Divided we Stand

by CidGregor and Dragonshadow

Rated T

Prologue: Cerulean Falls

"This can't be happening…my gym…this can't be happening…"

Already it was almost unrecognizable from the cool, inviting building that the young woman had come to think of as home over the years of her life. No longer did it look like the building she had grown up with alongside her sisters. No longer did it resemble the steadfast checkpoint of the Indigo League. No longer was it anything like the place that so many of her precious Pokémon had called home just as much as she herself had.

No. Big chain-link fences surrounded it now, ugly and repelling. Dozers and trucks lumbered around, grinding their tires carelessly through the once-beautiful flower gardens. Orange signs everywhere declared the building off-limits to everyone who wasn't dressed in construction gear. Instead of being inside enjoying a good battle or water show, the crowds were amassed around the young redhead, watching the landmark of their city slowly but surely being defiled.

"Misty…"

The girl felt a trio of hands touch her shoulders, recognized the voice of her oldest sister, Daisy, felt all three of her sisters try to hug her and make her feel better. But she didn't react to their presence much at all. She was too busy watching in horror and despair as the vehicles tore the grounds around her precious gym to pieces, and gruff-looking men in hard hats hauled into the building a crate clearly marked as full of explosives.

"We didn't do anything…it's not fair…"

"I know, Misty…" Daisy murmured. "But it'll be okay…"

"No it won't…" Misty whispered. "It'll never be okay…"

"I'm sure it will," Daisy insisted, visibly trying hard to stay positive. "The Ban can't possibly last forever, and then we'll re-open the gym, bigger and better than ever, you'll see…"

"It won't be the same!" Misty snapped, conversely trying hard not to cry in front of everyone. "It'll never be the same! It won't be home!"

"…Misty…"

Misty didn't bother to apologize for shouting at her sisters, or indeed say anything at all. She just continued to watch, clutching her backpack to her chest and feeling the little round capsules rolling around inside. All her Pokémon, sealed away in their balls…she wondered if they suspected why she'd called them all back…if they had any idea their home was no longer a welcoming place, that it was not going to be there for more than another few minutes. They probably didn't have a clue. If they did, they certainly wouldn't be patiently sitting in their Poké Balls waiting for Misty to call them out again. They'd force their way out. They'd stand and fight to protect their home. It was an almost admirable thought in Misty's mind.

But no. That couldn't happen. There was no way she would risk her Pokémon being seen in public. She cared too much about them to let them do that. Not now. Not while…

"Misty?"

Her thoughts came back down to earth at the sound of another woman's voice. It was different from her sisters, but still somehow familiar in Misty's ears. She half-turned to see who it was, and promptly froze, clutching her bag tighter and going pale.

"O-Officer Jenny…"

Indeed, standing just behind Misty and her sisters was a tall, slender, green-haired woman dressed in a police officer's uniform, her expression stern and yet compassionate at the same time. It was a face Misty had known since she was a little girl…but she had never been so frightened by it.

"Daisy, Violet, Lily…nice to see you again," Jenny greeted the other sisters formally, nodding slightly at each of them before her eyes settled back on Misty. "And Misty…I'm terribly sorry. I know what you must be going through…"

"You have no idea what I'm going through," Misty snapped back before she could stop herself, hanging onto her bag like her life depended on it.

Fortunately for her, Officer Jenny was willing to let it slide. "I guess you know why I'm here…"

"How can you just go along with this?!" Misty suddenly burst out. "How can you be a PART of this?! It's not fair! I've never done anything wrong!"

"I'm sorry, Misty, I really am, but I don't make the laws. And even if I don't like them, it's my job to enforce them," she said, a hand going to her belt and clicking open a Poké Ball. A brief burst of light shot out of the little orb, materializing a moment later into the shape of a small, four-legged Pokémon with black, white and orange fur. It pawed at the ground once and showed its teeth to the sisters, growling softly.

Misty glared almost angrily at the two of them. "So you enforce the laws, but you don't have to abide by them, is that it?!"

"I'm sorry, Misty," Jenny said, and looked to the Pokémon at her feet. "Alright, Growlithe, you know what to do. Sniff 'em out."

"Growlithe!" the little Pokémon announced, approaching Misty and instantly sniffing right up to the bag she was clutching. It sniffed a few more times and pawed at the bag, its tail wagging rapidly. "Growww!"

Jenny nodded. "I thought so…"

"Jenny, don't do this!" Misty pleaded, stepping back a bit from the Growlithe. "You have to know this is wrong, you HAVE to!"

"Misty, I don't like it at all, either, but the law is the law, and as long as it stays that way, I have to enforce it. There's nothing I can do…"

"I don't care about stupid laws…!" Misty nearly sobbed. "Just please…please don't take my Pokémon away…"

For a moment Jenny almost looked like she would be affected by Misty's words. She even withdrew Growlithe back to its Poké Ball, giving Misty the barest glimmer of hope.

But then she turned, her words coming out firm and authoritative as she mounted her motorcycle. "The station has a thorough record of all the Pokémon you keep at Cerulean Gym. You have until six o'clock this evening to gather them all together and report to the Cerulean Precinct for registration and confiscation."

"……" Misty stared in horror, barely believing the words.

Jenny glanced at her once more, compassion leaking into her eyes for a moment. "…I'm already risking my own neck to give you that long. But you're my friend…and that's the best I can do for you. Use the time while you have it, Misty…to say goodbye."

And just like that, the compassion was gone, the firm, tough police-woman mask back in place she kicked the engine into gear and sped off, leaving Misty in her wake, frozen by the cold reality she could no longer evade.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Misty nearly leapt out of her skin, whirling around to face the fence again and going completely white. "No…NOOOOO!"

But it did no good. She could only watch as the entire foundation of the building within seemed to tremble and quake. There was no fire, no giant plume of smoke rising from the wreckage…just the quiet rumble of the earth as the center of the roof crumbled, and then more of it, like a slowly-expanding circle, until each of the outer walls fell inward on itself, snapping and cracking like twigs.

Misty fell to her knees, no longer able to hold in the sobs. It hadn't seemed real before that moment…like it was some horrible dream that she was surely going to wake up from. But as she sat there on the filthy ground, embraced by her sisters and staring at the pile of rubble that was once their home and livelihood, the reality of it all finally set in.

Cerulean Gym had fallen.

Comments and critiques welcomed and appreciated.