Chapter 3: Lupin the...Weavile?

Ash and Zoey were trailing tire tracks, Brock was hanging out with Fujiko and Dawn had been kidnapped...and nothing had to do with Team Rocket facing a large slew of crimes. Dawn was stored in a steel cage in some underground location, knockout in some fashion. She was starting to come around. "What's...going on?" she groaned. In front of her was a black cat-like creature with a red circular crown and collar. It had white paws for hands and a gold oval between worried eyes. Behind that was a giant blue turtle with cannons sticking out of the shell. Her eyes showed a nightmare in front of her. No escape. "Weavile? And Blastoise?" She had her back against the wall. To her, she was doomed.

"Hey, hey, calm down," the Weavile tried to ease...speaking human? Dawn changed from scared to bewildered. She knew about Meowth able to talk human but not a Weavile.

"You...can talk?" The Blastoise came forward to meet Dawn.

"Guess this was expected, Lupin," the Blastoise murmured...also speaking human. This was outrageously weird. Two Pokémon able to talk. "Our last hopes are Goemon and Fujiko." Lupin? Goemon? Fujiko? What's going on?

"So, your not really Pokémon?" What happened?

"I do apologize, miss. We're not usually like this." Obviously. Dawn began to piece the puzzle together about who the Weavile and Blastoise were.

"So that means you're Jigen, the sharpshooter," she guessed as she pointed to Blastoise.

"Correct. And the Weavile is Lupin." Lupin III? The most wanted thief in the world? Lupin closed in on Dawn, observing her wardrobe. Was it the skirt? The boots?

"Well, I know you're still a kid with time to develop," he criticized. "I mean, your boobs are nowhere near the size of some of the females I've come across, but you're pretty ballsy for the skirt as a makeup." Dawn fumed, wrapping her arm around her chest and yanking the linen of her skirt to prevent Lupin from being a perverting pedophile...or anyone else thinking alongside Lupin's sickening ideas.

"My wardrobe is none of your business!" she scowled. Lupin retreated back to Jigen, hoping that he'd protect him in the state they're in. "Besides, I'm more curious about how a world-renown thief and a sharpshooter became Pokémon?" About time someone questioned the looks. Lupin felt that she deserved to know for her safety sake.

"You see, hearing about a priceless gem in a nearby museum, we chose a place where we could plot to take the covenant diamond. That's when in the middle of making plans, someone came in with the gold, black and red diamond. Jigen and I took the blow of the diamond...and became this." So Lupin and Jigen were tagged with a diamond that changed them from human to Pokémon. Dawn's sympathy seemed to be lost in the confession. There was one valuable item that was one everyone's mind: the Jynx Jewel.

"You ask me, you deserved the punishment and should regard your choice of a life of crime." Ouch! "But still, was it the curse of the Jynx Jewel? Turning people into Pokémon?" A theory. Meanwhile, the sun was setting fast on Ash and Zoey. They followed the tracks into the woods. With the setting sun, Ash and Zoey chose to setup camp. Ash and Pikachu had gone off to gather firewood while Zoey got a fire pit set. Ash and Pikachu returned with enough wood to burn through sunrise. They enjoyed some leftover stew from the night before.

"Even without Brock making anything fresh, his stew is still delicious," Zoey complimented. Ash smiled, knowing that his friend was always there to provide something good even not around. For some reason, Ash was back-tracking a point far before all this started.

"Say, Zoey," he spoke up. "I haven't really had a chance to ask this but back at Snowpoint City, after my victory against Candice." Zoey looked toward Ash, wondering what was on his mind. "Why did you act out at Paul for?" Zoey's mind was going into deep thought. It was a moment that Zoey seemed to remember.

"You see, Paul doesn't get you. You don't use a basic strategy in battle. We all saw that battle between Paul and Brandon. He uses strength while you use trust and outside thinking. You won that last symbol and may be one gym battle victory away to surpassing Reggie." Ash became humbled with Zoey's observation of how dominant he was around the world. However, he felt he was getting too much credit.

"Come on, Zoey. You're making me sound like a perfect contender against Cynthia. I still have a lot to learn."

"I'm being honest. You've already proven that you can face some of the toughest trainers, gym leaders, frontier brains, Elite Four members...and what does Paul have? A chip on his shoulder the size of a Snorlax." Ash thought it was much larger.

"Apparently, you haven't seen the Claydol around the islands in Hoenn." How big was this Claydol? After they ate, they snuggled into their sleeping bags and fell fast asleep. In the trees, Ash and Zoey seemed to have a guardian on hand. It was Goemon, not suffering the same fate as his comrades Lupin and Jigen. He watched as Zoey began to roll from her sack and unconsciously rest her arm on Ash. Ash was sleeping, clueless of him being an armrest...or a pillow to Zoey as she tugged him and plopped her head onto his shoulder.

'Interesting,' Goemon observed. 'The redhead never made a mention that she had emotions to the mouse-handler. Then again, there's great doubt that the boy has love on his mind.' Well, we appreciate your theory. Meantime, Dawn was struggling to escape the cage. She tried to shake the bars loose. Her hands were small. They couldn't properly wrap around the bars. That's when she wondered why Lupin and Jigen haven't used any abilities from their new forms.

"Come on, Lupin," she groaned in frustration. "You're a Pokémon now. Haven't you tried any moves to break outta here?" Lupin was not in the mood to argue about possibilities. His body was shifted with he was turned into a Weavile.

"You think I hadn't thought that through?" Lupin scorned. "I wouldn't be use to this body if I tried. I can't pick any locks, hack in computers and don't start with attacks since I don't know or try any." Seemed like Lupin was helpless in that smaller body.

"I'm more of an armed man and not have weapons in my backside," Jigen argued. "It's hard to aim properly with cannons protruding out of the shell, let alone have anything to use for ammo." Not even water? Dawn was showing frustration as she had no idea on how to escape the cage.

"Now I know how Team rocket feels," she paired. As she looked toward the entrance, there was someone there? Ash? Goemon? Fujiko? Nope. It was some man in a lab coat, turquoise hair a touch wild. His glasses were a sign that this guy is intelligent.

"So the young girl has come around after trying to fish me from the water," he sneered. Dawn became concerned, believing that he was the one who took the Jynx Jewel. "So, how do you like my test subjects? The profound king of thieves, Lupin III and his sharpshooting right hand man, Mr. Jigen? Now, no more than makeshift Pokémon at my disposal thanks to this diamond." He revealed a large diamond held on a gloved hand which were in layers. On top was gold, bottom was red and the middle was black. Much like how Lupin described it.

"The Jynx Jewel!" That was the prize. Then the curse was the transformation into Pokémon.

"Correct. The curse is nothing more than the change into the Pokémon which best fitted the lives they've enjoyed." Dawn was in drastic fear. She could turn into a Pokémon and struggle even more. The morning rose, meaning that the search was on for Ash and Zoey...but first, they would need to wake up. Ash was coming around, ready to continue on...until he noticed that Zoey was clamped onto him, still zonked but snuggling herself onto Ash so comfortably, Ash was not bothered.

"Ash..." she muttered as her sleeping body crawled up him. She began to nibble Ash in the neck. No blood so don't worry. Forget nervousness, Ash's nerves were beginning to wreck.

"Uh, Zoey?" Ash tried to alert her. Zoey slowly opened her eyes, viewing the large, surprised pupils of Ash. Her eyes shot open and realized she was face to face.

"M-Morning, Ash." She was a bit fidgety but recovered enough to peck a kiss on the cheek. Ash was dumbfounded with that sudden peck. What was that for? After packing up, and placed a still-sleepy Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash and Zoey resumed the trek to locate the vehicle which belonged to Lupin. Ash was still baffled with what Zoey gave him. Zoey kept her head hung high, trying to pass the subject off. Goemon was a ninja, leaping from tree branch to branch. Hearing the contact of straw and wood, Pikachu looked up, viewing Goemon...for a moment.

("Was that one of Lupin's friends?") it wondered. Ash heard and turned the same direction once feet ceased to move. Zoey halted too and looked in the same direction.

"What is it?" The humans saw nothing.

"You saw something Pikachu?" Ash questioned. Pikachu thought it was Goemon or someone on there. Could it have been his imagination?

("Not sure,") it shrugged. That's when there were footsteps felt. Something big was approaching them. Ash and Zoey braced for the worst. That's when a large brown bear on hind legs made a showing. There was a circle on the chest. Still, this beast was huge.

"Ursaring!" The giant Ursaring grumbled before...

"Great," it...talked. "The last person I needed to see, less in this!" Ash and Pikachu were shocked. It was another victim of the Jynx Jewel's curse? Who was this person who's changed Lupin and Jigen? And who was this who's now an Ursaring?

TO BE CONTINUED...