Ethan and Wiggler left the strange world of Giratina and found themselves in...New Bark, of all places. He took a deep breath in and looked around. "Well...everything looks the same. It still smells the same but, I wonder what changed."

Wiggler let out a squeak and he laughed. "You're right. Let's see if Crystal would know anything."

"I-I-I'm Crystal," a meek voice said from behind. He turned to see her sat at the water's edge, her feet dangling in the water. She was dressed in that same silly outfit her mom had made for her, which made him smile. Only thing he could see that had changed was her hair, which was now brown. "Who are you?"

"Who am...you don't remember me?"

She looked up at him and shook her head. "Well...no. What's your name?"

"Uh, Ethan. I live in this town, we grew up together-" he said before stopping himself. The world had been changed but he hadn't been around when it changed. If that were so...perhaps he never existed?

"Ethan...Ethan. I'm sorry but it...doesn't ring a bell. It's strange though, I swear I heard that name once before."

He pursed his lips. "Oh, I see. Don't worry about it. I may have gotten you mixed up with someone else," he said with a laugh. Crystal nodded and looked away. Wow, the Crystal he knew would have never been this meek. She had always been kind of bossy and extroverted. She looked over again at him and blushed a little.

"Is...that your Pokemon?"

He nodded. "Yep, his name is Wiggler. He was my very first Pokemon. Do you have one?"

She shook her head and looked away. "I'm...terrible with Pokemon. They hate me so I just avoid them."

Well...this world was going to really take some getting used to! "Really? I don't think anyone can be terrible with Pokemon unless they're cruel to them. You don't seem like you'd be mean to them."

"H-h-how do you know? You act like you know me."

"Well I ahh...knew someone like you. They gave the same reasons as you did about why they didn't want to team up with a Pokemon. Saying Pokemon hated them and all that when it was really all in their head. Once they got one, their opinion changed."

She let out a sigh. This seemed like it was a waste of time but he would live with it. At the very least, it didn't appear like she would be helping him much in this new world. Wiggler let out a squeak and he glanced at him. "Hold your horses-"

"A-are you a trainer?"

"Yep, that's me. I plan to become the Pokemon Champion one day!"

"Oh there you are Crystal! I was wondering if you could-oh hello!"

Ethan turned to see Professor Elm walk up to them. He looked at Ethan and adjusted his glasses. "Hey."

"Have we...met?"

Ethan smiled. "I'm...pretty sure we haven't. My name is Ethan. I was here looking for an old friend but I think I got my towns mixed up."

Elm shook his head. "It's strange. I've got the feeling I've met you before. I don't know why, perhaps you lived here for a time?"

Ethan shrugged, deciding it best to shut up. "Well anyways, Crystal, I was hoping you could take this package I have to Cherrygrove. I'd do it myself but my work in the lab is going to take longer than I thought."

"I-I don't have a Pokemon though."

Ethan laughed. "Don't worry about it! I was just passing through but I can take it. It's just a quick walk over there."

"Oh I don't want to impose..."

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing. Besides, it's been awhile since we've been around here. It'll be fun to walk around and just take it all in."

Wiggler let out an amused squeak at that but he ignored him. Elm thought it over for a moment and nodded. "Okay, I can see that. Then could you take this package to the Pokemon Center there? Just explain it's from Professor Elm and they'll understand."

Ethan nodded and took the small package wrapped in a brown box. "No problem. It won't take me long at all."

Elm nodded and looked over at Crystal. "And if you ever need a Pokemon of your own, let me know. I might be able to help you out. Well I've got work to do so see you two later," he said before hurrying back to his lab. Ethan watched him leave.

"Well...I guess I better get-"

"I-I was wondering...are all trainers into...battling?"

"Huh? Oh no! There are plenty of trainers who don't battle. They might compete in the Pokeathelon, participate in contests or even just raise them for fun. I battle but not all the time."

"Contests?"

Wiggler let out an annoyed squeak at that and he smiled. "Yep, contests. You dress up in a real nice outfit and you show off your Pokemon. At least, I think that's what it's about. I was dragged into one of those once and I'll never do it again."

She smiled. "I-I love to dress up."

"Really? Well perhaps you should give them a shot. I mean you have to look your best and so do your Pokemon. It seems like it's really become popular as of late."

"R-really? I don't hear much about them. All you hear about is...umm the Game Corners. They're almost everywhere."

Ethan and Wiggler shared a look. "I know about the Game Corner in Goldenrod and also Celadon but...there are more?"

"Y-y-yea. Almost every city has one. They're all big and flashy and filled with machines. People go there to lose money or...maybe win some. It's what a lot of people do now."

Things had really changed while he was gone! "Well that doesn't sound like fun at all! I've tried some of those machines out but they're boring. Why would you want to be cooped up in a building like that all day?"

"Well...it's the thing to do. I wish...where do they do those contests?"

"I...forgot where they hold them. If I was into them, I'm sure I would have remembered," he said. He remembered them taking place in Celadon but since the world had changed, he wasn't sure if that were still the case.

She sighed. "T-that's too bad."

"Well...hey while I'm out, if I see where they are taking place, I'll let you know."

She blushed a bit. "Y-you'd do that?"

He shrugged. "Well if you don't want me to-"

"N-n-n-n-n-n-no, that's fine! Please, thank you! Will you come back and visit? I-I think I'd like to hear more."

"Yea."

He still wasn't sure what to think as he and Wiggler entered Cherrygrove. "I don't know about you Wiggler, but Crystal being meek and shy I can deal with. Crystal being all into fashion will take some getting used to. She always hated it!"

Wiggler let out a squeak and he nodded. "Yea, this world seems a bit weird. Game Corners in almost every city? People not interested in Pokemon but those dumb games? All I need next is for Jasmine to be some sort of bad guy and it'll be complete."

He took a look around and to his relief, Cherrygrove looked much the same as he remembered it. There didn't seem to be a garish and noisy Game Corner around so perhaps it was in the larger towns. He walked over to the Pokemon Center, just as the door opened and a familiar red head walked out. Wiggler let out a squeak and Silver turned around. He sneered at him. "What do you want?"

Ethan laughed. "I think he is being friendly."

Silver rolled his eyes. "Why do I care? I don't waste my time with weak Pokemon like that."

Ahhh so he had reverted to that old phase. Ethan smirked. "Weak Pokemon?"

"Yes, weak. I don't think it's so hard to understand. Wigglytuff are pretty frail and useless. They only are good for having a lot of stamina but who cares? If they can't take a hit, they're useless."

He grabbed a fishing pole leaned against the side of the building and leaned it on his shoulder. "Are you sure Wiggler is weak?"

Silver let out a sigh. "Yes, I know he is. You want me to prove it to you? I don't want to waste my time with weak trainers."

Ethan shook his head. "What is with you and weak trainers? Weak trainers, weak Pokemon...weak, weak weak. It's kind of tiring."

"I didn't ask for a judge."

Ethan laughed. "Well...I think you'd have a lot more potential if you stopped being so obsessed with strong Pokemon and just teaming up with whoever suits you the best."

Silver turned to face him. "Oh, really? Why should I even listen to some weak trainer?"

Wiggler let out another squeak and Ethan shrugged. Wiggler was right, this was going nowhere. It took Silver some time to get out of this phase and he wasn't going to change him in a few minutes. And they had that package to deliver. "Weak? Wiggler is a lot stronger than you think. He may have been weak when he was younger but he worked hard to become what he is today."

Silver shook his head. "So you wasted all that time training up a weak Pokemon when you could have used a strong Pokemon and saved yourself all that trouble?"

Ethan laughed. "I got to team with a Pokemon I liked."

"Liked? You act like it's some sort of pet. They're nothing more than tools."

Wiggler let out a squeak and Ethan smiled. "Tools, huh? Well you keep believing that."

"Right. And you still haven't convinced me that your Pokemon are strong-"

"Tell you what. I'll let you have a battle with Wiggler but I'm not going to participate. I have this package I have to deliver so I'll do that while you battle it out."

"You're crazy. How is your dumb Pokemon supposed to know what to do without-"

"Wiggler's smart. He knows how to battle without me shouting out commands. We've been through enough together."

Silver shook his head. "Well don't complain to me when you get back and your Pokemon fainted."

Ethan stepped into the Pokemon Center and the first thing he noticed was how empty the place seemed. He looked around, expecting to see a few trainers walking around the lobby or perhaps using the computers but instead he only saw an elderly man with his Geodude, sitting near the window. "Well this is odd," he said. He walked up to the counter and smiled at the attendant. "Hey, I have a package for you guys. It's from Professor Elm."

"Oh yes! We were expecting that today!"

He set it on the counter and nodded. "So...where is everyone? It's not like there is a Game Corner around to chew up everyone's time."

She sighed. "You're right about there not being a Game Corner but there once was one. It closed down a few months back but the damage was done."

"Damage?"

"People had given up spending time with Pokemon. They had been so invested in the Game Corner that when it closed down, they had forgot the wonderful times they had with their Pokemon. Now people just spend time...doing not much of anything to be honest."

He leaned against the desk. "Wow...that's kind of bad."

"There's talk about putting the Game Corner back in Cherrygrove but I hope not. It'd be nice if people would discover and fall in love with Pokemon again."

They heard what sounded like a commotion outside and he laughed. "Maybe I should go back out there."

"W-what is going on?"

"I left my trusted Pokemon out there to take on a trainer."

"By itself?"

Ethan nodded. "We've been through a lot together. He's been in so many battles, that he knows how to battle on his own now. Besides, my Pokemon seem to do better when I let them do their thing than try to direct them."

"That's...a bit refreshing to be honest. And your name is?"

He glanced at her and smiled. "My name is Ethan."

She nodded. "You seem like a pretty strong trainer, why haven't I heard any more about you? Since not as many people train their Pokemon to battle, it seems like it'd be hard for someone like you to slip through the cracks."

"Ahh...well I've been away, training. It's been some time since I've been in Johto and it seems like I missed quite a bit."

That seemed to satisfy her and it might work as a nice excuse the next time he got asked that, which would probably be all the time. He waved goodbye and stepped outside, in time to see Silver looking bewildered at Wiggler, who looked about the same as Ethan had left him. "So, how did it go?"

"I-I-I underestimated it, that's all! A lucky fight!"

Ethan shrugged. "If it was a lucky fight, perhaps you want another go?"

Silver grumbled. "No! I...you won't be so lucky next time! I'm going to go fish now."

Ethan watched him leave and looked at Wiggler. "I hope you weren't too tough on him. I don't want you to break his spirit or something."

Wiggler's squeak assured him no such thing happened. "Well that's good. If he's anything like the Silver of old, he is too competitive to give up."

Wiggler let out another squeak and he nodded. "Yea, I guess we should check out Olivine. As is, it's looking like it's going to be pretty tough for us to get any help."

Olivine was in a word...empty. They entered the center of town, expecting there to be some activity but to his annoyance, the streets were pretty barren. There were a few boats in the docks but there weren't any men loading or unloading them. In fact, he noticed quite a few wooden crates lying on the beach, where he could assume the sailors dumped them when no one came to pick up their stuff. He looked off to the side and saw a large Game Corner, buzzing with activity and about the only place that seemed lively. "I wonder where Jasmine is. I really hope she isn't."

Wiggler let out a squeak of agreement. He felt someone bump into him and turned around to see a young boy standing behind him. He had a head full of messy blond hair and wore a lime green shirt and a pair of worn blue jeans. He carried a Pokeball in his hand and noticed Wiggler. "Oh wow, is that a real Pokemon?"

"A real...Pokemon?" Ethan asked before laughing. He bent down to the boy's eye level. "Of course he's real! You've never seen a real Wigglytuff before?"

The boy shook his head. "I've...never knew there was a Pokemon like that," he said. He walked over to Wiggler and poked him a few times. Ethan tried not to laugh while Wiggler just played the patient part. "Wow, he's so soft!"

"He may feel soft but he's real tough. Don't let his appearance fool you."

The boy nodded. "Do you have anymore Pokemon?"

Ethan nodded. "Yea, I have a few more, like a Ludicolo, a Raichu, a Tauros and a Steelix-"

"You have a Steelix? Really?"

He nodded. "Yea, it was given to me by a friend. Why, have you seen one before?"

"Yea, Ms Jasmine has one! It's so big and shiny and it looks kind of mean but it's really kind. She always has it out when she's down by the beach."

He smiled. "Could you take me to her? I think I'd like to meet her? It seems like there don't seem to be a lot of trainers here."

The boy led him to the beach west of town, which led to the routes connecting Olivine to the Whirl Islands and beyond that, Cianwood. He expected to see a few swimmers in the water, those annoying and pesky trainers that made surfing a chore at times but perhaps he had been too optimistic as the waters were pretty barren. He noticed a large Steelix sleeping near the shoreline but where was Jasmine?

"Hey Cliff! Who's your friend?" A cheery voice said from behind. Ethan turned around to see Jasmine standing atop a rocky wall that overlooked the bay. Nothing about her appearance had changed, still adorned in a summer dress but what had happened to the meek and soft spoken Jasmine?

The boy waved his hand at her. "Oh hey Jasmine! This is Ethan and he's a trainer just like you! He wanted to meet you!"

Jasmine hopped down from the wall and walked over to them. She looked down at Cliff before looking at him. "You're a trainer, huh?"

"I don't look like one?"

Jasmine pursed her lips. "I don't know really. It's so rare to see trainers out and about that you...have to pinch yourself when you meet one."

He shook his head. "That's still crazy to hear. I guess the Game Corner has a stranglehold on everyone?"

Jasmine let out a sigh and looked past him. He turned around and stared out at the ocean. "Well...there are a couple of things but since the Game Corner is the main cause, we'll go with that. The problem with everyone being consumed by the Game Corner, all the training they could have put with their Pokemon is gone so the town is full of a bunch of inexperienced trainers," she said. She put her hands on her hips. "And this town has been having an issue with a bunch of pirates. They have a hideout somewhere nearby and often raid incoming ships and vessels."

Ethan nodded. "And since you're one of the few-"

She laughed, interrupting him. "Few?"

"Okay, only one who knows what she's doing, it makes things tough."

She smiled. "I may be tough but I'm only one trainer, up against a whole slew of pirates. I can maybe chase them off once in a while but they'll keep coming."

"I bet I could show them a thing or two!" Cliff said, holding out his Pokeball. Jasmine giggled and knelt next to him.

"I bet you can but you've only been training with that Staryu for a week. It still has time to grow and become strong but you don't want to tire it out so soon!"

Cliff looked a bit sad. "Y-yea but how am I going to become as strong as you if I don't take on stronger Pokemon?"

"Stronger Pokemon, yes but not ones who are really stronger than you. You'll only end up hurting your Pokemon by doing that."

Cliff frowned. "But...so many of the Pokemon out here are much stronger than my Staryu."

Ethan let them be, figuring he wasn't needed or might be intruding if he spoke up. He walked down to the water's edge and stared out across it. He could see several Seels jump in and out of the water but that was about the only Pokemon he expected to see. A few islands dotted the horizon and Wiggler let out a squeak. "Well, I'm just thinking. One of those islands is where the pirates are hiding. It's going to be tough trying to figure out which one is it. They wouldn't be so bold to just stick a big flag on it, announcing where they hid."

Wiggler let out another squeak and he frowned. "Why should they care about hiding? Well...I guess I see your point. If the police lack the strength and there aren't many strong trainers, I guess they could be that bold. Just...I don't want to go chasing after them. We need something to lure them out."

Wiggler let out another squeak. "And...then what? Well we get the truth out of them. They could tell us where the hideout is. And maybe show them that we mean business. That they can't just bully the people around here and get away with it."

Wiggler let out yet another squeak and he frowned. "I'm not sure this will help us return the world to normal. I'm working on that one. We have to get help though, we can't do it alone."

Of course Wiggler had another annoying squeak. He was too much of a realist at times. "Yea I know. I realize it's going to be tough to convince people that this world isn't the right one. I'm working on that one too! You're making me depressed over here and I hate that!"

He put his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Now dealing with these pirates. Now this could be fun. Ironic it started with us dealing with some pirates. Now we have to do it all over again! I wonder if they act like typical pirates and-"

Wiggler countered that with a few more squeaks and he shot a glare at him. "You're saying that's silly? Says you! I think it'd be real cool to run into some pirates who say arr. and have a funny bird on their shoulders. And then they could wear those large hats with the huge feather and...and..." he said as he trailed off when he noticed Jasmine standing nearby, a large smile on her face. "Ahhh...oh hey Jasmine!"

"You two are really close."

"Yea well...he was my very first Pokemon."

She nodded. "That's just like with me and-"

"Rusty?"

She folded her arms. "And just how do you know his name is Rusty? Did Cliff tell you?"

"Ahhh...well...it's just the kind of name I'd figure someone would pick for a Steelix, that's all. I guess."

"It's just...have we met before? I swear, it's the strangest feeling but it's like I know you from somewhere. And it's driving me up a wall!"

He laughed. "Ahhh well...I tend to travel around a lot so I'm sure we've met."

She shook her head. "No. I swear I know you and it wasn't as just passing acquaintances. Like we really knew each other but how would I be able to forget someone like that? It's so annoying!"

He would say but it'd just sound nuts so he kept quiet. "I don't think you need to worry about it. If we were close before, I'm sure it'd only be natural for us to become friends again...I think."

She laughed. "You're a bit goofy."

He turned away and rubbed the back of his head. "Well yea, you know...so, how should we deal with these pirates?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

He stared out at the ocean. "Out there are some scurvy pirates, causing trouble for this town and incoming ships. You already said that you're outnumbered but I'm sure with my help, we can make some headway."

"Just the two of us?"

He laughed. "Of course! We'll just dwindle down their numbers, one by one!"

"That sounds like a great idea in theory but there are at least thirty pirates and two of us. Even doing it one by one, would take too much time. And they could just outlast us anyway."

"Well even if we can't defeat them, if we can at least show them that there are trainers here who can pose a threat to them, a very real threat, maybe that would drive them away at least. Show them that they can't just bully people around."

She laughed. "That seems a bit more reasonable than taking on a large gang of pirates."

They heard the sound of a horn and he could see a small boat moving toward the docks. It carried a few large wooden crates, stamped with the Team Rocket logo. He let out a gasp. "Team...Rocket?"

"Yes, what about them? I kind of wish Charon and his crew could stop being so concerned about the Game Corner and maybe help out. I guess since this town is smaller compared to-"

"Wait, wait...why would Team Rocket send people out to help? Isn't that the government's job?"

She looked at him with a confused look. "How long have you been away?"

He gave a nervous laugh. "I guess too long by the sounds of it!"

Jasmine brushed aside her hair. "Well they aren't the government but they have a lot of power. I think it's because of the Game Corner and Silph. Between those two, they control a good deal of the business in Kanto and Johto. Not all of it mind you but since the Game Corner is such a big interest, you get my point."

He nodded. "And they bought up Silph. Too bad most people aren't interested in battling-"

"Silph also runs a good deal of the power plants around here," she said and he frowned. Not only was Charon in charge of Team Rocket but they weren't even known as a bunch of criminals but as a legit company. This was even better than he imagined. Between this, knowing he was the only person who knew the world had been changed and the fact that he really didn't exist here...

"Hey...are you okay? You got all distant all of a sudden?"

Ethan looked at her again and smiled. "Oh, it's nothing! Haha, I was just trying to think."

"Oh, okay. Oh there's something else I should let you know about these pirates. The leader of the pirates has the powerful Kyogre under his control. That's yet another reason why they've been able to run around free and clear."

"Oh, Kyogre," Ethan said. It took a few moments for it to sink in before he looked back at her. "Kyogre? When did he get that Pokemon?"

Jasmine shrugged. "Hey, your guess is as good as mine. I've known a trainer or two who tried to deal with him but got crushed."

Wiggler let out a series of squeaks and Ethan looked down at him. "What was that Wigg?"

Wiggler spoke again and he nodded. Jasmine laughed. "What is he talking about?"

Ethan smiled. "Well when you mentioned that this pirate guy has a legendary Pokemon, Wiggler reminded me that we could probably...fight fire with fire."

She put a hand on her hip. "You also have a legendary Pokemon?"

He shook his head. "Well not really but I know where I can find one."