"Attention ladies and gentleman, we have now arrived at Viridian international, airport." The voice blared through the loudspeakers of the plane that flew regularly form Cerulean to Viridian. Misty Williams broke out of her reverie to take a look around.

It was definitely the good old Viridian, the city that had seen so much of her adventures years ago - how many, eight? - back when she had been travelling along with Ash. Idly, she wondered what he had become. They had all split way years ago, and had soon lost sight of each other, except her and Brock, who met from time to time on League business.

Stepping out of the plane, she made her way out of the checkpoints, then picked up her packs before walking downstair, to the main entrance.

The title on a brand new newspaper, which had just been put in the vendor machine , caught her attention.

"GYM LEADER BLAINE THOMAS DIES IN GYM FIRE"

Producing from her pocket the two quarters needed to pay, she inserted them in the machine, and withdrew the gray paper from it. Immediately, she scanned the article for relevant information.

"The Gym leader of Cinnabar died when his old gym caught fire early last night..." She read on, trying to find if there was anything suspicious.

"According to the local investigation team, this death would be accidental, as there are no clues at all of a criminal act. This is the third death of a gym leader in little less than two months. Jonathan Surge's radio fell in his bath two months ago, and just four weeks ago Koga Temitsu died in hospital from an indigestion. The league is expected to assemble to select a new gym leader soon..." the article went on.

"Misty!" A familiar voice yelled, and a young man, about her age, with spikey brown hair approached. Gary Oak, the Viridian gym leader. They had long been enemies back in the days where she had travelled with Ash, but a few years of being the two "juvenile youngsters" of the league council had made them friends as they were forced to stand together against the rest of the gym leaders.

"You saw the news." There was no question as he pointed to the rolled newspaper.

"Yeah." She shrugged. Blaine had never been a close friend, or a friend at all, she had barely even cared about him.

"What do you think of it?"

"We'll have to pick someone else. What else?"

He stared at her, dumbfounded. "Misty, that's five gym leaders down in the last two months?"

"Five? " She stared incredulously. "You mean three."

"Five. Falkner and Chuck bought it too." He corrected. She froze. She had not heard the news from Johto - though it wasn't that surprising, she had been away on vacation until recently, and had only heard about the other two death from chats with one of her sister, who intensely hated the Johto league.

"How?" She asked in a little, weak voice.

"How else? Falkner fell from high, very high when his chopper broke down. Chuck was ambushed by a band of thieves who beat him up and stole all he had. He died in the hospital from inner bleeding."

"What do you mean..." she asked slowly, wondering what he was about to say, almost afraid she knew. "What do you mean, how else?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He laughed, a short, bitter laugh. "Misty, don't you see? How did they all die?"

"Falkner couldn't fly. Chuck was beaten up. Surge was shocked, Blained roasted alive. Koga ate bad food."

"Yeah. Falkner couldn't fly. Chuck was beaten in a fight. Surge got a massgive electrical - no pun intended - surge. Blaine was caught in a fire. And Koga was poisoned. Don't you get it?"

She nodded, very slowly. "In what order did they die?" She asked in a weak voice.

"Surge. Then Falkner. Then Koga, Then Chuck. And now Blaine. Each with two weeks interval. But now...I think whoever's doing it is going to pick up the pace. No, actually I'm pretty sure they are picking up the pace."

"What make you think that?"

"Sabrina. I talked to her twice today. She's upset because a few times already she found herself doing things without understanding how or why she was doing them. Quoting her, "it was as if I was being controlled"."

"Someone's out to get us all." Misty breathed. A terrible fear rose within her chest, holding her. "Why?"

"I don't know. But whoever it is, they have a sense of humor. Which I don't find funny at all."

Misty shuddered Someone...out to kill the gym leaders? It felt...unreal. What could they possibly have done for someone to desire their death?

"We need help..." Gary was saying.

"We need..." She hesitated, frozen, unable to think very clearly. "Warn them."

"They won't listen. It's us we're talking about." Bitter words - and words all too true. The council did not trust them, had never trusted them. Too young, they said.

"Then what? Who can help?"

"I know someone. An old friend." Gary smiled. "Though he might object to my use of that term. But we need to get moving in a hurry I think."

"Why so?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"Call it an hunch. I think, as I said, that the pace will pick up. A lot."

"Yeah..." A figment of memory came back to her "Crap, got another plane to catch..."

"Skit it Misty. Don't get on that plane." His voice was cold, a whip-like order.

"Why?"

"Look, don't ask me to tell you why, I don't know why. I just know I'd rather keep the one gym leader who'll believe me alive."

Helplessly, she looked about. What was happening to her life? She had been very happy with things, and now Gary had to come in and tell her these stories...she didn't want to believe in, could not bring herself to believe in.

But on the other hand, she couldn't take the risk not to trust him.

"All right. I'll cancel the flight."

"Don't. If I'm right, it might be better if everyone think you dead. That way they won't target you."

Slowly, nodding, she stood up. Things were going too fast, she needed time to think.

"When can we get to that friend of yours?" She asked feebly.

"Soon. We'll just have to drive to my gym and pick up my chopper there. It's about the only way to get there."

"All right." Another shiver, up and down her spine.

Gary's car was comfortable, and moved smoothly over the well-built road of the Viridian highway system. It wasn't the fastest way to his gym however, and Misty felt suspicions creeping up....

"Where are we going?" She couldn't help the accusing tone that slipped in her voice.

"My gym. I don't feel comfortable moving too close to the old mines, which are on the other way to my gym. Too close to a death-by-ground-element possibility for my liking." He answered, his voice elsewhere.

Even elongated as it was, the trip to his gym was barely under twenty minutes, and soon they were on the roof.

"We should be fairly well protected where we are going. It's probably one of the most impregnable stronghold on earth. So we'll stay there for a while and plan."

Misty, the events of the last few hours settling over her, could only nod numbly, stepping in the second seat of the small two-places helicopter. Soon they were airborne, flying away toward the range of the silver mountains.

As soon as he could free one hand from the piloting, Gary activated the radio equipment, but instead of switching to standard flight control frequencies, he switched toward the commercial ones, turning the selectors until he ran in a station broadcasting a news bulletin.

"What are you expecting in the news?" Misty asked, feeling her mind slowly settling in place. Safe, they'd be safe once the helicopter was landed.

"It's not what I'm expecting. It's what I'm hoping not to hear." Bleak words, bleak thoughts.

"...This is just in!" The news reporter blared through the speakers. "Gym Leader Sabrina Stevens of Saffron has commited suicide..."

"And that's sixth. Guess I didn't hope enough." His eyes were cold. "We'll find who's doing it. We'll find them, and pay them back."

Misty didn't hear him. She was now clutching her knees, shivering uncontrollably. The threat was becoming so much more direct, so much more powerful...she would rather have been first killed than feel the growing tension, the ever-present fear...

The mountains came clover, looming larger ahead. Even the prospect of hiding there, of being safe - could she ever be safe - in whatever haven Gary had in mind no longer sounded so good as it once had. They would find her, they would find them both. And there, they'd...

They'd die. Gary, probably buried alive, her drowned. Yes, that's how she would die, in water, and unable to get out, trapped there, feeling her life ebbing away, unable to breath, doomed without escape...she knew it, she just knew it...

A shiver, another one, up and down her spine. Doomed, yes, they were doomed. Her eyes flew about, like those of a trapped prey looked for a way out, finding none.

"Calm down Misty. I'm trusting our safety to a lot more than just a good hiding place." A smile flickered across Gary's face again. "A lot more."

A great cliff roared toward them, and, surprisingly, Gary did not change course to go around it. That's it. They had sabotaged the commands to kill him. Crashing in a cliff would be a ground death, and they had no idea she was aboard, or else there was a river running down below for her to end her life in...

A gaping maw opened in the cliff as the helicopter flew closer, as it landed, great rock-painted steel doors opening to let the dwarfed machine in.

Black-uniformed men and women rushed around the helicopter, pulling it inside the well-lit cave. The doors closed behind. Misty took a brief look at the men...their black uniforms were too familiar to some she knew very well, too well...the only good thing was, there was no trace of the traditional red R.

"Mister Oak. The leader said you'd come." One of the men stepped forward. "He didn't mention companions though."

"It was the only thing I could do." Gary replied rather curtly as Misty's eyes flew around again. She felt trapped, trapped, trapped...no escape...

"All right." The voice, so cold...as if he would bring them to their death...yes, he would, she knew he would...

The halls of the secret base were well-lit again, but to her they felt like the darkest place on earth. Her life would end there. It was all over.

A door opened before them. A man, wearing a black suit, was peering out through a large window, facing away from the door. A desk stood between him and her, them. The man had a glass of water in hand.

"Gary." The voice was haunting, she had heard it before. "I'm glad you made it safely. And Misty...it's a pleasure to see you again."

She had no time to wonder how he had found her out as he turned. There, emblazoned on his left pocket, over his heart. The crimson R, the rocket insignia. She felt herself falling, the world around her losing all substance as she fainted.