As Ash, May, and Dawn exhaustedly carried themselves through the forest they had been hopelessly navigating for weeks, it seemed to them that they might never reach Sungleam Town. Just when all hope seemed to disappear in the depths of the trees, Dawn peered off to the side, and off in the distance, she spotted the very thing they had been hoping for.

"It's…here!" Dawn cried, sprinting towards where she was looking. As she stopped abruptly in an opening of the forest, she paused to catch her breath. She was staring at the middle of a bustling town lined with small buildings and shops that seemed to stretch for miles.

"We're here!" exclaimed May excitedly! "Sungleam Town!"

"We can get registered for our first contest!" Dawn shrieked.

"Let's go to the Pokémon center!" May shouted, running off without a second thought. Dawn bolted after her, closely trailing her all the way to the Pokémon center off in the distance.

"Man, they sure take off without a warning," Ash muttered to himself. "While they're doing that, guess I might as well take a look around town."

Ash wandered the town's streets. For a place called a "town", it sure seemed more like a city. For what seemed like forever, he passed by flower shops, candy shops, Pokémon food shops, shops of every variety. Suddenly he stopped at a building that stood out from the small buildings that lined the town. This one was a bit taller but much wider. It could have covered a half-block if it had been placed elsewhere in the town.

"What…is this?" Ash thought to himself. Around the corner, he saw May and Dawn walking towards him, albeit with much more restraint than when they had first arrived.

"Hey, Ash!" Dawn called to him. She looked up at the massive building. "What's this?"

Dawn turned around to see a strange man walk up to them. "This, young lady, is the Sungleam Research Institute, or SRI for short."

"The SRI?" Dawn asked, perplexed.

"Why, yes. They conduct all sorts of groundbreaking experiments on Pokémon studies in there. Why, some of the leading Pokémon evolution studies in the entire Obella region happen right here!"

"Pokémon evolution?" Ash said, puzzled. "That sounds important."

"Why, yes. I hear they are undergoing a lengthy experiment right now," the man added. "I can't say for sure what they're doing, but the place has been locked down to the public for today."

"Aw, man," Ash moaned. "I totally wanted to go check it out…"

"Hey, Ash, I bet it'll be open some other time!" Dawn cheered. As she finished, everyone's stomach let out a collective growl.

"Hah, I guess we can take a look at a little somethin' else first," Ash said jokingly. "Let's go see where we can get something to eat."

May and Dawn nodded. "I'm with you there!" they chimed together.

The three walked down the block, stopping at a restaurant that was conveniently located right next to the town's Pokémon center. May looked up at the sign in sheer excitement.

"A noodle shop! Hey, Ash, Dawn, can we go here, please, please, please, pretty please with Cherubi on top?" May begged.

Ash and Dawn looked at each other and laughed. "Sure, why not," Ash replied. "If it's food, I don't mind where we go!"

Once inside, Ash, May, and Dawn took a seat up at a high counter that looked like it belonged in a bar. They looked carefully at the counter menus and placed their orders. Shortly after, their meals had arrived and they quickly ate.

"Yummy!" May exclaimed, patting her stomach. "That was soooo good!"

"It really was!" Dawn replied eagerly.

"A hot meal after that much traveling always hits the spot for me!" Ash said, slouching in his seat. "So, what are we gonna do now?"

Dawn and May quickly turned, shooting him a scowling stare as if he had just said the dumbest thing in the world. Given the context, this probably was the dumbest thing in the world to say.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Ash mumbled, cowering in his seat. "The day before the contest, you wanna train, I get it."

Dawn let out a small sigh. "As if he had to ask."

May chimed up, "Say, I think I saw a field nearby where we could all get some training in. I think it'd help us all with our upcoming battles."

"That's great, May!" Ash bellowed. He started to stand up. "Pikachu and I could get some training in too! What are we waitin' for, let's go!"

Unfazed by his restlessness, May and Dawn climbed out of their seats and calmly headed after Ash, setting for their prospective training grounds.

The grounds were not far from the restaurant from where they just came. No more than a block away, they arrived at a wide open field surrounded by tall grass. Dawn ran clear to the far end of the field, and May and Ash remained on the near side of the field.

May reached for her belt and pulled out one of her Pokéballs. "Skitty, come out!" With an eager cry, she was ready to start her pre-contest training.

"Hey, May!" Dawn called from across the field. "Want to have a practice battle?"

"Sure!" May called back. "Skitty, use Ta—"

May's orders were interrupted by a deafening crash. Ash, May, and Dawn all turned to face the direction of the blast. Smoke poured out from the giant building they had stopped at upon entering the town.

"It's the Research Institute!" Dawn cried.

"Let's go check it out!" Ash barked. He bolted off in the direction of the billowing cloud.

"Ash, wait!" May screamed after him. "We don't know what's there!"

Ignoring her, Ash continued for the Sungleam Research Institute. May silently beckoned to Dawn, knowing they had no choice but to chase him. After a few intense minutes, the three arrived at the building. Employees of the institute could be seen running out of the building in terror. Around the back of the building, Ash, Dawn, and May saw a large vehicle speed off into the distance, heading for a hill on the horizon.

"Let's follow 'em," commanded Ash sharply.

The three sneaked around the building, following the vehicle's tracks quietly as to not be seen. On they continued until they finally reached the narrow hill. Steep cliffs trailed off to each side. Tire tracks spanned the entirety of the hill's incline.

"What could they be up to…" Ash growled angrily. He started to rush up the hill, but May grabbed him.

"Careful, Ash," May warned. Together they cautiously headed up the hill.

Up near the top of the hill, they saw the vehicle they had been chasing stopped at a high cliff. This must have been where they planned to escape, but it seemed as if they had gotten lost and reached a dead end. Out of the vehicle popped several men dressed in dark jackets. One of them had a large cloak, and his face was concealed by a heavy visor. Ash, May, and Dawn quickly ducked behind a nearby boulder for cover as the men started down the hill, but they were too slow; their cover had been blown.

"Who goes there!" one of the men shouted. "Show yourselves!"

The three slowly stood up from behind the boulder. "What are you doing?" snapped Ash.

"That is none of your concern, child," the man shot back.

"What did you do to the Research Institute?" Dawn demanded.

"Persistent little pests," the man in the visor groaned. "Well, if you must know, the Research Institute has been gathering a rather extensive collection of stones. We know some of those stones can be quite valuable, so we opted to, ahem, borrow them for a while. It's nothing the likes of children should be concerned about, so I recommend you leave while you still have the opportunity."

"I don't take orders from thieves!" Ash barked. "Give those stones back NOW!"

"It pains me so to do this. Haxorus, please dispatch them." The man in the visor quickly grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and thrust it forward, releasing the large, yellow, lizard-like creature. It wildly swung the vicious claws that branched from its arms in an intimidating battle dance.

"Skitty, come out!" May cried, reaching for her Pokéball.

"Piplup, help out!" Dawn called. Piplup leaped from her shoulder to stand next to Skitty.

"Come on, Pikachu!" Ash hollered. Soon, the three Pokémon stood face to face with the towering Haxorus.

"How pitiful." The man with the visor paused briefly. With a sinister smirk, he whispered, "Haxorus, use Hyper Beam."

Haxorus tensed its muscles and enveloped itself in a bright yellow light. With a bellowing roar, the light burst forth in a radiating beam that blasted into the ground in front of the three and their Pokémon. Dust sprayed everywhere, knocking Ash and May to the ground. Dawn was thrown to the side, skidding to a halt at the edge of the steep cliff that sloped down the side of the hill. Dawn quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Now, Haxorus," the man coldly said, pointing at Dawn. "One more time."

Time slowed to a crawl. Dawn watched in horror. Haxorus once again glowed a foreboding yellow. Time dragged as Dawn watched Haxorus set its sight directly on her, pointing its entire body at her chest. She flinched, covering her eyes as to not see what would surely be her last moments alive. If the Hyper Beam didn't kill her outright, the plunge from the cliff surely would have been more than happy to seal her fate. As she felt the heat of the Hyper Beam near, faintly, she heard someone scream.

"SKITTY! TACKLE!"

Skitty lunged toward Dawn, smashing into her ribs. Instantly, she was flung several feet, smashing into the ground. As she made contact with the dry earth, she could feel Haxorus' onslaught narrowly miss just above her. Dawn lay motionless on the ground, overwhelmed by what had just occurred. Suddenly the sound of sirens echoed through the air. An armada of police vehicles swarmed up the cliff. Startled, the men quickly mashed a device on their vests, and from each of their vests sprung a small jet pack. Each of the men leaped from the cliff and soared off into the distance, abandoning the vehicle that they had used to reach the cliff where they fled.

With the men gone, Ash rushed over to Dawn, pulling her onto his lap, her head resting on his chest. "Dawn! Dawn! Please wake up!" Ash begged.

Dawn slowly opened her eyes. "Ash…" she mumbled weakly. "What…happened?"

"Dawn!" May cried, kneeling at her side. "Are you alright?"

Dawn sat up slowly, seating herself between Ash and May. "Yeah, I think so. Are you alright?"

May nodded. "Yeah, we're fine. I was worried we were going to lose you over that cliff!"

Dawn heard the sound of stifled breathing. Ash had turned to face her, but he hung his head. "It's my fault. I put you in danger. I'm…sorry." A stray tear fell from his cheek, landing on the ground between them.

Dawn quickly placed her hand on his shoulder. "No, it's not, Ash. You didn't know this was going to happen. Please, don't be so hard on yourself."

A woman in a police uniform walked up to them, interrupting their touching exchange. "Excuse me, children, but are you alright?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I think so, Officer Jenny," May said. "We were attacked by those men you saw."

"I'm glad to see you three are alright, but we should have you checked out at the Pokémon center just in case," Jenny said.

May nodded, smiling. "Thank you, officer."

Officer Jenny escorted the three down to the Sungleam Pokémon center. After a brief checkup and a clean bill of health for everyone, Officer Jenny took them over to a small table in the Pokémon center lobby.

"So, I think you should know what happened back there," Jenny explained. "The men you saw are known as Pokémon Hunters. Their goal is to steal Pokémon and Pokémon-related items and sell them on the blackmarket. If you ever see them again, if at all possible, I strongly recommend you avoid confronting them at all costs. These men are extremely brutal and will stop at nothing to achieve their ends."

"So is there any way they can be stopped?" Dawn asked.

"I will be launching a full investigation into the matters regarding these Pokémon Hunters. Don't you worry, we'll catch them in no time."

"Well, that's good," May said, sighing with relief.

"You three should rest up tomorrow. Nurse Joy told me you two have a Pokémon contest tomorrow, is that right?" Jenny asked.

"Why, yes, it's May's and my first contest in the Obella region," Dawn chimed.

"Well, you'll definitely want to get some rest tonight. It starts first thing in the morning, so you'll need to be in tip-top shape!" Jenny said, excitement evident in her voice.

"Hmm, okay," May quietly replied.

"Yeah, I'm wiped," Ash moaned.

"Good night, everyone," Jenny gleamed.

Ash, May, and Dawn slowly started towards their rooms. Shortly before reaching them, Dawn abruptly stopped May in the hall.

"May?" Dawn timidly asked.

"What is it, Dawn?" May said, looking a little surprised.

Dawn paused for a moment. "Uhm, thanks a lot…for earlier," she stuttered.

May looked her in the eye and acknowledged her with a smile. "Good night."

"Night."