Author - Chibi/Warlordess

Disclaimer - I don't own Pokemon, but the idea of this fic was my own, minus the influence from such crime drama's as "Cold Case", "CSI", and "Law and Order".

Summary - The only witness to the homicide of Rose Williams, the eight year old girl hid the evidence left behind and took on a new identity. . . As Misty Waterflower. Now she is forced to confront her mother's murderer with only a few friends at her side. Will they survive? AAMR.

Warning - Contains sexual references and displays, graphic violence, etc. Rated 'M' for mature themes.

Warning 2.0 – Actually, I thought that I’d just say. . . This chapter is probably the lightest of the entire fic. Rated alone, I’d give this part. . . A PG-13 to PG-16 rating. Don’t worry, though. You’ll see a lot of bloody action in the next chapter. Er. . . You’ll read it, anyway. Also, a very small hint of Handymanshipping at the beginning of the chapter. Lol.

OoOoO

Title - Illicit Saints

Chapter One

OoO

Characters / Ages –

Misty 17

Ash 16

Brock 20

May 13

Max 10

OoOoO

By the next day, her arm had swollen red, making it extremely difficult for her to undress before using the ferry's shower in her room extension. There were also bruises forming on her chest because of the Rocket's attempted sexual assault. There was a lump growing on the back of her head from the impact it made to the linoleum gym floor.

The boat she was on would take five days (including today) to reach Littleroot, hometown of Professor Birch. Besides Professor Oak, this man was the one that Ash and May kept in contact so often, meaning that he'd probably have an idea of where they were in their journey. So Misty would hopefully be able to learn that they were close by and she'd be caught up with them in a matter of days at the most.

Unti then, there were only a few things that she could do. . .

"Go. . . ! Politoad, Corsola, Psyduck, Seadra, Dewgong, Gyarados. . . !" The group of Pokemon landed in the fresh water of the deck swimming pool and growled or cooed accordingly, "You guys hang out there and behave yourselves. I have to make a phone-call."

She walked past all of the other trainers and tourists in general and came upon the public vid-phone. After depositing the amount of money needed to access the operator and make a phone-call, she entered the information.

"Yes, hello. . . I'm trying to reach Professor Samual Oak of Pallet Town, Kanto Region?"

"Identity successfully confirmed; would you like me to patch you through?" Came a feminine voice from the receiver.

"That would be great; thanks." There was a click and the ringing started up again. This time a male voice answered the line and a familiar face caught her attention.

"Hello, Prof. Oak's lab in Pallet. This is Tracey Sketchit speaking. How may I help you?"

"Tracey? Hi; it's me, Misty." One of the first true smiles in a long while graced her face at the sight of her old friend.

"Misty, wow. Usually it's your sister that calls me up." They both laughed until the redhead found the good nature in herself to blush embarrassedly.

"Um, sorry, but I'm sorta in a hurry. You see, I'm on my way to Hoenn. I'm hoping to meet up with Ash and the others and, well, I can't get in contact with my sisters. . ." Misty stopped talking for a moment, hoping that he'd catch on by himself but there seemed to be no such luck, ". . .Well, Daisy is the only one that I can trust with my Pokemon, besides the Professor. . ."

"Oh, well, I'm not sure about him taking your Pokemon for awhile. Maybe you should talk to him about it. Do you want me to get him for you?" After she nodded, he rose from his seat and turned away, calling for his mentor.

"Why, hello Misty; what can I do for you?" The Prof. smiled warmly at the girl before him, "I hope that you're well - wait. . . What happened to your arm?" Peaked with curiosity, Tracey appeared onscreen once again.

"Oh, uh, this? It's nothing, really. . ."

"But, Misty, it’s all red and swollen. . . Were you stung or bitten or something? It looks infected. . ." Tracey stepped in.

"Oh, well, thank you for that perfectly professional analysis, Mr. Obvious. . ." Misty muttered.

Tracey, not deterred by the girls’ attitude, smiled sheepishly at her and stood back behind the Professor again.

"Well, are you sure that you should be traveling while you’re injured like that--?"

"--I’m fine! Eck, I’m sorry but I needed to talk to you, Professor. . ." Misty stated pointedly, and Tracey exited the picture, getting the idea, ". . .Okay, um, I was just hoping. . . Well, I’m on my way to Hoenn but, uh, I can’t locate my sisters because they’re on one of their cruises. . . The thing is, I had to close down the gym and take all of the Pokemon with me. . ."

"Oh, my. . . You know that traveling with more than six Pokemon without a permit is illegal."

"Yea, that’s why I was hoping that you’d be able to take them and keep them at the lab for awhile. . ."

"I’m sorry, Misty, but since you didn’t begin training under my Beginners’ Program. . . Minus Gym Leaders, all trainers must have a regional Pokemon Expert accept them and assign them a Pokedex in order for the system to work. . . But if you could swing on over here, I could easily allow you to take the Trainers’ examination with some of the other beginners. . ."

"I – I can’t. . . I’m already on the ferry and I can’t risk – I mean. . . It’s sort of impossible to turn back now. . . Please, Prof. Oak. . . I need you to do this for me; it’s really important. . ."

"Misty, is there something that you’re not telling me?" The look in the Professors eyes was suddenly fatherly, almost possessive enough to draw her in, but she stood strong.

". . .No; no, there’s nothing. But if there was and I wasn’t telling you now, you know that it would be for good reason, don’t you? I mean, you know that I can be trusted. . ."

There was a sigh and then, "Of course. . . But if you’re in trouble, just know that--"

"--I have people that I can depend on; I know. . . So can you help me?" She smiled and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Give me a moment. . ." He turned away and began shuffling around, making small noises. Then he looked back at her and grinned, "Check your personal deposit box on the PC panel; you’ll find a small gift. Call it a late birthday present." He winked at her, making her blink.

"Wait; how did you know. . . ?"

"Let’s just say that word gets around, especially between certain trainers and Professor aids." A wink.

"--You don’t mean Ash, do you?" She quirked an eyebrow disbelievingly.

"I won’t say another thing without my attorney." He joked, but there was a beep coming from somewhere behind him, "Well, I’d love to converse awhile longer with you but, most unfortunately, that signifies that my research is still in need of being finished. Be sure to treat and re-bandage that arm, alright?"

"Yea, yea; don’t worry about it, Prof. And thanks so much for. . . Whatever it is. . . That you sent me."

"I’m sure that you’ll appreciate it. Goodbye, Misty." The line went dead.

Misty turned to an opposite wall and leant into the seat next to the PC, then began typing in her private password so that she could access her traveling things. A list popped up on-screen, listing certain items in chronological order from the oldest placement, forward.

The last one was labeled "Oak’s Poke-Permit."

Misty almost sighed with relief at the sight of the article as she clicked on the ‘withdrawal’ option and it appeared in the deposit box. She took hold of it and stared as though the very existence of it had saved her life, and smiled softly at the knowledge in her hand.

She ran out to the deck, pulled out her Pokeballs, and called back her friends before running up a couple of flights of stairs into her bedroom so that she could change her clothes and bandages and get some sleep.

Once she reached Littleroot Town Harbor, she’d head to Professor Birch’s laboratory and request May’s address in Petalburg. From there, she’d ask the Hoenn girls’ parents about their daughter’s where-abouts and, hopefully, by doing that, she’d be able to locate her friends. And Ash.

And, with those thoughts of reacquaintance in mind, Misty found herself dropping off to sleep for the first time in two days.

OoO

Almost half a week later, the ferry was pulling into Littleroot Town Harbor. Misty, sighing almost as though thoroughly convinced that something pertaining to her fate was about to go awry, headed towards the mainland, her bag over her shoulder, six Pokeballs tied to her waist, and her wounds wrapped or concealed in any way that they could be.

It was only 7:50 a.m., the sun was just peaking over the horizon, so she hadn’t bothered a lot with her appearance, even though she would soon be in the presence of one of the greatest scientific minds on Earth. Her hair was loose and lanky, hanging down past her neck. She’d thrown whatever clothes she could find on, resulting in a goldenrod tube-top overriding her old violet-red suspenders, which were hooked to the belt straps of her torn jeans-shorts. A/N: Yes, I do have a pic of what she’d look like in this outfit, for those who wouldn’t mind seeing it… Email me or say so in your review (although I dunno if that’ll work) if you’re interested. The last addition to her ensemble were a pair of rubber-soled, leather high-top boots. There was a sports watch on one wrist, and a hair scrunchie on the other.

She couldn’t help feeling awkward about being back in Hoenn. It was only her second time so she didn’t necessarily know the terrain, and she’d pretty much taken the fastest route to wherever Ash had been last time, without making any pit stops.

Her wounds brought a lot of attention upon her, as well. She hadn’t wrapped her arm in a sling, but she had used some gauze and an Ace elastic wrap material. To be frank, it just wasn’t a subtle accessory.

She approached the large dome-topped building and marched up the first set of stone steps to the front doors. A few stray Pokemon wandered around the pathway, which she avoided by jumping a few paces at a time. There was also a couple of research assistants running around with clipboards. She could feel at least one pair of eyes on her back, watching her as she strived forward.

The doors swung upon and she entered the main lobby.

"Excuse me; Um, I need to see Prof. Birch; it’s about one of his starter trainers from a couple of years ago."

One of the researchers turned to face her with a slightly suspicious air about him.

"Well, if you want information on them I’m afraid only he has access to the files. He’s rather busy at the moment, but he should be coming down for coffee and breakfast in about forty-five minutes; I’ll announce your presence if you think that you can wait." The man in the white lab coat removed his thick glasses and wiped them clean as he looked her over.

"Um. . . Yea, sure. I can go and get something to eat in the meantime." Misty stated embarrassedly, not comfortable with the visual search, "The name is Misty. . . Misty Waterflower. I’m the current official Gym Leader of Cerulean City, Kanto."

"Oh, yes; well, if that’s true, he’ll definitely make time for you." He sounded as if he doubted anything Misty had to say would turn out to be sincere.

She quirked an eyebrow, "And why do you think that it wouldn’t be true? All I need is the address to a Hoenn starter trainer native to the city of Petalburg. Do you really think that I’d have to lie about my identity for that?"

The man, who seemed to jump a bit after she didn’t prove to be intimidated by his profile, replaced his glasses and spoke in the strongest tone he could muster, "Look, Miss, if you don’t have any type of photographic identification, we can’t be positive of who you are or who you’re not; and with organizations like Teams Aqua, Magma, and Rocket. . ." Misty almost visibly flinched but she held it in, ". . .out there, wreaking havoc. . ."

". . .Right; sorry. It’s just that I’m from Kanto, I guess, so Aqua and Magma aren’t even familiar to me. . . Um. . . Well, I don’t have anything on me that will tell you who I am, like a Pokedex, but if you contact Professor Oak at his lab in Pallet Town, he can vouch for me as a reference."

"That should be simple enough to verify, then. . . If you can give us a half-an-hour to check that out and see to that fact, we can most likely get you an appointment soon after."

"Alright; thanks. I’m just going to head into town for something to eat. I haven’t had anything decent in almost a week. I’ll try and be back in about twenty minutes." And, with that, she headed back through the doors and stepped into the clear, crisp day.

It was true that the boating food was less than humane, especially with the constant scent of fish around. At this point, any person would be delusional enough to find pleasure in a cheeseburger and fries smothered in grease, no matter how early in the day it was (not that Misty was actually thinking of ordering that).

"Hello, Miss; may I take your order?"

"Oh, yea. . . Pancakes, please, and an orange juice. That’s all." Misty handed the menu back to the woman standing in the apron before her, smiled, and then looked outside through the window next to the booth.

She had no idea how she was going to approach Ash, May, and the others about her situation. She hadn’t even really thought about bringing it up. . . But now, somehow, she had this feeling that it wasn’t going to be avoidable. It wasn’t like they had any idea about what happened at the gym but, well, it was highly doubtful that Giovanni or the other organized executives would forget the fact that she was holding such evidence as a promoted piece of private weaponry. That being known, they definitely wouldn’t be leaving her alone.

Anyway she looked at it led her to the conclusion that she’d have to tell her story. . . And that meant involving them in an obviously life-threatening situation.

The sound of the bell on the main entrance awoke her from her reverie and, due to natural curiosity, she faced the general direction of the counter where a group of hatted and sheltered beings were talking to a confused cashier.

They exchanged some words and then one of the figures lifted and extended their arm to show a small piece of paper to the person in front of them. Said person, in turn, nodded affirmatively and pointed towards the corner Misty sat in.

She blinked and let out a slight gasp before grabbing her red back and ducking under the table. She hadn’t even been on the run for five days and Team Rocket was already on her tail? How could they have even guessed where she’d disappeared to, region-wise?

Her heart fluttering in a mad panic, Misty chose a Pokeball and called out a friend.

"Go. . . Seadra!" The Pokemon hit the floor and Misty made her next move, "Use Hydro Pump on the floor!" To create a mass confusion with the appearance of something like an overflowing sink and escape back to the lab in order to get the address for May’s family was the spur-of-the-moment plan . . . What she wouldn’t give for a flying Pokemon at the moment.

Seadra released a spurt of water onto the floor and Misty heard the sound of people start crying out about ruined shoes and the like almost immediately. More than five people reached their feet to retreat outside the restaurant, distracting the overly-clothed strangers formerly advancing on her booth.

She tore herself from underneath the table, slipping as she rose to her feet, withdrew her Seadrea into its Pokeball, and ran to the back section of the restaurant.

(The front was dedicated to non-smokers, the back to those pro of the habit, and the middle for the main counter, kitchen, and restrooms.)

Misty managed to crawl around the smokers section without much immediate suspicion since she passed as a confused or lost child to most of the consumers, and then she snuck out the entrance, passing as one of those trying to escape the water flow.

She quickly sat below the window to situate herself, as she knew that the Rockets would most-likely look through the entire restaurant before moving beyond its walls. She reached into her bad and pulled out a few things including a jacket with a hood to help her hide her face if needed, the Pokemon Handling Permit from Prof. Oak, and the rest of her Pokemon, to attach them to her belt. She arranged the permit in her jacket pocket and placed the jacket over her shoulders before reaching her feet again and dashing towards Prof. Birch’s lab, her bag trailing at her side.

She rushed up the stairs and through the doors, taking a few deep breaths and trying not to look too windswept. She dusted herself off and looked around for the assistant she’d talked to before. A sudden tap on the shoulder made her jump into the air and snap around.

"—Oh, there you are, Miss. Um, is there something wrong?" It would’ve helped her case if she didn’t keep darting her eyes towards the window to see if any of the obvious Rockets pursuing her had caught onto her trail.

"Um, no, not really. . . So, uh, did I get clearance from Prof. Oak?"

"Yes, Miss Waterflower, about that. . . Since I had no way of detailing your appearance to him, we agreed that the permit he gave to you on the ferry from Cerulean the other day would be proof enough. Could you show me that?"

Misty hurriedly shoved her hands into her pocket and drew out the laminated sheet of cardboard paper and shoved it under his nose. Though affronted, he gave a curt nod.

"Very well. . ." He went over to a personal secretaries desk and shared a short whispered conversation with the woman there before she picked up the phone in front of her and pressed a few buttons, then spoke into the receiver.

After she’d finished, she exchanged a few more statements with the assistant, who then walked back over to Misty.

"He’ll be down shortly to see you—"

"—No! I-I have to see him now! I mean, haven’t you made me wait long enough? I just need an address to a friends’ place, after all; May Beech?"

"May Beech, daughter of Norman and Caroline? Why not just head to Petalburg Gym?" Came a new voice from the background, and the lab researcher stepped back and made way for a larger, heartier man with sharply cropped burgundy hair, "You must be Misty Waterflower."

"Yea; that’s me. Erm, sorry about the whole shouting thing; eh heh. . ."

"It’s alright to get frustrated, Miss Waterflower. Now, about May Beech’s address. It’s really not that hard to remember. It’ll be that excessively large building in the center of Petalburg City with the huge sign plastered besides it, saying, ‘Petalburg City Pokemon Gym’. No numbers or street involved." He laughed cheerily and Misty hastily joined in.

"Uh, yea, thanks. Er, well, I gotta go."

"Oh, wait--! I just got an idea!" Professor Birch lightly punched one of his fists into his other open hand and a newly justified smile flitted over his face, "Could you come with me for a few moments?"

"I-I guess that I could. . ." After another quick, fleeting glance through the window, she followed the tall authority up a small wooden staircase and into an office.

"Welcome to my domain, Misty. I have here. . ." And, with that statement started, the man picked up a large but travel-light object, ". . .A beginning trainers’ acceptance package, containing the standard PokeNav. Max Beech, May’s younger brother, has just had his tenth birthday and already picked his Pokemon. Unfortunately, when he was here to receive his parcel at the time, it hadn’t yet arrived, and he was forced to go back home to Petalburg and wait for me to send it to him. He’d requested it earlier on so that he could study the make-shift, but now it’s critical that I give it to him, as he’s already ninety percent ready to start his journey."

"So you want me to hand the package over to him directly, is that it?" She quirked an eyebrow as she asked the next question that came to mind, "Why not just use FedEx?"

"Well, I could, but wouldn’t this be just as easy? Plus, if you do me this favor, I’ll give you one as well; as a token of my thanks."

"But, wait, I distinctly remember Max being the member of Ash’s group to hold onto their PokeNav. . . If he already owns one, then why. . . ?"

"—Oh, well, about two months ago, Max went back home to study up for his beginners’ exam. His dream is to take over the family gym so he hoped to learn some tactics and things last minute under his father’s care. Before he left the group, he gave his PokeNav to his sister so that she, Ash, and Brock could travel without getting lost every hour of every day. . ." Prof. Birch chuckled.

". . .It sounds like you know Ash pretty well, at the very least. . . Anyway, about this PokeNav. . . I’ve never even had the mandatory PokeDex so I’m not sure I could make it work. . ."

"Oh; it’s pretty basic. The newest model includes a Pokemon data system much like that of the PokeDex, a map of the Hoenn, Jhoto, and Kanto regions with coordinating precision. . ."

"What’s that mean?"

"It means that you can be tracked down by your friends if both of you have your Nav’s on you. You just need to give them the model’s identification number and they can use the video portion of their system to find your exact position, depending on if you have yours on you. It tracks the Nav, not the person holding it, after all. It’s pretty useful when traveling. The map itself marks every town, Poke Center, landmark. . . The list goes on. Other qualities that the PokeNav has are simple things such as an alarm clock, a cell phone, a radio. . . It’s a replacement for the late PokeGear."

"Oh. . . Uh, right. Um, well, do you remember updating the version Max gave his sister? I mean, ever? It’s just that, since, in the end, I wanna end up with them, using our PokeNav’s to keep in contact would be the best plan."

"Yes, I did. Unfortunately, that version of the Nav is available at any retail shop and so I never took down its I.D. However, Max must have registered it, otherwise the update would have been denied in the first place. And for that, he’d need the number. Perhaps you could get it from him after you give him his beginners’ package?"

"Actually, yes; fine. I have no other way of finding Ash’s location. . ."

"Hmm, is there a reason why you’re trying so hard to find Ash in particular?"

Misty blinked, sputtered, then blinked again.

"Wha-! No! What are you implying. . . ! That’s it; I’m going. . ." Misty packed the two Nav’s into her bag and then stomped away in a huff, "Don’t worry, Professor! You can count on me. . . !"

After shuffling downstairs in what could have been perceived as a ‘blind rage’, she calmed down long enough to manage a long view of the outside lawn. A part of her seemed overwhelmingly terrified, almost paranoid.

"If I start twitching, I swear. . ." Misty ran outside and tumbled down the lawn, tearing into the wood beside the main road and along the hairline in toe to the edge of town, "Maybe I should put that gift to use. . ."

She backed away from the trail and sat down on a fallen log so that she could pull the Nav out of its box. It was almost portable, or just barely too large to fit snugly into May’s fanny-pack, but it was thin enough to be clipped comfortably to a belt. It looked clearly adequate to work; the primary functions could be handled by pressing a single button. And the touch-screen enabled plenty of easy-access sub-menus.

"Simple enough. . ." And she pressed the mapping sequence.

An elaborate formation became planted onto the monitor, with a key/legend in the upper-right corner. The blue squares signified the many towns or cities in the region, the yellow ‘X’s pointed to the landmarks, the ‘P’s were the Poke Centers, and the large red blinking dot was Misty’s own position. A smaller red dot was situated on the map, currently immobile back in Littleroot. Misty pressed it, confused, and a magnifying glass appeared on the town’s icon, and it amplified so that the map changed from one projecting all of Hoenn to one centered on the rural area she’d just run from.

"Whoa. . . This is very. . ." Her comment was cut off by a group of new voices.

"The Taillow Watcher said that the last person to head out of town in this direction was a female around 5’ 5’’, slouching in a pink jacket. She avoided the main road, according to him, so we should spend a good amount of our time searching the land around here."

Misty’s jaw dropped as she picked up her bag and stuffed the Nav with her other things. She moved to pick up the instruction manual and the box, but, next thing she knew, the bushes barely six feet away from her began shuffling.

"Ugh, God. . . No way. . . !" She tumbled slightly and dropped the box, and, too terrified to pick it up again, she took of further down the path and away from Littleroot, "What. . . should. . . I do. . .!" She gasped.

She had been speeding along the trails’ side for almost ten minutes before she dashed behind a tree and caught her breath. She didn’t know how to fend for herself at the moment. She could travel as fast as possible to the next town, or she could stop here and now to try and get Team Rocket off her back so that she wouldn’t have to talk to Ash, May, and Brock about her problem in the middle or a Team Rocket raid. . .

She decided that moving was the best plan; there was no way she’d be able to take on more than a few members of her fathers’ army at once, after all. . . And so, she continued on.

Misty didn’t stop to sleep all afternoon, day, long. She walked through the night, only allowing herself three hours of napping rest up in the strongest and largest branches of a willow tree, setting her Nav-alarm to make positive that she was up before the sun.

After waking from her rest, she pulled an apple out of her bag, not having any time to risk a real meal, and took a chance to listen for the sounds of the Rockets searching through the woods. After she was clear that no one was around, she started eating and striding in large steps, continuing to Petalburg.

Three hours of sleep wasn’t very sufficient per night, but it did get her into town and down the street to the gym. It was large, with a homing extension much like that of her own place in Cerulean. As was to be expected, the gym itself looked much more widely respected than hers.

She was about to walk inside when she changed her mind. She wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or something else, but she soon found herself at the Pokemon Center.

"Why, hello Miss! Would you like me to heal your Pokemon?" Chirped the Nurse Joy standing behind the counter in the trainers’ lobby.

"Um. . . You know what? That’s probably the best idea at this time. . . Nothing’s really wrong with them; they should just be a little tired and hungry, so do you think that you could just give ‘em a quick check-up?" With a smile and a nod, Nurse Joy took Misty’s Pokeballs and turned around to begin her work, but she frowned.

"I’m sorry, but you do realize that you’re in possession of over the legal amount of Pokemon in your party, don’t you?"

"Oh! Right; sorry. . . Here. . ." Misty flashed her permit which allowed the grin to return to the attendant’s face and the redhead sighed with relief before another voice called out to her.

"Wow, Misty; is that you?" An excited voice. . .

"Um. . ." She looked behind her and found a boy with glasses, long black hair, and a handful of Pokeballs smiling widely at her, "Max, is that you?" She hoped to God that it was. . .

"Yeah! Wow, then I was right! I already knew that, though. . ." He stepped forward and placed the Pokeballs on the counter for Nurse Joy to attend to.

"Hey, wait. . . Those can’t be yours. Prof. Birch said that you hadn’t started your journey yet. . ."

"Oh, you’ve met Prof. Birch? No; those belong to my father. Since I’m starting my journey soon, he trusts me to handle his Pokemon. . . Er, at least when I’m just taking them to Nurse Joy. So, what are you doing here? I mean, it’s not like Ash is in town. . . But if you talked to the Prof., you should know that."

". . .Oh, uh, I do," Misty laughed, slightly embarrassed. She was so tired at this point that she’d almost fallen asleep standing there, "Actually, I’m here to give you. . ." She pulled out her bag and began rummaging inside before pulling out the Nav, unopened, and handing it to him, ". . .this. . . And I wanted to ask you—"

"Oh, wow! Thanks Misty! I’ve been waiting almost a month for this! Now I can prepare for my journey and take off in a couple of days!" After hopping up and down a few times, he finally remembered that other people were in the room, "Um. . . Heh, heh.. . . So, you wanted something else. . . ?"

"Yea; Prof. Birch told me that you gave your sister your old PokeNav before coming back home. . . I wanted to know if you still had the I.D. so that I could track May, Ash, and Brock down?"

"You have a PokeNav, too? Awesome! Anyway, I have it but only at home because I couldn’t remember the entire number alone. But if you came back to the gym with me, I could. . ." He left the sentence unfinished, since they both knew what he was going to say.

"Yea; sure. I have awhile, I guess. . . Besides, I need a rest. . ." She smiled at him.

"You do look a little tired. . ." He assessed as they exited the Center and headed, once again, towards the midst of town.

"Only a little? Wow; I must be getting better at disguising my issues. . ."

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" She managed a laugh before they walked through the sliding door entrance to the gym, and into the lounging area, where Max’s parents were relaxing, watching some television.

"Hi mom, dad; guess what came today? It’s my new, pre-registered PokeNav! I can start my journey now!" There was an exchange of laughter, cheers, and hugs before the elder auburn-haired woman turned to the redhead.

"And who are you, may I ask?"

"I. . . I’m Misty Waterflower, a friend of May and Max’s. I traveled with Ash Ketchum for a few years before he introduced me to your kids. . ."

"Oh, yes! I remember you now!" Norman got up from the couch with a smile and proceeded to shake the girl’s hand.

Confused, Misty replied, ". . .You. . . do?" She was pretty sure that they’d never met before.

"Um, I told both of my parents about that time you helped Togepi find its place in the Paradise so they kinda already know who you are. . ." Max blushed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head in nervousness.

"Oh, okay. . . I guess that I’m relieved. That’s all." Misty had almost no trouble imagining the entire Beech family suddenly ripping off their visible clothes and revealing themselves as Team Rocket executives. . . But that was mostly because of her exhaustion, and the fact that she felt she was currently losing her mind.

"Well, since you’re here, why not stay for lunch? I can whip up something simple if you’re in a rush. . ." Caroline smiled warmly at her and started towards the kitchen.

"Oh, I don’t know about that. You see, it’s just that I really have—"

"—Awe, please, Misty! Besides, I have a favor I’d like to ask you."

What was with all of these favors people thought she’d be so pleased to do for them?

Max took her by the arm and led her to the patio out back so that they could talk alone.

"So, what was it that you needed from me, Max?" Misty leant back into a chair and breathed deeply as a small gust of wind blew across her face.

"Oh, um. . ." He seemed suddenly bashful again, "It-it wasn’t much, really. . . I was just hoping that you could stay here for the next couple of days."

"Well, it’s not exactly a good idea for me to be. . ."

"It’s just that, well, my birthday was about a month ago and now I’ve got my Pokemon partner and my official Nav so that I can start my journey. . . But. . . I don’t want to go on my own. . ."

"Oh. . ." She knew where this was going, she was sure. . .

"I think that I’d feel a little more comfortable if I had another person with me, a friend, just for a little while."

"But, you see, I really wanted to catch up with Ash. I don’t have time to spend doing anything else. It’s important that I get to him. If I wait here, who knows how long it’ll be by the time I catch up to him again. . . ?" She sighed, turning away from the younger boy, "That’s okay, isn’t it?"

"Yea, actually it is. . ." A grin lit up Max’s face again as a new idea came to mind, "How about I go with you to find the others? I mean, that gives us a couple of days so that I’m used to life on the road, and I’d like to talk with May anyways." They walked back inside and up the staircase to where the bedrooms were, walked through a door, and Max took a moment to root through the top drawer of his desk and pull out a notebook. He then opened the box containing his PokeNav and sat down, ushering Misty over.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m downloading May’s Nav I.D. into my cell phone memory so that we can call her and the others. You see, they were here about a week ago, so if we called them now and told them to wait up for us, then we might be able to catch them in time for them to sit in at the next town over. I’ll give you the I.D., too. And then we can give them ours."

"Oh. . . Wait. . . ! I don’t want—" Misty was interrupted as Max finished downloading the information on his former Nav, passed the info to Misty, then told her how to install it herself. Next, he pressed the touch-screen and the speed dial began its designated action. . .

. . .About twenty-five miles away, May’s PokeNav let out a repetitive beeping noise, causing the group consisting of her, Ash, and Brock, to stop in the middle of their mid-day trecking.

"Oh, look, a phone-call. . . Hmm, that’s an unfamiliar number. . ." May pressed the ‘receive call’ notice and gave a small shriek of surprise, "Hey, guys! It’s Max and. . . Misty?"

"What?" Was the unanimous reply from the two boys as they rushed over to see for themselves.

"Misty, wow! What are you doing there with Max? Are you at my house?" May asked.

"Yea, actually. And I need to talk to you about—" She was interrupted by the younger kid beside her.

"—Our house, you mean?" He took a moment to stick his tongue out at his older sister, "Anyway, guess what? I got my PokeNav so I get to start my journey in a few days, and—"

Now he was interrupted by Ash. . .

"—Hey, Misty!" He shoved May’s head out of the way, "Wow, I didn’t think we’d get to see each other again before I was finished in the Hoenn League--!"

. . .Who was interrupted by May. . .

"—Ash. . . ! Back away from my Nav before I set my Blaiziken on you--!"

. . .Who was interrupted by Brock. . .

"Will you two stop behaving like children!"

. . .Who was interrupted by. . .

"Lunchtime! Oh. . ." A new voice on Max and Misty’s side caught everyone’s attention, ". . .Max, who are you talking to? Is that your sister? May, how are you doing, honey?" Caroline’s face came into view, pushing Max and Misty’s out of the way.

"Mom!" Max whined.

"Hi, mom!" May exclaimed with a load of enthusiasm and a smile.

"Mrs. Beech, did I hear you say something about lunch?" Ash looked ready to jump through the screen, he was so eager.

"Yea, mom - lunch. We’ll be down in a second!" Max tore his mom away from the Nav and helped her back into the hallway.

"Okay, May-dear. I’ll talk to you some other time; take care of yourself!" Were her last words.

". . .Anyway, May; since I got my Pokemon and my Nav, I was thinking. . . Misty’s going to meet up with you ASAP and I was going to accompany her. Do you think you guys could wait up for us in the next town?"

"Max, we can’t just stop our journey for you!" May scolded, "Besides, you told me that you were going to travel alone. What's the matter? Getting cold feet at the last minute?" She taunted her little brother.

"No--!" Max stated defiantly, but Misty stopped him from continuing.

"Um, May, why don’t you add Max’s I.D. number to your memory bank and we’ll call you later?" Misty asked, "Max and I have to talk, and I’m sure that your mom is wondering why we’re not downstairs yet." Her gaze, slightly cold, turned to Max, who knew better than to argue against her, "See ya." And she pressed the ‘end call’ icon on the screen before they could say anything else.

"What do we have to talk about?" Max had the courage to ask.

"About how you pretty much put words into my mouth. I didn’t agree to travel with you to find May, Ash, and Brock. Why you told them that we’d meet up with them, I don’t understand." She crossed her arms and scoffed, looking like a disappointed parent, "To be quite honest, I don’t think that your coming with me is a good idea at all. I’m sorry, but I have my reasons for this belief."

"Like what?" Max looked half-skeptical and half-curious at her speech.

"W-well, um. . ." She couldn’t tell him the true reason so. . . "Well, because; think about it! How can you be expected to become a top trainer when you don’t learn those life-lessons on your own, instead counting on people like me or Brock to do that for you, right from the beginning? I mean, even Ash started his journey on his own, and with a Pikachu that wouldn’t listen to him."

"But didn’t you meet him on his first day?"

Ignoring the oddity of who could have possibly relayed to him that information, Misty picked up the conversation yet again, "Yea, but that’s only because he almost drowned in the river outside of Pallet Town and I just happened to be there to pull him out. . ."

An extended silence greeted this reply before Max opened his door and stepped out into the hallway.

"Why is it that you wanted me to start my journey alone, again?"

"Er. . ." On the way down to the dining room, Misty threw more hopeful explanations at him, praying that she’d be able to quell his desire to travel with her to find Ash and May. There wasn’t much she could do if he was hoping to meet with his sister, but her situation was already murderously dangerous and there was no way she could risk getting a ten year old boy with no training experience involved.

"C’mon Misty. It’s just going to be for three or four days, so what’s the big deal? Is it cause you don’t like me? Or is there something else going on here?"

"What’re you talking about, kids?" Caroline raised an eyebrow upon their entrance.

"Nothing, really. . ."

"Well, Max, your mother’s going to fix up some food and I’m going to take you shopping tomorrow for supplies. Then you’ll be able to leave soon after. How’s that go for a plan?" Norman smiled at his son, "After lunch, I have to head to go to gym and I’ll be there until around seven p.m. If you two want to come watch me battle. . ." At this point, his gaze swung over to Misty, ". . .That’s fine with the both of us."

"Well, we still need to call May back; so maybe later." Misty stated, looking pointedly at Max, who pouted, "Um, but thanks for the offer. And the food’s delicious, Mrs. Beech."

"Thank you, Misty. You know, you look quite disheveled, exhausted. . . Have you not been able to sleep on the road?"

"Oh, uh, yea. . . Well, I’ve spent almost a year watching the Cerulean Gym for my sisters and it was sort of a last minute thing to pack up and travel here to meet up with Ash. . . I guess I just have to get used to sleeping on the ground again."

"I understand now. . . Do you know your gym leading status?" Norman asked, hoping to keep up a conversation.

"Well. . . I’ve never really thought much about it, but. . ."

"How about I add some pride to your name? The League database keeps tabs on every gym leaders monthly wins and losses. According to that database, the leader of your gym two years ago had an average of eleven wins and seventeen losses a month. . . In the last year, while you’ve been the leader, that average has altered to twenty-one wins and seven losses."

"Wow; who knew that it was so easy to access that type of information?" Misty laughed weakly in response, hoping that her face hadn’t turned too scarlet at the obvious praise.

"The system was recreated almost five years ago to include general and semi-personal knowledge of all gym leaders or potential gym leaders. That would include, on most circumstances, your wife or husband, parents under age sixty-five, and siblings or children fourteen years or older. Since you’re the current sole leader in Cerulean, there would be a main page featuring a photograph, your personal status, and Pokemon choice – things like that. Then, and this is only open to League officials or other gym leaders or the like, by inserting a private code, they can access more personal things. Friends, family, absence excuses and replacement, if any—"

"—Wait. W-what was that last one. . . ?" Her heart began to race as though a gun had gone off nearby, shocking her beyond anything.

"Well, say you left your occupation as gym leader on extended leave to earn some experience. Before closing down the gym, you might want to place an explanation with the League so that trainers’ hoping for your badge know not to bother at the time. Or, if you still want to leave your gym open, you have to leave your place up to a substitute leader."

"And, if you had this code. . . You’d be able to access the leaders where-abouts?" Something was wandering through her head at the moment. What was the likelihood that her sisters had gone to that database and inserted that she, as the rightful gym trainer, would be in the Hoenn region until further notice. . . ?

"When a new Rocket member is initiated, he or she must swear to serve the leader Giovanni in any way that they can. . ."

"The leader Giovanni. . ." Misty hadn’t even thought much of the name while in the situation that time, but now. . . Something about it was awfully familiar.

"Hmm; what was that?" Caroline got up from her seat to start on the dishes while Norman continued their conversation.

"Oh, I was just thinking of something. Anyway, Max and I are finished eating and we need to get back to talking about. . . Our issue." Misty, as though she were Max’s older sister, proceeded to yank him from his chair, "Thanks for lunch!"

". . .Okay, now what?" Max looked pretty exasperated by the time they reached his room again.

"Look, I know that you really want to start your journey with a friend and I understand why, but you’ve got to see that. . . I wouldn’t say ‘no’ if I didn’t have a very good reason for it. Just because I won’t tell you what it is, doesn’t mean that it’s not there."

"You can’t even give me a hint?" Just like a child, Max continued with his persistence.

"Let’s leave it at. . . By doing this, there’s a good chance that I’m saving your life." Misty sighed as the boy’s eyes widened, "Is that good enough for you?"

Ignoring the last statement, he replied, "You’re kidding. . . Right?"

"Yes, Max. . ." In exasperation, ". . .That’s exactly how I like to push things along, making up stories about death threats and the like."

"Um, alright. Sorry. . . So, I don’t understand why we can’t travel together for a few days. I just don’t see what could go wrong in so little time—"

"—Hey, I know that this is about how you don’t want to start out on this huge path of life alone, but you’re going to make plenty of new friends, and you’ll have your Pokemon partners, and if you need to talk to Prof. Birch, your parents, May, Ash, or me, we’re just a phone-call away. I mean, really, May started out alone, didn’t she? And you wouldn’t want her to laugh it up at you for the next six months, would you?"

". . .No. . ." He looked thoroughly put out at this reality, "You’re right. . ."

"Of course; I’m doing this for your own good, though. You do know that, right?"

"Sure. Still, you’re obviously tired. . . Why don’t you spend the night here so that you can wake up tomorrow, fresh? After all, if things are as bad for you as you say they are right now, then I’m sure that it’d be safer to stay here with my family then outside in the woods. We can get some supplies to help you out with. . . Whatever it is that’s going on. My parents won’t mind if you take up May’s room for tonight. Come to think of it, she probably wouldn’t care either, as long as I don’t follow you inside. . ." His voice lowered to a whisper, ". . .She’s afraid that I might actually wanna touch her stuff. . ." He rolled his eyes.

"I-I don’t know if I should. . ."

"I told you, my parents—"

"—No, that’s not the problem. . . It’s," Misty was suddenly overcome with a yawn, ". . .It’s no reason to turn down a free bed, I suppose. But we’d better call up Ash, May, and Brock and tell them to expect me. . . We did sort of cut them off before we finished detailing where to meet up."

"We?" Max couldn’t help the sarcasm in his response, "Anyway, right. So. . . Back to my room, then?"

After nodding at one another, they headed back to the youngest Beech’s bedroom where the two PokeNav’s and Misty’s bag were still sitting. They sat in front of Max’s just in time for a call to come in. The caller I.D. read ‘Prof. Birch’.

"Oh, guess I’d better get this. . ." The looked almost as though he was going to wet himself from excitement, "Hey-lo, Prof.!" He yelled after pressing the ‘receive call’ button.

"Well, if it isn’t Max Beech? Hah hah. . . I was hoping that Misty’d gotten that PokeNav to you by now. . . Have you gotten through looking at all of this versions’ modifications?"

"Oh, yea, and it’s really a technological masterpiece!" Misty quirked an eyebrow, acknowledging Max’s brainy personality for the first time.

"As is any artifact, if worked on overtime."

"Wait; when did you get a chance to look at all of the components?" Misty asked Max, slightly confused. They’d only been around the Nav for a total of twenty minutes, after all, and more than half of that, they’d spent absorbed in the phone-call with May.

"When we were talking to my sister." He stated proudly. Misty rethought her previous judgement. Okay; so she had been absorbed in the call. . .

"You’re very—"

"—Oh, Misty, you’re still there? You and Max must be getting along quite well; you were so impatient to get a move on while you were talking with me before. Suddenly Ash isn’t a top priority?"

"Eh. . ." Misty tried to hold back a blush, not looking either of the male companions in the eye, "Ash is never a top priority for me. . ." She lied.

"Anyway, Prof. Birch, did you need anything?" Max asked.

"Oh, yes, well, this. . ." The view switched to one that showed a different style of Pokeball, ". . .Is a Starter Ball. As you well know, the Professor of each region is supposed to give beginning trainers one of the three Pokemon of that region – be it grass, fire, or water type. Those Pokemon are referred to as the Starter Pokemon. Anyway, this Pokeball was made specifically to hold those Pokemon and help strengthen the relationship with their trainers. But that’s not all. . . A surprise modification of your Nav’s is that the Pokemon you place in this Ball can automatically be transferred to me, or to the Pokemon Center, or to Bill’s PC Box. Unfortunately, in order to do something as complex as transfer Pokemon from your place on the road, the Nav memory has to be able to hold DNA from all Pokemon. . . This is a feat that we have yet to successfully complete. We’ve only been able to fit about four percent of the 350+ Pokemon identified, so the project’s been pretty much put on hold while researchers find a way to create a portable DNA rack for the 336+ Pokemon not able to fit in the system. In any case, I wanted to let both of you know that you can send me a list of the fourteen Pokemon DNA samples you’d like installed into your Nav. I can upload the files from any Pokemon Center, or from here directly."

"But what about our individual Pokemon’s code? Isn’t, say, my Politoad’s pattern distinguished against other Politoads?" Misty asked.

"Fortunately, no. The DNA analysis program works with one branded sample from a tagged specimen of each currently known Pokemon. It’s then run against the trainer / Nav I.D. in order to verify the transfer. It may sound complicated, but it’s really quite simple."

"Simple? Well, I’ll take your word for it. . ." The Cerulean girl mumbled.

"Oh, yes, one more thing. I’m going to need both of your Nav I.D.’s so that I can temporarily uplink them to our visual aids online camera. We need pictures of every trainer for their profiles."

"Um. . . Okay. . ."

The two adolescents handed over their I.D.’s and waited while the Professor set up the biographical online program. Suddenly, their Nav’s beeped.

"Now, all you both have to do is hold your Nav’s at arms’ length with the screen facing you, smile, and wait for the flash."

The two followed the directions precisely and the photographs appeared on the monitor, minimizing into the top right corner.

"Yes, that’s good enough for now. Also, while we’re still in the general area of the subject, Max, could I bother you long enough to get the number on the Nax you gave to May?"

"Sure, Prof., here. . ." He read off the number to the scientist, who took on a closing to the conversation.

"Anyway, Misty, how about tomorrow you head to the Pokemon Center so that we can install the Pokemon DNA into your memory? We’ll get in Max’s starter Pokemon as well; this way you both can head off on your journeys with the best of today’s tech in your bags!"

"We’ll be pretty busy and everything, but I think we can make it." Max acted like a professional executive in his joke about a full schedule, "Anyway, Misty and I have to talk to May before it’s too late, so we should go."

"Right; my business is accounted for, in any case. I guess that I’ll talk to you both some other time." The two kids exchanged good-bye’s with the Prof. and then hung up.

"Let’s hurry up with that call to May and Ash, okay? Tomorrow’s going to be a pretty crazy day and it’s getting a bit late." The two of them dialed the number from earlier and May’s impatient face stared up at them again almost instantly.

"Finally! We’ve been waiting for almost two hours!" May sighed angrily at the sheepish expressions on Misty and Max’s faces, "So, back to the unlikelihood that we’re going to stop in the middle of our journey just so that you can catch up to us and tag along as an amateur."

"Hey, I can hardly imagine that you’d be any more experienced than I would just after starting! I mean, at least I would know my Pokemon by name, and their techniques!"

"Yea, well, at least I—"

"—You two have been talking for ten seconds and already, you’re fighting?" Brock invaded the conversation at this point, his face intruding upon May’s.

"Sorry. . ." The two sighed.

"Anyway," Brock continued, "if we’re going to stop in the middle of our journey so that you two can meet up with us, we need to know how soon you can be here."

"Hey," Ash shouted, "C’mon, Brock! I mean, I just don’t wanna put my journey on hold! Why do you need to come join up with us, anyway?" His face now consumed the monitor.

"Ash, you’re such a dense idiot! Don’t act like you don’t want me there!" Misty’s eyes became glued against the Nav screen, "Besides, there’s been a change in plans. Instead of both of us catching up with you three, I’m going to rush out there while Max starts his journey at his own pace."

"Wait; so only you’re going to start traveling with us?" May exclaimed, and her face lit up with excitement, "Wow, Misty! I can’t wait for you to get here!"

"Hey, wait; how come you’re acting so happy-go-lucky now that you know I’m not coming?" Max whined.

"Because you’re you and I had enough of you’re tagging along the first eleven years of my life." May stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ouch," Ash muttered, "Who knew May and Max took their sibling rivalry so seriously. . . ?"

"Well, anyway, it’s almost sundown here and I want to start on dinner; so when can we look forward to your arrival?" Brock asked, before the conversation could get anymore frivolous.

"Well, I’m actually really exhausted today so I was going to hit it up here at the Petalburg Gym for the night and then head out tomorrow afternoon, after picking up some supplies and my Pokemon from Nurse Joy."

"Nurse Joy. . ." She could see Brock start to drool in the background before May pinched his cheek in frustration. She pulled him away from the Nav as his mutterings turned to Officer Jenny. Max took this moment to tell Misty that he was going to finalize her plans for the night with his parents. For a moment, it was just her and Ash. . .

He didn’t seem to have anything to say at first, but then, ". . .Can’t wait to see you. . ." He didn’t seem aware of his words at the time he spoke them.

". . .W-what was that you said?"

"Oh, uh, May – she can’t wait to see you. She’s been complaining about the lack of female companionship almost as much as you used to. She’s really looking forward to seeing you again."

"—But you’re not. . . ?" Was her despondent reply.

He didn’t have time to answer before May returned to his side and Max’s pounding feet in the background announced his re-arrival.

"So, anyway Misty, what do you say to a nice shopping trip when you get here?" May asked, looking excited at the thought of it already.

"Yea; sure. That sounds good," Misty gave the girl an appreciative glance, "It’s something to look forward to, at least."

"Hey, Misty. Mom thought it would be a good idea to get cleaned up and ready for bed early since, tomorrow, we’re going to be spending the day getting potions and antidotes and stuff." May said from behind.

"So, are you staying in my room, then?" May asked.

"I guess so. To tell you the truth, and I hope it’s okay, I’d prefer to stay in a place filled with personality, rather than a simple undecorated guest room. . . It’s kinda like a lifelong familiar scent – it always manages to give you some comfort."

"Yea, I understand. Brock’s secret stew always reminds me of my mom’s cooking," Ash scratched the back of his head in embarrassment at his intrusion to the discussion.

"Well, I’m okay with you staying there. Just keep Max out. A girl needs her privacy, right?"

"I know that all too well. . ." Misty said, eyeing Ash, who stepped back a bit and began whistling in feigned ignorance, "Anyway, I guess we’d better go. I have a new PokeNav so, with the I.D. Max gave me—"

"Wait, how did you get a PokeNav? I mean, Brock and I never got one. . ." Ash moaned enviously.

"It was a gift for delivering Max’s Nav to him. It was late being manufactured so he didn’t have a chance to get it while he was in Littleroot to choose his Starter Pokemon. But I ended up visiting Prof. Birch to see if he knew where you were. He told me that Max knew the I.D., if not your location, and offered me my own Nav if I got Max’s to him."

There was silence except for Ash’s snoring. With an agitated glance in his direction, May poked him painfully in the shoulder, causing him to snort and snap himself awake.

"If you’re going to ask a question, at least pay attention when you’re given an answer," May muttered to him, "Okay, well, anyway; you enjoy yourself, Misty. I’ve got a stereo and, well, maybe you’ll like my choice in music." The Beech girl seemed a little embarrassed; as though she were afraid that the older one was going to judge her.

"I know I will; I mean, after only six hours sleep in the past three days, a peaceful night on a rock would do, even with all of the bug Pokemon. . ." Misty shuddered at the thought.

"Well, I know that you both have a big day tomorrow so let’s just end it here. Besides, I still have to untie Brock from that oak tree so that he can focus on making dinner. See you, Misty." May winked good-naturedly at her and left the view of the screen.

"You have our Nav I.D. number; I guess that there’s no problem in waiting until you get here to give us yours, right? So, uh—"

"—Yea; bye, Ash. I’ll see you in a couple of days." Misty and Max managed to wave before the line was disconnected.

There was a quick knock on the door and Caroline entered.

"I’ve set the tub with some hot water and therma-care beads since you look so roughed up, Misty." She said kindly to them.

"Oh, um, thank you, Mrs. Beech."

"Also, do you have any pajama’s?"

"Well, I did. . . But my clothes are all pretty much dirty at this point. I haven’t really had a chance to relax since I left Cerulean City."

"That’s alright. Let’s see. . . Unfortunately, you’re too lengthy to fit into any of May’s things, but you’re about my height, give or take an inch. I’ll just lend you something of mine. Oh, and you can put your laundry in the wash so that it’s fresh for when you meet up with Ash." She held out her hand for Misty’s bad, which the young girl gave her, "I’ve set out a couple of towels on the sink for you, as well. If you need more, there’s a linen closet just outside the bathroom."

"Thanks so much." Misty gave a half-bow in respect and headed for the bath.

OoO

Unfortunately, though the bath water was hot and comfortingly clear, and though May’s bed was soft and warm, she couldn’t get that night’s worth of sleep that she’d hoped for. Perhaps it was just insomnia, the fact that she would see Ash again soon, or maybe it was just that discomforting afterthought of the legions upon legions of Rocket members who wanted her head on a silver platter, and the secret that she was keeping.

But even those ‘wonderful’ effects didn’t seem to be it. Every time Misty closed her eyes and drew near sleep, her half-dreams were of a young man and woman in a dark room, him bearing down upon her and forcing her below him. She wouldn’t resist him as he tore through her so violently, barely shrieked when the blood ran between her legs, and, upon reaching her feet, never allowed herself to limp.

Halfway through the constantly reoccurring mess, the view Misty had started in changed so that it looked as though she were approaching them from a space beyond the walls. The man, now able to be seen, was totally unrecognizable to her, but Misty gave a disgusted scowl in his direction in any case. It was then that her focus would turn to the woman. . .

. . .And she’d wake up with her injured arm burning (almost as a response), covered in perspiration and somehow more exhausted than she’d been the night before, even though she managed about six hours of sleep.

Wonderingly, Misty couldn’t help but question the life she was living. Just now, while asleep, she couldn’t bear to look into the face of her mother even though, admittedly, she ached for a chance to see some form of her after so long. But, remembering the happenings from the Cerulean City Gym, she couldn’t help imagining her own face being glued to that body that was being penetrated so horribly.

And then there was her mother. How could she think her now-teenage daughter so able to deal with such a truth as what she was given?

But Misty couldn’t dwell on these thoughts for long. She knew the journey ahead of her and, inevitably, ahead of Ash, Brock, and May, would probably be a long and terrifying one so, wishing for a finally dreamless sleep, the young redhead let her head flop back against the pillows and felt herself falling away.

Morning came somehow furiously to her, the sun so bright that it nearly blinded her when first she opened her eyes. She snapped them shut in a rush, laughing bitterly at the ironic turn the weather had taken in comparison to her mood.

She groaned and rose from her sheets, clutching at her nightclothes as though they were hands grabbing at her in every part they could reach. But it was just her imagination that someone had been clawing at her.

"Oh, Misty; Max tried to wake up ten minutes ago but you seemed intent on sleeping so he left you alone." Caroline stated with a small smile, but it soon turned to a frown, "Is everything alright? You look almost mortified."

Misty shook her head, intent on not getting anymore people than necessary involved with her anxieties, "No, ma’am, it must have just been a nightmare. . ." She was going to add something about how often she got them anymore, but decided against it.

Mrs. Beech seemed to be analyzing her again as she pulled something from behind her back and handed it to Misty, who had risen from the bed, absentmindedly flattening out the sheets, "Here you go; it’s your bag, filled with freshly-cleaned and ironed clothes and some snacks for the road; I’ve heard about your rush to catch up with May and Ash." She let her smile drop only so much as to be noticeable as Misty thanked her and took the bag, removing the clothes she’d be wearing that day, "Also. . . I found this among your things."

Misty looked around slowly, experiencing something along the lines of terror as Caroline held out the small box, the only thing her mother had left behind, filled with the final remnants of her life.

". . .Oh; that. . . ? It’s – it’s nothing! It’s. . ."

"I know exactly what it is, Misty. You see, I knew that I recognized something in you; I remembered you from somewhere." Misty attempted to speak but ended up leaving her mouth wide open, "I know a memory chest when I see one. . ." She grinned again, but it was rather miserable looking, "Who is it for. . . ?"

The words the woman spoke finally registering in Misty’s mind, she replied, "My – my mother," she said, holding out a hand for Mrs. Beech to give it back, "So you didn’t look at--?" She asked almost too quickly.

"I’d never allow myself to look at something so personal. I just stop them from being laundered." There was a small ring of laughter between the two of them, no matter how apprehensive it sounded, before they turned sober, the elder woman drawing slightly closer, looking modest, "I’m sorry about the question. Even as I get older, I still find time to act curious around those who are like me."

"You mean. . . ? Who? I mean, uh, you lost someone special when you were young?"

Caroline nodded, "I did. My younger brother – my family and I were at the Safari Watch, behind the fence, when something upset a herd of Rapidash, and they galloped towards the spectators, near where we were at. Most people got away, but. . . My arm was completely crushed and. . . And he didn’t make it. Trampled entirely. This synthetic," she halted for a moment, allowing the arm to grope at the sunlight from the window, "It looks truly human, but. . . it’s really all I have to remind me of that day. I don’t talk to my husband about it, though he understands. I just can’t seem to be comfortable around him, speaking of something so. . . Horrible. May and Max don’t even know about their uncle, even though Max was named after him."

Misty was slightly surprised to feel a couple of tears fall down her cheeks, unable to believe that, after everything, she could still manage to cry, to sympathize, for someone else.

"I’m. . . I am so sorry. I can’t even begin to talk about what happened to my mom. . . Not now. . ."

"Please listen to me; events that seem to be certain tragedies often hold hidden gifts, even if it takes years upon years to find out what those are. After my brother. . . Went, my parents were so overcome with grief that they threw every mention of him away. Even if I could replace this arm, or if it could have been saved back then, therefore, with an original flesh version, I wouldn’t agree to it because it’s the only thing that reminds me of him – the only thing that can."

". . .Oh. . ."

"So don’t feel burdened with what’s left of your loved ones after they’re gone. That’s my advice to you. You hold the only few things that tie your mother to this world."

OoOoO

Notes – I’m, like, crying now. . . I’ve been typing this chapter up for. . . I think. . . Four hours straight. Ugh; and it’s longer than the prologue! I’m so. . . Dead right now. I feel so stupid for wasting this whole chapter with things like this, but I felt that it had to happen. Not only did Misty need to learn of how to find Ash, but I felt that bidding her knowledge of tragedies of other characters, such as Caroline, and the obviousness of hers and Ash’s relationship, and the friendship growing between her and May, would help her understand later on, just how grateful she should be for what she’s going to have to give up. Er. . . Not that I’m going to tell you all exactly what’s going to happen. Only my dearest of pals get that top-secret information. Therefore, if you wish to know, you should befriend Chibi. Lol. Anyway, yea. . . Moving on.

I’d like to thank all of those who, even through the warnings and ratings of this fic, chose to review the prologue. I did tell you that it’d be that bad, even if this chapter was a bit of a softie, compared to the last, and the next (hint, hint). So, thanks to you all, and I hope that my grammatical errors don’t kill your interest. Please don’t let them. Imagine how I must feel having to scroll down this 20-something page chapter just to check for typos and things. Unless they’re keeping you from understanding a statement made, then you shouldn’t let them get to you.

So, I guess that’s all. Er. . . Please review, seeing as I’ve been sitting here getting sores from working so hard. I hope that, though Chapter One was boring beyond belief, you’ll take my word for it that Chapter Two will be much better. The first paragraph in itself will probably be more interesting than this whole part. So, like I said, review, and expect Chapter Two in about. . . Say. . . A month. Lol. I haven’t even finished it in my notebook, unlike the Prologue and Chapter One, so it’s going to take a bit longer, even if I know the main plot. . .

Spoilers for Chapter Two – Misty gets run down by Team Rocket and is nearly killed, when, quite suddenly, the men trying to end her life are told by Giovanni to take her captive so that the leader can meet his daughter for the first time in their lives. Nearly dead, Misty can’t escape them and is almost taken when she is saved by a certain few people, one of who later feels that she’s not worth trusting. Can this person be convinced of different? Or will Misty be left to fend for herself? And when will Team Rocket try another attempt at kidnapping her?

OoO – Chibi - OoO