Chapter Five

"When we were young our futures were so bright- 
The old neighborhood was so alive.
And every kid of the whole damn street 
was gonna make it big and not be beat.
Now the neighborhood is cracked and torn, 
The kids are grown up but their lives are worn 
How can one little street swallow so many lives?"

-The Kids Aren't Alright, Offspring


Gary folded his arms contemptuously over his chest, deep brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. He obviously 
had one thing and only one thing on his mind, and that was the crumpled form that lay ragged against its 
bounds, weary but not broken after an hour of interrogating.

Misty had tried to convince him, tell him what he was doing was wrong. But Gary stood, relentless, 
unforgiving, a callous look in his face that he only reserved for battles. This was a battle, Misty supposed. 
A very personal one, especially for Gary.

Ever since the Rockets had begun to expand out to control the public and affect political influence, few 
dared to even /leave/ their house without consolation from a Rocket member. The entire situation 
reminded Misty of the old Mafia movies she had watched, the badly-cast black-and-white films that were 
only set in the most scummy of areas. Now it was happening in reality, in the very city where she stood as 
gym leader and guardian of citizens. 

They had been bitter years, starting from when Ash first left, and the Rockets beginning to take control of 
almost everything, leading up to her present situation. Her heart had encased itself in a cold hard shell, 
hidden away so it might not affect any decisions she made by head. Especially in her present situation, 
working for the only company that still restrained Team Rocket's actions- Silph Co. Still, she had to strain 
to keep her eyes from watering as she watched Ash being questioned, leaving halfway through it.

Now he was conscious enough to lift his head, glaring hatred at his captor. Gary's face remained as frigid 
as it was humanly possible to be. The brown-haired man impatiently tapped fingers against the elbow they 
were folded over. 

"Maybe you'll try telling the truth this time. Now- who sent you to destroy Pallet?"

Ash leaned forward as far as he could, eyes narrowed with frustration. "I told you I /don't know/! For the 
last damn time, /I'm telling the truth/!"

Gary sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in exasperation, his cold mask falling as he allowed his 
frustration to take over. Turning to Misty, he asked, "d'you think he'll last another hour?"

Misty shifted uncomfortably. "Somehow, Gary, I actually think he's telling the truth." She cringed, 
expecting negative results of her statement. 

To her surprise, Gary smiled. "Yeah, I kinda figured. Ash was always too dense to think of lying under a 
situation like this." He sighed again, and released a Venomoth from his belt. "Venomoth, knock him out 
with Sleep Powder." 

Misty watched as iridescent, shifting powder drifted from Venomoth's fragile wings. Ash struggled a 
little, but resistance was futile to such a powerful attack. Soon, his head sagged down and his eyes closed 
in sleep.



/Drip... drip.../

/Drip... drip... drip.../

He opened an eye, annoyed at the repetitive, hollow sound that echoed in his ears, like the Chinese water 
torture. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the damp unpleasant sound.

/Where am I... now...?/

Damn Sabrina and her Haunter. They'd gotten him and beat the living shit out of him just to get an 
answer that wasn't there... he sat up, taking in his surroundings. The usual stereotype prison, with a 
barred window that threw strange, twisted shadows against the drab gray walls. Water dripped from 
somewhere above... it was becoming very irritable...

Suddenly, Ash sat up cold. Where was Raichu? They'd taken Raichu, hadn't they?

/If they hurt it... who knows what they'll do to it... these people aren't the ones I knew... back then.../

Uneasily, he checked what he had. They'd stripped him of his Pokeballs and vest, probably figuring that 
there may be dangers hidden in them. His backpack was gone, too. Quickly, Ash plunged his hand into 
his pocket and almost smiled in relief. His backup Pokeball was still there... but he hadn't checked what 
was in it in so long. Suppose it was empty?

Grimly, Ash determined that there was only one way to find out. Enlarging the sphere, he pressed the 
release button. Light flashed, igniting the cell in brightness, then faded to reveal a gently sleeping sleek-
furred creature. Ash grinned, and bent down to wake the thing up.

"Tired, Sneasel?" He whispered. "C'mon. I need you to cut me a way out..."



"Nothing," Gary repeated, shaking his head slowly. He paced the length of the office, agitated.

The man that he was speaking to did not seem pleased. He remained silent for a few minutes as Gary grew 
nervous. Finally, a deep, graveled voice said,

"It was to be expected, I guess. Foolish of us- of /me/- ever thinking that he would know what he was 
doing."

Gary looked up in surprise at his boss, Tracey Sketchit, the cold, almost arrogant man that had lead him 
for years. This didn't sound like the leader of Silph Co. At least, not from where he stood.

"Your surprised." Tracy's tone was that of an amused adult talking to a young child who had discovered 
something for the first time. "You don't know Ash as I did."

A look of even more astonishment washed over Gary's face as Tracy chuckled. "Go now," he said. "All 
that could be done was. We must wait for the Rockets to make the next move- and doubtless they will, 
because we hold their own trump card in our hands."



The apartment that Silph Co. provided was originally cold and drab, so Misty could not have helped but 
spruce it up with a little decor. A comfortable old couch here... some tasseled pillows there.. and her 
sisters had said she had no sense of style? Content that she had done a worthwhile day's of work, Misty 
sank down in the couch, letting out a sigh. Perhaps she would visit the outdoor pool, now that she had a 
day off, see how her Pokemon were doing. 

Suddenly, her calm thoughts were disrupted by the phone ringing. Misty stopped a curse in mid-breath 
and rose to answer it. 

"Hello?"

It was Gary, and he sounded worried.

"Did you have Ash put in a cell?"

"Yeah, 442-B. We've got it on the data tracks, too."

"Well, you'd better check again." Gary's voice was grim. Misty felt herself shaking.

"H-he got out? H-how?"

"Not how. The bars were cut, obviously by a Pokemon," came the terse answer. "Probably a Scyther or 
somethin'. Listen to me, Misty. We /have/ to find him. Chances are he's looking for Raichu, and I put 
extra security around the area where it's hidden. Ash has a Pokemon with him, remember. Assemble a 
team."

"What are you gonna do?" Misty could not help but ask.

Gary's voice was quiet and devoid of all emotion, cold as the smoke off dry ice. "Joining the Rockets to see 
if I can dig into their tracks. Boss' orders."


Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or anything that has to do with it. Also, I am not affiliated in any way 
with Offspring. I don't own them. I'm just borrowing a quote!