It was a mark of just how bad things were that Meowth had to stop and take a moment to compose himself once or twice as he recounted what Rookidee had seen on the Star estate. James barely managed to contain himself through to the end before running behind a bush to throw up.

He'd failed her. Dang it, he'd known Donovan Star was no good, why hadn't he done more to keep Jessie out of his clutches?!

"Don't beat'chaself up, Jimbo," Meowth told James when the human started frantically jabbering as much to himself out loud. "She wasn't gonna letcha stop her. What matters is we gotta get her outta dere."

"You're right," James nodded.

"Rookidee!" the Rookidee proclaimed.

"Why are you still here?" James asked the tiny bird Pokémon; it had been a couple of hours, and James had already handed over the rest of his uneaten sandwich, yet the little blue-and-yellow ball of feathers hadn't left them. "I don't have any more food to give you."

When Rookidee started chattering, Meowth translated, "It's sayin' it's not gonna let such a spirited damsel in distress get broken down by a monstah like dat. It wants ta help her."

"Well, we'll need all the help we can get," James remarked, thinking quickly. "A flying scout who can get close without being noticed is exactly what we need if we're going to sneak her out of that place."

"Why don't we just go in, Pokémon blazin'?" Meowth asked. "Or bettah yet, smash a hole in da place wid' a big robot?"

"We don't want to be followed," James answered. "Trust me, it's not easy to escape someone who has money on their side, if you give them any clues they'll follow you to the ends of the earth."

"Speakin' from experience dere, Jimmy?" Meowth smirked.

"I am," James nodded, utterly grim. "We'll need to scout the place, and be careful about how we go about this. If Rookidee will help us get a feel for where she'll be and when, then we can plan an escape quickly and quietly."

"Rook rook!" the Rookidee chirped, fluffing its yellow breast feathers out proudly.

Unfortunately, it turned out not to be that easy. From what Rookidee managed to gather in the following couple of days, Jessie was never alone on the Star estate - if she wasn't directly under Donovan's supervision, she was kept with a group of more than half a dozen other girls, all of whom would have to also be rescued if they were present for Jessie's escape, and James didn't care about them. Every time the Rockets' scout returned to them, the news was grim: Jessie was well-watched, and suffering constant beatings. It physically hurt James to imagine his Jessie being beaten into submission by a rich creep like Donovan, and he was soon tempted to just forget stealth and barge in there. The Rocket balloon hovered around the wild area, the Star estate always just in sight, while James waited and prayed for an opening.

Then, one night, Rookidee returned, and its chirping seemed a bit more animated than usual.

"Dat's our in!" Meowth exclaimed, and he turned to James. "Rookidee says Jess's been locked in a room by herself. No tellin' how long dat'll last, though."

"Right," James nodded. "Bring us in. Rookidee, show us exactly what window you saw her through, guide us to her."

"Rookidee!" the tiny bird proclaimed, and it spread its little wings and started darting around, urging Meowth to fly the balloon straight south.

I'm coming, Jessie, James thought, hands tight on his binoculars, his pulse racing. I swore I'd never let you down, and I'm going to make up for failing you. You'll be free soon, I promise.

The balloon swooped low, hovering below the clouds while James scouted the estate as it drew nearer. Big, wealthy mansions like this were the stuff of his nightmares, and now it was Jessie's nightmare…Shaking off the instinctive dread of his past, he focused, scanning each window on the eastern side of the building, looking for any sign of his partner. Most of the windows were dark, but that didn't necessarily mean anything…

"I see her!" Meowth suddenly shouted. "Second floor, sixth window from da left!"

James quickly adjusted his binoculars. The room in question was one in which the lights were on, and though he couldn't quite see inside from this angle, he did think he could make out a splash of vibrant scarlet that could only be Jessie's hair.

"Take us down," he ordered.

"Youse got it!" Meowth responded enthusiastically.

Within minutes, they were close enough that James could see the scene through the window. There was Jessie, dressed in a silk nightgown, sitting on a mattress that at least didn't appear to be a cot, her back to the window. Nausea roiled in his gut - a man so rich he would even give his prisoners proper beds, just to make them behave! There was nothing he despised more than people like Donovan Star!

"Get us close," he said softly, reaching for a grenade. "I think I'll be able to blast a hole in the wall without hurting her if I just-"

Suddenly, on the other side of the window, the door to Jessie's room opened, and none other than Donovan Star strode in, along with his Serperior.

"Drat!" James shouted. "Pull back, he just walked into the room!"

"Ya mean Donovan?" Meowth called from where he was controlling the balloon.

"We can't let him see us," James hissed, not feeling a need to answer the question. "Take us up a ways, I'll keep an eye on things and let you know when he's gone."

The balloon rose, but not so far that James couldn't see what was going on inside the manor. Jessie and Donovan appeared to be having an argument; though Donovan was poised, Jessie was clearly yelling.

Then, as James watched, Donovan crossed the gap between himself and his prisoner and smacked Jessie across the face with a baton.

Time seemed to slow as James's blood ran cold; he felt that blow on his own cheek, his breath choking from his lungs as Jessie stumbled.

All thoughts of a sneaky escape left his mind. Only one thing mattered.

"James! Whaddaya doin'?!" Meowth yelped as James tied a rope to the inside of the balloon basket and leapt out, sliding down to the level of the window. "What happened ta stealth?!"

"Forget stealth," James hissed, mostly to himself, and he armed the grenade and took aim.

~R~

When Jessie was released from the Cinder Room - the room in which Donovan Star quenched fiery spirits - she was led out dressed in a thin silk sheath, her movements all completely controlled by fear of crippling pain. Even so, she was still forced to participate in her lessons with the other girls, all of whom offered her sympathetic looks when they saw her again. She didn't escape the beatings, either, but as long as she kept her mouth shut, Donovan at least seemed inclined to avoid hitting her where she'd been shot up with venom.

That night, Rose offered her condolences, assuring Jessie that the effects of the toxin would wear off after a few days. "I did warn you," she said, as though that would be somehow helpful, and Jessie snapped at the brunette girl, unwilling to be comforted.

After all, it wasn't just the physical pain that hurt.

Life went on in Starstruck Academy, days passed, and though Jessie tried not to anger Donovan anymore, sometimes the constant stress of trying to avoid pain made something slip out of her mouth, and he would send her drowning in agony before she could even apologize, after which she was expected to pick herself up and keep working on her training as though nothing had happened, and got extra beatings if she didn't. To be so thoroughly powerless, so completely and utterly subject to the cruel whims of someone else, fed the fire of Jessie's rage, but there was nothing she could do.

Finally, one night, while she was trying to eat her dinner without setting off the pain in her hands and failing for the fifth time to keep her fork in her grip long enough to take a bite, Jessie cracked; a single sob escaped her lips, a tear sliding down her cheek before she could blink it back.

"Jessica?"

Rose always sat next to her, and Jessie glanced over to see the brunette girl's face awash with concern.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Do you want me to help you?"

"N-No," Jessie choked, struggling to lift her fork again. "I don't need help…"

"It's okay," Rose told her. "We help each other. You're a lot stronger than any of us, to have gone this long, but…it's okay. We're all his prisoners. Here…"

The younger girl reached over and took Jessie's fork, allowing Jessie to relax her fingers and ease the sting in the back of her hand. As much as she despised the idea of being fed like a baby, she was so tired of being in pain that she couldn't push Rose away, either. For a moment, as she allowed someone else to put food in her mouth, she reflected on what she'd been reduced to with utter disdain.

Then, that voice cut in, melodious and dangerous.

"What's going on here, girls?"

Rose squeaked and dropped Jessie's fork, eyes perfect circles as she looked over Jessie's shoulder. Jessie turned, already knowing what she'd see, braced for Donovan's cold, mahogany glare.

"Rose," he tutted, "you know Jessica's punishment is hers to bear, and hers alone."

"I'm sorry, sir," Rose babbled. "I'm so sorry. But she needs to eat to keep her strength up, right? I was just trying to help. I'm so sorry."

With a heavy sigh, Donovan strolled over behind Rose, then quickly struck her three times with his baton. "You've had enough dinner for one night, I think," he said, taking the girl's plate while she tried to recover from the blows and handing it to one of the Indeedee standing by. "And as for you, Jessica," he added, turning his gaze on Jessie, "a leading lady doesn't rely on her backup dancers; she carries them. I don't recall giving you permission to make friends."

"She's not my friend," Jessie glowered. "I didn't ask for her help."

"Hmm…" Donovan tilted his head, and Jessie waited for him to hit her in the injection site on her stomach. "Perhaps," he said at last, and she couldn't completely contain a sigh of relief. "But I think I should change your living arrangements somewhat. You'll be sleeping alone from now on, Jessica; my Indeedee will show you to your new room when you've finished eating, you'll find all your things already there."

And he turned and left.

"You shouldn't have done that," Jessie murmured to Rose as soon as their cruel keeper was out of the room.

"It's okay," Rose whispered. "We need to stick together." She frowned. "Solitary confinement…? He's never done that to any of us before."

"I am meant to be his lead star," Jessie said bitterly.

"I hope that's why he's doing this to you," Rose whimpered. "At least it means he thinks you're special."

"I don't want a man like him to think I'm special!" Jessie snapped before she remembered to keep her voice down.

Everyone froze, waiting for their jailor to come back in.

He didn't.

"This isn't worth it," Jessie whispered at last, when everyone finally relaxed. "Even if he does turn us into stars, how can I be happy with stardom if I'm not even free?"

"We'll never be free again either way," Rose said dejectedly. "At least he's going to make something of us. It could be worse."

"Not by much," Jessie mumbled.

After dinner, Jessie was cut off from the other girls by a few Indeedee and led in the opposite direction, herded down several hallways to a door identical to so many of the others in this place. On the other side was a small room, with a single bed, this one a bit larger than the one she'd been sleeping in before; overall, the room was cozier, more lavishly decorated.

All Jessie saw was what she'd been blind to her first night: the way the windows were barred in an elegant manner that hid their nefarious design from the outside. Really, it was all so blindingly obvious now - all the locks and deadbolts on the outsides of the doors, the fact that the only employees here were Pokémon…this place wasn't an academy. It was a prison.

Sighing heavily, Jessie sat down on her new bed, and the Indeedee locked her in. As much as she'd tried to tell herself that she didn't enjoy Rose's constant companionship, being alone now left a void that was admittedly small, but unbearable given everything she was already dealing with.

Of all the things she'd been in her life, alone wasn't something she'd truly been in years.

For a long, long time, she just sat there, focusing on her breathing, trying to ignore the shocks of pain that rippled through her body when her neck or knees shifted slightly, or her lungs stretched her side too far. The pain had ebbed somewhat since the initial injection three days prior - mostly, it was just the spot on her side that still hurt with white-hot agony when struck - but the memory of it, the fear, it was still there, and she was too exhausted from constant anguish to handle even the fading burns.

Then, to her surprise, the lock on her door suddenly clicked, the deadbolt thunked, and the door opened to admit none other than Donovan Star himself, along with his Serperior.

"Donovan?" Jessie asked guardedly, getting to her feet, tensing for a fight.

"Jessica," Donovan said, and he definitely seemed displeased. "You're still awake? Good. Perhaps you can help me with a small trouble I've encountered."

Mindful that his Serperior would hit her in the stomach the moment she snapped at him, Jessie swallowed her pride and asked, "What is it you need my help with?"

"As per your contract, I've been working to try to erase your legal records," Donovan said, and it occurred to her at last what that meant - not just her criminal history, but all of her history. How could I have been so stupid? "The trouble is," he continued, "I can't seem to find any records of a red-haired, blue-eyed Jessica in Galar. You wouldn't happen to be able to explain that to me, would you?"

There was a dangerous glint in his mahogany eyes, and Jessie swallowed. "I'm not from Galar," she told him. "Didn't I mention that? I was born in Kanto."

"I know you've been to several regions," Donovan said, tossing his hair elegantly. "But surely you wouldn't have signed on for an academy in a region you don't even have citizenship for."

"That…didn't occur to me," Jessie answered honestly. "I never thought of that."

"Oh, come now," Donovan pouted, the expression so at odds with the dangerous ice in his eyes. "Don't play me for a fool, my dear. What's your real name?"

"It's Jessie," Jessie told him. "My name is Jessie."

"A fine stage name, but what about the one you were born with?" Donovan pressed, his facade of amusement rapidly fading. "There's no point playing games with me, darling, it won't change anything. I'll still happily call you Jessica."

"My name is Jessie!" Jessie shouted at him. Catching her breath and forcing her frustration down as her body rippled with phantom aftershocks of the pain he could inflict, she said, more calmly, "I didn't think of the fact that I didn't have a Galarian citizenship when I signed on with you. I'm sorry. My name is Jessie, and I was born in Kanto."

"Jessica," Donovan sighed, "lying to me about your name will not change your situation. It doesn't matter how long it takes me to scrub all legal records of you, you're already here, in my possession. You can't escape me with such a pointless lie at this stage."

"I told you my name was Jessie before I even knew what a sick torture prison I was signing up for!" Jessie snapped. She couldn't help it - she'd been beaten and tortured beyond her own humanity and had everything taken from her, but being accused of lying about her own name when she wasn't even giving a fake one this time was crossing a line she hadn't even known she had. "I had no reason to lie to you back then, and I didn't, and I'm not lying now! My name is Jessie!"

Donovan frowned, and she realized her mistake. Gritting her teeth, she held her ground as he strode over to her, fully prepared for the coming agony.

"Do not take that tone with me, Jessica," he stated, and he pulled out his baton and whacked her across the face.

Jessie stumbled, having been prepared for a blow to the stomach, though the jolt to her head did set off a spasm of pain from the fading spot on the back of her neck.

"Now tell me your name, and I'll let you rest for the night," he said coldly. "And this time, give me an honest answer."

"I can't give you any answer other than the one I already gave," Jessie growled. "My name-"

Suddenly, the stone wall next to the window exploded, dust and rock fragments blooming into the room. Both Jessie and Donovan were thrown back against the opposing wall; a few of Jessie's sensitive points got hit in the blast, but when she forced her eyes open, through the haze, she saw a figure that she knew better than any other leap through the hole in the stone and land gracefully in front of her.

"Jessie!" James shouted, standing up and running over to her.

"James?" Jessie breathed, dazed. "Is that really you…?"

"I'm here to get you out," he said, extending a gloved hand. "Come on, let's go!"

"Who are you?"

Jessie looked over and saw Donovan picking himself up, brushing powdered stone out of his ebony curls; his face was contorted in rage, his eyes blazing, and that was when she knew this wasn't a dream - no matter how delirious she was, her brain would never have been able to conjure the sight of Donovan Star's poise shaken.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Donovan demanded of James. "How dare you attack my estate?!"

"Jess," James growled, his emerald eyes meeting hers in the light of the crystal chandelier that was still glowing overhead, "shall we tell this rich dirtbag who we are?"

Pure happiness welled in Jessie's chest, and she grinned, rising to her feet with more strength than she'd felt in days. "With pleasure," she purred. Ignoring the pain in the back of her neck, she lifted her nose high and declared, "Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!" James added immediately, and Jessie didn't think she'd ever been so happy as she was in that moment, as they began reciting their old motto together, words falling from her lips that came to her more naturally than breathing. She'd stopped thinking about them long ago, and right now, she didn't care what they meant, all she cared about was the presence of her partner. When she reached out a hand, his fingers met hers, and they swung each other around in a twirl as they continued reciting the familiar rhymes, as in sync as ever, communicating without even looking at each other.

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" Jessie proclaimed, ending her part with a flourish.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" James finished, posing elegantly.

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"Woooooo-bbuffet!"

Jessie blinked and looked out through the hole James had blown in the wall to see Meowth and Wobbuffet in the basket of their old balloon.

"Meowth…" she whispered. "Wobbuffet…You came too…?"

"Hop in, Jess!" Meowth grinned. "Let's blow dis joint!"

A slow clap interrupted the reunion, and everyone turned back to see Donovan's sarcastic applause.

"Marvelous dance number, my dear," he purred, tossing his perfect hair elegantly. "Terrible form as usual, but the grace, the commanding presence, it's all there, as always. You will make a fantastic leading lady for my performers." He smirked. "As for the rest, though, I don't much care who these clowns are. It changes nothing. You're not going anywhere, Jessica; you signed a contract. By law, you belong to me."

"Weren't you listening to us?!" Jessie exclaimed, and she couldn't help laughing. "I'm a wanted criminal in multiple regions, darling! I didn't think anything of signing up for a Galarian academy without a Galarian citizenship because I've crossed region borders illegally so many times I've forgotten what a citizenship even is! You think a measly scrap of paper is enough to hold me?!" She grinned, brandishing her hand dramatically. "I belong to Team Rocket!"

"Come on, Jess," James said, "let's get out of here."

"Right behind you," Jessie nodded, and they both ran for where Meowth was waiting to catch them.

"Serperior, stop her!" Donovan barked.

"Serrr!" the grass-type Pokémon hissed.

James had already jumped onto the balloon basket and was climbing inside; as Jessie leapt after him, reaching for freedom, vines suddenly wrapped around her ankles and yanked her backward. At the last second, James saw what was happening and turned around to lean over and catch Jessie's hand, gripping her wrist tightly as she screamed and kicked against the binds that dragged her towards her prison.

"You can't escape me, Jessica," Donovan said coldly. "No one escapes me."

"Jessie, hold on, I've got you!" James urged, clinging to his partner with all his strength as she was pulled in two different directions, not knowing that the injection sites in her hand and knees were ablaze with pain.

Despite the agony, Jessie gripped him right back, hanging on for dear life. "Don't let me go, James," she whimpered, eyes burning with tears as she desperately struggled against Serperior's vines.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you," James told her, bending over to grab her with his other hand.

Serperior gave an almighty tug, and James was nearly hauled out of the balloon; Wobbuffet caught him by the waist, frantically proclaiming its name as the living chain swung in the air, stretched precariously over open space. Meowth was gunning the balloon's flame for all it was worth, but Serperior was alarmingly strong, and didn't even budge.

"He won't keep you," James grunted, tightening his grip on Jessie's arm even more. "I won't let him have you, Jessie! Just hold on!"

"Rookideeeeeeee!"

Suddenly, a ball of blue and yellow feathers dove out of the sky, aimed straight for the grass-type serpent.

"Rook rook rook rook rook!" Rookidee chirped as it started frantically pecking Serperior's crimson eyes. "Rook rook rook rook rook!"

Serperior hissed and thrashed, its concentration broken, and Jessie felt the vines around her ankles loosening. Groaning and straining against the agony in her knees, she kicked, writhed, and suddenly, she was free, the force of her companion's pulls flinging her headfirst into the basket, where she, James, and Wobbuffet ended up in a tangled pile of limbs. The basket swung wildly, but luckily didn't capsize, and then they were floating away from the Star estate, rising up into the clouds.

Panting, everyone in the basket untangled themselves from each other. Jessie was whimpering - James's knee had hit her right next to the spot on her stomach - but the pain she felt paled in comparison to her relief.

I'm free.

"You can't run from me!" Donovan's voice shouted after her, chasing her into the sky. "There's nowhere you can hide! I will find you, Jessica!"

Giddy, and overwhelmed with everything she'd been keeping bottled up since her first day at Starstruck Academy, Jessie hauled herself up to look over the rim of the basket, down at where Donovan was glaring up at her through the hole James had blown in the side of his mansion. He was actually shaking his fist, his face contorted with fury, and she couldn't help herself.

She pulled her left lower eyelid down with one finger, spread her other hand next to the side of her face, thumb to her temple, stuck out her tongue, and waggled the childish display at him, calling, "Bleeeeeeeh!"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Donovan Star shrieked, all his composure shattered, and then he was too far away to see, the clouds obscuring his distant figure.

Giggling, Jessie slumped down in the Rocket balloon basket. Worth it, she thought to herself.

"Jess," James said softly, and she cracked her eyes open to look over at where he knelt beside her. "Are you alright?"

"I will be now," she sighed, smiling. "How did you know to come get me?"

"A little Rookidee told us what he was doing to you," James answered.

"Not dat it woulda known ta check on youse if James hadn't been so worried 'boutcha," Meowth added from overhead.

"Quiet, Meowth," James snapped.

"James…?" Jessie asked softly.

He met her eyes. "I knew there was something off about Donovan," he said. "I wasn't going to leave until I knew I was wrong." His frown darkened even further. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I'd hoped to get you out of there without him noticing, and when we heard you were locked in a room alone, I thought that was our chance. I…I should have waited for him to leave, but when I saw him hit you-"

"You came at the perfect time," Jessie assured him, offering him another faint smile.

"I'm sorry," he told her, his voice pained. "I shouldn't have let you walk in there in the first place."

"You tried to stop me," she said, almost chuckling with ruefulness. "I didn't listen to you."

"You're free now," James told her.

"Wooooo-bbuffet," Wobbuffet declared.

Jessie's smile widened. Without a word, she reached out a hand, and James handed her her Pokéball. "Wobbuffet, return," she told her blue companion, and it disappeared in a cloud of red light. Grunting with pain, she shifted, trying to sit up.

"Where are you hurt?" James asked, reaching to help her.

"Everywhere," she grumbled. "I'll be okay."

"Meowth, take us north," James commanded. "We'll find a cave in the mountains, with lots of snow to ice her injuries."

"Roger dat!" Meowth called, clambering over the ropes to change their course.

"Rookidee!"

Jessie and James looked up to see the heroic bird Pokémon perch itself on the rim of the basket.

"Rook," it declared, fluffing its breast feathers proudly. "Rookidee."

"This is Rookidee," James told Jessie. "It spied on what was happening to you in that prison for me."

"And attacked that Serperior just now, too," Jessie remarked.

"Rook rook!" chirped the bird, fluffing its feathers again.

"It saw what Donovan did to you, with that poison," James said gravely, "and it's been determined to help us rescue you ever since."

"And it certainly did," Jessie remarked. Too relieved to even consider being haughty, she said, "Thank you, Rookidee."

"Rookidee!" it declared, and it hopped down from its perch to her shoulder. Surprised, she stared at it as it cocked its head, then flitted up to land in her scarlet locks. "Rookidee!" it chirped, and she felt it rubbing and twisting around on top of her hair. "Rook-i-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee!"

"What's it doing?" Jessie asked.

"It's sayin' yah haih's da softest nest it's evah had and it don't wanna leave," Meowth answered from above.

Jessie sagged. "Seriously?" she muttered. Heaving a heavy sigh, she conceded, "Well, I guess I do owe you my freedom. You can stay there until we camp for the night."

"Rookidee!" the tiny bird Pokémon chirped happily.

"I think it likes you, Jessie," James remarked.

"Mm-hmm." A wave of exhaustion was overcoming Jessie as the adrenaline of her narrow escape wore off.

James's smile dimmed. "Just rest," he told her softly, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "You'll be okay."

"I know," Jessie mumbled.

He nodded to her, then stood to help Meowth guide their balloon into the mountains.

~R~

Finding a suitable cave in Galar's northeastern mountain range wasn't difficult. James hurried to set up a campfire so they'd be warm for the night, and then he and Meowth, and all their Pokémon, went out and left Jessie alone, ostensibly to gather supplies, but mostly to give her privacy while she changed back into her Rocket uniform. Jessie had never been so happy to be roughing it in her work clothes, even though her uniform left her stomach, where Donovan had shot her up with venom, exposed to the air for the world to see. Her newly-won freedom still felt like a dream, it was unthinkable that she was really away from that nightmare…

Rookidee came back first, eager to nestle itself in her hair once more, and she tiredly allowed it. The sound of footsteps followed the bird Pokémon's arrival, and she turned to see James walk in, carrying several small bags filled with fresh snow from outside.

"Feeling better?" he asked her softly.

"Much," she answered, and it was true.

"Here," he told her, handing her the makeshift ice packs. "This should help with your injuries."

"I'm fine," Jessie said, though she took the bags and placed two on her knees before holding a third to the back of her neck. Surprisingly, the cold did help the sting.

In the faint firelight, James's eyes had already zeroed in on the swollen, purple mark on her stomach, and he reached for it. "Is that where…?

Hissing, Jessie instinctively jerked away from his touch.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, snatching his hand back. "I just…I'm so sorry, Jess. I can't believe what that monster did to you."

"It's okay," Jessie sighed, moving the ice pack on her neck to the spot on her face where Donovan had just hit her to get her to tell him her name, which was beginning to swell. "Really, the beatings weren't so bad - I've dealt with worse pain chasing the twerps."

Something in James's eyes told her he knew she was lying. He didn't call her out, though, just nodded sympathetically and moved over to his sleeping bag. His gentle understanding and support struck her like a punch to her heart, and she choked back a sob, her eyes burning.

"Jess?" he gasped, turning back to her quickly.

"I'm fine!" she snapped. "It's…It's just…" Grunting as she shifted the ice pack to her stomach, she squeezed her eyelids against tears. "It's not the beatings," she said softly. "I don't mind getting hurt. It's that…I was so powerless in there."

"Jessie…" James breathed.

Words started flowing, and Jessie couldn't stop them. "Nothing I ever did was good enough for him," she choked. "I wasn't even a person to him, I was a doll, meant to be posed for his amusement and beaten up when I wasn't perfect. 'A proper idol doesn't breathe audibly,' 'A proper idol doesn't eat quickly,' 'A proper idol doesn't clench her fists,' 'A proper idol doesn't make a sound when she walks,' 'A proper idol doesn't raise her voice.'" Tears were flowing now, too, and she scrunched her face, trying to fight them back.

Watching her, James felt his blood turn to ice, his vision swimming as his lungs constricted. In his head, he heard the sounds that haunted his nightmares: the cracking of a whip, a shrill voice demanding he do everything just so. "You can't just do whatever you feel like anymore!" "That's…That's horrible, Jess," he managed. Clenching his fists, he wrenched himself back to the present, his voice rising into a shriek. "I can't stand people like that!" he shouted. "People who think that just because you have to marry them it means they can control every tiny detail of every moment of your life!"

"Marry?" Jessie repeated, blinking in confusion.

"Huh?" James looked up at her.

"Donovan never said anything about marriage," Jessie said. "I just signed a contract with him, before I even knew what I was signing up for."

"Er…" James mentally flailed for a moment, scrambling to cover for himself. "W-W-Well, same thing!" he stammered out at last. "Marriage is just a contract, you know. But that doesn't give anyone the right to treat you like a toy!" Shoving back his old trauma, he met Jessie's eyes seriously. "I'm sorry you had to endure something like that," he told her seriously. "You don't deserve to be treated that way."

"…Thanks," Jessie said slowly, still confused as to why he seemed so personally affected by all this. Sighing heavily, she added, "Really, I should have known better. Any time I think I've found a good man who will take care of and value and respect me, I'm just fooling myself, and this was no different." Another sigh. "Someday, I'll learn. I'm not meant to have a handsome prince or a happily ever after."

"Dat sure is a shame for you," Meowth spoke up, having come into the cave a minute earlier. "If only ya could find a man who'd always be by yah side and nevah leave youse no mattah what."

"Yeah," Jessie sighed.

"A man who puts up wid'cher violent tempahs widdout complainin' and always supports ya in anyt'in' ya try ta do," Meowth went on. "A man who'd follow ya across all da regions in da world and face down angry gods by yah side widdout hesitatin'. A man who always knows whatcha t'inkin' widdout even askin'."

"Mm-hmm," Jessie whimpered, her eyes burning with fresh tears.

"A man who shares yah passion for dressin' up in crazy costumes," Meowth continued, his sarcasm continuing to completely fly over Jessie's head. "A man so determined to see ya succeed he'd dress up as ya and pretend to be ya for a contest when ya'h too sick ta pahform yahself, and who knows ya well enough dat he'd pull it off, too. And a man who ain't half bad-lookin' to boot." Folding his arms, Meowth smirked. "Sure is a shame we don't know anyone like dat…" He opened one eye and looked over at James. "…ain't dat right, Jimmy?"

By now, Jessie was curled up and openly sobbing on her sleeping bag, while James's entire body had frozen solid with sheer horror. In response to the pointed question, James's throat barely managed to eke out a terrified squeal that roughly translated to something along the lines of "Don't give her any ideas!" in panic-ese.

"Meowth, why are you doing this?!" Jessie wailed from between her hands. "I've had enough torture for a lifetime in that awful place without you rubbing salt in the wound!"

Meowth looked between his two human companions and sighed heavily. "Youse two are hopeless," he grumbled. "Why do I boddah?" Flicking his tail, he turned to their supplies and curled up on their packs. "Get some sleep, youse two. Tomorrow, we gotta get back ta work!"

"Right," Jessie mumbled. Work. Gathering Pokémon in the name of Team Rocket. Her dead-end job that she never did anything but fail at. But, at least she would be free to live her life on her own terms while failing, without worrying about getting beaten up…

Come to think of it…something about that line of thinking seemed oddly familiar…

James took a few more moments to collect himself, thanking his lucky stars that Jessie hadn't taken Meowth's dangerous hint, then drew a breath. "Good night, Jess," he told her, wriggling his way into his sleeping bag. "I'm glad you're free."

"Me too," she responded, turning over as she tucked herself in so she could meet his eyes across the campfire. "Thank you, James."

He gave her a small smile. "I would never abandon you, Jessie," he said. "We're partners."

"Yeah…" Something about that nagged at her, too, but she was too tired to really think about it. Her vision was blurring, her body relaxing as it hadn't been able to in over a week, and moments later, she was asleep. She was in a thin sleeping bag in a cave in the mountains, snow and icy wind howling just beyond the warmth of her campfire, but it felt like the most luxurious suite she'd ever had.

Meanwhile, as James settled in, he couldn't shake a terrible foreboding. He'd acted without thinking when he'd seen Jessie get hit, but he knew he should have waited until Donovan was gone before busting her out. His entire plan had hinged on sneaking her away so that her captor would never have any idea what happened to her; instead, he'd put on a performance and flaunted his and Jessie's identities in the man's face. Jessie might not think much of Donovan's vow to find her, but knowing how far he'd had to go to escape his own wealthy family, as much as James wanted to believe Jessie's nightmare was over, he was fully aware that she wasn't safe.

They hadn't seen the last of Donovan Star. And it was all James's fault.

"I've lived my life so perfectly, cared to all my lies so carefully. I'd lose everything so I can sing, 'Hallelujah, I'm free!'" - Free, BROODS