Author - Chibi / Warlordess

Disclaimer - I don’t own Pokemon; if I did, Illicit Saints would be a feature film and the anime would be a little more adult and a little more Pokeshippy. No, wait. . . A lot more Pokeshippy. Lots more; yup. But I don’t, so it doesn’t matter in any case.

Notes - Hello! Welcome to the next - the fifth (Omg, it's the fifth. . . I never thought I'd see the day) - part of Illicit Saints! Gods, I'm so proud of myself for posting this as early as I did. I set a goal with myself, I'll have you know. I told myself that, if I were to write two pages in my notebook a day, then this would be easily updated by February. And? Was I not right? Wahahah. . . ! Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last part, and thanks especially to Tsuiraku Etowa-ru, who sent me the longest review of them all! I'm so happy that your lurve for Chibi's fic was strong enough not to be deterred by the fact that it had been, like, five months since I updated. Unfortunately, the way things were going, that couldn't have been avoided, and I'm sad to say that it still might not be.

Until recently, I hadn't been writing anything on Illicit Saints, part four, in months. Probably not since October. And while I've focused myself enough lately to think up this, and the potential final chapter of Herbal Remedies, it doesn't mean that it's always going to be that easy. I will try to update as soon as possible, always, but seeing as I'm hoping to go to college soon, and maybe even get a job, I can't say for sure. Still, hang in there and I'll do all that I can to get these chapters up as soon as I have the chance.

Also, as of December 24, 2005 (you heard me right; Christmas Eve), my mother has been placed back into a nursing home for long-term care. She fell one evening while her in-home-helper wasn't there, and complained about her leg being hurt to the paramedics who arrived at the house hours later, and so she was immediately taken to the hospital. While her leg has sustained no damage, she's gotten a nice lil' lump on her head and will be staying at a place called "Ivy Hall" until further notice so that the doctors there can reassess her physical abilities.

. . . Now, raise your hand if you actually care about that.

Onto the fic!

OoO

Characters / Ages -

Misty / 17

Ash / 16

Brock / 20

May / 13

Jessie / 22

James / 22

OoO

Pokemon - Illicit Saints

Chapter Four

OoOoO

The Rocket Senior threw out his fist and aimed for Misty’s jaw. She coupled both of her arms at the elbow and wrist and held them up to her face, blocking successfully. The Senior withdrew his offense and attempted another, swinging on his left heel and throwing his right leg high, aiming for her ribcage. She grunted and accepted the impact, gritting her teeth, grappling his foot.

She gripped him roughly and twisted until she heard the definitive crack of the bone shattering. His scream filtered through the haze of the heated battle and Misty dropped him. He fell to the ground and clutched at his right boot, shuddering painfully at the tender and bruised feeling.

The whistle sounded and Misty sighed, stepping off of the mat and accepting the towel that was handed to her by her underclassman.

“Winner, trainer D-146; Aurora Williams-Black!” The referee stated loudly so that everyone could hear, “She advances to round two of today’s training session! We will take a three minute recess so that the competitors may be tended to!” And the man turned and walked in the opposite direction, leaving the wounded Senior member alone on the floor.

That was how it worked in these classes. You fight and win and you can expect everyone to be cheering and helping you along. If you lost, then. . . well, it was obviously well-known that it was better not to lose.

Misty sat down on the stool under the sign that said ‘Victor Infirmary - A’ and held her head high so that the nurse could examine her neck. Then she extended her arms and tensed slightly as cold hands drew up her shirt and pressed on her abdomen and chest. When she felt the pressure on her mid-left side, she flinched, remembering that she’d accepted the impact of her opponents final kick.

“You bruised one of your ribs; I’d be a bit more careful next time around.” The woman said unsmilingly and without much of a caring tone. She gave Misty a small glass of water and tapped her on the shoulder to let her know that the mediocre excuse for an examination was over. Without a word, the redhead reached her feet and took a small sip of water, watching as her last contender slowly made his way to the edge of the mat without any assistance. He rolled off of it and there was a few seconds of mirthless laughter before someone stepped carelessly on the man’s hand while walking by and the referee stepped back onto the mat to start the next match.

“Member D-146, Williams-Black versus Member F-19, Fenton. . .” He announced and Misty crumpled the small paper cup, now empty, she’d been holding and three it over her shoulder, along with her towel, and stepped up to the center of the mat. A tall, gangly female approached from the opposite end, staring her down. The whistle blew once to start them off and the woman charged senselessly, knocking her to the ground.

Misty grunted as her head slammed into the mat. Seeing spots mingling with the sounds of grudge-match cheers and booing, she curled her knees to her chest before the woman could pounce, and her opponent ended up landing on her shins. Misty breathed a deep sigh and kicked off the ground with the soles of her boots and there was enough strength there to propel the woman over her body and just to the edge of the mat.

Fenton landed flat on her back, still, and Misty took a moment to reach her feet. When the referee didn’t call it, she went to inspect the woman, thinking it was indeed over; she was surprised, therefore, to see the older trainers eyes snap open and barely had time to notice her leap up on one knee and try to swipe her ankles out from underneath her.

Misty jumped backwards onto her hands, flipping successfully and frowning mid-hand-stand. Fenton reached her feet and galloped at her as Misty landed gracefully on her feet. She braced herself with open eyes when the woman’s next move became obvious. Fenton held out one arm, bending it upward at the elbow so as to impact with Misty’s neck, hoping to incapacitate her larynx.

Misty ducked and attempted to smack her palm against the woman’s chin but noticed two seconds too late that she couldn’t have followed through. Fenton had, at the last moment, changed offensive tactics so that, instead of a straight-arrow run, she could leap high into the air and hopscotch easily over Misty’s shoulders.

The woman did so, turning and striking successfully from behind, her heel colliding with the mold of Misty’s shoulder. There was the thunderous crack of her shoulder-blade popping out of its socket and she collapsed to her knees, her throat feeling very dry as the cheering grew louder, the crowd chanting Fenton’s name.

Misty tenderly placed her palm to her wounded shoulder and pressed with bated breath, biting her lip at the pain. She had only done this once before, but. . . There was another resounding pop and her shoulder folded itself back in place. She massaged it a few times and wound her arm around to be sure that it was still usable, stopping only when her hair began to stand on end. She turned and noticed Fenton charging at her one last time, seemingly furious that her last plan had failed so miserably to end the match.

Sighing thankfully at the knowledge that she would, indeed, claim another victory, Misty placed her hands on the ground an equal and symmetrical distance from her head, kicking off from the ground. The sole of her right boot impacted with Fenton’s head and the older Rocket’s feet left the ground. She was sent flying again and hit the ground some fifteen feet away, barely managing to reach her knees five seconds later.

Without a word of regret or an ounce of concern on her face, Misty calmly found her way back to her feet and steadily inched forward. When she had mate it to Fenton’s foot, she placed her palms together and intertwined her fists, then she sent the force speeding against the small of the older woman’s neck.

Fenton hit the ground hard one last time and Misty placed the heel of her boot on the woman’s head, mashing her still face into the ground.

The cheers impacted with her ears as suddenly as the knowledge that the referee had lifted her arm into the air. She swayed bemusedly and wiped her brow, breathing somewhat heavily from the length of the battle.

“Winner, trainer D-146. . . Aurora Williams-Black advances to round three, taking place tomorrow at 0900 hours. Teams ‘C’ and ‘D’ are now to go to Conference Rooms twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty for Pokemon Battling Tactics, all except for trainer D-146, who will stay for one final end-match physical.”

Again, Misty walked back to the stool and took a seat. She claimed another towel and a glass of water, watching all of the men and women in black uniform exit through the double-doors, the team identification numbers evident on the backs of their jerseys. None of them looked back at her and smiled, or gave her a thumbs-up, or even smirked at the possibility that it would be their turn to take her on next day.

Then again, ‘member D-146’ had a bit of a reputation nowadays, and, in any case, there had to be humanity in the people around her for there to be any reaction to her. . . which there almost undoubtedly wasn’t. After all, she was only a number here; one hundred forty-six out of two hundred of team ‘D’. There were ten teams spanning from ‘A’ to ‘J’, all consisting of two hundred members each. At least, that was all that the other less-talented or important members knew of.

Giovanni also had five private teams, one of which Misty would be joining after her training. They were known as the Double Agent Units; ‘AA’, ‘EE’, ‘II’, ‘OO’, and ‘UU’, and all of them had a special niche in the empire. ‘AA’ were the offensive experts, ‘EE’ were defensive, ‘II’ were strategists, ‘OO’ were elementally specific, and ‘UU’ were Pokemon bounty hunters. While in the Rocket headquarters, they worked together, spanning only twenty-five members tops in each group and assisting one another with their widely-known forte’s.

Then, on missions, they would group up a single member from each of the five DAU’s and Giovanni would assign them however many ordinary members per major assignment.

The original groups, ‘A’ through ‘J’, were labeled by strength as well. ‘A’ unit members were the toughest and, after completing ten major assignments successfully, Giovanni was said to personally inspect them for eligibility to enter the DAU’s. ‘J’ units were the rookies and one of the only two groups to obtain gray uniforms instead of black.

“Your badge, 146.” The referee said, handing her a small, wallet-sized ID with a holographic red ‘C’ in the background, “As of tomorrow, you’ll be reporting to ‘C’ unit training sessions. Giovanni also said. . .” The man lowered his voice as he spoke, “that one more level advancement should be enough for you. He also said that there are delays.” The blank look on the uniformed man’s face as he said this proved that he didn’t really understand the last part of the comment.

Misty nodded, accepting both the badge and the statement that came along with it. She had reached ‘C’ unit, and it had only taken her four days. . . Given, she had started at ‘E’ unit and advanced speedily, but she was almost there. Soon, she would become one of the most powerful members of Team Rocket, and she’d be able to come up with something of a plan to help keep Ash and the others safe. . . !

But. . . what about Giovanni’s comment? He said that there were delays. . . That could only mean that something had gone wrong. . . But what? Five days ago, they were looking forward to busting down the Team Rocket HQ together, as a group of perfectly healthy friends. . . But now she was here, training to fight against Ash, May, and Brock, training to capture them and bring them in so that they could spend the rest of their days rotting in a cell block up to a hundred meters below the surface of the Earth.

“You check out. Go ahead and get to your next class.” The nurse said simply from behind her back and Misty got to her feet again, handing over the towel and dragging her feet across the floor towards the same double-doors everyone else had gone through.

There were few others in the hallways at the moment, but those who were there didn’t bother to keep their voices down as they talked. They smirked as they made offhanded comments about her progress and lineage. After all, it was a rare thing for a new member to start on such a high skill level, let alone the fact that her arrival had been sought after by the leader of the organization himself. It was an unfortunate thing that, while she had a few of her mothers characteristics (her eyes and complexion), she had her fathers hair, height, and (according to what she’d heard since coming here) his attitude, minus the evil cackle anyway.

The funny thing was, Giovanni had what they called the impenetrable poke face, something that Misty could only afford to use while in the Headquarters. And while only a few people there knew of her relationship with the founder of Team Rocket, she knew it to be a suspicion of many that they were involved somehow.

“Clarify your identity with your badge ID. . . ?” The professor waiting just outside of the door to conference room thirty asked, holding out his hand to accept the new card she’d just been given a few minutes ago. She wasn’t officially a member of Team ‘C’ yet, but the credit slide she used to log in to the class would find her name and update her team position in the system so that tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to report to Membership Handling, like she’d had to the first time she’d gained a level.

Misty said nothing as she held out the card and the professor slid it through the handheld instrument in his hand. About five seconds passed and a minuscule green light blinked into existence, letting her know that the card had been accepted. She reaccepted her ID and entered the large auditorium, taking a seat at the very back and ignoring any stares that the other ’students’ would give her.

This was where the Water-type specialty trainers sat, as that was how the classes were separated, alongside their team. It was easier this way, to pit them against their weaknesses and such when in practice battle.

It was always the same wherever she went here, whatever she did. Unfortunately, it was shameful to admit how easily she’d gotten used to the population, classes, curfews. . . and very irritating.

Today was no different than yesterday. First she’d be pitted against a Grass-type trainer, then a Psychic trainer, then a Water trainer (since they had to learn to profit from physical techniques as well as elemental), and then the class would end and she’d be forced to endure an hour of silence across the dinner table from her father.

In an obviously fruitless effort to magically produce a relationship between the two of them, Giovanni had ‘insisted’ on sharing supper every night in his private quarters. In rebellion, Misty had complied, but, during each and every meal, maintained a stony silence while the man across from her talked about whatever. As of yet, he still had to threaten her friends’ lives for such indecency, allowing her to believe that he was much more of a patient man than he seemed.

“Vileplume, use Pedal Dance!” The shout rung out and Misty snapped out of her train of thought to try and come up with a plan as her Seadra was sent flying by the gust of wind and the wondrous aroma, “Now follow up with Sunny Day!”

Vileplume drew in a large breath of air and growled as he puffed out his cheeks. The large plant atop his head ruffled slightly with a sudden glow that almost hypnotized all that gazed at him. Then the strange light surged into the depths of the ceiling and Misty suddenly felt the air around her grow stagnant with the rising heat.

“Seadra, counter with Smokescreen!” She shouted, knowing what her opponent was trying to pull and waiting for her Pokemon to attack before thinking about what else she could do, “Use Barrier and Pin Missile--” She was interrupted before she could finish by her opponent.

“--Solar Beam, now!” He called through the haze.

“--at the ground in front of you!” She managed to conclude.

Seadra shot almost six dozen elongated shards of light from his snorkel of a mouth, all of which landed straight upward five feet ahead of him. This was all finished just in time for the fiery beam of sunshine to make its way from the tip of Vileplume’s head and through the haze, half of its trajectory correctly aimed at Seadra’s place.

Misty’s Pokemon, still glowing with the strength of the defensive move, didn’t have a chance to run very far and so it was lucky that the Pin Missile was there to guard him twice over. The beam impacted wholly with the shards and was held back significantly, allowing Seadra a chance to leap high into the air and to the side, avoiding any damage.

The Solar Beam diminished into nothing and, having eliminated the Smokescreen as well, Misty was allowed a glance at her opponent, who looked thoroughly shocked that her Pokemon was still standing, and at Vileplume, who, although currently seeming pretty exhausted from that previous attack, was recovering with the help of Sunny Day, which had speedily readied the first Solar Beam to begin with and which was assisting in producing a second.

“Let’s not give them the chance, Seadra! Close in and use a Bubble Beam to suppress their power, then go on with another Pin Missile!”

Seadra drew breath and then exhaled strongly, producing a surge of bubbles that, fueled with the power of the Pokemon’s level and the water element, impacted with Vileplume and forced enough effort on him to knock him backwards a few feet and break his focus.

Then, as the Grass-type was attempting to shake it off, Seadra glowed brightly and unleashed another Pin Missile and sent it flying straight at their adversary, cascading upon their target in flawless accuracy.

“And the match is over. . . ! The victory goes to D-146; Aurora Williams-Black! Your next battle will take place in ten minutes on field ‘B’, past those doors.” The referee stated with the smallest hint of a smirk, and Misty knew why.

Field ‘B’ pertained to a Psychic arena, and it was this battle that she always managed to lose. Getting the crap beaten out of her numerous times had strengthened her physical will, but her skills in Pokemon training were the exact same as the time she’d walked in here, minus a few levels. Perhaps that was because she was afraid of being totally ruthless to another creature. After all, humans might have decided to join evil organizations like Team Rocket, but their Pokemon wouldn’t have been able to pick that preference. Their only chance was to do what their trainers told them to.

But the reasoning for her losses could have been something more obvious, also, like the simplicity of a lack of strength and ability. It also could have been more selfish than anything, still. Maybe she was just afraid that this would harden her soul even more than it already was.

Her given mission had been to capture her friends and bring them here, convincing them that she was unreachable along the way. But that didn’t mean that she truly had to be in such a state. It was a wonderful trait humans could attain, the prospect of being so gullible. And fooling people was something that she was undoubtedly good at. . . She’d allowed everyone to believe that she was a temperamental tomboy from a strangely functional sisterhood of a family for almost a decade, after all. Stone-faced alienation was just one of those things she picked up along the way.

She crossed through the double doors and walked into the earthy arena, taking her place at the shoulder of the field.

“The Pokemon battle commencing is one-on-one, trainer D-146 versus trainer D-99. . . The battle will not be recorded by time; D-146 will be using a Water-type Pokemon. D-99 will be using a Psychic-type Pokemon. Secondary types are permitted. . .” The referee said, placing a whistle to his mouth, blowing into it, and withdrawing it again, “Battle, start!”

“Go. . . Xatu!” Her current opponent, a tall, wide man in his late twenties, said, throwing a Pokeball and producing a large, stiff bird Pokemon.

It crowed sharply in response to being set out on the field and awaited instruction.

Misty removed her own Pokeball but hesitated in throwing it. Within the containment device was Psyduck, but it wasn’t the Psyduck she had known before coming here. When she had first been forced to join Team Rocket, her bag had been removed from her back, the bag holding her clothes, personal belongings, the box her mom had given her, the only photograph of her mom, and her Pokemon.

Luckily, she had been able to use her PokeNav transfer system to send her Corsola back to Rustboro Pokemon Center before anyone knew any the wiser. . . Unfortunately, sending all of her Pokemon would have taken too much time, and it would have drawn too much unwanted attention from her father. Giovanni may have been evil, conniving, and one-track-minded, but that didn’t mean he was stupid.

So Corsola had been saved. . . but Psyduck, so powerful when it truly counted, had been inspected by a series of private scientists and regarded as 'ineffective' in his former state. And because of that, tests had been ordered. Painful, abusive tests. They had gone on for hours, and once he had been deemed fit for progressive battle, he was ordered to return twice a day for 'Therapeutical Brain Stimulation', or, as Misty liked to call it, torture.

For thirty to sixty minutes at a time, three small steely suction cups were placed to his body, one on his forehead and two on his abdomen. They were hooked to a machine which spat out a continuous trail of electricity throughout his muscles, affecting him so thoroughly as to give him an everlasting headache with which he was forced to deal with.

Misty had lost this Psychic trainer battle twice now; once because, quite simply, she hadn't been strong enough. More specifically, she'd chosen the wrong Pokemon for the fight, though she hadn't been aware of it at the time. The second time around, she'd thought more clearly. Psyduck's secondary element type was Psychic, and secondary types were allowed. After all, one of the finer points of a Team Rocket trainers expertise was to weigh the chances of a positive outcome after battle and combine those with personal strength.

So she had sided with Psyduck, even through his most forward of physical weaknesses. The problem was, when he'd been on the battlefield that time, he'd listened to her. The very first time she'd called out to him, asked him to issue a Confusion attack, he'd done it. . . The sheer perfection of it had compelled her to forfeit the match.

She had spent twenty minutes yelling at her father for that before he'd explained the situation to her so calmly that it was almost kind of him. But he'd also neglected to tell her then just how excruciating the experimental treatment was for her Pokemon, and, even when she had taken the time to notice Psyduck's burns and the raw pink fleshy hide, there was nothing she could do. She couldn't disobey Giovanni, no matter how much she wanted to tear his legs off to prevent him from running away so that she could further maim him for the many terrible scenes he'd caused, or would cause, of her.

That horrible thought came to her often, too often, really. And every time it did, all she could think of was how despicable a person she'd become. The only thing that reminded her of her kindness, her 'innocence', so to say, was what she was doing all of this for; Ash, May, and Brock - her friends.

And in the end, she'd lose them to her father as well.

"You. . . ! Call out your Pokemon or be disqualified! You have three seconds!" The referee stated coarsely, and Misty came to realize that she'd been staring at Psyduck's Pokeball for almost five minutes. Quickly recovering, she shook her head, throwing the device into the air.

"Go, Psyduck!" The ever-familiar flash of red light later and the small duck was standing before her not looking any different than before she'd come here, physically speaking. But that acknowledgement lasted barely a moment before she knew it was time to see how much had really changed, "Use Psybeam!"

Immediately, her Pokemon's eyes began to glow blue, and a thick pulsing apparition of waves echoed telepathically from his mind, so large and heavy that even Misty felt them.

If anything, her opponent was not shocked.

"Xatu, Barrier, then, when you've knocked all blasts aside, use Screech to disable your adversary long enough for you to finish the combination with a Future Sight!"

Misty arched an eyebrow. It seemed that the man that she was facing had their entire battle planned out from the beginning. Bracing herself for what she knew was a failed offensive strategy on her part, she took only enough time to notice the gravelly arena floor on either side of Xatu gaining the onslaught of her Psybeam as his Barrier deflected the attack.

"Psyduck, use Bubble to obscure the area around you as much as you can!" If it worked, the fog produced would be so thick that it would at least cut the edge off of the Screech that would otherwise surely cripple her Pokemon.

Psyduck obliged not even two seconds before a high-pitched sonic wave made its way at them in one elongated note. Misty's Pokemon made its first move to get out of the way, squatting over to his right, using the smallest amount of his potential to clear a way for himself through the smog.

Misty took a chance to think; she could only wonder how it was possible to stop the Future Sight from ending the match. That gave her roughly five minutes to learn of a proper defense through the other aspects of the battle she was caught up in.

"Confusion, Xatu! Clear the air, and then Foresight to lock-on to that Psyduck for a more accurate impact next time around!" The man yelled in what sounded like a tone of the utmost confidence, "After you're sure you've got him, make a run for it with a Peck attack to knock him off his balance, then Psychic when he's as close as possible to you and unable to come up with a defense!"

Squinting carefully, Misty was able to lay her eyes on a soft blue aura emanating from the other end of the field. As if a large, spiraling wind had twisted its way between the two trainers, the fog that the redhead had come up with wound itself tightly and spun high, high into the air, far up above everyone's immediate range of vision.

"Psy-duck duck!" Her Pokemon quacked and he looked as though he truly felt himself being cornered by the Foresight.

As everything came into clear view again, Misty saw an obscured appearance making a beeline for her Pokemon and knew it was the Xatu making a go at his Peck attack.

Thinking fast, she shouted as clearly as possible, "Use Confusion yourself, Psyduck! Stop him in his tracks and lift him into the air!" Doing just that prevented Xatu from finishing his combination and gave the Water Pokemon trainer a chance to command the use of one of her own, "Spin him like a top on the spot and hit him with a Scratch attack!"

The dumpy, yellow duck did as told and with a flick of his short paw, the Xatu was forced into nauseous motion. Every two seconds or so, Psyduck would claw away at another anonymous part of the bird and everyone in the vicinity would hear a piercing chirp from the Pokemon-turned-cyclone.

"Okay, stop spinning him now and throw him backwards with your Psychic attack; don't forget, make it as hard and as fast as you can manage!" Misty called out, pointing at the wall opposite her over seventy-five meters away.

Psyduck placed his paws to his head again and backed away from his opponent, standing a good enough distance so that when he shut his eyes and concentrated all of his power on the task at hand, and the ground just beneath Xatu began to crumble away into swiftly billowing dust clouds, none of it came into contact with him in the least.

Then Xatu was tossed back towards the stone wall at the other side of the stadium at such a speed that it very nearly captivated everyone and gave his trainer barely any chance at all to react.

"Xatu, use Barrier for protection and your own Psychic to force yourself away from the wall!" It seemed like a proper counter attack at first sight. . . Unfortunately for Xatu, Misty wouldn't allow herself or Psyduck to let up on the offensive she'd created. How could she, when she knew her father was watching her progress, let alone the fact that everyone's lives, everyone she cared about, anyway, hung in the balance. . . ?

So Xatu, complying with his trainer's orders, used his psychic powers to counter Psyducks' and Psyduck, not being told anything different by his trainer, continued using his own powers against his opponent. Sadly, this created the disastrous affect of sandwiching Xatu on both sides and, due to the immense strength of both Pokemon's telekinetic power, it was something that not even a strong Barrier could defend against.

". . . Let it go, Xatu!" His trainer yelled, finally letting his confidence slip, but it was too late.

The compression of both Psychic attacks had done so much damage, including suffocating the bird Pokemon and crushing quite a few bones, and then, as he let go of his own control and it diminished, Psyduck was finally successful at sending him straight into the wall at the other end of the arena, shattering the stone around Xatu's body.

Psyduck was able to lose hold of his element and his eyes returned to normal now, too, and both he and Misty watched as the opposing Psychic bird Pokemon finally fell to the ground, limp, lifeless, and his trainer, a Rocket member but still a human being, could only kneel beside him in hopelessness as the referee verbally displayed the results of the match in a hollow voice, though it wasn't like anyone was really listening anyway.

Misty called her Pokemon back wordlessly and stood stark-still. She had won the match, finally, after three attempts. . . But this victory called for no type of celebration. . .

She had probably ended Xatu's life.

She had probably killed him.

An innocent Pokemon.

And though it looked to other people as though this didn't phase her, she knew more than anything else that tonight, not unlike any other night since she'd come here, she would yet again be spending those precious few hours she had for sleep on another motion.

It would be just one more night for endless tears.

OoO

It was a very strange feeling going through Jessie, Meowth, May, and Brock's bodies as the blimp-turned-submarine sky-rocketed through the ocean south of Pallet Town, Kanto region, with the combined strength of the nine engines and the slightly weakening current they'd been sinking upon before.

It was as if their nerves elongated, their insides writhing and stretching from the tips of their fingers, to the tops of their heads, to the bases of their ankles. It was like they were being sucked both from above and below, and twisted this way and that; and as they cried out, both out of fear and relief, one thought ran through all of their minds. . .

What would happen when they reached the surface. . . ?

As though in answer to their coupled question, they did, but, unfortunately, their push didn't stop there. They gripped their seats and felt their bodies tense as the force of power they'd used to save themselves before ripped their lives from their hands yet again.

They went blasting roughly high into the sky, and, with the efforts of the still functioning engines, maintained a height of over ten thousand meters for almost an entire minute. They were foolish enough to think for a moment that everything would indeed be alright as the water that had filled the cockpit before finally began to empty, seeping through the many cracks in the windows and the dents in the walls.

However, they didn't see to the fact that they were still rising, rising so high as to exceed their altitude level and, as if it was just their luck, the main system had just enough time to automatically reboot when an abrupt, scarlet warning flared into existence, causing everyone to rip their seatbelts off and leap from their places, forcing their way to the monitor to find out what was wrong. . .

"Oh, no! It says that we've got a major leak in our gas tank and all of the engines are failing because of it!" Brock shouted, then looked up to view the area outside, below them. He was able to recognize the plains just outside of Pallet Town and the beach and private docking area adjacent to the small city passing behind them.

They were going to make a crash landing right in the center of the town if they didn't do something soon. As if giving him incentive to think fast, Brock heard May elicit a small shriek beside him, feeling the blimp give a guttural groan. The floor below them creaked wearily as they heard two significant explosions making themselves known from the back-end.

Smoke billowed so strongly from the gaseous origin that it clouded their vision entirely and everybody was forced to hit the floor as, in reaction, the front windows shattered into a million pieces of fragmented glass, scattering everywhere.

"Me. . . ow. . . !" Meowth screeched as he painfully inspected where a shard had embedded itself in his tail. Jessie, Brock, and May reached their feet and the future breeder, losing himself in the anxiety of the situation, turned and threw Pikachu into the younger girls arms.

"Okay, May, listen to my instructions. . ." Brock started distractedly as he lifted the knapsack from his back and carefully dusted himself off before moving on to the chairs in front of the control panel and the dashboard.

"W - what are you doing, B - Brock. . . ?" May managed to stutter in terror and wonder, but it didn't last for long.

"Jessie and I have to stay behind, to guide the blimp safely into the Viridian Forest. . ." He started without looking at her, but he was swiftly silenced, surprisingly by both of his female companions.

"What!" Jessie shouted furiously.

"Yea, what! We - we can't just. . . What about Ash! What are you trying to do. . . ?" May continued, and Jessie took up the mike again after her.

"And James, too? If nothing else, we shouldn't be here; we should be back there, trying to find my partner and - and your twerp counterpart! I'm not going to stick around, otherwise!" She yelled defensively, and she crossed her arms for good measure.

"Yea, and I'm not going to do anything else either!" May finished and turned with an affirmative nod from Pikachu to take a seat where she'd been for most of the ride. She'd only taken two and a half steps when Brock's hand shot out and caught hold of hers, and she was forced to look back and pay attention to him.

"This isn't the time for that, May. . . !" He shouted at her ignorance, "So listen to me! Jessie and I have to stay back here to make sure that the people below us in Pallet don't die, otherwise I wouldn't be sticking around here, either!" May looked ready to interrupt him again but he knew what she was going to say and easily beat her to it, "Forget about Ash! He's strong enough to take care of himself and James, too, if it's needed. You know he's good for his word when he sets out to do something so don't worry about it. He won't allow himself to die until at least after he's found and saved Misty. So, now, May, now I want you to worry about nothing but yourself, Pikachu, and Meowth. . ." And Brock proceeded to unclip a Pokeball from his belt. He turned back and showed it to her.

"What about Meowth?" Jessie voiced strongly, and everyone's attention was sidetracked to her.

"Yea, what's d'is about da Top Cat?" Meowth replied as well, still nursing his injured tail.

"Brock, wh - what. . . ?" May started again.

"This is Crobat's Pokeball. I want you to catch a ride on him and get out of here. Land on the outskirts of Pallet and the Viridian Forest and send him back to me; wait for the rest of us there. I don't want you to do so much as take one step off of that pathway, unless someone tries to find you and asks any questions. I don't really expect much at this time as it's four in the morning, but you can never be too sure. So, here. . ." There was another expected sputter from the blimp and Brock quickly tore open his bag and pulled out a long, thick line of rope, "Meowth, get over here if you value your life. . ."

The catlike Pokemon did as told and slowly walked forward, and Brock, getting up, wrapped the rope tightly around May's waist, placing Pikachu in front of her, against her abdomen, and Meowth against her back. Then, when he was positive that the knot was tight enough, he grabbed hold of his Pokeball once again and threw it into the air.

There was a flash of red light and Crobat appeared, maximizing his wingspan lazily and awaiting instruction.

"Climb up here, May. . ." Brock helped her up onto the dashboard and held her there before turning back to his Pokemon, "Crobat, I need a favor. . . I need you to get these three to safety. Fly them down there. . ." The future breeder took a second to point to the area he'd told May about, ". . . and then come back here for me. Whatever you do, please, do not allow them to get hurt. . . I'm counting on you. . ." He said finally.

Crobat nodded, screeched, and flew forward, allowing May to use both of her hands to grab a hold of the bat Pokemon's claws. As Crobat began to test the waters of just how much of a lead weight his additional charges would be, May was given just a quick glance of the way she was about to tumble. The terrifying feeling inside of her multiplied by ten, and her knees began to quake.

"B - Brock, I. . . I'm not too sure about this. . ." May looked back and was calmed only slightly by the courageous grin on her older friend's face.

"Yea, and I don't think it's fair ta leave you two's here like d'is. . ." Meowth said with a glance in Jessie's direction.

"Pikachu Pi Pi Chu Ka Pikachu Pikapi."

"Pikachu here agrees wit' us. He says he has a bad feelin' about walkin' out like d'at. . . He says he has a feelin' d'at his trainer might not be in as good a shape as we think. . ." Meowth translated, but Jessie took over the conversation momentarily.

"Look, Meowth, no arguing. I don't like it either, but even if the twerp is in a little trouble, he has James, or at least his Pokemon. . ." She amended after thinking about the hopelessness of her partner, "And if James doesn't make it out alive, I'm going to kill him." She gave a smirk at the lack of logic in her comment.

"Yea, don't worry, guys. . . Here; to prove how confident I am that we'll all be okay, I'll keep Crobat's Pokeball. It's to prove that I know he'll come back for me and that we'll all be safe and together again shortly. . ." Brock grinned at May in particular, but somehow, this only scared her more, and she finally felt a couple of tears leak out from her eyes. Nevertheless, she found herself returning the gesture and smiling sadly back at him.

". . . A - alright. . ." She nodded and turned back, feeling the rapid gusts of wind whip her hair from her face. Sighing, resigning herself to what she was about to do, she held on as tightly as possible to Crobat‘s second set of wings, feeling the claws bite into her palms. . .

"Goodbye, May." Brock ended in a strong tone, and he gave her just enough of a push so that she finally took the dive, and she indeed went, screaming all the way, alongside Pikachu and Meowth.

Brock sighed as he sat back in the seat he'd been in momentarily before, and turned to face Jessie again, who'd been gripping her steering wheel as stiffly as possible to hold the blimp as steady as she could. He faced forward as well now, taking his own into his hands, because neither really knew what they wanted to say; they didn't know what their potential last words should contain. . .

Pride? Sorrow? Appreciation? Complaints. . . ?

If nothing else, the silence spoke more volumes than any quick spewing of words ever could. . .

OoO

Down below, James seemed to be weighing his and Ash's chances of survival. The younger Pokemon trainer was still unconscious and leaning uselessly over the Team Rocket members' shoulder. The horde of Tentacool were filed completely into the boiler room and were ready to unload an entire arsenal of Poison Sting attacks at the two, among other things.

And as James backed away - not that it would help any - his spine bent over the broken-down back-up system. He could hear the engines sputtering, whirring so excitedly that he knew something must have been going on out there.

Suddenly, the makeshift submarine gave a twirl and, left feeling slightly nauseous, he realized that they'd breached the surface of the water.

The higher into the air that they climbed, the more that he saw all of the flooding water tip outside the many shattered windows. As though sensing the change of atmosphere, all of the Tentacool faltered their attacks, which gave James a chance to allow Ash a large gulp of oxygen. The Pokemon began chanting their name in a loud screech to one another, confused as to what was going on.

James was relieved when he noticed that the water level had sunken to just below his forehead, around the bridge of his nose. A little while longer and he'd be able to breathe on his own, and Ash, too.

His attention was brought back to the many Pokemon facing him and he could tell that, through the argument they'd been having just before, they'd obviously decided that it was somehow his fault that they were in such a state of mind, and becoming more frantic every moment. And they'd also decided that an angry retribution was the best thing to do in retaliation, as they screeched again and began to secrete a black Acid from their bodies.

James recognized the danger and turned to run, but there was really nowhere to go. Deciding it was the best choice, he took off to his right, his motion slowed considerably by the fact that he was still mostly submerged in water. Being careful not to trip and lose his hold on Ash, he made it around one of the many six-foot-tall boilers and, using it as a defense, he withdrew a Pokeball from his waist.

"Go, Cacnea. . . !" James yelled, and the Pokeball opened without his throwing it, the Pokemon hearing his request, and the small green spike-ball emerged among the folds of red light with a small shout of his name. Pointing around the boilers, he yelled, "Pin Missile!" And the Pokemon nodded, taking off, floating just above the surface of the water.

Cacnea drew breath and waited just long enough for his large, rounded arms to glow white before shooting off hundreds of tiny needles at the school of Tentacool, making contact with a good amount of them.

"Keep at it, Cacnea!" James cheered him on hopefully. He'd never thought to be successful at such an important battle, and the thought that he was seemed to be giving him a ton of confidence. He then turned to inspect Ash again, to make positive that the Pokemon trainer was still alright, despite being unconscious.

The water level had steadily dropped to the Rocket boy's neck and so he put the small breathing device into his pocket as he leant down to the ground to peer at the younger boy blearily as his Pokemon dealt blow after blow at the Tentacool behind him.

After the water had begun to flow away, the blood from Ash's head wound had taken its chance to drip down his face, looking almost artistic as it formed a pathway around the features of his closed eyes and his slightly parted lips. Still cataleptic, he let out the weakest of pained groans.

"Hey, twerp!" James tried again now, taking Ash by the shoulders and shaking him with the greatest amount of strength he could afford, "Twerp. . . ? Damnit, when are you going to wake up. . . ?" The Rocket boy asked, knowing that time was running out if they were planning to escape before being scathed any further.

This impressionable thought was interrupted by the sound of some type of explosion. James turned and half-stumbled from his space on the floor and was able to catch sight of one of the boilers on the opposite side of the room bursting under the pretext of the Pokemon battle going on around it. The scalding heated air that blew from the large dented crack billowed powerfully forward and hit the boiler next to it; soon after that, the thermostats connected to each boiler on that half of the room showed that the temperature of the contents was spinning out of control, and they too burst in turn.

In response to this predicament, Cacnea and the Tentacool steered their battle in the opposite direction, towards the two young men. Cacnea seemed to be weakening under the stress of fighting so many adversaries at once, but he was still willing to go on. What happened next was so devastatingly shocking that James couldn't be positive that it was due to the catastrophic end of the controlled temperature sequence of the blimp or not; the end of the room where the back-up control system was, the one directly linked to the engines just beyond the wall, began to crackle with fierce electricity once again.

As this was obviously a bad sign, James turned back and heaved Ash upright from his space between a group of large pipes and the wall, throwing half of the younger trainers weight over his shoulder. He made it about three meters towards the exit leading to the main area of the blimp before the entire space of where he'd just been was completely eliminated by the final explosions of two of the engines outside.

The pressure from the wall being blown clean away made him lose his footing. As he fell, Ash went sailing from his arms, landing face-forward again some two meters away. James tried to rush to the younger boy's side again before he happened to breathe in any of the last foot of water still left along the floor, but he wasn't given the chance as the boilers closest to the decimated wall blew to pieces, exposing anything and everything that was close to it with the two hundred degree Celsius steam.

James was so caught by surprise, so thoroughly pained by the feeling of the shirt on his back basically disintegrating, leaving his flesh to sear, that he couldn't even find the time to yell out.

His knees hit the waterlogged ground and he continued to slowly and breathlessly make his way over to Ash's side, cautiously turning him over. For a moment, he thought that the unconscious trainer had stopped breathing. . . but it only seemed to be a trick caused by the questionable situation, as he couldn't feel his entire backside anymore, alongside the fact that the large hole blasted through the wall some seven meters behind him was sucking at every solid object it could.

For the first time, he realized that this posed a threat to his Pokemon's safety, which he would not allow if he could help it.

He quickly staggered to his feet, almost just as soon regretting it as the flesh on his back was left to feel as though it was easily peeling off. He glanced around in the direction of where he heard the Pokemon battle cries coming from and saw Cacnea, facedown and taking a beating. One of the Tentacool was holding him still with his Constrict while his fellows were continuously whipping him with their long jellyfish-like legs.

"Cacnea, return!" James shouted, holding up the familiar Pokeball and aiming it at his Pokemon. Luckily, the Tentacool seemed to have forgotten about him over the duration of their match against the sole Grass-type, and so they weren't expectant enough of this to block the Pokemon from view.

But now that their main opponent was gone, they had no one to turn their frustrations on. After all, they were some fifty miles away from their homeland, and about six hundred meters - at this point - above it.

James was forced to stare them down, uncomfortably aware that he hadn't planned this far ahead. He felt around for another Pokemon. Chimeco was useless at this point, and Victreebell wouldn't last for long. . . but he really had no other choice. The blimp was about to hit the earth, Ash still seemed to be out for the count, he, James, was being cornered by a group of ugly, giant, bug-eyed, fishy Pokemon, and, what was more, the pain of his massive burn seemed to be making his vision go spotty.

Not willing to wait, he reached toward his belt and successfully grabbed hold of Victreebell's Pokeball, holding it up and then. . . It was quickly slapped from his grip by one of the advancing Pokemon. The small red and white ball hit the ground, rolling one way and then the other as the blimp swayed menacingly. James barely had time to notice as it went rearing for the gaping exit that had formed itself in the wall.

"No!" He called out and leapt at it, hitting the ground so roughly that his back momentarily crippled him with pain. He held his arm out as far as he could, trying to grab hold of it, but thanks to the slick flooring, it slipped from his fingers and continued rolling, approaching the vast opening so fast that he couldn't dare hope to catch it.

Uselessly, he did try, scraping to his knees before he could consciously grasp the fact that it probably wasn't the best idea for him. Before he could even crawl one step forward, however, a random Tentacool grabbed a hold of his ankle and pulled him back. He tried to rip himself away, but the Pokemon's grip was so strong that he couldn't even pull his foot from his boot. Helplessly, he turned to watch Victreebell's Pokeball make its drastic fall. . .

. . . And, instead, just managed to catch sight of a large claw grabbing a hold of it as it hit the air. Managing to look up, he saw that the claw belonged to an average-sized Swellow, which was approaching him with a familiar look in his eye. James bowed his head and held his hands above him out of reflex and, about five seconds later, was shocked to feel that the slimy tentacles that had been entertainingly grabbing at him for the past few minutes had been forcibly removed.

Gathering his sanity and courage, the Rocket boy opened his eyes again and slowly sat up, ignoring the excruciating pain in his back as he did so. He saw the Swellow extending his left wing and sweeping about one-third of the opposing Pokemon into the feathered pan like place before moving to dump them carelessly out through the very large hole in the wall.

Knowing what this meant, recognizing that he was now safe (or, rather, as safe as he could afford to be at this point), James finally took a moment to catch his breath. As the Swellow flew overhead of him on his way to grasp the rest of the many scattering Water-type Pokemon, Victreebell's Pokeball was dropped into his lap. The Rocket boy clipped it back to his belt and reached his feet, hissing as he did so and realizing that the spots clouding his vision seemed to be multiplying quite a few times over now that he wasn't forced to stay conscious.

"I - I can't believe. . . you almost let me. . . miss this. . . !" Ash murmured in exhausted and breathless excitement from behind him, and the older of the two almost grinned as he jumped slightly from the shock of hearing his voice; of course Ash was awake. . . There was no way for Swellow to have known to carry out those attacks, otherwise.

"Oh, yes, you slamming your head back there. . . was obviously my fault. . . ! Twerp, I've been trying to wake you back up for at least a half-an-hour. . . You have no idea. . . just how pleased I am for once. . . to see any of your Pokemon out and kicking ass. . ." James said, equally exhausted. He reached his feet and limped to the younger Pokemon trainer's side, feeling more and more nauseous with every step he took, "We. . . need to get out of here. . . The place is guaranteed to blow, and soon. . ."

Ash, who was currently leaning unsteadily against one of the few intact boilers, looking bruised, battered, and ready to collapse again at any second, nodded, "Yea, I know. . . but what about Jessie and Meowth. . . ?" He rasped out in a croaky undertone.

James gave a wry grin, unable to help it, "Well, if I know them, Jessie is probably complaining about saving her precious hair. . . and Meowth is probably running with his tail between his legs. . . What about your friends? Unless you think that their loyalty to you is in question. . ."

"But Jessie and Meowth are your partners!" Ash replied, unable to hide his shock, "Anyway. . . Brock and May; they're smart enough to know that it's not worth sticking around here. . . After all, the point of this was to go and find Misty. What good would it do to die here and now. . . ?" The Pokemon trainer said as his Swellow finished evacuating all of the water-types and came to stand sturdy beside him, "Now, c'mon. . . If Jessie and Meowth actually do care about you, which I'm sure they do, then Brock will have convinced them that we'll find our own way out of here. . . Let's not disappoint them. We need to go. . . before we both end up too tired to keep a hold of Swellow. . ." Ash said sleepily as he climbed carefully on top of the bird Pokemon's back.

"Oh, it's too late for that. . . I'm already halfway there. . ." James managed to reply before he thought it through and came to the conclusion that the rest of his energy would be much better spent on keeping himself awake. He grabbed the hand Ash offered him and helped pull himself up, taking as good and as sturdy a seat as he could.

"Right. . . Hang on. . . !" Ash said, and Swellow took off, treading cautiously with the fragile things he was to be transporting.

Three wide steps later and the bird Pokemon had made it beyond the confinements of the battered looking air vehicle, soaring steadily away from the direction it was flying, aiming so low to the Earth that it would surely impact in the vicinity of the Viridian forest.

Eyes widening, Ash realized just how close to home he was. . . How long had he been out, anyway? But, clearing his head of those types of thoughts, he realized that it didn't matter.

And he turned his head as he steered his Swellow away from his home, and his family, as well.

OoO

Misty stared emptily at the plate of food in front of her, not feeling very hungry. Then, aware of the pair of eyes that were currently watching her, she glanced up at her father, Giovanni, who seemed to be silently questioning her lack of appetite. He knew, however, not to expect an answer from her and perhaps it was that more than anything else that left him speechless.

It was because of this that Misty grew more and more uncomfortable with the prospect of the topic she wanted to discuss. . . However, it wasn't like she could help it. She was so worried. . . ! She knew now that something had happened with Ash and the others, but, whatever that something was, she knew her father wouldn't tell her. Maybe that was because it was to do with them coming to rescue her. After all, that they would try so hard to find her as to threaten their own lives would only make her feel more indebted to them. And the last thing Giovanni needed was for her to rebel, claiming that she could actually beat him somehow.

But what if they were dead? What if they had lost one of their Pokemon - or more - to whatever means they were using to reach her here. . . ? She already felt helpless, useless, terrible enough with the way things were going. . . Could she live with herself if Ash, May, and Brock infiltrated the Team Rocket headquarters only to see her working against them, and after possibly losing so many valuable things?

It wasn't shocking that Misty was so caught up in these thoughts that she didn't even wonder about the possibility that losing her was the worst of all for them.

Either way, she had to find out something, even if it wasn't a detailed explanation of what was going on. And so she did something she thought she'd never do and cleared her throat, initiating a conversation with the man across the table. He looked up at her, and the expression on his face was barren, so she couldn't tell if he was shocked at her or if he'd expected it all along.

Not wanting to allow anytime to be sidetracked, she began.

"I want to know what's going on. What was it about, what your grappling defense referee said to me earlier today?" She could tell now, as she watched Giovanni's lips give a slight twitch; he'd expected this, he'd known she couldn't help wanting to grasp at the details of her friends situation, no matter how much of a speech strike she'd planned originally to play out for the duration of their evenings.

Nevertheless, and probably in terms of punishment, her father merely replied, "You know, or you should by now, that the retrieval of a new level card ignites your training and mission tasks with a different and higher quality team.”

Misty held her tongue, literally, in a biting grip to keep herself from acting too rash. She knew that he was just toying with her. That was probably what everything was to him - a game. And though she didn't want to play, she knew that she didn't have any choice in the matter. And at this point, knowledge about Ash, May, and Brock's living conditions exceeded any humorous bullshit he was attempting to pull.

Lucky for her, he seemed to want to discuss something of it with her anyway, as his expression altered and he sat back in his seat, allowing a nearby Rocket member to come and sweep away his dishes, and then take Misty's as well, as though the man knew the conversation about to take place was going to be immensely personal, and knowing that making a sudden exit was for the best.

"Your training with Unit 'C', however, will be put on hold for the next seventy-two hours, starting as of 0600 tomorrow." He started, and Misty knew what was coming, "This is due to the fact that you will set out at said hour in order to complete your first mission. The amount of time it takes for you to complete it, and the success of the means you will be ordered to use in doing so will help me to assess your strengths and weaknesses as a Team Rocket trainer."

Misty, who had just barely begun comprehending that in less than twenty-four hours, she'd be seeing Ash again, felt something very heavy drop into the pit of her stomach.

"What - what's that supposed to mean. . . ?" She asked, and at the quake in her tone of voice, Giovanni gave a very indistinct shudder, as though thrilled with the fact that he was ruining so many lives.

"Tomorrow you leave to find your friends; as I hear, they're camping out on the brink of the Viridian Forest, recuperating from their journey here. You'll be sent out to greet them. . ." He smirked before continuing, "You'll be watched, so don't forget for even a moment of your befriending them that all of it is just a lie to, as some might say, lure them into a false sense of security."

She was staring at him with wide eyes and her mouth just slightly open now, finally coming to understand where he was going with this. It was obvious after her father had referred to Ash and everyone as her 'friends'. How many times had he told her that they weren't supposed to be that to her anymore, after all? But now, as she finally understood it, she could only gape at him open-mouthed. It was bad enough that he wanted her to bring Ash and everyone here, but now, before all that, he was telling her to. . .

"Deceive them; kill their trust in you in the worst, most complete way. I don't care what story you use to manipulate their behavior towards you, and I don't care how you bring them to me, except that they must be alive. After all, I want it to sink in, the fact that they believed in such a person, someone that they've always trusted, and someone who betrayed them without reason. I want that fact to torture them as they sit here in their holding cells for the rest of their lives. Maybe they'll turn to cannibals and begin to rip each other to pieces. . ." Giovanni broke off here to give an ever-blissful sigh, "However, one can only hope. . ."

Misty stared, dumbfounded at the man before her, the one and only she ever hoped to meet who expressed nothing but sheer joy at the thought of bloodshed.

Giovanni, meanwhile, reached his feet and took a few steps in Misty's direction. When he reached her side, he held out a Pokeball.

"This is not to be used in the midst of battle. The Pokemon inside should be strong enough to help you lug all of that dead weight back here. . . Figuratively speaking, of course." He said as she slowly raised her hand and took the Pokeball, clipping it to her waist without so much as a blink of curiosity, "Perfect. Remain so unconditional in your methods of acceptance, and you might just become something worthwhile here."

Misty snapped back awake at that, and moved to stare at the empty table in front of her for only two seconds before calmly reaching her feet.

"I'm excusing myself for the evening; I will present myself at 0545 tomorrow for any details you with to hand me on my mission. Until then." She clicked her heels as she did when ending a conversation with any superior officer and swiftly exited for her personal chambers.

"Just one more moment." He said aloud, and Misty was forced to a stop with the logic that, otherwise, she'd probably be in contempt, "There will be more of a package than you originally expected. I want you to bring the entire thing to me, if you don't mind." Of course, she couldn't mind, now could she. . . ?

"Affirmative." She replied simply before walking out the door and to her room.

An hour later, however, she was only left staring blankly at her ceiling in the almost pitch-black nothingness. And that nothingness, that darkness, entered through her ears and mouth and nose in order to contaminate her brain, which was still processing the emotions that were to be associated with her mission to locate Ash and the others.

Joy, unfortunately, was no longer one of them. Her heart leapt into her throat at the acknowledgement. How could she ever be joyful around Ash, May, and Brock when she was so well-aware about what she had to do to them. . . ?

Misery; this was the feeling she felt was strongest. Above all else, she regretted everything she'd ever done and everything she'd ever do to the point that her soul, her self, was nothing but a gaping chasm. The worst part about this feeling was that, in lieu of hoping everything would turn out well, she was almost brought to tears at the inclination that she'd practically rather like to see Ash, May, and Brock dead before anything else.

But her friends were alive, as Giovanni had allowed himself to let slip during their evening discussion. That tantalizing clue was enough, the fact that she still had a mission to complete was something. But whereas before, that thought would've relieved a large weight from her back, now it wasn't even the slightest comfort.

OoO

May's legs crippled beneath her as she hit the ground, almost crushing Pikachu against the forest floor. She sloppily reached her knees and ripped at the length of rope around her stomach, undoing the knot and allowing Meowth and Pikachu to fall away from her. Then she turned and saw Crobat was still floating there, so she wrapped the rope into a series of coils and handed it to him.

"Here; take this to Brock. It might be useful to him when he comes down."

'When' he comes down; that's right. It was good to think positive when you were in these types of situations.

After Crobat had left her there, she turned and stared in the direction of Pallet Town, just barely understanding that it was Ash's hometown. He'd lived there his entire life with his mom and 'The Great Professor Oak'. May smiled at the thought of her brother Max's reaction if she ever had a chance to tell him that she'd been this close to his oldest idol. But then, of course she'd get that chance. Why wouldn't she. . . ?

As though her mind had finally allowed itself to agree with her heart, she found herself sobbing. She was beginning to hate that ungodly feeling of feverish prickling behind her eyes, and the actual pulling on her heartstrings as her chest heaved. But the actual crying wasn't so bad. It was like every issue she had was flowing away with the tears. The only problem was, as soon as she stopped, those issues came straight back, and just as strong as before.

"Pikachu pipipi, Pika ka." Pikachu tried to console her, patting her soundly on the thigh, but it did no good. Her thoughts were consumed with the anguish, the fear, of the many outcomes of their situation.

What if Brock, or Ash, or Jessie, or James never made it out. . . ? What if only Jessie or James did, but they were unwilling to help anymore at this point? What if everyone did make it, but they were so wounded and traumatized that they couldn't go on? Or, worse yet, what if Misty really was already dead and this whole thing was ultimately pointless?

May shook her head; thinking things like that would do no good. Misty was alive; Ash would never allow her to die. He must have been alive, too, because, as Brock had said, he wouldn't let himself go before ensuring that Misty was safe. And Brock had to live, too, because he was like the father-figure of the group. He was basically duty-bound to make positive that Ash didn't end up getting himself killed on days like these. . .

But what about Jessie and James? May was almost sad as she admitted to herself that she didn't know them well enough to know how exactly they pulled through all of those 'Blasting Off's', nor was she willing to ask Meowth, because she might've just ended up bringing up horrible memories, but, either way, this was different. . . The only thing that gave her confidence in Team Rocket's survival was that they were with Brock and Ash, both of whom would never allow anyone to die if they could help it.

So now that she'd shaken those thoughts, what was she to do? According to Brock, she was probably better off making herself useful, keeping herself busy, so that those thoughts didn't return anytime soon. But what could she do? She couldn't cook anything, Brock held onto all of those supplies, and she couldn't groom her Pokemon because, well, she didn't have them. . .

"Come over here, Meowth," she said suddenly, shakily reaching her feet and removing her fanny-pack from her waist. She fell back to the earth again as the suddenly silent feline ambled over to her and stood there, not aware of what she was going to do to him, "Oh, don't worry. . . I - I'm just going to fix up your tail. . ." She explained to him, allowing him to see the tweezers, ointment, and gauze material that she was holding onto, "Gotta. . . gotta keep busy, gotta work until everyone comes back. . ." She rambled.

Meowth squatted before her and raised his tail above her lap so that May had a clear view of the piece of glass that was stuck there. Pikachu, who must have agreed with her about keeping busy, joined in assisting her. He went up front and took hold of Meowth's paw, knowing that he'd end up flailing out, otherwise, when the procedure was in the middle of being well-underway.

Just as May removed the glass shard from Meowth's tail, the feline set off a chain reaction in that he accidentally slashed his free paw across Pikachu's face. Pikachu squealed and was unable to hold back a weak Thundershock from coursing through him, which then went through Meowth, and then finally though May. Both of them screeched as the current wound its way around their bodies, but the feeling only lasted a moment before it was gone. They were left feeling a little ruffled, a little charged, and a little breathless, but otherwise, thanks to the immunity both had gained over the years, they were okay.

As impossible as it seemed to be in reaction to anything at the point they were at, the idea of the entire ordeal could only make them laugh, which they did, so much so that May had to wait a couple of extra minutes before she thought it was safe enough for her to finish wrapping Meowth's wound.

Just as she tucked the wrap under a layer of gauze (she was out of tape), she heard a slightly distorted shout from somewhere above her and the sound of rustling. Just as she was about to dive into the tall field grass behind her, dragging along Meowth and Pikachu, Ash and James, sitting unsteady on a familiar looking Swellow's back, crashed through the trees and landed roughly about three meters in front of her.

Yelping, May jumped to her feet and stepped back, allowing the dust to start settling before making a move to see if her friend and James were okay. Meowth and Pikachu joined her, too, hoping to make positive of their partners’ good health as two square figures and an elongated, sweeping one appeared from beyond the instant fog. One of them lifted an arm and there was a short-lived flash of red before the largest of the three figures vanished.

"A - Ash. . . !" May called, coughing just slightly as she waved the thick dust away. She managed her way to the space just short of her friend's position, almost as though she doubted it was really him, as though she thought it was too good to be true. And as Ash and James came into her range of vision, she realized that it really must have been, as the two young men seemed to be grasping at each other to stay on their feet, "Are you two a - alright. . . ?"

"May. . . !" Ash gasped, as though until that moment, he hadn't even noticed she was there, "I - I need your help. . . James, he's a little. . ." He attempted to explain, but at this point, May could tell for herself that the Team Rocket trainer was unconscious and, by the look of the raw flesh glinting from his shoulders in the moonlight, he was burned badly somehow beforehand.

"Pikachu chu!" Pikachu cried out, deciding that at this point it was better to step back until he was sure his trainer could handle him.

"Hey, what da heck happened ta James!" Meowth screeched, half furious and half worried as he too placed some distance between himself and the others so he wouldn't be in the way.

May grabbed hold of James' other side and relieved Ash of most of the weight. As she found that she was able to accept it, she could only thank the past three years of training and traveling, as it'd obviously greatly increased her physical strength.

"Quick, Ash, here. . ." May started after giving the older trainer a chance to catch his breath, "In my pack is a heated type of space blanket. Set it out on the ground and help me lay James on his stomach. With all of this being outside, his injuries will have been aggravated. . . And yours, too." May eyed her friend closely as he lay the sleek silver blanket out on the ground, finally given her first glance at his head wounds, "W - what happened to you two, anyway. . . ?"

"I - I wouldn't know. . ." Ash started edgily, "I was out cold for most of it." After May had examined James' back and had begun to set to work tending to him, the Pokemon trainer allowed his Pikachu to leap into his lap, smiling grimly as though pained by it, but not saying a word in order to get his Pokemon to move, "My head just keeps. . it just won't stop pounding. . . ! Every part of me hurts too, like it's hoping to contribute to the headache. . . I keep feeling like I want to fall asleep, and go after Misty, and stay here to help you all at once. . . I just. . . don't know how to handle that type of thing. . . N - not right now. . ." Ash explained and May furrowed her brow as Pikachu glanced at him in worry.

"Yea, dat's great, Twerp. . . But how's James doin'?" Meowth spoke suddenly, almost clawing May's arms in his haste to reach the unconscious boy's side.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ash started after an affirmative nod from the younger Coordinator, "But, really, I'm just glad to see you're concerned. The way he was going on before, James seemed to think that you and Jessie couldn't care less for what happened to him. . ."

"Yea, well, dat's why he's not known as da smart one of da group."

". . . So, what. . . what happened with you. . . ?" Ash began awkwardly, blinking up at May in such a way that he couldn't seem to help it, and she paused momentarily in her work, "I mean, I'm not so stupid so as not to have noticed that Brock and Jessie aren't here, which means that they must still be up there. . ." He took a moment to nod towards the blimp, still smoking, and which was hanging dangerously low in the sky now, ". . . And I know that you're a bit new to this momentary second of sacrifice thing, unlike me and Brock, so I'm wondering. . . if you're okay. . . ?" He finished softly, and May could feel herself starting to cry again, against her better judgment.

"I. . . I just. . ." She started in a strained whisper, "I just have to know. . how can you trust that everything will be okay! How can you not be worried! It's B - Brock, Ash, a - and Jessie! They're people we know, people we've known for years, and th - they're stuck up there, and we're down here, safe and sound. . . And we can't do anything for them! How can you be okay with that!" She finished, her tone having escaladed to a shriek over the course of her interrogation.

"I. . . You. . . You don't understand." He frowned at her as though he was disappointed, and then took hold of both of her hands as she attempted to return to aiding James, forcing her to stop again so that he had her undivided attention, and Meowth and Pikachu's, too, "I guess you really don't get it. . . May, something you have to know about me is that I - I'm always worried. I mean, c'mon, I'm Ash, remember? But I've been here long enough to know that a lot of the time, just sitting around a - and choosing to brood over it won't help. These types of situations are terrifying, the thought of - of losing someone who's ultimately precious to you. . . It's so frightening that some people even find it life-threatening, but. . . in the end, if all you can do to help it i - is. . . make sure that you survive and do what you have to do. . . Then I suggest you do that. Nothing else could make something like this worth it. . ." Ash finished, ". . . Right?"

The sun had risen without they're knowing it. May placed a series of bandages on James' back, refusing to answer Ash. She had been just a bit distracted during his speech because, for the shortest moment, she'd been sure that they weren't talking about Brock, or Jessie, or anyone here. For the shortest moment, Ash had looked at her with this expression in his eyes; it had been glaring at her, screaming, but she knew that she couldn't barely even begin to comprehend what it meant on her own. At least, not yet.

As though the Pokemon trainer knew he'd been caught, he grinned embarrassedly and reached his feet, swaying ever so slightly. Pikachu wavered on his shoulder before deciding that it was all for the best if he didn't weigh his trainer down. May joined her friend, yawning and stretching and glancing in the direction of the blimp that would be hitting the earth over a thousand meters away in probably only a few minutes. Faithful or not, if Brock and Jessie didn't show up soon after, she'd probably end up drowning herself in a permanent state of depression.

"Maybe we should, I don't know, gather up some firewood." May finally said, looking away from where her sights had been so thoroughly fixated only moments before, "When Brock gets back, we'll need to eat and then set out quickly. And Team Rocket will probably be begging for Pikachu to blast them off by then. . ." She chuckled, glancing down at her feet, where Meowth had curled up for a catnap, "I feel so bad for what we've done to them. . ." She whispered so that not even Ash could hear her, "So. . . I guess that I'll look for the firewood, and you could find a stream, get us some fresh water. We'll let Pikachu guard James for us until we get back, and then I can wipe the blood from your face and clean those cuts."

"Wonderful plan, really great of you to think that one up. . . I see only one problem." Ash replied, still grinning, though it looked different somehow than anything else she'd seen on him before.

"Uhm, and w - what's that. . . ?" May asked, although she really didn't want to know. Ash took a deep breath and began an explanation.

"That is. . . I hit my head about five or six hours ago. About three hours ago, I woke back up to being hung against a back boiler in a half-flooded blimp with a gaping hole in the wall and James being cornered by a school of deadly and poisonous Tentacool. I've stayed awake since then, through the rest of that less-than-perfect battle, through the trip down here on Swellow's back - which wasn't so bad until James fell unconscious from his burns, almost plunged off and ended up hitting the ground face-first - and also through the past hour and a half of sitting here, watching you help James, defending my opinions on this whole thing, etc. . . Basically, I know that, in about six more seconds, I'm going to collapse again and not wake up for at least another five hours," He broke off here for a moment, and when May made no inclination that she understood where this was going, he continued, ". . . I was just wondering something. . ."

"Er, uhm, what is it. . . ?"

"Could you catch me. . . ?" He asked dazedly, and, right on cue, his eyes wavered closed and the entire world went black for him. He tipped forwards and May, shocked, held out her arms and embraced his weight, hitting the ground and at the same time saving him from the impact.

"Pikapi. . . !" Pikachu cried out, hurrying over to May's side and throwing himself onto Ash's chest, "Pi chu pika. . . ?" He asked, looking up at May.

"I. . . He should be okay. . . I think he's just tired. . ." May hoped it was the answer the small mouse Pokemon was looking for, but she didn't have much of a chance to dwell on it, because at that moment, almost two thousand meters away, the blimp they'd used to get this far made its crash-landing, and the effect was so deafening that it reached her, and Pikachu, and the rest of them, debris and gravel and tree branches and a million other things flying at them from the general direction of the hurtle.

Before she could even think of defending herself, something large and heavy collided with the back of her head. She heard Pikachu give a wail, but had no time to wonder what had happened as she immediately passed out.

OoO

Misty was unable to gain a moments rest. When she blinked for probably the thousandth time and heard the knock on her lodgings’ door that signaled it was time for her to move out, and when she indeed felt the very first breath's of early morning sunlight on her face for the first time in a week; and when she wound her way distractedly through the Viridian Forest, keeping her distance from the very confusing scene that was an entire cities worth of civilians, emergency news casts, and a group of Viridian police officers, including the slightly overzealous Jenny, that stood before the immense wreckage that, before, would have been a perfectly useful air transport vehicle, she felt so completely imprisoned still that it chilled her to the bone.

The coordinates that Giovanni had given her showed that Ash, May, and everyone were just beyond a close-knit group of oak trees that stood out in front of her. It took every ounce of perseverance she contained not to run straight through and throw herself at them, which she couldn't afford to do. She was being watched, she had to stick to the plan, and the story she was to relay to them all.

She nodded, taking a deep breath and unclipping a series of Pokeballs from the belt that fit loosely around her waist, tossing them into the air and revealing Politoad, Seadra, Staryu, and Starmie. Without a word, she sent them off with a wave of her hand. They already knew what to do, and to wait until she gave them the signal. After she was again alone, she leant down to the space around her right thigh, removing a small, pocket-sized blade from a pouch there.

Flipping it in her palm and biting at her tongue, she wasted next to no time drawing it across her cheek, twice along one of her shoulders, and then roughly against her clothes, all to give the impression that she'd escaped a little worse-for-wear from the Rocket Headquarters, suppressing the yelps that threatened to escape her. She was already perspiring, both from the ten mile walk and from the anxiety of what she was about to do. . .

She replaced the blade and darted past the thick knot of branches, deciding that there was no methodical manner she could’ve used to approach the situation, relieved to get the bright afternoon sun out of her eyes.

If their physical conditions did nothing to dissuade her from her plans, then Ash, May, and Brock's reactions to seeing her again gave her the distinct impression that crawling under a rock and never returning to the surface of the earth was the only thing she could use as retribution for how she was going to abandon them.

"M - Misty. . . !" They started in chorus, staring at her as though they thought themselves delirious and blinking bemusedly, trying to will her away, but she was indeed there, looking just as bad as any of them. . .

"Misty, oh my god. . . !" May cried out, first to reach her feet. Her head was wrapped in bandages, her face streaked with tears, her clothes thoroughly worn through, and yet a brilliant smile found its way to her as she stumbled forward, practically throwing herself at the redhead, "Y - you're here, y - you're okay, you're. . . How? Guys, it's really her!" The brunette continued ranting, turning to face them, "She's back, she's alive, she's. . . bleeding. . . but she's alive, still!"

"G - guys. . ." Misty croaked, but was interrupted by Brock, Pikachu and Ash forcing themselves on her in that order, almost sending her to the ground. She nearly laughed, but as the self-inflicted wounds came into contact with them all, she could only bite back a bitter hiss.

"Misty, w - what's going on?" Ash started, but with a look from Brock, he revised the statement as the group of four stepped back to allow her some breathing room, "I - I mean, I'm so glad you're alright, and you're here, and I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you last time, and I swear to god that I'll never let that happen again." He finished in one breath, gingerly regaining his seat and pulling her along with him, "I promise you that we'll get back at him, but first, what's going on? How'd you get here? What happened with Giovanni?"

"Ash!" Brock started off with a painted bite in his tone, "Maybe you should wait to ask all of this. Maybe Misty would like a chance to relax, and eat something--"

"No, no, Ash is right. I should try and explain; all of that other stuff can wait for now." She emphasized as May tried to pull up next to her with her meager amount of medical supplies, "I mean, I have questions for you guys too, you know? I think it's best to have them all answered as soon as possible."

"O - oh, alright then." Brock seemed to be quite startled by her refined response, but then he shook himself from it, "But we should try and be quiet; those three have just settled down for a rest." He nodded behind him and Misty turned curiously, almost throwing herself from her seat at the sight of the bumbling villains of Team Rocket flat on the ground and snoring alongside each other in such a way that it frightened her not to have noticed them until then, "So, do you want to start off first or should we?" He asked, correctly interpreting her shock.

"I - I don't. . . I mean, maybe you should. . . but I could always. . ." She attempted to reply, but she couldn't come up with anything first-off.

"Okay, then, we'll go first. . . but only if you choose to eat something." Ash said, patting her on the shoulder in an overwhelmingly relieved sort of way, "Brock's gone to all this trouble to make his famous beef and vegetable stew, and I'd think he'd be personally insulted if you turned him down. Besides, I can hear your stomach growling from here; when was the last time you ate something?" He asked in such a way as though he was determined to keep talking.

"I thought we agreed that you'd answer my questions first. . ." She replied awkwardly, finally accepting the bowl that they handed her and taking a bite. Surprisingly, after the first one, she couldn't seem to stop eating, "How did you get here? What - what caused. . . all of this. . . ? And how are they involved?" She pointed her spoon at Jessie, James, and Meowth, still sleeping peacefully behind her.

As she sat there, listening very attentively to the tale that seemed almost too unbelievable to be true (comments like, "You mean that - that thing back there - that blimp - was yours!" were swiftly followed by, "Team Rocket was actually useful!"), Misty found herself feeling far more diabolical than she could've ever imagined beforehand. Everything about where she was, who she was with, it all made her feel so. . . The term 'homesick' came to mind more than once. It was such a friendly atmosphere she was apart of again, minus the countless cuts and things scattered over the many parts of her friends bodies, and the evening chill that bit at her back as the sun set.

Quite a bit of time had passed before the story was finally coming to a close. The moon was high in the sky, the darkness almost parting like a sea to show it to everyone, and Jessie, James, and Meowth had woken up twice to get something to eat and drink. They never said a word to any of the legit trainers, nor did they grace Misty with so much as a glance of acknowledgement. She was actually a bit miffed about this, until Brock decided an explanation was worth giving.

". . . And after Jessie and I tied our arms together and jumped from the blimp with Crobat and Dustox, we only got so far. . . You see, the explosion happened just after, and we were sort of blown away. Luckily, the rope didn't break so we were still together when we landed, and we made it here before May, Ash, and James woke up again. Pikachu was awake, but, unfortunately, that was only because, during the blimp's impact, he was caught painfully by a sharpened branch going straight through his tail. . . He - he should be fine, though. . ." Brock sighed, and Misty, horrified, noticed for the first time the bloodstained bandage wrapped around the electric Pokemon's backside.

"Funny thing. . ." May started up in his place, "I woke up a little while after that to Jessie screaming her head off at him. I mean, normally we'd all be used to it, seeing as its Jessie and all, but surprisingly, she was yelling for James' sake and not her own. He was still out cold, but she knew he was hurt bad. . . If I hadn't interrupted her, she'd have probably killed Brock in a rage. It was a bit scary, actually. . ." May shuddered at the memory, then yawned widely, "After I was able to tell her just what was wrong with her partner, she kinda went all quiet, and she just went and sat down beside him until he woke up. That part was even worse. The only reason the three of them haven't left yet is because he's not really able to move on his own. We figure giving them a couple of meals is the least we can do for them right now. . ."

Misty nodded in agreement as she stared at the three huddled forms of her former enemies and, though they didn't know it yet, current allies. Then she took a moment to yawn, pinching at her thigh to keep herself awake. Seeing as sleep hadn't come at all the night before, she was rightfully about to collapse from fatigue just now.

"Well, look, it's not the safest option, but I think we'd all better get some sleep." Brock told them all wisely, "I mean, we'll be useless later on when we're most needed if we don't accept what we require now. I guess, though, we should probably keep a guard up, to alert the rest of us if something happens." He looked uneasily between them all as though knowing none of them would choose to volunteer at the moment, "I guess that I'll--"

"--I'll do it." Ash said, "I mean, I've already spent most of the day unconscious; I suppose that I can afford to sit up for a few extra hours. Besides, I need to carry my own weight. I'm not upholding my title as 'Resident Hero' as well as I should be, am I? I mean, James has started to outdo me." He joked, but defeated the purpose of such logic by blinking sleepily soon after.

". . . Er, alright. . ." May agreed awkwardly, and then turned to Misty, "I guess that means that you can use his sleeping bag, since you probably didn't have a chance to gather yours on your way out of the Team Rocket HQ." She smiled at Misty, who opened her mouth to say something, before continuing where she left off, "Now, really, we'll hear your story tomorrow, but c'mon, it was a bit obvious what means you had to use when you got out of there. I mean, it's not like they'd just let you leave. . ."

Unfortunately, the young coordinator really had no idea. Nevertheless, Misty only nodded in acceptance of this plausible excuse. It fit well with the rest of the novel she'd cooked up for them, anyway.

After everyone was all settled down for the night, after the campfire had been almost fully extinguished and the sound of deep even breathing rose from almost every lump of a figure around him, Ash laid back against an oak tree on the edge of the clearing, allowing the uncomfortable feeling of the bark against his backside to set in, forcing him to remain awake. He grinned, his vision fleeting in the almost total darkness as his eyes rested on his familiar red sleeping bag.

It was so easy and hard at the same time to believe it. . . The fact that through all of their suffering, the pain everyone had gone through recently, Misty had been returned to them. They hadn't had to fight a war, or infiltrate an evil base, or kill anyone or anything to get her back; she'd just. . . shown up at his doorstep, so to speak.

The smile that had been so evident, so radiant, before, slouched and disappeared, a frown appearing just after. That was the problem, alright. It was just so wrong. They'd gone through hell and back to get this far, that was true, but that Misty would just show up out of the blue, slightly wounded, but otherwise okay. . . She wasn't complaining that her Pokemon had been taken, which meant she still had them all. . . But she'd been back almost an entire day, and no one from Team Rocket had come to try and retrieve her. . . ? Didn't Giovanni know she'd escaped yet? Didn't he have a feeling about where she'd go, who she'd try to find? For someone with so much evil influence, he sure didn't seem to have a strong handle on anything to do with this situation. . .

There were just so many questions, so many instances, to wonder about.

But Ash knew better than to dwell on it. After all, for now, Misty was with him, and she as safe; they were all safe. Even if just for a little while. He'd just have to wait until tomorrow. That was when he could ask whatever he wanted of her. That was when they could start planning some new way to take Giovanni out.

Tomorrow, Misty would ease any worries he had that something about all this just wasn't right. It was something to count on.

The next thing anyone would learn about Ash, however, was that he was not very perceptive. Through the hours he lay awake, roving his vision between his friends, he didn't notice the four times that Misty jumped awake in his sleeping bag after lasting about an hour in each nightmare that went through her head. After she realized that there was no disgusting creature sitting before her, waiting to take her to hell, she'd lay restless for the next forty-five minutes, agonizing over the details of the story she'd have to relay to all of her friends, and then. . .

As though it could make her feel better, she withdrew her head softly under the covers and sighed. Indeed, this left her feeling so many things, distress and fear, and contentment and guilt. First, she felt a series of memories crash over her like a wave, for this was what she did whenever she had something to think about late at night. This was what she'd resorted to her first evening out on the road, away from her home for the first time ever, wondering about how she'd achieve any dreams she really had for herself; this was what she did, too, on her first night with Ash. At the time, she'd never really considered that they'd become the best of friends, but it was just like him to do so, proving the potential for something great out of nothing. She did this with Togepi a few times, too, years ago, almost reenacting the way the little egg closed his head, folding it into his shell. And there was only one more time where she clearly remembered doing this, and that was. . .

It was the night she'd figured out her feelings for Ash.

Misty shook her head and groaned, turning ever so slightly so as to stretch her back. It wasn't the time to think about that, not now, not when she was so close to doing this.

But then, she couldn't prevent the next feeling that came over her; it was comfort. It was the last thing she deserved to feel at this point in time, but she couldn't seem to stop it, and on a subconscious level, that made her feel even worse. It was because she was in Ash's sleeping bag, she knew, and quite suddenly, she could smell him. He smelt of soap, but it was mixed with the elements. He smelt of earth, wind, and fire. It was so strange, and unique, and comforting. . . all of which she couldn't stand, and that was because it was him.

Nine hours, thirty-seven minutes, and twelve seconds later, Misty was staring into yet another one of Brock's famous dishes alongside all of her friends and Team Rocket, only she wasn't eating. It was obvious to her why, but Ash, May, and Brock, having not seen her in a week, and not being any the wiser to her 'mission', were forced to draw their own conclusions and, though none of them were accurate, they took a great deal of imagination to think up, and even more time to sort out and explain away.

"No, really, I'm fine, or, rather, as much as can be expected after all that's happened. Besides, I owe you guys a grasp-the-edge-of-your-seats story, like the one you gave me yesterday." She said, holding up her arms and grinning in an off sort of way, which none of them really noticed.

"Well, then, I call dibs on the first question." Ash called out from across the campfire, holding Pikachu in his lap, "I want to know about your father, first of all. What did he have to say to you after going to such lengths to get you to him?" He asked.

"Oh, w - well, I never. . . I never actually met him." She lied. They're reactions were not unlike she expected of them.

"What?" They cried out in unison.

"But that's just. . . I mean, not to say we're complaining or anything, but. . ." Ash sputtered, "But all the crap he's caused to get to you, you were with him for an entire week and he didn't even meet with you?" He scoffed, "The guy's crazier than I thought, then. So, you don't even know why they took you? I mean, do you know if they planned to kill you? How'd you get away?"

"Oh, er, I. . . well, I don't think that they planned to kill me, actually, but maybe they just hadn't had the chance yet, or maybe they didn't plan on it anymore after they got that disc back. I mean, why waste good technology on a useless murder? It'd just draw more attention than they're looking for right now. . . They did take my Pokemon for a little while, but they didn't lock them up anywhere. I mean, it's not like I have anything special, you know? So they just kept them out of my hands so I couldn't escape. Or, rather, they tried to, but that - that was how I got away. I managed to - to grab Politoad’s Pokeball from the counter outside my cell and cause enough of a disturbance so that I could run. Then, when I was rushing, I found this room full of laundry and I, er, picked up a spare uniform to disguise myself in and got out of there. The beret fell off while I was running through the forest." Misty explained.

"Well, that's interesting. . . It seems that Giovanni isn't the underground crime lord we've mistaken him for over the years. . ." Brock commented thoughtfully, but Jessie, taking the insult to heart, stood up suddenly in defense, "He's definitely not adept at keeping his prisoners under ironclad surveillance, anyway. . ."

"Hey, don't underestimate the boss! He's a brilliant strategist and leader! H - he's probably just waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike!" The Rocket girl replied in respect for the man.

"They why are you still here?" Brock asked her irritably, "I mean, really, how do you think he'll react if he finds out you helped us, your enemies, get this far? I doubt he'll be pleased." When nobody responded to this, he turned back to Misty so that she could continue her story, but not before adding as an afterthought, "Look, you'll have to forgive us for not being so fond of your boss. . . You see, we tend to have a problem liking people who kidnap our friends and try to kill us all. I mean, you know, no offense to you guys, but. . ." He cleared his throat, "I'm not trying to blame anyone here, or get rid of you. You guys can be kind of good company when you're not loud and annoying, but this conversation's really important, so we'd like it if there weren't anymore interruptions, unless it's a worthwhile question." Then he finally turned back to Misty.

"So, you say you were stuck in the Team Rocket base for the entire week?" May's brow furrowed in wonder, "But, that means you escaped between yesterday and today. That's so weird, not to mention lucky, you know, how you found us so fast. I mean, how'd you know where to look?"

"Well, actually, that was what made me plan my escape at that point in time; just sitting in that cell, I was bound to overhear things. And one night, Giovanni came down and I listened to him inform the men watching me that you were nearby. He was telling them to expect any type of entrance or whatever from you, seeing as I was such a great friend and you'd try nearly any method and means to break me out."

"Y - you mean, he knew we were here. . . ? B - but. . . that could mean that he's watching us right now!" May yelped, jumping to her feet, "This is really bad, guys! Now that Misty's back, he'll try even harder to come after us now while we're resting up! We're not anywhere near ready for a hostile Team Rocket melee! W - we should do something, pack up and move, head to the city to restock our supplies, a - and we might have to do something about them." She finished in emphasis with a nod in Jessie, James, and Meowth's direction.

"Hey! You have no right ta kick us ta da curb!" Meowth started in defense, "You's is still plenty indebted ta us!"

"Yea, and we're not just going to leave; we can't! James can barely stand on his own yet!" Jessie continued heatedly, "Pushing him now will only make him worse; he'll probably catch fever and possibly die!" She, too, reached her feet, matching May temper for temper, but the Petalburg native wasn't backing down on her own.

"Maybe so, but whose to say you guys aren't the ones alerting Giovanni to our whereabouts! Either way, we can't just lay around here like sitting Psyducks! We'll be taken captive, or killed, or something even worse, probably. . . !" She cried out hysterically.

"A - at least Corsola's safe. . ." Misty murmured, facing the memory of how she sent him back to the Rustboro Pokemon Center, but her train of thought was broken by Ash reaching his feet as well, rummaging along his waistline and pulling a familiar type of Pokeball, a blue-green one with symmetrical orange stripes on either side, and handing it over to her.

"Actually, well, we thought you sent him to us intentionally to remind us to use the Nav's to find out where you were and because of that, we assumed that you'd wanted us to bring him along, so you could have him back. . ." He told her, then, at the expression of utter horror that dawned on her face, he frowned, "Were we wrong. . . ?" He raised his voice ever-so-slightly since she didn't answer him immediately, as Jessie and May continued yelling in the background, "But, Myst, why's his safety so much more important than any of your other Pokemon. . . ?"

Beside him, the ever-evident catfight between May and Jessie continued to escalade, and Brock, James, and Meowth, not wanting to get involved, stood back and listened to what each fiercely competitive young woman had to say, but that was ruined only two seconds later by Misty, who found the strength in her to yell louder than the both of them combined.

"You. . . You idiot!" She shrieked, so many different negative emotions coursing through her as she rounded on her best friend, "You've ruined it! Oh, God, what should I do. . . ? God, Ash, what were you thinking? I - I don't know how I can protect you all now; oh, no, I'm sorry, Corsola, I tried to keep you out of it all. . ." She ranted, taking the Pokeball from Ash's hands and holding it to her in a motherly fashion, then clipping it to her belt and glaring in a menacing sort of way at the boy, "You've got no idea what you've done, do you? God, I can't believe things could go so wrong!" She threw her hands up into the air before pointing insanely at him, "And it's all your fault, Ash!"

While this was going on, Jessie and May had yet to shut their mouths long enough to allow the illogical face of it all to set in, and James, Brock, and Meowth felt tears of joy running rapidly down their faces as they looked on, embracing the familiarity of it all.

"Ah, it's just so good to be back. . . !" Brock managed to comment as he watched Pikachu charging up for a reactive Thundershock, "Life's so wonderful. . ."

Meowth and James could only nod earnestly in agreement.

Two and a half hours later, the campfire had been extinguished, all of the cooking and sleeping things had been packed up, James had managed to trek the length of the site twice with the physical support of Jessie, and the group had decided that the best thing to do would be to head to the nearest town and explore the Pokemon Center and Mart there. This would have meant going to Pallet Town but Ash, not wanting to risk running into his mother or Professor Oak and being forced to explain why he was in the Kanto region, injured, and traveling with such a strange assortment of companions, didn't agree with that, so they started their march in the direction of Viridian City instead.

Team Rocket was obviously going to accompany the group of legit Pokemon trainers, which was both wise and stupid of them. With two-thirds of the team injured, they were basically useless on their own, but as Brock had said earlier, if Giovanni became aware of how Jessie, James, and Meowth had helped them out, the boss-man was not likely to be welcoming them back with open arms.

By the time the sun was beginning to set, however, they'd made very little progress. With all that had been going on lately, everyone became tired and hungry rather fast, and so they'd set up camp again only about five hours after their first day back on the road, and after having only made it past a mile or two through the Viridian Forest.

All throughout the day, something had been bugging Ash. It was something important, he knew, but he couldn't grasp anything more specific than that. So it continued to eat at him at random moments and not until Brock started setting things on the fire for supper, not until the future breeder happened to bring it up in a casual discussion that he just happened to overhear, did Ash realize what this thing was.

"Hey, Misty, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." The breeder started in a sensible tone as she sat across from him, leaning back against the log on the opposite side of the fire.

"Hmm. . . ?" She responded sleepily, and so he chose to get straight to the point.

"What you told us today, something stuck out in my mind. . . You said that you never met Giovanni, right? You said that all you basically did was sit around in your cell for a week." He waited for her next nod of ascent before continuing, "Well, if that's the case, then. . . how did you know it was him that you overheard telling the guards where we were. . . ?"

The alarms started ringing madly in Ash's head as he stared determinedly at Misty's back for any reaction she might have had to Brock's inquiry. Of course, she had an excuse for that; how could she not? But. . . His eyes widened as he felt his heartbeat pick up, racing drastically as the organ jumped into his throat, dropped into his stomach, and then retraced its steps. Was that a deep, uneven intake of breath he noticed coming from her?

He'd hoped to be imagining it, but that hope was quashed when he noticed that everyone else had stopped what they were doing to listen to what she had to say in response as well. As though he hadn't threatened the peace enough, Brock chose to restate his question and continue prodding at the hole in her otherwise plausible tale.

"I mean, you - you said you never met him, right? So you wouldn't have known him by looking at him, and as far as calling him by his name, well, the only term I've heard being associated with him from a Team Rocket trainer would be 'boss', but 'boss' could also be used in respect for any superior officer. In such a huge organization, with tens of hundreds of thousands of members, how did you know that one man you'd never met, you'd never seen before, was him?" He asked sensibly, and he stopped whisking at the food in the fire as well to hear what the girl had to say.

Ash thought for just a moment that she was going to come up with something. For one moment, he seriously expected her to turn and face him and explain that away just like everything else he'd been wondering about. All of the uneasy looks, the way she'd been so. . . strange, not eating earlier, but then totally relaxed later on. And then the few things he'd been thinking of the night before hit him. .. No one had been following her, at least, no one that had revealed themselves yet. She'd retained all of her Pokemon despite being held captive by a man for a week, one who'd been chasing after her for years. And another thing, after finally catching her, after exhausting all of his resources and armies, sending them all over the world to find and take her, Giovanni had never, ever shown her his face?

Misty finally did reach her feet, and she did turn to face them all, and she did open her mouth to say something, but Ash noticed, too, that she was slowly but surely backing away from them, and she'd only be doing something like that if. . . if she felt that she had something to fear from them all. . .

Eyes widening, Ash put a nimble foot forward, and as he made it passed the ten meter distance placed between him and the redhead, he quickened his pace, raising his arms and feeling an unfamiliar fury course through him as he reached her front.

"W - where is Misty, the real Misty! What did you do with her!" He shouted in anger, holding this person down by their shoulders, "Tell me now!"

It was the longest three seconds any of them had ever had to live through. Misty stared back at her best friend of six years, her eyes roving around his facial features; his dark eyes, his complexion charred away with bruises and cuts, his hairline, partially engrossed in the thick bandage that wound its way over the right entirety of his head, and his lips, open just slightly as he grit his teeth, disbelieving to the fact that she would ever lie to him, believing in such a way that because she had, it couldn't really be her.

But it was, and, knowing that she had to get that fact across, she replied, "She's right here, waiting for you to let go of her." And his grip slackened in horror, allowing her to remove it. Not looking at him, she then bent ever so slightly, drawing the blade she'd used before to cut herself from her boot, holding it up high above her so that the silver steel and bloodstains glinted off of the sunset.

Everyone had two seconds to look confused before a series of Pokemon jumped out from the sky, dropping on Misty's friends one at a time. The redhead watched as May screamed before being hit from above by Politoad's Body Slam. Staryu and Starmie knocked Jessie, James, and Meowth out simulateously with a double Rapid Spin, colliding against the back of their heads.

Ash, still closest to Misty, turned and saw how more than half of the group had been cut down in a matter of moments by the Water Pokemon, and he realized that he had to do something, "Pikachu, use. . . !" But as he felt the brutally cold and sharp tip of the small pocket knife against his neck, he faltered, feeling Misty press herself to him.

"Look," she started in a low and silky tone, "my father said that I'm not allowed to kill you, but I could just as easily render you permanently speechless. I will not let Pikachu be of any use to you." She continued, nodding affirmatively to Politoad, who clapped his hands and kneeled down in front of the electric mouse, using Hypnosis to put him to sleep. In their weakened state, May and Team Rocket were subject to it as well, "Now, you two," at this point, she caught Brock's attention as well, "Do I have to worry that you're going to try something?"

She was answered almost immediately by Ash catching her off-guard, grabbing her arm and twisting it so that the knife fell uselessly to the ground. He let go and she stumbled back, hissing in pain, and noticed a little too late that Ash was grabbing her by the shoulders again and forcing her to the ground. She tried to sneak her way away from him, but he wouldn't budge; he pinned her down more securely, coupling her legs with his own.

"Brock, make sure everyone's still okay. . . !" Ash yelled, but Brock had no chance, seeing as all of Misty's Pokemon just as soon had him surrounded, "You!" He said, turning back to her, "If you are Misty, something must be wrong with you! Were you brainwashed or something?" He asked, leaning forward and squinting into her eyes as though hoping to see any type of physical affliction to prove that indeed might have been the case, but there was nothing, "You. . . It's really you. . . ? Misty. . ." He said, but that was about as far as he got before she closed in on him with a wicked grin on her face.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Ash." She said loudly, then, in such a low whisper that he almost didn't hear, "I'm. . . so. . . sorry. . ." Then she bit roughly into his neck, so much so that Ash was forced to let go of her. He jumped up to inspect the injury and, dragging his hand away from his neck, felt the blood smearing across his palm.

He looked up and saw Misty reach her feet again, then was swiftly tackled from behind by Seadra, followed by Staryu and Starmie, who'd just finished with Brock. As the Pokemon trainer fell to his knees, he managed to raise his head high enough to see Misty pick up the knife that he'd forced her to drop before, and, closer still was Politoad, prepared to put him to sleep, but he turned his head and shut his eyes so as not to be affected by it.

"Fine, then. Just remember; you're the one who made this difficult." He heard Misty say, "Psyduck, pick him up." He turned to see the small yellow duck chant soundly, having appeared out of nowhere, his eyes turning blue, and Ash felt weightless quite suddenly as he was pulled upward by an invisible power.

"W - why. . . ? Why are you doing this. . . ? Misty. . ." He asked, pleading with her to stop as she closed in on him.

"I'm doing this because I was told to, because it's the best thing I could ever hope to do right now." She replied, then, without any further motion, she said, "Goodnight, Ash." And the boy felt the impact of her kneeing him in the abdomen.

And he embraced the darkness so as not to have to look at her anymore.

OoOoO

Notes - Ugh. Over twenty-thousand words. That's it; I'm taking a vacation. I'm packing up my things and I'm leaving the country for a year. No more updates. I quit "Illicit Saints", too, simply because. . . well. . . look at it. It's huge! It's now the longest thing I've ever written, and it's only five parts long so far! Plus, this chapter is the longest I've ever written, too. Oh, poo; so much writing. . . And I loved every minute of it. Isn't that sad? I did, though. Evil Misty is fun. And Ash was all sweet and romantic and. . . Do you think I gave him too much of a brain at some point? Oh, and James wasn't as much of a hero as I originally planned him out to be, but, well, if Ash had been unconscious for any longer, I know I'd have broken some unspoken law that says he's supposed to be the all-time hero and that type of thing's probably illegal or something. Oh, I'm rambling. Oh, well, that's what authors' notes are for, anyway, right? Uhm. . . yadda, yadda, yadda-yadda, yadda. Lol. No, I won't do that again.

You guys are twisted! What the heck! After the third part was added, I got at least two or three people on my case saying that I should work on making the chapters shorter, and, last time, I did that and everyone was saying that I should keep them extra long! It was only a couple hundred words shorter anyway, but really; what's wrong with you all? Either way, maybe this makes up for it. Really. Over twenty-thousand words of uber-loveliness by yours truly. I am yours, truly, my friends, as long as you keep reviewing. Lol. I just love getting reviews. They really do make my day.

Oh, more special thanks to Tsuiraku Etowa-ru and gladdecease, because 1.) they both reviewed, 2.) they're reviews were longest and most appreciative, and 3.) they expressed the most gratitude for my continuing to update, and (at least one of them) said that they would continue to read anything I ever wrote, simply because it was me who wrote it. Awe, you two are so sweet! I feel so loved that I might just end up dancing tonight! Only, not really. . . I'm fat. Dancing would only cause natural disasters all over the world. Lol.

Anyway, I have only one last note to make! And, as it's expected of every author, you probably already know what it is! Er, I just wanted to say, PLEASE REVIEW AGAIN! I. . . I like reviews. They're uber-fun to read, and they make me feel like a giddy schoolgirl. And I hardly ever feel like a giddy schoolgirl. Lol. . .

Spoiler for Chapter Five - Ash and friends get their first ever glance of the Team Rocket Headquarters. Jessie, James, and Meowth, too, are faced with a certain one of Giovanni's opinions. Ash and Misty's relationship is six-feet-under, thanks to her betrayal. However, she never actually intended on that. She's still hoping to find a way to help them out, but in the meantime, is keeping a very close eye on them all while they're being held captive in the Rocket prisoner cell block. Then something unexpected and horrible happens. Her taking a stand and preventing the assault of one friend causes the death of another. . . Will any of the group ever recover from their mishap of an 'adventure'? Will they ever escape from the evil base, or will they end up dying there, just as Giovanni's planned for them?