Chapter One

It started with a phone call. A phone call from a boy Misty had convinced herself she had stopped caring about, but the rush of feelings that washed over her when she saw his name flash on her mobile told her that she had been lying.

She could feel her heart thumping in her chest as her shaky hand picked up the phone and pressed the answer button. "Ash?" she asked as her mind struggled to process the fact that she was talking to him again after all these years.

"Misty, is that you?" His voice sounded panicked, almost fearful. Not at all like the voice she remembered from all those years ago.

"Yeah, it's me. And it's –" She paused to look at her phone. "- three AM. What do you want?" What the hell was he calling for? It had been, what, ten years now? There was no way that it was just out of courtesy. For a fleeting moment she thought that maybe it was something else, the thing she'd hoped for so desperately back when they'd first met, but she quickly pushed the thought out of her head.

"Sorry, I guess I'm still running on Kalos time. The thing is, I… I'm in a bit of trouble, and I could really use some help."

"Wait, you don't talk to me in almost ten years and the first phone call I get from you is about asking for a favour? You have some nerve." She sat up in her bed, annoyed at herself for letting her thoughts get carried away. "Honestly, did you even –"

"Misty, they took Pikachu," he said, cutting her off.

There was a stunned silence as she tried to figure out what to say next.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally managed to gather her thoughts together enough to ask, "W-who?"

"Team Rocket," he answered. "Same as always. But this time I let them get away. Argh, how could I have been so stupid?!"

"C-calm down, Ash. Talk me through exactly what happened," she said, straightening herself up. She was calmer now, and the confusion that came from a mixture of being woken up in the middle of the night and being suddenly told shocking news was finally beginning to wear off. Now, all that was left was a feeling of guilt over getting annoyed at Ash.

"Well, I was at a sort of… gathering, I guess, in Kalos for Elite Four challengers, and I guess I must have let my guard down, because one moment Pikachu was sitting right next to me and the next he was being carried away by those three.

"I chased after them, but by the time I reached the exit they had disappeared. I looked everywhere, but it was clear that they were long gone." He was talking fast and was taking very short breaths. It was clear that he was distraught over the whole thing.

"Do you know why they attacked now? I thought they'd given up," she asked him.

"I thought so too, but apparently not. I… I guess when I stopped travelling they lost track of my whereabouts. But this event was publicised well, so I suppose they saw my name on the guest list and saw it as an opportunity."

Yeah, that made sense. Misty herself vaguely remembered seeing something about the event in the paper, which meant that it must have been publicised in Kanto.

"Misty, I get the feeling that they've taken Pikachu back to Kanto," he said, getting back on topic. "Isn't that what they always talked about? Taking him to the boss?"

"Yeah, you're probably right," Misty said to him absentmindedly, struggling to find any words of comfort.

"Well, I only really called to ask if they've got a secret base or something. I know it's a long shot, but you've lived in Kanto for your entire life, so…"

"Ash, has it really been that long since you last talked to any of us?" she asked. His silence informed her that he didn't know what she was talking about. "I know where their base is. We all do." She sighed deeply.

"Team Rocket are hiding out in the Celadon City," she told him "They've got a massive, highly secured skyscraper. Everyone knows it, but they've got bribes and blackmails over everyone in the police. They pretty much control the entire region."

Again, there was a silence, but this time it was Ash's turn to be stunned.

"How long?" was all he could bring himself to say.

"How long have we been living like this?" Misty asked to clarify. "I don't know, three, maybe four years."

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice full of guilt. "I'm sorry I haven't been there to help."

More silence as Misty sorted out her thoughts. On one hand, she had every right to be angry at him. After all, he disappeared from her life without so much as a goodbye. No calls, no texts, no letters, nothing for ten long years.

But then, on the other hand, this was her friend. One she cared deeply about. Had he not earned her forgiveness?

It was Ash who broke the silence. "Misty, I'm coming to Kanto. I… I need to get Pikachu back!" His voice sounded stronger, more determined. Almost like the voice she had once known…

"Ash, I want you to promise me one thing," she said. "I want you to promise that you'll come to Cerulean first. I know you too well to think I can stop you from doing something stupid, but if you're going to do something stupid anyway I don't want you to do it alone."

"Well, I'm not sure I like the idea of putting you in danger, but I know you too well enough to think arguing with you would do any good," he said with a weak laugh. "I'll be in Kanto tomorrow. See you then?"

"Okay," Misty replied. "Bye for now." She put her phone back onto her bedside table and lied back down. As she wondered if meeting him again was really such a good idea, she drifted back to sleep.