Crimson Tears

Chapter Sixteen: Escape From Rocket Base

Burning.

Stinging.

A horrible aching.

Losing strength. Losing soul…

A painful sensation and then nothing at all.

Dark.

Cold.

Lonely.

Broken…

Ash's eyes flickered opened. He stood in a dark opened room. It was circular and large like he was in the inside of a church. Its walls were enchanting and beautifully carved of white stone. The windows were stained glass and leaked out a small portion of moonlight. This light illuminated the faces of cloaked figures around him. Their already pale faces painted silver. They all stood motionless, watching him.

Ash got a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen.

He seemed to be standing in a circle with five other gray cloaked figures. Although Ash was sure he had never seen them before there was no mistaking their presence, the elders. He looked down at himself. His normal wear was gone. He wore robes of pure silver and a silver cloak over top of it. He pushed back his hood to observe the room a bit better. What was going on?

His gaze fell upon the person in the center of the circle. She wore robes of dark red... Cassidy. Ash gritted his teeth upon spotting her. She was staring at him as well, her face stretched into a insane grin. She lifted her fist into the air to be reflected in the dull moonlight. Ash gapped in shock. She wore a golden glove that… well it wasn't a normal glove. It was like a golden wire, about a inch thick, twisted and cured in unique ways about silky golden material. On the wrist of this glove was circular nest and in it, Ash caught a glimpse of red. Ash's heart jumped into his throat and his insides flipped upside down.

"No!" Ash cried, but his cry never left his mouth.

He couldn't find his voice. His ears ringed with the bizarre silence of this place.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a red haired girl push through the crowd towards him. His heart screamed with fright as he saw Cassidy turn in Misty's direction. He knew it was useless to try to warn her.

Ash ran as fast as he could but was strangely slowed. He watched as Misty's face slowly showed fear, realizing what was about to happen. Ash was still going in slow motion as was the rest of the world. Cassidy pointed at Misty and whispered the deadly words under her breath as her hand began to glow. Ash focused his whole being on getting to Misty. He grazed her fingertips when Cassidy released the beam.

He was thrown back through still was able to catch Misty when she fell .

The world went back into normal shift. Ash held Misty close as her voice echoed through his mind.

"Ash… I'm glad. I'm glad I was able to know you…" She whispered touching his cheek softly.

Again, Ash couldn't reply. His eyes streamed with tears. He grasped her hand and pressed it softly against his cheek.

He mouthed, 'I love you. I love you.'

Misty smiled and her eyes went blank. Her hand fell back down at her side.

Ash's arms felt numb. That numbing pain seemed to spread through his whole body. He took one more look into her haunting empty stare before pressing the eyelids gently shut. He kept his hand on her soft forehead before taking his hand back.

More tears pickled their way through, leaking down his red cheeks. He hugged her tightly his whole body trembling with sorrow. His shoulders shook as he wept. He rocked her back and forth as if she were just asleep.

Anger bellowed through. The blood that flowed through his veins turned into ice. He laid Misty down gently and climbed to his feet facing Cassidy. The anger was overtaking him. He didn't want to be controlled. He wanted control.

A voice in the back of his head whispered softly, Let it go. You need to let your anger loose…

But if he did that he didn't know what he was capable of. He might hurt someone.

Your self conscious will make sure you won't… You must let go.

But he couldn't. Ash buckled over cringing at the pain. Cassidy smiled and lifted her hand.

'Goodbye.' She mouthed.

White light clouded his vision. With it brought a intense burning pain and then nothing. Dark. Cold. Lonely. Broken?


Ash sat up suddenly drenched in a cold sweat. His vision adjusted quickly to the dim light of the dungeon. He sat in the left corner of his tiny cubicle in a pile of straw. His cell was just a dirt floor with a bowl of something of Ash rather not find the name of.

He glanced over the see a guard standing behind the bars his back facing him. Ash's shoulders sagged as he let out a sigh of relief. It was all of dream but he was still in a nightmare.

Ash began pulling some of the hay out of his hair when the guard muttered and saluted someone. Ash didn't pay attention until the guard addressed him, "You have a visitor."

Ash looked up as a tall man in a nicely pressed business suit walked in with a peach colored cat. The man's face was shadowed but Ash hadn't needed to see it to know there was a long scar cut across his right face and over his eye. He remembered distantly giving him that while trying to rescue Pikachu from his grasp once.

"Giovanni, that scar suits you," Ash smirked.

Giovanni sneered and gave Ash a look of pure venom, "Wonderful to find you still laugh at death, Ashton."

Ash winced at his full name being used.

"It's Ash. And you can tell you little pets that as well," Ash gazed over at the Team Rocket guard that had followed Giovanni in. "They seem to of made a habit of using names for me that I don't appreciate."

Ash guessed the guard was in here too to stop him if he tried to hurt Giovanni in any way. This made Ash smile even more.

"You are a pesky child, Ash. But I will be willing to spare your life if you tell me where you hid the Crimson Teardrop," Giovanni hissed.

"Well, you can forget that," Ash smirked casually leaning against the wall.

"We found a piece of info from your friend… Gary. He told us that it was in the heart of a girl," Giovanni smiled. "He told May while we were watching your house the night when we attacked… So I doubt he knows he gave it away."

Ash cursed under his breath.

Darn it, Gary. You said I wasn't careful?!

"Tell us what he meant by that."

Ash shook his head forcefully, "Not in a million years. I won't tell you."

"Tell me, you…" Giovanni shouted lifting his hand in the air about to smack Ash.

Ash smiled and gave Giovanni a piercing stare, "You going to hit me, Gio?"

Giovanni growled and lowed his fist back to his side.

"Let's go." He said irritably turning to go.

The guard led them out. Persian let out an angry hiss at Ash before heading out of the glooming cell.

Giovanni was right at the exit when Ash called, "Oh Giovanni."

Giovanni turned back and glared at Ash spitefully. Ash leaned back against the wall once more, "Watch who you trust."

He gave Ash a curious look before turning and leaving. The cell door clanged shut.

Ash grinned,"Suckers."

He smiled staring at a pebble wedged in the catch so it wouldn't lock.


The guard sat in the hall outside Ash's cell looking bored. He wished something usual would happen. When he got guard duty for the dangerous bandit he thought that the boy might make a daring escape. But he was just like all the other prisoners. He just sat in the cell looking hopeless.

He felt the boy's gaze on his back but did not turn. The child was still rather scary even though he didn't do anything.

A small weed growing on the bar by his shoulder began to twitch. The man didn't notice. He continued to gaze lazily down the hall.

The plant slowly snaked its way around the man's neck. As soon as the man noticed the vine it quickly wrapped it way about his mouth. When he reached up to wrench it out the vine, it binding about his wrists, pinning them to the bars. Then it bound his ankles. Soon he was trapped.

He heard to his terror the door of the cell open and the young boy walk out.

He glanced over at the man and smiled, "Aw. I guess you will get in trouble for this, huh?"

He flicked the pebble at the man's face hitting him square in the center of his forehead. The man passed out.


Ash got out of the dark dungeons entering the brightly lit hallways of the Team Rocket base. Ash sunk through the corridors finding it terribly hard to dodge the guards. He knew if he kept this up he would be discovered.

Ash slipped into a closet as two rather stupid guards walked by.

One of them looked quite familiar but Ash couldn't place on where he had seen him.

"Well, so glad that criminal is finally locked up. How about you, Fred?"

The red haired boy looked about and nodded glumly, "Yes, but I would feel safer if I wasn't in the same base as him. Makes me nervous, George."

Ash was thinking quickly weighing the chances. He might not get this opportunity again. Fred's outfit was a lot like Jessie and James except he was wearing a helmet with a visor.

Perfect… Ash concentrated on Fred's mind.

"I think I will catch up with you later, okay?" Ash whispered as Fred repeated his exact words.

The other guard nodded and headed the other way. Ash kept his mind on Fred's.

"Open the door," Ash hissed.

Fred did as he said.


Ash fitted the helmet on his head and looked down at Fred who lay tied up in his boxers besides him. He was gagged with one of his own socks and tied up with some rope Ash found in the closet. He looked up at Ash, his face twisted with a mix of rage and horror.

"Hey… You're that guy I almost killed on back in the Pallet raid, right?" Ash said suddenly when he was straitening his helmet to hide his face better.

Fred sneered turning up his nose, obviously thinking that Ash couldn't kill him.

Ash shrugged and turned to look at Fred. He made a pose, "So how do I look?"

Fred looked at him, his eyebrows raised.

Ash blushed and sweat dropped, "Oh never mind…"


Ash managed to get through the base by just telling some of the guards smart enough to question him, "On a routine check."

He was thrilled with his cleverness as he managed his way through the base but then he bumped into someone. Ash almost tripped backwards but caught himself. A sharp voice made his heart jump.

"Watch it," Cassidy snapped dusting herself off.

Ash tried to keep a strait face as he saluted Cassidy.

"Sorry Captain," Ash said masking his voice. "I was in a hurry."

He merely guessed her position. He must have been right for she didn't mention it.

"What are you doing here," She took a peek at his name tag, "Guard 2b332?"

Ash began to sweat. His mind raced with excuses and stories. The routine check thing would be a obvious lie. She would have to have authorized it if she were the captain.

"I was looking for the bathroom," Ash said biting his lip.

It must been a normal answer cause Cassidy sighed and muttered, "Down those stairs and across from the garage. Turn left and go in till you reach the bathroom sign. Even a idiot like you can't miss it."

Ash nodded and ran off. Cassidy watched him go.

"Nah," She shook her head and walked off. "Couldn't be…"


Ash laughed at his amazing luck, "I can't believe the Team Rocket guards are complete idiots! I am sooooo lucky!"

He laughed while skipping down the stairs. Ash stopped the door to the garage.

A grin snuck across his face, "Detour…"

Ash walked into the garage to find it filled with maybe two or three guards that didn't even notice him come in. All the vehicles laid out before him stretched Ash's excitement.

He caught sight of a jet black honda motorcycle. His heart danced with exhilaration. He dashed over and looked it over.

"Yes! I have always wanted to ride these things!"

Ash took a seat on the soft leather cushion and looked around for keys. When he didn't find any he pulled off his right glove with his teeth and placed a index finger on the key slot. His finger sparked and the engine gunned up.

"Now how do we get this to-" Ash smiled placing his hands on the handles. "GOOOOOO! AHHHHHHHHHH!"

He took off hurtling at the close garage doors. He heard some of the guards shout but he was to busy screaming as the door came closer.

"Oh yeah! Duh Ash!" Ash hissed smacking his forehead.

He held out of opened hand at the door coming closer.

"Fire Blast!" He shouted.

Out of his hand shout a spurt of flames melting a hole big enough for Ash and the motorcycle to slip through.

"Yahoo!" Ash cried as he took off.

The guards raced over and watched him sail out into the night blinking in shock.

"I didn't see that, did you?"

The other guard was too slack jawed to answer.

"Me neither."


"Cassidy! There was a breach in the Parking Garage C. A motorcycle was stolen and the person used a... fire attack? ...to escape out the door," A lieutenant informed the young female.

"Darn it! Ash!" She screamed slaming her fist onto the control panel.

"Should we inform Giovanni?"

"No," Cassidy snapped sharply. "He doesn't need to hear of anymore of your mistakes."

"Should we postpone the attack on Cerulean?"

"No," Cassidy said again. "The attack goes under my command. Take me to the Cerulean gym… When I give the signal, attack."

"Yes, madam!" He saluted.


Ash hid the motorcycle a far ways from the gym. He tossed the helmet aside and walked to the gym. All the lights inside were turned off. Ash wondered why. He got a shiver up his spine. He began to speed up. Panic swept through him. He raced inside and called out, "Pikachu? Misty? Lily? Daisy? Violet? Anyone?!"

A muffled noise sounded from the hallway to his right. Ash ran towards the noise past the aquarium to find a trash can sparking with electric energy. Ash yanked it up carefully to see Pikachu sitting squinting up at him.

'Ash!' He jumped into Ash's arms making Ash drop the trash can.

"What's going on?" Ash asked.

'I dunno. I was taking a walk when everything went black. Some idiot put a trash can over me!' Pikachu hissed.

Ash chuckled when suddenly a dark realization crossed his mind.

"We have to find the girls."

'Good idea.'

Ash and Pikachu ran into the center part of the gym. On the left side of the gym, they caught sight of the girls. Lily and Daisy knelt on either side of Violet who was crying. They ran over.

"Misty! Cassidy went after her," Violet sobbed. "She took her! Ash!"

Ash didn't bother asking how she knew who he was now. Ash took off in the direction of Misty's room. Pikachu tailed after him. After endless hallways they reached the room. The door was locked. He rammed his body weight on it bursting through the door, falling in.

"Misty-" Ash gasped and froze in horror.

To Be Continued…

Please r + r!

No! School is coming! That means… less time to write! Oh no!