A/N: So…this chapter is way late…and more than double my normal chapter length….and still does not accomplish everything it was supposed to…so…you all get a bonus chapter and I get to weep into my couch for this thing still not being done...also thank you ffn for failing to allow me to use any unconventional formatting for storytelling purposes...it is super appreciated

Chosen

It's dark by the time they reach the edge of the forest. Misty isn't sure why she knows it's the forests edge but as soon as she has the thought, she knows she's right. The trees are sparser and the leaves that have been crunching underfoot, have been gone for a few minutes. It's darker somehow, though the trees have thinned to just a slim line of pines. And quiet. Quieter than it has ever been in Strayanthe. Quiet enough that with them walking and talking and joking, Misty almost feels like they're back in Kanto or Johto. Like nothing in Strayanthe happened and they're just walking to the next gym on Ash's never ending quest to be a master; the pokémon master. It's quiet enough that when Ash trips and falls into a ditch, Misty's first reaction is to stop and scan the darkened tree line in search of Jessie and James, sure that Team Rocket is seconds away from bursting out with their motto.

Except.

Except Brock is running to make sure that Ash is ok.

And Pikachu is chattering up a panicked storm.

And Jessie won't ever jump out of the trees again.

Suddenly, despite the chill of the night, Misty feels hot and her head spins.

Staggering forward on her feet, Misty clutches one of the slim pine trees and dizzily falls to her knees. Togepi wines in her arm, calling Pikachu or Brock in an alarmed squeal, but Misty hardly hears it through the dim static in her head. Vaguely she hears Brock asking if she's ok and Ash making some joke about her needing to claim all of the attention.

But it's distant.

A buzz in the dark.

She leans her head against a tree, relief pouring in with the cool bark, and looks through the pines.

And gasps.

It's a city.

Or….

…the ruins of one anyway.

Though...here and there...scattered among crumbled buildings and muddy streets….there are abandoned shoes and clothes lines and toys.

People live here.

Or did anyway.

Or do?

Swallowing the cool air, Misty glances around.

There are still people here. She's sure of it. It's written clearly in the lights that flicker off as her eyes pass them. It's sung in the shadows that flit about just around corners and out of site. It's painted in the distant smells of dinners and stews wafting in the faint breeze.

A hand touches her shoulder and Misty's head whips up to find Ash standing above her, with Brock beside him.

"You ok?" Ash whispers.

"Could ask you the same thing." Misty replies, meeting his eyes evenly.

"I'm ok." Ash nods and Misty hums back, the two of them sharing a quiet smile.

A smile that Brock breaks with a sharp gasp.

"Misty," Brock squeaks, alarmed enough that Togepi trills a cry in response to his tone. "It's The League Village."

"You're crazy, Brock." Ash laughs back, while Misty follows Brock's gaze.

"Arceus." Misty breathes, bouncing Togepi on her knee. "It is...or was."

And if it weren't for the burned out buildings and charred scars or pokémon fights long since won or lost...it could be the League Village. Or...a good copy anyway. Misty's not sure why she's only seeing it now, but as soon as Brock had said the words, the image had crystallized as though Misty had been peering through a haze of confusion that finally cleared. If she squints, it's all there. The League buildings and hotels for traveling trainers and shops; everything in the exact same places as the Village just outside of the Indigo Plateau.

But dirty.

And broken.

And spent.

If Misty hadn't spent as much time in the Village as she had as a child, she's not sure that she would recognize the city below as a burned out copy. But….it shouldn't be...can't be. Every League has their own Village and they all look different. Knowing the Kanto League village hadn't helped them find their way around the Johto Village any more than Brock's knowledge of rock pokémon would have helped him navigate Misty's gym. And yet.

Yet.

This Village? It is the Kanto Village. Or was anyway.

"What?" Ash shouts causing Togepi to begin crying anew. "This doesn't look anything like Indigo Plateau"

Misty sighs, rocking Togepi as she turns from the city below towards Ash. He probably had only seen The League Village once, when he'd been competing. Though...it was possible that he'd visited with his school in his trainer prep program-Misty had heard tell of those groups walking through. Still, Ash had been in the League over two years ago. There's no way he'd know The Village as well as Misty and Brock.

"Not the Plateau, Ash." Misty says, shaking her head. "The village outside it."

"Yeah." Brock agrees, not looking back from the city to speak. "Don't you remember? The rooms that we stayed in when you competed? They weren't on the Plateau."

Ash shakes his head, Pikachu chuuing softly on his shoulder as he does. "Yeah but, the Village didn't have those." He replies, pointing.

"Well it's not..." Misty starts, trailing off as she follows his hand up to an 'R' sprayed in red paint larger than a gyarados on the nearest building. "Mew."

"So...what do we do?" Ash asks.

In the end, it's Brock who has a plan, though...not one that fills Misty with confidence. There are 'R's everywhere and they can't be caught. But they can't leave either; they're completely out of supplies and can't make it to the next town on the map. They need this pokémon center...but...it has to be impartial. After all, pokémon centers are places of healing.

Its logic Misty agrees with but….Brock's plan of: "We just have to get to the pokémon center and pick up supplies and then….get back out of the city." Leaves a lot to be….improvised.

"And just how do we do that?" Misty asks, sighing.

Brock shrugs. "We know the way...so….you go down the main roads and I'll take the back paths?"

"What about me?" Ash asks, Pikachu kaaing on his shoulder,

Misty blinks. "Go with Brock."

Brock shakes his head. "Too dangerous, go with Misty."

"I can take care of myself." Misty hisses.

"I know you can, Misty" Brock starts, but Ash cuts him off, placing a hand on Misty's shoulder.

"You don't look like you can though."

"Fine." Misty sighs. "But anyone stops us, you know I'm going to fight."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Brock looks between the two of them, Ash's hand on Misty's shoulder as she looks up at him and laughs. "You don't have to worry, guys. No one would question such an adorable couple."

"But what's going to stop people from questioning you?" Misty smirks.

Brock stops laughing.

A minute later they part ways. Misty stifles a laugh watching Brock walk unsteadily down the back pathways, ambling towards the pokémon center with all the grace of a wobbuffet. She hadn't thought he could, but watching him now-he definitely passes for drunk. Which is surprising really, given that Misty is fairly certain that he's never been drunk. Then again, Misty hasn't seen anyone overindulge outside of screen and cautionary tales. She sighs, turning to Ash and finds herself smiling again at his confused face as he watches Brock totter away. Maybe, when they get out of here, the three of them should find somewhere to share a drink.

At least...maybe when they're legal.

Once Brock is out of sight Misty sighs once more, and tucks herself against Ash's arm to lead him down the main roads. She's planning on sticking to the lights and paths because the shadows will only draw more eyes. But Ash tenses up the moment she lays her head on his shoulder.

"Come on, Ash." Misty groans, stepping away so that she can see Ash's face.

"What?" he whines back, tone pitched high enough that Togepi, asleep in Misty's bag, whimpers in his sleep.

Misty shoots Ash a harsh look and shifts her bag slightly, quieting the sleeping pokémon. "What do you mean, what? You tensed up the second I touched you. That won't work."

"I did not."

Misty raises an eyebrow at him while Pikachu disagrees with a sarcastic chuu.

Ash raises the hand not attached to Misty in defeat. "Fine. But it's weird."

"What's weird?"

"This." He gestures to their hands, clasped together when Misty had stepped apart.

"We've held hands before?"

"Yeah but…"

"And you basically carried me earlier this week."

"You were hurt." Ash offers, weakly.

"OK." Misty sighs. "We've shared a bed pretty much every night for the last, I don't know, 3 months?"

"But that's different." Ash huffs, beginning to walk away.

Misty stays still, rooted in her steps even as Ash tugs on her arm. "That's the wrong way." She whispers, head titled in thought. "How is it different?"

Ash stops, hand still in Misty's but refusing to turn around. He takes a deep breath and slowly exhales, shoulders dropping with his breath. "It just...is."

"But how?"

"I don't know." He shouts.

Misty opens her mouth to tell him to quiet down, but shuts it again as someone passes them by. Her whole body tenses and Ash tugs her closer, pulling her until she's practically cuddled into his side. The person passes, not even sparing them a look and Misty relaxes, sighing into Ash only to tense up again, seconds later, when he shrugs her away.

She staggers, movement jostling Togepi enough that he cries leaving Misty no choice but to take her hands back to rock the baby pokémon back to sleep. Throughout the entire ordeal, Ash is silent, watching until Togepi begins snoring slightly.

Replacing Togepi in her bag, Misty looks up at Ash and sighs.

"We should start moving." Misty says into the quiet.

Ash nods and holds out his hand.

Misty stares at it for a moment, hands plastered at her side. "It's just pretend." She says, voice barely above a whisper.

"What if…" Ash begins, only to trail off with widening eyes. Wordlessly, he reaches out to Misty and takes her hand.

Surprised at the sudden gesture, Misty flushes only to tense when an old voice beside her intones, "What a sweet couple."

Ash cuddles her closer, hiding the sudden set of her shoulder and smiles over her head at the stranger.

"Don't let go of her dear, we all need somebody to love these days."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Ash replies.

The passerby smiles at them again, pats them on their heads and walks on down the street.

Misty pushes herself away as soon as she can no longer hear footsteps. "What if, what?" she asks, angrily.

Ash turns away and swallows hard. He opens his mouth and shuts it several times until Pikachu smacks his head with his tail and lets loose a string of chatter.

Misty rocks back on her feet to watch the exchange. Finally, Ash swats Pikachu back and whispers something under his breath at the rodent before smiling nervously at Misty.

"What if…I don't want it to be pretend?"

Misty opens her mouth to reply, but shuts it again almost immediately after as someone else passes by. She leans into Ash, clutching his arm in hers and the two stroll on until the nearest person is well out of view.

"Then…it doesn't have to be pretend." Misty whispers, laying her head against Ash's arm. "Is this ok?"

Numbly, Ash nods. "Yeah."

But his voice sounds…off…nervous maybe. Misty shakes her head and sighs. "Should we talk about this?"

Against her head, Ash nods. "Probably." But anything else he might have said is lost to another late night wanderer passing by.

Misty is practically growling in frustration when they pass, tired of constantly tensing up and leaning awkwardly close to Ash. They need to talk about this, but now? Now is definitely not the time. "Let's try this conversation again when we get home?"

"Looking forward to it." Ash whispers, throwing his arms around Misty as another person passes by.

It's a ten minute walk but it drags for months. Misty tenses each time they pass someone. But one she and Ash stop talking, no one pays them any mind. Each person passing just draws his or her coat up tighter and pushes past them without even a glance. Still, when they reach the center and find Brock waiting, Misty breathes out in relief.

A sigh Ash echoes beside her.

"What took you so long?" Brock asks, smirking.

"Why aren't you inside?" Misty replies.

Brock doesn't answer but instead, gesture to the center behind him. It's dark. Very dark, almost impossible to see in the shadows of the large buildings that it's sandwiched between. Peering in, Misty can't even see the light of computer.

Stranger still, is the fact that the center is empty-something that would never happen in the Village in Kanto. It was always full to bursting with trainers waiting for a chance at the League or visiting for training or conferences or exhibition matches. Most worrying though isn't the dark hall or empty rooms, but the red 'R' dripping over the League symbol.

Brock swallows hard and in the quiet of the street it's an achingly loud sound.

"So what do we do?" He asks.

Misty shrugs, she doesn't know. There are 'R's everywhere, it may mean nothing. Or it may be bad.

Though, they don't know that Team Rocket is after them as an organization. It may be just Jessie and James.

Or.

Well.

Just James.

Misty sways on her feet and Ash catches her, holding an arm out while watching the door. He never even glances at her as she clutches his arm for stability.

"OK?" He mouths. And Misty is close enough that she can almost feel the question against her skin.

She nods, taking a deep breath. "We should try the door."

Brock and Ash both nod but neither moves. Misty sighs. "On the count of three?" She asks.

"One." Brock starts.

"Two." Ash joins, putting his hand forward.

"Three." Misty reaches to the door only to recoil the second her hand touches the metal. Her arm shakes, numb like it's been stung by 1000 beedrill. She looks up and finds both boys are staring at the door with confused looks.

"I couldn't touch it." Brock says, reaching forward again. His hand stops inches from the door as though blocked by some invisible wall.

"Me either," Ash says, scratching his nose.

"Yeah." Misty agrees, scrubbing her palm against her jeans to get rid of the lingering feeling or stinging cold.

Ash looks at her, an eyebrow raised in a look Misty has come to know means that something has confused him. Misty cringes, waiting for him to speak up, but he says nothing about her lie. Instead he turns to Brock and asks, "So now what?"

Brock shrugs. "We still need supplies."

"So is there another center?"

Brock shakes his head but Misty's eyes widen. He blinks at her. "What did you think of?"

"There's not another center in the city." She says

Brock smiles. "But there is one just past Victory Road! Misty, you're a genius."

Misty ducks her head and blushes.

"Of course she is." Ash states, patting her arm and taking off down the street.

"Where are you going?" Misty asks, laughing.

"Victory road!" He replies.

"It's the other way, Ketchum." Misty scoffs, pointing down the street Brock and Pikachu have already started down.

"Do we have to go a different way?" Ash asks.

"They're already pretty far ahead, we'll probably be ok to follow."

It's a short walk that leaves Ash, Misty and Brock staring up at the cavernous tunnel that leads to Victory road. It's crumbling, like everything else here, and covered with the Team Rocket themed graffiti that has decorated every blank wall. But it is unmistakably the entrance to this regions Victory Road.

And dark.

"Wow." Ash whispers.

"Yeah." Brock replies, whistling as he cranes his neck up and up and up to look at the top of the tunnel.

Misty breathes out forcefully, "so, in?" She asks.

Ash nods slowly and steps forward, Pikachu following on his heels.

It's dark in the tunnel but it only takes a few moments for Misty's eyes to adjust.

There are footsteps in the dust, and abandoned toys and...pokeballs?

Up ahead, at the edge of Misty's vision, there's a dull red light and a clanging sound like something metal being thrown against rock.

And then a loud rush of air like vines speeding past.

"Duck." Misty screams, throwing herself to the ground. But Ash and Brock don't hear in time to dodge the long vines that swing from the dark.

"Who's there?" A male voice demands from the dark.

"Ash..." he begins only to be stopped by what Misty assumes is Pikachu slapping his tail against his trainers' mouth.

"That depends." Misty says, placing Togepi into her bag and retrieving Staryu's pokeball. "Who are you?"

"We asked first!" A young girl's voice whines.

There's mumbling then, and shouting Misty can't make out before the loud sound of footsteps stomping away. Under the cover of the noise Misty calls Staryu and directs the star shaped pokémon to free Ash and Brock.

"Hey." The male voice calls again when his pokémon's vines retract.

"I'll ask again." Misty says, voice slipping into the cadence she uses when battling. "Who are you?"

"You first." The voice responds firmly, and the vines return with his demand.

"Staryu!" Misty screams.

Ash's cry of "Pikachu!" Isn't far behind.

It's a dazzling display, a beam of water surrounding by sparkling electricity that lights up the cave-and the person or people they're fighting.

It's a group of them, mostly older adults with a few younger children and teens scattered between them.

And they're dirty, huddling around a few fire pokémon in old clothing and rags.

And not a Team Rocket R between them.

"Stop!" Misty screams, holding up her b\hands as she does. Staryu and Pikachu halt immediately, the water falling to the cave floor. "We're not Team Rocket. We're Trainers. From Kanto. And Gym Leaders."

"Gym leaders?" Another voice says. The woman speaking sounds hostile and angry, like she doesn't quite believe what she's been told.

"Prove it." Another voice cries in the dark.

"I have my Gym ID" Misty replies. "I'm Misty Waterflower, from Cerulean City."

"We should string shot them." A young voice calls, whispering loudly.

"No, we should check her ID. Charmander!" And suddenly, there's light.

Misty takes Ash's pokedex and Brock's ID and her own and walks forward. A few of the older adults look them over critically before smiling widely.

"It's nice to meet you Ms. Waterflower." One of the men says, handing back their IDs. He's old, bent over with age, and his skin is straked with wrinkles and dirt. Still, when he smiles, it's bright and friendly. "I'm Jackson. Welcome to the last of the Strayanthe League."

"How are you the last of the League?" Ash asks, returning his pokedex to his jacket pocket.

The adults look at each other quietly before one steps out.

"Team Rocket." One of the men spits.

"Hey now," another cuts in, clutching his shoulder, "It wasn't just Team Rocket. Our own people wanted us gone."

Jackson nods. "It's true. But they want us back now."

"How are you so sure?" Misty asks.

"I was Elite Four, I know things." Jackson replies, looking away.

"You were?" Brock asks.

One of the women nods. "He was. He is. He's the last one left."

"Why are you three here? You're a long way from Kanto." Jackson asks.

"Did the Kanto League finally send help?" one of the women asks. She walks closer to them, and looks them each over in turn. "And three teenagers was all they could spare after all this time?"

"Liza," another of the women says, laughing. "Be reasonable. Kanto clearly had to wait for these three to be born before sending help."

Misty sighs and shakes her head sadly. "We got stuck here on our way to Hoenn."

"Stuck?" One of the younger trainers asks. "Arceus, there's a fucking ferry. How dumb do you have to be to try to get to Hoenn through here?"

"Not dumb." Brock replies, clapping Ash and Misty on their shoulders. "Just drunk on teenage invincibility."

"Say's the rocks-for-brains who followed us." Misty huffs under her breath.

Ash laughs at her words and Misty nearly jumps at the suddenness of it.

Jackson shakes his head at their antics and, turning to Brock, very seriously asks, "Do you need a way out?"

Misty catches Brock's eyes and for a moment, isn't sure what he's going to say. They do have a way out, but Misty doesn't know if they can take anyone with them. And if these people are looking for an escape….they may not be able to help.

"No." Brock says, uneasily. "We have a ride if we can get to the coast."

"You should come with us!" Ash shouts, excitedly. On his shoulder Pikachu agrees, jubilantly offering a pika of support.

Brock and Misty share another look, neither sure how to rescind Ash's invitation when Jackson cuts in.

"That's a kind offer. But this is our home. We can't leave it until it's set back to right." everyone in the cave nods along with him, some adding assenting grunts.

Ash nods as though he'd understood everything Jackson had said and swallows hard.

"How can we help?" He asks, determinedly turning his hat backwards.

"Ash," Brock says, shaking his head.

"Brock." Ash replies in the same tone, Misty lifts a hand to hide her smile. "We have to help them. If we can. Right, Misty?"

Misty nods and Brock sighs, shaking his head as he does, "I can't win with you both against me. OK, how do we help?"

The collected adults look at each other in surprise but it's one of the children who speaks up. "Why would you want to help us?"

"We're trainers." Ash replies easily. "We have to help each other."

"We're out of supplies," Jackson says finally, shaking his head. "And none of us can get past the barrier on the center door."

Misty swallows quietly and looks away, arm clenching with a sudden chill. She had touched the door. She could have opened it. Out of the corner of her eye, Misty sees Ash look towards her and then, catching her eye, look away.

So he had seen.

"What about…" Brock starts shakily. He stops and swallows before finishing in a stronger tone. "In Kanto, there's a center just past Victory Road."

"Don't you think we'd have tried that by now if it existed?" One of the younger trainers scoffs. She's older than Ash and Misty, possibly Brock as well. But not old enough to have lived in the region when the League was still in control.

"Hush, Mari." An older man replies, patting her shoulder. "He's not wrong. There was a center just after the Road. It's blocked off now."

Misty takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, the stream of air batting her bangs. "So your only hope for getting supplies is raiding the center?"

The remaining trainers of the Strayanthe region nod numbly and Misty sighs.

"OK." She starts, her heart beating faster than it had the last time Pikachu had shocked her. She opens her mouth to let the trainers know that she can help but Ash grabs her arm and pulls her off to the side. He doesn't let go of her arm until he dragged her to a far corner or the ruined Road, far away from the eyes of the people who'd been hiding them. Dimly, as Ash pulls her away, Misty can hear Brock making some sort of an excuse, but his whispered voice is too quiet to make out

"Now's really not the time for that conversation, Ash." Misty says, smirking. Her grin fades when she catches sight of Ash's face. His mouth is set in a grim line and his eyebrows are drawn, whatever he's going to bring up; he's absolutely serious about it.

"You don't have to do this, Mist." Ash breathes. Pikachu, on his shoulders, concurs with a quiet chuu.

Misty smiles, stretching her mouth as wide as she can. It's fake, but maybe Ash won't spot it. "What do you mean?"

Ash shakes his head and laughs, almost bitterly. "Really, Misty? You don't know what I mean?"

"Misty?" Misty mouths, shocked at hearing her full name and so bitterly. "No, Ketchum…" She begins, trailing off at the sad look in Ash's eyes. He's seen. He knows….though...what exactly? That she can reach through some sort of barrier? So what, Ash has been the chosen one at least once in her memory. Being unaffected by a barrier is definitely less weird than that. "Ok."

"OK?"

"Ok." Misty nods, firmly. "I could touch the door."

"I know. It doesn't mean you have to do this. There'll be another way." He reaches forward, places a hand on her shoulder.

Misty shakes her head, and grips his arm with her own. "You don't know that."

"I believe it."

"Ash," Misty hisses through closed teeth. "I have watched you do so much worse than sneak across a city at night to get to a pokémon center. I will be fine."

"What have you watched me do that's worse?" Ash whispers, pulling his arm back.

Misty blinks. "I have literally resuscitated you."

"That was one time." Ash spits, throwing up his arms. Pikachu, annoyed at being jostled, sparks and Ash sighs. "Name another."

"The day we met you were being chased by a flock of fearow."

"It was spearow actually." Ash chuckles, scratching his nose.

Misty huffs a soft giggle. "Point remains. Why are you so against this?"

Ash bites his lip and looks away, refusing to meet Misty's eyes. "You might not come back.

Suddenly, despite the cold of the cave covering Victory Road, Misty burns hotter than a magmar. He's worried she won't come back? Really, how many times had she wondered the same thing before he'd gone off to do something remarkably stupid and stupidly brave. She giggles once and then, like a haunter with a prank, can't stop. Through her tears she can vaguely see Ash's face glow brighter than a cherri berry. He purses his lips and stomps and finally shakes her. The laughs peter out to hiccups.

"You didn't have to laugh at me." He scowls.

Misty swallows hard, fighting a fresh wave of laughter. "It's not…" she hiccups and wipes her eyes. "I'm not laughing at you, Ash. It's just…" deep breath. "Of course I'm going to come back."

"You can't know that."

"I do though." Misty replies.

"That's not…"

"Ash, I'm going to come back. Someone has to keep that ego of yours in check." She jokes, like they have millions of times before. She smiles at Ash, waiting for him to swat at her with his hat like he always does.

Her smile falters.

Ash looks away, ducking the brim of his hat so that it covers his eyes. "Ash?"

He doesn't move, face turned resolutely away from hers.

Misty sighs, in exasperation and turns his face back to hers. "Give me your jacket."

Ash blinks at her sudden request, eyes widening in shock. "What?"

"Look." Misty says, digging Togepi out of her bag. "You give me your jacket and I give you Togepi. Now I have to come back. Easy, right?"

Ash nods, taking Togepi into his arms and settles his jacket around Misty. "Yeah." He swallows, hard. "Easy."

Misty smiles and leans forward to bump his forehead with her own. "Hey, I'm Misty Waterflower. There is no way Team Rocket can take me down."

Ash breathes out slowly and then smiles, brightly, huffing a laugh as he does. "Your mallet alone should scare them away."

"Damn straight." Misty laughs.

They walk back to the group together and if Brock raises his eyes at Misty's attire or Ash's new companion, he says nothing.

"So." Misty starts, looking at the rag tag group of assembled trainers. "I can get into the pokémon center."

Half an hour of arguing and disbelief later, Misty finds herself standing in front of the Rocket covered, pokémon center door. She takes a deep breath and, in the weird silence of the city at night, steels herself to touch the door. The second her hand makes contact, that stinging is back. Ice sharp needles dig into her arm through her hand and freeze her shoulder as she pushes through.

It's gone as soon as she enters.

The lights in the center flicker on, though not all of them. It could just be the late hour, but Misty doesn't think so. In the gym, at night, when they'd been trying to save money Misty's family had sometimes turned lights off excepting on common pathways. But here, here it's haphazard, which lights are on and off. There's a light off over the main desk but one on in a corner with nothing but a seat.

Still it smells clean. There must be someone here...or at least...something that can help.

Patting Ash's pockets to find anything that might help, Misty can't help but groan when she finds a flashlight. Light in hand, she steps into the dim center. The floor creaks beneath her. Misty swallows a squeak and looks around carefully, nothing jumps out. There's no cruel laughter.

Nothing.

Sighing, she sweeps the light through the room and nearly jumps into the air when the beam lights on a smiling face with red hair.

"Hi, welcome to the pokémon center. We heal your pokémon to perfect he...who are you?" The Joy says, hands clasped in front of her familiar nurses uniform.

Only.

Only, it's not familiar. The sigh of relief Misty had been heaving, sticks in her throat like a cloyster.

This isn't Nurse Joy.

Her uniform is red. For a start, instead of the pink it always is back home. And there's no cross.

No.

Instead, there's a bright red R emblazed on her hat and apron.

And...It's not a Joy. No. Though the woman in front of her has red hair in the same braided loops that Nurse Joy has through Kanto and Johto, Misty is sure that the woman in the uniform is not Joy.

"I said, who are you?" The nurse repeats again and Misty swallows hard. The voice is what really gives her away. This woman is definitely not Joy. No,the voice is too cruel.

Too mocking.

In fact, if that voice were to laugh and demand Pikachu it could almost be...Misty gasps.

It's Jessie.

But that's…

"Miss, either identify yourself or leave the center. We are well past curfew and I'll be forced to summon the guards."

"Uhh," Misty starts, eloquently. She knows she needs to say something else, anything else. But...what can she say. The woman she's talking to had died only a few hours ago. Misty had buried her.

"You do look familiar." The nurse says, glancing Misty over.

Misty blinks. Familiar? She looks familiar? How could Jessie not recognize her?

"And that orange hair…" The nurse continues, talking to herself. She glances over to her desk and her eyes widen. Cringing, Misty follows her eyes and finds herself face to face with a wanted posted bearing her own image.

"Arceus damn it." Misty hisses under her breath, tears beginning to prick at her eyes. The nurse stops mid sprint to her desk and the videophone beside it, to stare at MIsty, almost unsure as to what she should do.

Misty blinks and the nurse shakes her head as though flustered before spinning on her heel once more.

The temperature drops and Misty shivers, pulling Ash's jacket closer to her body. In his pocket, the pokedex blinks, picking up the trace of some pokémon or another. The nurse pauses at the desk, flexing her fingers as though trying to get them to move enough to call for help. Misty opens her mouth to plead with the nurse again but the words freeze in throat. Like jumping into the frozen cape, her whole body locks up. The nurse topples and Misty can't even call out.

"Stop." Misty snarls, the word coughing out amidst frozen air. The lights flicker and burst around her but slowly the temperature rises.

In the dim light of the blinking pokedex, Misty blinks.

"What the…" She whispers, her knees begin to buckle but they straighten just as suddenly when a slow clap emanates from a corner of the room. Slowly, Misty straightens her body, squaring her shoulders for a fight. Eyes fixed on the sound, she cracks her knuckles and forces her hands into tight fists. "Who's there?" She calls to the dark, defiantly.

The old man glides out, clapping as he moves smoothly from the corner. His mouth is still stained purple and his hair practically trails behind him in a ratty ponyta-tail.

"Good show," he says in a voice that is somehow booming and whining at once. "I'm almost proud of you, Misty."

"How do you know my name?" Misty asks, eyes darting between him and the fallen nurse. She reaches a hand towards her pocket and Staryu's pokeball.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that." The old man says, glaring at her with eerily purple eyes. Misty's hand stops on the way to her pocket and curls back into a fist. Maybe she can distract him? She opens her mouth to speak but the old man cuts her off, laughing.

"I know plenty about you." He chuckles, stopping just inside the faint light of the pokedex. "After all, who else do you think sent your sisters on that trip? Or whipped up the storm that kept you and that boy from the ferry-although I really thought that you'd go back to Cerulean after that one."

Misty shifts her stance, ready to kick or run-she's not sure. "What does my sister's trip...or the ferry have to do with anything?" She eyes the door, she can't run for it. Not just yet. He's too close, but maybe if she inches back?

Misty takes an experimental step backwards and gasps, it as if she's been dumped into the frozen waters off Shamouti. For a moment she can't think, or even breathe. Desperately she inches forward again and slowly the air returns to her lungs.

The old man shakes his finger mockingly. "Oh no, it won't be that easy. I've been trying to get you alone for months."

"As…flattering...as that isn't," Misty hisses, swallowing a scared gasp. "Why have you been trying to get me alone?"

"You know," the old man continues, as though Misty hadn't spoken. "It's funny really. All of these months keeping you and that boy away from Rocket outposts and all it takes to get you away from them is one psychic barrier….this could have been over ages ago." He chuckles and Misty shivers with the sound. "You two really should learn to read maps."

"I'll get right on that." Misty sighs, "just as soon as you let me leave."

The old man laughs again and glides closer, Misty isn't even sure she sees his feet move but suddenly he's almost close enough to touch. Misty tenses her shoulder. A foot nearer, and Misty can end this, or at least gain enough time to retrieve Staryu from her pocket.

"You're much too important to let get away," the old man replies, stopping just out of reach. "Surely you know that."

"Great," Misty spits, rolling her eyes. She takes a step forward, moving her thumb so that she doesn't break it when she's close enough to swing. "Is this the part where you tell me only I can save the world by gathering some mystical thing?"

"Oh," the old man clucks, "No, dear." He sighs, face shifting until it reminds Misty of the one that the doctor had worn when telling Daisy about their parents; sympathetic and apologetic but surprised at being the one go share the news, like she should already have known. "You're not the one that saves the world, Misty. You end it."

"And that means, what? Exactly?" Misty bites back, shuffling a few inches closer. "I snap my fingers and suddenly the world stops turning?"

"That...or your blood spills in the right place." The old man laughs, a deep chuckle that brushes past Misty in a shiver of cold air. "You know how prophecies are."

Misty cracks her knuckles. He's still too far but she doesn't want to take another step closer. "Annoyingly vague?" She taunts, eyeing the desk that the nurse had fallen behind. It's closer than the door and maybe, from there, Misty can fight her way out.

The old man tosses his head back and laughs.

Or.

He doesn't bend his neck, not really, his whole upper body bends back with his laughter. Misty shifts her weight, readying to run towards the desk instead of the door and hoping his laughter will drown any noise the floor might make.

She bounces on the balls of her feet-she'll sprint off as soon as she's offered a parting shot-when a low moan cuts through the surrounding laughter. Misty struggles to force her face blank and innocent as she meets the old man's quickly narrowing eyes. But he doesn't look at her.

No.

He whips his whole body towards the desk and Misty shudders with the movement.

And the cold. Like a blizzard has suddenly risen in the pokémon center.

Momentarily forgetting her bid to hit the old man, Misty turns and watches as the nurse slowly raises in the air.

She's bleeding, slightly-probably she'd hit her head when she fell. But she's still breathing. It's shallow but there. She groans again as her body leaves the floor until she's floating upright beside the desk. Her arms and legs and even head hang limply, like a puppet with cut strings. The old man holds his hand out and the nurse's body...animates-arms and legs sticking straight out like the nurse is back in control. Even her head and spine are straight, upright as any stantlers horns. Suddenly the nurse's body pulls into itself and, with a nightmarish crunch, falls ragdoll to the floor.

Misty gasps and glances back to the old man only to find his hand clenched before him, fist tight enough to make the whole hand pale purple.

"Is she…" Misty starts, before trailing off unsure how to finish.

"Oh don't look so shocked. You've left plenty of them for dead." The old man sneers.

"What?" Misty gasps. "Plenty of who?"

"Them. Jessie and James. I almost don't have watch you, I can follow their corpses. Like breadcrumbs."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Misty shakes her head, not wanting to hear what he's said. What does he mean...them...their corpses? And why is he even talking about corpses. She's never killed anyone. Anyone. But this man? He clearly has and she's….relaxed her shoulders and shifted her stance and unballed her fists. That was stupid. This man is clearly dangerous and she's chatting with him like he;s an old friend. Shock or not, she can't forget that she still needs to get away. Though….maybe ….the door might be a better option.

The old man shakes his head again, glides an inch closer. "And here I thought that you were smarter than your sisters. I should just have pretended to be some water trainer….I could have gotten you alone then."

"Hey!" Misty shouts, shuddering in revulsion at the comparison to her sisters and the idea that this...old man wanted to get her alone for some reason.

"They're clones. All of them. When they fail, they die. And Team Rocket tries again with the next batch. And then they try again. And again. And again. They fail a lot around your friends." He laughs again, a cruel sound echoing in the cold room. "Arceus, you've gone through so many of them here that they don't even have time to bother with the morality imprint. Of course, without an Officer Jenny they hardly have to."

"Right." Misty replies, raising an eyebrow. "Clones."

"They'll do it to you too." He says, stepping in closer.

Stepping in just close enough.

"Right." Misty replies, rolling forward on the balls of her feet and landing a sucker punch. The second her fist connect she knows she's made a mistake. Her hand gets cold, like it's been stung by so many beedrill she can't feel it any longer.

And the lights flicker.

Her eyes roll back and her eyes grow fuzzy, hazy. Pinpricks of light dot her vision.

Yet, just before it all goes black, Misty swears she sees the old man draw into himself, growing bonier. His ponyta-tail morphs to a neck and his head grows points. The purple stain bleeds to cover his whole face.

And then…

She's under.

Black and empty with halos of light and pain and...Ice

She can't breathe.

It's water

Frozen water.

And there are...pokémon...everywhere.

Bubbles and reaching and reaching.

A hand. Ash's hand?

Swimming and choking and her lungs are begging for air.

A beach-New Island.

A fight. Everything is fighting.

Pokémon, people, clones.

Clones?

And Ash…

Oh Ash.

He's…

...falling

...falling

...falling

And landing.

And...A pokémon master,

The best master

He's...a pokémon…

"Mewtwo." She breathes.

In her pocket, the pokedex dings. Mewtwo, the genetic pokémon. A vicious Psychic pokémon created by genetic engineering. Last known sighting: New Island