Three Years Ago

"Misty! There's someone straggling in from the east, should we let him in?" Officer Jenny asked as Misty walked into Cerulean City's watchtower. Misty sighed. It could easily be just a ploy from Team Rocket. It wouldn't have been the first time. Conversely, it also could have been someone desperately in need of help.

"I'll go. Jenny, send a squad to cover me." Misty ordered as she put on her sweater. Ever since Team Rocket's takeover of Kanto, it was almost as the land had went to sleep. The sun rarely came out and it was always cold. Most days it rained. As she stepped outside of the tower, Misty noticed it was particularly cold outside. Easily cold enough to be snowing or hailing. If there was someone outside the Cerulean gates, Misty would have to assess them as friend or foe quickly.

Moments later, Misty stood before the gates with three police officers standing behind her, each with a Growlithe by their side. A belt of PokeBalls adorned Misty's waist. She looked up towards the tower and nodded. Despite their massive size, the gates sunk into the ground with surprising speed and it was seconds before Misty was looking out into the flat wasteland that lied to the east of Cerulean City. She scanned the area and saw no one.

"Officer Jenny, there's no one here." One of the officers behind Misty said into a cell phone.

"What?!" Jenny responded, her voice was cackled by the static was surprised.

Then, suddenly, a massive lightning bolt shot up from the frost-covered ground. Misty yelped and the Growlithes began barking furiously. Then, just barely, Misty could make out something small and yellow in the distance.

"PIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAACHHUUUUUUUU !" The Pikachu squealed as it unleashed another Thunder. Without a second thought, Misty sprinted towards the Pikachu. As she got closer, Misty could make out a figure laying on the ground.

"No way." She said to herself as she got closer. The figure, a boy around Misty's age, had extremely short black hair and was dressed in prison-wear that Team Rocket forced on those who opposed them. As she drew closer, Misty barely managed to dodge a Thundershock. Instantly she stopped. The officers rushed up behind her.

"Growlithe-"

"Wait! Don't attack!" Misty exclaimed as she stretched her arms out. A tense silence ensued. Even though she wasn't a Pokemon doctor, Misty could see this Pikachu was beyond exhausted. It was incredibly thin and although its attacks were powerful, Misty could tell each one hurt Pikachu as much as they would its opponent.

"Pikachu," Misty said softly, slowing approaching Pikachu and the boy. Pikachu's cheeks began to cackle with electricity and Misty stopped, putting her hands up. "I don't want to hurt you. I just wan-"

Pikachu began using Charge when the boy on the ground thrust his arm in front of it. Misty gasped as the figure slowly got up. It had been at least five or six years since she had last seen that face.

The boy had been aged by both puberty and suffering.

"Red..." Misty whispered.

Present Day

Misty woke up from her dream and looked around. She was sleeping in her hidden room underneath the Pokemon Center. It wasn't an elaborate or pleasant room, but then again, Misty only used it for sleeping. And that was only when she planned for sleep. Most days she would fall asleep in the watchtower or by the gym. However, she had on multiple occasions found herself waking up on the grass or on a rooftop.

As she rode the elevator, Misty found herself thinking about Red again. She had always wanted to ask what Red faced in the Team Rocket prisons, but never found the courage. She remembered when she first saw Red without a shirt. Even with a shirt on, Red's arm were covered and scars, cuts, and marks. Deep gouges could be seen across his back and shoulders. Burn marks were present on her body in a sickeningly hypnotic fashion.

Even his face wasn't clear of signs of Red's imprisonment. Most noticeable was his right eye. Constantly red with a long, terrifying yet mystifying cut extending from it to his right, Misty could never tell if he could see out of it.

Misty was snapped out of her memories by the elevator stopping. She took a moment to gather her composure before exiting the rather cramped area. The belt of Pokeballs she always wore was present on her waist. Pikachu was eerily motionless on his shoulder, its small black eyes seemed like the only part of it that ever moved when it wasn't battling. Constantly scanning for escapes, assessing situations, distinguishing friend from foe - the sheer rage it excluded was intimidating to Misty even after all these years.

"Good morning," Misty said, attempting to drown her feelings with cheerfulness. Red offered the closest thing he ever gave to a smile, a small tilt of his lips.

"Morning. You sleep well?" He asked.

"Yeah," Misty said, taking in Red's appearance. He was still incredibly handsome. He hadn't cut his hair much in the past three years and it extended to his shoulders. He leaked a tense calm wherever he went and if one looked deep enough into his eyes, a small flame of hope shone. Misty didn't notice she was staring until she heard one of the city kids call her name.

"Misty!" The little girl exclaimed. Misty looked down with a smile. "You said you'd help me train my Rattata today!" The little girl said as she gently tugged on Misty's wrist. Misty gave an apologetic smile.

"One second, okay sweetheart. Let me talk to Red, okay?" The little girl nodded and exited the building. "Going to your room?" Misty asked, turning back to Red. He shook his head and looked past Misty. The former Gym Leader turned around to see a figure suddenly appear.

"Janine, I'm glad to see that you're back safely." Misty stated. Janine nodded in response before turning to the little girl.

"Sweetie, Misty will be out in a quick second but for now, me and Red need to talk to her about something important okay?" She explained sweetly. The little girl, clearly eager to please the adults, nodded and quickly stepped outside the Pokemon Center.

"Oh, Steven, how are you?" Misty asked to the silver-haired man who had just stepped onto Nugget Bridge. Steven smiled to the young girl Misty was training before regarding the ex-gym leader herself.

"I'm good. And yourself Misty?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Misty responded. It was always nice having Steven around. As a former Pokemon League Champion, his mere presence made Cerulean City seem that much stronger. And yet he was so accessible. So open.

"So how's the outside world looking?" Steven asked as he sat down on the edge of the bridge. Misty turned to see her Starmie spinning around the little girl and her Rattata and took it as a cue to sit down herself. Even without directly receiving orders, it was a highly capable Pokemon.

"Janine said that Fuchsia and Saffron are still holding out strong, but Vermillion is going to need back-up soon. She said she'd try to talk Lance into heading down there with her for a few weeks, just to give them some support. I couldn't stay for the entire briefing though," Misty said as she motioned to the little girl.

"That's alright," Steven said with that signature calm smile of his. "You had something just as important to do."

The two sat in a peaceful silence for a few minutes. Soon, the little girl came up and squeezed in between them before snuggling up to Misty. The carrot top absentmindedly stroked the girl's hair.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Steven asked. Misty smiled.

"Yeah," she said. "It really is."

Note: This story is based more off the games then the manga. Hope you like it and yeah, please review. Thank you.