"Hi, Professor Oak," Ash said as he and Pikachu wandered into the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory. "What're you doing?"

"Good morning, Ash. Hello, Pikachu," Professor Oak smiled as greeted his visitors. "I'm busy trying to update the latest version of the Pokédex. With all the new information I'm getting on Pokémon, sometimes it seems as if I can barely keep up."

Ash and Pikachu looked over Professor Oak's shoulder. "Hey, Professor, when do you think you'll have it finished?"

"I just finished it now, Ash," Professor Oak said as he clicked the computer's mouse.

"Can I try it out?" Ash asked eagerly.

"Certainly, Ash. Have a seat." Professor Oak gave up his place at the computer to the dark-haired boy hovering over his shoulder. "Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Well, I…" Ash's face started turning red. "Uh, not really," he said hastily.

"Anything I can help you with, Ash?" an amused Professor Oak asked, noticing the redness spreading across Ash's face.

"Um, I…can you keep a secret, Professor Oak?"

"Of course I can, Ash. What's on your mind?" Professor Oak asked as he sat down in the seat next to Ash's.

"Well, Misty's birthday is Saturday, and I was trying to think of something to get her."

Now Professor Oak understood the reason for Ash's red-facedness. "Well, I'm not exactly an expert on women, but I could try to give you some ideas for a present for Misty."

"Oh, I already know what I'm going to get her," Ash replied. "I want to get her a Pokémon."

"Really? What kind?"

"That's just it, Professor. I can't decide which one to get her. I know it has to be a water Pokémon, but I can't decide which one."

"Well, why don't you search through the Pokédex and see if there's one that Misty might like?" Professor Oak suggested as he reached for the keyboard. "I can set it up to organize the Pokémon by type. There. Now this should bring up a listing of all the water-type Pokémon."

Ash tapped one of the buttons on the computer and a picture of Squirtle appeared on the screen.

"Do you think Misty would like a Squirtle?" Professor Oak asked.

"Nahh, I don't think she was too thrilled when she met the Squirtle Squad the first time," Ash said, recalling how the gang of turtle-type Pokémon nearly drowned Misty.

"Guess that also rules out Wartortle and Blastoise," Professor Oak said.

"And Misty already has a Poliwag that evolved into a Poliwhirl," Ash continued as the next picture appeared on the screen. Ash continued clicking on the computer's mouse. "She's got that one…and that one…had that one…used to have that one…got it…got it…got it," Ash closed the browser and grumbled. "Darn it. Misty's got or had every water-type Pokémon there is."

"Don't give up, Ash," Professor Oak reassured the disgruntled boy as he reached over and clicked the mouse to bring up another screen. "There are other types of Pokémon that aren't necessarily water types, but they do live in the water. Do you think Misty might like one of those?"

"Like what, Professor?"

"Like this one."

Ash pointed to the picture of the Pokémon on the screen. "A Dratini, yeah! I bet Misty would like one of those for her birthday!"

A computerized voice began narrating the information displayed on the screen: "Dratini. This dragon-type Pokémon lives in lakes and rivers and is normally very shy. It evolves into Dragonair and Dragonite. It is strong against many types of attacks, but weak against ice-type attacks."

"Do you know where there are any Dratini around, Professor?" Ash asked excitedly.

"There are Dratini in Ochre Lake. Quite a few of them, as a matter of fact," Professor Oak informed him.

"All right! Come on, Pikachu," Ash said as he hopped up from the computer workstation. "We're gonna catch us a Dratini!"

"Piakchu!" the little yellow Pokémon said excitedly as it hopped on its trainer's shoulder.

"Oh, wait," Ash said as his face fell. "I don't have any ice-type Pokémon."

"There's an easier way to catch Dratini, you know," Professor Oak said as he closed the Pokédex.

"There is? How?"

Professor Oak disappeared down the hall and returned with a pair of fishing poles. "The old-fashioned way," he smiled as he handed one to Ash.

---

"We've been here for over an hour and I still haven't caught anything!" Ash grumbled as he reeled in his empty hook. "Are you sure there are Dratini in the lake?"

"Patience, my boy," Professor Oak reassured him. "And yes, there are Dratini in Ochre Lake. I've seen them myself. The key to successfully catching one is patience."

"Maybe I should just get Misty a keychain or something," Ash sighed.

"Don't give up yet, Ash. Sometimes it takes a while to catch a Dratini. They're quite shy, you know. However, this bait just might do the trick," Professor Oak said as he handed Ash some bright pink pellets.

"Yeah, well, it hasn't done anything for me yet," Ash complained as he strung a couple of pellets onto the end of his hook and tossed it back into the lake.

On the other side of the lake, Team Rocket wasn't having much success fishing, either.

"It's no use, Jessie," James said dejectedly as he reeled in yet another empty hook. "I don't think there are any fish in this lake."

"Quit whining and keep fishing," Jessie growled as her stomach rumbled. "Even a tiny Magikarp would taste good about now."

"Oh, don't remind me about Magikarp," James said as he tossed his line back into the lake. "We nearly got killed by that one in…" A sudden tug on the end of James's line interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, looks like you've got something, James," Meowth said excitedly.

"Feels like a big one!" James smiled eagerly as he pulled on the line.

Jessie's mouth dropped as a huge blue head surfaced. "It's big, all right!"

The three members of Team Rocket shrieked as the Gyrados that James had hooked roared loudly. With a huge splash, the dragonlike Pokémon took off in the other direction, pulling James in with it.

"Wow, I didn't know James was so good at water-skiing," said Meowth as the Gyrados dragged along the helpless James behind it.

"HEEELLLLLPPPPP!" James screamed as he flew across the surface of the water.

"Let go of the pole, you idiot!" Jessie yelled back to her partner.

Before James had time to let go, the Gyrados dived underwater, taking James with it. Jessie and Meowth watched in horror as James disappeared under the water's surface.

"Aw, let's go, Professor Oak," Ash whined. "There's nothing here but…" Then for the first time that day, Ash felt a tug on his line. "Hey, I think I've got something!" Ash pulled on the line, but it didn't budge. "Wow, it must weigh about a million pounds!" Pikachu ran behind his trainer and helped him pull.

"Need a hand, Ash?" Professor Oak volunteered as he put down his own pole and helped Ash with his.

"Man, this is a huge Dratini!" Ash said excitedly as the three pulled hard on the line. "Misty's gonna be really happy when she sees this!"

Ash gave a great tug and the weight on the end of his pole gave way. Professor Oak lost his grip, tumbled backwards head over heels, and landed facedown with a loud splat in a muddy bog as Pikachu dashed out of the way just in time to avoid being squashed by a falling Ash. Dazed, Ash sat up, shook the cobwebs out of his head, then examined his catch. It wasn't like any Pokémon he'd ever seen before - it was almost human-like. Matter of fact, it was human – a blue-haired human with a white uniform that had a big red "R" on the front.

"Aw man, I caught Team Rocket," a disappointed Ash said as he realized that he had caught James and not a Dratini.

Snorting and spitting mud everywhere, Professor Oak raised his head. With some difficulty, he pulled one of his arms out of the knee-deep muck, wiped the mud out of his eyes, and saw a dejected-looking Ash looking down at a blue-haired teenage boy. "You know him?"

"Yeah, it's just James," Ash said glumly as he touched the unmoving lump with his foot. "Wonder what he's doing in Ochre Lake without Jessie and Meowth?"

Professor Oak, noticing that James' face was as blue as his hair, began to become concerned about the condition of the Team Rocket member at the end of Ash's line. "Ash, he doesn't look too good. Check to see if he's all right." Professor Oak pulled his other arm out of the bog with a big "splosh". "I'd help you, but I'm a little stuck in the mud right now."

"Oh, all right," Ash grumbled as he knelt by James and laid his ear on the unconscious boy's chest.

"Is he still alive?" Professor Oak asked as he started tugging at one of his legs.

"His heart's still beating, if that's what you mean," Ash reported.

"Is he breathing?"

"I can't really tell for sure, Professor Oak." Ash listened intently then an anxious expression appeared on his face. "I don't think so."

"There's no time to lose, then!" Professor Oak said quickly. "You'll have to give him artificial respiration."

"Me?!" exclaimed a stunned Ash. "But I don't know how to…"

"I'll talk you through it, Ash," Professor Oak said as he kept trying to extricate his left leg from the mud. "First, tilt his head up and raise his chin." With some trepidation, Ash did as he was instructed. "Next, open his mouth."

"Eww, do I have to?" Ash whined uncomfortably. "Hey! I've got an idea!" Ash reached for one of his Poké balls. "Why don't I get Bulbasaur to use his Vine Whip to pull you out of the mud and then you can…"

"There's no time for that, Ash," Professor Oak said impatiently as he finally freed his left leg from the muck and starting working on his right. "Pinch his nose shut, take a deep breath, and blow into his mouth."

Ash, who would've gladly given artificial respiration to Muk before he would give it to James, looked down uneasily at the half-drowned member of Team Rocket. "Professor, can't I just have Pikachu Thundershock him instead?" he asked weakly.

"No, Ash. Just do it," Professor Oak ordered as he struggled to free his other leg.

Easy for you to say, Professor Oak, Ash thought as he gingerly pinched James's nose shut. You don't have to put your mouth on another guy's. Ash closed his eyes, braced himself, and put his mouth over James's open one. The moment Ash exhaled into his victim's mouth, James's eyes popped open.

"AAAUUUGGHHHHH!" the two screamed in unison.

Both Ash and James scrambled to their feet and started gagging and retching.

"Yuck! I have TWERP GERMS!" James sputtered as he frantically wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Hey, I just saved your worthless life!" Ash said as he started spitting and tried desperately to wash his mouth out with some of the water in Ochre Lake.

Professor Oak, who by now had freed himself from the bog, made his way over to where the two boys were gagging.

At the sight of Professor Oak covered in mud from head to toe, James stopped sputtering and stared. "I know they say mud packs are good for wrinkles, but I think you're taking it a little too far."

Professor Oak gave James a withering look. "Never mind that. What are you doing on my property?"

"Your property?" said a surprised James.

"Yes. Ochre Lake is on my Pokémon Preserve," Professor Oak informed him. "Didn't you see the signs on the fence?"

"The ones that said 'no trespassing'?"

"Yes."

"No. We didn't see them."

Ash rolled his eyes.

"I won't press charges if you leave now," Professor Oak said as he gathered up his fishing pole. "Come on, Ash. Let's get back to the lab. I need to get cleaned up."

"Wait a minute -- you can't just leave me!" James said. "After all, it was your nasty Gyrados that nearly drowned me!"

"Yeah well, if you hadn't been sneaking around Professor Oak's property, then you wouldn't have nearly drowned in the first place!" Ash retorted.

James began shivering as the wind started to blow.

"Go change into some dry clothes and have something hot to eat, and you'll be fine," Professor Oak said.

"But I don't have any other clothes," James whined. "And Jessie and Meowth and I haven't had anything decent to eat in three days!"

"Yeah well, that's your problem," Ash replied as he gathered up his fishing gear. "Come on, Pikachu. Let's go."

"Don't leave me here!" James begged as he threw himself at Professor Oak's feet. "I'll freeze to death or get eaten by all those nasty wild Pokémon roaming in the woods! And then I'll never hear Jessie's screeching about how stupid I am or Meowth telling me that I'm an idiot ever again!"

"Oh, that's so beautiful," Jessie sniffed as she brushed away a tear. Both she and Meowth had gone off in search of their missing friend and were hiding behind a tree ten feet away from James.

"You said it, Jessie," Meowth agreed. "That idiot is a pretty special guy."

Professor Oak sighed. "This is going against my better judgement, but all right, come along with us back to the lab and we'll find you some dry clothes."

Ash's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Professor, you can't be serious! This is just another one of Team Rocket's sneaky tricks!"

"Maybe, but he does have a point, Ash. It wouldn't be right to let him freeze to death out here. Especially after you worked so hard to save his life," Professor Oak said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Ash gave James a dirty look. "Oh, all right," Ash grumbled.

"Oh, thank you," James said gratefully as he followed the two up the trail that led back to the lab.

"Come on, let's follow them," Jessie ordered as she and Meowth emerged from their hiding place and started up the path.

"What happened to you, Professor?" Tracey exclaimed at the sight of his mud-covered boss. "Did Cubone go bezerk with its Mud Slap attack again?" Tracey then saw a shivering James standing in the doorway behind Ash. "Hey, what's he doing here?"

"I'm going upstairs to get cleaned up," Professor Oak replied as he headed for the stairs. "Tracey, find our guest some dry clothes."

"Me? But why…?" Tracey stammered.

Ash snickered. "You heard him, Tracey. Go help James take his clothes off."

Tracey gave Ash a dirty look and hurled a copy of the "Field Guide to the Pokémon of the Western Kanto Region" in his direction. Ash ducked and the book hit James in the forehead.

"Why, you little twerp!" James, fists raised, started toward Tracey and was immediately stopped by…

"MUK!!!"

The giant sludge Pokémon appeared behind James in the doorway and threw himself atop the unfortunate member of Team Rocket.

"Help! Get it off of me!" screamed James as he disappeared underneath the sludgy Pokémon.

"Muk's just trying to say 'hello'," Tracey smiled. "All right, Muk, let him go."

Muk got off of his new friend, and Ash and Tracey looked down at where James lay.

"You think he's all right?" Tracey asked Ash.

"Even if he's not, there's no way I'm putting my mouth on his again," Ash replied.

"You did what?!" Tracey exclaimed with a shocked look in Ash's direction.

Ash's face turned bright red. "Uh, never mind what I said. Come on, Tracey. Let's get him upstairs."

The two boys each grabbed a leg and dragged James upstairs behind them.

---

"These clothes make me look awful," James simpered as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. "And aqua is definitely not my color. It clashes with my hair."

"Hey, it's the best I could do, so quit complaining," Tracey growled as he threw a pair of socks in James's direction.

Ash opened the door to Tracey's room and started giggling at the sight of James dressed in Tracey's clothes. "Who's that, Trace? Your twin brother?"

"Boys, that's enough," a cleaned-up Professor Oak said as he appeared in the doorway and gave James a curious look. "Well, I guess that'll have to do. Now you can be on your way."

"But don't I get a hot meal, too?" James asked as his stomach growled.

Professor Oak sighed. "All right. Tracey, go get James some soup. Then you can be on your way."

"Come on, Ash," Tracey grumbled as he followed Professor Oak downstairs. The two boys disappeared down the stairs, leaving James alone in Tracey's room. As he flopped on Tracey's bed and sank down into the pillow, James heard a tapping at the window. Getting up, he raised the sash and was immediately struck in the head by a flying pebble. "Ow!"

"Sorry, James," Meowth apologized as he climbed up a tree and in through the window. Jessie followed immediately behind him.

"Jessie? Meowth? What are you doing here?" James exclaimed in surprise at the sight of his friends.

"Shh, don't blow our cover!" Jessie ordered as she clamped a hand over his mouth.

"At first, we were here to spring you out of this joint, but it looks like they're taking good care of you," Meowth said, suppressing a giggle at the sight of his partner in an oversized T-shirt and shorts.

"So we've decided that you're going to be our ticket into stealing all the Pokémon in this lab," Jessie smiled. "All you have to do is come up with a way to spend the night here."

"And while everyone else is asleep, you let us in and we'll steal all the Pokémon in the joint," Meowth finished. "The Boss will really be happy when he sees all the rare Pokémon we bring back for him. The ol' Professor's bound to have a bunch of them in his lab."

"But how am I going to do that?" James wondered.

"Well, you'd better think of something fast, because…" Jessie stopped in mid-sentence when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Yipes!" Both Jessie and Meowth leapt out the window just as Tracey and Ash entered the room.

"What's taking you so long, James?" Tracey asked. "Your soup's waiting."

"Uh…I thought I needed some fresh air," James stammered as he shut the window (and saw a bruised Jessie and Meowth lying on the ground below – both had missed the tree).

---

"Mmmm, that was delicious," James sighed contentedly as he finished his last spoonful of vegetable soup. "You certainly are a good cook, Professor."

"Oh, he didn't cook that," Tracey said.

"Yeah, Professor Oak's probably one of the worst cooks in the world," Ash said, then gulped when he saw Professor Oak frowning at him from across the table.

"Ash's mom made it," Tracey told James.

"Well, twerp, tell your mom that she makes excellent vegetable soup," James told Ash as he finished licking the last drops out of the soup bowl.

"Well, now you can be on your way," Professor Oak said as he stood up.

James then suddenly remembered Jessie's words: Come up with a way to spend the night here. James's mind frantically started racing, then inspiration struck. James faked a huge sneeze. "A-achoo!"

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed as James blew droplets of vegetable soup all over Pikachu.

"Oh dear, I think I'm getting sick," James said as he started coughing, sneezing, shivering, and wheezing – all at the same time.

Ash, Tracey, and Professor Oak exchanged skeptical glances.

"Aw, you're faking it," Ash said.

"I am not!" James protested as he melodramatically rested the back of his palm on his forehead. "I'm probably getting pneumonia after that evil Gyrados of yours," James glared at Professor Oak, "tried to drown me!"

"I'm beginning to wish that I hadn't give you artificial respiration in the first place," Ash grumbled.

"Quiet, twerp!" James snapped as he yanked the tablecloth off of the table (sending the dishes atop it crashing to the floor) and wrapped it around himself. "Have some respect for someone who's deathly ill!"

"Deathly ill, hmm?" Professor Oak leaned over and felt James's forehead. "You don't have a fever."

"Yeah, you looked pretty healthy to me until a moment ago," Tracey said as he picked up the pieces of the dishes that had broken when James sent them scattering to the floor.

James slapped Professor Oak's hand aside. "I am sick, I tell you! I'm probably dying right now as we speak!"

"Well, if you're that sick, then we should get you to the hospital right away," Professor Oak said as he reached for James's arm.

James gulped anxiously. "Wait! On second thought, I don't think I'm that sick. It's probably just a mild case of pneumonia or something. All I need is a good night's rest and I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Well, I don't think you should stay here if you're sick. I don't want the Pokémon to catch whatever it is you have," Professor Oak continued.

"Nonsense," James said as he wrapped the tablecloth tightly around himself and pretended to shiver. "Your Pokémon won't have a thing to worry about. I'll stay in bed and won't even let Jessie and Meowth inside tonight." James then clapped a hand over his mouth when he realized that he had just revealed his plans to everyone.

Tracey and Ash exchanged "a-ha" glances.

"You heard Professor Oak," Ash said as he grabbed James's other arm. "It's time for you to go."

"Now wait just a second, Ash," Professor Oak said. "It wouldn't be right to send this poor, sick young man out in the cold if he has pneumonia."

"That's right, twerp," James said haughtily as he snatched his arm out of Ash's grasp. "Listen to the old man."

Ash stared at Professor Oak in disbelief. "What are you talking about, Professor Oak?"

"What I mean is that he can spend the night here."

Tracey's mouth fell open. "Professor, you can't be serious!"

"Yeah, you heard what James just said!" Ash exclaimed.

Professor Oak held up his hand, motioning for silence. "I'm perfectly serious. He can spend the night here, but only on one condition." Professor Oak reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a pair of rubber gloves.

James gulped nervously. "W-what are you going to do with those?"

"I'm going to examine you myself and make sure that you're not contagious. I can't risk the health of all the Pokémon in the lab," Professor Oak said as he started putting on the latex examination gloves.

"B-but you're not a doctor," a wide-eyed James said as he watched in horror.

"No, but I have given hundreds of Pokémon physicals as part of my research. It wouldn't be any different. And I assure you, I'm quite thorough when I perform my examinations," Professor Oak said as he snapped on the final glove. "Ash, Tracey, why don't each of you grab an arm and hold him down?"

Tracey grinned devilishly. "Sure, Professor."

As Ash eagerly reached for James's other arm, the terrified patient pulled away from their grasp and whipped off the tablecloth.

"It's a miracle! I'm cured!" James then dashed for the front door, nearly tripping over Kingler in the process. "Must be going now, thanks for the soup, bye!"

Ash and Tracey doubled over in laughter as James flew out the door and down the hill.

"Oh, man, that was so funny!" Tracey giggled as he leaned on the table.

"Did you see his face when Professor Oak told us to hold him down?" Ash laughed as he picked up Pikachu.

"Yes, I thought it was pretty funny myself," Professor Oak grinned as he pulled off the examination gloves.

"But one thing I can't figure out," a puzzled Ash asked. "Why did James get so nervous when you started putting on those gloves? What did he think you were going to do to him?"

"Uh…I'll explain it to you later, Ash," Professor Oak said as he pocketed the gloves and picked up the tablecloth James had thrown on the floor. "Let's finish cleaning up the mess he made."

"Hey, where's he going in such a hurry?" Meowth asked as James flew past their hiding place in the bushes outside the Oak lab.

"Hey!" James yelped as Jessie reached out and grabbed him by the collar.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jessie snarled. "You were supposed to stay inside and let us in!"

"NO! I can't go back there!" a terrified James whimpered. "That crazy old man tried to…to…" James shuddered.

"Well, you'd better figure out a way to get back in there, James, or else you'll have another reason to be scared," Jessie threatened her partner.

"You don't have to growl at me, Jessie," James said.

"I didn't growl at you," Jessie insisted.

Meowth turned around and gulped. "Uh, I think I know what did."

Jessie and James also turned around and found themselves face-to-face with an angry herd of Tauros.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" the three exclaimed as they were butted into the stratosphere.

As the trio flew by, Ash dashed out the front door with a revulsed expression on his face.

"Ewwwwwww!!!! That's disgusting!"

"I see you told Ash what the gloves were used for," Tracey said with amusement as he watched Ash run down the hill to his house.

"Well, I can't say I blame him," Professor Oak told his assistant. "When you get to be my age, you really don't want to see the doctor coming towards you with a pair of these on."