"Uh no!" Meowth thought, freezing in placing as he tried grabbing Buneary.

"Hey," the guy said. "Away from here. This area's strictly private for the moment.

("I'm not here to be a bother,") Buneary said as she walked up to the guy. ("I'm here for a strict reason.")

"I said away from here, " the guy yelled again, raising his foot to kick Buneary. Meowth took immediate action and ran up to Buneary.

"So sorry about her," Meowth said. "She doesn't quite know what she's doing."

"Huh!?" the guy said surprised as he paused, his foot still in the air. "Hey I know you. You're that talking Meowth."

Meowth froze in fear at his blunt error he made. "Oh no!" he thought. "What have I done? Now I'll be captured again. And no one will be around to save me."

"Well this must be my lucky day," the guy said. "Once I capture you, Hunter J will surely give me a special bonus."

"Wait," Meowth said. "I'm sure we can work something out."

"Oh yeah?" the guy asked seriously. "Like there's anything to talk about."

"Well I might not have anything to say, but she does," Meowth said, referring to the emotionless Buneary.

"And what would the wittle bunny have to say?" the guy mocked with a laugh.

("I'd like to join up with you,") Buneary said.

Meowth couldn't look more shocked than he was now. He wasn't even sure he heard his own ears or what she said.

"What's wrong?" the guy asked. "She said something?"

Meowth nodded his head in slow response before saying, "She says she wants to join with you."

"Join Hunter J in collecting rare and valuable pokemon?" the guy asked. "What could a weak pokemon such as yourself do?"

("Want to have a go at me?") Buneary asked. ("I'll whoop all your pokemon's butts. I can't guarantee that they'll be in perfect condition when I'm through with them though.")

Meowth translated what Buneary said, causing the guy to laugh.

"Oh that's a laugh," he said. "A bunny pokemon severely injuring my pokemon. Like that could ever happen."

("It will,") Buneary said, sounding so sure of herself.

Mewoth translated again which the guy replied.

"All right then," he said. "Let's just see how strong of a runt you really are." His hand reached for his belt to pull out a pokeball, but the sound of something huge diverted their attention.

Coming through the group of trees was the tank driven by Hunter J. Meowth gulped in fear, knowing he was doomed. Buneary remained her emotionless attitude while J's henchman just stood there, waiting for Hunter J to appear.

The tank stopped and the hatch opened up revealing Hunter J himself.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

--

"I think... we lost them," Brock said as he gasped for breath.

"Let's hope so," James wheezed. "I've been having to drag you all morning just to get away from them."

"Wait," Brock said, turning to him. "You saved me from becoming a meal from those Ursarings?"

"Don't bother thanking me," James said. "You probably wouldn't have done the same thing after all I've done to you."

"That's not true," Brock said.

"Then name one time you did something for me and my friends if I'm wrong," James said.

"What about that time we were stuck underwater in the S.S. Anne?" Brock asked. "We could have left you under to die, but we didn't."

"That's because you gave us the option," James said.

"Oh," Brock said. "Then how about the time you three got trapped underground with that doctor and I?"

"We had no choice but to follow if we wanted out," James replied.

"What about the time we helped you at that nursing place where you left your Chimeco?"

James pondered this thought as he reflected back. "You know," he said. "You're right. That is one thing you guys actually did for me."

"You see?" Brock asked. "We're not all that bad when helping others out. Even you guys."

James only stared and smiled at him as some bushes nearby rustled. The two froze in place, fearing that it may be the Ursarings. Finally, out of the bushes emerged...

--

("Ash!") Pikachu called out. ("Where are you?")

Pikachu walked aimlessly around, calling out for Ash's name. He knew not where any one was. He turned his head left and right as he walked, looking for anyone he could recognize.

He stopped suddenly, his ears picking up what seemed to be an all too familiar sound. Pikachu took off running towards the source, hoping to see someone. He rounded the trees and stopped to look up.

On one of the tree's branches sat a Staravia. Pikachu's hopes soared up upon seeing the Staravia, but immediately diminished when he saw a Pidgeotto land next to the Staravia, cuddling up next to him.

("That definitely wasn't Staravia,") Pikachu thought with a sad sigh.

He turned away and began walking in another aimless direction. Had he gone a bit further, he would have walked straight into the path of Sudowoodo and Aibipom.

--

("Do you have any idea where you are going?") Aibipom asked worriedly as they neared the spot Pikachu was moments before.

("Well I thought walking around might help us find our trainers,") Sudowoodo said. ("But I've never been in this forest before so I have no idea where I'm going.")

("I should have known,") Aibipom thought. ("So which way do you think we should go?")

Sudowoodo looked about for several minutes, pondering which way he wanted to go while Aibipom impatiently waited. Finally, after a while of thinking, Sudowoodo pointed to his right.

("This way,") he said as he turned right and began walking in that direction. Aibipom sighed and followed.

--

("I wonder what all the commotion is about,") Turtwig wondered as he followed all the pokemon to the bottom of a tree. Turtwig looked up, trying to look for whatever it was that was up there. Behind him stood Cacnea, also confused at what the commotion was about.

("Excuse me,") Turtwig said, grabbing the attention of a wild Oddish. ("What's all the commotion about?")

("There's a Croagunk and Seviper stuck up in that tree,") the Oddish replied. ("The Seviper's making quite a racket. But he sure does put on a good show with that Croagunk.")

("Hear that, Cacnea?") Turtwig asked. ("Looks like we just found our friends.")

("Yeah,") Cacnea said as he looked up. Turtwig looked up as well and then spotted Seviper and Croagunk. Apparently Seviper was busy screaming his head off at Croagunk who didn't even seem to hear him.

Turtwig chuckled at the sight. ("The Oddish is right,") he thought. ("They do put on a good show.")

He was snapped back to reality by Cacnea's voice at that instant.

("Turtwig,") he said. ("Now that we found them, how are we going to get them down?")

Turtwig stared at Cacnea for a good few minutes before looking back up at Croagunk and Seviper.

("That is a good question,") he thought as the question itself was suddenly answered.