DATE: 14 September 2001
LOCATION: The Autobahn highway, Germany

Every day brought more kilometres of highway. Every day brought more loneliness and solitude. Every day brought more strangers, more faces to forget as easily as he saw them. And every day brought him farther and farther away from his goal.

For the past two years, James von Malice has been searching the world for his missing partner. Together, he and his partner Jessie were the standard-bearers for Team Rocket, an organization bent on conquering the world through stealing and using Pokémon. Jessie and James travelled all over together, doing their best to stay in their boss's good graces. However, an upstart duo - Butch and Cassidy - quickly stole their thunder and became the boss's favorites. They made Jessie and James look like idiots. Jessie and James' collective groove was disrupted. They failed missions. They wouldn't check in for days. They were made into imbeciles in the eyes of the boss. Another factor that started Jessie and James on the road to disgrace was ever since a would-be heist at a Pokémon center was thwarted by a cocky young trainer named Ash Ketchum.

As he drove the Autobahn highway, following a tip related to Jessie's whereabouts, images of his battles with a younger and less experienced Ash. To them, he was seen as a twerp. A persistent thorn in their side that just happened to be in the right place at the right time to stop every attempt to steal Pokémon. That was years ago. James saw Ash competing in Pokémon tournaments, and an occasional martial arts event. Indeed, Ash had begun to change. To grow. Nowadays, the term "twerp" is inappropriate. He wouldn't admit it, but James had respect for Ash.

When James learned that Jessie was missing, he was distraught. The first thing his instincts told him to do was look for her. And he did...this was about two years ago. He scoured most of North America, and was now roaming through central Europe looking for his partner. But...was she more than just a partner? She had been his friend, that's for damn sure. Admittedly, when he first met Jessie, he didn't think too much of her. But over time, they grew to respect each other...then to like each other. But had they grown to...love one another? That had to be what kept James from giving up his search. It must be love! Hopefully...Jessie will still be alive when he can tell her that to her face...

James was snapped back to reality by the loud horn of a Mercedes. He swerved sharply to the left on his motorcycle to avoid hitting it, and sped between two other vehicles. His companion, who was seated behind him, screamed in fear.

MEOWTH: (pounding on James' head) WILL YOU PAY ATTENTION?! YER GONNA GET US KILLED!!

JAMES: (after letting out a shriek) STOP IT, MEOWTH! I CAN'T CONCENTRATE WITH YOU POUNDING MY HEAD LIKE THAT!!

Moments later, James had control of his bike again, and was crusing at his previous high speed. One convenient - albeit hazardous - thing about the Autobahn was its lack of a speed limit.

MEOWTH: Maybe we should stop for a while. You look like you could use a rest. And besides, I'm gettin' kinda hungry, anyway.

JAMES: I hear that!

James veered off to the side, and caught an onramp that led to a small rest stop.

James wasn't totally alone on his adventure. Meowth, a Pokémon that knew how to talk, kept James company. A trainer himself, James had several other Pokemon of his own - Weezing, Victreebell and Girafarig - but Meowth was the only one he could have a conversation with.

They grabbed a bite to eat at a diner, and James gassed up his motorcycle before hitting the road again. Meowth was going over a map as James paid for the gas. James comes from a very wealthy family. His great grandfather, Hemler von Malice, lived through the Third Reich in Germany and was a German partisan during that time. James' father runs a very successful law firm out of Cambridge, MA, and had more than enough to provide for his wife and son. Enough so that he could take his family on vacation anywhere in the world he desired, and enough so he could almost spoil his son (e.g. the BMW motorcycle which James was currently gassing).

MEOWTH: (discarding a toothpick) Ya know, if we move fast enough, we can make it to Paris by about 11 o'clock a' so.

JAMES: I can only imagine how souped up border patrol will be after the terrorist attacks a few days ago. The whole world's on edge.

MEOWTH: Hey...ya don't suppose Jessie was in New York when that happened, do ya?

James paused, and let out a deep sigh.

JAMES: No...she's still alive, Meowth. I can feel it in my heart...she's out there somewhere. And I'm going to find her!

MEOWTH: So what're we waitin' for? Let's hit da road!

James started up his bike as Meowth climbed on, holding on to James, and James sped back onto the highway.

A few hours passed, and James happened to see a highway sign that read BORDER PATROL - 10 KM. James pulled off to the side and produced an empty Pokéball.

JAMES: You should get in this, Meowth?

MEOWTH: Huh? Why?!

JAMES: We'll be at the border soon and we'll be in serious trouble if I'm caught trying to bring pets into another country! Trust me, it'll only be for a little while!

MEOWTH: You promise?

JAMES: Yes! I'll let you out as soon as the coast is clear.

MEOWTH: (sigh) Fine...

James activated the Pokéball. The narrow beam of red light struck Meowth, which overtook Meowth and drew him into the ball. He clipped it to his belt and started to drive again.

TIME: Around midnight
LOCATION: A rave in Paris, France

James wasn't the only one searching for Jessie. Only, these people were searching for her and James as well.

When he learned of their disappearances, Salvadore Giovanni, the "boss" of Team Rocket, denounced Jessie and James to Team Rocket as deserters and traitors. He also placed a large bounty on their heads to whoever could bring the two rogues to him. He had a pretty good idea who would be the ones to bring them in.

Butch and Cassidy found themselves in France, wandering around an enormous rave hoping to find James. They had been tipped off to his wherabouts, and were told he would be in Paris tonight.

BUTCH: I'm starting to think we've been had. I can't find him anywhere!

CASSIDY: Just keep looking! We've only been here a few minutes!

Cassidy and Butch forced their way through the rave, looking for James. They thought that a guy with shiny blue hair would stick out in a crowd. But at a rave such as this, hair was all the colors of the rainbow...as well as clothing. Glowing sticks were swung around, pink, yellow, green, blue, purple, clothing and plastic jewelry glowed under the black lights. This, combined with the loud, booming music and wild display of flashing lights was starting to give Butch a headache.

They started asking random people if they saw James, flashing a picture of him to them. Neither of them spoke French, making their job even more difficult. Finally, they caught a spark of hope.

Butch spoke slowly in a loud tone so he could be understood by this kid. He was taller than Butch, and had long, stringy bluish-silver hair. He wore a skin-tight black leather shirt with the Greek letter Omega embroidered in white on the front. It zipped in the front and on the sleeves. Red leather pants and large brown shoes completed the emsemble. The young man known as Remy wasn't taking these two very seriously. Until...

BUTCH: (flashing the picture of James) DO...YOU...KNOW...HIM?!

Remy only gave a fleeting glance. But when he recognized the man in the photo, his eyes widened. He and James met somewhere before; he couldn't remember how, though (the last few months or so are a total blank for him). But this face looked very familiar.

REMY: (to himself) Monseiur von Malice?

BUTCH: WELL?!

REMY: (in French) I'm not telling you anything.

CASSIDY: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

Remy disappeared into the crowd, leaving Butch and Cassidy alone. Butch was furious at being insulted.

BUTCH: That guy knows something...!

CASSIDY: Let's find him!

The two Team Rocket members moved into the crowd, trying to find that guy. Whatever info he had on James was going to be squeezed from him one way or another.