Down a lengthy street lined with majestic trees the trio ran, all equally immersed in their own dark satisfaction.

            “I’m going to be rich at last!” Jessie exclaimed musically, truly blinded by her gains yet again.

            “I’m going to be acclaimed at last!” Butch and Cassidy echoed in unison.

            “It won’t be long now…” Cassidy began.

            “Soon we’ll be home and Jessie-free” Butch agreed, with a nasty snigger at the thought. Such a thick air of narrow-minded obsessive thinking hung over the Elites that they didn’t even notice the poorly spread out net that lay upon the pavement in front of them. Or at least not until it snatched them into the branches of a tree overhead.

It wasn’t until the figures had stopped struggling and cursing that they realised both their prizes had been left behind on the concrete slabs. Seemingly from nowhere there appeared a young girl with red-orange plaited hair, a blue dress and black motif blouse.

“Hah!” she snorted, as the figures continued to wriggle and snarl above her head. “That’s the oldest trick in the Rocket book! You ‘Elite’ rankers certainly weren’t trained like they are now. No wonder little brat boy beat you all.”

The trio were so consumed by their anger that they didn’t seem to pick up on the absurdity of the girl’s words.

“Still…” she continued, gathering up the Pokéball. “You did do one thing right. You got the stuff I needed; your stupid ways came in handy after all! See ya”

“HEY!” Jessie screamed after the girl. “Give me back that dress! It’s mine! I stole it!”

“Give it a rest, Matthews” Cassidy rolled her eyes. “She left ages ago.”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

           

            Alyth insisted on following her source of assistance to their destination, while giving an incessant lecture from behind.

            “You’d better not slip up!” she bleated. “You’d better not ruin my dress otherwise you’ll be freeze-fried quicker than you can say ‘Dragonite’.”

            “She seems to be more bothered about her clothes than that Larydos…though technically it’s not hers,” James pointed out in lowered tones.

            “Why can’t she just shut up for more than one second?” Adam hissed. The others groaned agreeably, but Caley kept his focus.

            “If these thieves stole Alyth’s Larydos…” he began. “Then the most logical place to start looking for clues would be the pool- I mean, aquarium.”

“Maybe if we run fast enough we can lose her,” Adam suggested.

“In her own gym?” Denise shook her head dryly.

 

“Not likely.”

 

Upon arriving, the travellers searched the tiles of the aquarium, Adam leaning against the door to prevent the frantic figure of Alyth from entering.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Denise asked, as she sifted through the crushed remains of a machine that was scattered at the pool’s edge.

“I’m not sure…” Caley murmured, picking up a discarded square of red material and turning it over in his hands. He wasn’t at all certain how any of these objects would give them ideas as to the identity of the burglars.

“Caley!” This sudden exclamation had come from James. The trainer swung round to see him pointing at what looked like a ball of paper.

“What is it?” Rose asked as she approached.

“Besides being a piece of paper, I don’t know” James replied, carefully retrieving the object from the floor. Upon opening it the man let out a strangled gasp.

“N-no…”

Rose reached James’ now-shaking form and peered over his shoulder, recoiling in upset at what she saw.

“Why?” James murmured. There was an unmistakable wobble in his voice as he clasped the crumpled image between his fingers. Denise’s face fell as her gaze also lit upon it, though Adam’s singular concern was to keep Alyth in the corridor. Caley was the only one left with a wish to understand the reason for James’ reaction to the piece of slightly torn paper. His wish was about to be granted. As the trainer began to make his way towards his companions, the psychic rush came again. This time it was a deep, stifling misery accompanied by an onset of confusion.

 

How could Jessie toss away our memories? After all we went through together…snd she casts it off, just like that…

 

Now he knew. The image, it was a photograph taken in the Tatto HQ, when Jessie, James and Meowth were still together as a team. The motive they had held back then now seemed so pointless in James’ mind, but the sense of loss from his broken friendship burned as sorely as ever. And the wound had been torn savagely open with the sight of this photograph. The others turned in surprise as Caley suddenly burst into tears.

“Err…shouldn’t dimwad be doing that?” Adam spoke up as Caley continued to sob mournfully. Rose and Denise exchanged knowledgeable, sad glances but Adam just stared in disbelief. He still hadn’t grasped the concept of his friend’s psychic power, not to mention its inconvenience. It took Caley five minutes to stop crying out loud, after which he gazed up at his audience embarrassedly.

“We know…” Rose began, before Caley tried to explain. “It’s James’ emotion, not yours.”

Caley nodded silently. The tears were still streaming down his face – it was very apparent that the presence hadn’t left him. The others knew they had to do something about it.

“Don’t worry about keeping your feelings in, James,” Denise told him

“Really?” the man almost squeaked with the strain of containing his distress.

“We’re all friends here, we know what you’re going through,” Rose explained. “Besides, I’m sure it hurts Caley more to experience other people’s withheld emotion, especially when he doesn’t understand it.”

No sooner had the words left Rose’s lips than James had thrown himself upon her shoulder and started wailing loudly and dramatically.

“I think it was better coming from Caley,” Adam muttered, upon seeing the spectacle.

“Why can’t she see the light?” James blubbered. “What she is doing isn’t right! Why is she running away from the truth?”

“There there…” Rose said softly, patting him upon the back.

 

“Just let it aaaall out.”

 

And he did, for the next fifteen minutes. By that time Caley looked a whole lot better but Rose’s right shoulder was pretty much sodden and Alyth was banging upon the door, trying to force her way in.

“WHAT ARE YOU GOONS DOING IN THERE?” she screeched.

“Well…” Denise put her hands on her hips as James rubbed at his reddened eyes and wondered if all that ‘letting out’ had been such a good idea. “I think we know who the culprits are here, don’t we?”

The rest of the group nodded in unison.

“I can understand why they would want to snatch the Larydos,” Caley began. “But what would those Team Rocket Elites want with a little girl’s dress?”

“That’d be Jessie…” James spoke up quietly, almost dreamily. “She always did have an impeccable taste in fashion.” He heaved a weighty sigh upon seeing the other’s stern looks. “Not to mention a poor sense of morality and an almost non-existent sense of gratitude…oh Jessie…”

“I hate to say this, James…” Rose began. “But however fondly you feel for Jessie, she’s still working on the opposite side and that means we have to stop her as well as the other two.”

“I know…” James replied, heaving an even bigger sigh for good measure.

“It just seems so hard to believe.”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            The gang had exited the gym to remove themselves from Alyth’s volley of loud ranting and were now standing not too far away, contemplating where to go next. They knew who the thieves were, they just had no idea where they had gone. This depressed Caley somewhat; he was pretty desperate to claim his badge and get on with the mission.

            He wasn’t the only one looking grim – James had sunk into an even deeper misery after his outburst and was now hunching his shoulders and gazing wistfully out at the buildings beyond. Like he was hoping for someone to appear from behind them.

            “Why…? Why…can’t…she…see?” 

            “You're a bit dense, ain’t you?” Adam snorted in James’ direction. “That woman is obviously more interested with her own selfish means; she don’t care about you and all you do is hanker after her like a dumb puppy. And I bet that Pokémon couldn’t take it any more being with you. I don’t blame it.”

            A nasty cold glint appeared in James’ eyes as the last syllable left Adam’s mouth. Without a second’s hesitation he had swung round and had clasped a hand about the young boy’s neck so harshly that Adam yelped.

            “Don’t you dare speak of Jessie or Meowth in that way…” he intoned. His voice was dangerously low in volume. “You even mention another derogatory word in relation to their names and I’ll make sure you never speak again.”

“Aeckk” Adam choked, before James released his grip and he fell to earth. For a second there was a hint of fear in the boy’s eyes; this unnatural, almost animal response seemed far worse than the man's usual method of retaliation.

“Jessie might be taking longer than I did to realise but she’s always been like that,” James continued, looking to the sky. “I have faith in her. She will come through...she will return. And Meowth did not run away because of me!”

He turned back to the group, the next exclamation backed by an anxious grimace. It was more like he was asking for support of his words than just plainly stating a point. But no one dared answer, for they did not know the real reason for the Pokémon’s disappearance. James looked like he was starting to doubt his own thoughts.

“Maybe he did run away because of me…” he spoke softly after a minute or so. “I guess I musta done something real bad for him to just leave like that.” Trailing off again, James sputtered as he tried to keep his emotion under control.

 

“Oh what I’d do to see his face again…to hear his voice.”

 

A shout echoed from several streets away, causing the travellers to freeze in unison.

“Hey! Wait up, kid!” it exclaimed. James nearly bit his tongue.

“Meowth?”

Rose and Caley drew breath as the man took off towards the source of the noise. They were both experiencing the same distinct sinking feeling – how would James react should he discover the voice no longer came from the furry countenance of a feline Pokémon he’d known for so long. But Denise, unknowing to the thoughts in the others’ heads, wasn’t at all perturbed. Her face had lit up as she ran after the diminishing figure.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            Errol had stumbled to a halt beside a tall tree to catch his breath. It was hard work keeping up with his son as he dashed headlong into the city to find his lost companion. But he wasn’t going to let him out of his sight, for Gloria’s sake. He couldn’t bear to think of her grieving.

            It was at this point his sensitive ears had picked up on a young man’s shouts not too far away. The very tones of the voice had sent his stomach churning.

 

            “MEOWTH! WHERE ARE YOU?”

 

            A part of Errol wanted to raise his own voice, to answer his long lost friend, but an even bigger part prevented him from doing so. Something deeply troubled him, and it had erased his wish to be discovered by the other exiles.

            “Come on dad!” Michael yelled tauntingly from further up the path. Picking up his pace once more Errol took one last sad glance over his shoulder and quickly vanished between the buildings, out of sight.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

“Meowth!” James cried out desperately as he ran. “Answer me!

 

Please…”

 

At this point he slowed to a standstill, his hope greatly drained.

“He must have not heard, James,” Denise told him once she caught up.

“How could he not hear me?” the man exclaimed. “I know how sensitive that Pokémon’s hearing is! He could hear a can opening from half a mile away!”

James slumped his shoulders.

“I knew it.”

“Knew what?” asked Rose as she arrived.

“He doesn’t want to see me again. He is running away from me”

“Don’t beat yourself up so!” Denise snapped. “Meowth still cares; he must be dealing with something in his head – he obviously doesn’t want to worry us by making it a mutual experience”

“He’s worrying me more when he’s keeping his distance!” James retorted furiously. “And he must not care that much – his departure destroyed our friendship, and what there was between Jessie and me.”

With that James turned and began to walk away from the group. Denise put on a determined frown before making after him.

“No…I won’t believe it. Those three were the best of friends; there has to be a valid reason for Meowth to leave.”

Rose and Caley exchanged sad glances as Adam rolled his eyes bemusedly and followed Denise.

I feel so isolated… Rose told herself. The one piece of important information that only I hold in my head…and I can’t tell James or the others about it. I just wish I could tell someone…to let someone else know…

“I know,” Caley remarked solemnly. Rose stiffened.

“You-”

Then she relaxed somewhat before placing a hand on the trainer’s shoulder for a moment. “I’m kinda glad you can read minds, Caley,” she murmured. “I don’t know what to do. Meowth isn’t whom he used to be, but I can’t tell James that. It isn’t up to me to let him know.”

Caley nodded.

“We just have to be patient,” he explained. “If James has been friends with Meowth for so long, and for some reason Meowth is now human, then he’s bound to be afraid of what his companion is going to think of him now.”

“James wouldn’t think anything different of him,” Rose replied, looking at the ground. There was a short silence. “One big thing that I just can’t figure out though,” the woman continued uneasily.

“What’s that?”

“Why would Meowth want to change himself so drastically?

 

He always seemed so happy with who he was…”

 

Caley watched as Rose gazed out at the sky, an expression of upset puzzlement upon her face. He knew it must have been hard for his companion to understand, but he was certain that things would smooth themselves out in the end. After all, such a strong bond of friendship couldn’t just vanish into thin air. Errol would return once he was ready, as would Jessie.

            Adam had been strolling carelessly after James and Denise when his gaze hit upon a crumpled bundle of emerald fabric on the pavement in front of him. As he bent down to retrieve it, he was hit upon the head by an acorn.

            “Hey you!” a voice snapped from above him. “Get us out of this tree!”

            He didn’t look up; Adam’s sharp mind had already figured out whom the voice belonged to. It had been Rocket Elite Cassidy, and she had not recognised him, due to the fact she could only see the top of the Ex-Rookie’s head.

            “No…” Adam murmured craftily. “I don’t think so.”

“Waitaminnit,” Butch began. “That’s one of them exiles, ain’t it?”

Adam swung his gaze upwards, and a sly smirk spread across his face as he saw the three countenances tangled uncomfortably in the netting between the leaves. Cassidy’s mouth dropped open, then her face turned a ghastly shade of red.

“I can’t believe this!” she exploded. “We lost the stupid Pokémon and now one of those pathetic rejects is right within our reach and we can’t even get him!”

Jessie said nothing, but there was a longing expression upon her face.

 

A mixture of guilt and desperation.

 

Rose and Caley arrived on the scene, and upon sight of the Rocket Elites stranded in the tree, Rose gave a sigh of disproval.

“They haven’t got the Larydos, guys,” Adam pointed out. “But here’s the dress.”

It seemed neither of his companions were listening. Both Rose and Caley were staring in Jessie’s direction, as the woman continued to gaze miserably back at them.

“They sure know ‘ow to add insult to injury,” Butch grumbled.

“Come on you two!” Adam exclaimed irritably as he moved away. “We’ve got things to find!”

“I’m sorry, Jess,” Rose sighed. “We can’t help you till you join us.”

And with that she was gone. Caley stood there a minute longer; he was immersed in the despairing thoughts running through Jessie’s head while Butch and Cassidy struggled and cursed beside her.

I want to join you…she thought. But I can’t…not yet. There’s something in my mind I haven’t conquered…a feeling I have to overcome.

Caley knew she was right; he could sense the bubbling turmoil under her words, though he could not figure out the reasons for this emotion. He decided to make his getaway, before the presence got the better of his own mind.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            “If I know Lexi…” Michael chirruped.

            “…and I do know Lexi, she would definitely be in a place like this”

 

            The father and his future son were standing outside a brightly-coloured ice cream parlour at this point in time. Cory and Li stood beside Errol, gazing in at the people behind the glass with unwavering interest. It was with similar interest that some of the customers looked back, for the group in the window were not exactly the most typical of figures that one might come across in their daily lives. Errol pulled a face as he realised something.

            “Hey…”

            “What?” Michael looked up innocently.

            “I don’t t’ink we came to dis place to find ya friend.”

            “But she does like ice cream!” Michael protested.

            “An’ I bet youse do an’ all," Errol raised an eyebrow. A mischievous fanged grin had arisen on the boy’s face at this point. Errol couldn't help but chuckle at his son’s expression. “I don’t blame ya, kid. All dis soichin’ is thirsty woik…an’ I’m a bit partial to ice cream myself. Only problem is…”

            The man pulled out the pockets of his white trousers to illustrate his point.

            “…I’m as empty as a Psyduck’s head!”

            “No problemo” Michael nodded. Errol's mouth dropped open in awe as the boy brought out a wad of notes from his own pocket.

            “Dat’s a lot of moolah.” He frowned. “Ya haven’t been robbin’ anyone, have ya?”

            “No way!” Michael replied, slightly offended. “This is my pocket money.”

            “WHAAT?” Errol almost choked. That was over a month’s wages in his old line of work. “Tell me…” he began unsteadily. “What do I do in da future?”

            “Not much,” Michael smirked to himself. “Lie on the sofa, watch TV then go to sleep”

            “Hey!” Errol snapped, sending Michael into a somewhat apologetic stance. “Watch how ya speak abou’cha elders!”

            “Sorry…”

            A second or so passed.

            “Do I really do dat?”

            “Yup,” Michael nodded. “You also moan about the state of my room. But don’t worry about it,” he grinned, upon seeing Errol’s guilty expression for something he hadn’t even done yet. “That’s what dads are there for!”

            “Dat’s not what I meant, kid” Errol shook his head. "I meant, what do I do fer a livin’?”

            “Ohhh” Michael brightened considerably at this. “Your job?

 

            You’re an actor, dad.”

 

Errol’s smile grew so wide it looked like it would crack his face. Fate, it seemed, had dealt him a good hand for his years to come. Show business…it had been the driving force behind his dreams, and his nightmares. It had been something he had always longed to do, to make people laugh, cry, think…but somehow he was led astray by his greed and one-track desire to be a leader. And that one mistake had placed him in the many years of purgatory and sent him on a rocky route towards the bottom. It hadn’t all been in vain, mind you. For in these past few months, Errol had realised his wrongdoings and broken free of the darkened ties that had bound him, learned how to perceive life in a different way and discovered many companions along his new path of enlightenment.

“Now how’s about that ice cream?” Michael suddenly barged into his solitary thoughts.

“Sounds good ta me,” Errol smiled absently, still basking in the warmth of his happiness. “I’ll have a-”

“Nope, you don’t need to tell me” Michael put up his hand playfully. “Ice White Vanilla. Am I right?”

“Ya sure are, kid,” Errol chuckled, patting his son on the head. “Sharp as a tack, jus’ like ya old man…heh heh.”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            The figure crouched amongst the branches of a tree and watched her prey walking swiftly towards her waiting hands.

            “That’s it…” she murmured under her breath. “Walk right into it you twerp. You’re going to regret ever interfering with my granddad’s work. You’re going to wish you’d never crossed the path of the man I adored and turned him against everything I believe in…

 

            …prepare to beg for mercy, Caley Wilson”

 

“Fancy the stolen goods getting stolen from the thieves,” Adam snorted. The travellers were finally back together, continuing in no particular direction down an oddly empty street. No one answered the boy; their minds were on other matters. James and Denise pondered sadly upon the absence of Meowth, Rose sighed as she wished without words for her friend Jessie to come to her senses while Caley tried to figure out who else would want a genetic Pokémon. But then, something else entered his mind. It was not an emotion but a welling of energy like the surge Darnite created back in Midna City. And it was coming from somewhere above their heads.

“LOOK OUT!” Caley screeched, and grabbing a companion with each hand he threw himself to the pavement. As Adam and Denise hit the concrete, Rose took the hint from Caley’s frantic reaction and pulled James over, just as a flat black object propelled past them and hit the ground. Upon closer inspection, the object was found to be a manhole cover. Angry cursing was heard from the tree beside them and a girl flew out of the foliage, landing in an unnaturally softly manner at the base of the trunk.

“This…stops…here,” she growled. 

“Lexi!” part of the group chorused unanimously. Caley stayed silent; he had noticed a familiar-looking Pokéball on Lexi's belt, one he was sure contained Larydos. Furthermore, he could feel the tension inside his head returning.

It must be coming from Lexi… he thought. It must be…but why is she so angry?

“What do you want?” he snapped at the figure.

“I want you dead, Wilson,” the girl spoke icily. “I want you dead for turning some promising employees out of a prestigious organisation.”

Rose gasped. That was it! Lexi was a member of Team Rocket. She had been trying to place the repeated motif on the girl’s black shirt to something and now it was all starting to make sense. It was the Team Rocket insignia! The garment happened to be unlike anything Rose had seen before; was Lexi working in another division?

“So all this is just ‘cause Caley got us out of your stupid team?” Adam exclaimed. Lexi’s eyes narrowed.

“No…” she began dangerously. “He deserves to perish for destroying my grandfather…

 

…and all of you shall have the privilege in joining this twerp as he screams for mercy!”

 

Before Caley had a chance to speak, Lexi raised her hands. The stiflingly still air gave way to a faint breeze which quickly strengthened, whipping the hair and clothes of the figures standing before her.

“How the…?” Denise blurted. "She's controlling the wind! But how's that possible?"

"Maybe she's got Cho'moken too!" James gasped, recalling what Caley had said just a few hours before. Lexi chuckled darkly at his expression.

“That’s right, reject," she smirked. "I don't need little creatures to do my bidding, because I am more powerful than any Pokémon!”

The wind swirled relentlessly, its violent strokes casting dirt and debris from surrounding gardens that bordered the street into the air in a choking haze. As the travellers struggled to keep their balance, Rose looked to Caley for assistance.

"What now?" she yelled. "If Lexi keeps this up, we'll have more than flying flowers to worry about! We need protection!"

"If we stop the cause of the gusts, then we won't need protection," Caley grimaced. He knew which member of his team would be a good candidate to tackle Lexi's unforeseen handling of the elements; only it was still weakened from its previous battle at Domina Gym. Releasing Kota and clutching the Psybab close to prevent it from being blown away, Caley prepared to give the psychic Pokemon a mental pep talk to raise its spirits.

I'm sorry about what happened earlier, psybuddy, he said. I guess I got ahead of myself. But that's no excuse, I should have been thinking about you too.

It's okay, Caley, Kota nodded. I want to make this work as badly as you do.

Right, the trainer began to smile. And now's our chance to do just that. Do you think you could try flying into the vortex to reach its source? If you work with the air currents and not against them, maybe you'll be able to reach Lexi and stop her before this gets really out of hand.

I'll try my best, Kota exclaimed modestly before Caley gave a nod.

Alright. Now-

...GO!"

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

 

            “I’m pretty surprised at Gloria,” Errol said as he sat upon a bench next to his son and Pokémon companions with a vanilla ice cream in one hand. “Lettin’ ya time travel at your age. I mean, I’m sure you’re a responsible boy an’ all…but that sorta t’ing should be left to scientist types, hm?”

Michael’s bright smile fell. It fell so far it looked like it was going to drop off the front of his face.

“Well…” he muttered ashamedly. “You see…I didn’t actually tell mom.”

“YA WHAT?” Michael winced at Errol’s screech which also caused Cory to drop his Pecha swirl in alarm.

“Me and Lexi sorta went without asking,” he continued, quieter than before. The sight of Errol’s slowly furrowing brow had begun to unnerve him.

“How could ya do dat to your mudda?” he snapped. “To dear Gloria, ya gonna make her sick! Ya gonna give me worry lines! An’ dat’s one t’ing I won’t stand for - ya can’t go doin’ dis sorta t’ing ta us, Michael! For one, it’s unsafe to go flyin’ through time by yaself.”

“But I wasn’t by myself!” Michael protested.

“Ya weren’t wit an adult, dat’s da point I’m tryin’ ta make here!” Errol continued, unaware of how fatherly his lecturing had become. “An’ secondly…” 

His words were drowned out by the sound of an almighty smash and a plethora of nasty cackling. Michael suddenly perked up.

“That’s Lexi’s voice!” he squealed in triumph, and dashed off in the direction of the noise.

“Come back here!” Errol called out angrily, thinking that his son was trying to escape his words, before giving chase.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

 

            While the travellers were cast about helplessly in the wind, Kota tried his utmost to reach Lexi, but his valiant attempts failed. The Psybab was still tired from his battle with Alyth’s Dragonite, and his telekinesis was beginning to wane. As the psychic Pokémon fought desperately to maintain his course, a passing motorbike hit the creature full force in the stomach, sending it hurtling toward the ground. Caley struggled to breathe, staggering from side to side while clutching at his waist with one hand as he frantically watched his Pokémon spinning limply in the air, just as he was. With that, Lexi caused the miniature tornado to cease, sending everyone in it thudding to the ground as helpless as rag dolls.

            James propped Caley’s unconscious form against the tree and looked up; there was a cold defiance in his eyes as he glared at Lexi.

            "How could you do this?" he exclaimed. "How could you willingly cause so much devasta-?"

            It was upon hearing himself say the last word, that James gulped back the next sentence. As he examined the heartless expression upon the girl’s face, the thought hit him. He had also caused troubles for many a being in the past. Needless troubles. The look on Lexi’s face was so reminiscent of the one he had sometimes worn when going about his Intermediate duties. Those tasks that did nothing but bring pain and anxiety to others.

James bit his lip. The guilt was beginning to ebb into his mind now, but Lexi stood firm and narrowed her gaze as she watched the man struggle with his contemplation.

“I used to think you were cool,” she muttered. “The best of them all. I used to want to be like you. But not any more. Because now I am better than you. You’re just a cowardly, watery waste of space.”

No one said a word as the girl raised her hands, ready to inflict a powerful finishing blow by casting a truck into the air above her head. They were so exhausted, and bereft of any hope.

“It’s time to erase the past…” Lexi grinned darkly.

 

“To protect the future of Team Rocket.”

 

A small green haired figure peeked its head from one of the alleyways behind Lexi, but not a soul acknowledged him; they had their gazes fixed upon the one who seemed about to bring an imminent end to their quest. Upon seeing the spectacle, the young boy leapt into the street with a gasp of alarm.

 “LEXI! NOOOOOOO!”

 But it was too late; Lexi had released the sizable vehicle and sent it hurtling toward the group huddled on the concrete. The boy screamed and, without a second thought he ran into the path of the truck as it tumbled forward, as if being there would somehow prevent those behind him from being harmed.

“MICHAEL!” Lexi spluttered, suddenly discarding her unfeeling visage. “Don’t do a dad on me!”

Wincing, Michael cautiously opened his eyes to discover that the vehicle had been cast away from him before it had a chance to make impact. His own act of rescue completed, Kota settled to the floor beside his unconscious trainer and passed out also.

“You…you…” the girl stammered, running to the boy's side as the travellers watched with ever-heightening confusion. “You…IDIOT! Mrs. Prewitt woulda killed me if you'd been hurt!”

Michael looked up at her. There was an expression of angry disbelief on his face.

“You never said you were going to do this,” he muttered.

“It’s none of your business what I do, Pokéboy,” Lexi spat. “I didn’t even want you to come!”

“I came to keep you out of trouble,” Michael told her. “You can’t go anywhere without making a mess! I’m stopping this before anything worse happens.”

Before Lexi realised what was going on, Michael had reached forward, pulled back her shirt sleeve and slammed his hand down on the device she was wearing upon her wrist, smashing the translucent panel.

“AIEEEEEEEE!” Lexi screeched, as the device crackled and sparked, sending an iridescent aura into the air. It began to surround the two bodies of the companions, growing brighter and brighter all the time. “You fool! I was so close to destroying those exiles!”

Michael cast a sad gaze to a point over the far side of the street and silently waved, mouthing a sentence that none of the others could work out, due to the ever-whitening glow marring his face.

 

“I’ll get you for this, Michael!” Lexi yelled above the loud humming. Then there opened a darkened portal, into which the figures vanished without a trace.

 

A cautious silence descended. After such an unusual occurrence it was understandable that not one of the spectators had a word to say. They just stared at the stolen Pokéball as it lay there, glowing slightly from the previous energy exposure. Adam was the first one to make any effort to convey what he thought of the whole thing.

“That was…unexpected,” he muttered, after he’d finished cursing under his breath.

“Where do you think they went?” Denise spoke up,

“Who knows,” Rose shrugged, applying a cloth wet with some water from Caley’s flask to the trainer’s head. He was still out cold. “One thing was for sure. They certainly weren’t from around here. That girl Lexi seemed to know so much. And she was so intent on stopping our mission.”

“Well she was from Team Rocket after all,” Adam reminded her. “And we have been chucking a few spanners in the Rocket works recently.”

“Guess you’re right,” Rose nodded as she walked toward the Pokéball and picked it up. “But I still don't get how she obtained her abilities,” Denise piped up confusedly. “Research into genetic mutation had not progressed far enough yet to warrant that sort of result.”

“Judging how weird things have been lately…” Adam muttered sarcastically. “She was probably some kind of genetically-enhanced agent from the future, or something.”

“Maybe you’re right, Ad’,” Denise nodded. The teenager groaned at the fact his statement had been taken seriously.

“It would explain how she was able to control the wind like that, without any special equipment. Not to mention the weird portal those two disappeared into," the girl continued. "The thing Lexi was wearing on her wrist must have been how managed to travel here.”

“And now it's broken, there shouldn’t be any way she can come back, right?” Adam asked with unfounded optimism.

“That’s what we hope,” Rose acknowledged. “Now we’d better get this poor guy and our Pokémon revived before we give Alyth back what is rightfully hers. James? Are you coming?”

James had not said a word; his gaze had been fixed upon the spot where he was certain he had seen a familiar countenance standing a moment ago.

Errol…his eyes had been desperately longing, just as James’ eyes were now. He had taken an almost frightened glance in the direction of the scene before ducking back into the alleyway once more, away from sight. James didn’t bother to run after Errol; he knew his efforts would be fruitless. The guy happened to be fantastically fast on his toes. Instead he just picked himself from the ground, longing to understand the reason why Errol had not returned, carefully hoisted Caley over his shoulder and quietly wandered after his other friends.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            “Hmnnnnnnrg…”

 

            Caley groaned as the twentieth splash of water from Denise and pinch on the cheek by Adam brought him back to reality. He could feel a nasty dull ache in the pit of his stomach where the effects from the motorbike that had hit Kota had been psychically transferred to him. The constancy of the pain was blurring his vision somewhat.

            “He’s coming 'round,” Denise exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the figure’s eyes struggling to focus.

            “Oh good,” Adam muttered, retracting his hand. “My fingers were starting to go numb.”

            “Where…are we?” Caley murmured, trying to raise himself. As he got halfway, he cried out again and rapidly dropped back, causing Rose to appear from nowhere and dash to his side.

            “Don’t try and move yet,” she told him. “Your Pokémon took a nasty hit out there,” Denise added anxiously.

            “I know...” Caley groaned, rubbing at the soreness round his waist and back. “I felt it. Is Kota ok now?”

            “All the Pokémon are currently being healed in the emergency room,” Rose replied. “Nurse Joy informed me that everyone should be ok, provided they get a couple of hours rest in their Pokéballs and a good meal.”

            “I could do with one of those…” James muttered, gazing remorsefully out of the window at the sun as it began to dip toward the horizon and listening to the grumblings of his empty belly.

            “And what about that girl Lexi?” Caley asked.

            “Uh…she disappeared somewhere,” Rose sighed, not wishing to go into detail. Luckily Caley’s head was too fuzzy to worry about such matters. All he was concerned about was the welfare of his Pokémon and continuing the important task set out for him by Cew’s vague words.

            “Have you got the Larydos she stole?”

            “Yup!” Denise grinned, holding up the Pokéball in one hand.

            “Then we have to go and give it back to Alyth!” the trainer replied, forcing himself from the chair he had been lying on into a standing position in an act of attempted heroism. “We have to…

 

…uhhhh…”

 

At this point strength failed him, and Caley collapsed upon his knees. Denise and Rose caught him by the arms before his face had a chance to hit the tiled floor.

“It’s been a long day!” Adam protested. “Stay still a minute, Cal’.”

“Can’t…still…” he gasped brokenly. “Must…carry on! Everyone’s depending on us…”

“They won’t be able to depend on you very well if you’re dead from exhaustion now, will they?” Denise snapped. “Adam’s right, you’ve got to rest…just like the Pokémon. We all need to rest.”

“Items back…get badge and then we rest,” Caley replied. There was a stern tone in his voice that indicated to the others that no matter how much they persuaded him he was still going to carry his motives out, come hell or high water.

“Ok then Caley…” Rose sighed, helping the figure onto his feet once more.

“Let’s go, guys.”

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            “Ungrateful,” Denise huffed as Alyth stomped in circles waving the dress in the air and screaming, “INJUSTIIIIIIIIIIICE!”

            “But we brought back the Larydos!” Caley exclaimed.

            “Forget the dumb Pokémon!” Alyth growled, shoving the garment into Adam’s arms. “You had the tenacity to bring back this dress without removing this…this abomination from it! There’s no way I am going to give you a Draya badge or let you go from here while my clothing is in this appalling condition.

 

 

            Now take it and GET RID OF THE DIRT!

 

 

            “Uhh…so do any of you guys have an idea how to remove this mark?”

            The Ex-Rockets shook their heads as Caley held the dress up in hopeful desperation. Alyth had left the group to work things out in the aquarium area and stormed furiously to her quarters to be alone.

            “Nuh-uh” James spoke up. “We never did our own stain removal…all our uniforms were sent to a specialist for cleaning.”

            “That’s what I feared,” the trainer muttered.

            “Are you sure it’s such a good idea to leave that poor creature with the gym brat?” Denise sighed, gazing at the spherical object in her hand that contained Larydos. “It seems even more cruel than keeping it cooped in this Pokéball.”

            “I have to agree with you there,” Rose said.

            “She’s just making a fuss over nothing,” Adam muttered, examining the damage upon the bottom of the emerald fabric.

            “Why can’t she just wash her own dress?” James sighed. Caley was on the verge of defeat. There wasn’t any time to waste doing some girl’s laundry. It wasn’t even his fault it had been marked in the first place.

            “This is dumb,” Adam snorted, after a second or so. “She can do it herself. I’m leaving”

            With that, he turned and tossed the dress carelessly behind him. Before the others could move to rescue it, the garment had landed in a puddle of purplish liquid that had been seeping from the abandoned device that still hadn’t been cleared from the pool’s edge. Caley almost screeched in his hysteria as he ran to the scene.

            “ADAM! What have you done?” Denise and Rose yelled angrily in unison. James folded his arms as Adam took a slightly anxious glance in Caley’s direction. The trainer had picked up the sopping mass and was trying to rub out the spreading marks with his sleeves.

            “I’d say he’s just ruined our chances of getting that Draya Badge, not to mention getting out of here in one piece.”

            Caley whimpered miserably as the dirt from the original stain merged into a darker patch, swirling into some indescribable patterns on the sleeves.

            “Well done, twerp” James sniffed at Adam. “That has to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done…and that’s saying something.”

            “You can talk!” Adam snapped half-guiltily, drawing nearer. “You’ve got the IQ of a Dunsparce!”

            James’ eyes narrowed.

            “Say that again…”

            “Gladly,” Adam murmured dangerously. By this time the two guys were so close their noses were pressed together in a ridiculous fashion. Rose groaned with an obvious onset of irritation.

            “Quit it, you two.”

            “He started it!” came the unanimous retort.

            “Excuse me,” James remarked indignantly. “I wasn’t the one who just threw Alyth’s dress into a purple puddle and-”

 

            “It’s gone!”

 

            “What?” Denise looked up in puzzlement from the Pokéball. All Caley could do was grin triumphantly as he held the garment to the light.

            “Hey…” James raised his eyebrows. “The marks have disappeared.”

            “Seems like that liquid cleared it right up” Rose said thoughtfully. Adam smirked at this.

            “Go on,” he motioned in James’ direction. “Apologise.”

            The man chuckled in disbelief.

            “To you? Yeah, right…”

Caley sighed happily, completely unaware of the fact yet another fight had started behind him. Adam’s impulsiveness had, for once, brought a spate of good fortune for everyone.

 

 

Everyone that is, except James, who was currently getting his face trodden upon.

 

 

            After inspecting the dress for any further damage, Alyth reluctantly handed over the prize that Caley had been longing for.

            “And I suppose you want this…” Denise muttered, watching the gym leader as she put her clothing back on before gazing impassively at the round object in her own hand.

            “Keep it,” Alyth huffed dismissively. “It’s no use to me, it refused to fight.”

Denise’s face lit up as she placed the object into Caley’s bag, along with the other three genetic Pokémon they had captured. At least she knew that the Larydos was now safe. And with that final exchange of items, the group left Domina Gym, satisfied in the knowledge that they had once again brought a little more calm into the Pokémon World that they had accidentally unsettled and were also a step further in their quest to halt the forthcoming menace.

Things seemed to be panning out nicely once more; Caley had suggested that everyone should camp on the outskirts of Domina City that evening to reduce the risk of being sought out by the Elites under the revealing glare of the street lights. Everything seemed perfectly at ease amongst the travellers as they continued their journey. But appearances were turning out to be exceedingly deceiving. James slunk at the back of the group, head low and eyes dulled with miserable misunderstanding.

“Wimpo’s in a mood again,” Adam remarked without an ounce of sympathy. He wasn’t the only one who had noted James’ crestfallen expression. Rose, Denise and Caley turned their heads in their companion’s direction for some sort of explanation.

“I saw him…” he murmured. “I saw him…and he saw me…”

“What’s he on about now?” Adam exclaimed with a disgusted look, which the others ignored.

“He didn’t even come over to say hello…or explain…” James continued. By now the rest of the group had figured out whom the guy was referring to. But they did not answer. After all, they could not change the impossible. Only Errol could bring an end to James’ sadness, and no one could say whether he would return. Rose placed a hand upon her friend’s shoulder in an attempted motion of understanding, and the group continued to walk silently toward their goal.

 

***~~***~~***~~***~~***

 

            “Aah… I never thought I’d get out of that tree,” Cassidy muttered as she rubbed her back. Butch groaned in agreement but Jessie said nothing. She was still pondering mournfully upon the mental image of Rose’s face and those simple words.

 

            We can’t help you until you join us.

 

            “I’m surprised at you, Matthews” Cassidy remarked upon seeing the woman’s expression. “I’d have expected a lot more moaning from you than I’m hearing now. Besides, you are the champion in the complaints department.”

            Jessie grunted half-heartedly, but didn’t retort. Her eyes were fixed firmly on nothing.

            “Don’t provoke it Cass’,” Butch grinned. “Seems like we’ve been blessed afta all that misery.”

            “You’re right,” Cassidy smiled, as Jessie shuffled her feet in a miserable fashion. “But it’s no reason to celebrate. As we stand here those exiles are getting further and further away from us.”

            “So whadda we do now then, Cass?”

 

            “I’ll tell you what you’ll do.”

 

            The trio swung round to see a small figure.

            “Oh no!” Butch gulped. “It’s that brat from the gym!”

            “You should know better than to mess with Alyth Enara” the girl sneered. “And messing with my clothes is a most definite no-no. Now I’m going to make you mess yours.”

            Butch and Cassidy glared at Jessie, who laughed nervously. They hadn’t picked up on this but Jessie knew from experience what usually followed such angry words. She rapidly took off down the high street, a second before the Dragonite that had been standing beside Alyth reared out of the shadows, blasting fire upon the pavement where the woman had been. Butch and Cassidy took the hint and followed Jessie, while Alyth leapt upon her Pokémon and furiously gave chase.

            “You won’t escape me!” she yelled.

            “Doesn’t mean I’m not going to try!” Jessie exclaimed, and was promptly shot at with a thunderbolt.

            “This is your fault, Matthews!” Cassidy screeched.

 

            And that was the last thing that was heard from the trio before a well-aimed Dragon Rage attack sent them flying and cursing into the distance.