A/N: Hi! There aren't enough James-centric fanfics around here, so I thought I'd, y'know, remedy that! He's always been one of my favorite characters...I loved how even though he was a villain, he was still a really nice guy and his Pokemon loved him!

Soooo, about this fic...I have no idea how it's going to play out lol. I'm pretty much making it up as I go along, though I do sort of have an idea in mind at the moment. It's going to mainly revolve around James.

Anyway, any reviews/thoughts/criticism would be much appreciated! Thank you!

Also, chapter 1 has been split into two separate chapters. Ditto for chapter 2. Thanks for all the advice Flaming Silver!

"009 to Giovanni."

"I'm here, Domino. How goes the scouting mission? Have you found any Pokemon worth stealing?"

"Not a Pokemon, but a weapon. I overheard a group of people - they appear to be part of some crime syndicate - talking about an ancient weapon of immense power. It appears as though they're trying to restore it. It might be worth looking into."

"Interesting...try to dig up more information on this 'weapon'. I'll send some agents to assist you shortly."

"Roger that. Domino, out."

"Uuu..."

James groaned. He and his team had just blasted off again. They had only been in the Kalos region for a few days, and already they've been sent packing several times. Pretty soon, news stations around Kalos-no, the world-would be reporting on their actions. "Three Idiots Bungle Another Theft, Thwarted by Boy and His Pikachu" the headline would read. He groaned again at the thought.

"Jessie? Meowth? Where'd you guys land?" he called out, dusting off his uniform. No reply. "Guys?" He took a look around. The area looked strangely familiar..."Strangely" because he had never been to Kalos before (to his memory), and thus, nothing should look familiar.

"Oof!"

James collided with an old man as he walked around, absorbing his surroundings.

"Sorry...?!" James's eyes went wide. "Pop-pop!"

"Wha...? James! What brings you here? Did ya finally quit Team Rocket and decide to come home?"

"Um...no, not quite..."

"Ah well." he sounded disappointed. "How's Mime Jr. doing?"

James panicked. He sort of didn't want to tell his pop-pop that he left Mimey in the hands of Team Rocket...

"Um, uh...he's doing great! Er, he's not with me right now...he's..." James strained his brain for a plausible excuse. "He's with Jessie right now!"

Pop-pop raised an eyebrow. It was obvious he was lying, but for now, he let it go.

"Well, you can tell me what really happened later. For now, how 'bout we get you cleaned up? You look awful!"

He was right - James's clothes had several noticeable rips and tears, and his hair was still frizzy from that Pikachu's blast.

"Great, I'd appreciate that. Thanks." he said gratefully.

As they walked, James got a better feel of where he landed. They were apparently somewhere south of Celadon city, close to his grandparents' mansion. How he ended up so far away is a mystery, though it may have had something to do with how Jessie and Meowth used him as a shield...he basically ate an entire Thunderbolt.

"So where're your two friends?" Pop-pop's voice snapped James out of his deep thought.

"O-oh! They're in the Kalos region. We got separated..." James answered, leaving out how they were separated, that a kid was foiling their plans at every turn, that he was not only a petty criminal, but an utter failure at that.

"I see." was all Pop-pop said in response.

"How's Chimecho doing?" James asked, suddenly remembering the friend he left in their care.

"Ah, he's doing great! In fact, I think he's healthy enough to travel again."

"Really? Great! I'd love to take him with me!" James said. His mind raced with memories of his old, blue friend. He couldn't wait to be reunited with him.

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the vacation home. It was as big and gaudy as James remembered.

"Gladys! Look who I found in our backyard!" the old man called out. James heard a few dishes being set down in the kitchen.

"Who is it-oh my..." she dropped the drinking glass she was drying off. It shattered across the marble flooring. "James!"

"Nanny!" James cried out, wrapping his arms around the old woman.

"It's so nice to see you...watch out for the glass! What brings you here?" she asked.

"I got separated from my team...you remember Jessie and Meowth, right?"

"Of course I do! Your secretar-er...'partner', and the talking cat?" she remembered him bringing the two of them in.

"Yeah. They're in the Kalos region. Speaking of which...may I use the phone to tell them where I ended up?"

"Of course! Harold, dear, do we still have that old video phone?"

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU IDIOT?!" Jessie shrieked. From their battered clothes and burn marks, it was obvious they had just blasted off again, without him. No doubt he was going to receive the blame for it...

"Those twerps blasted us off again, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!" she predictably continued.

"...I'm at my vacation home in Kanto." James said when she calmed down a bit. Big mistake.

"YOU'RE WHERE?!" The force of her voice sent him flying back. "We're here getting our butts kicked, and YOU'RE TAKING A VACATION?!"

"I'm not taking a vacation! I just landed here after our last blast-off..."

"Look, get your butt over here A.S.A.P. We need your Inkay! I don't stand a chance with just Wobbuffet, and you know how useless Meowth is at battling..."

"'Ey!" the feline piped up from off screen.

"Next time, YOU'RE taking the hit!" Jessie yelled before hanging up. James sighed before rejoining his grandparents.

"Well? Are they okay?"

"Yep! Just peachy! Anyway, I think I'll spend the night here, if that's all right with you?"

"Of course! It's always a pleasure, having you around."

Suddenly, James's vision was obscured by a silky blue cloth.

"Chiiiime!" a familiar, relaxing sound rang against James's ears.

"Chimecho!" James grabbed him and playfully rolled around on the floor. "It's so nice to see you again!"

"Chime chime!"

His grandparents laughed. "We'll go get dinner started while you two catch up." his nanny said, before departing with pop-pop.

"...so then Meloetta and the kami trio were released, and Unova was saved!" James finished recounting another tale of his exploits. He had traveled across two regions and was just starting on a third one since the last time he's seen his grandparents, after all.

Pop-pop whistled. "Wow. You sure get into a lot of trouble, dont'cha?" he said. James left out the part that he was one of the ones that plunged Unova into this crisis in the first place, to keep his dear grandparents from worrying about his sanity.

As he continued to tell edited versions of his journeys, James stuffed his face with his nanny's home cooking. It had been too long since he'd eaten this well. Usually, he and his team would have to survive on a bag of chips for dinner...

"So, what kinds of Pokemon have ya caught? I'm sure Chimecho would love to meet his new travelling partner."

Chimecho perked up at the sound of its name. "Chime?" it asked, sounding eager to meet its new friend.

"Oh, right! Come on out, Inkay!"

James released the Pokeball onto an open space, and with a brilliant flash of white, his first Kalos Pokemon appeared before them.

"Inkay!" it cried out, warily looking around, prepared to strike wherever his master ordered. It was confused when it didn't see anything that looked even remotely threatening. "Inkay?"

James chuckled. Cacnea had the same reaction when he found out James was loaded. A fleeting sense of reminiscence washed over him as he thought of his beloved grass Pokemon, but he shrugged it off.

"Calm down, Inkay." James said calmly. "We're in my mansion. Well, one of them, anyway..."

"In...kay? Inkay?!" it replied, obviously surprised.

"Yeah...I actually come from a wealthy family."

"Inkay...?" it asked, as if wondering why they traveled so poorly when he had all this money.

"It's...sort of complicated..."

"..." it didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but it decided not to probe any further. Then its eyes wandered over to the table of delicious looking Pokemon food... "In...kay?" its eyes seemed to shimmer.

"Oh, are you hungry? Go ahead and-" James started, but "Go ahead" was all Inkay needed to hear, and it dove right into the food and started stuffing its face. "-eat..." James finished. Nanny and Pop-pop laughed.

"Chime!" Chimecho said cheerily, greeting its new friend.

"Ink...ink..." Inkay managed to sputter through a mouthful of food. Suddenly, it looked like it was struggling - it had apparently bitten off more than it could chew. Chimecho just laughed and used its soft tail to help ease the food down Inkay's throat. "Inkay ink!" it said, a little embarrassed, but still smiling from the humor of the incident.

James watched his two Pokemon playing together and smiled.

"Well, looks like they're getting along fine." Pop-pop said, smiling as well.

"Yeah..."

"So James...how do you plan on getting back to the Kalos region?"

"Huh?" James hadn't given it much thought. "Well..."

He began brainstorming. The first and obvious option would be to go normally, as a civilian. His grandparents would certainly spare him money for the trip. The only problem was, he was a wanted criminal. He had heard from pop-pop that the police of the region have been cracking down on crime, arresting Rockets left and right. Apparently, their exploits in Unova were major enough to put the other regions on guard. Plus, his false passport and ID were long expired. He hadn't bothered to get it renewed, seeing how he and his team traveled by air balloon or submarine instead of train or plane.

The second option would be to borrow one of his dad's private jets. He had an entire fleet of them, each equipped with a full flight crew, but he wasn't sure if the crew could be trusted to take him secretly. He remembered Sebastian, his butler at one of his resorts in Sinnoh. The man acted so happy to see him, but then instantly sent out his Spinarak to try and turn him in to his father.

His last option would be to ask Team Rocket for a ride. They had a secret base in the nearby Celadon City; he could go there and ask for transportation. The problem with this option is, he's not exactly a distinguished member of the organization...He and his team often pretended they were top agents, but let's face it...the only major thing they'd accomplished was defeating Team Plasma, and they sort of embellished that story in their favor when they reported it to the boss... Plus, as his pop-pop had said, Team Rocket agents were getting arrested by the dozens. And the organization had already been spread thin from trying to maintain footholds in several different regions. It would be highly unlikely for them to have spare transportation just lying around for him.

But he decided that that was his best option.

"Well, I guess I'll go check in at Rock-er..." he hesitated. His grandparents were so nice...they still can't believe he joined Team Rocket. He certainly didn't want to remind them of his fact.

"Team Rocket'll give ya a ride, huh?" Pop-pop finished for him.

James nodded. "Hopefully."

The table went silent for a moment.

"So tell us more about your adventures!" Nanny said, breaking the tension and changing the subject. James smiled.

"Well...in Sinnoh, we saw this shiny Metagross..."

After a great dinner and a long, relaxing bath, it was time for bed.

"Inkay..." Inkay was amazed at how great bathing felt. He was a wild Pokemon - the closest he had ever gotten to a hot bath like this was that time a Vaporeon used scald on him.

James put on the pajamas his nanny left for him on the bathroom counter. As he and his Pokemon walked to his bedroom, Pop-pop tagged along to tell him some things.

"Gladys washed your uniform while you were bathing, but you should probably avoid wearing it around here. Like I said, security's tightened up a bit. Team Rocket did something in Unova that got the police down here worried. Say...you didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"

James chuckled and denied it. "No, the big boss himself came and did that while we were in the area. And it wasn't all us - there was another crime syndicate in the area causing trouble, as well."

Pop-pop didn't look convinced. "At any rate, be careful out there. Don't be afraid to refuse orders if you think they're crazy, okay?"

James nodded solemnly. It was good advice, and he'd even used it that one time Giovanni went mad with power in Unova.

"Anyway, good night, son. Rest up - you're gonna need it if you plan on making it all the way to Kalos."

"Good night, Pop-pop."

Pop-pop went back to his bedroom. Soon, James pulled up to the door to his own. Everything was just as he left it all those years ago. Toys scattered on the floor, Growlie's playpen, the hot tub, the luxurious bed...

While his Pokemon went to play around with his old toys for a bit, James ignored the calls of memory lane and headed straight for the bed. He plopped down on it, sighing as his body absorbed the comfiness. His Pokemon soon joined him, the allure of snuggling with their master beating out the call of the hot tub. Chimecho wrapped its tail around his head, and James hugged Inkay like a squishy, squiddy stuffed animal.

He had the best sleep he's had in a long while that night.

An amazing smell woke him from his near-eternal slumber. Eggs, bacon, and toast with his nanny's special, homemade berry jam. His stomach growled ferociously, so he threw off the covers and raced downstairs, dragging a laughing Chimecho and a half-asleep Inkay along with him.

He burst into the dining room and saw the table lined with food. "Ah, hello James! I made your favorite! Bacon, eggs, and toast, with that jam you loved so much as a kid!" his nanny said cheerily.

James sat down and, completely forgetting his table manners, dug into the food ferociously. His grandparents laughed, then joined him for a good old family breakfast. His Pokemon were off to the side, eating the highest quality Pokemon food around.

After a hearty breakfast for both people and Pokemon, James packed his things.

"If your boss isn't able to provide you transportation, then come back here, and we'll help you find a way back to Kalos." Nanny said.

"I will, thanks."

"All right then. Well, good luck, be safe, and remember, we'll always be here for you if you need us."

"Thanks, pop-pop!" he said, hugging him. He kissed nanny goodbye and waved as he left. He was still looking back when something tackled him to the floor. The growling made him think it was a police dog.

'But how?! I'm not even in my uniform!' James had put on the clothes pop-pop prepared for him, so the police wouldn't arrest him: a black, gold-trimmed blazer with a blue tie and matching black formal pants. How did they-

The dog licked his face and barked playfully.

"Growlie!"

"Growl!" he said, giving his master another lick.

"It's so great to see you! But wait...if you're here, then that means..."

"Son! Is that you? So you've finally decided to come home, eh?"

"Uh oh..." James gulped.