It was nearing sundown, right when most of Quartz Bay's stalls were closing down and when most of the Pokémon were getting ready to spend a night at the Game Corner. It was the perfect time to make an announcement.

While fixing up his suit and adjusting his hat, James examined the crowd of onlookers from afar. A crowd of Pokémon gathered around the central stage of the tent, over a hundred different sets of eyes focused on the center, all eagerly awaiting the presentation to begin.

The Pikachu eyed his compatriot, who frowned as she adjusted the sparkling red dress she wore. I don't know, James," Jessie spoke to her. "I'm… nervous."

"Don't worry about it!" James reassured her. "We'll do fine."

"Maybe, but… this is all so new," the Eevee said back.

James shook his head. "We've done this nearly a hundred times by now."

"Not like this…" The Eevee grumbled, tilting her head up dismissively. "Fine, let's go, Pikachu!"

James laughed. It was still kind of funny being a Pikachu and he honestly didn't mind being called one. He raised a sign up in the air, commanding the crew under the stage to work their magic. "After you, Jessie!"

Jessie smiled lightly. She still hadn't gotten used to her new state.

A small, controlled burst of fireworks erupted, enveloping the center stage in smoke.

The duo then took a zipline down, landing precisely in the cloud of smoke.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie began.

"Make it double!" James added, the smoke cloud dissipating just in time for the two of them to suddenly appear before the crowd.

"To protect the world from abject boredom!"

"To serve the masses with great decorum!"

"To give you our hearts full of love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Eevee!"

"Pikachu!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Stay here now, your future is bright!"

"Meowth dat's right!" Meowth popped from the floor, a large rectangular object covered in cloth rising with him.

The crowd cheered, the improvised motto exciting them. Eyes then refocused onto the strange object Meowth brought with him.

James bowed. The only way this could have been better is if Growlie and Carnivine were here with him.

Even Jessie, who had normally been in a foul mood ever since she became an Eevee, positively drank the applause.

James began the next part of the act. "We here at Rocket Game Corner are glad that the folks and sailors of Quartz Bay have been so nice to us. Which is why it is such a pleasure to introduce our latest attraction." It might have been silly to outright call themselves Team Rocket, but the Pokémon here barely knew what a Rocket was. So what was the harm?

Jessie took over. "Presenting to you, the first of its kind, the Rocket Game Corner Pinball Machine!"

Meowth took over the cloth covering the machine. It was an ornate contraption of brass gears and heavily varnished wood. A clear glass surface revealed a convoluted maze of paths a pinball could go through, whilst a single set of blackened paddles was situated at the button. "Now, dis 'ere is one crazy machine!"

"One that took a whole lot of work to assemble!" James replied, feeling a small bit of satisfaction at being the one to assemble it… even if he had to improvise the fact that there was no easy access to electronic circuits anywhere within Citrine. He had to hire a KlinKlang to help make a convoluted clockwork contraption that served as the replacement for an analog computer, but it worked, more or less.

"But enough about that boring stuff. How does it play?"

"All ya' gotta do is pull on dis 'ere doohickey!" Meowth did a small demonstration, pulling on the plunger and sending the pinball through the board. It made a large number of chiming noises as the game went on. "Da pinball bumps on tings and ya' get points for every ting it hits! Da goal is ta get as high a score as possible!"

The crowd went wild with speculation. Even if they couldn't see Meowth playing, they were interested in learning what was going on.

"Unlike our other games, this one doesn't feature any monetary rewards, but maybe someday, there will be prizes!" Jessie waved a paw.

Meowth's run on the machine abruptly ended and the machine played a mournful tone.

"No hands?" James asked a rhetorical question. "The Rocket Pinball Machine offers quadruped, serpentine, and spheroid support, so as wide a group as possible can play it!"

"But dat's enough 'bout us talkin' 'bout it!" Meowth waved a hand. From outside, Arbok and Victreebel dragged in two more machines. "How's about ya' go an play it!"

A massive line of Pokémon formed around the new machines, all eager to see what the new offering entailed.

"I'm surprised that it worked…" Jessie commented.

"Course it worked!" Meowth laughed. "We's got the bestest Game Corner in all of Citrine!"

James then spotted familiar faces walking into the Game Corner. It was a certain trio of former trainers and their Pokémon. He pointed towards them for his two companions to notice.

Jessie eyed him. "Do we really have to?"

Meowth shrugged. "We gotta. Otherwise, we'll be stuck here."

The Rocketeering Pikachu bounced onto his legs and dashed over to meet them.

"Ah, Twerps! You're back so soon!" James greeted them. It was funny how casually he spoke to them, no plotting to steal Pikachu or anything at all.

"Hello, Pikachu!" the natural Pikachu sniggered.

James gave him a snort.

"Hey, James! Jessie! Meowth!" Riolu Twerp greeted them with his actual name. "So you made a… Pinball Machine?"

Approaching, Jessie shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. It seems to be really popular, already."

"Ooh, can I play!?" Togepi leapt up and laughed. "It sounds fun!"

"As long as you don't stay up too late," her adoptive mother said. The Buizel turned towards the hatted Pikachu. "So, how does it work? Is it coin operated or something?"

"Oh, there's no coins in Citrine, so rather than make our own coins or make the machine gem operated, it doesn't need anything to run. That's why we have assistants taking money from anyone who wants a go!" James answered. It was kind of funny how many Pokémon were working with them now and all they had to do was put in a job listing. Maybe that'd work back home? Nah.

"Dey get paid loads, too!" Meowth lowered his head. He turned towards Togepi and flashed her a smile. "But we can totally make exceptions for ya!"

Togepi's eyes widened in excitement. "Ooh, really?"

"Sure!" Meowth smirked.

Misty looked skeptical, but nodded her head. "Alright, it's just Pinball. And it's not like you've tried to kidnap anyone lately."

"All because of a mutiny, I might add," Jessie said firmly.

James waved off her companion and changed the topic to keep her from making a scene; discussing criminal activities with possible witnesses listening in was not something he was eager to have blow up in his face. "Anyways, how did the Gym Battle go?"

"We got our first Emera!" Riolu Twerp raised his left paw, showing his silver bracelet now bore a lone quartz crystal.

Jessie was very clearly entranced by it. "Ooh…"

"Of course, that means we're going to have to leave early in the morning," Rockruff Twerp interjected. "The closest ship that could take us leaves by then. And the next one we know about is a week away."

James blinked. "Wait, but there's loads of ships in the dockyards?" After all, the Pokémon needed things moved all the time.

"Yeah, but it's hard to get a ship big enough for over a dozen Pokémon all at once, even if we exclude Onix. Most travelers tend to go in smaller groups or larger groups organize their tickets in advance," the Rockruff explained. "The alternative is we all take different boats, but that might mean getting separated and having a hard time finding each other."

"So, that means there's very few ships that can take us." Riolu Twerp confirmed. "If it was just… four or five of us, and if we're all around a foot tall, this wouldn't be a problem."

"But it isn't, because you have plenty of friends," James stated. After all, most of their Pokéballs were destroyed. And Pokémon took up plenty of room when you had a dozen of them following you around. Even if most of their Pokémon were only a foot tall, they still needed plenty of room to themselves, especially if the trip lasted more than a day or two. And that did not factor in Charizard who not only was large, but also was also fiery.

"I'd ask if you'd like to come, but… I don't know if that's really possible." Riolu twerp shook his head. "I mean, technically, we could just book a ship and wait for it, but there's an event we heard about and we'd miss it if we waited."

Zorua winced. "It's… mostly my idea."

James pursed his lips, wondering what exactly that could have been. It must have been important if they were rushing to leave as soon as they could.

"Hey, wait!" Pikachu spoke up. "Don't you have those crazy robots and everything? Can't you buy your own ship, because we're going to need to travel by boat at least a few more times."

"We didn' exactly keep our discount card!" Meowth muttered. "And ain't exactly easy to buy big tings all da time!"

"Though if we did keep the Gyrados submarine… " James shook his head. "Maybe, we can always just go meet up someplace else… Maybe there's somewhere we can link up at a later point?"

Jessie gave him a thoughtful look. "Hm, traveling and not having to follow some Twerps around. That might actually be enjoyable. Like a vacation."

Pikachu shrugged. "Well, as long as you are not stalking me, you can do whatever you want."

James raised a paw, an idea forming. "Hey, wait, what if we wait for you to pick you up sometime after you get your next Emera? We can probably have a ship by then."

"That might take a while. The next island is pretty big and holds two separate Dojos. We're probably going to go to Hyacinth Highlands and then from there to Tazinite Depths," Rockruff Twerp explained."

Zorua, who had mostly kept quiet in the background, winced. "I'd prefer we went elsewhere, but at the same time it is necessary."

"Perfect, so we'll meet you at or near Tazinite Depths in…"

"Just a little over a month," Rockruff Twerp answered. "There should be a small fishing village you can dock or anchor in."

Jessie, James, and Meowth all eyed each other. They all had the same idea. Though they still wanted to grab Pikachu for the Boss eventually, a whole month of not being sent Blasting Off sounded really appealing… A whole month where they could do what they wanted as long as they met up at the appointed time.

"Eider way, if dat's da plan," Meowth shrugged as he offered a hand to the small Egg Pokémon. "Come on, Togepi, let Uncle Meowth show you how to play Pinball! It's yer going away present!"

"Yay!" Togepi cheered as she was led inside.

"You're not her Uncle. Ash is barely qualified to be an uncle, so you're not." Buizel Twerp scolded as she and the rest of the Pokémon walked in.

"Hey!" Riolu Twerp snapped back, though he did not sound upset as he followed behind.

Jessie was about to walk in after them, but James had an idea. He grabbed hold of the Eevee, causing her to eye him.

"You think we can go shopping?" James offered. "Maybe get some of the others along for the ride. A few of the stores are still open at this time of day."

Jessie frowned. "And this is going to be worth missing out on some of the best food we've had in months, how?"

"Well, I don't know, but I want to go home," James shrugged. Really, he just had an idle thought when Meowth suggested giving Togepi a going away present. "Maybe we can buy some things to offer the Twerps? Make them stronger, so they can win more often? I even heard of a good place for it!"

Jessie did not seem amused. She growled, almost bordering on the attack.

James shivered. "I mean it! Like, there's all of these scroll things that apparently work like TM's."

Jessie's growl grew.

"Items to help them in battle?" James offered. "Something for them to hold?"

Jessie brought her body forward, preparing a Tackle.

James raised his paws up defensively. "Or, maybe, I don't know, evolution stones? I know they had those for sale! Though I think Pikachu doesn't want to evolve so… I guess maybe we'd get a Fire Stone for Vulpix. Or maybe they have a Metal Coat for Onix?"

"I don't care about… wait, a Fire Stone!" Jessie's eyes lit up, her tone and body posture changing completely. "Well, what are we waiting for? Come on!"

James blinked, but knew better than to upset Jessie when she had her mind set on something.

James really started to understand why the Twerp's Pikachu tended to shock everything around him. As it turns out, when you're around a foot tall and many things were far bigger than you, your natural response to everything is to either run… or use overwhelming force.

"Let me out!" James's cheeks lit up and electricity ran through his body. He sent the charge everywhere around him, not caring where or what direction it went.

He was suddenly thrown forward and hit the ground with a thud. James wiped off the slime that covered his sides and stared at the offender. "Why do you do that at the worst times?"

Victribel fell backwards, his body contorting and twisting in a slump, the closest thing to embarrassment a moving pitcher plant could express. "Sorry! You just… smell really nice! And you're also very nice! And I think it'd be very nice to have you close?"

"In your mouth?" James groaned. Why did his own Grass-type attack him still? He didn't even smell the same! He sighed, at least it wasn't something crazy like Victribel having a crush on him. That would have been awkward.

Weezing heads eyed him, a raspy chuckle rumbling in his…their throats… bodies. How did it work when the Pokémon had two bodies but one mind and both bodies were spheres?

"Are you done yet?" Jessie raised her head in annoyance. "I want to get an evolution stone as soon as I can!"

"I... might want one, too." James agreed, still looking at Victribel. It was bad enough when he was about as tall as Victribel, but now he was small enough the moving pitcher plant could swallow him whole.

Lickitung held a ledger and went over it, licking a pen as he did. "I must remind you that the operating budget for this shopping trip is reduced due to not us not having made a return on our investment yet." He flicked a page. "Also, I believe we may have attracted attention."

A crowd of onlooking Pokémon stared at him, including a Kangaskhan that covered her young's eyes with a paw. Even at this late hour, there were still people walking the streets.

Arbok stood between Team Rocket and the crowd. "Alright folks, nothing to see here! It's just some friends fooling around! Don't worry!"

Most of the crowd seemed to buy that and turned away, deciding that Team Rocket did not need their attention.

"There it is!" Jessie called out, raising a paw as she pointed towards a large store.

In the shape of a Keckleon's head, stood at the base of a small hill. The Sun had already begun to set and from where James stood, it was like the store itself was being bathed in the last of the Sun's rays.

A billboard next to the shop advertised the shop's contents in brightly colored letters. "NEED TO WIN? GET IN!" Apparently, it catered to Pokémon who liked to fight.

Jessie ran up to it and dashed inside, not even bothering to wait for the others.

"Hey wait for us!" Arbok hissed.

James agreed and bounded forward with a leap, his Pikachu shaped body far more agile than he had ever been before.

He and the other Rocket Pokémon walked into the door.

"Welcome to our store!" a barbershop quartet of Kecleon shouted, each in a different color.

Startled, James rolled out the side from the sudden noise before poking his head out.

"Sorry!" Apologized one of the Kecleon. "Our great grandpappies told us to shout greetings to our customers!"

"I was… just not expecting it!" James bashfully laughed. His Pikachu instincts were so… jumpy. No wonder Pikachu was prone to shocking everything.

He caught a slight glimpse of Jessie before she moved behind an aisle.

There were four Kecleon, one was the standard green, another a Shiny purple, but there were also an orange one and a gray one. James figured it would be fine associating them with their colors.

The rest of the Rocket Pokémon trailed inside as well, each receiving a cheerful greeting. No one else had a panic attack, thankfully.

The Rocket Pikachu made a quick scan of the area. The store featured the highlights of Pokémon training up for sale. Large collections of medicines and potions covered seemingly half the store, whilst items for use in battle like Pecha Scarves and Expert Belts covered much of the rest. Then there was an entire aisle devoted to bundles of scrolls that were almost as large as he was. It honestly felt like a microcosm of the Celadon Department Store, a one-stop shop for a trainer's every need with the only thing missing being Pokéballs.

James turned to the Pokémon that made up Team Rocket. The only one of their original crew not with them was Meowth, who volunteered to keep the Game Corner running while they were away. It was still weird for James to have a conversation with his own Pokémon without Meowth translating for him, but overall, he liked it. "Okay, so, uh if there's anything you want, feel free to ask about it, okay?"

Lickitung looked at a ledger. "Is this going to be a business expense?" His eyes then darted towards a pile of fruit. "Ooh! I want that!" his tongue flailed in anticipation before he went off.

"Hey!" Arbok hissed, chasing after him. "Don't eat all that! What about that budget? Oh, Jessie's going to blame me!"

James shook his head and turned towards his Pokémon. Thankfully, Victribel's obsession with eating him aside, they were better behaved. "Go on, I can trust you."

"Thanks James!" Weezing said in his raspy voices, before turning to Victribel. "Hey, think we could find Black Sludge? I heard it's good for us."

"Wouldn't that kill a plant like me?" Victribel questioned. "What's it for?"

"I don't know, but I heard about it one time while we were in the HQ, before we met the Twerp Trio," Weezing commented.

"Black sludge provides many health benefits to Poison-types, the least of which is improved life and longevity!" Orange Kecleon bowed and gestured to a nearby shelf full of various cans. "We even have a number of variants you can try for yourself, all made by affiliate alchemists!"

"Oh, I could just explode with excitement! Show me!" Weezing declared.

The three Pokémon then walked towards the shelf.

With the other members of his team dealt with, James went towards where he saw Jessie disappear to.

Eventually, he found the Eevee looking at a locked glass casing containing a number of colored stones behind the glass. There was a sign that read, "EVERSTONE GLASS" on one casing.

Jessie turned towards James. She pointed towards the casing. "Look. Right there is the secret to success!"

"I wouldn't mind being a Raichu," James nodded, agreeing with her. He didn't mind being a Pikachu, but being so small was a massive downside, especially since he did not want to be swallowed whole by Victribel… for the fifth time. "What about you? What're you going to get?"

Jessie adjusted the tufts of her fur and sat on her rear, as if trying to emphasize her pride. "Why, a Flareon of course, with a lovely crown of hair on the top of her head!"

James nodded. Of course, she had lost her long dark-pink magenta hair. That had kept her in a bad mood ever since she had been stuck as an Eevee. As a Flareon, she'd get some of that hair back. "Then let's evolve, together! Raichu and Flareon!"

Jessie beamed, practically leaping for joy. "Yes! Yes! I can hardly wait any longer!"

"I take it, that means you want to buy it?" Purple Kecleon poked a head out.

"You sure, little Ma'am and Sir?" said Greenie. "Evolutionary stones are a bit difficult to craft and this difficulty is represented in their price."

"I don't care about the price! I want one!" Jessie shouted. "In fact, let's buy them right now and we can buy everything else later!"

"Agreed!" James rifled through the pockets of his stage suit and pulled out a gem pouch. Of course, evolving would mean needing to shop for new costumes, but both he and Jessie felt like this was the best course of action.

"Stand back then, wouldn't want to get you exposed to the wrong stones, prematurely." Purple Kecleon fashioned a set of keys and started opening the glass case.

Jessie and James stood away, yet both eagerly eyed the Kecleon work.

Green Kecleon then reached into the case and pulled out two stones, a Thunder Stone and a Fire Stone. "Now, if what I overheard was correct, you wanted these stones, correct?"

Both of the Rockets nodded, eager to change.

James, as the one with hands pulled out a sack containing gemstones.

Green took a single look, rifling his paws through the coins before taking a small portion. "That should be enough. Enjoy." He brought the stones forward.

Jessie and James approached their respective evolution stones. There was a faint buzz of magic inside of them, like the very power of the elements had been distilled into the stones.

James had been near evolution stones before, but he never felt anything like the welling undercurrent of a thunderstorm within the storm right next to him.

The Pikachu touched his stone, feeling magic swelling inside of it and then passing into him and… And nothing happened. The power of the stone went inside of him, yet it did not… leave the stone. He did not glow, nor did he feel any different. He was still just a Pikachu. He did not evolve.

Jessie had the same reaction. "Are these defective?" she complained.

James shook his Thunder Stone, hoping this was not a problem.

Green Kecleon stared. "I -uh… let's see about this again!" He reached into the glass case and brought another pair of evolution stones.

Jessie and James touched their new stones and nothing happened once again.

Fed up, Jessie went and grabbed onto James's Thunder Stone. She didn't change. "What gives?" she shouted. "Why aren't we changing!?"

Green Kecleon bowed. "I am dreadfully sorry, Pikachu and Eevee. It appears that these stones are… not working for you. I can't say I've seen this before, but maybe this batch of stones was manufactured improperly?" Kecleon shook his head. "Maybe we can interest you in something else? Maybe some new Scrolls to teach you moves and techniques."

"Sure!" James obliged. "Do you have anything that uh, works for Pikachu… Riolu…"

What if some of the others wanted some? Maybe it was something to buy later, but he might as well ask now. "Or for a Victribel or Wheezing? Or even a Meowth." After all, Meowth could afford to learn a new move for once.

"But I wanted to be a Flareon and to have a long mane of hair!" Jessie muttered, her head bowed down in grief. "Why is everything like this?"

James wondered if it might have been because they were originally human. But without any evidence for or against it, he could only guess. For some reason, neither he nor Jessie could evolve by evolution stones. The Rocket Pikachu shook his head. They were originally here because he figured giving the Twerps a going away present would help them get out of this place. Unfortunately, it seemed that all he had managed to accomplish was to depress Jessie even more.

Thinking fast, James came up with the only thing he could think of that could cheer up the Eevee. "Do… you have hair dye?"

That caused Jessie to raise her head. She spoke, "...Dark pink to magenta preferably."

The Sun hadn't even fully risen yet when the group arrived at the dockyards. A thin fog covered the bay area as they walked onto the piers.

Misty immediately felt at home. She could feel the water in the harbor as it moved back and forth, as if her heart was timed perfectly to the waves. She knew she always had an affinity with water, but as a Buizel, it felt like she had an entire sense dedicated to just feeling nearby liquids.

"Mommy, is that our boat?" Togepi questioned, her tone light headed. Before nodding her head forward and nearly falling.

"I told you not to stay up too late playing with Meowth," Misty smiled at the young Pokémon. She put herself between Togepi and the floor, preventing the small Egg Pokémon from falling. "And yes, I'm pretty sure that it is our boat."

Togep nodded and then yawned.

The craft resembled a junk with three rigid barred sails that were styled after the fins of a fish. Unlike any ordinary human boat, metallic chains jutted from the bow and starboard of the ship, which were then bound to reins attached to a Wailmer.

A dozen Pokémon hauled cargo from the pier and into the bays of the ship, whilst a Chatot barked orders at them.

Chatot then turned her head around and spotted the group of oncoming Pokémon. "Ah, greetings, again!" she called out to them.

"Hello, again, Chatot!" Ash responded immediately.

Misty waved a paw. "Thank you, again, for offering to take us to the next island on such short notice." Yesterday, after the victory in the Dojo, she and Brock went to the dock and booked a trip. That was when they learned of the logistical challenges of transporting a dozen Pokémon all at once, one short notice. It was not impossible, but it generally needed booking beforehand. That was when she met Chatot and her Captain, who offered to take them across the sea.

"Think nothing of it. We simply want to make more money with the extra space we have left." Chatot replied back. Then several ropes came undone. Chatot then… Chattered at the offending Aipom. "Rookie! What did I tell you about messing with the rigging!? No, no don't give me that look! You will do knots until your arms are pretzels!"

"Guess dis is goodbye?" Meowth called from behind.

Misty shrugged. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure before long you'll be back to stalking us everywhere."

"Unfortunately," Pikachu sighed.

"Hey, is that any way to treat us after we went through the trouble of getting you gifts?" Jessie the Eevee protested. She had dyed her tail and ear tips dark magenta, which was an odd look for her.

"I don't know what I am supposed to do with this!" Pikachu patted at the rolled up scroll at the top of his pack.

"You just read it," Zorua answered. "And then, let it work its magic on you. You'll learn a move from reading it."

Misty patted at the scroll on her own pack as well. "So, like a TM?" Granted, she had no idea how to use a TM, largely because she hadn't needed to use one before. She heard that you had to do was slap the disk on a Pokémon's head and it'd teach them a move. "And you just read it?"

"More or less."

Ash groaned. "That sounds alot like studying for a test. I hope I'm not going to be graded on it."

"You might, if you think of Gym Battles as being graded," Misty suggested snidely.

"Yeah, but that's a fun kind of test," Ash countered, his Pokémon nodding to agree with him.

Misty shook her head.

"And don't forget the battle items!" James the Pikachu recommended.

"Yeah, especially not the Black Sludge!" declared Victribeel. "It's very tasty."

"It is, but I'm not sure you're supposed to eat it," Zubat flapped.

Misty stuck out her tongue in disgust. Poison-types just had a nasty sense of taste given they could just touch something so foul and become healthy from it.

"Ho, Landlubbers!" a loud voice boomed. A Machoke stepped onto the pier. Instead of the golden belt that Misty had associated with Machoke in her home region, this one wore an red-orange skirt with black stripes, styled after an Arcanine's fur. "I see you've arrived already. Good, that means we can leave as soon as we're able."

Chatot whispered something in his ear.

"... As soon as the rigging is fixed!" Machoke said with a shrug. "If you haven't met me before, I am Captain Kanabo, and me and my crew will be delivering you to the shores of Greenery. This trip will take two whole days because we're going against the wind for this."

Captain Kanabo eyed Misty and Vulpix. "Now, for the ladies, we've given you the passenger room. Now, as for the lads, because there's more of you and because of certain-" he eyed Charizard, "-Limitations, we're putting you below deck."

For a moment, Ash looked like he wanted to complain, but instead looked at Charizard.

Misty eyed Charizard, expecting a fiery retort for being singled out, but nothing came of it.

Charizard grumbled. "Fine."

Misty gave the fire dragon a wide berth. Charizard had been strangely…passive since his defeat. Maybe losing and doing so without Ash commanding him in battle humbled him, somewhat. Hopefully.

"Looks like dis is it?" Meowth questioned.

"We'll see you again after we get that third Emera," Ash answered.

Jessie chuckled. "Yeah, you can't get rid of us that easily!"

"We'll pick you up with a boat if we can!" James shouted. "Then it'll be back to business as usual!"

Misty shook her head at Team Rocket. She was not looking forward to when Team Rocket were going to stalk them over a Pikachu. A saner criminal would have given up by now, but she had a feeling they were going to be a thorn in their side for the next decade if they could.

"Mistress," Goldeen called out to her. "I believe Togepi has fallen asleep."

Misty giggled, looking at her sleeping Togepi. "So, she has. Let's get her inside."

Meowth went over and chortled. "Alright, goodbye, Togepi!"

Captain Kanabo eyed the sleeping Pokémon. "I think it's best if you walk inside and settle in. I'd offer to carry her but uh… it's probably safer that way."

The gang plank was lowered for them and the group of friends walked onto the ship, waving their goodbyes to Team Rocket.

Misty gently led Togepi up into the small room that she and the other girls in the group had been aside. Ever since she had become a Buizel, it had become impossible to carry her precious Egg Pokémon for hours on end just because she was so much smaller now. However, the Buizel could muster up enough strength to lift the small baby Pokémon enough to carry her a short distance.

With serious effort involved, the water weasel took Togepi and made her way into a small room. Had Misty been her normal size, she would have found the space uncomfortably compact, but as a Buizel, she had plenty of space for not only herself, but everyone else as well. Two floor mats occupied the majority of the floor space, with a small tub right next to them. A hanging post had been attached on a nearby wall.

Misty set Togepi onto one of the floor mats and gently patted the sleeping Pokémon. "She really did not sleep much."

"She was very excited," Zorua agreed. She bent down and gave the small Pokémon a sniff. "She's still dreaming about playing pinball, I think."

Zubat landed onto the hanging post. "You think?"

"It's a guess," Zorua shook her head. "That and I also find myself also fascinated by those contraptions the Rockets made. I was wondering why Pikachu, er, James wanted to know where to get wood varnish. Now I know. And to think it is merely an entertainment device."

Goldeen landed into the tub set aside for her and gently flopped into the water. "Tis a pity that I do not have a talent for it, but it does seem like quite a fascinating game."

Misty set her bags and belongings onto the floor and then proceeded to organize the discarded supplies and equipment everyone had brought.

Vulpix then collapsed onto a sleeping mat, like she was exhausted.

Misty eyed the fox Pokémon. "Is something wrong, Vulpix?"

Vulpix winced. "Er… nothing!"

Misty gave her a look. She did not want to force the issue, but knew that there was a problem. She did not know Vulpix very well, other than it had to do with Brock. "You don't act like it's nothing."

Vulpix bowed her head. She turned to look at the door to the room, as if worried that it might open. "I… I… it's embarrassing!"

Zubat flew from her perch and landed right next to the rust colored Pokémon. "Come on! You can tell us!"

Misty nodded. "Though if you don't want to, you don't have to."

Vulpix nodded slowly. "It's about Brock..." She laid down and let out a sigh, taking a minute to calm herself. "I… I think I have a crush on him."

Misty blinked several times, her mind just going through the scenario in her head. Vulpix had fallen for Brock of all people. Somehow, the Buizel had found herself in a world where there was a girl interested in Brock. That was just unbelievable, even compared to the fact she was a Pokémon. "...Does Brock know?"

Vulpix shook her head. "He doesn't. And he found it strange when we pointed out that other Pokémon were flirting with him. He didn't even notice until we told him about it! Clefairy couldn't even use Attract on him because he was not attracted to Pokémon!"

Misty couldn't believe it. Not only had Vulpix fallen for her trainer, there were multiple other Pokemon interested in Brock. This had to be a joke. Brock was the one who filtered with girls, not the other way around. "I find it hard to believe. Is Brock really that… appealing?"

Vulpix nodded, solemnly. "He was always sweet and affectionate towards me. I never really thought of him… in that way before; I was content with the way things were, where he would care for me in place of my trainer and mother. Every day, he would groom me and educate me, this was what my mother sent me away for. But now things are…strange."

"Because you are both Maiju now," Zorua spoke. "And I suppose he is quite appealing, especially with his posture and his eyes."

Vulpix turned her head away, hiding a blush.

Misty eyed the two foxes. She had no idea that to Pokémon, Brock was seen as quite attractive. She supposed that having originally been human, she simply was not able to see Pokémon the same way. "So, Brock was oblivious to this?"

"Not until we told him. Geodude and Onix laughed about it." Zubat answered. "...I just did not expect Vulpix to be interested in him. Man, Onix is going to freak when he learns!"

"Please, don't tell anyone else!" Vulpix begged. "Please don't. I can't have Brock know!"

Misty shook her head. She had minimal experience of this type with boys in general, not the least which was because her sisters would tease her about it. She had even less idea on how to approach the issue of a Pokémon falling in love with her trainer who was also a Pokémon. The only thing she was sure of was that Brock had to know. "I won't tell him, but you have to."

Vulpix whimpered. "But…I… this was not supposed to happen!"

Misty eyed the door, hoping Brock didn't come in and learn about this in the worst way.

"I don't know if this is right! I… what would my Mom think? What if I cause problems for Brock?" Vulpix continued. "He's supposed to be my trainer and caretaker."

Misty was growing frustrated. It almost felt like Vulpix made excuses for herself, hesitating when she had something to do. "Vulpix, no matter what happens, Brock still needs to know. Don't you think he deserves it? You said it before, he's the one that is meant to look after you.."

Vulpix whimpered and bowed her head.

The conversation died abruptly as Vulpix stewed in thought.

Misty wondered if she did the right thing by asking such a hard question. She didn't know what the correct answer was in this situation, the only thing she was sure of was that Brock needed to know about Vulpix's crush.

Vulpix finally broke the silence. "I'll… think about it. Just, can we talk about something else?"

Misty nodded. This was at least progress, unlike trying to teach Psyduck how to swim. She then went to the pile of everyone's belongings and took out one of the Scrolls. "Alright, so how do these work?"

"Oh, that's easy, all you have to do is read them, at least the ones that use psychoactive ink to hold a mental imprint," Zorua replied. "Not all scrolls have a psychic imprint on them to induce a state of hypnosis. Some Scrolls are simply just manuals that you read. Usually, in more expensive Scrolls, there's one or more moves connected by a theme. This one seems to be quite cheap though."

Misty unfurled the scroll and then started to examine it. There were sketches featuring Pokémon in different poses as they slept. Why was there a scroll of sleeping Pokémon? Her eyes started to feel heavy.

"I think that's a Scroll of Rest." Zorua looked at the scroll as well.

Misty yawned. "Huh, so why does there need to be a Scroll about sleeping? Can't we just do that already?" She felt so tired. What if she took a nap?

"Sort of… Misty? Misty?" Zorua's voice sounded very faint, distant.

The Buizel laid down.

"Mistress could use the Rest," Misty could hear Goldeen's voice. "Though…"

The only two things the Buizel could be sure of was the sway of the ship as the waves battered against it and Togepi, who found herself sleeping in Misty's arms.

Then with little resistance, Misty drifted away and joined her.

The section of the hold given to them was roomy, with not only space for everyone, but also enough space for their equipment and tools. Sections of the floor were filled with hay, designating them as sleeping spots. Brock and Geodude took up one corner, whilst Ash and most everyone else took another section. Charizard, on the other hand, took up an entire section of the hold all to himself.

Brock nervously eyed the walls and floor of their new lodgings, a fear in the back of mind coming to the forefront. What if there was a leak and watering came spilling in? There was no solid ground for him to stand upon when that happened, so what would he do? He couldn't dig through water! And they hadn't even left yet!

"Brock," Geodude called out. "Snap out of it!"

Brock blinked and turned to his second oldest friend. "Sorry, it's just..."

Geodude tapped his fists into the wood. "You're scared of water. That's normal for us. And now, normal for you."

Right. Actual Rock-types had to grow up with the fact water could hurt them. For instance, the sprinkler system in the Gym could slightly injure Onix, a fact Ash exploited. Now, the same applied to Brock; too much water all at once was terrifying to think about.

"You'll learn to cope with it!" Geodude encouraged him. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. By the time we've hit land, you'll get used to the idea."

Brock nodded slowly, trusting his second oldest friend's advice, though a large part of him was still apprehensive of the idea of being surrounded by water and not a lick of dry land for miles for days. He tried to change the subject. "...Think Onix will be okay?"

Geodude nodded, pointing to his trainer's backpack. "He'll be fine in his new ball. It's not like falling into a really long nap is out of the ordinary for his species."

Brock nodded. Onix was simply too large for any but the largest and most spacious boats to carry; and even if they could find one, the shipping fees to moving an Onix was simply astronomical. Thankfully, Ash still kept his empty Pokéballs.

Before they could discuss any further, Staryu shouted a reprimand. "Psyduck! Spit it out!"

"But it looked tasty!" Psyduck complained.

"You aren't a Poison-type!" Bulbasaur shouted, a vine sprouting from his bulb and held Psyduck upside down by the food. "Spit it out! You ate poison!"

"Hey!" Psyduck shouted back.

Psyduck must have eaten something he wasn't supposed to, again. "Try not to hurt him too badly!" Brock commanded. Not only because Psyduck did not deserve to be beat up, but also because Psyduck was also very dangerous if push came to shove.

"I hesitate what we could do that would be worse than what he has done to himself already, Sir Brock!" Staryu flashed back. "If we don't get him to purge himself, I fear the worst!"

Psyduck still struggled to get free.

"Hold still!"

Brock sighed. Psyduck's absent mindedness got him in trouble, yet again. Thankfully, they did come prepared. "We still have baking soda, just give him some water and some baking soda and it will do the trick." He shrugged. "Also, maybe the Rockets gave us a Pecha Scarf we can use. Though I'm not sure how a scarf cures poison."

"A fantastic idea!" Staryu commended as he went through their belongings.

"Be sure to clean up after you're done," Brock told them as he walked off. He had no interest in staying to watch Psyduck vomiting.

"I better help them," Geodude said before hopping towards them.

Instead, the Rockruff turned to the corner where Charizard rested. Large sheets of fire retardant cloth lined the walls and floor, just in case his fiery tail set something on fire.

Around the big orange fire dragon were Ash, Pikachu, and Squirtle, each trying to talk to the larger Pokémon.

"Hey, Charizard, look at this! It'll teach us a new move!" Ash exclaimed eagerly as his paws pointed at a large scroll in his lap.

Charizard snorted, uninterested.

"So, how are you supposed to learn it?" Pikachu questioned, an eye glancing at Charizard.

"Zorua said to just read it, but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong," the Riolu exclaimed as he poured through the scroll.

"Just be careful, Ash. We can't exactly train much while we're on this ship!" Brock held back a mild chuckle. Apparently, all it took to convince Ash to willingly read was to say that he'd learn a new move out of it.

"I know that!" The Riolu shook his head. "But this scroll says it teaches something called 'Hidden Power'. I want to know what that is!"

"It's a neat move that showed up every now and again when I was at the Gym. I'm not sure on the specifics, but I heard that its type is always different for each and every Pokémon. So, you could have a Grass-type that knows an Ice-type Hidden power for instance or a Fighting-type that learns a Fairy-type Hidden Power," Brock answered.

"That sounds really nice, Boss!" said Squirtle as he bent down to also start reading at the Scroll. "I wonder what I'll get!"

"Maybe I'll get a Water-type move or something to help me beat those annoying Ground-types!" Pikachu said eagerly.

Even Charizard seemed interested, as his neck craned over his trainer, to read the scroll. Though he said nothing.

Brock, seeing that everyone else was trying to read it, examined the scroll as well. The scroll bore images of Pokémon in meditation with Kanji describing the action of drawing energy from within one's self.

Ash tried to replicate one of the poses in the scroll, clenching both paws and slamming them together. Nothing happened, even though he had been concentrating. "Maybe there's something I'm missing," he muttered aloud.

Pikachu shrugged and looked away from the scroll. "Maybe we'll figure it out eventually. Once we figure out what 'calling on the power inside of you' means." He shook his head and then turned to Brock. "Say, what was it like being a challenger Pokémon? It must have been really weird since you're normally the Gym Leader."

"It was a new experience," Brock answered. "Kind of fun, though painful.." It was also a tad unsettling, since that was when he learned female Pokémon… liked him. While the good outweighed the bad, ever since Ash earned the Emera, the Rockruff had noticed that many female Pokémon were either staring at him or offering gifts for no apparent reason at all. He had always wanted girls to acknowledge him, but now that they were, it bothered him immensely because they weren't his species. No one, especially not Ash, needed to know about that.

Charizard spoke up, bringing the Rockruff out of his thoughts. "I was stronger than Gallade, but I lost. I was stronger than him, but I lost."

Ash brought a paw to his chin. "Uh, that's because uh…"

"It's because you didn't train like the rest of us!" Pikachu spat derisively.

Charizard glared at the electric mouse.

Brock, sensing a conflict, stepped between them. "That's because raw strength isn't everything. Onix is by far the strongest member of our group if we count raw strength, but he's also the heaviest and the slowest."

Charizard turned away from Pikachu and toward's Brock. Wordlessly, his eyes said for the Rockruff to continue.

Brock gulped. Type-advantage or not, he wasn't sure he liked the idea of fighting Charizard on a mostly flammable ship. "The fact of the matter is, Gallade was basically the strongest member of that Dojo other than maybe his sister." The Rockruff then looked down. "Sure, you could lift him and throw him, but he has probably been training as a Gallade for years. He simply knew more about the battle than you did. He might have even fought against a Charizard before."

"What are you saying?" Charizard demanded.

Brock turned to Ash, because this was a lesson that the younger trainer needed to learn, too. "I'm saying that raw power alone wasn't going to cut it, because your opponent was trained and competent at their job. You never fought against anyone like him before, at least not alone."

Charizard grumbled.

"Hey, I thought you did pretty good!" Ash declared. "You were awesome when you blocked his Teleport slash and when you threw him in the air!"

Charizard's growl subsided. He raised his head and let out a snort. "Well, I am pretty awesome."

Pikachu crossed his arms, displeased, though he said nothing.

Brock wondered if the defeat had deflated Charizard's bloated ego. He was oddly well behaved today. On the other hand, Charizard had not used Flamethrower on his trainer ever since he had become a Riolu. The Rockruff Gym Leader wondered what exactly changed.

Then, voices called out from the upper deck. Captain Kanabo shouted out the names of various Pokémon, and they answered back.

"Aipom!" shouted the Machoke.

'Here!"

"Chatot!"

"Here!"

It sounded like a roll call.

Ash and Pikachu also noticed. "Wonder why they're doing that."

"They might be doing one last check before we depart," Brock offered. The Rockruff then wandered over to the staircase that led into the cargo hold and climbed up. Pikachu, Ash, and Squirtle came right behind him.

The Machoke continued to list off Pokémon from a list in his hands, receiving answers in return, unaware that some of their passengers were watching him.

Captain Kanabo then rolled up his scroll and put it into a pouch at his side. "That's everyone present and accounted for. The ship is seaworthy and our bodies are hale. Now, all that is left to prepare is our spirits." He closed his eyes and then knelt on a knee.

The rest of the Pokémon brought themselves low to the ship's deck, their eyes closed.

"We thank the gods for this land and preserve it," the Captain spoke. "For it is both our gift and our duty."

"What's going on?" Pikachu questioned.

"I think a prayer," Brock answered.

"Remember the jungles of Orre, now long lost to the Curse. Remember the peace that was, now long lost to the Curse. Remember that today we are free because someone else is not, for the Curse robbed us of freedom."

"Orre?" Ash asked.

"A desert region near Unova. It's known to be a crime ridden region with very few Pokémon calling it home." Brock answered. He recalled roughly that scientists once theorized Orre had been a jungle in the distant past. However, desertification and poor rainwater distribution caused the region to dry up and become inhospitable to most Pokémon species. The Pokémon of Citrine apparently blamed humans for the disaster, whatever this Curse was.

"We thank the gods for our deliverance and pray for the continued welfare of our homeland," Machoke continued and closed out the prayer. "Praise be."

"Praise be," spoke the other Pokémon in unison.

They all opened their eyes and rose.

"Alright, that's everything," Captain Kanabo spoke. He raised his voice and shouted to the ship's fore. "Wailmer, lead us out of the docks!"

"Aye aye! Captain!" shouted the distant voice of Wailmer.

"Everyone man your stations. We're setting sail!" the Captain ordered.

Pokémon scattered in every direction, sailor adjusted rigging, whilst others climbed up top to the crows nest. Then, the unique abilities of Pokémon came into play as several Water-types jumped into the water, whilst several Flying-types took to the skies. An Abra rested their back against one of the nearby walls, perhaps using their powers somehow. It was like something right out of a kid's movie, without any human characters at all. Most people back in Kanto would call it unrealistic, an idea from fantasy, but apparently Pokémon could sail without any humans involved.

Captain Kanabo then turned to his back and spotted Brock and his friends. "So, how long were you watching that?"

"Just as you began the role call," Brock answered.

The Captain shrugged and then waved them over as he walked over to the ship's steering wheel.

With the Sun glowing brightly, the junk-like ship was taken out of the harbor. Quartz Bay slowly grew distant.

"So, you lads are foreigners, right?" the Captain questioned. "The hat and backpack aren't a style I've seen before."

"That's right!" Ash answered.

Brock really wondered if he should start encouraging Ash to wear something less conspicuous, but they were kind of the only things he had left from home. Maybe it wasn't a problem?

The Captain smiled warmly. "Well, in that case, I hope you enjoy your new lives here. Citrine is a wonderful place. Perhaps you might even find love!"

Brock shivered. He was suddenly aware of a few Pokémon looking at him intently, all of them female. What was he supposed to do here? He hardly knew them!

Pikachu laughed. "That might be funny!"

Captain Kanabo spun the wheel around and angled the ship. He lightly chuckled. "So, I take it you're going to the Hall of Memories. That's about the only reason I could imagine you'd be going this route on such short notice. Most other Maiju would have already arrived there."

"That's correct," Brock answered. Zorua had brought it up a while ago, as both a way to learn more about Citrine and to learn more about the Pokémon that end up here. Maybe there was a common thread that could lead to a way out.

The Captain nodded. "It's not open to the general public most of the year, but you want to go there when you'd be allowed inside, during the Festival. That's a great way to learn about our homeland and our history. Maybe you could even contribute your own memoirs." The Machoke chuckled

Brock and Ash looked at each other, uncertain of what that meant. Though Brock was sure that sharing any hints of them actually being humans might have been a bad idea.

Captain Kanabo lightly turned the wheel and the ship faced the morning Sun. "The route we'll be taking will have us cross through the barrier and appear on the other side of Citrine. You foreigners might be unfamiliar with this, but attempting to leave the Isles simply has you appear on the other side of it."

"Oh, so that's what happens," Ash muttered.

Brock's eyes turned towards the morning Sun as the the ship pointed just off to the side of it. . He'd seen it before so many times, but today, it seemed… brighter, more vibrant, more beautiful than normal. The Rockruff barked excitedly.

Pikachu giggled. "What was that about, Rockruff?"

Brock gave the Pikachu a nervous grin. "It just felt like the right thing to do." Had he really just… barked at the Sun? …He did enjoy it.

Brock felt the urge to do more. He sat on his rear and drew in breath into his lungs. He sent the air through his jaws in a stream and howled at the light.

Captain Kanabo laughed. "Huh, normally, your kind is supposed to do that at sundown and it's a sign you're about to evolve."

Brock gave the Machoke a Mareepish grin. "Maybe it is?" he offered. "I wouldn't mind evolving." And getting my hands back.

Captain Kanabo smirked. "Well, when that happens, you'll be fully evolved, like yours truly!"

"But Machoke aren't fully evolved," Ash replied. "There's Machamp."

"What's a Machamp?" said the reptilian Fighting-type. "I'm supposed to evolve further?"

"Yeah, Machamp are much stronger and have an extra pair of arms." Brock said. "I think it might not exist here, but exists outside of Citrine."

"I wonder why we never heard of it then." the tall Fighting-type shook his head. "Either way, please don't howl, you're going to spook the crew."

"Sorry," Brock bowed his head. He eyed the Sun and felt the urge to make noise grow inside of him.

Then, an itch formed on his sides and without thinking, the Rockruff brought one of his hind legs forwards the itch and scratched it with his claws. The small amount of satisfaction he gained evaporated. When did he start scratching himself like that? Why was he now just starting to howl at the Sun?

The Rockruff continued to look at the Sun. Its light seemed to touch every part of his body, giving him the energy to do more.

The young Gym Leader shook his head. "I think I better stay in doors then, if you want things to be quiet," the Rockruff answered before darting back into the cargo hold. Neither Ash or any of his Pokémon followed Brock as he departed.

He found Geodude holding a mop as he cleaned up a pile of purplish slime. Psyduck sat in a corner.

"Yo, Brock!" Geodude greeted him. "I heard you made some noise up there."

The young Gym Leader did a quick search to make sure none of the Captain's crew were in the hold. None were. "I did," Brock answered. "I… Geodude, since when did I start scratching myself with my legs?"

The floating geode put the mop away. "I think just the other day, before you faced your first Gym Battle. I didn't think much of it. Is something wrong?"

Brock frowned, his tone lost. "I…I think I might be picking up normal Rockruff habits."

Geodude floated over to him. "That bothers you?"

The Rockruff sat down and bowed his head. "A little. I'm… kind of scared how far it will go. I didn't even realize it was happening until Pikachu called me out for barking. And then I howled because I felt the urge to do so."

Geodude shrugged. "Well, you're one of us right now. It stands to reason you'd pick up the instincts to match. If you didn't, I think you'd have problems picking up moves or even just walking."

Brock formed the mental image of himself trying to stand on two legs while having the body of a quadruped. Just thinking about it made him wince at the strain that could have put on his hips. "I guess that's fair." His eyes narrowed as he tried to put his worries into words. "But what if this isn't the end? What if I do more than just bark and howl?"

"Maybe you pick up a habit or two that you didn't have before," Geodude suggested. "Maybe your opinions on some things are altered; I know you're not looking at water quite the same way as you did before."

Brock turned a glance to one of the walls, imagining the deep, dark depths on the other side. "Yeah…"

"But does any of that mean you're not the same ol' Brockster?" Geodude chuckled, his voice sounding like stones grinding together. "Rocks change under pressure, after all. Just look at Ash. Misty, too."

Brock did have to admit. Ash had improved in small ways from the boy who failed to defeat him in Pewter City and now was actively trying to make up for the reasons he lost. And Misty had relaxed considerably ever since she took Togepi under her wing. Maybe the same applied to him? Only his catalyst for change was going to be the fact he was now a four-legged rock dog. "Maybe, you're right."

"Course I'm right, Brockruff!"

Brockruff gave his Pokémon a mirthful look.

Geodude then went to one of the bags and pulled our a small bag. From there, the living rock pulled out a metallic comb, a bottle of fur conditioner, and a small jar of rock polish. "Now, if you're still worried about this 'I'm a Pokémon' thing, we probably shouldn't do this."

Brock looked his friend in the eye. "And miss out?" He found a patch of hay and laid down. "Besides, I still need to teach you how to groom Pokémon since I can't do it myself."

Geodude rolled forward, a smirk on his face.

Then, Brock realized that technically, he was training his Pokémon. So not everything changed. He was still a trainer, just not human.

Jessie looked at the mirror once again, eying the streak of magenta she had dyed parts of her head and tail. She knew that it was a poor substitute for her hair, her most trusted, oldest companion, but this was the only thing she could think to do, with the path to being a Flareon barred to her. At the very least she knew she looked good to other Pokémon.

Maybe she should have dyed her collar magenta? Oh, why couldn't she have been a Zoroark or something?

The Eevee made a sigh and then turned towards the workers of the Game Corner as they labored away. "I told you to hurry it up! Clean up this place before opening!"

A dozen Pokémon jumped out of their skins and promptly started to sweep away the piles of litter, discarded wrappings, and food crumbs that covered the floor of the Game Corner. Last night's reveal of the Pinball machines had proved to be incredibly popular, enough for Team Rocket to say that they were suffering from success.

Thankfully, there were plenty of hirelings who were paid minimum wage. "I told you to hurry up!" It brought the Eevee no small measure of satisfaction to have the authority to say that.

"Ya know, Jessie," Arbok began, "You're very terrifying when you want to be."

The Eevee raised her head and drank in the praise. "Well, I try!" she said with false modesty. She eyed her Pokémon and then frowned. "Where's Lickitung?

"Still in bed," Arbok deadpanned, his eyes rolling somehow despite being fixed into their sockets.

"He shouldn't have eaten that seed," Jessie muttered.

"I'll say!" Meowth spoke out loud, his face locked onto a ledger. "Cuz of 'im I gotta do the paperwork dis mornin."

"At least you're not knee deep in cogs and sprockets," James complained. He currently sat within one of the Pinball machines, three other Pokémon behind him. "Machine number two still needs a lot of work… all because of you, I might add!"

"Hey! Just cuz Togepi accidentally used Metronome and called Fire Blast!" Meowth spat back. "And we did save da machine!"

"Oh, be quiet you two!" Jessie shouted at both of them as she sat near her mirror. "The Game Corner isn't going to open itself!"

Both James and Meowth grumbled something about how she should be helping, but the Eevee paid their complaints little attention. She had to make herself as pretty and cute as possible!

That was when the front door of the tent shook as something big came through.

For a moment, Jessie had wondered if it was the Twerps coming to set up their shop again, but they had left to continue on their little escapade.

Instead of a group of small mostly unevolved Pokémon with a Charizard, it was a group of evolved Pokémon led by an Arcanine with a soot blackened mane.

The Eevee instinctively hid behind one of the tables. From her position, she could see two large greenish fish covered in spectral fire and a strange wooden Electrode.

"'Ey! Who are ya?" Meowth moved forward. "Can't ya' see we ain't open yet?"

The Arcanine scowled at Meowth before turning his attention to the Pokémon that Team Rocket hired. "Dismiss your underlings. We have private business to discuss with the leadership"

Every Pokémon there shivered, frozen and waiting for orders.

Jessie did not know much, but she knew enough about Team Rocket's activities to know that this was dangerous.

Meowth spat a command to the workers. "Alright, what ya waitin for? Scram!"

Every Pokémon that the Rockets hired dashed out the tent, all eager to get out of the way.

Jessie hid behind her table, hoping that she was just small enough that the other Pokémon did not see her. She couldn't see James, but he must have had the same idea.

Arcanine glared harshly at Meowth. "Now then, human, let us discuss matters."

Jessie stared. Did they just say Meowth was human?

Meowth's reaction matched Jessie's. "You guys thinks I'm human!?"

"You do not act like a Maiju," Arcanine answered plainly, his henchmen moving to surround Meowth. "Further you are a member of Team Rocket, a most despicable organization that practices banditry and kidnapping."

Jessie just stared at Arcanine. Suddenly, branding themselves as Team Rocket openly seemed like a poor idea. James would have to wait to be throttled however.

"I… I… I ain't human!" Meowth spat.

"Lies," replied Arcanine. This would have been funny had their lives not been on the line. "You do not move as a Meowth should, your speech is stilted. You have done very little to disguise yourself."

"Shoulda listened to Pikachu," Meowth grumbled before bringing a claw up. "What ya' want?"

"What I would prefer is you to go march into the sea and to never bother our paradise again," the Arcanine growled. "However, that is infeasible. So, instead these are my demands; you will cease any attempts to leave Citrine. Further, you will provide the locations and whereabouts of others who wished to do the same."

Jessie blinked. She understood from that Typhlosion that many Pokémon here did not like the idea of humans so much they formed their own society far away from humanity. So, why was Arcanine staring down Meowth and forcing him to stay? Not that Meowth was human or anything.

"And if I refuse?" Meowth spat back.

"YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!" Arcanine roared.

Meowth flew backwards and landed right near the Eevee.

Jessie, seeing that Arcanine was going to cause problems for her and everyone around her, leapt into action.

Arcanine lunged at Meowth.

Jessie kicked the sand into the Fire-types eyes. "You're not going anywhere near him!" she bellowed.

As the Sand Attack blinded him, Arcanine leapt back and threw a jet fire at them both

Meowth leapt onto Jessie and dragged her away from the Flamethrower. "Dis is really bad!"

The Electrode tilted forward and a bolt of electricity surged from it and came at them both.

James intervened and discharged his own electricity to deflect the lightning. "You're telling me!"

The floating fish came forward, huge and imposing, but Victribel put himself in harm's way and threw out a Razor Leaf to force them back.

Arcanine surged forward with blinding speed. Victribel went down for the count, his eyes full of stars.

"He's out cold!" Jessie spat back. She lunged with a Tackle at the nearby Arcanine and immediately regretted it as she went dizzy.

That monster of an Arcanine gritted his teeth and spat a Flamethrower at her, but Meowth saved her fur again and threw the Eevee to the ground. Arcanine, seeing this, kicked the Scratch Cat to the ground.

"Dis is where I wish I read that Dark Pulse scroll!" Meowth chattered, clutching his sides.

Arbok came forward and threw a Glare at the fiery canine, keeping him still for a moment only for Arcanine to power through and knock him out.

Weezing threw Poison Gas at the combatants to keep them at bay, but even then, it was clear to Jessie that they were going to lose. Even with a numbers advantage, the fact of the matter was they had nothing that would stop Arcanine.

They only had one option. Jessie ran towards the center podium.

Arcanine appeared right before her and knocked her aside with a single swipe of his paws. "Stand down, if you know what is good for you, Eevee!"

Jessie gritted her teeth and prepared to bite him, but suddenly, James came out of nowhere and threw electricity right at him.

Arcanine reel back.

Jessie broke free and made run for it.

She went to the control panel for the stage and pressed a sequence of buttons to force a specific reaction. The stage started to rumble. "Everyone get on!" she howled.

Meowth dragged Arbok to the stage, whilst James tried to pull Victribel with him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arcanine blared.

Weezing threw as much poisonous gas as he could, but he went down when the strange Electrode electrocuted him.

"Don't ya want to know?" Meowth laughed as the rumbling grew in intensity.

"It's quite simple really!" Jessie added in.

"Gas plus pressure and heat equals kaboom!" James explained.

And then the rumbling stopped abruptly as a loud explosion knocked the stage from where it was and sent Team Rocket flying into the air.

"Looks like Team Rocket's Blasting Off again!" they said in unison, laughing at the same time. Who knew that planning an emergency escape plan would be so handy? Besides, as long as their math was fine, they would be home free.

"Eh Jessie, aren't we missing someone?" Meowth pointed out as he flew into the air.

The Eevee did a quick think and counted the members of their team who were right next to her. "Wait, we left Lickitung, right?"

James gave them a thoughtful look. "...Is that going to be a problem?"

Unfortunately for Team Rocket, their dreams of an easy time just got dashed. Don't worry, they're not being written out.

Captain Kanabo is named after the spiked clubs used by Samurai were prone to wielding. I figure I needed to name more characters. His outfit is also modeled after Oni, who also occasionally wielded Kanabo.

The One Who Reads and Writes: Vulpix is not on screen much to be fair. She doesn't exactly have a focus episode beyond her joining. Vulpix mainly served essentially as a supporting character for Brock's own development. Ironically, this happens here too, but the context is so different.