guys. Jeanne apparently likes you enough to share our food with you."

The inside of the apartment, while not structurally different from theirs, seemed to be more of a home somehow. More lived-in, warm, welcoming. The Lucario escorted James to the table and pulled a seat out for him, which he sat in absently. She then picked Meowth up before setting him on the couch in the living room. "Sorry, I think the table is a bit too big for you," she stated with a snicker. "Plus, we only have the four chairs for it anyways."

The feline grumbled a bit before sitting back in the remarkably comfy couch. Vincent walked out from the guest bedroom yawning and stretching, and Sam emerged from the bathroom, his armor clean and shiny. Vincent sat at the table while using his powers to snag a cup of fresh coffee from next to the pot, while Sam rolled his eyes and grabbed one gently with his claws. "Showoff."

"Nah. Showing off would be making it from scratch, cup included." The psychic slowly sipped his hot beverage before turning to Lucy. "Morning, love."

"And to you as well," she replied, pecking Vincent on the cheek. Almost immediately afterwards, Jeanne walked out of the kitchen and wiped some sweat off of her forehead.

"Breakfast is done," she proclaimed. "But you're mad if you think I can carry all of it out here by myself. Vincent?..."

With a nod and a flexing of his strength, four plates of food appeared at the table. One appeared in Meowth's lap, and one hovered around Jeanne, making her chuckle before she gently grabbed ahold of it and put it on the couch next to Meowth. She made to jump up and join him there, but the psychic cleared his throat. "Didn't you have something else to say, mother?"

Jeanne sighed and nodded before turning back to the table. "Yes, I do...and the sooner I do, the better." With those words, she stepped closer to the siblings sitting down for breakfast and thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Too complex..." she muttered. "Best to tell them straight."

"Well," she spoke in a louder tone. "The easiest way to say this is simply that I'm sorry for those words I nearly said, Lucy. And I hope neither you nor Sam will hold them against me, as I have no intention to say them again. Please...please give me your forgiveness. I...I don't want to have to leave because of a mistake I almost made."

Lucy and Sam looked at each other, both of them imagining the torture this woman must have been through over the past fifteen years. They shared a slight shudder at the thought, before Sam nodded once, followed by Lucy. "You're forgiven," Sam said.

"So long as that word is never uttered under this roof again," Lucy clarified.

Meowth and James shared a look of confusion before shrugging. Whatever it was, didn't involve them, and hopefully wouldn't. For the time being, they were content with their breakfast, which tasted as wonderful as it smelled.

And so the slightly expanded family came together again.

The installation of the new water tower atop the apartment complex, along with the requisite plumbing, was not without a few hitches here and there, but usually, a member of the crew of ponies had the skills to deal with them as they cropped up, and where they failed, the powers of the family saw them through the worst of it. Vincent shared a hand/hoof shake with the lead pony of the crew and looked back to the complex, smiling all the while. "With this," he said, "The Ricardo building it is no more. Now it needs a new name, to reflect on what it has become and represents."

The others seemed stumped until the Kadabra walked up to the plaque out front, which had a black cloth draped over it. With a flick of his wrist, it was drawn aside, revealing the new name of the building.

Under that, in smaller letters, another sentence explained the name in a bit more depth.

"I like it," Lucy said. "Especially this last bit here."

Her paw pointed out the final line, engraved in even smaller letters.

James and Meowth looked at it and smiled. Apparently Vincent was nicer than they thought. Maybe someday, when he was a bit more...stable, they'd tell him who they were.

"Now all we need are pony tenants and this will show off what we can do," Vincent mused while stroking his mustache. James had a sudden thought and turned to the psychic.

"Oh, I nearly forgot! I checked up on the Berries last night, couldn't sleep, and they're ready to be harvested now! If you'd care to do the honors?"

Vincent's smile could not be wider if he'd tried, and he nodded his head eagerly. "Sounds awesome, James! Anything you think we need up there?"

The Roserade pondered for a moment. "Well, besides your proposed sprinkler system," he said out loud, "We could also do with some sort of compost bin. Would help us keep up with demand, assuming there is one in the future, by giving them all sorts of nutrients. And more variety would be nice as well, I could get some interesting Berry mutations if I had the proper starting set, which would enable us to expand our stores considerably."

"I'll have Bit put it on his to-do list, or have him ask you for more details later," Vincent replied. "Now let's go get those Berries!"

Lucy followed her boyfriend back inside and up the stairs inside while Sam merely chuckled and headed off to work. Jeanne looked over to the two former Rockets and nodded. "Well done, you two. Well done."

With that, the three of them also headed up, to make sure that Vincent didn't end up tearing out anything extraneous in his haste to harvest the Berries.

Author's Notes:

So uh, funny story. I may have recently upgraded to a 3DS...

...And I may have gotten Pokemon X for it...

...And I may have let my OCD tell me to try and fill out the 'dex and Berry listings as much as humanly possible...

...But I stopped myself short of forming the perfect team to take on the battle facilities so I can plunder their delicious, delicious prizes for my own. At least, I tore myself away long enough so that I could bring you lot this chapter.

(I lie, I was watching the Berries constantly during it.)

But hey, the present and the future now align. Pre-written chapters can now become what is happening, not what may happen. All I need to do is keep my eyes out for a certain little Umbreon, should she decide to visit Las Pegasus, especially if she comes by at the same time that a certain Luxray and his family does...

*Pictures the ensuing cluster-chapter and shudders*

Oh, by the way! The future chapters of this story are going to end up bumping it up to an M rating. Just FYI. I'll drop another warning right before the chapter in question is released, but once it is...

Hoo boy, you'll see why it earned that rating.