Sunnytown is rainy again, but citizens aren't very surprised. They consider it an decent trade for the near constant heat waves they have more often. Cars now line the completed bridge, bikes whisking along the small, gray trails with their little bells ringing with honking of impatient drivers.

A few such bicyclists are on their way to town now, their rain slickers dripping wet as they peddled with all their might down the bicycle trail, a lone Pokemon in the leaders' basket.

"You sure Dr. Hartman can fix your Cubone?" The girl beside the leader shouted. "Hey, he's the best doctor in town, he's cured tons ok Pokemon, even in terminal condition. Sure he can fix Cubone, whatever's wrong with it. It's probably just stomach flu or something. Quit worrying, Mary! You're such a whiny baby." The boy shouted at her, his brown eyes squinting against the cold downpour.

"Shut up, Derek! You're being a jerk, as usual. Its your fault it gets sick. You let that Cubone roam around busy streets and the woods by itself while you're in the mall or playing soccer. You're never watching it close enough." She shouted back, a lock of blonde hair falling across her blue eyes.

"Adam, shut your sister up already. She's getting on my nerves....again. Why the heck did you let her come along?" Derek snapped at the other bicyclist.

"Mom said she'd take away my TV privileges if I didn't. Mary always gets her way. Can't wait till I'm a rich movie star and she's stuck at home crying, like she always does." Adam griped, his brown crewcut the only hair of the three actually getting wet.

"Yeah right, you fainted when they gave you played the part of the bear in 'Springtime Come Home.' You couldn't even say your lines, you big sissy. The only thing you can act is stupid." Mary laughed, picking up speed.

"Shut up, stupid. Quit telling everybody about that. We're heading for the Pokecenter, not school!" Adam sneered.

"Yeah, speaking of which, I hear a lot about Dr. Hartman. All the girls that have met him say he's a total babe. He's got the most unusual hair color and when he looks at you, they feel like he's looking into their souls. Like some kind'a warlock or something." Mary spouted, getting laughs from the two boys.

"I hear he doesn't go out in public, he's really anti-social. He only hangs around Pokemon, talking to them, like he knows what they all are saying. He's a major weirdo." Adam added.

"Heh, maybe Mary should marry him. She'd be happy with her own kind." Derek snickered.

"Oh you! I hope you fall into an Ekans' nest. The both of you." Mary snapped, the three bikers speeding off further into the storm.

"How many times do I have to tell you, its not any kind of stomach flu. Its food poisoning, from your poor care of Raichu!" a man was screaming. The three bikers walked in, soaked to the bone with Derek holding his Cubone tightly. They saw it was a doctor screaming, his back to them and a young man in front of him, holding a squirming Raichu.

"I take good care of Raichu, I swear! I did like you said last time, better food, bottled water, exercise, everything! And the stupid thing still gets sick." The man yelled back.

The doctor shook his head, grumbling. "I knew you'd say that, so I paid a call to the police to search your house for possible signs of neglect or abuse." The doctor said snidely.

"You what?!"

"Yes, and they found mold covered dishes in the sink, none of these bottles of water I prescribed, the same food that made him sick was in your cupboards, covered in mold and insects. And Raichu's dishes were just as filthy. I have filed a complaint against you for the mistreatment of your Raichu and Officer Jenny is on her way to take custody of Raichu and put it in a suitable trainer's care, as well your other Pokemon. You're going to pay for neglecting them so much, I'm surprised they're not all in the hospital by now. So hand over Raichu. Officer Jenny will be here shortly." The doctor said.

"You have no authority, no permission!" the man screamed, the Raichu getting squeezed in the process.

"I have every authority, I'm a doctor concerned for my patient's welfare. The police got their warrant and you're up for a lot of community service and payments. You should have listened to me the first time instead of being cheap and stubborn. Pokemon are not just battling playthings, they are your friends and companions, to be treated as you would like to be.," the doctor said, then a siren sounded outside," Ah, the cavalry has arrived. Now hand over your Raichu or I'll have to force you to."

"No way! Raichu's mine, I caught him fair and square. No bleeding heart doctor's gonna make me do other wise. Raichu may be sick, but my Fearow isn't!" the man shout, grabbing out a Pokeball," Fearow, Go!"

The bird popped out, cackling loudly as it circled over the doctor's head.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Mary said quietly.

"No way, none my Pokemon are that evolved. That ditzy doctor is on his own." Derek whimpered, now hiding behind a potted plant with her brother.

"Sissies...." she mumbled, and went back to watching the angry Fearow dive at the doctor. "Now you're going for assault....you enjoy racking up points for more time in an orange jumpsuit, don't you? Still, if that's the way you want it, might as well sweeten the pot," the doctor sighed, holding up his own Pokeball," Golbat, GO!"

The purple and blue creature flew out and rammed its body into Fearow, narrowly missing its long, sharp beak.

"Ack! Fearow, eradicate that squeaking freak. Drill beak! Run it through! Anything!" the man shouted.

Fearow started to fly upward at incredible speeds, jerking downward at the Golbat as it hovered about the doctor's head. "Golbat, confuse ray." The doctor commanded. The Golbat let out its sonic wail into the Fearow, the creature's mind going crazy with confusion, flying in circles for a while,then dive bombing his owner.

"NO! Fearow! Fearow return!" the man shouted. Fearow went back inside its Pokeball, still shaking it up inside.

The Golbat snatched the Pokeball away and dropped it in the doctor's hand. "Your Raichu, please. It think we've wasted enough of my patients' time with your bellyaching." The doctor said in a bored tone.

"That he has. Excellent job. Dr. Hartman, you should have been a cop." A woman said suddenly. Mary and the two boys looked towards seeing the all too familiar Officer Jenny standing in her police uniform and high heels, handcuffs twirling around her thin finger.

"I do my best. Just get him out of here and his Pokemon to good, healthy homes. I have other patients to attend to before I leave." Dr. Hartman said, turning around at last.

Mary smiled, his eyes taking her in like a dream. They were like two perfect emeralds, his voice deep and romantic sounding. It was all she could see of his face anyway, he had a mouth guard on and was wearing a surgical cap, hiding his hair from her eyes. People said that he'd been out with a few girls early in his career, but they said he was always in some other world when they'd talk to him. Almost as if he had been waiting for something, or afraid of. He never talked about his past either, a complete mystery to all but his stepmother, Nurse Joy.

'Heck, with eyes like those, who cares what dimension his mind is in. What a babe!' she thought, still smiling.

She'd been so busy doing so that Jenny had already taken the neglectful owner away, another officer carrying his Raichu and other Pokeballs away.

His voice broke the trance. "Hey, what about the Fearow? It's still under my Golbat's confusion attack. I should tend to it. You could pick it up from Joy in the morning."

Jenny nodded, and started for the door. "Sure thing, Dr. Hartman. Tell your Mom and Dad I said hi. And that I'm bringing my Growlithes for their annual check-ups," she called," You say a proper good-bye to them when you go. Hard to believe you're leaving Sunnytown."

"Yeah, but I can't stay here all the time. There are other towns that need my services, I'm a freelance doctor. I have to go where I'm needed, its what I was trained for. My parents will be fine, they already have their hands full with my baby sister," he laughed, stuffing the Pokeball in his pocket," I'll be back for her birthday each year and holidays. I promised them. Don't worry so much, Jenny."

"Yeah, yeah, that doesn't mean you're not breaking theirhearts leaving. Don't forget this place once you leave, or I'll hunt you down with my Growlithe's." she chuckled, disappearing out the door.

"Heh, you always say that, Jenny. Another reason why I'm leaving....a place can get pretty boring after being there for so long. Never thought I'd say that," he sighed, holding up his Pokeball," And now for you, Golbat. Return."

His Pokemon vanished into the Pokeball in a haze of red light, calm as could be, getting stuffed into another pocket as he turned back towards the patients' ward.

"Wait! Dr. Hartman!" Derek piped up, nearly knocking over the potted plant. The doctor stopped and looked back at them, still and waiting. "Yes?"

"It's my Cubone. Its been acting weird, stomach aches and its always tired. I don't know what's wrong with it. Please, I take good care of it. You can ask anybody, I'm not like that bad man. Don't take Cubone away from me." Derek begged, holding the tired looking Pokemon up to the doctor.

"Take Cubone away? Son, just cause I turned that man in doesn't mean every sick Pokemon is sick because of those reasons. I'll let medical science decide what's wrong. I'm not a monster, kid, just a concerned doctor. My patients are always my concern, not making enemies. Now, uh, would you and your friends mind waiting out here?"

"No....no, sir. Just help my Cubone." Derek asked, handing his Pokemon to the doctor. Dr. Hartman nodded, then went through the double doors beside the desk.

The trio waited for an hour there, Derek pacing back and forth nervously.

"What's taking him so long?" Derek whimpered. "Quit being such a baby, he's a doctor, not a maniac. Cubone is getting the best of care. Now sit down before you fall through the floor." Mary snapped.

"Yes, young man. Floors are expensive to fix. And think of the problems a hole would cause in front of the patients' ward." Said a chirpy voice. The three looked towards the entrance to se Nurse Joy walking in, a little brown-haired girl holding her hand and a tall dark-haired man behind them.

"Nurse Joy, why weren't you here today? Why just Dr. Hartman? He almost had a battle in the waiting room with some nasty owner." Adam asked.

"I work the night shift, for Kara's sake. I want to spend my mornings with her, so someone else take's the day shift and I come when she's asleep. Dr. Hartman volunteered to take the day shift. I already have someone to take his shift over when he leaves. We just came by since me and Max work nights, and we wanted to say our good-byes before he goes off into the world." She said.

As Derek opened his mouth, Dr. Hartman came back out with a sleeping Cubone in his arms and sheet of paper in his pocket.

"Is Cubone going to be ok? What's the matter with it?" Derek squealed, his eyes almost in tears as he looked at Cubone. "I think you should refrain from using the term 'it.' That word is demeaning to all things. I think Cubone would prefer 'she.'" He told him, handing the sleeping Pokemon to its owner. "She?! Then what's wrong with her?" Derek demanded.

"Cubone is pregnant, at least a month into it. I say that its Cubone's first since she was so confused about her condition," Dr. Hartman explained, handing Derek the sheet of paper," This is a list of foods for pregnant Pokemon, and a doctor I highly recommend for this particular species. No more battling with her, only normal exercises, nothing too stressful. The doctor will fill you in on the rest."

"Pregnant? I....I had no idea. But how?" Derek mumbled. Adam was snickering. "If he doesn't know the answer to that, there's no hope for him."

Mary wasn't amused at all and clocked her brother hard on the head. "Shut up, jerko. Motherhood is a thing of beauty and a miracle of life. Derek should be proud that Cubone's going to have babies. Its just nature."

"She's quite right. Now I suggest you call your parents and get a ride home. I don't think your bikes will prove Cubone with proper shelter from the rain." Dr. Hartman added.

"How'd you know we came on bikes?" Derek asked, shoving the paper into his pants' pocket. "I saw them outside as Jenny was leaving. They don't look suitable for taking a pregnant mother home in. Call your parents and if they're not home, try a taxi. I'll pay for it. Anything for a Pokemon in need." He said, walking off to lean against the desk, rubbing his forehead.

"Gee, thanks. C'mon, let's do it. My Mom's still home, but try yours just in case she stepped out." Derek said proudly, sprinting off towards phones, his friends in tow.

Joy and her family walked up to the doctor while the kids called their parents, Joy embracing him a tight hug. "I can't believe you're leaving already. It seems like only yesterday we took you into our home as our son, James." she wept. He patted her on the back gently, taking off his mouth guard, kissing her cheek. "Mom, don't cry. I'm coming back for birthdays and holidays and whenever I have time. I swear. I'm freelance, I'll make sure I come." he told her. She back up a little rubbing her tears away and sniffling. "Oh, James, its just that time went by so quickly. You've become a Pokemon Master and doctor, I couldn't be prouder, even if you're not my real son. As far as I'm concerned, if you were really my child, it wouldn't matter what you amounted to. I'd still love you, honey. I just can't....its just so sudden. I raised you like my own....Oh God, I'm going to miss you." she cried, her husband taking hold of her as she burst into tears.

"Mom, I'm gonna miss you too, but I have to do what my career asks of me. I want to help all Pokemon, it's my choice in life. It doesn't mean I love you any less, any of you," he smiled, leaning down to pick up his little sister," And you little miss, are going to have to write me a big list for your sixth birthday, ok? You're becoming quite the little lady, Kara."

He poked at her nose and got a giggle out of her, and she wrapped her little arms around his neck. "I'm going to miss you, big brother. I'll write my list, my handwriting is getting so much better. You write one too for your birthday, we'll send you nice stuff too like you do," she chirped, kissing his cheek," Miss you already."

"Hey, no tears, small wonder. You promised me you'd be strong. I'm just doing my job, not leaving forever. I want you to be a good girl while I'm gone, be nice to Mom and Dad. I'll make sure I call you every week, kid. Cross my heart and hope to get crushed by a Snorlax." He coaxed, getting another giggle out of her before he out her back on the floor. Max stuck out his hand and shook his hard, giving him a brief hug.

"Well, you take care of yourself, Jimmy. Find a nice girl in your new home, everyone needs somebody, and we personally would like you to make some friends, please. I don't want to force anything on you, son, but your mother and I hate to see you all alone. Pokemon can't replace people. Sooner or later you need somebody." He said kindly. James nodded and smiled.

"I know, I want to have somebody, really I do. Its just that....with my past, they'll have to know eventually. But I'll try, Dad, I will. I'm not insane, just careful. The right girl is out there for me, but she's not here. heck, you might be right, Ms. Right might be in that town, who knows. I might get lucky." James chuckled, pulling off his surgical cap and rubbing his hair.

Mary had been watching them the whole time, pretending to call her parents. She smiled as she saw his hair, just like people said, a very exotic color of lavender blue, maybe indigo, she couldn't tell. All she knew was that it was intoxicating to look at him. His hair was cut short, clinging to his head tightly, some of the bangs hanging close to his right eye, the tips stopping just above where his nose ended. He turned a bit to look at Joy, and Mary saw one small lock of hair was hanging down the middle of his forehead, he brushed at it slightly, but it just fell back into place stubbornly.

"What a babe...." She crooned, dropping her phone.

"Mary!"

Mary nearly fell over as her brother yelled in her ear, her face going red when the doctor and his family looked at them in shock.

"Quit drooling over him and let's go wait by the door. My mom's on her way right now, you geek." Derek teased, shoving her forward.

"Oh, you beast. I'm so embarrassed! I'll never forgive you! Ohhh!!" she wailed, her face filling with hate. "Yeah, yeah, wah, wah, wah. Just move it." Adam groaned, following his friend and sister.

As the three kids were driven away from the Pokemon Center, James was packing his things at home. He'd only been there under 10 years thanks to Pokemon Tech. And medical school, it saddened him that he didn't spend more time then. The again, he never would have amounted to so much, made them all proud and happy about him if he hadn't.

The status he had didn't matter much, it was more being loved for who he was. His real parents had been insane, his fiancée equally cracked and more violent, they never loved him for who he wanted to be or being their son, they loved what he could bring to their family. The family name would not go on, he was content with that. If money meant his freedom was lost to a couple of crackpots' demands, he wanted no part of it. He never wanted to see them again, but he still missed Growly. He wished he had taken him with him.

'Yeah, and Giovanni would have taken him away from you when he fired you and Jessie. I can get him when my parents are gone, one day I'll go home and take him back. Then I can have my first real friend back with me.' he thought, zipping his duffel bag shut. It was every bit of clothing he owned stuffed in the two duffel bags, his wallet secure in his pants pocket and three Pokeballs on his belt. He lifted the bags up and head out of his room, closing the door behind him.

James headed for the door to the garage, opening it quietly so as not to wake up his little sister. Other than him, she was only other person in the house, resting peacefully with her stuffed animals and pet Eevee. He'd caught it for her himself for her fifth birthday after she'd begged him for months. He smiled at the memory of her shining face as the Eevee leapt into her arms, licking her rosy cheeks. It gave him a feeling of self-satisfaction that he could brighten her day. It felt a lot better to make people smile than to frown, he only wished it hadn't taken him so long to see it.

'You were blind to a lot of things, James. It's over now. Just let it die like Team Rocket thought you did.' He told himself, sighing deeply as he went into the garage. He walked over to his motorcycle, stuffing the bags into the sidecar. He never really used it for people these days, especially not Kara. Joy would have had a heart attack if she ever thought he'd do that.

He shook his head, pressing the garage door opener back near the door, pushing his vehicle out when it was fully opened. He left it on the sidewalk while he ran back to shut the garage, running back out to his motorcycle before it shut.

He went back to pushing down the street towards the bridge, so as not to wake anyone up. He had done that once and gotten a rock thrown at his head. The hospital stay had been less than pleasant with the broken leg he'd gotten out of the accident and the reprimands he got for Joy while Max was suing James' attacker for causing the accident.

James had been fortunate he had a good health plan and Max's lawyer had been so good or he would have died from worry about the cost of whole mess. He chuckled lightly, smiling as the bridge booth came into view. The attendant was no longer inside and a few cars were going on and off of it. He sat down on his motorcycle, tilting his head to the sky. A shuffling came then, from the sidecar, forcing him to look at it.

He smirked, folding his arms across his chest. "I thought you said you didn't want to go, Haunter. Get out of my clothes." He mock scolded.

The ghost Pokemon rose out of the duffel bags, his silly, purple-toothed grin aimed at James, who was smiling back. "Haunt....Haunt." it said."Changed your mind, huh? Well, not that I'm complaining, buddy, but mind if I ask what the reason is?" he asked.

Haunter started crying, its hands flapping about. "Haunnnnnttttt! Haunt, haunt, Haunt!" it wailed out. "Hey, cut that out. I know we're good friends. I was pretty bummed you said you didn't want to come, if anyone should be crying, it should be me. I thought we'd be together no matter where I went. You left Sabrina's care to go into mine because you wanted to be my friend. I was touched," he said, nudging Haunter with his hand," I'm glad you're coming though. Wouldn't be the same with you making me laugh."

Haunter stopped crying, smiling again. "Haunt....haunt, haunt."

"Yeah, plenty of laughs and you can play wherever and with whoever you like. I'll be around at after five at night, so don't worry. I'll have time for all of my Pokemon and enjoying the evening, ok? Now let's get going. Cerulean City, here we come!" James cheered, starting up his cycle and speeding across the bridge with Haunter hovering alongside.

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