Author's Note:

Apologies for just the one chapter this week, but I've had some busy work stuff to do. But, funnily enough, this chapter was meant to be two chapters anyway. So...still two chapters in a way...sort of...right? Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 9: Old Man Bugs

It had been a few weeks since the weekend of the IPL match with Shalour, and Ash was already eager for the next one against Coumarine. Training had been going well for him and his friends, and he was quite pleased with the early progress he'd made with Rockruff since the Puppy Pokemon had joined his team. Serena also seemed to be doing well with her newest Pokemon, with Popplio demonstrating some of the flashiest moves out of all of her Pokemon in some of their training sessions.

Classes had been going well, too, and Ash was enjoying his classes with Agatha and Flint most of all, finding that many of the strategies they discusses not only helped him come up with ideas for himself, but plan against potential attacks other opponents might use. While they had obviously discussed certain things in the IPL training sessions, there was a lot more detail available when they were teaching a class. The only thing that Ash struggled with was the occasional written report they seemed to be expected to provide.

As well as things had been going, however, Ash's mind couldn't get away from what they had discovered in the forest on the night before the IPL match. He trusted Officer Jenny, as they all did, but he couldn't help but feel like more needed to be done. Of course, he understood that they couldn't really know what else needed to be done, because he didn't really know, either. All they could really depend on right now was the occasional search of the forest nearby and alerting the other cities to the potential of hidden hunter bases.

Ash couldn't help but feel like he would be more use if he was out travelling like he used to. If he could be looking around more places, he might be able to find something. As it was, he'd barely had time to do his schoolwork and go to training sessions. He'd made a commitment to Lumiose University, though, and he wanted to finish what he had started.

"And that's why different types of Pokemon will need to be fed different kinds of food."

Ash blinked, looking up and realizing he'd zoned out while Brock had been giving his lesson on the different types of food Pokemon eat. Ash had been surprised when he'd found out Brock was doing some teaching at Lumiose University, but he was pleased to be in his class. The Pewter Gym Leader knew what he was doing when it came to this stuff.

"A fire type Pokemon, for example, may prefer spicier foods, and they need that extra heat to nurture their specific typing," Brock continued. "Sometimes, simply including a Tamato Berry might be just what you need."

He finished with a few more examples, and also handed out a few recipes he'd come up with, before finally finishing up. As Ash packed up his things, Serena and Clemont seemed to notice his thoughts were elsewhere. It took him a moment to realize that they were standing and waiting while he was still sitting, his mind back on the hunters.

"Are you okay, Ash?" Serena asked, sitting back down and looking at him in concern. Pikachu gave him a similar look, hopping off his shoulder and sitting on the desk in front of him.

Ash shrugged, looking out the window. "I want to do something about that hunter base we saw. I know Officer Jenny has been keeping an eye out, but I just feel like we need to do more. They're bigger and more dangerous than we thought."

Serena nodded, worry in her eyes as she looked away uneasily. "I understand," she said, pulling out a pokeball, which Ash assumed was Absol's. "We did well in our performance against Shalour, but Absol's been more and more uneasy each day. He senses something."

That made Ash feel even more uneasy. He knew that Absol were capable of sensing danger. Capable of sensing disaster. He looked to Clemont, his friend also sitting down, appearing uncomfortable. "Have you talked to Korrina about this since the match?"

Clemont nodded. "She looks around when she can, but nothing seems to be around. The Vivillon she's caring for might be able to show her something, but it's too scared to go into the forest. Too scared to even try to give Lucario any kind of indication of where to look, either."

Ash thought for a moment, wondering if there was anything they could do to find some kind of other hint. He was distracted, however, as he noticed Brock approaching them. He seemed to know something was up, looking a little concerned.

"You guys, okay?" he asked, coming to a stop by their desks. "I didn't put you to sleep, did I, Ash?"

Ash smiled at that, shaking his head. "No, it's something else." He paused, seeing the expectant look in the Pewter Gym Leader's eyes. "You heard about the hunters, right? And the bases we found in Shalour City and nearby here?"

Brock nodded, shaking his head sadly. "Yeah, I've heard all about that. It's awful." He glanced at Serena. "Nurse Joy..." his eyes went dreamy for a moment, before he recovered and shook his head. "Nurse Joy mentioned that your Absol had been caught by them before you saved it."

"He's still not fully recovered," Serena said, although she smiled fondly at the pokeball still in her hands, "but he's come a long way. I'm going to try making some food for him with one of the recipes you suggested."

Brock seemed pleased by that. "Some of them can certainly help with recovering from injuries." He paused, looking back to Ash. "I take it you want to do something else about this. You're getting frustrated with waiting for more information?"

"I know Officer Jenny is doing what she can," Ash told him, shifting uncomfortably. "I just feel like we could do more. There's more we can find out there."

Clemont spoke up then, sounding as determined as Ash. "Korrina managed to find more after she went searching further. She wouldn't have found that Vivillon otherwise. The hunters might've been scared off for now, but we might be able to find more traces of where they might've gone."

"It might be worth checking out," Brock agreed, looking thoughtful for a moment. "You'll need some extra time if you're going to do this." He glanced over at the desk at the board at the front of the classroom where an assignment had been posted for the class. "How about this counts as your assignment for the week? I think ensuring Pokemon are treated properly is a form of Pokemon nutrition. I'll talk to your teachers for your next class and tell them you're doing an extra credit project for me. You'll have plenty of time to look around. If you find something, tell Officer Jenny. If you don't..." He trailed off, before sighing. "I guess that means they've gotten too far away...for now."

Ash stared back at Brock a moment, before looking to Serena and Clemont. "Are you guys in?"

They were nodding in an instant. "Of course!" Serena said, narrowing her eyes. "Whatever we can do, we should do it."

"We've been so busy lately," Clemont said, standing up. "This is our best chance to look."

"Then let's do this!" Ash turned to Brock, smiling. "Thanks Brock. We owe you one."

"Just do your best," Brock told him. "And try not to take on all of them at once if you find them."

Meowth yawned as he looked around at the trees and bushes surrounding them. It was exhausting what they were doing, and for the last couple of weeks, it was all that they were doing. Constant searching for further signs of these Pokemon hunters. He was sure that they knew every rock, branch, leaf and blade of grass in the entire forest at this point.

"We need to know the area is clear," Jessie told him sharply as he complained about having already looked in the clearing they were in. "If we're going to take on people as organized as them, we need have somewhere safe to make our plans. And if we can find any sign of them, we need to be aware of what else they're up to."

It was surprisingly logical of her, and Meowth looked to James, seeing a surprised look in his eyes. "Even if we find a safe area to hide out here," James started saying as he peered into a bush, "what do we do if they come back? I don't think they'll avoid looking for Pokemon near Lumiose City forever."

Meowth nodded, smiling to himself as he realized those were the things a Team Rocket member would think of. Any good criminal organization would know that having the supply of Pokemon in and around the largest city in Kalos was a necessity. Their job was to ensure that the hunters didn't go overboard, however. Whatever they were up to was too harmful. And, obviously Team Rocket needed to stay on top around there.

"If they come around here, then we have to fight them," Jessie said simply. "The boss gave us our Pokemon back, remember. We're ready for a fight. After all those battles with the twerp, these hunters will be easy to beat if they challenge us."

"Da twoip beats us easy every time," Meowth muttered, sitting down from the exhaustion of their exploration. "We ain't strong enough."

"Ridiculous!" Jessie snapped, glaring at Meowth. "With Seviper and the others back, we can't be stopped!"

"The twerp always has a few Pokemon with him," James agreed, looking hopeful. "We could defeat him and anyone else with the same advantage."

Meowth shrugged, supposing that made some sense. He was still tired, though, after an entire morning of exploring, and wanted a break. He was about to suggest one, when he heard something in the distance. He paused, looking up as there was silence a moment later, Jessie and James apparently unaware of whatever he had heard. The two of them went back to searching, while Meowth stood up and looked in the direction of the noise he'd heard.

It had been very faint, almost like it was a muffled voice of some kind. He supposed he might've been imagining it, but given what they were doing, he couldn't help but feel like he was hearing something important. He took a few steps in the direction of the noise, doing his best to ignore Jessie and James as they rustled through the bushes.

It took about another minute, and Meowth was about to give up, when he heard the noise again. It was almost like a...bleat, but very short. He had no idea what it could be, and couldn't help but think it might be his tiredness making him hear strange things. He had to check it out, though. If it was something they could use, it would make all this searching at least somewhat worth their time.

Jessie and James didn't notice as Meowth pushed through the bushes, hearing the noise once more. He was sure he wasn't going crazy, now, and he quickened his pace. He realized as he neared the sound that he was foolish not to get his companions' attention, but he didn't want to get them to follow for no reason if it was nothing. If he needed to, he would go back and get them.

As he emerged into another small clearing, he paused, waiting to see if he'd hear another noise. He didn't think he could hear anything, though, until something caught his attention. It wasn't a bleat, or whatever that had been, like the last few times, but it was definitely something alive. It was deep breathing, and fast. Meowth stopped moving completely, realizing that whatever it was, was scared. He supposed it was his Pokemon intuition.

"Hello?" he called out, holding his arms up in the air in an attempt to show he meant no harm. "I ain't going to hurt ya. I'm just a Meowth, see?" He turned around slowly, sure that whatever it was could see him. He was sure there were eyes on him. He could feel it.

There was another moment of silence, the breathing sound seeming to stop as whatever it was, waited to see what Meowth might do. Then, there was another bleating sound, very quiet, and in a bush to Meowth's left. He approached slowly, holding his arms up still, before he came to a stop in front of the bush. He waited a moment, hearing faster breathing, before he slowly reached out and pushed through.

"Dooo-oo-oo," the Pokemon on the other side bleated out as Meowth came into view.

"Hey, it's okay," Meowth told it, eyes widening as he noticed the rope around the Pokmeon's snout. It was a goat-like Pokemon with a mane of grassy fur, that Meowth recognized as a Skiddo. He felt horrible for it immediately, seeing the scars along its body, and the fear in its eyes. He guessed that it must not have been in the hunters' possession too long, however, as it didn't seem to have quite the look the twerpette's Absol had when they'd seen it walking around not long after the twerps had saved it.

"Dooo-oo-oo," Skiddo bleated out, this time softer as it seemed to relax a little. "Doo-oo."

Meowth eyed the ropes on its snout that muffled its cries, and moved a little closer. "Hey...mind if I...get dat off for ya?" Skiddo glanced down at his snout, and then to Meowth's claws. It appeared quite uneasy, but nodded. "I ain't gonna hurt ya," Mewoth vowed, slowly reaching out, carefully picking at the rope. He knew he could've gotten it off faster with one swipe, but he expected that would've terrified Skiddo. After about a minute, though, he managed to get it off, and Skiddo looked extremely relieved once it was.

"Doo-oo-oo," it bleated out, eyes shining as it looked at Meowth.

Meowth laughed in embarrassment. "Hey, it's no big deal," he said. "A Pokemon's gotta help a fellow Pokemon from time to time, don't it?"

"Doo-oo-oo!" Skiddo bleated out happily. It managed to rise to its feet, looking shaky, but much better with the knowledge that Meowth wouldn't harm it, and that it didn't have a rope on it anymore.

Meowth grinned, feeling somewhat pleased about his good deed. "Hey, how about we go find my friends?" he asked, trying not to sound pushy about it. "We can get ya somethin' to eat, and den we can find you someplace safe to hide from da guys dat hurt ya."

Skiddo paused, fear in its eyes once more. Meowth waited, though, trying to make it clear he wasn't trying to pull Skiddo into some kind of trap. After about a minute, the fearful Pokemon nodded, though, and began to follow as Meowth led the way back.

When he arrived back, he was pleased to see that Jessie and James were at least a little worried about him. "Where were you?!" Jessie almost yelled, running up a few steps, before coming to a quick stop, seeing what was behind Meowth. "What...?"

"Meowth...is that a Skiddo?" James asked, eyes widening as he looked at Meowth's new companion. "It looks...it's not...the hunters?"

Meowth glanced back uneasily, seeing the Mount Pokemon shaking a little, obviously uneasy with the eyes on him. He took a step back to it, patting it gently on the side, noticing it settling down just a bit. "I tink so," he said slowly, taking a deep breath. "I had to untie a rope it had on its neck."

Jessie looked surprisingly speechless, glancing between Meowth and the Skiddo. Wobbuffett burst out of its pokeball as she was about to speak, and Meowth was glad she restrained herself from getting enraged by it, knowing that would scare off the Skiddo. "Should we take it to Lumiose City? To the Pokemon Centre?"

"That would probably be best," James said, nodding. He took a step forward, looking at the Skiddo. "We can take you to Nurse Joy, who can help with your injuries. Would you be okay with that?"

Skiddo looked to Meowth. "Doo-oo-oo," it bleated, nodding.

"He seems okay with dat," Meowth told his companions. He then looked around nervously. "Let's hurry, though. Who knows where da hunter-"

CRACK!

Jessie and James whipped around as Meowth and Skiddo jumped at the noise. All of them stared with wide eyes in the direction of the noise. They waited a moment, seeing nothing, and Meowth hoped that it was just a loose branch that had fallen, or a wild Pokemon scurrying around. He hoped that Jessie and James had a pokeball out for no reason. He hoped that Skiddo was shaking like it was the iciest part of Snowbelle City for no reason. He hoped his claws were unsheathed for no reason.

Unfortunately, they had a reason, and Meowth watched in fear as a man with an Aggron emerged from the trees.

"That's part of my day's haul you've got there," he said, laughing. "Looks like you've got some more to make up for it, though."

Then, his Aggron charged forward.

Ash sighed as he kicked a rock aside, feeling as though little progress had been made. He'd really hoped that having a better chance to look around for an extended period of time might help, but as the day passed by, it seemed as though there was pretty good reason for Officer Jenny having been unable to find anything.

He turned around as he saw Clemont returning from a little detour he'd made with Elekid, the two of them looking as frustrated as he felt. "Nothing?" he asked, noticing Clemont flicking a few leaves off of his clothes.

"No," Clemont answered, shaking his head. "Anything around here?"

Serena answered, sitting on a stump to the side of the path they were on. "No, it seems like if there is anything around here, they might be hiding it."

Ash looked at her curiously. "You think they might still be around?"

Serena shrugged, looking at their surroundings. "I'm not sure." She paused, thinking a moment, then continued. "It just seems like it would be too tempting of an area for them to leave. There are so many Pokemon in and around the city, that they would probably want to stick around, don't you think?"

Clemont nodded, adjusting his glasses as he came to stand next to them. "It would make sense if they're still around. It doesn't seem like they left after the incident with Absol based on the condition of that area we found. They might just be hiding further away but making regular trips to the area."

"They might be covering their tracks a bit better after having some of their spots being found," Ash added, looking up at Pikachu, who was watching them in interest. "They obviously know we're looking for them, so they'll be making sure whatever they do is less noticeable. If they don't have a big base like the ones we've seen, it'll be easier for them to clean up and get away faster."

"This just makes our job even harder, though," Serena pointed out. "If they're hiding in even better ways, how do we find them."

Ash didn't know how to answer that, but he still felt better knowing they might have some idea of what was going on. "We can at least let Officer Jenny know. The hunters might slip up at some point and then they can get caught in the act. Just like the one that had Absol."

"I don't know..." Clemont appeared uneasy. "Absol seemed to be a unique case. No other city seems to have had any kind of incident where a hunter has been that bold. They must be pretty disciplined."

"I guess..." Ash frowned, wondering what other signs they could be looking for. He noticed a Caterpie making its way up the path ahead, smiling as he thought of his own that was now a Butterfree, off on its own. He couldn't help but find it a little strange seeing this one, however, with few signs of Pokemon in many of the areas they'd looked in up to this point. "No way..."

Serena looked at him curiously. "What is it?" she asked, sounding a little worried.

Ash pointed ahead to the Caterpie, which was now rounding a corner. "How many Pokemon have you seen around today, after we got away from the parts where Officer Jenny and the rest of the police were patrolling?"

Clemont blinked in confusion, apparently not having thought of it. "I...I don't know." He paused, glancing at Elekid, who seemed to be picking up on what Ash was thinking.

"Bee bee!" the electric type cried out. "Bee bee!"

Serena's eyes then widened, looking up to where Caterpie had disappeared. "You think...in the areas we didn't spot any Pokemon...?"

"There's no way they would've caught all of them," Ash assured her, looking back to her. "But...if a bunch were caught, and if most of the others ran away..."

"We've been walking through their hunting grounds this whole time!" Clemont exclaimed, mouth hanging open in surprise. "No way..."

"But we know they're going to be in areas where Pokemon are," Serena said hesitantly. "They're going after Pokemon, so what else are they going to do."

"We at least know that's where they've probably been," Ash said. "If look for areas where we can't find Pokemon, maybe that can lead us in their direction."

"That could take forever," Clemont told him. "But...it's something we can tell Officer Jenny at least." He looked around, and Ash saw his eyes go to a Vivillon flying through the trees. "Seems like this area could be a target. I wonder why they haven't come here..."

As he spoke, Ash suddenly heard something. He immediately looked up, and he could see that Serena and Clemont had heard it as well, the two of them going quiet immediately. Perhaps Clemont had spoken too soon. Perhaps they were about to catch some hunters in the act.

Ash looked to his friends, locking eyes with both of them, before taking the lead and heading down the path. He could feel Pikachu ready to leap from his shoulder at any moment, and he already had his hand on Greninja's pokeball, to send the Ninja Pokemon out as well. Clemont and Serena seemed just as ready, each with a pokeball in hand, too, while Clemont's Elekid was as tensed up as Pikachu.

"Could you hand me that rope? I need to tie this," a voice ahead said. It was a man's voice, sounding surprisingly friendly. That made Ash uncomfortable. With what these hunters were doing, how could they sound like that? "Be careful. Try not to startle it."

Ash frowned, looking back to Clemont and Serena and seeing them looking unsure as well. He decided to keep moving forward, still staying quiet, but part of him relaxed, taking his hand off of Greninja's pokeball. As they came closer to where they had heard the voice, he could see he was right not to worry, and his friends relaxed behind him. The man they had heard turned around as they entered the clearing.

He was a tall man, with brown hair, and a scruffy beard. He wore a green vest, over a brown shirt, and had baggy black pants. He was in the process of tying up some kind of sign that appeared to be a label for the kind of tree he was standing under. Next to him, was a Scyther, who almost appeared to be some kind of assistant, holding up a backpack in its scythe-like arms.

"Well hello there," the man greeted them, smiling and finishing tying his sign to the tree. "You wouldn't be out here searching for those hunters, would you?"

"Uh...how did you...?" Ash stared at him in confusion.

The man sighed, sitting down on a small camping chair he must've brought with him. "Lots of trainers have been around wanting to find them. Word's gotten around, and gym challengers are out searching." He shook his head. "I apologize. The name's Henry. People usually call me Old Man Bugs, though."

"Old Man Bugs?" Ash asked, glancing at the Scyther, and then up in the tree where the Caterpie and Vivillon they'd seen earlier were now resting.

"I'm a bug Pokemon researcher," he answered. "The 'old man' part, though..." He laughed. "This is one of the best areas to study 'em. The Hive loves to come here and do some research." He noticed Ash and his friends look confused at that, and explained. "That's our little research group's name," he chuckled.

"So...you're not a hunter?" Ash asked, not sure what else to say, both relieved they hadn't found someone attacking innocent Pokemon, but also wishing they could've stopped a hunter.

Henry shook his head, looking a little more serious. "No...I most certainly am not. Had some experiences with them in the past, however. At least...I have some suspicions about things they've done to a loved one."

Ash looked back once more to Clemont and Serena, before leading them further into the clearing to approach Henry. "My name's Ash," he greeted, before pointing up at Pikachu. "And this is my partner, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

Clemont and Serena then introduced themselves, before Henry acknowledged each by name. "So you three must be at the school, eh? Pretty sure I've heard the name Ash before. Kalos League runner up, eh?"

Ash nodded, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "Uh...yeah. How'd you know we're students at the school?"

"Well, if you've competed in the league, there's no need to go searching for the badges again," Henry pointed out, before chuckling and looking at Scyther. "And I've seen you battling my boy! Saw you performing against my girl, too, Serena."

Ash stared at him a moment, before looking to Serena, who seemed equally shocked. Clemont was the one who spoke up, though. "You're...Anton and Gabby's father?"

Henry laughed again, nodding. "I sure am." He gestured to his Scyther. "And this here, his Anton's Scizor's father."

"You gave him his Scizor?" Ash asked, looking at the Scyther with more respect. "Your Scyther must be really strong then!"

Henry grinned, his Scyther looking pleased as well. "Well, it was a Scyther when Anton became its trainer, but yeah, Scyther wanted his son to be best friends with mine, just as we've been best friends since I started out as a trainer." He hesitated. "I...uh...well they're still close. I don't know if they have as much fun as they should."

"They do seem to take things pretty seriously," Clemont murmured, looking uneasy about saying so, although Henry nodded in agreement.

"They didn't used to. Anton was like any young trainer starting out, and he set off with his sister in search of all the adventures they could find. It went very well for him at first, too, with all the battles he won early on." Henry shrugged, sighing deeply. "You remind me of what he might've been, Ash. I can see how much you enjoy your battling, regardless of the result."

Ash shifted uncomfortably at that, thinking of the rut he'd fallen into after some tough losses. He supposed he'd still managed to find the fun in it all in the end, though. "What happened to make him take things so seriously?"

"Well...he lost a big gym battle in Shalour City. Not to the current leader, but her grandfather, Gurkinn." Henry looked uncomfortable as he continued. "He would've gotten over that in the end, I believe. However, he overreacted in the moment. He...ran into the forest after that. He left a couple of his Pokemon there. Perhaps he blamed them, but I think he felt he wasn't worthy of them at the time."

Ash's eyes widened as Henry spoke, and he looked to Serena and Clemont, the two of them looking equally stunned. "He...abandoned his Pokemon?"

Henry nodded slowly, looking away, but then shook his head a moment later. "He went back for them almost right away." He looked down sadly, speaking the next words very quietly. "Gabby found a Swablu that day. An injured Swablu. Injured and abused. Do you have any guesses as to who had that Swablu before it escaped?"

Serena gasped, her hand going to Absol's pokeball instinctively. "The hunters..."

"And Anton's Pokemon...they..." Clemont stared at the ground, eyes wide.

"They were gone...and they haven't been seen since." Henry was silent for a few minutes, and Ash and his friends stayed quiet as well, waiting. They watched as a few other bug Pokemon entered the clearing, including a much more peaceful looking Beedrill compared to the ones they battled a couple weeks before.

Finally, Clemont broke the silence. "What Pokemon were they, if you don't mind me asking?"

"A Fletchinder," Henry answered quietly, looking up at his own. "And a Vivillon, with an Elegant pattern."

Ash could see Clemont's eyes widen at that, and he knew his friend was thinking of the one Korrina had found. He wasn't so sure, though. It was a fairly common Pokemon. Even if it sounded like this one had been held for a long time...

"I know Anton is...a little cold, but...you have to understand. To have that happen when he was just starting out..." Henry trailed off, his Scyther looking downcast next to him.

"You've been looking for them ever since, haven't you?" Ash asked, sure of it, as he locked eyes with Henry. "You're not around here by accident, are you?"

Henry stared back a moment, and then gave a short laugh. "Very perceptive. Yes, I've been looking for them ever since. I still do my research, but I go to the areas where people notice strange Pokemon behaviour, or someone finds what appears to be an abused Pokemon. I've never found any signs of larger activity like you seem to have, though. My guess is that they've expanded whatever they're doing. They're careful, but more bold these days. Whatever they're up to, they're even more dangerous."

"We've been thinking that they're clearing out different areas of the forest of all the Pokemon," Ash told him. "We think it's hard to find sign of them now, because..."

"No Pokemon as witnesses..." Henry looked at the three younger trainers curiously. "How did you stumble across the bases you found?"

Serena answered this time, realization coming to her eyes. "Absol found one...and a Poliwag and Clemont's Elekid that was living in the area back then helped us as well. With the one by Lumiose City, it was a bunch of scared Beedrill that led us to the area, before Ash's Rockruff and my Absol sensed something was wrong."

"They know Pokemon are trying to get help..." Clemont looked sick, and Ash couldn't blame him. "They're just getting any Pokemon they can find."

"They can't just clear out the whole region," Ash said, hating the hesitation and nervousness in his voice. "They can't do this forever."

"They don't need to," Henry murmured, taking a deep breath. "This is too bold of a strategy. Whatever their plans were, they must feel that they've made enough progress to be more aggressive."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Well we can't let that happen. We-"

BOOM!

All four of them jumped at the noise, and looked in the direction it had come from. Ash was the first to take off, and to his surprise, Henry was right behind him with Scyther, with Serena and Clemont doing their best to keep up.

Ash wasn't fully sure where to go, but Henry's Scyther took off ahead at Henry's instruction, taking to the air to get a better view. With his help, they managed to navigate the forest a little easier, and before long, they could see smoke up ahead, and what appeared to be some downed trees. Whatever had happened to cause that loud explosion seemed to have done a significant amount of damage.

As Scyther flew up ahead, Ash picked up his speed, coming to a stop in the clearing just behind the bug type. He glanced back to make sure his friends were keeping up, before turning around. He could see that Scyther was frozen in fear, and it made him almost nervous to look himself. He managed to make himself do it, though, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

"Team Rocket!" he exclaimed, seeing Jessie and James lying face down in the scorched forest clearing. Their clothes appeared to be ripped and singed, and what he could see of their faces was covered in soot. As much as Team Rocket had driven him crazy over the years, Ash couldn't help but feel panic rise within him as he ran up to them. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder, and he went to James.

He was instantly relieved when he noticed James' chest rising and falling, and he glanced over to see that Pikachu had discovered the same. He could hear the others entering the clearing now, but ignored them, looking down at James.

"James...can you hear me?" he asked, giving the Team Rocket member a gentle shake.

"Mmm...Mime...Ju..."

Ash frowned, unsure what James was trying to say. He could hear Jessie saying something as well, straining to hear.

"Sev...ipe...Wob...Wobbuf..."

James started mumbling again then, and Ash once again tried to listen to him. "Me...ow...th." His arm slowly started moving, as though he was trying to point behind Ash. Ash turned around, wondering what it was, seeing that Meowth wasn't even there. Wait... His eyes widened, and he looked at his friends who were still trying to take in the scene.

"What...what are they saying?" Serena asked, having heard part of James' mumbling.

Ash gulped, glancing at Henry, who was examining what appeared to be a tuft of fur with bright green leaves in it, and some scratch marks on the ground nearby. "Meowth is gone." Ash finally answered. "Their Pokemon...are gone."

Author's Note:

So things got dark here, didn't they? Well, as I mentioned before, this was originally two chapters. And actually, this changed quite a bit from the original idea for the two chapters. At first, it was just going to be a weekend trip out to search around for the hunters, leading to meeting Henry and then Henry motivates Ash to help Anton and all that. Then, there was going to be a Team Rocket chapter where they encounter the hunters. But, I wanted to emphasize that this school setting actually holds Ash back a bit. He can't just go run off like before...unless someone like our pal Brock bends the rules. And, I decided to raise the stakes for Team Rocket! I felt they needed to be truly in this. With Meowth, Wobbuffett and a couple others taken by the hunters, Jessie and James have to really fight. And this gives me a chance to give an extra scene or two closer to the hunters. Hopefully it works well enough.

See you in the next one.