Today was the day the kids were heading back on the road, this time straight to the Indigo Plateau to the Pokémon League. Professor Oak, Delia and Emma's parents were outside the mansion when the kids walked out with their backpacks.

"Are you kids ready?" Alex asked. "Yeah," Emma answered. Delia looked at her son, "Good luck Ash, we'll meet you at the stadium, okay?" she said. Ash nodded, "Okay," he said. "While you on the way, keep on training, always do your best," Professor Oak said.

"You got it," Ash said before he, Misty and Brock looked at Alex and Alice. "Thank you for letting us stay over," Misty told them. "Of course, you all welcome any time," Alice told them with a smile. "Be carful on the road," Alex said.

"We will, thanks for everything," Brock said. "See you in a few days," Ash said and the kids started to walk away as they waved goodbye. "Good luck!" Delia called.

...................

A little while after leaving town, Brock was leading Emma, Misty and Ash through a long grass field with the map, "Mmm, this looks like a shortcut to the Indigo Plateau."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked as she leaned closer to look. They stopped when they heard movements around them, but they couldn't see much because of the tall grass. "What was that?" Ash asked.

Before anyone could say anything, a guy jumped over, startling them. "Who's he?" Ash asked as Emma and Misty looked at the guy over, he seemed to be in Brock's age. The redhead girl leaned closer to her friend to whisper only for Ash to hear too, "He's cute."

"Well..." Emma trailed off when she noticed Ash looking over at them. "Why did you jump on us like that?" Brock asked in slight annoyance. "forgive me, I was simply testing you," the guy said. "Huh?" Ash asked.

"You appear to be traveling to the Pokémon League competition, am I correct?" the guys asked. "Well, what if we are?" Ash asked. The guy smirked slightly, "Well then, I Otoshi, challenge you." Ash looked at him in confusion, "Huh?" His Pikachu slid from his head to his shoulder, "Pika?"

"I've trained all this time alone in the mountains, but I seek one last battle to test my strength before the Pokémon League, do you accept my challenge?" Otoshi asked. Ash grinned and stepped forward, "Sure, I'll battle you."

"And whoever loses this battle must turn over all his Pokémon Badges to the one who wins," Otoshi said. Ash looked shocked, "All my badges?!" He then looked at him angrily, "You must be crazy! I need those badges!"

"That's right, Ash needs those badges to compete in the Pokémon League," Emma said angrily. "Come on guys, we got to go," Ash said and started to walk past him. "If that is your attitude, you need not to hurry to compete the Pokémon League," Otoshi said calmly. Ash stopped, "What did you just say?"

"If you so afraid losing to me in a private match, then what chance you got in wining in a Pokémon League match?" Otoshi asked, "Losing your badges now, or lose them later." Ash turned to him angrily, "I'm not a loser! I accept your challenge!"

Otoshi smirked while Brock, Misty and Emma looked surprised and concern. "What?!" Emma asked. "Don't do it, Ash!" Misty said. "What if you'll lose your badges?" Brock asked. Ash and his Pikachu smirked. "Don't worry, I'm gonna win," Ash said confidently.

...................

The group stood outside the tall grass field. Ash and Otoshi faced each other. Otoshi threw a Poké ball, "Go, Marowak!" His Marowak appeared and Ash turned to the male Pikachu, "Pikachu, go." The male mouse nodded and ran forward, "Pika."

"Marowak, use Bone Club!" Otoshi ordered. "Pikachu, dodge!" Ash called. Pikachu started dodging when Marowak tried to hit him with its bone. "Okay, Pikachu, Thunder Shock!" Ash called. Pikachu used the attack, hitting Marowak, which then made it faint quickly.

"Marowak!"

"All right!" Ash said with a grin. Emma looked surprised, "Wow, with just one attack?" she muttered. "Pika-chu!" the female Pikachu cheered. "Pi-Pika-Chu!" the male Pikachu said as he held up a V sign. "Togepry!" Togepi cheered.

"I won, looks like I get the badges," Ash said. "I can't believe it," Otoshi said as he fell on his knees, "You defeated Marowak. But... but I don't have any badges to give to you."

"Huh?" Ash asked as they looked at him in confusion. "You mean, you didn't have any to start with?" Misty asked. "No, I had, but you see--" Otoshi started but Ash cut in, "You acted like you have badges when you never did, but your little scam to get back my badges backfired, didn't it?"

"That's not so, please let me explain," Otoshi said, "My eight badges have been taken from me. I battle my way from one gym to the next with Marowak by my side. It was a difficult journey. We struggled and battled, and never lost hope. We finally won eight badges. We were on our way to the Pokémon League."

"So, where are they now?" Ash asked in confusion. "Marowak and I just won our eight badge, and coming out of the mountains towards the Indigo Plateau when it happened," Otoshi said, "In the road just ahead there was the most delicious looking fruits. We were so hungry from all our battles, we rushed to test it, but a hole appeared under us and we fell in. A couple with a talking Meowth took the badges and took off."

Emma and her friends exchanged an annoyed look, Team Rocket! "All our hard work was for nothing, and we were so close to been in the Pokémon League," Otoshi said sadly. "Marowak," Marowak said sadly.

"Team Rocket," Emma muttered in annoyance. "Without those badges, I'll never get into the Pokémon League," Otoshi said. Ash smiled, "Don't worry, Otoshi. We'll get those badges back for ya," he said. Otoshi looked at him in surprise while Emma, Misty and Brock looked at their friend.

"We can't Ash, we gonna miss the start of the competition," Misty said. "We got to get going," Brock agreed. Ash turned to his friends, "No, we got to get those badges back." Ash pulled out the case Alex gave him and opened it to show all his eight badges inside, "I worked hard to earn all my badges too." He closed the case and looked at his friends, "I know how I would feel if someone would have stolen my gym badges."

"You right," Emma said with a nod. Ash looked at his Pikachu, "Stealing from one trainer is like stealing from them all." The male Pikachu nodded, "Pika-chu!" Ash smiled as he looked at Otoshi, holding out his hand, "Let's get your badges back." Otoshi smiled as he took his hand and stood up, "I'll never forget your kindness."

...................

James and Meowth were on Team Rocket's air balloon, searching for Jessie, who stole the stolen badges to compete in the Pokémon League. The Cat Pokémon looked annoyed as they reached to a river, "We got to find those badges!"

James was looking at the water below them and spotted something weird, "Mmm... what this?" Meowth looked down as well, "Huh?" Emma's Gyarados emerged from the water, roaring, startling the two as they screamed. He grabbed the basket with his mouth and threw them on the side.

"Good work, Gyarados!"

James and Meowth crawled out of the basket to see Otoshi, Emma and her friends standing in front of them, glaring down at them. "Return the badges you stole from me!" Otoshi said. "We can't do that," James said. "You ain't the only victim around here, pal," Meowth said.

"Victim? You two?!" Emma asked in annoyance, "Spill it out, where are the badges?!" Gyarados roared at James and Meowth angrily, making them grab a held into each other in fear. "We were robbed too! We don't have the badges," James confessed. "He's been honest for once," Meowth said.

Emma and her friends exchanged a confused look before Misty stepped forward with a smirk. "Well, we'll just see if that's true," she said. James and Meowth blinked at the redhead, "What are you gonna do?"

...................

After Misty threatened to turn James and Meowth into a Gyarados' snack, the two had no choice but to show them their stuff to proof the badges aren't with them.

"Are you sure it's all you got?" Emma asked as they looked at all their stuff. James and Meowth nodded, "Yeah." Ash frowned as he studied the items, "There's no badges here."

"Yeah, nothing but junk," Brock said. "Jessie took all of the badges," Meowth said. "Jessie?!" Ash asked. They all turned to Marowak as it started throwing a tantrum. Otoshi frowned, "What's wrong, Marowak?"

Meowth stepped closer and nodded slightly before speaking, "I got some bad news for you, kid. The little bonehead here says it doesn't want to be your Pokémon no more." Otoshi looked shocked, "What?!" He looked at Marowak, "Is it true, Marowak?"

Marowak continued to speak, throwing around its bone. Meowth nodded, "Huh... Skull-boy says is was willing to put up with all the hard training..." He nodded, "And tough battles... 'cause it was dreaming at getting into the Pokémon League competition. Now, just a couple of days before the competition, this happens, and all that hard work and suffering was for nothing." He looked up at the boy with a look, "Marowak says that it's best if you two just say goodbye."

Marowak finished and turned to the side. Otoshi placed his hand on its shoulder, "Don't go, Marowak." They watched in surprise when it pushed his hand away. It turned around and started to leave. "Wait!" Otoshi called but Marowak didn't stop or looked back.

Otoshi couldn't do anything to stop it, only watching as it disappeared. His eyes started to fill with tears, "We were so close... we could have compete together in the Pokémon League." Meowth looked up at him, "You still maybe buy a ticket."

Otoshi's sad tears turned to anger as he grabbed the Cat Pokémon by his fur and pulled him up, shaking him, "This is all because of you!"

"Marowak is only going to come back if we'll find Jessie and get those badges," Ash said. "Let's go look for her," Emma said and looked at James and Meowth with a look, "And you two are going to help us search." Gyarados lowered himself down, glaring down at James and Meowth as the two of them held into each other again. "Got it?" Emma asked.

"Yes, ma'am!"

...................

Otoshi, Emma and her friends were on the air balloon with James and Meowth, searching for Jessie from above with the help of Scyther and Pidgeotto.

"Scyther!" the Mantis Pokémon called as he spotted the redhead woman talking to the boy and flew down to stop her from stealing from him. He landed between them, startling them both.

"Hold it, Jessie!" Emma called as the air balloon landed down. The boy ran away and Jessie looked annoyed. She looked at James and Meowth, "You on their side?!"

"Hey, it was either give them a ride or get eaten by Gyarados," Meowth said as the kids jumped out. "You gonna give those badges back to Otoshi!" Misty said. Scyther flew to stand by his trainer as Jessie smirked and scoffed, "If you want them back, you gonna have to challenge me to a Pokémon battle."

"Fine, I'll take you on!" Ash said. "No, Ash," Otoshi said as he stepped forward, "Thank you for stepping in, but it's my badges, I'll do it. I accept your challenge!"

Jessie held a Poké ball and threw it, "All right Arbok, go!" She called and her Pokémon was released. Otoshi threw a Poké ball, "Doduo, go!" Ash, Emma, Misty and Brock looked sceptic. "I don't know about this..." Ash muttered.

Doduo is a two-headed, bipedal avian Pokémon. Each head has a long sharp beak and two beady black eyes. It has a bristly, down-like covering of brown feathers on its body and both heads. It has black flexible necks and have brown legs. Each foot has four digits ending in a sharp claw.

Doduo ran froward but Arbok threw its tail forward, knocking Doduo back. "Tackle Arbok!" Jessie called with a smirk as James and Meowth landed their balloon behind her, and stood next to her. Arbok tackled Doduo, and the two heads started to fight each other.

"On no! It confused and both heads starting to fight each other," Otoshi said. "What?" Ash asked as he pulled out his Dexter.

Doduo, a Twin Bird Pokémon. Once its heads begin to fight each other, Doduo becomes incapacitated.

Arbok wrapped himself around Doduo, making it stop fighting. Jessie laughed, "Looks like I win again! I'll just take your Doduo too." A bone flew toward the Pokémon, knocking into Arbok and making it let go of Doduo.

The bone went back and Marowak grabbed it. Otoshi laughed in relief, "Marowak!" he called. It glanced over at him and gave a small nod. "You came back," Otoshi said happily. He hold out Doduo's Poké ball, "All right! Return Doduo!"

"All right Arbok! Go ahead and beat that little skellintwerp!" Jessie called. "Marowak, Focus Energy!" Otoshi called as Arbok slid closer, and Marowak started to glow blue. "Arbok, Double-Edge attack!" Jessie called.

"Marowak, Bone Club!"

Marowak hit Arbok with its bone, making it move back. "All right Marowak, time for you Bonemerang attack!" Marowak threw the bone and it hit Arbok, sending it backward. James threw a Poke ball, "Weezing, go!"

"Pikachu, go!" Ash called and the male mouse ran forward and used Thunder Shock, hitting both Weezing and Arbok. James and Jessie recalled their Pokémon and Team Rocket quickly jumped on the air balloon, flying up.

"The badges!"

Marowak threw his bone up, hitting the balloon. It exploded and the box fell down. Misty caught, "I got them!" They watched Team Rocket flying up into the sky before disappearing.

Emma and her friends then looked back at Otoshi and Marowak, watching as they reconnecting. "Marowak, thank you for returning and getting our badges back."

"Marowak."

"Will you battle by my side in the Pokémon League?" Otoshi asked. Marowak nodded with a smile, "Marowak." Emma and her friends walked closer as they smiled. "I'm glad you two are back together," Ash said. "Good for you," Emma said.

"It's all thanks to you," Otoshi said. Misty opened the box to see all the badges are inside, and she held out the box, "Here's the badges, safe and sound." Otoshi took it, "I'll be forever in your debt. Now our dream in competing in the Pokémon League will come true. Isn't that right, Marowak?"

"Marowak."

Ash smiled and Emma looked at him, "I'm glad we helped him get his badges back," she said. "Yeah," he agreed. Brock placed his hand on his shoulder, "You know something Ash? Even if we are late for the start of the Pokémon League competition, you did the right thing by stopping and helping somebody who really needed help."

"Thanks Brock," Ash said and looked at his Pikachu who was sitting on his shoulder, "I hope we'll do the right thing in League too." The male mouse nodded with a smile, "Pika-chu."

...................

After saying goodbye to Otoshi and Marowak, Emma and her friends were on the path for the Indigo Plateau.

By sunset, the four friends reached to the end of a forest and saw down the path the Indigo Plateau. "Hey look, it's the Indigo Plateau!" Brock called, "We almost there!"

They grinned. "Yeah!" Ash said and jumped in excitement before running down the path with the Pikachu. Emma, Misty and Brock shared a smile before running after Ash.