Will closed his eyes as the Jupiter 2 hurtled towards the surface of the mysterious planet and hoped for the best, which was all he could do. He then felt the weight of the ship colliding with the ground, as the massive vibrations and g-forces whipped through his body, which was only held together by the sturdy belts of the seat he was strapped into, with his head laid back. He opened his eyes to find he and the others were amazingly all still in one piece. However, as he surveyed the other areas of the bottom deck with his eye, he noticed there had been considerable damage, especially in the galley. Other various boxes and appliances had also been knocked over, damaged or destroyed.

On his mother Maureen's command, Will and other others unbuckled their seatbelts. Dr Smith was the last to remove his once Will was able to convince him that he was still alive.

"Is anyone hurt?" Maureen asked.

"No", they all answered, although Penny was shaken and feeling a little dizzy. She was comforted by her mother, who laid her hands on her daughter's shoulders, then checked for any signs of cuts or bruises before wrapping her arms around her in a warm embrace, and began stroking her long straight black hair to help calm her.

"Thanks Mom", Penny answered, her body still trembling.

"Will, Dr Smith", Maureen continued, "could you please head up to the top level and check on John and Don?"

"Yes Mom", Will answered.

As he and the doctor reached the top deck, Will noticed the room was full of smoke. Almost instantly, he and Dr Smith couldn't contain themselves, as they began coughing hysterically. Don was already spraying the fire extinguisher all throughout the room to help clear the air, while John was focused on an issue with the navigator.

"What's the damage?" Will asked, while simultaneously covering his mouth with the sleeve of his jumper, still struggling for breath.

"Well, a few of the circuits have been destroyed; Some of the controls need repairing, and the navigator has been totalled. I'd say we've got about a week's worth of repairs at least before we're in any shape to take off again."

"Well I guess it could've been worse", Dr Smith noted dryly.

"Yes, that's true doctor. But it's still going to be a lot of work. Do you think you'll be able to lend a hand?"

"I don't see why not."

"Thank you."

Once the smoke settled, Will and the others looked out the front window to see what lay outside. They appeared to have landed in a small clearing in the middle of a forest. It was currently the early part of the day and the early morning sun was shining brightly through the window. To Will's eye the trees looked bright green and lushes, most likely the sort you would find in a warm temperate or sub tropical climate. He couldn't wait to get outside and explore the fascinating earth-like planet which lay on the other side of the screen.

"Dad", he began, "can Dr Smith, the robot and I go for a quick look outside, just for a quick explore and to study the rock formations? I promise we won't go far from the ship."

"I think it would be best if Don and I went out first. We need to check the environment to confirm there are no dangers in the immediate vicinity. Remember, we know that this planet is widely inhabited but we still no very little about the people who live here, apart from the fact they appear human but that doesn't mean they won't be hostile. We also know nothing yet about what other kinds of life forms live here. I know it's tempting to treat this planet like it's our own but the reality is we still know very little, so it's essential we take all the usual precautions."

"Yes sir", Will responded, sounding disappointed.

A short time later the professor and Don headed out, each taking a hand pistol from the compartment behind the front entrance wall. As the automated doors slid open and they began walking outside, Don turned back and stared at Dr Smith intensely.

"I'm warning you Smith, no funny business."

"No need to worry major. Will and I will be happy to wait for you both to return. Now off you go", gesturing for Don to get going. Don stood for a moment looking incredulous before shaking his head, turning back around and walking outside the ship where John was waiting impatiently on the ramp.

"Well, I hope they'll be ok", said Will a short time later, with concern in his voice.

"There's no need to worry my boy", the doctor replied. "Your father's just been overly cautious as usual."

"Yeah probably. But he does have a point, we still don't know the first thing about the people on this planet."

"Please, spare me William. You heard the voice, it sounded as human as you or I."

"Yeah, and I heard that they also wanted to kill us."

"A simple misunderstanding. Once they see our appearance and that we mean no harm, they'll welcome us as brothers. In fact, they might even hold a special welcoming ceremony for us."

"Whatever you say Dr Smith." There was a lot more Will would like to have said but he knew there was no point pressing the matter future. Whenever Dr Smith got emotionally involved in a subject, any semblance of rational thought went completely out the window.

A short time later, they were joined by Penny, who arrived on the elevator.

"Hey, what happened to Dad and Don?" She asked, also sounding concerned.

"They just left to explore where we are", Will replied.

"Oh, I hope they'll be alright. I was just coming up to ask if they'd like any supplies, or maybe some coffee."

"Penny my dear", Dr Smith began, "don't you think you're a little too young to be working full time as a mere domestic servant? I know how imaginative you are, and how much you like to explore and have adventures."

"What are you trying to say Dr Smith?" She asked frustratedly.

"What I'm saying my dear is that you, Will and I used to have so many fun adventures together. And right on the other side of that screen is the most earth-like world we've ever encountered. And you yourself said you wanted to make sure your father and the major were ok. So why don't we go outside and have just one more grand adventure together? After all, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity." Dr Smith sounded more eager the longer he spoke, like a child desperate to get their favourite toy.

"Well", she began hesitantly, "I'd love too but I don't know if Dad or Don would be happy, and it's still a new world after all, we can't know if it's safe yet."

"Never fear my dear, Smith is here. Besides, you'll also have Will and the robot to keep you safe."

"Well, I guess as long as we stay close to the ship."

"Very good my dear, very good."

"But Dr Smith", Will interjected. "You saw how specific dad and Don were."

"Come now William. I promise we'll stay close to the ship. If they have any issue with that then I promise I'll take full responsibility." Will shook his head incredulously but still reluctantly agreed to the doctor's proposal. Moments later, the foursome walked outside the sliding doors, deliberately making as little noice as possible, and with that one small step their voyage into the intriguing earth-like world had begun.

The first thing Will noticed was how green everything was. The grass and the trees had a rare beauty to them. They looked as if they'd been practically untouched by civilisation. The grass was soft and firm, and the trees were mostly tall, broad leafed Camphor trees.

As they left the clearing and entered the forest, Will had an eerie feeling. The tall trees cast such a large shadow that very little sunlight could break through. Inside, the trees and the rest of the forest maintained their pure, untouched feel. The whole forest felt ancient. However, Penny didn't seem fazed as she eagerly skipped along, meandering her way through the lines of trees, taking each turn briskly and only scarcely looking back to make sure the others were still behind her. Will was reminded of when Penny was a little younger and they used to do more exploring together, internally longing for a return to those simpler days. Perhaps Dr Smith did have a point after all, he speculated internally. But Will didn't have too long to remain lost in thought as Penny continued to get further ahead of him. She was now almost out of sight as the robot began putting its tracks into full gear trying to keep up, with Dr Smith riding on his back, while Will brought up the rear.

A few minutes later they entered a much larger clearing. The clearing was on the side of a hill, which was lined by trees from the same forest they had just left. In the distance there was a large bed of rocks, with yet more of the same large woodland on each side, save the side they were looking from. Far into the distance beyond lay much larger tree-lined hills. There was more and more woodland wherever they looked. Will wondered if it ever ended.

"Come on!" Shouted Penny enthusiastically, "let's go and explore those rocks. That's the kind of stuff we were meant to be searching for anyway wasn't it?"

"Yes my dear", answered Dr Smith weakly. "But first I think I need to sit down and rest my legs. I'm not as young and vigorous as I once was."

"Oh, come on Dr Smith!" She urged him. "This planet is amazing, it's like earth but even more beautiful. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Very well", he decided. "But just give me one minute to rest my legs and do a few little stretches." Penny agreed reluctantly.

Once the Doctor had completed a very thorough 'rest and stretch' session, Will and Penny eagerly ran down into the valley in the direction of the large rock bed, with Dr Smith and the robot trailing behind.

The rock bed was full of clear, white rocks which were similar to some species of rocks found on earth but at the same time unique. Once Will and Penny had both gained their balance, they began taking specimens to examine. The robot was unable to make his way out onto the rocks, so he supervised from a distance. Dr Smith also decided to remain on the soft grassy ground situated adjacent to the field of rocks.

"Robot!" Will shouted. "What kind of rocks do you think these are?" As he hurled one his way, which had Dr Smith running for cover. After running a brief analysis he determined: "the variety is most similar to the snow quartz rock found on earth, however it's properties are slightly different.

"Similar, yet different. Like everything on this planet", Dr Smith observed dryly.

"But that's kind of the beauty of it, in a way", Penny noted.

"Maybe for you", Dr Smith retorted. But I like things to be a certain way and I like things the way they are on earth!" He concluded defiantly. Will and Penny glanced at one another and shook their heads in unison, before bending back down to continue with their excavating.

The weather was mild and pleasant, which made the experience even more magical as far as they were both concerned. However, a short time later they were interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps coming from the woods. After a few moments of silence the sound returned, only louder this time. The footsteps continued to get louder and it was clear that who or whatever was making them was heading towards them. Dr Smith was cowering begins the robot, pleading with him to zap whatever came out of the woods, the moment it appeared.

Moments later, a figure did emerge from behind the trees. It was some kind of animal, and it was quite tall, somewhat taller than Dr Smith. It appeared to resemble a rooster, with an unusual combination of human, chicken and bird features. Its face, lower body, arms, and tail were bright red, with some yellow patches on its chest, and running down its legs and feet. It also had a tan-coloured bunch of feathers surrounding its face and chest, like a mane. The creature initially hesitated when it saw them but then made a loud sound and an accompanying threatening gesture and it was then that Dr Smith decided he'd seen enough as he screamed loud enough for anyone in the general vicinity to hear and began madly dashing back in the direction they'd come from.

"Wait, Dr Smith, Dr Smith!" The robot cried out as he hastily went after his companion, leaving Will and Penny to face the beast alone. Both of them held onto each other, with terror written all over their faces. Will tried to use himself as a shield to protect Penny as the beast stepped out onto the sea of rocks, and continued to draw nearer to them. As it did, it continued to make loud sounds. Will then noticed that these sounds kind of sounded like words: "Blaze, blaze", he thought he heard the creature utter.

Will and Penny pleaded with it to not harm them but it appeared to be to no avail as the creature drew nearer to them with each passing step. It would've been no more than ten yards away when another voice emerged from the woods: "Blaziken, return."

Out of nowhere, a bright red wave of light appeared, and suddenly the creature had disappeared. When they looked towards the forest, they saw that in the creature's place stood a girl. Will noticed she looked around his age. He also noticed she looked quite beautiful. She wore a red bandanna over her head, as well as a red t-shirt, denim shorts partly covered by a short white skirt, and multi-coloured velcro sneakers with black socks. In her hand, she held a small red ball. As her eye's met Will's, she appeared to instinctively smile back at him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The girl exclaimed in a sweet voice. "Blaziken doesn't normally act that way but everyone around here has been a bit on edge since this morning." Will thought it best not to say anything at this moment, given that the girl was most likely referring to their ship crash landing earlier that morning.

"Sorry, where are my manners", the girl continued as she clumsily stepped out onto the rock bed. "My name's May."

"My name's Penny, Penny Robinson", Penny answered pleasantly.

"And my name's Will Robinson", Will added, a little nervously.

"A pleasure Penny and Will Robinson", the girl responded, shaking each of their hands. "And where are both of you from, are you trainers? I remember when I started out on my journey, I travelled with my little brother too?" She rambled, now looking at Penny.

"I didn't really know anything about Pokémon at first, but I was travelling with these other guys Ash and Brock and they both taught me so much and at first I thought I wanted to battle but then I realised...", the girl who'd called herself May continued delivering a detailed account of her 'journey' as she called it. Most of it made no sense to Will; he was, however, able to put together pieces here and there. From what he gathered, the mysterious creatures, such as the one which had tried to attack them, were called 'Pokémon.' He also figured that a journey was an expedition children went on at a certain age to catch these creatures and that they could somehow be 'caught' and subsequently used in tournaments against other trainers. Apparently, many were also kept as pets and used by workers for a variety of domestic tasks. It also appeared each one had some kind of super power.

This information all led Will to a certain conclusion but based on her next question, it was clear that the same realisation had not yet dawned on Penny.

"But what about animals?" She asked. "Do you have any cute doggies or kitties?" May looked perplexed at the question.

"What's an animal?" She responded, dumbfounded. Penny then explained.

"Well, it sounds to me like you're describing the type of Pokémon that are like Littens and Stoutlands and that general class of Pokémon. But I've never heard the word animal before and besides they're still all Pokémon", she explained, as the formerly cheerful expression on her face now turned to one of great suspicion. "It's only humans and Pokémon, there is nothing else.

"Say, what town do both of you come from?" She pressed, now eyeballing both Will and Penny, one at a time.

"Umm", Will began hesitantly, "we come from Johto town", remembering the name the man from the space centre had used.

"Which town in Johto?!" She demanded, now sounding panicked.

"Dojo town", Will answered.

"There is no such town as Dojo town! What do you take me for?"

"Oh, but there is!" Penny insisted. "But it's a really small town, that's probably why you've never heard of it."

"Yeah, right. You must think I was born yesterday." May's face had turned right red, as she fumed with anger.

"Hey, you leave my sister alone!" Will insisted passionately.

"I'm sorry Will", she answered sarcastically. "But I think you and your sister are sounding extremely suspicious right about now."

"Oh, is that so?" Will replied mockingly. "Well quite frankly, I don't think I have to stand here and get lectured by some stupid, paranoid girl." That girl had now been pushed to breaking point, and she planned on showing Will and Penny that she wasn't kidding around.

"Say, you hear about the spaceship that landed somewhere around here this morning?" She asked with a snide look on her face. "I must say, I thought you both looked overly suspicious the moment I saw you, whoever's seen clothes like those before!" Pointing her finger at their garments. "I can't believe I was stupid enough to not see it", she continued, shaking her head at her own foolishness.

"Please don't hurt us!" Penny pleaded. "We're from a planet so similar to yours. But we've been lost in space for over three years. We really don't mean any harm, we're just trying to find a way back to earth!" May suddenly began to look puzzled.

"Earth, did you say?" she answered softly. She looked lost in thought as she stroked her fingers against the bottom of her cheek.

"Hmmm...what to do with you? Ok, here's the deal. That weapon there!" She exclaimed, pointing at Will's handgun which was strapped inside a holster attached to Will's right pocket. "Give it here." Will was aghast, as his mouth hung open.

"Surely you're not serious!"

"Stop waisting my time and hand it over buddy. Or else I'll bring Blaziken back out. By the way, he's not the only big and scary Pokémon I've got at my disposal. There's plenty more where that came from", she proclaimed, as she removed several more of the same red coloured balls from her pocket and began flashing them in front of Will.

"What are you going to do Will?" Penny hissed.

"I think we'll go along with it at first", he answered calmly. "Besides, I have a feeling she's not that dangerous."

"I'm glad you're so confident."

"We don't really have much choice at the moment Penny. Besides, I believe dad and Don will come for us." Penny seemed sceptical but she reluctantly agreed to Will's proposal. Will then surrendered the weapon to May.

"There, that wasn't too bad", she answered, now looking rather pleased with herself.

"Ok, this is what we're going to do", she said after a short pause, sounding as if she was making her entire plan up on the spot. "We're going to go to my place. My dad's there. He's a powerful gym leader. He can decide what to do with you." Will's inclination was to ask why they should be afraid of a gym leader but it then occurred to him that in this world it probably meant something very different from what it did back on earth. Besides, mocking a person pointing a gun at you wasn't the wisest of moves.

"Now", May continued, "I'll lead the way. It's on the other side of that forest over there", pointing towards the woodland she'd emerged from a short time earlier. "We'll meet my brother at the clearing on the other side, then the four of us will walk back to Dad's gym together. I want both of you to keep your hands on your heads the entire time, understand?"

"Yes", Penny answered in a submissive tone. However, Will's 'yes' sounded much less convincing. He hated having to submit to a girl, especially one holding him at gun point.

As they began the trek through the woods, Will tried to think of a plan should things take a turn for the worse. He wished Dr Smith and the robot were still around. The robot would've been a powerful weapon in such a situation, and he and Dr Smith both meant a great deal to Will. Not to mention his father. He found it greatly ironic that his adventure to such a beautiful and earth-like planet was fast turning into one of the greatest nightmares he'd experienced during his long journey in space. And now, this sweet looking girl, of all people, was now holding him and Penny at gun point. He concluded that he had to stop thinking with his eyes and regain his wits. Just at that moment, he felt his shoe come into contact with an object. He thought it was a bug. As he looked down he saw a perculiar, bug-like creature. Will thought it might be dead, then all of a sudden a flash of red light shot out of the creature's body, hitting Will in the leg, causing a sudden, sharp stinging pain. Will fell to the ground, clutching at his leg.

"Oowww", he moaned.

"Hey!" May cried out. "Keep on moving pal."

"Can't you see he's hurt!?" Penny cried.

"What's the matter, you got cramp?" She asked sarcastically.

"I got stung by some kind of bug?"

"So, you're telling me you stood on a bug Pokémon? Uggh, you aliens are so barbaric. I can't believe you!"

"But it's only a bug. What does it matter?"

"That bug is a Pokémon!" She exclaimed. "How can you be so cruel? You both wait here", she instructed, still pointing the pistol in their direction, "if either one of you makes a move, you know what happens", she concluded, trying her best to sound intimidating, before heading off the main path and deeper into the forest, attempting to track down the injured bug Pokémon. Will and Penny looked at one another in disbelief. They couldn't believe that the girl who seemed to hold little regard for their lives could care so deeply for a mere bug.

"Will!" Penny cried in a loud whisper, "this is our chance to escape. Will!" She continued to plead, as she gestured with her arms for them both to get moving, "we've got to get out of here. This girl's crazy and we have no idea how bad her father will be. Come on Will, this is our last chance!" But Will just stood still, he had no intention of moving. He knew that such action would likely prove fatal.

"What's the matter with you Will?" She cried, looking more and more terrified by the second.

"We need to stay put Penny, it's our best chance. Besides, I don't think she's as dangerous as she looks."

"Are you kidding me! You're not acting like yourself Will. What's that girl done to you?" That comment took Will by surprise. It hadn't occurred to him that the girl was somehow clouding his judgement. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought Penny may be right.

A few minutes later, May returned.

"Was your bug friend ok?" Will asked.

"Yeah, no thanks to you. Now come on, let's keep moving."

About half an hour later, they came into a clearing where a boy maybe a few years younger than Will was waiting. He had a tanned complexion, thick black-rimmed glasses, a green shirt with matching coloured sneakers, and black shorts.

"Be careful Max!" May exclaimed. "These are two of the aliens that crash landed this morning." The boy looked afraid.

"Them? But they look so human", he answered, sounding self-assured.

"Don't be fooled. They're absolute heartless brutes. They don't even have Pokémon where they come from."

"Whoa, that is weird."

Will was now becoming convinced that May was no serious threat, despite how much she tried to appear to the contrary. In fact, Will was beginning to realise she was a little bit goofy. Even so, he thought it best to not stir the pot any further. Furthermore, while May and Max appeared relatively harmless, he still hadn't met their father.

"Am I still going to get to catch my first Pokémon today?" Max whined.

"Look, I know this isn't at all how you imagined your first day as a trainer", May answered her brother sympathetically, "but now really isn't the time. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Yeah, whatever you say sis", he moaned.

"Thanks Max", she replied gently, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder.

As the party continued to move closer to their destination, the clearing began to slope downhill, past some more scattered woodland. A short time later, a smallish sized town came into full view from the hillside.

"Welcome to Petalburg City", May proclaimed. "Now Max, let's take them to meet Dad."

"Sounds good to me sis", he answered, as they both turned to face one another, sniggering together.

As they entered the town, the 'gym' began to stand out among the skyline of small sized buildings. It looked the same as most large gym complexes on earth, except for the large sign hanging off the front of the building. Will recognised it as an imprint of one of the balls which May used to contain the strange creatures which he now knew were called Pokémon. He began to tremble at the knees as they drew nearer to the building, his mind flooding with images of the horrors that may lie inside.