Prisoner of the heart

Meoweth sat in his cage at the Pokémon Rehabilitation Center. He could not believe that they would have the audacity to lock him away. He would get out and show them. These past two weeks had been the worst ever. He had tried all sorts of things to break free. All of the simpler escape plans, such as picking the lock, had failed miserably. While he did make it out of the cage with these plans, he was often caught before he could even leave the room. While the failure of each plan had its own sting, nothing was more demeaning than the counseling they would give him each and every time. The same sentimental mush would be regurgitated "We're doing this to help you." If they really wanted to help him they should at least give him a lock pick.

Meoweth looked around the room trying to find anything he could use to get out of this blasted cage. It seems that they had learned from the past times. Every time he had escaped they would take measures to 'ensure' that he didn't get out the next time. First they put on a new lock, then they put him in a stronger cage. Now his cage had been placed well out of reach of anything else in the room.

"Well that's just great," Meoweth thought to himself.

"There must be something I can use. I was always busting the other two out of traps."

He recalled the many situations that he had gotten them out of. Embarrassingly most of the traps they fell into happened to be their own. Of course it was always James' or Jessie's fault.

The memories of their journeys together brought a new hope to Meoweth.

"Whatever it takes I'll get out of here!" Meoweth said shaking his fist defiantly.

"And, when I do I'll show you all who the top cat is!"

He could see it now; walking triumphantly out of the doors of the Rehabilitation Center. He'd go and rescue James and Jessie, as usual. Meoweth paused in mid though when James and Jessie came to mind. He wondered why did he even consider breaking those two out? True that they had been a team, but he recalled the times where he had done things on his own. They had been the ones that had gotten him in this mess. Perhaps he'd be better off doing a solo act. Yet he just couldn't imagine doing things without them. As Meoweth pondered these feelings he silently admitted to himself that he could never just leave them. They were more than just a team to him, they were like family.

Ash lay in bed trying to fall to sleep. The hospital halls remained slightly noisy with the droning and humming of various machines, and the squeaking of shoes on the well polished floors as nurses, janitors, and other hospital staff passed by. The events of the trial remained fresh in Ash's mind. He still couldn't believe that Team Rocket had been caught and put on trial. For such a long time they had appeared almost everywhere that he, Brock, and Misty went. They had seemed so thoroughly convinced that they had helped Ash, but in his mind it was all just a big blank. He wondered if he had done the right thing in saying no. He couldn't be sure of what had happened, could he? He tried his hardest to recall anything of what had happened after the mountaintop, but he just drew a blank.

Within several minutes the pain medication had done its work and put Ash into a deep sleep removing any coherent thoughts from his head.

The door clicked open slowly and in stepped several figures.

"Oh he's sleeping."

"It must have been a long day for him. I still wonder if it was alright to take him out so soon."

"Well at least everything went all right. "

"That must have been hard to be up there being questioned like that. I know I would've cracked under that sort of pressure. Especially given his condition."

"I admit I was surprised of the testimony he gave against Team Rocket. Did you see the way they reacted?"

"Yeah that was a bit strange of them. I've never seen them get so passionate with a lie."

"That's because they're horrible at lying."

"Are you suggesting that they were telling the truth?"

"I don't know. I mean they were quite passionate about the whole thing."

"Well whatever they did I still think that their sentence was fair."

"I guess you're right," responded the shorter figure.

"Well we probably should let him rest. Good night Ash," the shorter figure whispered, as they turned and slowly crept out of the room gently closing the door behind them.

The van pulled up to the prison gates. The guards ran to open the gates. The van pulled up to the building, where armed guards awaited. The doors of the van opened slowly. Light poured the abysmal darkness that was the back of the prison van. James shielded his eyes from the intense rays.

"Probably the last light I will get to see for awhile," James thought to himself.

The guards prodded him as he stood gazing up at the sky. Birds flew overhead giving little regard to what activity lay below. James longed to be a bird. To fly away from everything.

The guards led the two prisoners into the dreary stone building. James dreaded the thought of spending one day here, he didn't dare think of the fact that he would be spending many a year here. The only thing that had gotten him through this time awaiting a court trial was Jessie and Meoweth. Now Meoweth had been taken away, the family had been torn. At least he'd still have Jessie. True that he constantly fought with her, but she had always been there when he was down.

He looked back to Jessie. There was a look of great anger and frustration on her face. There was so much hatred that wanted venting, yet common sense told her that it would be pointless here.

A guard with a clipboard walked up to them.

"I've received the notice from the judge. Looks like this one'll be going to cell block 4," said the guard pointing at James.

"And let's see… She'll be going to cell block 3."

"What?" asked James in shock.

"Keep quiet," stated one of the guards butting James with his elbow.

James stood there dazed. He and Jessie we being split apart. He didn't know what he'd do without Jessie. She was the one that had kept him sane during their travels.

"Don't panic, you might get to see her at meals, or other times," James thought to himself reassuringly, but it was of no use. He just didn't know how he'd make it without the rest of the team.