It was a beautiful spring day and everything was bright and beautiful.  For Jessie and James, it meant that they finally could take a day off to relax and enjoy it. So, not wanting to waste it, they decided to go on a picnic. James's brother, Ben, who had joined the team upon reuniting with him about a month ago, accompanied them, along with Meowth and Growlie, who had escaped the Rosewood estate shortly after James and Ben found each other.

  "This was the best idea you ever had, James," said Jessie as she and James shared a box of donuts. "Taking a day off on a such lovely spring day is simply divine!"

  "Nothing but the best for my little princess," said James. "I've been planning to do this for months! Now that I've seized the opportunity, things couldn't be better!"

  Ben sighed as he watched this. Even though he knew that his brother was happy being with Jessie, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous because unlike James, he didn't have anybody to love him. Meowth noticed his sudden change in behavior.

  "What's wrong, Ben? You look like you've lost your best friend!"

  "Look at them, Meowth," said Ben. "They're so happy together! I never knew that James loved Jessie that much! I wish I had a girlfriend to make me happy!"

  "I see," said Meowth. "So, in other words, you're saying that you're jealous of your brother because he's in love, right? Well, your time will come! You're only twelve!"

  "I know," said Ben. "But, I feel so, you know, alone!"

  Suddenly, a strange portal appeared and pulled Jessie, James, Ben, Meowth, and Growlie in. When they made it out, the surroundings were somewhat different than they were a few seconds ago.

  "Where are we?" said Jessie. "I don't recognize any of this!"
  "Me neither, Jess," said James, hugging her close to him. "I have a feeling that we're not in our world anymore!"
  "That's weird," said Ben. "Weren't we in a park having a picnic a few seconds ago?"

  "Well," said Meowth. "This area is awfully strange to me! We don't even know where we are! I suggest we split up and take a look around! That way, we'll cover some ground!"

  "I like that idea, Meowth," said Jessie. "You're absolutely amazing!"

  Meowth blushed. Hardly anyone had ever called him amazing before, and he didn't know what to think of hearing it from Jessie, who rarely ever paid him a compliment. James then broke the silence.

  "It's settled then," he said. "Jessie, Growlie, and I will go east!  Meowth, you and Ben cover the west! We'll meet back here in exactly an hour from now!"

  "Good luck, brother," said Ben. "And be careful!"

  James smiled and after Ben and Meowth went off in the direction they were instructed to go, he took Jessie's hand and they set off on their way. Growlie walked up in front, making sure that he protected his human friends. Jessie, having been silent until now, spoke up when they were pretty far down the trail.

  "James, are you sure that Ben will be all right by himself?"

  "Don't be such a worrywort, Jess," said James. "Besides, he's a big boy and he can take care of himself! Meowth is with him, plus his Vulpix and Flareon, so I'm positive that he'll be well-protected!"

  "You're right," said Jessie. "Maybe I shouldn't worry about it so much! I mean, he could use his Pokemon in case he does run into any sort of danger out there!"

  Just then, before James could answer her, Growlie howled and ran off, as if he had caught the scent of something nearby. Jessie and James took off after him and when they finally caught up with him, they saw him sniffing at some strange object hanging from a tree.

  "Growlie, you silly mutt," said James in a scolding voice. "You led us all the way out here just so you can sniff at this thing? I thought you actually found something, boy!"

  "Growlithe (It smells very appetizing to me!)."

  "I don't care if it smells repulsive to you," said James. "This is a complete waste of time! Plus, Ben and Meowth will be disappointed if we're not back at the rendezvous point!"

  Growlie continued to sniff at the object and then, he decided to try and eat it. He pulled on it with his mouth, which then caused a net to close around him, Jessie, and James.

  "It was a trap," said Jessie. "Whatever that thing was, it was bait! I can't believe that Growlie would actually lead us to a trap!"

  "The question is," said James. "Who would be that sneaky to set a trap in the middle of nowhere? Do you think it could be the handiwork of some prankster?"

  "Oh, honestly, James," said Jessie. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

  "It was just an assumption," said James. "Of course, I don't really know who would do a thing like this, especially when we never did anything wrong!"

  The answer came when they all came crashing down to the forest floor. When they recovered from the fall, they found out who the mysterious trapper was. There stood a young girl of about twelve years old with long, silky, blond hair and dazzling hazel eyes. She wore the clothes of a medieval peasant, which struck them as a curious thing.

  "I'm sorry I did that to you," she said. "But, this forest is very sacred to my people, and I must protect it against poachers!"
  "Pardon me, young lady," said Jessie. "But, could you tell us who you are and where we are?"
  "I'm Princess Marilyn," said the girl. "And this is the land of Pikachuia!"
  "Pikachuia?" said James. "I never heard of such a place!"

  "If you're a princess," said Jessie. "Why aren't you wearing a crown and a gown? Those clothes you're wearing aren't exactly clothes that a real princess would wear!"

  "I was exiled several months ago by my uncle, the cruel Lord Erik," said Marilyn. "My older sister, Dominique and I fled from the castle when he took over! But, my twin brother, Vincent, wasn't so lucky!"

  "Your uncle usurped the castle?" said James. "But, why would he do such a thing?"

  "I'm afraid it's because he's learned about the Silver Pikachu," said Marilyn. "Which is why I have to protect the forest! You see, just beyond where my cottage is, there's a meadow where the wild Pikachu live! They are led by an older Pikachu whose fur is made of pure silver!"

  "Silver Pikachu?" said Jessie. "I always thought that it was only a legend! My mother used to tell me the story when I was a little girl! Of course, that was before she died! I never knew that the story was true!"

  "To some, it's a legend," said Marilyn. "But, to others, the Silver Pikachu is real! That's why this place is called Pikachuia, in honor of the Silver Pikachu!"

  "Tell me, Marilyn," said Jessie. "Where exactly is the castle?"
  "Back toward the west!"

  "Oh, no," said James. "And that's where Ben and Meowth are headed! Jessie, we've got to do something! Even with the power of his Vulpix and Flareon combined, he could get hurt out there!"

  "The Silver Pikachu can protect him," said Marilyn. "Whenever anyone is in danger, the Silver Pikachu comes and magically evolves into the Golden Raichu!"

  Then, not waiting for a reply, she added, "You never told me your names! I told you mine, and I never asked for yours! I do apologize for that! I get carried away sometimes!"

  "Well," said Jessie. "I'm Jessie, this is my boyfriend, James, and the Growlithe at his side is Growlie!"

  "Now that we've got that covered," said Marilyn. "We'll have to find a way to defeat my uncle and save my brother! And I might even help you get back to your world!"

  "How'd you know we were from another world?" said James. "We never told you!"
  "Not only am I a princess," said Marilyn. "But, I'm also a psychic!"

  "If you're a psychic," said Jessie. "Then, is it possible that you're the ancestor of a psychic Pokemon trainer named Sabrina, who's also the gym leader at the Saffron City gym?"

  "Yes, I am," said Marilyn. "In fact, Saffron City is here!"

  "You mean Pikachuia is actually Saffron City?" James was quite puzzled. How could a small, medieval place such as Pikachuia actually be Saffron City?

  "Never mind that now," said Jessie. "We have to defeat that Lord Erik! Whatever he's got planned for Pikachuia, not to mention the Silver Pikachu, it can't be good! If we're lucky, we may be able to save Ben and Meowth!"

  Meanwhile, Ben and Meowth were still on their journey. They hadn't seen very much of anything and were about to turn back when there came a rustling in the bushes.

  "Meowth," said Ben. "I hear something!"
  "Me too," said Meowth. "What do you think it is?"
  "I don't know," said Ben. "But, whatever it is, I have a feeling that we'll find out soon enough!"
  Out of the bushes came a Pikachu whose fur was pure silver. Both Ben and Meowth were mystified at seeing such a creature.

  "A silver Pikachu?" said Meowth once he had found his voice. "But, that can't be! I always thought that Pikachu were supposed to be yellow! I've never seen a silver one before!"

  "I've never seen a silver one either," said Ben. "But, I did hear about a silver Pikachu in a legend that Dr. Madison told me a long time ago, back when I was a little kid! She told me that there was place known as Pikachuia, which was named in the Silver Pikachu's honor!"

  Before Meowth could reply, the pair found themselves, as well as the Silver Pikachu, surrounded by a pack of Growlithe. They were joined by a bunch of armored men led by a robed figure.

  "I see I have some intruders," said the leader. "And it appears that they found the Silver Pikachu for me!"
  "Who are you?" said Ben. "And what are you talking about?"

  "I am Lord Erik, the ruler of Pikachuia! You, my boy, are traspassing on my kingdom! I will let you go only if you give me the Silver Pikachu! I must warn you, should you refuse, I'll have my hounds on you before you can blink!"

  "I don't think we have a choice, Ben," said Meowth. "Unless you want to end up as Growlithe food, I suggest do what he says!"

  "What if he decides to sic these Growlithe on us anyway?" said Ben. "You know you can't trust a guy like this completely, Meowth! I don't have a reason to trust him, and neither should you!"

  "But, he said..."
  "Never mind what he said," said Ben. "Just follow my lead, okay? I always have Fireball and Arson to protect me!"

  Marilyn, Jessie, James, and Growlie arrived on the scene in the nick of time, along with Marilyn's sister, Dominique. Ben was relieved that the reinforcements had come to their rescue. The Silver Pikachu then magically evolved into the Golden Raichu, which was powerful enough to defeat Lord Erik and his men, thereby freeing the Growlithe pack from his control.

  "What took you guys so long?" said Ben after it was over. "I thought I was a goner for sure!"

  "We got a little detained," said James. "But, in any case, I'm so glad that you weren't hurt, Ben! I was worried about you the whole time!"

  "The kingdom of Pikachuia is safe once again," said Dominique. "Thanks to some last minute efforts by our own Silver Pikachu, I almost thought that we didn't stand a chance against Uncle Erik!"

  "As a token of our gratitude," said Marilyn. "We'll help you return to your world!"
  "Thank you, Marilyn," said Jessie. "We're very grateful!"

  "Oh, great," said Ben, rolling his eyes. "Don't tell me that we have click our heels together three times and repeat, 'There's no place like home' over and over again!"

  Dominique chuckled. "No, nothing like that! But, since Marilyn and I are psychics, we'll teleport you back to your world! We'll never forget you! Who knows? Maybe there will even be a legend about you someday!"

  "It's a lovely thought," said James, putting his arms around Jessie's waist. "It might even include two lovers who risked their lives to save an entire kingdom!"

  Marilyn and Dominique then used their powers to teleport the three humans and the two Pokemon back to where they were before the whole adventure got started.

  "Man, that was awesome," said Ben. "I kind of thought that Marilyn was kind of cute! Which reminds me, I have a bit of a confession to make!"

  "Really?" said James. "Well, what is it, Ben?"

  "The truth of the matter is, I'm sort of jealous of you, James," said Ben. "Whenever I see you and Jessie hugging and kissing, I feel sort of alone because you guys have each other, and there's no one for me yet!"

  "Give it time, Ben," said Jessie, putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "You're young! I'm sure that you'll find the right girl for
  you someday! Right now, just be patient and let things work themselves out!"

  "Thanks, Jess," said Ben. "I knew you'd understand!"

  Growlie licked him affectionately and Ben returned it by stroking the puppy Pokemon's fur. Jessie then took the initiative, pulled James close to her, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Meowth sighed to himself as he watched this unfold before his feline eyes. He knew that someday, Ben would find himself a girlfriend who would love him. But, for now, the right time would just have to wait.