This chapter was updated/revised on January 22, 2020

Crashed Landing

"I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
Because I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn."

Florence and the Machine

Jay blinked in confusion, then surveyed his surroundings. Jezz was next to him, along with Xatu, Vileplume, and Chimecho, and he was staring at him with looks of trepidation and exhaustion. They were in the middle of a meadow, and there were no buildings in sight; he could only see a few presumably wild Tauros and Mudbray off in the distance.

"What…what is going on?" Jay asked Jezz. "Did you just teleport us?"

"It was an accident!" Jezz sputtered.

"Are you okay?"

Jay observed his face. Anyone could tell that Jezz was far from copacetic.

"It's no big deal, only an accident," Jay told Jezz. "You can send us back to the Pokémon Center. Easy-peasy-lemon squeasy."

"I am unable to do that, Jay," Jezz asserted.

"Why not?"

Jezz sniffed up tears, but several escaped.

"I cannot go back," he asserted, his voice wobbly, wet, but sincere. "I apologize but it is the truth that I cannot."

"Wait…don't cry! I'm sorry…I never know how to say the right thing…" Jay responded, moving closer to him.

Jay was baffled over Jezz's emotional reaction to a simple question. Jezz didn't expect it either.

"Xatu can bring us back, just ask. He listens to you sometimes, right?" Jay tried.

"What I mean is…I meant to come here, then you and Amber woke. I didn't want you to come along, that is why I told you to step back. But you grabbed my arm…you weren't supposed to do that. I was supposed to be alone, but now you are here," Jezz attempted to explain.

"I don't get it. Are you running away?"

Jezz nodded.

"What the hell?!" Jay gasped.

"I feel I cannot sufficiently explain," Jezz sighed.

"You can certainly try!"

Jay was not angry, but he did feel upset and confused. Jezz knew this, but not what to do about it. He didn't know what else to say, so he said the first thing that popped into his head.

"I don't want to hang out with your group anymore," he claimed, crossing his arms.

"That not true," Jay argued. "You said you loved us and I believe that with everything I got."

"I do love you but that doesn't mean I should stay."

"That is exactly what that means!"

"You do not understand me, Jay. You cannot relate, no matter how much effort you force into the situation."

"I know we are not completely alike but why does that mean I can't relate?"

"I don't know. I wish you could."

Jay tried to look Jezz in the eyes, but he kept darting them away. Jezz finally decided to give up and allow him to meet his gaze.

"I am upset because last I remember it was the middle of the night, and you were distressed about something. Then we were here, in broad daylight, and I have no idea where we are, what time it is, or why we are the only humans around. Why are we in the middle of nowhere? How far away did you take us?"

"We are technically still in Kiwi Mountain City," Jezz murmured offhandedly.

"We can't be. We are in an abandoned field, not a Pokémon Center," Jay pointed out.

"This is what Kiwi Mountain looked like about fifty years ago."

"Huh?"

"Xatu can not only show us the past and future…he can bring us there…moderately."

"We are in the past?! Or future…"

"Past…I think."

Jay was further flummoxed. He had heard rumors about this breed of power from Sandshrew, but the fact that it was real and that one of his closest friends possessed it was almost too shocking to believe.

"You have soooo much explaining to do," Jay admonished. He crossed his arms and glared at Jezz. "Start with why. Why are we here, why did you do this, and why won't you send us back?"

"I did not want anyone to come after me," Jezz answered as he sat down on the ground. "I meant to come by myself."

Jay was annoyed by Jezz's nonchalant attitude and at how he skated around the questions, but he decided to let it go for the moment and sat down next to him; he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere by scolding him.

"And Xatu…?" Jay continued.

"Xatu still only listens to me when he wants to," Jezz replied. "He is entirely unreliable. He did not want to use Teleport, and his Teleport isn't that strong anyway. I don't think he would even be able to take anyone with him. But he can go back and forth between the past, present, and the future. He didn't mind following this command for some reason."

"Probably because he knew it was a bad idea and wanted to screw with you."

Jezz hesitated. "I should send you back. Xatu, return Jay to the present."

Xatu flew next to Jay. Jay jumped out of the way right before the Xatu disappeared.

"No way! I am not going back without you," Jay told Jezz as gripped his shoulders. "Please talk to me. Tell me why you did this. Nothing you can say—"

"—will make you care about me any less," Jezz finished for him. He looked down, away from Jay. "I knew you would say that, but I don't see how you can thoroughly believe it."

"There is only one way to find out. Talk, please? I can't read minds."

Jezz rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "I suppose that is true."

Jezz recited the story he told Amber. He talked about his Porygon destroying the files and the subsequent house explosion, about his constant cycle of lying to people and then running away, and finally, the transition that he never discussed with anyone other than Amber and the people at Spectrum. It took Jay a while to process the information because it came at him all at once.

"Jezz, I can't help but feel betrayed," Jay said after several moments of silence had passed between them.

"Can you please be a bit more specific? When did I betray you the most?" Jezz retorted.

"You…you shouldn't have felt ashamed of this. You shouldn't have had gone through all this misery. We wouldn't have taken—we won't take—advantage of your feelings."

"I was only ever accepted once in my life, when I met Rita, when she and all those people at the shelter helped me. I liked her because she did not make me feel like a leech, burden, or shame. I couldn't stay there though because I knew it was going to end. Either those people who were looking for me would find me and make me stay with them or the social workers would take me to a different house that treated me bad or someone would have discovered what I'd done, or someone I cared about would move away or die and so I ran away before any of those things could happen. This way I could be in control…at least a bit. I never stayed anywhere for too long. Above all I feared that someone would find out about my past and expose me and later resent everything that I was. That is why I never let anyone get too close."

"Then why did you have us dive into your past? Isn't that what Rumika, Rita, and Lucy are doing? Aren't they looking for your roots? It's a paradox."

"That decision was a risk. I finally felt like I was going to come out to you all, tell you about everything, even the crimes…but then I chickened out. I started to realize I was in too deep, and that is why I packed up all my things and had Xatu take me here. I wanted to go to a place where I never existed. I was going to live here, and maybe you all would come looking for me, but you'd never find me. This is the place where no one can find us. I can hide forever, and it would be okay."

Jay was equally shocked by Jezz's rapid character change as he was from his confessions. He couldn't believe this was the same kid who he and Amber saw as sheltered, impressionable, and shy. Now Jezz just revealed himself to be none of those things. Except one thing was the same. Jezz was petrified. Jay decided that he had to be the new leader; Annastasia, Rita, Nolan, Lexi, or Amber weren't around to do it, and Jezz wasn't in a position to make important decisions.

"You had a reason for destroying those files…you said that those people shamed you, hurt you, and had plans to hunt you down…and you were young…and you never had anyone there to teach you that who you are is okay," Jay inferred. "You did it to protect yourself, and things got out of hand. Good people don't resent other people for defending themselves, even if they…accidentally make a house explode…"

Despite the intensity of the situation, Jezz and Jay both giggled at Jay's last few words. The world of Pokémon was impressive when it enabled an emotionally distressed child to destroy an entire house, leaving almost no viable remains. Jezz only revealed his toughest side in spurts, and Jay was only beginning to realize that Jezz could more-than-intimidating.

"And my identity? Aren't you mad that I didn't tell you?" Jezz inquired.

"I understand. I now get what you meant when you said we 'aren't the same'. We grew up in very different worlds. I never got hit by adults for expressing myself. Of course, the kids at school liked to hit…but I had somebody there to help me out," said Jay. "A few somebodies, to be precise."

Jezz's face brightened but he was obviously still conflicted. Jay wondered how Jezz would be handling the situation if he wasn't there.

"And look on the bright side, Jezz. You're terrific at passing," said Jay, laughing nervously.

"I suppose that is true," Jezz agreed with a diminutive smile. "Even Rita, the first day I met her, she compared me…to you. She said we looked alike. She understood me right away. It was perfect."

"Rita told you about me?"

"She told me that you looked like me, that you were a year younger than me, that you were upbeat and sweet. She also said that you didn't like to go down to Spectrum because you were afraid of making the other kids feel uncomfortable because we were all either kicked out of our homes or runaways, and we were all poor while you grew up rich and loved."

"That is really sad…If you don't mind me asking, does Rita know all of this?"

"It depends on what you mean by all of this."

"About what you told me."

"When Rita and I reunited late last year, she immediately knew it was me, the 'Jamie' she had once helped. I guess my disguise wasn't all that great…but then again, she is a spy and therefore trained to see through people. And we talked again, just like we did all those years ago, and for a little while, it felt like not much had changed. The difference was that now I had more friends and a different look and name. The Porygon, the house—she knows about that. She didn't say anything because she wants to protect me. Now that I am gone again, I am sure she will reveal everything to Team Rocket. She is going to be worried about me. She is going to want to do everything she can to find and help me this time and now I am at peace if she decides to reveal those things…Because no one can hunt me down here."

"Does this mean that you are no longer afraid?"

"I needed proof that someone can be my friend despite all my baggage. Rita said you and everyone else in our group would love me, but I was afraid. With Rita, my life is different. Rita is just doing her job when she talks to me, so even though we trust each other now, our relationship was never based on trust. You and Amber are children, as myself. I wanted so badly to trust you the way you trusted me, but I couldn't because I couldn't know for sure how you'd feel or how our relationship would change if I confessed my crime and exposed my identity. I realized if I took control and ran from what was causing me pain, then I would no longer be afraid."

"We were causing you pain…awe."

"It was not the least bit your culpability."

"I don't know what that means, but Amb and I thought that maybe…oh Amb, she's gonna be very, very mad at you. I thought I was angry, but no one can get as enraged as she can, not even my mom can reach her level. She'll pummel you, probably make you cry. I am warning you. You think you are scared now—"

"—Despite what I said, I do not plan on returning to the group. Amber can be mad at me if she wants because unless she gets some major outside help, she is never going to find me."

Jay let out a frustrated sigh because Jezz wasn't listening to him. Jay knows that he is not able to get angry the way Amber can, but no one can get as attached and upset as he can.

"Since when did you become so arrogant?" Jay mumbled.

"I suppose I was born this way," Jezz retorted.

"No, your voice…I can tell. You are acting, right now. It's something that you do sometimes. I have been watching you ever since the Indigo League. I know that this isn't the true you."

"Please understand that everything changed for me so quickly. When Annie came and talked to me, and I looked her in the eyes and lied…it was the worst feeling in the world. She didn't do it to me, I did it to myself. And now I fear that I let her down in the worst way possible. I will not go back. It is better this way. You, however, should go."

Jay offered his hand. "I am not going to go without you."

Jezz contemplated that suggestion. Jay expected him to reach a conclusion, but instead, he released a new set of tears.

"I am sorry for hiding from you," he choked out.

"It's okay. You'll be okay," Jay assured him. He let Jezz cry into his shoulder. "Take your time."

XO

It was a typical Saturday morning at the Morgan household. Rumika was visiting, as she usually did on the weekends, and she and Lucy were contently reading the newspaper on the front porch. Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet were attempting to simultaneously soothe the twins while getting ready to head over to the Pallet House. Meanwhile, they had forgotten once again to pay the electric bill, and then James' Raichu and the Mew 'sisters' cast a surge that burnt out all the lights while helping to power up the house, so now they were struggling to keep lights on while the tried to look for their homemade uniforms. Then the phone rang.

"I'm gettin it!" Meowth announced. He jumped over James and ran to the phone. "No way I'm gonna keep dealin with dis baby stuff."

Silver had just spit up all over the place, and Rose was now able to sit up and crawl, and she used her new ability to grab every small item in sight and to throw it at anyone who tried to dress or clean her.

"Oh hi, A," Meowth greeted her. "Whatcha up to?"

"There's a bit of an emergency here," Annastasia responded.

Meowth looked watched Jessie and James. "Yeah, dere's somethin goin wrong ova here too."

"What happened?"

"Yere parents and Wobbuffet are bein defeated by infants."

"Wobbba!" Wobbuffet confirmed.

"Oh, it's only that," Annastasia sighed, half relieved, half irritated. "Meowth, I have a real emergency. I need to talk to at least one of them."

Wobbuffet brought the phone to James. James handed the screaming baby girl to Meowth, who took her away and started singing in a scratchy, accented, and exhausted tone.

"Hi, Anna-chan," James said brightly. "I didn't realize that you were on the phone with Meowth. He's right about things being hectic around here. The crying, the screaming, and if Meowth keeps singing 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' whenever your sister gets fussy, I might go insane."

"Okay," Annastasia softly acknowledged. "Um, so I know this is a bad time but it's crucial. Maybe I should talk to Rumika instead. Is she at the house, hiding from you all?"

"Indeed…But you can talk to me."

James walked out of the room, much to Meowth and Jessie's dismay, but he ignored them as he walked down the stairs and into the empty kitchen. Only the Eevee-Mew twosome followed him. Once Annastasia noticed that the background noise had substantially decreased, she explained her situation to her father. He panicked.

"Papa, I need you to focus," Annastasia desperately asserted. "I have a plan. I need you to call Giovanni and tell him what is going on. He can get Archer, Domino, Viper, Peirce, and all the other executives to help out. I'm going after Amber. Lucario, Mewtwo, and I will be able to track her once we get closer to her. She is trackable because she did not use Teleport as the others presumably did. We don't think she left Alola but we will search farther if we need to. We also need you to tell Ash, Misty, and Jezz's guardians about this so that they know what is happening. I can't do it myself. I have too much to handle over here."

"O-okay. Sounds…like…a good plan," James responded, dreading the conversations he was going to have to have with a few parents. "Do you know why Jay followed him?"

"I don't think it was intentional. According to Sandshrew, Jay got accidentally teleported alongside Jezz. I am assuming he is still with Jezz, wherever he is, and hopefully, he can convince Jezz to come back."

"Okay. Bye Anna-chan."

On her end, Annastasia decided to call Jay again, hoping this time he would pick up his cell.

XO

"Let's land," Amber told Jay's Togekiss.

"Tooooooog," he sighed.

They descended. Amber was used to riding flying-type Pokémon, but she was not used to flying for hours on end, and the fact that now supposed to be asleep only made it harder. Once they landed, she looked at her phone. It was 2:34 am on Saturday morning.

"They must have gone way farther than I imagined," Amber sighed.

She knew Togekiss had an uncanny ability to find Jay, but it had been hours, and they searched in all directions. She reasoned that they must have left Alola altogether. She let the other Pokémon out of their balls. They looked around the empty campsite in confusion, not sure why she had brought them there.

"Pikapi!" Pip complained.

"I know you hate your ball, but this was an emergency," Amber told the annoyed Pikachu. "Jezz is upset and missing and he took Jay along with him. I have to find them asap."

Pip hadn't been in his ball in years, and even then, it was only for short periods of time. Her other Pokémon also complained.

"I am going to sleep here for a while, then in the morning, someone else can fly instead of Togekiss," she told the Pokémon. Pidgeot, Talonflame, and Unfeasant nodded. She took her sleeping bag out of her backpack and spread it on the soft grass. "Goodnight. Or good, morning, I guess."

Amber's stomach woke her up around 7:00 am. After checking the time and getting some more water from the spout that was placed on the other end of the campsite, she looked for something to eat. She checked her bag and discovered that Annastasia had packed emergency snacks for her. She hastily ate one of the protein bars then left to go find the restrooms.

"This campsite is just like all the others. I reckon we should get out of here before anyone else shows up," she told Pip.

"Pikapika," the Pokémon responded.

Amber thought back to earlier on in their journey and tried to think of reasons Jezz would want to leave.

"He said I lot of strange things, right Pip?" she asked the Pokémon.

"Pika, pi, Pika," Pip agreed.

"I remember how he always wanted to spend so much time alone…but he never really said why…unless he was sick…I bet he was planning to run for a while now."

"Pi."

"Did he regret talking to me?"

Pip shook his head and touched Amber, momentarily reassuring her that she did nothing wrong.

"Why else would he have fled?" Amber continued. "Although he seemed relieved to get it off his chest, maybe that was an act. He musta been more upset than I thought."

Pip nodded and the other Pokémon copied him. Amber turned to the rest of her Pokémon. They had compensated for the lack of Pokémon food by seeking out berries in the nearby woods. She decided it was time for an adroit plan.

"I wonder if I should call A back," she sighed.

Her Pokémon nodded enthusiastically. Amber stared at the phone for a while. Never had she seen over ten missed calls and text messages within the span of seven hours.

She heard people talking and could tell they were coming towards her. She returned all the Pokémon and hid behind one of the cabins.

"Cassandra, Mike, Rai, I want to stop here and use the restrooms," a girl requested. "I am sick of holding it."

"We've only been walking for an hour," one of the boys complained.

Pip escaped his Pokéball and ran to greet the strangers.

"A Pikachu!" one of the girls exclaimed.

"I never saw a wild one before. Let's catch it," said a boy.

Pip shook his head and stepped back but the kids ignored him. One of them released their Rydon. Someone else released a Magmar. They ordered them to attack, and Pip cheeks sparked with electricity, ready to discharge.

"Hold on!" Amber exclaimed. She waved her hands up in surrender as she ran from her hiding spot. "Pip, you can't fight. I don't have any medicine in case you get hurt."

"Piii," he sighed in disappointment.

"This Pikachu belongs to you?" one of the girls asked.

She looked like a teenager. The other girl was closer to her age, and she was familiar.

"Amber, I can't believe I ran into you," said Cassandra.

"Oh. I wasn't sure if that was you," Amber responded honestly. "Yeah, Pip is mine."

The Pikachu nodded for confirmation. The two boys, Mike and Rai, groaned and returned their Pokémon.

"I know you because I saw you on stage at the last Pokémon Contest," Amber told Cassandra. "But how do you know me?"

"Your friends Jay and Jezz were gushing about you. They pointed you out to me in the audience," Cassandra responded. "So where is the rest of your group?"

"Ahhh umm they…. they went on a hike."

"Why didn't you go too? Jezz told me you loved the woods."

"I…I didn't know Jezz talked about me."

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

"Nothing. I mean I am just tired—it's still early. I needed to sleep in."

"I wish I slept in," said one of the boys. "I'm Rai."

"Mike," said the other boy.

"Radly," said the other girl.

"Amber," said Amber, nodding at each of them.

"We are going to hang out here for a bit."

"What?" Rai complained.

"Whyyy?" said Mike.

"Because I'm a lady and I hate walking in these shoes!" Radley retorted. "My feet need a break."

The boys groaned and then walked off. Radley and Cassandra sat down on one of the benches near an empty fire bit. They invited Amber to join them.

"How is your journey going so far?" Cassandra asked Amber.

"Okay," she murmured.

"You seem down. Not like the fiery girl I heard about."

Cassandra smiled. Amber grinned then her face returned to a near-grimace, the way it had been for nearly a third of a day.

"Are you feeling well? We have something you can take," Radley offered. "Aspirin, iced tea, Vitamin C tablets, Advil—"

"—I'm just tired," Amber snipped. "Exhausted."

"I think we should stay here with you at least until your group gets back. It's weird, we were just walking through the woods and we didn't hear or see anything out there."

"It's fine. I suggest you move on. Please do."

The girls shrugged and left to go use the restroom. Since no one was now watching her, Amber decided to take off, this time on Pidgeot. Amber figured the kids wouldn't think much of it. But when Cassandra and Radly returned to the spot where they left her alone, they freaked.

"We have to call her friends right away!" Cassandra exclaimed. "She is gone. I know we shouldn't have left her here alone. She could have gotten kidnapped!"

"Calm down, Cassandra. Do you have anyone's number?" Radley responded.

"I have Jay, Jezz, June, and Jocelyn's number," Cassandra answered. "I'll call June; she seems like the super responsible type."

XO

June sat in the Morgan's bungalow, picking at her breakfast. Jocelyn, Benny, Takeshi, and most of their Pokémon joined them. Logan and Michio were in the kitchen talking to someone on the phone, while Annastasia, Lily, Maya, and the other Pokémon members of their group were out searching for the missing children. June's phone rang, and she picked it up right away.

"Cassandra, how are you?" June asked sweetly, masking her anxiety.

"Good. We were just talking to Amber. We ran into her at your campsite. Then we left to go use the restroom, but when we returned, she was gone. She said you all were hiking in the woods nearby, but we can't spot you," Cassandra explained.

"You found her!"

"What do you mean?"

"Amber, Jezz, and Jay are all missing." By now, everyone had gathered around to listen to June talk. "Jezz ran away, Jay followed him, and then Amber went to find them herself. Where are you now?"

"We are on the north side of Melemele. I had no idea! Amber must have lied to us."

"Yeah…Thanks, Cassandra. If she returns, call us immediately. Also, see if you can reach Jezz or Jay. They aren't picking up for any of us."

"Will do. Good luck."

"What's going on?" Radly asked after Cassandra hung up.

"What's going on is that Amber, Jezz, and Jay and in big trouble."

XO

Jezz kept trying to send Jay back, but Jay dodged every time. After a while, Jay's concern turned into rage, something Jezz had never seen before in his best friend. They were now walking side by side, but neither of them said a word.

"Xatttt, Xatuu," Xatu cooed at them.

He pecked Jezz in the back, then flew over the boys and stopped in front of them, forcing them to halt. s beak. When they tried to go around him, Xatu pecked them both.

"I think it wants to show us something," Jay said tiredly.

"I don't want to see," Jezz breathed.

"Xuuu!" Xatu angrily cried.

"Just listen to it," Jay mumbled irritably.

Xatu continued to harass the boys. Jay was sad to see one of Jezz's Pokémon completely disobeying him. All his others always treated him with so much respect.

Jezz gave up and just stood there, frustrating Jay even further. It was bad enough he had no idea where he was or where he was going, but Jezz was not giving him any answers. Then from the lack of sleep, proper hydration, and food combined with very high mental stress caused Jezz to finally collapse onto the ground.

"Yeep!" Jay squealed as he dropped down next to him. "Xatu, Vileplume, Delcatty, Chimecho, Furfrou, Porygon, what do I do?"

"Chiiiiimmeeee!" Chimecho sang. The Heal Pulse had clearly hit Jezz, but he didn't react.

'He tries to run away, accidentally takes me with him, and we travel in time and then he gets upset and ignores me. Now we are out of food and water, totally lost, sleep-deprived and I have no idea why he fainted or what to do about it,' Jay thought. 'We're screwed!'

"Xatu!" the bird yelled at Jay.

"That's right! Xatu, you can help, can't you?" Jay asked the psychic Pokémon.

"Xuu?"

"Can you teleport me to a hospital?" Xatu shook his head 'no' and cooed some more.

"Please? I know Pokémon are only supposed to take orders from their trainers, but you know this is an emergency. Jezz needs your help…and so do we."

Xatu kept cooing. cooed a few more times. Jay huffed and then focused all his attention on Jezz.

'I don't know first aid,' Jay thought, tears swelling. 'I don't know anything. I'm a useless, horrible friend!'

Despite Jezz being out cold, his heart was racing and he had an obvious fever. Hough untrained, Jay knew this was unusual and certainly not safe.

"Use Heal Pulse and Heal Bell," Jay told his and Jezz's Pokémon. "Use all the healing-related moves you got!"

Chimecho used Heal Bell again, but as usual, its effects only lasted a few moments. The same went for the others' Heal Pulses, Heal Orders, Sweet Scents, and Morning Suns. As each moved failed to restore Jezz, Jay searched through his bag to see if there was anything inside that could help.

'I wonder why he has these,' Jay thought as he noted a mini medicine purse. 'These are the same pills A has to take. Did he steal them?'

He also noticed a few other items that he was very surprised that Jezz would have. Jezz was carrying over a dozen books, all manuals and how-to guides, and he also had a notebook almost entirely filled with notes. He also found what appeared to be a toiletry bag filled with hair dye, a mace, three different types of nice, one hundred dollars in cash, sunglasses, sunblock, NRTIs, PIs, tampons, an extra set of clothes and shoes, Pokémon-exclusive healing items, a half-full water bottle, pain-relieving pills, and protein bars. He reasoned Jezz either grabbed Annastasia's toiletry bag by accident or he was one of those odd children who collected random items. He decided he wouldn't put it past Jezz to be either the former or latter. Jay moaned in anguish when he realized there was nothing in that bag that could help his friend. He looked back at Jezz, who hadn't stirred since he passed out several minutes ago.

"I have to get out of here," Jay sighed, trying to calm his pending panic attack. "Xatu, let's try this again."

XO

In The Next Chapter:

- Haku, Alina, and Lona

- A pistachio divergence

- Annastasia talks to Brock