Updated as of 2 April, 2016

"Anything that can go wrong will." – Star Wars: The Clone Wars, episode 3.19

The sound of rain hitting leaves fills his ears, and he slowly begins to become aware of just exactly where he is. His eyes try to focus on the sky above, but instead he finds a large piece of human-made material covering his whole body. The memories of just moments before come flooding back at once, and he struggles to move the suffocating parachute off of his body. During the process, he also dislodges himself from the canopy that was holding him. He falls about ten feet to the ground and lands with a thud and an exclamation of pain. While still lying down, he struggles to free himself from the pack and finally get free. During the struggle, the rain begins to lessen, and by the time he is fee, it has slowed to a very light trickle.

It takes a little bit for him to get his bearings and catch his breath, and when he does, he looks around his surroundings. It appears to be a wooded area as all he can see are trees and more tress. The sky is still covered in clouds so not much moonlight comes through. His thoughts then race to his Pokémon, and his right hand finds his belt. He only feels one ball there, and he proceeds to curse that the rest of his team are somewhere nearby, hidden by the dark and the plant growth. He fumbles getting it loose as his head still hurts a bit, and he calls out the only partner who managed to stick with him.

"Ursaring!" Glad to see the bearish normal-type, he allows a small smile to grace his features.

"I'm glad to see you, too, Ursaring." Suddenly he flinches and grabs his left elbow. His faithful friend comes closer, but Max just looks up, trying to grin and bear the shooting pain. There will be time to tend to his own injuries later. What he worries about most are his Pokémon and his father and the rest of the team on the plane. They had to have all abandoned ship and are probably looking up just as lost as he is. "Let's look for the rest of the team, okay?"

"Ursa," he nods his head. Once Max has the rest of his team, they can begin to look for the humans and start to figure out what happened up in the sky.

Brock, despite the strange events they witnessed in the sky, continues to tend to the injured Pokémon. After a potion and some berries, the creature has regained consciousness and started nipping at his hands. He so far has managed to calm it down and continue checking for any other damage.

Misty, however, cannot take her eyes off of the sky for some reason despite Gary's attempts to get her mind back on the situation. The rain lets up while she is staring into the night, and even Gary's hand on her shoulder does not elicit a response. Tracey watches the professor carefully himself, finding his behavior to be odd as well. Though neither know it, the same force is drawing them into the woods to look for something even they do not understand. Pikachu sits by her feet, his ears back and his eyes trying to focus on the sky where he saw the figure falling to the earth.

"We should go see if we can find that person," she says suddenly. Gary looks appalled.

"Why should we do that? We have something way more important to check out." She looks at him angrily.

"What could be more important than someone's life?"

"We don't even know who that person was. For all we do know, they might be an expert skydiver looking for a rush."

"Who jumps from a plane that was set on fire by missiles from the ground just for fun?"

"You don't know that's what happened."

"What else was it? The plane behind them looked the same."

"Misty, it could be serious out there. I don't-"

"She's right, Gary," his grandfather interrupts. "That person may need our help. Our research can wait a little bit." He wants to protest, but he also realizes it would be pointless.

"You guys go on ahead. This blitzle has a broken back leg, and we shouldn't move it."

"Of course, Brock."-Professor Oak

"But Professor Oak, are you sure you're okay?" Misty asks. He takes no offense and only smiles lightly at her concern.

"I may be getting on in years, but trust me when I say that I had plenty of experience in the field in my youth. I've actually grown to miss the adventure after watching Gary and Ash pursue their goals." Ash's name this time does not bring on the sadness it did before because it reminds them all of his spirit and his rivalry with Gary. They had many fights against each other, and Misty, Brock, and Tracey had many great adventures with the unlikely master from Pallet Town. Pikachu also pictures in his mind the day he met Ash and the moment he knew he could trust the boy with his life. Those happy memories are more powerful right now for each of them. Misty does feel a little embarrassed, though and looks down.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about that now. Let's get going." He looks to Brock. "We'll keep in touch through our phones, okay? You just worry about that blitzle."

"Right. You all be careful." They all agree and turn to head into the tress on the east side of the road. Brock follows the gang with his eyes until he can no longer see them. Then he turns his attention back to his charge, his mind torn between his friends and the one he is taking care of.

I really wish I had Magby right about now Max thinks to himself as he and Ursaring try to look in the dark. They have not been successful in finding any balls as of yet, and a light flamethrower from his magby would come in very handy. The moon is still hidden behind a thick layer of clouds so virtually no light is coming through, making the forest that is already the middle of the wilderness even darker. His human eyes adjusted quickly, but they are still pretty much useless right now. Some Pokémon have great night vision, and Ursaring happens to be one of them. Still, neither the trainer nor his partner have come across the red and white storage devices.

Right about now he also wishes he took more supplies with him instead of being in such a rush to sneak on the plane. For his birthday a few years ago, Abby got him a useful but meaningful gift. A pocket flashlight was never something he thought he wanted, but it suited its practical purpose well. Since he started out so late as a trainer, he wanted to learn and do as much as he could as quickly as he could. This meant lots of reading, especially some of the prominent journals showcasing all of the breakthroughs in Pokémon knowledge. He was especially fond of Professor Samuel Oak and his assistant Tracey Sketchit. They were both based in Kanto, his home region and focused on Max's favorite area of study- Pokémon and human relationships. Building a good relationship with one's Pokémon partners is the key to getting stronger. His father never thought so and advocated for a team made of Pokémon who were strong fresh out of the wild. His son never seemed to catch anything that fit into that category, but he allowed Max to train his own way for the time. Though he does not know it, Giovanni was planning to end that soon and start seriously getting him ready to take over the family business.

On the road with Abby, he would frequently stay up late to get through the reading. He was also required to do some schoolwork to further his formal education (another practice advocated by his father). Learning as much as possible about Pokémon was his fun time, even if meant he got less sleep. One night she woke up from a bad dream to find him trying to see the pages with the poor moonlight. She thought her friend to be somewhat cute, but she also admired his determination. She must have picked up the red little flashlight at one of the convenience stores in Hoenn when he was busy picking out snacks for the road. When his birthday rolled around (which was actually just a week after she bought the gift), she presented it to a confused best friend. Once he realized what it was for, he gave her a rare hug and his normal grin. He's had it with him since that day.

That, of course, excludes the current moment. He forgot his hat, too although it was never his favorite. He always preferred regular caps like those worn by baseball players, but the day he came back to the base in one, he was chewed out rather furiously. His new hat was taken from him, and in its place he received the kind of cap the grunts wore. It was more customized as the small bill was red while the rest was black, and it had no R to signal his allegiance to the crime organization (a feature of some of the newer grunt caps). But it still wasn't the hat he picked out, the hat he pictured himself wearing when he finally won a League conference.

A worse thought then enters his mind: he didn't tell Abby where he was going, and he left her behind. Not only is his father going to wring him out, so will she.

"Ursa!" Max snaps out of his thoughts and looks to his Pokémon. Ursaring stares defensively at the pair of trees on Max's left about ten feet from where he is standing. A figure steps out from the foliage though Max is unable to make out any features. The stranger reaches into his back and pulls out a fully lit lantern. Max double takes at such a feat as there was no light coming from behind him just a second ago.

"Who are you?" Without answering, the man in black pulls something out of his coat pocket and holds them up near the light source. Right away Max recognizes them as pokéballs...his pokéballs. They have to be his, he reasons. "Give me those!" In a quick movement, he shoves them back in his pocket and grins.

"Come find me." He blows the lantern out and drops it before taking off into the forest. Max doesn't hesitate and calls back Ursaring so he can give chase. No one is going to steal his Pokémon.

Elsewhere in the woods, the rest of the Rockets from the Boss's plane have had more luck in untangling themselves from their parachutes. Jessie scrambles to fix her hair while Domino does her best to look around and determine where they are. The stars, which would normally provide some sort of general location, are not visible. Looking around at the trees is about as useful. The fires in the distance from the crashed wreckage they escaped from help a little but not nearly enough. Persian, who came down safely being held by his master, paces and sniffs the ground. Giovanni removes his suit's jacket as the black material has been soaked all the way through to his gray vest and white shirt. Normally this look would be unbecoming, but there are more important things to worry about. He shoved Max out first because he was the most important one on that plane (six years ago that person would have been Giovanni himself). He also promised he would find him on the ground.

"Doesn't anyone think it's strange that the rain just suddenly stopped like that?" James asks aloud. Everyone looks at him.

"You got a point der, Jimmy."

"Who care about the weather?" their boss interrupts. Both are scared silent. He regains his cool composure and begins to brief them. "Our original plans have to be delayed. The important thing for now is finding Max. It would be best to split up. You three," he looks at Jessie, James, and Meowth, "will head west while Domino and I head east."

"But wouldn't it make more sense to split up in four directions?"-Domino

"I don't know who was attacking us. It would be foolish not to expect them to be searching the ground, and to split up further would lead us wide open to further attacks."

Good point, sir. Dat is exactly why you're da boss-"

"Shut up, Meowth." Persian snickers.

"Yes, sir." His attention leaves them briefly as he looks at a bag on the ground. After everyone here had jumped, he grabbed one last thing in case they needed it and took that leap from the downing aircraft. (Though this is of least concern to him right now, the pilot was last out and landed a bit away from their location as safely as they did.) From inside of it, he pulls out a small handgun for protection. Domino doesn't rely on Pokémon for defense, and he only has Persian with him now. Perhaps he should not have again left his team at headquarters the same way he did five years ago when he went to Pallet, but he blames it on his son. Leaving Max in charge meant he would need strong Pokémon, none of which his are. A personal weapon and an elite agent's skills with exploding tulips should be adequate defense given the circumstances. Although Jessie, James, and Meowth have proven to be very resourceful agents, he still trusts himself and Domino more than them. He also grabs the only flashlight, knowing James' faithful growlithe Growlie (whom he took with him the last time he ran into his crazy family while they were on vacation) can use fire attacks to light up the area.

"Take this." He throws it to James, who catches the black backpack. "Keep in contact with your phones, and if you find my son, call me right away. And do not get caught." With those brief but simple orders, he, Domino, and Persian start off in their direction.

Jessie looks at James, he looks at Meowth, and Meowth jumps up to snatch the bag from James.

"Meowth, give that back! The boss gave it to me."

"He obviously made a mistake."

"Meowth, no fair-" Jessie settles the matter by snatching it herself.

"Are you two forgetting what the boss told us to do?"

"Of course not. We're not idiots."-James

"Then stop acting like it. Let's go."

She starts to walk in the opposite direction of Domino and Giovanni, and the boys follow quickly. They go for about half a minute before James starts to complain again.

"It's so hard to see anything."

"Then call out Growlie. We can use his flamethrower."-Jessie

"I would except that I left him back at base." She stops and looks at him, but, as he is not paying attention, he runs right into her. "What's the big idea?"

"Why did you leave him on base, you idiot? He's your strongest Pokémon."

"He hasn't been feeling well lately. I thought he might be sick so I left him to rest."

"Figures. The one time you could be useful you screw it up."

"That's not fair, Jessie." She tries to brush him off, but he decides for once not to let her. It is because of their combined team work, including Meowth, that they have risen to their current status. "Who saved your life on the last mission?" She stares at him without an answer though she knows very well what he means.

Their last mission, which happened just over a month ago, involved sneaking into an enemy's compound hidden just off of Route 25 north of Cerulean City. The area had been a hotspot since the Hakubi family's medical plant was shut down due to environmental violations. Scientists had an active role before the bust, and afterwards, the police showed up as well to keep the area off limits and to watch for any other suspicious activity. Somehow, beneath their incompetent noses, someone else set up shop. Their goal was not clear to the Rockets in charge of intelligence gathering, but Giovanni knew there was going to be trouble, even if it was not much.

Why he picked Jessie and James over anyone else, including Domino or Butch and Cassidy, was beyond them at the time, but they didn't care. It was a huge responsibility, something they had been working for in the years since the twerp disappeared. Meowth, who was certainly just as skilled as the humans, was ordered to remain behind. Not many talking Pokémon exist after all, and even if he swore to keep his mouth shut, Giovanni didn't want to risk it.

They were tasked with infiltrating the base posing as new members interested in joining, and the operation was going very smoothly. They were able to find out the new gang had some ties to a woman who was running the radio station in Goldenrod City over in Johto. It had been purchased and saved from bankruptcy four years prior when Internet radio (which was slowly becoming widely available, especially on devices like the pokégear that had been utilizing the analog broadcasts for some time) gained almost all of the market share. Talent was leaving the station for other regions where analog was still in demand, and some were even being hired by their digital competitors. Who ever the mystery woman was, she liked to make money and managed to turn the station around quickly with little investment.

This little bit of interesting news was quickly overshadowed when they discovered that this new group wanted to research the affected Pokémon to discover if any had suffered from mutations that either made them or their offspring stronger. If they could detect a mechanism that changed the creatures so dramatically, there would certainly be a way to manufacture it and sell this supplement for a profit. The undercover Rockets realized their own boss could use such strong Pokémon and any way to make others just as powerful. The goal of world domination could more easily be attained.

Before they could make their getaway, though, an even newer recruit recognized them. He pointed Jessie out as Miyamoto's daughter, something very few people are aware of. The leader of the group, who happened to be in the room at the time, smacked himself for not seeing it sooner. With their cover blown and their true nature as spies working for the enemy in the open, it turned into just getting out as unscathed as possible.

James, by a turn of good fortune, still had the keys to their assigned jeep. He quickly called out Weezing and ordered a smog attack so they could sneak away in the confusion. Growlie, who James had brought with him in a pokéball (something he rarely does since his loyal friend from childhood preferred to be free), came out on his own accord to help. While the Rockets, with Weezing in tow, ran the other way towards the door, he unleashed a massive flamethrower. He was fast enough himself to escape the ensuing explosion with minor cuts and ran to meet them outside.

Unlucky for them, a few agents were outside at their posts and had alerted more to return from area patrol. They sent out their Pokémon to keep the spies from escaping. Normally James and Jessie would have sent out their Pokémon, but even they realized they were outnumbered. The only choice seemed to be to run away in the jeep they were cornered in front of.

Before they could jump in and escape, however, they were attacked by some of the modified creatures they were interested in learning more about for their boss. A mutated-looking bellsprout who was orange in color instead of yellow and possessed extra-large leaves was called on to attack. It hurled some small razor leaves that Growlie easily destroyed with his flamethrower. This was all for show, however, as another bellsprout nearby readied an even more powerful attack. This leaf was more than five times the normal size, and the speed at which it was released gave little time to react. James, however, in an adrenaline high, was able to see that it was aimed more at Jessie than him and threw himself in front of best friend.

The sharp edges dug into his back, staining his white shirt. Growlie, in a fit of anger at seeing his master injured, released the largest flame he ever had before, rendering the opposing team at least scrambling to regain the upper hand. It was just enough time for Jessie to take control of herself and get him into the jeep. Growlie followed suit and hopped into the back while Weezing floated in. The keys were able to be fished from his pocket with ease, and off they sped before the others got another meaningful attack in.

They headed back to Viridian City, where James made a full, speedy recovery. Once they gave their report to Domino, who was in charge of debriefing them like usual, she gave the information to the boss. He was intrigued to say the least. Meowth teased James about being a hero, but Jessie had trouble looking at him seriously for a week. He risked himself for her, and she was unsure if she would have done the same thing. True, they had been close since they were young teens, but this was the first time he didn't try hiding and instead protected her over himself.

His bringing this up again in the present makes her remember such feelings. James continues to stare at her, but she looks away quickly.

"Let's just get going already." Although it may not sound like much, James smirks to himself because he knows he won the argument.

"Gimme dat!" Meowth snatches from her the bag once again and begins to dig through it. The sappy and serious nature of the previous couple of minutes got to him (mostly because he wasn't there to help out). Besides, they have the important task of finding the boss's kid.

The trio begins to walk again in the dark while Meowth paws through their supplies to see if there is anything that could help them out. First he finds a lighter, but this is not good enough so he keeps digging. By now Jessie and James' eyes have adapted better to the low light, but it is still not the ideal level of sight they could use. The cat Pokémon then find something else more helpful. He stops and flicks the lighter on, getting a small flame that is just enough to light the wick on what he thinks is a weird shaped candle. Why the boss considers a candle a survival tool is odd, but he dares not question the man. The humans notice the light he has made and approve.

"Good job, Meowth."-James

"What's that hissing sound?" Jessie interrupts him looking smug. The boys look at the object in his paws, and her gaze follows.

"Meowth, that is just a candle, right?"

"Of course! Ya think I'm stupid enough to light an explosive in the middle of da forest?"

Before either can respond, a large boom followed by a cloud of heat and fire erupts from his grasp.

Misty, Gary, Tracey, and Professor Oak all look up into the sky having heard a loud explosion. They were heading towards where they think the figure fell to the ground, but this distracts them as it is loud and close.

"What was that?"-Misty

"Something blew up, genius."-Gary

"Why you-"

"It came from that direction," Tracey points, interrupting the impending argument.

"We should split up again. Tracey and I will continue on in the same path. You two go see what that explosion was all about."

"But Gramps-"

"What's the matter, Gary? Afraid of some weedle and caterpie?" Misty stiffens at the mention of such bug Pokémon, but Gary crosses his arms at being made fun of by his grandfather.

"As if. I did a more dangerous things that summer for Bruno when I was training around Pallet."

"Then there's no problem. Come on, Tracey. Let's get going." Without further debate, he turns and keeps going in the same direction, followed by Tracey, who flails his arms in attempt to help him catch up quicker. Gary looks at Misty, who is still thinking of all of the bugs.

"Come on, Red." He grabs her arm and drags her in the direction of the loud explosion, and she lets him as her mind is still thinking of ways to avoid the bugs that involve not jumping behind or on top of Gary. Pikachu follows them quietly.

Tracey finally catches up to the professor and begins to look around once again. Things are so dark he wishes he brought better supplies or Pokémon. The only flashlight he had he left with Brock just in case, but now he feels they could probably use it more.

"Professor, do you think that person landed safely?" he asks, hoping to start a conversation. The eeriness of the situation would get to him otherwise. "I mean, he might have ended up tangled in a tree or worse." The professor, however, is not listening to this or anything he says afterward. Rather, he cannot shake the feeling that is unknowingly drawing him towards that figure. A howl in the distance catches his ears, and he looks there now. Tracey, trying to see the ground in front of him, keeps walking, not realizing that his mentor has stopped. The howl has somehow escaped him. "I hope Misty and Gary will be okay," he continues to ramble. The howl comes again, and the professor departs from the path Tracey is taking, heading into the woods alone.

Max bursts through the trees into a clearing and stops. His heavy breathing is all that can be heard as he looks around for that mysterious figure. He has no such luck as no signs of life can be found. He curses to himself for losing the thief. Not only is he alone in the woods but his Pokémon, the partners he caught and has trained, are seemingly gone without a trace.

"Get back here, and give me my Pokémon!" He hears no response and falls to his knees, punching the ground with as much force as he can muster. "Damn it, I should have stayed like Dad told me..."

A howl suddenly interrupts his thoughts, and he looks around from his spot on the ground. The grass rustles lightly in the breeze, but the howl does not sound again.

Suddenly a man comes from the trees into the clearing. Max, thinking it may be the figure he was chasing, stands up in a defensive pose. The older one takes in the sky for a few seconds before looking back at the earth. The young man before him stares with a hardened gaze, but all the professor sees is a messy head of black hair for once not ruled by some sort of hat. Memories of a boy and his Pikachu flood his mind. That unnamed feeling suddenly makes sense.

"Ash?" Max blinks a few times.

"Who's that?" Before he can get an answer, a sting on his neck draws his hand to the spot. The foliage goes blurry, and he closes his eyes and falls to the ground. Samuel panics and goes to run towards him, but the same prickly feeling stops him in his tracks. The drug takes a few seconds longer to go through his veins, but he, too, passes out.

"This sucks," Gary grumbles as he moves aside a branch for her.

"Shut up, you baby." He lets it go and follows behind.

"You're the one who just barely stopped trembling over some lame bug Pokémon." She spins around and gets in his face

"You better watch what you say, Oak."

"Or what?" he taunts. Her glare hardens, but he only smirks. He missed their arguments, that's for sure. The fact that she does not look away convinces him that she has missed him as well. He also seems to forget that Pikachu is right there and hopes that this time, she will make a move on him. This delusion he is so caught up in that he does not notice her actions. Her fist connects with his stomach, and he loses his breath, grabbing his abdomen and doubling over.

"That's what." He grunts while Pikachu laughs. He still remember all those times he made fun of Ash and has not completely come to see Gary as a decent person whom he approves of being close to Misty.

Suddenly, some bickering nearby interrupts her gloating. All three look at the trees, then at each other. Silently they agree to go towards the sound though Gary still holds his sore spot. The voices get louder as they get closer, and the human duo plus Pikachu bursts onto the scene. The trio stops attacking each other and looks to see who just joined them. The orange-haired one they recognize right away, but Gary takes a bit longer. It clicks for all three, though, especially when they notice Pikachu.

"It's the twerps!" Misty and Gary look at each other, but they quickly recognize their old enemies. Pikachu gets into stance and readies an attack, but he waits for Misty to ultimately order it.

"Team Rocket!" They all get into defensive positions, about to draw out their Pokémon.

"Wait a second, Jessie."-James

"What is it?" she practically growls, not taking her eyes off of them.

"The boss's son...didn't he look familiar?"

"So what?" Her mind follows the same path his does, and Meowth catches on as well. Then all three realize something at the same time.

"It was Ash!"

TBC...