Author's Note:
Hi again!
Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter – that was the big story turner. Just as Gary admitted to his feelings, Euphoria had already caught up. This chapter's going to be quite long and there's a lot to take in, so I hope you're ready for it! Get ready for a lot of questions to be answered!
Hunt
Chapter 9
A blur; that's all he could see right now – one big, unclear blur. Gary's mind drifted in and out of consciousness, the area around him becoming clearer and then fading back to nothing repeatedly. When Gary was conscious, he couldn't grasp where he was or what had happened – everything had been completely drained from him as if all of his thoughts and memory had been cleared to somewhere else. His body ached tremendously – it felt as if he'd been terminally ill and that his body was slowly dying, wanting to give up all the strength and energy it might have been clinging onto. Gradually, Gary tried his best to move – he started with his fingertips, then his toes and finally, his neck.
He felt his face scrunch up in confusion as he tried to move his neck – it felt as is something was guarding it, pushing into his skin as he tilted it backwards. His thoughts had slowly started to become more distinct than they were before, and for the first time in what felt like ages, Gary had managed to open his eyes a fraction of a centimetre.
They rapidly shot open as soon as Gary had time to adjust to his surroundings. He was in a dark, dimly lit room that had a small opening to the far right. It smelt damp and clammy with the constant droplets of water that were falling from the ceiling and the visibility was seriously reduced – Gary had to squint in order to see exactly where he were.
Within the blink of an eye, Gary's memory started forming in flashbacks – at first, he could see himself in the exact room he was in now, talking to somebody large and overbearing – then, he saw woodland and mountains, and as quickly as they had come, another image scarred his mind, an image of a deep, gushing river ahead of him, almost drowning him with force – these stills raced through his mind like a Rapidash, and then, all at once, they disappeared.
A different image filled his mind – this image was tranquil, calm and bright, like a bursting flame of energy leading him to feel fulfilled and content. It was fierce, strong and determined, and as this bright wave of life rushed through his body, Gary felt his stomach plunge into a pool of guilt.
Misty.
This time, he jolted out of his mental state and turned his neck sharply to his left – there was Misty, unconscious and feeble. Just like him, she was chained to a chair, her wrists and ankles in cuffs and a large one around her neck. Gary could just about move his head and he thanked Arceus that he was able to see her – it relieved him to know that she was still by his side. As he narrowed his eyes, he could see her chest slowly rising and falling in harmony, her body limp and her expression peaceful. He wished that she could stay like that, unaware of the horror that she was about to wake up to, but this was reality now – there was no more running.
Still, he couldn't grasp how someone so simple could be so beautiful at the same time – Misty was naturally flawless. Her mind was so headstrong and committed – she was inspiring. Gary found himself gaping at how gorgeous she was; her hair was in a high ponytail, falling past her shoulders and around her face in auburn waves as her head hung forward while her skin glowed, just like her personality. She was down to earth and clear-cut, which was something that actually stood out to him – there was nothing false or overpowering – she was just herself.
The guilt he felt was consuming his mind rapidly, and when he heard a loud bang in the distance of the chamber, he knew he needed to act fast – they were in trouble, and he had to do something about it.
"Misty," he said desperately, never taking his eyes off of her – she didn't move a muscle. Sighing in agitation, he tried again, this time making his voice a little louder. "Misty!"
She started to stir – her head started to move slightly and he could see her wince when the cuff around her neck dug into her skin. He saw her try to move her hands and feet, but as she failed, she started to become a lot more unsettled. Obviously, she was becoming a lot more aware of how she felt and that something was limiting her to the amount of movement she was able to have, and gradually, she lifted her head and opened her eyes.
Her body became rigid. Gary heard her breathing become heavy as she realised she wasn't in a safe place, and as she looked down at her hands and feet it became clear to Gary she had remembered what had happened to her before – how long ago that was, Gary didn't know.
"Misty," Gary whispered, making her jump. She let out a deep breath when she saw his face and closed her eyes for a moment, looking up to the ceiling.
"Gary, what's going on?" she asked, the panic in her voice overtaking her. She frantically tried to release her hands from the cuffs around them but failed miserably – she breathed in sharply as it dug deeply into her skin.
"Misty, calm down," Gary said, trying his absolute best to keep himself composed. "I need you to listen to me."
"Where are we?" she asked, staring into his eyes. Her face looked stricken with worry – he'd never seen that expression on her before, even when he had first explained to her about Euphoria. Before, she'd refused to show him any sign of fright, but right now, it wasn't hard to miss.
As he was about to respond to her, someone else beat him to it.
"That, my dear, I can answer."
Gary and Misty both looked in the direction of the voice – it was cruel and intimidating, instantly making Misty's skin crawl. She found it extremely hard to see given that there was a pathetic amount of light present, but as she squinted, she could see a large, sturdy, well-built shadow looming in the darkness. It crept closer and closer towards her, and when it stepped into the light, Misty found the ability to speak crumble into nothingness.
Misty's first impression of Salamere was that of pure terror, to say the least. The first thing she noticed was that he looked evil – pure evil. He showed no emotion other than sadism, an eerie, spine-chilling grin plastered across his face as he stared severely into her eyes. He was old but brutally strong, his posture and figure powerful enough to threaten anything that dared to cross his path. A black cloak covered him entirely with the only part of his flesh visible being his face and hands – numerous amounts of scars covered his left fist, while on his right was a scarred letter 'E' engraved into his skin. His hair was long, matted, filthy and dark blonde in colour, falling around his face unflatteringly in a tangled mess while heavy bags had formed underneath his eyes making them appear sunken and lifeless – exactly like the feeling Misty had when he looked at her. One thing she knew for sure was that she was not going to get on the wrong side of him – she felt vulnerable and defenceless, his malevolent smile piercing through her like a knife.
"You're in my headquarters, of course," he said poisonously, his gaze upon her still sharp. "And you will be kept under my supervision – if you fail to cooperate, then you will face the consequences. With that, I welcome you to Euphoria, Miss Waterflower."
Misty's insides squirmed and twisted at the pure sight of him; he was unequivocally foul. From his posterior to his persona, Misty couldn't help but shudder – she had met some extremely nasty people in her life before, but Salamere stood above them all. She hadn't even discovered what his intentions were and she could already tell that he was sadistic; it was cemented into his expression.
Salamere then set his gaze upon Gary – his eyes held loathing and hatred, yet he continued to smile triumphantly. Gary refused to show any sign of anxiety; he stared coldly into Salamere's obscure, sinister watch, his jawline tightening as Salamere slowly approached him. Silence hung through the air as they glared at each other and Misty felt her pulse quicken rapidly – Gary had a lot of nerve to stand up to someone like Salamere.
Misty jumped as Salamere began to clap his hands together in pauses, the sound echoing throughout the chamber. It pierced her ears harshly making her force her eyes together tightly – what on earth was he playing at?
"Congratulations, Gary," Salamere said cynically, his eerie grin still present. "You've successfully completed your mission."
Gary's expression became completely detached; his mouth hung open slightly and his eyes turned distant and irresolute. He felt the need to shout drain from his being, his throat turning hoarse and brittle – as he followed Salamere's expression, it dawned on him what his plan was.
No.
He could see Misty looking at him in bewilderment from the corner of his eye. She creased her brows together and glanced at the floor, consuming Salamere's words – mission? What did he mean by mission? The question was racing through her mind at top speed, overtaking any fright she had been feeling a few seconds before. Now, curiosity took over, and as she looked at Gary, it only made her wonder even more – he appeared completely taken aback.
"What does he mean, Gary?" she asked, a lot more confidently than she first expected. He continued to stare at Salamere loathingly, although Misty could just about see that his bottom lip was quivering – something wasn't right.
"Don't listen to a word he says," Gary replied bitterly, a small hint of desperation in his voice. Salamere eyed him with viciousness, grinning manically – Gary couldn't brace himself for what was coming, nor could he think of any excuses. Salamere had beat him to it, had already outsmarted him; defeat was starting to consume him.
"Oh, well this is just precious," Salamere said mockingly, chuckling to himself, "Gary has completed his mission, Miss Waterflower – and quite magnificently, too."
Confusion endlessly attacked Misty and swiftly, agitation coursed through her.
"What does he mean by mission, Gary?" she asked, glaring at him tensely. Gary opened his mouth but no words would come out – the horror of his mission started eating away at him, rising from out of the darkness and into the light. He'd kept it hidden, at first wanting to complete it, but he then started to hide it for Misty's safety. He had hoped that it would never come to this, that he'd never have to tell her the truth, but Salamere had beaten him to it. Things would never be the same again – she was about to find out the true meaning as to why he'd first abducted her, and there was nothing he could say or do to change it.
"Allow me to explain that to you, Miss Waterflower," Salamere said as he sat down in a large chair that looked like some sort of throne. He brought his hands together and rested his chin upon them, his elbows leaning on the worn, rotting desk in front of him.
Gary's face paled as Salamere smirked dirtily – this was it.
"Gary's mission was to abduct you, Miss Waterflower," he said, watching her intently. "He then had to put on an act of innocence and heroism – something he did extremely well, I might add. His aim was to lead you quickly and skilfully back to our headquarters, and that's exactly what he's done – here you are. Are you surprised, Misty?"
As Misty processed Salamere's words, her whole body became numb to the core; was this all some kind of sick joke? Was this Salamere's tasteless way of fun? Of course it was – Gary would never do that to her. He genuinely cared for her… didn't he? Her stomach twisted in nervousness as Salamere's words continued to run through her head, and as she looked over at Gary, it clenched even more – he was utterly emotionless, staring up at Salamere weakly. She'd never seen him look so torn; it just couldn't be true.
"Gary, tell me it's not true," Misty demanded, her voice quivering. Her eyes had started to water as there was still no response from him – he still refused to look at her, his posture unsteady. She watched him swallow down a large lump, and cautiously, he turned to face her.
His heart completely shattered within that moment. As Misty stared into his eyes, his whole world had finally collapsed; she looked at him in terror, dread and hope all at the same time, her once bright, ocean coloured eyes losing all life and soul that might have been there before. She clenched her fists together forcefully, her hands starting to tremble – he was about to ruin her.
As Gary faintly nodded his head, all the tension that Misty was feeling vanished.
Shock engulfed her, drowning out all her senses.
He wouldn't.
Flashbacks of the past week raced through her mind; watching the TV in the Cerulean Gym, the attack, the sight of Gary for the first time, his story of Euphoria that never made sense to her, why he never went back to Pallet Town – as they repeatedly swam through her mind, everything started to come together and make sense, and all of a sudden, anger flooded Misty like someone had fired a Hydro Pump attack on her.
"You used me?"
Desperation and need started to overcome Gary – if he was ever going to get her to listen, it needed to be now. He couldn't back down without a fight; he wasn't going let Salamere see him fall.
"Misty, listen to me-"
"What is there to say, Gary? That you're sorry?" she asked in disbelief, watching him in horror. "Are you out of your mind, Gary? You used me! You lied right through your teeth throughout that whole time, convincing me that you were truly trying to protect me! What sort of sick, twisted person does that, Gary? What the fucking hell is wrong with you?"
She was livid – he'd never seen somebody so hurt, so disappointed, so betrayed; and it was his entire fault. The whole plot of what he'd been asked to do in the first place was utterly sickening, and as Gary thought back through what he was asked to do, he couldn't believe he'd let himself become so engrossed in the hands of Euphoria – they'd brainwashed him, cutting off his connection to everything outside of the headquarters, forcing him to truly believe that life with them was the way forward – but it wasn't.
"Please, Misty, just listen to me!" Gary said urgently. "At first it was my mission, Misty, but then everything changed! You changed everything! You made me change my mind, you made me realise how fucked up this whole organisation is, because of you, I fel-"
"Don't give me any of your shit, Gary!" she screamed, tears now streaming down her face. "You lied to me, you used me, you led me on and made me feel safe, Gary, and the whole thing was just an act! Just don't say a fucking word, I hate you, I absolutely hate you!"
She was sobbing uncontrollably, her chest becoming heavy and her body becoming weak – she hung her head and closed her eyes tightly, tears pouring onto her lap in a never-ending pool of regret, of humiliation. The darkness suddenly became clear to her, approaching her, ready to swallow her whole as she feared it yet longed for it. She felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, piercing at her very soul, mocking her for falling for such a ruthless and merciless story.
"Misty, please, listen to me!"Gary continued to scream, his throat burning from the force of his voice. She unrelentingly ignored him, staring into her lap, emotionless, impassively – everything around her was slowly fading as her drive started to give up entirely.
"How pathetic," a mocking voice said. Gary snarled and focused his gaze on Artilius who was cunningly making his way towards Misty, a spiteful grin etched across his face. He walked up to Misty and grabbed her chin vehemently, forcing her to look at him. She showed no emotion but had her lips pursed, trying to hold back the anger that was begging to burst – confidently, she scowled at him, ignoring his sardonic expression.
"You dumb bitch," he said, gripping her face. "You actually believed Gary's story? You're pathetic."
Humiliation endlessly swam throughout her body, but Misty refused to show it – with one last smirk, Artilius slapped her hard across the face, the sound of the blow echoing across the chamber.
"Leave her alone, you bastard!" Gary shouted fervently, snarling at him. He laughed manically and licked his lips as he watched Misty tremble. "You've got some nerve, Artilius, touch her again and I'll-"
"And you'll what, Gary?" he asked sarcastically. Gary grit his teeth in animosity and glared at Artilius harshly – how he wished that he could ring his neck and beat him to a pulp that very second. The way he stood there thinking that he was all high and mighty made Gary rile up with rage – in fact, everything about Artilius at that moment made Gary bitter with vengeance; his jet-black hair that reminded him of Ash and how the tips of it were coloured red, his amber coloured eyes that shone brightly when he was hurting someone, the swagger he produced when he walked, the way he snaked his hands through his hair – it made Gary sick to the stomach.
"Exactly," he spat venomously, approaching Misty once more. "So you don't like it when I hit Misty, huh? Well I'll do it again then!"
As Artilius raised his hand, Gary winced and shut his eyes – he felt absolutely useless. As he waited for Misty to scream, he clenched his teeth together; he'd never felt so much hate for somebody before.
"That's enough, Artilius."
Gary let out a deep breath – she'd managed to get out of that one. He looked over at Misty and felt his heart break again; she was slowly deteriorating. Her head still hung loosely, her bottom lip was trembling and a brutal red mark was evident on her left cheek.
The fucking bastard!
"Take Misty to the east dungeon, Artilius," Salamere ordered bluntly, watching Artilius' disappointed expression turn into that of mischief. "I'll deal with her later."
Gary's heart sunk – the east dungeon was used as a torture chamber.
"No!" he shouted pleadingly, his voice scratching at his throat. "Not the east dungeon, she doesn't deserve that! Take me instead, she does-"
Before Gary could say anything else, another Euphoria guard came up from behind him and tied a large piece of cloth around his mouth. Gary kept wriggling and shouting as much as he could, trying his best to get Misty's attention, but he failed miserably. The cloth started digging into his skin as he tried to break free from it, his face burning from the force of the friction, and as Misty finally looked over at him, he felt empty. Her whole body was shaking and shuddering violently, her eyes boring into him like sunken pools of loss – Artilius unchained her from the chair and threw her to the floor, causing her lip to smash against it and swell up from the force. He laughed hysterically and tied her hands behind her back, pulling her up by her hair, making her wheeze in pain as she struggled to stand. Gary looked on helplessly at the scene in front of him and lowered his head in defeat; there was nothing he could do anymore. The more he watched Misty, the more powerless he felt, but glancing up at her one last time, he found that his eyes had started to burn from the tears that were forming.
She faintly looked at him and paused, studying his expression – he'd done this to her. She wanted to believe him, to fall into his arms and forgive him… but he'd used her and he'd betrayed her. And for that reason, she could never forgive him.
As she was led out of Salamere's headquarters, Gary went limp; she was gone.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Salamere rise from his seat. He looked up at him in disdain and snarled underneath his breath – he was ruthless to the core. He watched Salamere order the two Euphoria guards who had gagged himself to leave and waited tensely as he made his way down from his throne to Gary's level.
A look of pure disgust passed over Salamere's expression, and without warning, he hit Gary gruellingly across the face.
Part of the cloth was released from Gary's mouth from the pure force of Salamere's punch – his sight started to deteriorate for a few seconds, and the taste of blood had formed in his mouth. As quickly as the first punch had come, a second punch hit him causing the rest of the gag to break. Gary coughed and heaved up blood, spitting as much of it as he could onto the floor. As he gradually got his composure back, he eyed Salamere bitterly.
"You're a fool, Gary," he said resentfully, looking down upon him in disappointment. Gary looked up spitefully and spat in his face, his jaw tight.
"Bite me," he seethed.
"I should've known this would happen," Salamere said, pacing the floor. "It's a pity, though – I truly had high hopes for you. It's such a shame you couldn't handle it… you were next in line for leader status after me."
"That means nothing to me anymore," Gary said loathingly. He watched Salamere pace the floor space in front of him and decided to challenge him a little. "You're one sick bastard, d'you know that?"
Salamere eyed Gary intently and narrowed his gaze.
"You're completely sadistic – everything you're doing and planning is downright mental. Capturing people to use them for your plans… you're off your fucking head! The only reason I've been working so hard over the past few years is because I couldn't bear to see my family and Pokémon die – come to think of it, I never had any true commitments to Euphoria. It was all in my fucking head."
He watched Salamere grimace as he listened to his repentance of the company – Salamere pursed his lips and scowled ferociously at Gary, taken aback by how someone could talk down upon his precious organisation so much. How dare he mock his plans?
"Euphoria will succeed with or without your help, Gary," he said bluntly. "As I said, I should've known this would happen – not even your father could complete his mission. Then again; like father, like son."
Gary glowered at Salamere – what the fuck was he going on about? He never even knew his father so how dare he twist the story? There was no mission that involved his father at all, so what was it that Salamere was trying to play at?
"What do you mean my father didn't complete his mission? He's dead. He died years ago… why would he have anything to do with someone like you?"
Salamere smirked dirtily.
"Did you ever question your parent's death, Gary?"
"My parent's death is nothing to do with you, you asshole," Gary replied bitterly.
He smirked again – this was turning out to be a lot more perfect than he'd originally thought.
"That's where you're wrong, Gary," Salamere said, sitting back in his seat. "I suppose you've always been oblivious to your parent's history before you were born, yes?"
Gary didn't answer – he was far too confused.
"Your father, Gary, was a very vulnerable man. At a young age, he had nothing left to live for – his parents had left him, leaving him completely homeless and weak. I took this as my opportunity to seize him. I convinced him to work for me – at first, I lied about my true intentions and told him something entirely different. You see, Euphoria was struggling for power, Gary, so the only way I could lead him onto my side was to lie. He fell for it and started working for us – he showed potential, a lot like you… but he then backed out. He realised my true intentions and ran – with that, he started a new life."
Salamere's words droned through Gary's ears endlessly – he found himself completely speechless.
"He met your mother not long after he left us – he was undoubtedly smitten by her and the two started a new life together. He changed his identity, however, because he knew that I wouldn't let him go that easily. He eventually wed her but she chose to keep her father's name – I'm not surprised, seeing as he is an Oak. Samuel Oak, your grandfather, cherished her very much… and when she gave birth to yourself and Daisy, he couldn't have been happier.
"Euphoria continued to fail following the years after your father had left due to a lack of minions – we gradually managed to build up our power over the years that he was absent, causing Euphoria to start training and plotting. Yes, everything was looking up… but I still couldn't get over your father's betrayal, Gary. It kept eating away at my mind… no, I had to do something.
"Remind me of how your parents died, Gary."
Gary felt extremely intimidated by Salamere – he refused to show any sign of anxiety, however, and answered him promptly.
"In a car crash," he said, his gaze becoming distant. "Their car was found but their bodies never were."
"Precisely," Salamere said sickeningly. "Did you ever wonder why your parent's bodies were never found, Gary? It must have seemed odd – you must have questioned it. See, the truth is, I caused your parents to crash, Gary. I took their bodies and carried them back here to the headquarters. I couldn't let your father get away and allow him to live his life freely – no, that would mean that I had been defeated, and let's get one thing straight – I never lose.
"Once they were back at the headquarters, I did exactly what I did to you and Misty – I got a few of my guards to chain them up. The look on your father's face was priceless, let me tell you. He thought he'd got away with it and that he'd never be found, but my, how wrong he was. I wanted to deal with things quickly, so I shot your mother straightaway. Your father, however… well, I wanted him to pay for what he did, so I tortured him, Gary, and I loved every single minute of it."
Gary's normally calm demeanour instantly changed to that of animosity; his face contorted into all-consuming anger, his nostrils flaring, eyes flashing with ferocity and hands balled into fists.
"You son of a bitch," Gary seethed, clenching his jaw so hard his teeth almost crushed with the force. "You fucking murdered them, all for revenge on my dad because he realised what sick fucks you all are? You twisted, heartless bastard, Salamere! Do you not realise how much grief you caused me and my family to have? How my sister cried night after night, how she wished that it had been her that had died instead of them, how you completely fucked up my childhood? You bastard, you absolute bastard!"
"As I said, Gary, I never lose. Your father was pathetic enough to ever think otherwise, and your mother was just as pathetic for marrying him in the first place."
"Is that why you took me then?"
Salamere narrowed his glance.
"That's it, isn't it? The whole reason you abducted me in the first place was an act of revenge on my father's failed mission, wasn't it? It wasn't about how I was skilled – it was all to please the fucking grudge you held over him."
Salamere smiled devilishly. He'd never told Gary the truth about why he'd first abducted him – he thought it would never have to come to that. And for all these years, Gary found that he was constantly asking himself why Euphoria wanted him – it never made any sense, and all of a sudden, he knew everything that was hidden from him for so long.
"Turns out that you're not as thick as I thought you were, Gary."
"Fuck you," Gary spat, lips tight. There was a brief silence between the two as Salamere lingered around him, watching Gary raptly. He then decided a change of topic would be perfect – especially one so personal.
"And what about Misty, Gary? Such a pretty girl… it just tears me apart to think of how she must be feeling right now, knowing that the one person she thought she could trust betrayed her like that."
"You keep Misty out of this," Gary said bitterly. "She doesn't deserve this – fuck, none of them deserve this!"
"I honestly thought that you had a lot more in you, Gary," Salamere continued. "I didn't think you'd be one to give in so easily to a petty female. I was highly mistaken."
"She was a risk worth taking," Gary said, his voice becoming a lot calmer at the thought of Misty. "She made me learn, Salamere. She made me learn something that you'll never be able to feel, never. She made me learn how to love – that was enough to make me turn against you for good."
"How touching," Salamere said disdainfully, grimacing at Gary's words. "You know, as well as seeing you suffer throughout this little episode, I've gained a lot more than I first bargained for."
Gary snorted.
"And what's that then?"
"Well, none other than your little lady friend, Gary," Salamere said provocatively. Gary's face dropped – he just crossed the line.
"You leave her alone, Salamere," Gary fumed, the rage boiling up again inside him. "Don't you fucking touch her."
"I was just going to keep her captive like the rest of the gym leaders," Salamere continued, pacing the floor again. "But the more I think about it, why not use her for something else? Yes – Misty can be used for much more… pleasurable uses."
Gary felt his heart stop – his whole body shuddered and crawled with goose bumps.
"No," Gary said, shaking his head in pure denial. "Not that, anything but that! You're so fucking sadistic, Salamere! You've got some nerve to even consider treating a young girl like that!"
"I need my pleasures in life too, Gary, and Misty is the perfect woman to use – especially with how strong your feelings are towards her."
"You make me sick. You won't get away with this – you'll be captured soon enough, Salamere, just you wait!"
"I highly doubt that, Gary," Salamere said simply. "Our headquarters are hidden far too well. I will succeed."
"Rot in hell," spat Gary.
Salamere laughed evilly and clicked his fingers – within an instant, the two Euphoria guards he sent outside returned on his command, awaiting their next order.
"Take Gary to the west dungeon," he said, standing from his seat. "And make sure he's unarmed."
The two guards obeyed their boss immediately and started to unchain Gary – he struggled against them as much as he could but their strength was too much compared to his deteriorating composure.
"No!" he screamed, fighting with all of his might against them. "Misty! Misty, listen to me!"
"It's no use, Gary!" Salamere exclaimed, chuckling successfully to himself. "She cannot hear you. It's over, Gary – you've lost."
"No, I hav-"
Gary was gagged again, one of the guards forcefully tying it around his mouth. He attempted to head-butt the one in front of him but the one who had gagged him was too quick – he yanked Gary's head back by holding onto his hair and kicked him in the back of the knees, causing Gary to collapse. He was pulled back up and dragged to the west dungeon, the guards giving him no sympathy throughout the journey. Gary put up the fight the best that he could but knew that it was no use. Salamere was right; he'd lost. After everything he'd been through and gained – all was gone within a matter of hours.
After he was unchained he was thrown to the floor of his chamber roughly. The guards instantly locked the door as Gary scrambled to his feet but he missed by seconds – he was trapped.
"Open the fucking door!" he shouted, banging his fist hard upon it. "Salamere, open the fucking door!"
As Gary realised that nobody was coming for him, he stopped hitting his fist against the door and slowly turned around. He felt his face heating up with anger and humiliation – as he brought his hands to his head, he felt something wet on his face; he had been crying. He'd never felt so livid before in his life – it was all his fault. He thought of Misty and the look she had given him before she was led out of Salamere's headquarters, of how she must be feeling and what she must be going through at that very moment. He thought back to Salamere's confession of how he brutally murdered his parents out of revenge, and finally, he thought of the Professor and Daisy and how disappointed they'd be in him.
Leaning against the door, he slowly slid down it and stared into the darkness of the chamber, all hope that had been left within him lost – numbness engulfed him like a wave, and as he brought his knees in towards his chest, Gary broke down.
I've failed.
Author's Note:
Wow – this was a lot harder than I thought. I don't think I've ever put so much content into a chapter before! As I said before, this chapter is the main story turner, the big one, the moment everything starts to fit together – both Gary and Misty have a lot to take in, and more is revealed about Salamere's character.
Once again, thank you to everyone that reviewed my last chapter, and please please please take a moment of your time to tell me what you think of Hunt – I put my absolute all into every chapter I write, so if you're reading it then that's all I ask!
I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.
Until next time,
Charityx