Chapter One; Freedom Not Forgotten
The sun had just started to burn away the dew that had settled on Cerulean city overnight, and shop owners were opening up. Schoolboys and Schoolgirls laughed happily on their way to the newly built Pokemon Academy, Nurse Joy was handing out sample Normal-type vitamins, and Officer Jenny helped a young girl get her rattata down from a tree. It was, all around, a pretty normal day.
Misty, watching all of this from a third story window seat in the Gym, frowned. Her eyes lingered over the children, seeing the red 'R's on each of their backpacks. She glanced at Nurse Joy again and her frown deepened at the sight of the new uniform she wore; a long black dress, her hair tucked up under a black nurses cap, also sporting the sign of Team Rocket. Officer Jenny worse a similar ensemble, minus the nurses cap and plus a tranquilizer gun slung over her back. She sighed. Why was it that everyone around her had gotten used to this so quickly? It had only been what, two years?
"Misty?" Brock was standing in the door, apron on, holding a tray. "I've got breakfast for you."
She nodded and took the tray from him, and he sat down next to her. "Are Ash and Tracy up yet?"
"No. They stayed up late last night, watching the Rockin' Rocket concert on TV and eating." He snorted. "I swear, those two."
Misty laughed. "You'd be watching it too, if there were any girls in the band."
Brock frowned, then grinned at her. "Oh, gimme a break. You'd have pulled me away by my ear. I'm not that stupid."
"Yeah, I would've." Misty turned away from him and continued to watch the scenes below her. Coming up the path towards the gym, she saw, was a preteen girl with poke balls on her belt and a bulbasaur walking next to her. 'Another challenger,' she thought to herself. Getting up, she stretched.
"Get one of the arenas ready, would you? There's another brainwashed youth coming."
"Which arena?"
"The one with the nets."
"No problem," said Brock, taking off his apron. He paused by the door. "Are you alright?"
She blinked at him. "I'm fine. Why?" He shrugged and left.
"Nice guy," she muttered to herself as she picked some poke balls off the shelf.
* * *
Misty ran her fingers over the poke balls at her waist, and settled on Golduck. She held up the poke ball, signaling that she was ready, and the girl on the other side held up hers. Misty frowned, seeing that the poke ball was black. She's from the academy, she thought. With the pokemon they gave her. She sighed and released golduck onto one of the concrete islands. The girl released a Squirtle directly into the water. A bulbasaur sat next to her, watching happily.
Brock, up in the electronics booth, flipped a switch which turned on the scoreboard. On the side of the pool, Tracy let the flag drop. "Begin!" he shouted.
"Squirtle! Dive underwater!"
"Golduck! To the far island!" Golduck jumped nimbly from island to island as the enemy Squirtle went under. "Into the water, Golduck! Just tread!" He hopped in obediently.
"Squirtle!" yelled the girl. "Headbutt attack!"
The squirtle charged, and quickly got itself caught in one of the clear nets that were strung underwater between islands. "Books don't help as much as real experience, do they?" Misty shouted to her opponent. "Golduck, Rage attack. Knock it out, you know what to do." She turned and left the arena, entering the lounge area behind it and plopping down on one of the couches. Ash leaned on the back of the couch, looking at her.
"You shouldn't do that, you know," he said. "Leave in the middle of a battle like that."
"It wasn't in the middle. I won. One pokemon each, those're the rules in my gym."
"Did you tell her that before?"
"She knew. She's an Academy student; she probably researched me before coming."
He looked at her for a few more seconds, then turned away, grabbed a soda out of a nearby minifridge, and sat down next to her. He looked in the general direction of the TV, but Misty didn't think he was really watching.
"Why do you still do it, Misty?"
"Do what?"
"Battle."
"I have to. No one else to run the gym."
Ash turned his head sharply to look at her and was about to say something when Tracy led the girl in. She had her Squirtle cradled in her arms, and was sniffling a bit. Misty stood up.
"Now, now, you know you aren't supposed to show sadness after losing a battle. Besides, unless Golduck got a bit carried away, Squirtle's not dead."
The girl looked down at her Squirtle wonderingly. "It's not? But. but. this is a Gym match. it's supposed to be to the death.that's illegal!"
The squirtle coughed quietly. Misty nodded.
"I do it the old way. The way it was before Team Rocket took over." She looked at the girl. "Do you even remember that?"
"Of course I do! I was ten, just licensed to have bulbasaur. I'm not THAT little."
"Bulba," said bulbasaur. Misty turned around and shrugged, then sat back down on the couch.
"Go to Nurse Joy, and tell her I sent you. She'll heal your Squirtle and not tell anyone."
"Thank you," said the girl quietly, and started to leave. Then she stopped. Bulbasaur looked at her questioningly. "Oh.I'm Tia."
Misty didn't say anything, just watched TV. Tia walked out, Bulbasaur following her. Ash watched her leave, then nodded at Tracy. They both left Misty alone with her thoughts.
The sun had just started to burn away the dew that had settled on Cerulean city overnight, and shop owners were opening up. Schoolboys and Schoolgirls laughed happily on their way to the newly built Pokemon Academy, Nurse Joy was handing out sample Normal-type vitamins, and Officer Jenny helped a young girl get her rattata down from a tree. It was, all around, a pretty normal day.
Misty, watching all of this from a third story window seat in the Gym, frowned. Her eyes lingered over the children, seeing the red 'R's on each of their backpacks. She glanced at Nurse Joy again and her frown deepened at the sight of the new uniform she wore; a long black dress, her hair tucked up under a black nurses cap, also sporting the sign of Team Rocket. Officer Jenny worse a similar ensemble, minus the nurses cap and plus a tranquilizer gun slung over her back. She sighed. Why was it that everyone around her had gotten used to this so quickly? It had only been what, two years?
"Misty?" Brock was standing in the door, apron on, holding a tray. "I've got breakfast for you."
She nodded and took the tray from him, and he sat down next to her. "Are Ash and Tracy up yet?"
"No. They stayed up late last night, watching the Rockin' Rocket concert on TV and eating." He snorted. "I swear, those two."
Misty laughed. "You'd be watching it too, if there were any girls in the band."
Brock frowned, then grinned at her. "Oh, gimme a break. You'd have pulled me away by my ear. I'm not that stupid."
"Yeah, I would've." Misty turned away from him and continued to watch the scenes below her. Coming up the path towards the gym, she saw, was a preteen girl with poke balls on her belt and a bulbasaur walking next to her. 'Another challenger,' she thought to herself. Getting up, she stretched.
"Get one of the arenas ready, would you? There's another brainwashed youth coming."
"Which arena?"
"The one with the nets."
"No problem," said Brock, taking off his apron. He paused by the door. "Are you alright?"
She blinked at him. "I'm fine. Why?" He shrugged and left.
"Nice guy," she muttered to herself as she picked some poke balls off the shelf.
* * *
Misty ran her fingers over the poke balls at her waist, and settled on Golduck. She held up the poke ball, signaling that she was ready, and the girl on the other side held up hers. Misty frowned, seeing that the poke ball was black. She's from the academy, she thought. With the pokemon they gave her. She sighed and released golduck onto one of the concrete islands. The girl released a Squirtle directly into the water. A bulbasaur sat next to her, watching happily.
Brock, up in the electronics booth, flipped a switch which turned on the scoreboard. On the side of the pool, Tracy let the flag drop. "Begin!" he shouted.
"Squirtle! Dive underwater!"
"Golduck! To the far island!" Golduck jumped nimbly from island to island as the enemy Squirtle went under. "Into the water, Golduck! Just tread!" He hopped in obediently.
"Squirtle!" yelled the girl. "Headbutt attack!"
The squirtle charged, and quickly got itself caught in one of the clear nets that were strung underwater between islands. "Books don't help as much as real experience, do they?" Misty shouted to her opponent. "Golduck, Rage attack. Knock it out, you know what to do." She turned and left the arena, entering the lounge area behind it and plopping down on one of the couches. Ash leaned on the back of the couch, looking at her.
"You shouldn't do that, you know," he said. "Leave in the middle of a battle like that."
"It wasn't in the middle. I won. One pokemon each, those're the rules in my gym."
"Did you tell her that before?"
"She knew. She's an Academy student; she probably researched me before coming."
He looked at her for a few more seconds, then turned away, grabbed a soda out of a nearby minifridge, and sat down next to her. He looked in the general direction of the TV, but Misty didn't think he was really watching.
"Why do you still do it, Misty?"
"Do what?"
"Battle."
"I have to. No one else to run the gym."
Ash turned his head sharply to look at her and was about to say something when Tracy led the girl in. She had her Squirtle cradled in her arms, and was sniffling a bit. Misty stood up.
"Now, now, you know you aren't supposed to show sadness after losing a battle. Besides, unless Golduck got a bit carried away, Squirtle's not dead."
The girl looked down at her Squirtle wonderingly. "It's not? But. but. this is a Gym match. it's supposed to be to the death.that's illegal!"
The squirtle coughed quietly. Misty nodded.
"I do it the old way. The way it was before Team Rocket took over." She looked at the girl. "Do you even remember that?"
"Of course I do! I was ten, just licensed to have bulbasaur. I'm not THAT little."
"Bulba," said bulbasaur. Misty turned around and shrugged, then sat back down on the couch.
"Go to Nurse Joy, and tell her I sent you. She'll heal your Squirtle and not tell anyone."
"Thank you," said the girl quietly, and started to leave. Then she stopped. Bulbasaur looked at her questioningly. "Oh.I'm Tia."
Misty didn't say anything, just watched TV. Tia walked out, Bulbasaur following her. Ash watched her leave, then nodded at Tracy. They both left Misty alone with her thoughts.