My Pokémon Anime Journey | BOOK ONE: KANTO

Island of the Giant Pokémon

Ari's eyes fluttered open. She was vaguely aware of the sand cushioning her drenched body.
Misty yelled, "Ari, wake up!"
Ari forced herself onto her knees. "Where are we?" Her ears were filled by the sound of small waves rolling onto the beach. Morning sunlight bounced off the tree's leaves.
"It's lucky we survived," Brock mused.
Ari couldn't fail to notice that the three of them were alone. "Eevee! Where did Eevee ago?" Her hands went slack, and Butterfree's Poké Ball rolled from her grip. A quick inspection told Ari that it was the only Poké Ball she had.

Elsewhere on the island, James was jolted awake by a Krabby's pinch. He watched, drowsy but amsued, as Jessie furiously chased the bothersome Pokémon away.
James came to a realisation. "We're alive. Which means..."
"We survived!" He and Jessie said in perfect unison. They embraced, overwhelmed by emotion.
"We're completely unbeatable!" James celebrated.
"Who needs health insurance when you're invincible!" Jessie said.
James noticed that someone was missing. "Wait. I don't hear any annoying complaining."
"Meowth is missing!" The duo realised.
Things went from bad to worse.
"I've lost Ekans's Poké Ball!" Jessie cursed. "He was a birthday present."
James panicked. "Koffing and Weepinbell are gone, too!" He had recieved Koffing as a Christmas gift from Giovanni himself, and dear Weepinbell had always been a reminder that he could succeed as a Trainer.
Jessie threw her head into the sound. "How will we surviiivvee?" Came her muffled voice.
"Pull yourself together, Jess!" Urged James. "We need to stay strong - for our Pokémon!"

Eevee shook the sand out of her fur. Four Poké Balls glinting in the sunlight caught her eye.
"Ari's Poké Balls!" Eevee recognised. She eagerly released her friends. Out came Clefairy, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.
"Are you ok?" Eevee asked.
Squirtle crossed his arms. "As if a little rough ride would stop me."
Bulbasaur groaned. "You could have just said you were fine."
"Where are we?" Asked Clefairy.
"I'm not sure," Eevee admitted.
"We must've gotten seperated from Ari," Charmander said.
Eevee was worried, but realised she had to stay strong. "Don't worry! She probably washed up somewhere else on this island. We'll be sure to find her!"
Bulbasaur nodded. "All we have to do is focus on finding her, and not goof off." He glared at Squirtle. Squirtle leered back.
"Please don't fight," Eevee begged.
Clefairy innocently stepped between the fueding Bulbasaur and Squirtle. "Eevee's right. We're all friends here!"
Bulbasaur looked down. None of them felt comfortable hurting sweet little Clefairy's feelings.
Instead, Bulbasaur whispered to Eevee, "Maybe Ari forgot about us."
"Ari would never do that," Eevee responded firmly, uncharacteristically serious. She wondered what had made Bulbasaur such a cynic.

Unexpectedly, Meowth, Ekans, Koffing, and Weepinbell emerged from the nearby brush.
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light! Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" Meowth declared.
"It's only Meowth," Eevee dismissed.
"I could beat him with my claws behind my back!" Charmander boasted, prompting Squirtle to laugh spitefully at Meowth.
"I guess the Team Rocket motto is losing it's impact," Meowth lamented. "Nevermind. Get them!"
The other Team Rocket Pokémon ignored Meowth's command.
"You not master!" Ekans protested.
"Not master!" Koffing echoed.
"I'm twice as smart as those two-watt light bulbs you're calling masters!" Meowth argued.
"Master is master!" Weepinbell said loyally.
Ekans added, "Pokémon do bad things because master bad!"
"Masters not all bad," Weepinbell said slowly. "Master can be kind."
"My master's not around, yet I act like a rat!" Said Meowth.
"You couldn't be our master," Koffing replied. "Because a rat shouldn't train Pokémon."
Meowth finally realised he was on his own, and backed away from Ari's Pokémon, breaking out in sweat.
Ekans, Koffing, and Weepinbell ignored their comrade.
"We are looking for masters," Ekans explained.
"Our master is gone, too," said Squirtle.
"They abandoned us," concluded Bulbasaur.
"Abandoned?" Weepinbell repeated.
"You're wrong!" Eevee burst out.
At that moment, Meowth charged Eevee. In an instant, Charmander subdued Meowth with Ember. Squirtle procured some rope to bind Meowth to a tree.
"We should work together to find our Trainers!" Eevee proposed.
After brief consideration, Ekans, Koffing, and Weepinbell agreed, ignoring Meowth's struggling.