Updated as of 2 April, 2016

"When destiny calls, the chosen have no choice." – Star Wars: The Clone Wars, episode 4.1

The cries of a young squirtle echo through the Pokémon Center, its wails the result of a poisoning from an angry beedril. The girl whom the creature belongs to waits nervously in the lobby, pacing back and forth and wishing she had had bought more antidotes in Viridian. She stares down as she walks, her face hidden under her white hat. The scratches she received earlier in escaping the swarm of angry beedril have stopped stinging, but a distracting thought still reminds her to bring pants for places like the forest rather than her favorite lavender skirt. Then she gets mad at herself and thinks once again about her injured Pokémon. Squirtle was her starter, and they have already been through so much despite having just started a week ago.

The cries suddenly stop, and she snaps her head to look. Nurse Joy soon comes through the doors, prompting the girl to run to over.

"How's Squirtle? Is he going to be okay?"

"Squirtle will be fine," she assures her. She breathes a big sigh and relaxes. "You can see him now if you'd like." She nods vigorously and follows the nurse.

In the recovery area, she right away spots her friend being treated by a young man in a white coat with spiky brown hair. Since he is the one who appears to have healed her squirtle, he automatically has her respect. At the same time, her enthusiasm overtakes her as she rushes over.

"Squirtle, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Squirt," it says in reply. She can tell how tired it still is and addresses the man next.

"Thank you so much." The man looks at her (or at least, she thinks he does since his eyes aren't exactly wide open).

"I was happy to help," he says. "But next time, you should make sure to have plenty of antidotes on hand. Pewter City wasn't exactly a short walk from Viridian Forest." She looks down in shame.

"I know. I'm so sorry."

"Hey now, don't feel so bad. Everyone has to learn these things. You came from Pallet Town, right?" She nods. "That means you just started. It's okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them."

"Oh, I learned. I'll always make sure to have enough supplies. I wanted to start learning about berries, too."

"That sounds like a good idea." He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small booklet. "Take this. It's the rough draft of something I've been working on. It has a lot of information on berries and Pokémon."

"But I don't want to take your only copy."

"It's okay. I didn't like the layout. Besides, I've memorized what it says so it won't be hard to write another one. The information should be really helpful for you." She takes it from Brock and stares at it, being amazed that he has memorized so much. "Why don't you go get something to eat or call home while you wait for Squirtle to recover?" She agrees and puts the booklet in her bag. With another, quieter thank you, she leaves the recovery area for the time.

By now, Squirtle has fallen asleep. Since it has already received treatment for poisoning and for his injuries, all that is left to do is sleep for a bit.

"That was great, Brock," Nurse Joy says. He sticks his hands in his pockets and looks at her. "You're really becoming a great doctor."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." He seems far away to her, and she guesses the reason why. The girl was from Pallet Town, and Joy knows that he had a friend from there who went missing five and a half years ago. He must be thinking about him now.

"You know, Brock, as much as I like teaching you, I think you might be better finishing your training and getting your official certification from the academy."

"I've been thinking about that, too. It's just…" Suddenly her hands are in his, and he is on his knees. "How could I leave such a beautiful woman behind all alone in this center?" She sweatdrops and tries laughing him off. Even though they have worked here together for two years, some things never change.

Interrupting the moment (which she is much grateful for), the phone in the nurse's station starts to ring. She pulls away and goes to answer it, but Brock follows her closely. When she hits the accept button and picks up the receiver, the picture of Gary Oak appears on the screen. Both then look surprised since he is in Sinnoh currently and would have no real reason to call the two of them.

"Gary?" Brock asks. "Why are you calling?"

"I tried calling Gramps, but he wasn't home. Misty wasn't at her gym, either, and I figured you're the next best thing."

"Thanks," he mumbles. Gary ignores him and cuts to the chase.

"Have you guys seen the news?" They both confirm they have not. "There's some really weird weather happening in Johto near Mount Quena."

"That's weird. I wonder what could be causing it."

"I don't know, but the lab wants me to go check it out. I was thinking Gramps might want to come, too."

"So why are calling me? Or Misty?" His face turns the slightest bit of red at the mention of her name, but he tries hiding it.

"Well, she is one of the strongest gym leaders in the region. I thought she could be helpful. You would just be back-up."

"I don't know, Gary. I have a lot of responsibilities here-"

"Go ahead and go, Brock. He's right. They might need you."

"So it's settled. I'll meet you in Goldenrod in front of the radio tower at noon tomorrow." Brock tries to protest and come up with a reason why it would be hard to get there in less than a day, but he has nothing. It isn't that he doesn't want the adventure. He just wants to stay with the nurse of his fantasies (despite the numerous times he has been shot down by his mentor). "I'll call Gramps again in a little bit, but could you try Misty?" Conceding since he wouldn't mind seeing and talking to his friend again, he agrees. Besides, he also knows that Gary still feels awkward around the water trainer.

"Sure. I guess we'll both see you tomorrow then." Gary says a quick goodbye and hangs up. Nurse Joy hangs up on their end and looks at Brock. "I should go home and get ready. Will you finish taking care of Squirtle?"

"Of course, Brock." He nods in a serious manner before heading out to Pewter Gym. In the back of his mind, he has an odd feeling about this latest development. He shakes it off, though.

Grumpy and in a huff, Max walks down the hall in headquarters towards his father's office. He was just about to get seconds when a grunt fetched him from the table. Apparently it is really important and could not wait for him to finish his meal. He'll probably get yelled at, too, since his hair is borderline spiky. Even though he has no idea what it could be, he hopes that it is not another mission so soon. He would like to do some light training with his team before taking a nap.

When he reaches the door, he goes straight in and shuts it. This prompts Giovanni to look up from his desk. As his son comes closer, he observes his hairdo and disapproves of it initially. He used to let his own hair be messy on occasion when he was young, usually just to anger his mother. A certain someone used to tease him about it, but deep down she liked it better than his normal style. This time he decides not to get angry.

"You don't have to say it. I didn't do my hair before I left my room. I was just really hungry-"

"It's fine." That surprises him, and he stares in silence. "Max, I have some very important business to attend to in the Johto region. I need you to stay here and act as temporary leader until I get back."
"What about Domino? She's much better at it than me."

"She will be accompanying me." He tries to protest again, which prompts him to get angry this time. "You need to stop running away from your responsibilities as my son. When I retire, Team Rocket will be in your hands. I expect you to be ready and to continue the legacy of our family." No matter how much he wants to take over the crime syndicate, he also wants to be a young man for a while. He also does not want to argue right now about it. The fights always end up the same, and he still wants that training session and nap.

"I know, Father. I'm sorry." The paternal side in him feels guilty, but he refuses to let it show too much.

"It's alright." His phone then rings, interrupting them, and he answers it right away, Max stands there waiting, hoping he can leave soon. Giovanni calmly sets the receiver back down and vacates his chair. Persian stands up as well.

"Are you leaving now?"

"Not yet. There seems to be a problem with the jet. I don't know why I ever put those buffoons in charge of prepping it." He knows right away the trio his father is referring to, even though they rarely are buffoons anymore. His father just likes to blame people when his plans are slightly derailed, and often the ones he knows as Jessie, James, and Meowth receive the brunt of it due to their past history of failures. A fleeting thought in his mind wonders why he has never really met them before when they are considered to be in the elite class of agents. This thought is dismissed by his father speaking once again. "Just stay here and wait for my return." He and Persian leave the room.

Max, however, doesn't leave. Instead, he looks around the office, his attention coming to the large desk and comfy looking chair. He makes his way over and debates whether or not it would be okay if he sat down. Then again, he reasons, he is in charge as soon as his father leaves the base. And he is tired. Surely it'll be fine.

With that reasoning in mind, he takes the seat and looks out over the wood surface. A picture of him and his father is the only decoration though it may seem strange to anyone else who doesn't know him. Despite wanting to conquer the world, he has a good relationship with his adopted son. Giovanni's own childhood wasn't quite the best with his mother either busy with a scheme or out having fun. Her constant beratement of her son didn't help, and neither did her constant disapproval of everything he did. When he brought Persian home, she was angry. When he didn't quite get perfect grades with his private tutor, she was angry. When he allowed his team to be found out and then followed, she was angry. Most of all, she was angry that he brought someone from the outside into the organization. She had fun laughing at him and saying how she told him so when that someone left without a word. None of this Max knows explicitly, but he is aware of his father's rough time growing up.

With a sigh, Max leans back in the chair, wondering if he could ever get used to this. He both literally and figuratively has large shoes to fill when that day comes where he is forced to take over as leader. That will likely be a ways off since he is not aware of any immediate plans to retire, but then again, he does not know much about that.

Finding himself bored, he looks in the drawer on his left for a pen. What he finds instead is a file folder that looks curious. He pulls the manila folder out and sets it on the desk, contemplating whether or not he should open it and check out its contents. It is unlikely his father will come back and catch him so he figures he is in the clear. Clipped to a stack of papers is a picture of some kind of Pokémon that he has never seen before. It is clad in armor, stands at about human level and is lavender and white in color. The photo was obviously a candid shot, and the creature looks angry somehow. This doesn't make sense in his mind as he cannot see the being's face.

An image then flashes through his mind, one of that creature minus the armor attacking a smaller, cat-like Pokémon. Just as quickly the image is gone. Great he complains to himself. Aside from nightmares when he sleeps, he now apparently is having more weird visions while he is awake. Even still, he decides to further investigate this report. The next page has a rashly scribbled post note stuck onto the paper. He recognizes the writing as belonging to his father and wonders what it means. All it says is the name of a mountain in the Johto region…the area he was just at nine hours ago. Come to think of it, the whole mission was odd. There was no stealing of Pokémon or moving along a new plot. Instead it was scout work for something in the future. That creature must be connected to that mountain, and Giovanni had a hunch about it so he sent them out on reconnaissance. His team wasn't the first as he thinks about it, just the latest.

Forgetting about his nap and training, he puts the folder away and stands up. This mission is something he wants in on, even if he has to sneak on board and leave the base with the fourth in command. Hopefully they don't leave before he grabs his Pokémon, hat, and gloves. His hair, though, will have to remain as is. He rather likes it somewhat unruly anyway.

Following lunch, Misty decides to return to her gym along with Pikachu. Hopefully there will be no more trainers today. There's a lot of gym paperwork she needs to catch up on as she has been neglecting it lately, and that is one thing Daisy does not help out with. Not that she could blame her as it is usually incredibly boring, which is why she has been putting it off.

When she enters the gym, her other two sisters say a brief hello and continue their planning. A few years ago, the water ballets the three of them did began drawing in fewer crowds. After that, they started looking for new ways to make money and perform. Around the same time that Daisy started to get serious about gym training, Violet and Lily caught their big break on a trip to the mall. Since then they have various acting gigs, but on their downtime, they come back and put together a show. Since they don't happen all the time, they draw in large crowds like they used to.

Just as she gets ready to grab the stack of papers from the front desk to take it upstairs and do in her room in peace, the fourth sister appears.

"Hey, Misty, like, Gary called for you while you were out. He looked really serious."

"Why would he be calling me?" she asks aloud. Daisy smirks.

"Well, little sis, you did get, like, kinda close when he stayed here a few months ago." That prompts her to turn a bit red the same way Gary did with Brock.

"It's not like that. He's a jerk anyway. Who needs him around?"

"Whatever, you say, Misty. But you can't wait around forever hoping Ash will eventually, like, come home. It's been five years." Hearing that, she shoves her way past her sister in annoyance (and embarrassment) and grabs the papers. Lily and Violet stop talking and look at the mini-scene.

"I'll be in my room doing paperwork. Leave me alone so I can finish it. If there are any challengers, you battle them, and if anyone calls, I'm not here."

With that, she leaves them all in a huff. Pikachu, who was also saddened at the mention of Ash's name, chases after her. The three sisters shrug and go back to what they were doing. She'll get over it like always. Every time they teased her as child, she would get angry and stomp off, but she always got over it eventually. She may be almost eighteen now, but some things never change.

Up in her room, she shuts the door rather hard and drops the papers down on her desk. Pikachu jumps on her bed on the other side of her room and sits to watch her for a few seconds. She mumbles something about stupid Daisy and sits down in her desk chair. Pikachu assumes she'll continue to fume and do the papers at the same time so he decides to take an afternoon nap. He curls up into a ball and falls asleep.

Misty, meanwhile, tries to focus on the forms. They're just some obligatory monthly check-up questions from the Pokémon League about gym operations and win/lose ratios. Her mind goes back to what Daisy said first about Gary calling, and aside from wondering what he could want after being such a cold jerk when he left the gym, she thinks about the news broadcast. The two could be connected. But then why would he be calling her? The second thing she said bugs her more, and she looks away from the paper at the photo frames on her desk. One is of her, Brock, and Ash, taken when Ash was supposed to be training for the Indigo League. The second is her and Ash, this time with Tracey, taken just after Ash won the Orange League. His grin and the way he holds his trophy capture (for her) just how Ash was.

Suddenly her personal cell phone, the number of which only a few select people have, starts to ring. She left it on her desk in hopes of avoiding calls, which has obviously worked out well. It snaps her out of thought, and when she looks at it, she sees the caller ID showing the Pewter City gym, making her forget that she was trying to avoid communicating with the outside world. She hasn't heard from Brock in a couple of weeks so she is eager to answer it. Pikachu, who was awoken by the tone, looks up and over.

"Hello, Misty here."

("Hey, Misty, it's me.") Internally she smiles at hearing her long-time friend's voice.

"What's up, Brock?"

("According to Gary, something weird in Johto.")

"Do you mean all that rain falling near Mt. Quena?"

("So you saw the news then?")

"Yeah, a little bit earlier. But why did Gary call you?" For now, she doesn't mention that Gary called her as well. Brock decides not to mention it, either.

("He's going to go check it out, and he wants you and me to come.")

"Why us?"

("He thinks it might be serious, and he wants us there just in case. He's calling Professor Oak, too. I told him I would go. What do you say?") She thinks about what he just said and lets it all filter. She could use some adventure to get her mind off of everything, even if Gary is there. Seeing Brock and Professor Oak will be fun at least. Maybe Tracey will even come as long as someone else can watch the lab. They did take on another part-time apprentice two months ago who has worked in other labs.

"Count me in. But how are we going to get there?"

("I was thinking of the magnet train. They finally finished the underground stop here a few months ago. You'd be better off traveling south to Saffron to board there.")

"That's kind of far, Brock." On the other line, it's silent as he agrees. From Cerulean to Saffron it takes a good three hours by car. Then an idea suddenly comes to her. Back when she left some of her Pokémon at the gym to help out with their water shows, her sisters used them in other ways. A smooth talking, handsome young man came into town and sold them all on a set of Technical Machine moves for what he promised was a steal (which was true on his end). They forked over two weeks of League pay to the guy, who soon disappeared. One of the moves happened to be the psychic type teleport. As Starmie was a dual water/psychic type, they taught the move to it. It was a big hit in the water shows. Of course, Misty was kind of (read: extremely) angry when she found out, but now it will come in handy. She's never used it before, preferring the traditional method of travel. This time she can make an exception. "Wait, I almost forgot. My sisters taught Starmie how to teleport."

("Hey, that means you can just come here, and we can take the train together.")

"I guess it's a good thing I brought it with me the last time I visited."

("It's settled then. After you get your things together, come to the gym. We'll get there tonight and probably meet up with Gary. He wanted to meet tomorrow, but knowing him, he's already left Sinnoh.")

"Are Professor Oak and Tracey coming, too?"

("Hopefully. I know Gary was going to call them anyway.") Internally she really hopes they do come to Johto. ("Look, I'll let you go now so we can both pack. See you soon.")

"Alright. Bye, Brock." They hang up on their respective ends. Pikachu, who is now sitting up, tilts his head to the left and asks, "Pika?" Misty looks over at the electric mouse. "Get ready, Pikachu. We're going to Johto."

"Chu!"

TBC...

Based on a map, the Magnet Train goes underground and passes through Pewter. I added a stop for convenience as it is reasonable it would expand as population grows. Also, according to Bulbapedia's article on Gen I's TM 30, Starmie is able to learn teleport.

Thanks for reading.