"Open your eyes, babe," Amber whispered. "It's really me."
"How could you?" Misty sobbed. "All of this...this was –"
"It was all me, Mist," Amber smirked.
Amber nodded at Cassidy and Butch, and they let Misty crumple to the ground, unable to support her own weight anymore. Misty lay on the ground, the hopelessness and despair finally rendering her completely useless. She had no desire to fight anymore, no desire to do anything but cry. Seeing Amber again – seeing her as the Team Rocket Boss – broke her heart in a way that nothing else ever could.
Amber placed a boot on Misty's shoulder, then rolled her onto her back. She snorted in amusement as Misty continued to cry, not putting up any resistance at all.
"Look at you," she frowned down at her. "You're pathetic."
She snorted again, then turned to Cassidy and Butch and nodded at them once more. They saluted, then stepped over to Ash and unbuckled his restraints. They lowered him to the ground and rolled him onto his back, then stepped over to Misty and lifted her to her feet, dragging her over to the frame and locking her in place. Amber smiled sultrily as she stepped over to her, letting her outfit squeak loudly as she walked. She placed a gloved finger lightly on Misty's sternum, then traced it down her cleavage before lightly squeezing her left breast. A tear rolled down Misty's face, but she didn't bother to struggle, knowing there was no point anymore.
"So much death...so much pain…" Misty muttered in disbelief.
"It didn't have to be this way," Amber frowned, taking a step back.
"What are you talking about?!" Misty shouted, her anger rising to the surface. "You did this! It's been this way because you chose that path!"
"I only wanted to take out Team Rocket's enemies!" Amber shouted back at her. "You didn't have to be an enemy. I didn't want you to be an enemy. You chose that path!"
"Team Rocket are evil!" Misty countered. "I would never stand by and watch them take over the world. EVER!"
Amber sighed, then stepped up to Misty again and slowly stroked her cheek with her shiny gloved hand. A tear rolled down her cheek as she was reminded of Amber's gentle touch from a different time. She closed her eyes again, becoming lost in the sensation.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Amber said softly. "All I've done, I did it so the world would have something to look forward to. A new order that would place no one above anyone else. True freedom for everyone. No Elite Four, no governments telling us what we can and can't do, just Team Rocket –"
"Telling us what we can and can't do," Misty interrupted, her voice shaky and emotional, but still defiant. Amber lowered her hand from Misty's cheek and sighed.
"Misty, it's about the best of both worlds. The lesser of two evils. I couldn't just stand by and watch everyone suffer under the Kanto government, while the Elite Four did nothing. Team Rocket have always been perfectly placed in this region to do something truly good. Not just for Kanto, but the entire planet. Giovanni and his stupid cronies were useless. They were so engrossed in their lifestyles and selfishness...I had to get rid of them. Make Team Rocket a true force for good."
"You killed so many people and Pokémon, Amber," Misty sobbed. "Why didn't you ask me for help? I would have helped you. I would have done anything for you."
"I wanted to!" Amber said, her voice becoming angrier. "But there was no way you would have accepted Team Rocket, as you're currently proving to me right now. The moment I told you, you would have tried to kill me. Tell me I'm wrong!"
"You're wrong, Amber," Misty shook her head. "I would never hurt you."
"LIAR!" Amber screeched, slapping Misty in the face hard.
Misty let her tears flow, turning her head back around to face Amber once again, and received another slap in the face for her trouble.
"All of this would have gone fine if it wasn't for you!" Amber ranted. "I was meant to recruit you! All of you! I thought with you guys on my side, we could have made the world into whatever we wanted! Everyone would have been so happy! But no! You chose the wrong side, Misty. And then you made me want to choose the wrong side too!"
"I don't underst– "
"SHUT UP!" Amber screamed, slapping Misty again. "You made me fall in love with you. Do you know how that felt? Do you know what that did to me?"
Misty didn't respond, she just looked down at Amber with sadness in her eyes, wondering how she'd become such a monster. Amber's shoulders heaved as she struggled to control her rage.
"I wasn't supposed to love you, I was supposed to seduce you, and we were all supposed to usher in a new age, and everyone was meant to be happier. Now look what's happened! I fell in love with you, and you made me question everything. I forced myself to take a step back. I forced myself to remember that what I had planned was for the good of the entire world. And I realised I couldn't take you with me."
"So you faked your own death," Misty surmised.
"I faked my own death," Amber sighed, losing the tenseness she'd just had and becoming soft and emotional again. She gently cupped Misty's face. "That was the hardest thing I've ever done, Mist. Seeing your face...the pain I'd caused. It was almost too much for me to bear. But I had to do it. Better you think I'm dead and fight against a faceless enemy than know it was me."
"So why show yourself now?" Misty asked, her voice rising. "Don't you think it's worse for me now? Seeing you like this?"
"Of course it's worse now," Amber frowned, letting go of her face again. "But seeing you in person again...I had to give you another chance. If it was this hard for me to see you again, then it must be a lot worse for you."
She interlocked her fingers behind Misty's neck and stroked her jawline with her thumbs, getting so close to her she could feel her sweet breath on her face.
"So I'm giving you a chance, Misty. Come with me. Please, baby. I can't leave you again...I need you by my side. I promise we can do this together, I'll take all your advice, and we'll do it without hurting anyone anymore."
Tears began to roll down Amber's cheeks as she looked into Misty's eyes, and it broke Misty's heart, tearing her completely in two.
What if she's right? What if we really can do this without hurting anyone...maybe it'll actually be good for the world. And I'll get to be with Amber again…
She looked down at Ash's unconscious body, then at Pikachu in the frame next to her.
How can I trust someone that would do this to Ash?
She looked back into Amber's eyes, seeing the sadness and hope in them, the tears welled up and ready to burst at a moment's notice. Misty's heart sank, and she knew what she had to do.
"I'm sorry, Amber," she sighed. "I will always love you, and I'll always remember our time together, but this is a path I just can't follow. I'm sorry…"
Amber sighed, then continued stroking Misty's face with her thumbs. She pulled her head down towards her own, and gently kissed her on the lips. It was a beautiful, soft kiss that made Misty even more heartbroken. As they pulled away, Amber licked her lips, then nodded to Cassidy.
"So am I."
Cassidy stepped forward, then heaved a fist into Misty's belly, doubling her over and making her cry out in pain and surprise. Before she could finish coughing, Cassidy grabbed her by the neck with both hands and squeezed tightly, her thumbs perfectly positioned to cut off the blood flow to her brain. Misty immediately started panicking, but being suspended in the frame, she was completely helpless. She felt herself falling asleep, and the last thing she saw was Cassidy smirking up at her in satisfaction.
As she woke up, Misty struggled to remember where she was at first. As her vision slowly returned, she was startled and frightened at seeing the stadium. She had no idea how she'd gotten there or what had taken place leading up to it. Then she realised she was strung up, suspended by all four limbs and unable to move.
After a few more harrowing moments, her short term memory started to come back to her and she remembered everything.
Everything except Surge and Bella being up and about.
"Touch her again and you die, bitch," Bella threatened Cassidy as she held a knife to her throat.
"That's not necessary," Amber told her, stepping forwards.
"Uh uh uh," Surge warned her as he held a knife to Butch's throat. "I think you should stay put."
"What makes you think I give any kind of shit about those two clowns?"
"Boss?" Butch reacted in shock.
"Go on, do whatever you want to them. No loss to me. They've outlived their usefulness anyway."
Bella looked over at Surge, who just shrugged back at her, then opted for a choke hold instead, knocking Butch out and letting him drop to the ground. Bella then did the same.
"How predictable," Amber grinned. "You just couldn't kill them in cold blood, could you? Not surprised you didn't have the guts for it, goth girl," she winked at Bella, "but you, soldier boy. I expected better from you."
"I am better," Surge retorted. "That's why I didn't kill him."
"If you want people to respect you, you have to make the hard choices sometimes," Amber smirked.
"Don't talk to me about respect," Surge growled. "I served my country. I earned respect. You just waltz on in with your GE Pokémon and your hordes of grunts and expect it. You're beneath my contempt."
"Well you aren't beneath mine," Amber scowled, activating her two Rocket balls.
Surge and Bella immediately leapt into action, trying to secure Amber, who put up no resistance. Bella held her knife up to Amber's throat while Surge held her in a bearhug.
"Better get your priorities right, soldier boy," she laughed. "Cassidy and Butch are getting up, and you have two very angry Pokémon right here who want to kill you."
They both turned around to see Cassidy and Butch standing over Ash and Pikachu. Bella grunted angrily, and Surge gestured for her to stand down.
"I'm gonna do this for Misty's sake," Amber said sternly, "'cause there's no way I'm doing it for yours. Leave. Get out of here with your lives, and I'll forget you were ever here. I won't come after you when this is all over."
"You're out of your mind," Bella hissed. "There's no way I'm leaving Misty and Ash here with you."
"Then I'm sorry about this."
The GE Raichu sprinted forwards, stopping halfway between Amber and Surge and Bella, then blasted them both with a Thundershock attack that sent them flying backwards, skidding along the battlefield surface until they lightly struck the fence, totally unconscious.
"Bella! Surge!" Misty cried out. "Amber, you didn't have to do that!"
"Relax, they'll be fine," Amber assured her. "A little crispy, but they'll live."
"Boss, you want us to take them away?" Butch asked.
"Do it," Amber nodded. "Keep them in frames, and I'll deal with them later. They can help us eliminate the last of our enemies. You can rough up the Lieutenant a little if you like, but leave the goth girl alone. Surge's suffering will break her."
"I thought you said we could do this without hurting anyone anymore?" Misty spat.
"We could, Misty," Amber snorted. "I can't. If you ever felt anything for me, you'd have come with me, and we'd have done this your way. All I ever wanted since the day I met you was to make the world a better place with you. But you didn't want that. You didn't want me. So now we're doing this my way."
She stomped up to Misty and roughly grabbed her face, her emotions now clearly dictating her actions.
"I would have changed for you," she shouted, making Misty wince. "I tried to change for you. I promised we could do this your way. I wanted us to be together, and do the right thing for everyone in the process."
She mashed her lips onto Misty's, kissing her fiercely, then pulled away slightly, her hands dropping down to Misty's hips, pulling them towards her until her crotch touched her belly.
"You betrayed me. You rejected me," she continued, her shiny gloved fingertips gently stroking Misty's midriff just above her waistband, contrasting with the angry, emotional tone of her voice. "You broke my heart, Misty. I love you so much, and you're forcing me to hate you. I don't wanna hurt you, but you're giving me no choice."
She slung an arm around Misty's neck and roughly kissed her again, her other arm wrapping around her waist.
"Time to go, Misty," she panted. "You're coming with me, whether you want to or not. I'll show you that we can still be together, and you'll fall in love with me again when you see what I'm doing is the right thing."
"No means no."
Amber turned around, and found Ash was standing behind her, with Pikachu by his side. They both looked terrible, and Ash could barely even stand up, but they were defiant. There was a determination in their eyes that Misty had seen so many times before.
"Oh, you're awake," Amber chuckled. "I wasn't expecting you to wake up before I was done."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Ash grinned. "I know how much you enjoy my company when I'm totally defenceless."
"Aww, stop it Ash," Amber mocked him. "You're making Misty jealous."
Misty's emotions were raging out of control by this point, and she was tired of seeing what a monster Amber had become.
"Ash! Take her out!" she screamed.
Amber clearly didn't like that, and responded by turning around and slapping Misty in the face again, even harder than she had before.
"After all I've said, Misty Waterflower...after all I've tried to prove to you, this is how you treat me?"
"You're dead to me, Amber," Misty spat back at her. "As far as I'm concerned, you died when Lance killed you. This psychotic mess of a girl standing in front of me? She's not Amber. You're not Amber. Not my Amber."
"I've got bad news for you, gorgeous," Amber sniggered. "I'm all Amber. I've always been Amber. You don't know shit, and you can't FUCKING TOUCH ME! Starmie! Psy–"
"Pikachu! Thunder!"
Pikachu was devastatingly fast, faster than Misty ever thought possible, considering his current state. He barely even had to power up, and the attack had blasted the GE Starmie and Raichu across the battlefield before she'd realised he was even ready. Both GE Pokémon were well and truly unconscious, owing to their already fatigued state, but Ash wasn't done.
"Pikachu, you know what you have to do," Ash said solemnly. "End it. For their sakes."
"Pika," Pikachu nodded, then used Agility to sprint towards the Raichu and Starmie and used Iron Tail on them both.
"They're at peace now," Ash spat at Amber. "They're not your slaves anymore. Now it's just us. So let's make a deal. You release Misty, and I won't kill you."
Amber suppressed a laugh, then let it out in a raucous bellow.
"You think you're in a position to give me demands?" she cackled. "Your Pikachu is one attack away from passing out, and you can barely stand on your own feet. Misty's completely tied up...what do you think you can possibly do?"
"I can Thunderbolt."
"Excuse me?" Amber blurted in amusement.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt," Ash said calmly.
"Pika...CHUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
Amber's eyes went wide with fear as Pikachu quickly powered up, and she closed them again moments before she was struck in the chest. The Thunderbolt attack rocketed her backwards at incredible pace, sending her sliding on her back until she struck the arena fence. The force of her head hitting the fence made a metallic thump that reverberated around the stadium, and Misty was immediately hysterical.
"ASH! Let me down! Come on, hurry up!"
Ash limped over to her and undid her restraints as quickly as he could, and Misty immediately ran over to Amber, ignoring the obvious injuries she'd sustained from all the electrocution she'd suffered. She carefully scooped up Amber's head, feeling the warm, wet blood from the back of her head on her forearm and suppressing the urge to wince.
"Amber, Amber!" she called to her, and Amber slowly opened her eyes.
"Hey there, beautiful," Amber smiled warmly. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, baby," Misty choked. "Just be quiet, okay? I'll look after you. You're gonna be good as new, I promise."
Amber coughed a laugh, then took one of Misty's hands in her own.
"I'm dying, and we both know it," she told her, not quite having the energy to laugh anymore.
"No, you're gonna be fine, sweetie," Misty assured her. "I'm gonna look after you, and we'll be together. We just gotta get you to a hospital, then everything's gonna be okay."
"I don't deserve you, Mist," Amber smiled. "I fucked up. I accept that. I had the chance to spend my life being happy with the girl of my dreams, and I fucked it all up. I'm so sorry...I really am. I know it's too late, but –"
"Shh...Amber, don't say that," Misty interrupted, tears quickly welling in her turquoise eyes. "Everyone makes mistakes, but we're together now, and I'm gonna help you fix everything. I'm here for you, and I love you so much...I love you more than everything. I'm gonna make you all better, then we're gonna be the happiest couple in the whole world. I promise, baby. I promise we're gonna be so fucking happy. Just you and me, forever."
Amber lifted her hand with painfully obvious fatigue, just high enough to stroke Misty's cheek, and Misty could no longer contain herself. Tears flooded down her cheeks, and she struggled to speak, or even think.
"That's not gonna happen, love," Amber smiled. "I don't have long, so I just wanna say one more thing, okay?"
"Anything!" Misty blurted between sobs. "Amber, I –"
"Shh…" Amber whispered, stroking Misty's face softly. "Misty...I was wrong. I fucked up. I wanted to spend my life with you...I wanted to...forget the world...and just...be with you...I was selfish...and stupid. I didn't believe...and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"
Tears began to fall from Amber's eyes now too, and she too struggled to speak properly, which made Misty even more hysterical.
"I did...so many awful things. I kept...looking back...wondering why...why I did all this. I'm so fucking STUPID! I had...everything I ever wanted...right here."
She raised her hand to the back of Misty's neck and gently pulled her closer, smiling with more happiness than Misty had ever seen, but also an intense sorrow that broke her to the core. Misty felt Amber's soft lips pressing lightly against her own, and she held her tight, never wanting to let go, hoping that somehow she could transfer part of her life to her, that it would sustain her long enough to get some real help.
"Misty...I will always...love you...and I'm sorry...sorry for...everything. My...poor baby...I'm sorry…"
Amber reached up again, kissing Misty even more gently than before. Misty's tears fell onto Amber's porcelain skin, rolling down her cheeks even as she felt Amber's life leaving her.
"No...no, no, no, no, no…" Misty croaked, holding Amber tightly in her arms. "Please don't go, baby...please...I was gonna help you...we were gonna be together...I don't wanna do this on my own!"
Ash had made his way over to her by then, and Pikachu stepped lightly by his side, all too aware of what had happened.
"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked innocently.
"Go on," Ash nodded.
Pikachu gently tapped Misty's shoulder as she lay on the battlefield, but Misty didn't respond. He looked back at Ash, but Ash was starting to cry as well. He turned back to look at Amber's body, then at Misty, and decided the best thing he could do in that moment was just to stroke Misty's beautiful red hair, and hope that it made any difference at all.