I've Got a Secret
Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon. The song in this chapter is "Sanctuary" by Utada Hikaru. And by the way, I didn't misspell any lyrics. She sings some lines backwards. Tricky lass.
Chapter 7
"It darkness," Professor Oak said. Ash, Brock and Delia, of course along with Pikachu, had rushed Misty to the lab, figuring the professor would know more about it than they would. "It's quickly weakening her. Giovanni must have used some kind of dark pokemon to instill these powers in her." Professor Oak looked very grave as he explained this to them. Meanwhile, Misty was sleeping on the couch nearby, as the strange transformation from before had tired her out.
"But what pokemon could possibly do that?" Ash asked, just as an idea struck him. "Mewtwo?"
"It's very possible, but there are plenty of other dark pokemon that would be able to perform the task," Professor Oak replied with a shrug. "There is something more important that I must discuss with you all." He looked very grim now. "When I looked over Misty to treat her wounds, there was evidence of multiple rapes and very odd scars all over her body. Has she told you anything that would suggest such?"
Ash thought his heart had stopped when he heard the word "rape" used in reference to Misty: his Misty. It was true that her clothes had been very much damaged when she ran into the top floor of the gym along with Delia. He hadn't thought of that as a possibility at the time, but now it was evident. "She hasn't said anything, but Giovanni obviously hadn't been treating her very well," Delia said, noting how he had dragged Misty out of the room during their conversation.
Giovanni! Ash thought angrily. Was it possible that he'd used Misty sexually too? He didn't even want to think about it.
Tracey entered the room, brining some food and drinks for the group. It was late at night and everyone was tired, but they wanted this to be figured out as soon as possible. "So what are you guys going to do with Team Rocket chasing after you? It wouldn't be a bad idea to relocate," he mentioned.
"Well, we can't go anywhere too obvious. I was thinking maybe Verdanturf Town," Delia said, as though she had been thinking about it for quite some time. She looked over at the sleeping Misty and closed her eyes. What they had all seen earlier was disturbing. Darkness was taking over their friend.
"That's a good idea. We'll do our best to send them in the wrong direction if they ever come here looking," Professor Oak said. "But we need to deal with Misty's problem. A new location and some new memories might help to keep off the darkness. Make sure she doesn't use her power. It'll only make things worse for her. Don't bring her to any heavily populated places, that is, until she's better." Professor Oak rambled on about certain precautions the group was to take. "For now, it's best she gets some rest. I expect you'll be leaving soon?"
"As soon as possible," Delia replied.
In you and I there's a new land
Angels in flight
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
My sanctuary my sanctuary yeah
Where fears and lies melt away
Music will tie
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
What's left of me, what's left of me
Now
Verdanturf was a very calm little village in a very secluded area of the Hoenn region. The air had a special quality to it that made breathing taste sweeter than usual. The grass was always a healthy shade of green and clouds almost never littered the sky. There weren't many buildings there: only about ten different houses and a pokemon center.
One of those houses was currently being rented to a strange group of people: a mother, a son, a redhead who didn't seem to come out that much, and some guy who had very squinty eyes. It was obvious why they had come; they needed some peace. It was the same story with everyone else there.
For Misty, Verdanturf did bring peace of mind. Her darkness didn't seem to show itself so much now that she was in such a calm place. It helped, also, that there was no connection to her past in this place. There were no broken memories that were supposed to be whole. She could look around, and her heart would continue to beat in its normal rhythm. The uncomfortable feeling that she no longer belonged was slowly, but surely, disappearing.
Here, she could lay in the grass and simply take in the warmth of the sun above.
When he found her, that's exactly what she was doing. Her sapphire eyes shut silently, and he could tell that she was asleep. It was nice to see her so calm. Ash was careful to take in the whole scene carefully. It was still hard to believe that his long lost best friend was lying in the backyard of their new home. Three years was a long time when you missed someone.
Still, despite the peace of where they were, worries lurked in his mind. Giovanni could be right behind them, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce to take all of the peace away. His father…that was another thing he couldn't believe. The whole story replayed itself over and over again in his mind, like a flip book. Misty, his best friend, was capture by the leader of Team Rocket, the man who was his father, hence having relations with his mother. Not to mention, the added possibility that he'd raped Misty. There were so many thing wrong with this picture that he couldn't even begin to count.
Ash sat down next to Misty, looking down at her carefully. Her dark powers were so strong, yet when he looked at her, she seemed so frail and weak. Besides that, all he could think was how beautiful she was…
I watch you fast asleep
All I fear means nothing
In you and I there's a new land
Angels in flight
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
My sanctuary my sanctuary year
Where fears and lies melt away
Music will tie
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
What's left of me, what's left of me
Now
She still dreamed of him. Even though she had escaped that dreadful place, he still had his reigns on her. Her mind betrayed her as the dream commenced. It was one of the nights she had spent in his bed. She hadn't cared about it before, but a sudden feeling of ashamedness set in, as she watched from above. Though it was her body below, it was not as though she were a participant in the dream, only an audience.
Suddenly, it wasn't her anymore. It was her dark self. And as Giovanni continued to degrade the body beneath him, the deep red eyes that bore into Misty's sapphire ones grew darker and darker until they were completely hollow. "I am you and you are me. The pain we feel…is the same. I won't let anyone have you again," the dark being spoke. And for the first time, Misty saw this dark part of herself as a real person with feelings and emotions.
Just as she was making this revelation, someone was shaking her awake. "Misty!" It was Ash calling her.
Blinking her eyes open, she looked over at him and smiled. "What is it?" she asked him curiously. She hadn't realized how easy it was to fall asleep lately.
"Well, I was going to let you sleep, but you were shaking," he replied, still sitting next to her. He played it off like it was nothing, but when he first noticed her shivering, he'd really been afraid for her. "Were you having a nightmare?"
She shook her head. "No. It was a dream, but not a nightmare. At least, I don't think it was," she replied, looking up at the sky. "I had a dream about you a while ago. It was after I saw you in Vermillion City. We were just looking at each other, under the moon. It was a nice dream." She looked so serene at that moment that it was hard to worry about anything. Not to mention, he couldn't help but feel glad to hear that at least she'd dreamed of him.
Then he realized something. "I had that dream too!" he suddenly exclaimed, surprising her. "It was the night after you attacked the pokemon center."
The two looked at one another, blue eyes met brown. Both hearts stuttered for a moment.
Seconds later their lips met.
Snwods dna spu ynam os
My heart's a battleground
Snoitome eurt deen I
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
Snoitome eurt deen I
Though she was glad that she'd gone to save her son's friend, Delia hated all of the thoughts of her ex lover that flooded her mind since seeing him. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face, leering back at her. It was a cold stare, nothing like the one he used to give her.
Yes, there was once a time when Giovanni loved her truly. He would have given the world for her. He used to look at her with so much passion, she could hardly breathe. It was those moments with him that she missed.
But she knew now that he'd gone too far. He would never return to be the person he used to be. She looked out the window of the house's kitchen and finally gave that soft smile. She had to let go. Life was happy. The sun was shining, and she had her family with her. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like if he'd stayed with her and forgotten about starting Team Rocket.
When she looked over at the table, Pikachu was giving her a kind of sad stare, as though he knew all of the thoughts that had been going through her mind at the moment. "Don't you look at me like that," she said and laughed. "You know, everything's pretty good here. He comes up in my mind, but now that Misty's back and I've told Ash everything, I feel like I can eventually be really happy."
Pikachu's face brightened and he found a bottle of ketchup to slurp from.
"I suppose it's time we called everyone in for dinner," Delia said, noting the pokemon's hunger. But when she opened the back door to get Ash and Misty, she found both of them sleeping in the grass, embracing one another.
You show me how to see
That nothing is whole and nothing is broken
In you and I there's a new land
Angel's in flight
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
My sanctuary my sanctuary yeah
Where fears and lies melt away
Music will tie
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
What's left of me, what's left of me
Now
Giovanni sat at his desk, tapping his fingers in and irritated manner. Anyone could tell: he was pissed. Not only had Misty gotten away, but so did Delia. And now nobody knew where they were. Their house in Pallet town seemed to be completely empty when the Team Rocket members searched through. There was nothing telling of where they were going. Even the people around the area didn't know where they were. Half of them hadn't even noticed that they left.
"Sir?"
Giovanni looked up and grinned, seeing who entered the room. "Brendan. So glad you're here. I have a job for you," he said. Brendan could tell by the glint in the man's eyes that it was something important.
"Yes, sir?"
"Go find your partner. She'll be missing you."
My fears and lies
Melt away
Wonk uoy naht noitceffa erom deen I
This chapter isn't as great, but I love the song. Typing words backwards is like the hardest thing ever.
