Disclaimer: Don't Own Pokemon!
Pokemon: The Psychic Wars
Chapter 10
"She's too dangerous to be left alive!"
Blaine planted both hands on Lance's desk as the other masters gathered around, watching the display with guarded interest.
It had been several days since Misty's capture and Ash felt himself growing more and more impatient as the days went by. Though he had promised Brock he would wait for Lance's interrogation, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep his promise if Lance didn't hurry and make his move.
As Ash looked on from his corner of the room, he silently seethed at the fire master for even suggesting execution as an option. It seemed he wasn't the only one growing impatient.
Lance remained unmoved, his hands folded in front of him as he calmly processed Blaine's request.
"My answer remains the same, Master Blaine," he responded in a slightly clipped tone, indicating that this wasn't the first time they had had this conversation.
Blaine balled his hands into tight fists, "Why the hell not?! We should make an example of her and send her back to the psycho in pieces!"
Ash could feel Pikachu bristle in response and could hardly blame him. It took everything in him to avoid walking right up to Blaine and pounding his face in right then and there.
He had taken much of the past several days into consideration and had thought long and hard on the circumstances surrounding this situation. Deep inside, he knew if he could just speak to Misty, something would have to give and he'd be able to separate truth from fiction. After all, there had to be some small part of the old Misty that still existed within the tough exterior for her to spare his life.
"We're wasting time! While we have our heads up our asses, Sabrina's forces continue to pound on us from all sides!" he pounded a fist into Lance's desk, "We have her assassin, we need to dispose of her before she plans something."
Lance sighed, seeing at least part of the logic to Blaine's complaints. He turned wary eyes in Gary and Leaf's direction, "Are you two prepared to initiate the interrogation?"
Before either could reply, Blaine raged, "You still want to interrogate her?! She won't tell you a goddamned thing!"
"I think that's quite enough Master Blaine," stated Agatha pointedly, standing nearest to Lance's chair, her other cohorts on either side of her.
Blaine narrowed his eyes at the eldest Elite Four member, but remained silent, crossing his arms in indignation.
Lance dipped his head in silent appreciation of the ghost master and returned his gaze back to Gary and Leaf.
Gary, taking that as his cue to speak, shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, we could probably start today if we're on a time crunch."
"Whatever information we've already gathered is limited anyway. There's no point for us to drag this thing out longer than it needs to be," Leaf added, glancing briefly in Gary's direction.
Lance nodded his head, "Very well then, the two of you are dismissed to continue your preparations, but I want the interrogation completed today."
Gary and Leaf nodded in tandem then turned to exit the room, however, were halted when their path was blocked by none other than Jessie, James, and Meowth.
They saluted their superiors before sliding between Leaf and Gary, leaving the two masters stunned and more than a little confused.
Lance quirked an eyebrow at them before motioning for them to continue, "What can I do for you three?"
Jessie cleared her throat, "We have vital information to report."
James, nervous at being the center of attention in front of so many prominent masters, stuttered in addition, "We-We've gathered important information, sir!"
Meowth growled, jumping atop James' shoulder and swatting him in the face, "She just said dat you numbskull!"
James blocked his face from the onslaught muttering an 'oh right' while Jessie pointedly rolled her eyes.
"As the three of you can see, we're in the middle of an important meeting. What is it you have to say?" asked Lorelei as she propped her glasses tiredly atop her head.
Jessie, feeling the eyes on her, saluted once again, "Apologies, ma'am, but we've discovered that the Cerulean triplets are alive, however, as to their current well-being, we're unsure."
A bout of stunned silence filled the room after the startling revelation. Ash's eyes widened, his brain running on overdrive as he processed the information. Brock coughed as he choked on himself, throwing a glance in Ash's direction. Gary and Leaf shared a questioning look before turning back to the former Rockets. Paul and Drew stood, unperturbed, looking almost indifferent if not for their raised brows while the remaining masters and Elite Four showed varying amounts of shock and confusion.
"And you know this how?" asked Bruno, looping his thumbs under his black belt.
"She told us."
Lance narrowed his eyes, "And she offered this information freely?"
Jessie gulped however stood her ground, "We sort of tricked her into telling us, sir," she admitted, lowering her head slightly.
"So, you interrogated her without my permission when I had expressly forbid any contact with her?"
Jessie was beginning to feel the heat and almost regret wheedling the information from the younger girl in the first place. She began to feel beads of sweat forming on her brow as the masters and other Elite scrutinized her and her partners. Jessie was about to offer some sort of apology when Lance cleared his throat and shifted his eyes behind them.
"Use this information and see what more you can get from her," he ordered of Gary and Leaf. The two nodded, unsure what to make of the turnaround, before exiting the room in silence.
"As for you three…"
Lance stood and stared at the trio, his brown eyes boring into them, "This will be the last time you go against a direct order, do I make myself clear?"
"C-Crystal!" the three stuttered in response, throwing their hands up in salute. The three dismissed themselves and turned to leave when Lance spoke again.
"Nice work you three."
Jessie, James, and Meowth turned in tandem, their mouths dropping slightly before what Lance said sunk in and they beamed in respect of the man who had literally saved them.
"Thank you sir!" they nearly shouted before bounding out the door and back to their posts.
Blaine narrowed his eyes when the door shut, "You keep doing this and you'll encourage too much independence."
Lance sighed, "Call me a softy, I don't care. Whatever they did seemed to work and we got a piece of vital information."
"What if she lied?" asked Paul, arms folded.
"Then I hope Gary and Leaf can get through to her to unravel the truth."
"What difference does it make whether the triplets are alive or not?" asked Blaine pointedly.
Before Lance could answer, another voice crept from the shadows, "It gives her motive as to why she did what she did."
Ash took several steps forward, bringing himself out of the shadows. As Brock looked to his best friend, he could see for the first time in what felt like forever, the glint of hope that so often marked him in his youth. Though he still did not allow himself to smile, the hope radiated off of him, infectious in its nature. Brock had to suppress a grin at this turn of events.
Blaine simply harrumphed and crossed his arms.
"If her sister's well-being is truly her motive, we could put together a rescue mission, take away her reason for being loyal to Sabrina," Janine suggested.
"But we also have to consider the fact that she was lying and simply turned a blind eye to the League's cause," stated Erika reasonably.
Before Ash could counter Erika's statement, to his surprise, Brock spoke up.
"I don't think so," he began, bowing in respect as Erika's eyes raised in question, "I mean no disrespect Master Erika, but I don't think it's as simple as all that. I've known Misty since I was 11 and I think there's another angle we're missing. Maybe allowing herself to be captured was her way of asking for help."
Blaine bristled at that but, for once, kept quiet, interested in what the rock master had to say.
Erika nodded in consideration, "I see where you're coming from Master Slate, however, you saw the hostility she showed to Master Ketchum during their first encounter. Such hatred makes me think she is a lost cause."
Brock grinned knowingly, "Think about it. Misty comes from a long line of performers and actresses. She was practically brought up in front of an audience. Is it really that far of a stretch to think that she was acting the part of a traitor?"
Agatha rubbed at her chin thoughtfully, "You present an interesting theory Master Slate. What do you think Lance?"
"I think it's something we should keep in mind," he stated, earning a smile from Brock. Blaine was about to intervene when Lance spoke again, "However, it would be in our best interest not to get too invested in this theory. We will keep our guards up until we've discovered more."
Blaine sighed and nodded his assent, accepting this answer for the time being.
"You're all dismissed for now. We will reconvene once the interrogations have been completed. I thank you once again for your time and patience in this matter."
The Masters bowed respectfully and slowly filed out of the room, leaving only Lance and his Elite present. After a bout of silence, Lorelei spoke.
"Do you really think she wants our assistance?"
Lance sighed and ran a tired hand through his red locks, "I hope so. Who knows the treasure trove buried within her mind. It could turn the tide of this war and give us a much needed boost."
"As you said earlier, we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent in light of this news. We must take all potential scenarios into consideration," Agatha stated, grounding her cane into the ground.
Lance grinned, throwing her a side glance while resting his chin against his folded hands, "I thought it interesting you took Master Slate's theory into consideration, bearing in mind everything that's happened."
Agatha smiled, her wrinkled skin stretching across her cheeks, "I am anything if not fair, Lance. You know that," her smile slowly waned as she thought of the alternative, "I truly hope her sisters are that girl's motive. I don't know what we will do if it turns out we are wrong. I hate to think of any of our gym leaders as traitors."
Lance sobered and nodded, "I understand what's riding on this. We can only hope that Gary and Leaf can get to the bottom of it."
Leaf and Gary stood outside one of the interrogation rooms, staring carefully at their quarry seated inside. Misty had recently been transported to one of the rooms via a host of armed guards, her arms shackled behind her as she traipsed the short distance to her current holding room. She was now seated in a vacant room, staring at them through a one way window, her eyes guarded and emotionless.
Leaf stepped closer to the window and felt a chill run up her spine as she watched the red head staring back at her, almost as if she knew she was watching. She placed a hand on the window, attempting to read the blank face that glared back at her. But it was to no avail. She remained as cold and calculating as Leaf believed she was.
She made a tight fist against the glass in poorly concealed anger.
Suddenly, Leaf felt a warm hand land on her shoulder and the chill instantly dissipated. She half turned to see Gary standing beside her, giving her his winning smile. She smiled back and subtlety leaned into his touch.
"Everything okay?"
She took in a deep breath and returned her gaze back to the room before her, "Peachy."
He let out a half-hearted chuckle, "Sorry, stupid question."
Leaf smiled before admitting, "She unnerves me with that blank expression of hers. It's like I can't get a read on her, no matter how hard I try. I look at her and see an empty shell without a soul."
Gary hummed in response, taking another step closer to the window, "I know what you mean, she scares the hell out of me too," he carefully studied the woman sitting in the room, noting her posture, her even breathing, and even the automatic blinking of her eyes and turned again to Leaf, "Call me crazy, but I think she's salvageable."
Leaf knitted her brows in confusion and glanced back at Misty's still form, attempting to see what it was Gary so obviously sensed.
"Fine, you're crazy then cause all I see is a cold-blooded killer."
Gary chuckled in amusement and dropped his hand from off her shoulder. Leaf immediately missed the warmth and crossed her arms against the chill that invaded her body.
Gary leaned heavily against the glass, giving Misty a side-glance, "She spared our lives."
Leaf raised a brow at that and came to stand firmly in front of him, tilting her head to one side. Before she could further question him, he continued.
"She could have killed us easy if she wanted to, but she hesitated when she saw Ash's face," he looked to Leaf and held her gaze, "I know it sounds crazy, but I think there's a part of her that's still on our side. We just have to draw it out somehow."
Leaf couldn't help but smile at his boyish optimism. Ever since they were little, Gary had always held that power, even if, at times, it came out as overly cocky. Whatever he was though, he always had the ability to make her smile, even in the bleakest of situations. It was one of his traits that she admired most about him.
"If you say so, Master Oak."
He grinned and shrugged his shoulder sling off, discarding it on the floor.
Leaf raised an eye at the action, "Thought you had to be in that for at least a week?"
"Don't wanna show weakness," he replied, shifting his cloak over his previously exposed shoulder. He motioned her towards the door, "You're up first, Master Green."
Leaf crossed her arms and threw him a confident smirk, hoping to carry her confidence into the room.
She swung the door open and stepped into the unknown.
Misty blinked as she heard the latch to her room unlock, the door swinging open to reveal an unfamiliar young woman with brunette hair trailing down her back. Cool, slate colored eyes greeted her, as they studied Misty up and down, as if she were on display at some museum and it almost unnerved her.
Almost.
Misty narrowed her eyes darkly.
She was the assassin. People feared her, not the other way around. She would stand her ground no matter what happened in here. She would not give in to this stranger. She would remain unwavering because her sister's lives depended on it.
Misty watched with disinterest as the young woman slowly pulled the opposite chair out from under the table and took a seat, crossing her legs casually to one side.
"I've heard a lot about you, Ms. Waterflower," Leaf began, folding her arms in front of her and cracking a tired smile, "You're a lot less intimidating than I'd thought you'd be."
Misty continued to watch with mild indifference as she silently studied the young woman in front of her.
"Truth is Misty, I need information from you and I'll get it whether you willingly give it to me or not."
Misty couldn't help the challenging smirk that came to her lips, "That so?"
Leaf smiled at that, accepting the challenge that had willingly fallen into her lap.
"We already know your sisters are alive."
Misty raised a disinterested brow, "And you've been given confirmation of that from whom? I merely told those three idiots what they wanted to hear."
"So the whole admission was a lie? Gotta admit, it would have made for a great motive," Leaf chuckled, casually throwing her hair up in a ponytail.
Misty narrowed her eyes dangerously, her fists clenching involuntarily.
Leaf, seeing the movement from the corner of her eye, changed her approach, "I assume the rumor about how you spared Gary's life was also a lie."
Misty blinked convincingly, cocking her head to one side, "So, he survived?"
An amused chuckle resounded as the door to the room opened with a click.
"If I didn't experience it first hand, I might have believed you were being sincere."
Gary rounded the door and gently kicked it shut with a thud. He grinned as he watched Misty's eyes widen in mild shock.
"You look pretty convincing there, acting as if you thought you could actually kill me," he continued to grin as he circled around to stand beside Leaf. Cracking his neck from side to side, he gave Misty an appraising look.
"Unshackle me and I'd be more than happy to finish the job," Misty hissed, lightly pulling on the chains that bound her to the table top.
Gary chuckled, "Sorry princess, no can do. Though I hate to admit it, you're probably one of the only people that could kick my ass in a fist fight."
Leaf rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, placing her forearms on the table that separated them.
"Bringing us back to our original topic of conversation, why did you spare Gary and Ash?"
"I had every intention of killing them."
Leaf stood up.
"Then why didn't you."
Misty remained seated, her eyes flicking upwards at the now looming young woman in front of her.
"Underestimated their power, got cocky, let them escape. End of story."
Gary chuckled again, leaning himself against the one way glass mirror, "Let us escape? You practically walked away from the battle."
Misty remained quiet, her gaze finding purchase on her shackles while Gary calmly walked up to her, hands in pockets.
"Look Misty, I know it can't have been easy for you, being on your own, giving up everything you knew to fight for a master you don't believe in, but you still have friends on this side that love and care about you."
Leaf raised a brow at the unexpected softness in Gary's voice and chose to remain quiet. She knew Gary had somewhat of a scattered past with the former gym leader, but he at least knew some of where she had come from, whereas Leaf was going in blind. She crossed her arms in front of her and examined the young woman in front of her. Perhaps it was Leaf's imagination, but she could have sworn she saw some of the tension leave the red head's shoulders.
Gary kneeled, forcing Misty to look at him, to see the sincerity in his eyes. He couldn't help but tightly grip the table's edge, a small lump forming in his throat as he attempted to bring the other girl back from the brink of her own destruction.
Thinking back, Gary remembered so vividly the day he met Misty. It was in the middle of some forest he couldn't remember the name of as he made his way towards Fuchsia City. He had inadvertently run into the trio of friends who had, once again, gotten themselves lost. He remembered laughing and taunting them for their misfortune, something he often did in his youth, before goading Ash for his lack of direction and discipline as a trainer.
Though he seemed completely indifferent to Brock and Misty's presence, he recognized them almost immediately and had to wonder how his then-rival had corralled two gym leaders into follow him around the region. And though Misty had still been young back then, she was the first girl, other than Leaf, that Gary regarded as more than just "a cheerleader." She was cute, fiery, and had all the qualities of someone meant for greatness.
As she grew into adulthood, she had abandoned her cuteness for raw beauty and had become every bit as sensational as her sisters. Of course, she still had the fire in her that made her unique and Gary didn't doubt for a second that that part of her was still deep inside, crying out for help.
"You need help, let us help you," he brought a hand up to offer in solidarity. He lowered his voice and smiled sincerely, "And besides, Ash has missed you like crazy."
Misty swallowed, staring down into Gary's deep brown orbs. She had to give him credit where credit was due. He was trying his ass off to pull her back to the other side of the coin with that typical Gary Oak charm. But she was too far gone. She had committed too many crimes, killed too many people, burned too many towns…there were people in this organization that wanted her head on a silver platter, no matter how just and fair Lance Grayson was, there was no denying the pressures he was facing by simply harboring her in their midst.
"A second chance?" she whispered unconvincingly, to no one in particular as Gary looked on hopefully.
No, this was for the best, she reasoned, keeping these people – these good, honest people – from joining her in her pit of despair. She would shoulder this burden on her own and would refuse their help. They were her sisters and she would save them without their assistance.
She flicked her eyes from Gary and back to Leaf, "You think all those League officials and gym leaders would willingly offer me sanctuary after everything I've done? You believe that they would welcome me with open arms after I willingly killed and destroyed thousands of innocent lives?"
Gary flinched, the hope leaving his eyes to be replaced with the reality of how right she was. He dropped his head and sighed deeply.
Misty shook her head, "No, Gary Oak. Despite your pretty words, I won't stop being your enemy until I can assure my sisters' safety. They're my priority."
Gary slammed a hand against the metal table, causing an echoing clang to resound, "Sabrina will kill you when she's done with you! Discard you like a piece of trash! What good will you be to your sisters dead?!"
Gary felt a strong hand grip his shoulder and realized how much his injured arm ached in light of his sudden burst of frustration. He turned his head tiredly to see Leaf's slate colored eyes gazing back at him comfortingly. He couldn't help but feel ashamed at his outburst and shook his head to clear it of any negative thoughts. He knew firsthand the effects of negativity on both the body and the mind and he would not allow himself to go down that slippery slope.
He grasped Leaf's hand reassuringly finding strength in her touch before standing up and looking down at the red head.
"Are we done here?" Misty asked, her gaze falling on the one way window, her voice void of emotion.
Gary could only nod and silently exited the room, motioning for the waiting guards that they could escort the prisoner back to her cell. Leaf followed closely behind, her eyes knitting in concern at her partner's uncharacteristic behavior, though she couldn't say that she blamed him. Everything he had hoped to accomplish had blown up in his face with a few sharp sentences and truths. While Gary was no stranger to the reality they all lived in, Leaf knew that some small part of him was slowly losing hope that they would make it out of this alive.
Gary leaned himself heavily against the one way glass, barely registering that Misty and her armed escort were slowly filing out of the room in front of him. All he saw were shades of grey. Despite his abundance of confidence, he couldn't help but feel like Misty had stripped away at his hope like a slap in the face. She was a realist; he was a dreamer. She saw things the way they were, while he still clung to the hope that this war would turn in their favor. Even with Sabrina's strongest warrior sidelined, she was still winning and they would fall if they didn't convince Misty to join them.
Leaf sighed and abruptly grabbed Gary's cloak, dragging him into the interrogation room and slamming the door behind her. She forced him against the mirror and drew his eyes to her own.
"Whatever you're thinking, get it out of your head."
Gary blinked several times, silently wondering how Leaf seemed to always know what he was thinking. He clenched a fist and swallowed hard, pulling his gaze away from hers to stare at the blank wall adjacent to them. Despite his frustrations at his own inner weakness, he couldn't help but feel comforted by the natural warmth she was radiating through him. He couldn't let Misty's words affect him. There was still hope, there was always hope as long as his friends were still alive to fight for it.
Before he could respond, Leaf grasped his collar tightly, bringing him closer to her level. Her piercing slate colored eyes seemed to penetrate his soul, her determination burning brightly behind her barely concealed fear of the unknown.
"You start thinking like we've lost and we're as good as dead," she loosened her grip slightly, her eyes softening, "People look up to you for leadership, for strength. No matter how bloody or beaten we are, we'll continue to stand up and fight for our family, our friends, and those already lost to us."
Leaf released Gary's cloak altogether and let her arm dangle limply at her side, her earlier rush of adrenaline already leaving her system. She shot him a tired, yet comforting smile, "We've already lost our homes, we can't lose ourselves too."
Gary blinked several times, letting her words sink in, before quickly pulling Leaf in against his chest, closing the gap between them. He breathed in her scent that, oddly enough, reminded him of Pallet Town, and rested his head atop her own. He felt her freeze instantaneously, causing a light grin to spread across his face.
"Thanks for, ya know, knocking some sense back into me."
Leaf immediately relaxed in his embrace and brought her arms to encircle Gary's waist, pressing her forehead into the folds of his cloak. He felt so incredibly warm, she realized, as she listened to the steady and constant beating of his heart.
A constant, yes, that's exactly what Gary was. He would always remain that one constant in her life that she could depend on when the going got rough, no matter what the circumstances. She would pull him from the brink each and every time, she would continue to push him, yell at him, argue with him- whatever it took – to keep him moving in the right direction.
It wasn't a lie or an exaggeration when she had said people depended on him. With a warm smile, she realized, perhaps she relied on him most of all.
"Anytime."
To be continued…
A/N: Sorry that this chapter took forever and a day to update. Been so busy with work and a class I'm taking. Here's hoping the next one won't take forever! Also, thanks for your kind reviews, I really get a kick out of reading them! Annnnd happy holidays!
