A/N: Yeah. First chapter of the new year and it's...August. Yeah. Sorry for the super long hiatus. Three words: Tales of Zestiria. I've been watching the anime, reading and writing fan fics for it, playing the game like crazy, etc. Harvest Moon, too. I kinda hit a writer's block on this before getting into Zesty, and I thought maybe taking a break from MarJour for a while would help. Needless to say, it did, and now MarJour is back in business! Did you really think I was gonna abandon this story? No way! I've abandoned too many stories and I'm NOT going to let this one flounder! Not when I'm almost finished with it! I thought about making this one whole chapter, but considering how much time has passed, I've kept you guys waiting long enough, so I'm splitting this one into two.

Without further ado, here's chapter 41!...The first half of it, at least.

Chapter 41: Harriet's Confession, Part One

A typical day on Cianwood City's beaches was usually uneventful but happy. The sun would shine her light down on the glistening ocean, the moaning of the waves could be heard on the wind for miles, and the sand would be warm to the touch, almost hot if someone wasn't careful. Normally, on a day like this, people would flock to the beach, happy to sit in the sun to get a tan, play in the water, or whatever else. But autumn was here, and dropping temperatures weren't exactly ideal for a beach getaway.

Even so, the lack of unnecessary noise proved to be ideal for one Officer Jenny who trekked across the sand with only a walkie talkie in her hand, and a gun holstered on her belt. So far, the beach was looking good from what she could see. The occasional Shellder washed up on the beach sometimes, and she was always quick to throw them back in. All she could hear was the waves crashing into the ocean with dull roars and moans, melting back into where they once came.

"Officer Jenny!" A female officer wearing a different uniform came bounding across the sand, her black ponytail flailing everywhere. Once she caught up, she stopped to catch her breath, her hands on her knees as she inhaled and exhaled. "I thought I'd find you here."

"You didn't have to run here, Madison," Officer Jenny told her. "Weren't you just at the station?"

"Yeah," Madison replied, her voice a little hoarse from running. "But I got assigned patrol duty just now, and was told to accompany you here. Everyone's on edge about Team Rocket and their schemes."

Officer Jenny frowned, adjusting her hat. "I'm not surprised. Well, I'm glad you're here. It's better to be in a group than alone most of the time, and Team Rocket have the advantage of numbers, so having extra security is important," She explained.

Neither policewoman could blame their superiors for being extra cautious. Reports of Team Rocket's machinations were becoming more and more frequent. With incidents of peoples' Pokemon getting kidnapped, robberies, even murders, of course the city would want to be more diligent in their security. At the same time, neither policewoman minded. After all, this was their job. Helping people was their job, something they were both proud of.

"I'll go have a look over that way," Madison pointed further west, towards the area where a tall tower towered over the entire end of the beach. "I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Good thinking," Jenny agreed. "There might be some Pokemon that get washed up here, so don't freak out if you accidentally step on a Shellder's tongue."

Madison let out a merry giggle. "I wouldn't dream of it!"

Right at that moment, both police women suddenly stopped in their tracks. They could hear the sound of something scuttling through the sand, and both of them turned the other way. An orange and tan shape materialized, coming closer and closer. Upon closer inspection, the shape turned out to be a large crab Pokemon, with large pincers bigger than their heads, sharp teeth, spindly, spider-like legs, and six horns protruding from its head.

"Kuukiiiiiiii!" The crab Pokemon running towards them screeched in a deep, terrified voice.

"What in the world?!" Madison backed away, her hang clinging to the PokeBalls on her belt. Officer Jenny was quick to get into a battle stance.

"It's a wild Kingler!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

However, the Kingler didn't attack them, like a wild Pokemon would. Instead, it looked frantic, waving its large pincers around, gesticulating wildly. "Kuukii kuukii kuukii kuukiiiiii!" Kingler screeched and hissed, its large eyes wide like it had seen a ghost. All Madison and Jenny could do was exchange confused glances.

"It sounds like this Kingler's trying to tell us something," Madison pointed out. "It's not attacking us."

"You're probably right. But I don't speak Pokemon, so I don't know what it's saying," Officer Jenny told her.

All of a sudden, one of Kingler's pincers gently grabbed Jenny's hand, and the pincer Pokemon pulled on the confused woman, using its other pincer to point at the other end of the beach. "Kuukii kuukii!" Kingler kept pulling with one pincer and pointing with the other. Much to Jenny's relief, the pincer on her hand didn't dig down into her skin, nor did the Pokemon attempt to chop her hand off. It was clear to her that the Pokemon was taking great care in being gentle with her.

"Is it asking us to follow it?" Madison asked, holding a hand to her face.

A swirl of possibilities ran through Officer Jenny's mind. Was Team Rocket on the prowl? Was a Pokemon injured? Was this Kingler's trainer hurt? Or did this Kingler get lost? It wouldn't hurt to at least go check. "Well, we better go see," Jenny suggested.

"Kuukiiiii!" Kingler let out a joyful gurgle before gently pulling Officer Jenny towards the end of the beach. Madison ran ahead to get a better look, with Officer Jenny and Kingler close behind.

It didn't take long for them to find what Kingler was so frantic about. Lying dormant on the sand, rocked by the ebbing tide, was a young woman. Disheveled, lime green hair was wet, matted, and in complete disarray. The woman's glasses still clung to her face, but one of the lenses was completely cracked from top to bottom. How it didn't break into pieces, neither Madison or Jenny had any idea. The woman's clothes-a purple shirt and a plain white skirt-were completely dirty, and they looked like they had gone through a shredder. One sleeve of her shirt had been ripped right off, nowhere to be found. Fresh bloody scratches from her hands and arms oozed blood, with some melting into the sand. The woman was barefoot, and her feet were purple and brown from exposure to dirt, with some fresh red holes, splinters, and twig fragments digging into her skin. Her toenails were completely brown from dirt accumulating underneath them.

Basically, the woman looked like she had been attacked by a ferocious Pokemon. Or something even worse.

"Oh goodness!" Madison kneeled to the woman's level, shocked at the awful condition she was in.

"Kuukii!" Kingler pointed to the woman. Letting out an audible gasp, Officer Jenny ran to the woman, hoisting her into her arms. The green haired woman didn't stir. Not one bit.

"She's badly hurt," Jenny pointed out, seeing all the scratches and fresh bruises on her body. Just what in the world did this woman go through? The officer's eyebrows pinched together as she turned to face her friend with a dead serious expression. "Madison. Call an ambulance right away."

With a silent nod, Madison agreed and immediately pulled her walkie talkie out.

"Kingler. Is this your trainer?" Jenny asked.

The pincer Pokemon gave an affirmative nod. Jenny thought about asking how the woman got to be this way, but obviously, since Pokemon could only say their own names, there was no way she could figure out what happened. But there was some hope. The woman's chest was rising and falling in tune with silent breaths. Good, she was alive. What a relief that was. Even so, this woman was in dire need of medical care. Jenny did notice an empty PokeBall at the woman's side. Was it Kingler's? To test her hypothesis, she pointed the PokeBall at Kingler, watching as the crab Pokemon turned into red light as it got sucked into the sphere. That answered one question.

She kept the PokeBall in her hand. "Don't worry, Kingler. We'll help your trainer," She promised.

Sensing her conviction, the PokeBall trembled like it was nodding in response. Jenny wondered if Kingler was nodding from inside the PokeBall. Wailing sirens in the distance prevented her from thinking too much about it. But before the ambulance arrived, Jenny noticed something else on the woman's left wrist. Wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her, Jenny took the woman's hand into her own.

On the woman's left wrist was a tattoo made to resemble a red R. Just a glance at it made Jenny's eyes widen with shock.

"Team Rocket…"

Paramedics went to work on the woman right away, loading her onto the gurney and putting her into the ambulance. Worried for the woman's life, Jenny and Madison took it upon themselves to drive to the hospital in their cars. All throughout the drive, Jenny and Madison were silent, mentally preparing questions to ask the woman should she make it. Thankfully, the hospital wasn't too far a drive from the beach, so the two women managed to get there easily. It helped that there were only a few patients in the waiting room, so the hospital wasn't crowded at all. Usually, the worst things that Cianwood hospitals had to treat were Tentacool stings and the occasional broken bone.

For now, all Jenny and Madison could do was wait. It took about an hour, but a doctor eventually came out and informed the policewomen that the woman they found unconscious is alive and stable. The doctors had to stitch and clean out many of the green haired woman's wounds, most of which were scratches from Pokemon claws, probably from a Houndoom or an Ariados. There were also some infections in the wounds in her feet that they were still in the process of taking care of, probably because the wounded areas made contact with dirt and grass. She also had a fracture in her left arm and many red welts on her body. Most likely they came from a whip.

"Wow," Madison wrapped her arms around herself. "Someone must have used her as some kind of punching bag."

The doctor nodded in agreement. "Those wounds didn't make themselves, as far as I can see," He adjusted his glasses slightly, pushing them up so they wouldn't itch at his nose. "She's in the recovery room right now, but I recommend being gentle in your asking her questions, should she wake up," He advised, keeping his voice calm. "I can only assume that she won't exactly be in the best mental state after all that she's gone through."

Officer Jenny took her hat off of her head. Indeed. Just what exactly did that woman go through? More than that, how did she even manage to survive? Actually, she knew the answer to that one. Her Kingler was the one who alerted them. Who knows what could have happened, had her Kingler not managed to find help in time.

After that, the doctor took them into the recovery room. The green haired woman had a bed all to herself, completely covered from collarbone to toe, sans her left arm, with a thick, white blanket that protected her like a barrier. Her green hair was still messy, sprawling all over the pillow. Gauze and band-aids dotted her face, and her broken glasses had been placed on the night stand next to her bed. An IV needle was attached to one of her arms. Madison watched as the clear liquid dripped inside the bag. Drip drip drip drip. A silent, monotonous rhythm nobody could hear.

It was then that Madison saw the tattoo on the woman's wrist. "This woman's a part of Team Rocket?" She almost screamed, had she not managed to compose herself enough to keep her voice down. She didn't want to accidentally wake her up.

"It would seem so," Officer Jenny replied. "Still, what would a member of Team Rocket be doing out on a public beach? It's not like them to operate out in the open like that."

Madison agreed with a silent nod. Both of them had investigated Team Rocket and dealt with some of their grunts for a while now. They were usually a lot craftier than that, and always carried out their activities either in the down-low or in full secret. Was this woman a member they fired or kicked out? Or did she escape? Did she maybe fail at a mission and ran away, afraid to face the consequences? Just sitting here and thinking about it wouldn't give them the answers they needed. Neither of them knew how long it would be for the woman to wake up. She was breathing, but her condition could deteriorate at any given moment. Jenny looked down at the PokeBall in her hand.

"She's okay," Jenny whispered. "Your trainer will be just fine."

She wondered if Kingler wanted to stay by its trainer's side. With that thought in mind, Jenny silently placed the PokeBall into the woman's hand.

As if by magic, the woman stirred. "Ungh…" A small groan escaped her lips the moment Kingler's PokeBall made contact with her skin. Jenny and Madison stood up, their eyes wide with alarm. Then the woman's eyes finally peeled open. They were a soft brown color. "Wha…?"

"Look! She's waking up!" Madison announced.

"Where…?" The green haired woman turned her head forward, slowly taking in her surroundings.

"Hello," Jenny greeted her kindly, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't frighten her. "You're in the hospital. What's your name?"

Instead of responding right off, the green haired woman stared right at Jenny. Her brown eyes looked so far away, like they were seeing right through the policewoman. Then they darted down to her uniform. Jenny's golden badge reflected some of the fluorescent light, making it almost glow. Suddenly, the woman took in a very sharp breath and sat upright, like a jack-in-a-box springing right open. The woman's eyes suddenly shrank in terror, and her arm lurched right out, grabbing Jenny's arm.

"What the-?!"

"The Radio Tower!" The green haired woman shrieked.

"Wait, calm down-" Madison attempted to get in between them, but the woman didn't give her a chance to do or say anything.

"Please help me!" The woman cried, her brown eyes meeting Jenny's. The police officer could see nothing but abject fear. She had seen that frightened look far too many times in her lifetime to mistake it for anything else. "Team Rocket is after me! They're trying to kill me! They're trying to stop me from foiling their plan to-"

Very slowly, Jenny removed the woman's hand from her arm. "Don't worry. You're safe here," She told her. "We won't let anyone hurt you. I'm Officer Jenny," She pointed to Madison. "And this is Officer Madison Springensfield. What's your name?"

It didn't take long for the green haired woman to calm down. Seeing that she needed to compose herself, the woman removed herself from Jenny and sat back down in the bed. She kept staring down at the R tattoo on her wrist. As soon as it was in her line of sight, the woman's face scrunched up like she smelled a Growlithe's poop.

"I'm...Harriet. Harriet Latham. Wait!" The woman-Harriet-looked around the hospital room again. "How did I get here?"

This time, Madison was the one to explain. "We wouldn't have found you if your Kingler didn't drag us over to where you were."

Harriet raised an eyebrow. "King...ler? Wait, that can't be right. I have a Krabby named Cookie, but not-" Then it hit her. She looked down at the hand holding the PokeBall. She opened it, and a Kingler came right out, standing at the edge of the bed.

"Kuukii?" As soon as the Kingler saw Harriet, it jumped up and down happily, raising its pincers. "Kuuki kuukiiiii!"

"Cookie! Oh, thank goodness!" Harriet reached down to try and hug her crustacean friend. She didn't reach too far, as a searing pain shot through her body when she tried to bend down. Cookie, seeing the pain on his trainer's face, simply extended one of his pincers toward her. Touched by the gesture, Harriet rested her head on Cookie's pincer, wrapping her arms around it, tears melting onto the red shell. "So you really did evolve...and you saved me…you really saved me…"

"Kuuki kuuki…" Both Jenny and Madison could see plain as day that Kingler-Cookie, as Harriet called him-was only too happy that his trainer was alright. No Team Rocket members they knew ever showed such love and affection for their Pokemon.

Jenny was the first to speak again. "Your injuries are quite extensive. Would you mind if we asked what exactly happened to you?"

Harriet slowly sat back up, wiping the tears from her eyes, allowing her body and soul to calm itself once more. Madison could see that she was shivering. Whether it was from cold, fear, or relief, none of them could tell. Even so, they could see that her dark brown eyes were soft but firm with resolve. One of her small hands clutched the coverlet shielding her body.

"It's a very long story," Harriet began. "But first," She looked them straight in the eyes. "I need to tell someone about this. I know this may seem hard to believe but…" She took in a breath before dropping the bombshell. "Team Rocket has infiltrated the Goldenrod Radio Tower."

The Radio Tower? Team Rocket infiltrating it? Both Jenny and Madison exchanged shocked expressions.

"They plan on using it to broadcast their evolution inducement wave all over Johto, forcibly evolving all Pokemon, mind controlling them, and making them all into one big army," Harriet continued, her voice quivering. But the floodgates were open. There was no stopping them now. No, Harriet didn't want to stop. She had kept the lid on for far too long. "That was why the red Gyarados appeared in the Lake of Rage. Team Rocket wanted to test it out first before making further adjustments and enacting their plan."

"Wow," Madison had to sit down on a nearby chair, the whole thing was so shocking. "So that's why. We had no idea."

But Harriet wasn't finished yet. She continued on. "And that's not all. They also plan on using it to lure in the legendary Pokemon. Ho-Oh, Lugia, Suicune, and Raikou. They already have Entei, and that's because Pokemon Hunter J managed to petrify it with one of her machines. They plan on executing their grand plan in three days. Someone has to stop them."

It was then that both Officer Jenny and Madison all stood up in alarm. Team Rocket wanted the legendary Pokemon? All five of them? And Pokemon Hunter J was involved with Team Rocket? Neither of them could believe it at first. It was all so surreal. It was true that they had been after J for years, but nobody could ever catch her. She managed to outsmart them every time. But...Harriet told them that J used a machine to petrify them. Few people knew of her tactics, and although Jenny and the other police knew, that wasn't a piece of information they had released publicly.

There was no doubt about it. Harriet was telling the truth.

"Let me guess," Jenny interrupted. "I take it you went through Hell and back to tell someone about this."

The only response they got right then was a solemn nod. Jenny and Madison could see Harriet's eyebrows furrowing. "I...I never wanted to be a part of Team Rocket at all…" Now, the tears flowed. The liquid was warm against her reddening cheeks. "All I wanted was a job so I could support my family...both my parents got laid off, and I needed some kind of income. Someone told me they could get me a job...but it was a trick," The green haired woman's body was wracked with shudders. "I was a complete fool. I've been wanting to escape for months, long before I learned of all this, and I could never do it! Not until now!"

Both of their hearts broke for this girl. They could tell right away that she definitely wasn't Team Rocket material. What TR member would willingly risk their life to tell someone about their grand schemes? Jenny's heart went out to the girl. She put a reassuring hand on Harriet's shoulder, her eyes gleaming with sympathy.

"Thank you for telling us all of this," Jenny told her in a soft voice. "We'll see to it that this gets taken care of."

"If you don't mind me asking," Madison suddenly chimed in. "How exactly did you get hurt so bad? Did Team Rocket chase after you?"

Again, Harriet nodded grimly. "This isn't the only reason they're after me."

The only reason? There was more?

"Before all of this, I was trying to help one of my neighbors...a little boy. Danny Kimerer. His father was abusing him…that's where it all started…"

It had started two weeks earlier. One day, Harriet was in her backyard, planting some flowers. Yellow and orange begonias, her very favorites. Cookie was outside with her, lying down and bathing in the sun's warm rays. His favorite activity. But when she looked up, she happened to peer over the fence. There was Danny, sitting in the backyard, his back leaning against Harriet's fence. Harriet stood up, her garden spade still in her hands. She hadn't seen him in a while, and was about to go and say hi...but then she saw something that made her stop in her tracks. A large, purple-black bruise stood out on Danny's left arm, a huge contrast to his normally pale skin.

"Oh-!" Harriet almost screamed, had she not managed to cover her mouth with her free hand. But she still wound up shouting enough to rouse Cookie from his sunbathing.

Said shout also made Danny turn around and face her. No trace of his normal cheer or enthusiasm was in his eyes. They were cloudy with sorrow. "Harriet? Is that you? Hi," Even his greeting was strangely muted and distant. Meek and fearful. Neither word described little Danny one bit.

"Danny…" Harriet couldn't believe what she saw. That ugly bruise on Danny's arm was far too grotesque for her to look at. One thing was for certain: Harriet knew that that bruise didn't just magically appear. "What happened to you?" She finally asked, her voice choking with worry.

At first, Danny said nothing. He simply squeezed his eyes shut and put a hand over his swelling arm. Obviously, it didn't work, as his hands were far smaller than the bruise on his arm, and they couldn't possibly cover it up no matter how hard he tried. It didn't help that it was hot today, and Danny had a sleeveless shirt on, so covering it with shirt sleeves was a no-go. How in the world did Danny get such a horrible bruise? One explanation did pop up in her mind.

Danny confirmed it soon after. "Daddy hit me. He says I shouldn't be nice to Pokemon," He explained meekly, his tiny voice full of fear.

The green haired woman didn't dare try to meet his eyes. He got hit simply because he wanted to be nice to a Pokemon? Harriet cringed. Actually, scratch that. She could feel her heart fall right into the pit of her stomach, the revelation was too much. Connecting the dots was easy enough. His father was abusing him, justifying it as preparing him to become a member of Team Rocket. She had heard the rumors, but wasn't sure if they were actually true. But his being pulled out of public school for no reason and this...the signs were in bright neon colored lights, blaring right in her face.

"I can put some ice on it if you want," Harriet suggested, her voice still shaking. Thankfully, Danny barely noticed. "It looks like it hurts really bad."

The little boy opened his mouth to speak. No words came out, as he didn't get the chance to talk.

"Danny!" A man's voice boomed, silencing both him and Harriet.

Neither said a word as Richard stomped over to Danny and yanked him to his feet. Danny yelped, pain shooting through his already bruised arm, which worsened as Richard pulled on it. "Ow! Dad, please!"

Ignoring his son's pleas, Richard shot a scornful glare in Harriet's direction. Harriet could feel the man's stare all throughout her body, from her toes all the way to her head. There was no compassion in Richard's eyes. No warmth, empathy, nothing of the sort. Then again, most men involved with Team Rocket had that same cold, icy stare. She had seen it many times before, but she still couldn't find it in herself to get used to it.

"Come on! You need to start your training!" Richard roared, taking Danny right into the house. The door slamming finally pulled Harriet out of her trance, and she raced back into the house. Cookie soon followed.

Harriet sat down on her bed, fists shaking as Cookie approached. But her Krabby wasn't what made her shudder. Richard said he was putting Danny through training. Was he training him to become a member of Team Rocket? Her arms suddenly wrapped around her, like a protective force field. She could already picture it all in her mind. Team Rocket members beating Danny with whatever they could find, be it a baseball bat or whips-supposedly to test his body's strength. Berating him for showing any kind of compassion or calling out their transgressions. Forcing him to steal Pokemon from children and adults alike. Harriet had gone through the training when she had first been recruited, so she knew full well what it would entail.

No. Danny wasn't going to go through that. Not on Harriet's watch.

A spark of courage flared up from inside her. She found the nearest phone and held it in her hands, grateful that Margeaux was out on a mission with Yannick today. She was alone in the house, which was the perfect opportunity to let someone know. She then searched through the phonebook in her kitchen, looking for the number needed to call Child Protective Services. It only took a few minutes for her to find it, barring the fact that Harriet had barely ever read phonebooks before. Her Krabby watched curiously as his trainer was hard at work, silently doing, silently planning.

"Kuukii?"

Harriet dialed the number she found. It took a few short rings, but someone did answer. "This is Cianwood City Child Protective Services."

"Hello. I would like to report a case of child abuse," The hand gripping the phone began to tremble. But Harriet was calm, her voice clear and devoid of stutters or hysteria. "My neighbor, a child named Danny Kimerer, is being abused by his father, Richard Kimerer. They live at 2300 Pasternak Street in Everglade. Danny has a large bruise on his arm, he was taken out of public school and hasn't received official schooling since, and it's said Richard is going to force him to join Team Rocket. Please, help him!"

It was a big risk. Harriet knew it all too well. If she were to get caught, she was sure Team Rocket would punish her in ways that would be far too horrible to imagine. But a child's life was in danger. She wasn't going to be heartless and just leave him to his fate. She thought of her younger sisters at home. If something were to happen to them...Harriet didn't dare to think of the possibilities. She didn't let her imagination take her that far. She hung up the phone in silence. Danny didn't deserve this cruel fate. Danny in Team Rocket? No, Harriet wouldn't allow that.

After a few minutes, a woman from CPS did arrive on Richard's doorstep. Harriet didn't dare venture outside, but she was able to see the woman via the window in her kitchen. It allowed her to see their porch clearly, and inside, she wouldn't be seen by the prying eyes of all the Team Rocket members who occupied the neighborhood, which was basically everyone who lived in Everglade. The woman knocked on the door twice. No answer. She eventually knocked a third time. Nobody answered the door. With every unanswered knock, Harriet's hopes broke piece by piece. With a shrug, the woman simply walked away. Harriet winced before turning away from the window.

"Danny...I'm sorry…" Harriet whimpered to herself. She knew that if Richard didn't answer the door for CPS, legally there was nothing the woman could do. Obviously she couldn't break into the house, and spying was definitely forbidden. Still, Harriet wished Danny could have been saved in that moment. For all she knew, maybe Richard anticipated their arrival and hid in the house to avoid having to deal with them. She made the call, and it didn't mean a thing.

Cookie's large eyes furrowed as he saw the sadness come over his trainer, and his heart went out to her. "Kuukiiiii…" He gently rested a pincer against her arm, hoping the gesture would console her some. "Kuukii kuukiiii."

Sniffling once, Harriet put a hand on the crab Pokemon's pincer. "I know, Cookie. I know. I'll try again next time. Still...it hurts so much…" The pain of being unable to help Danny was like a knife going through her chest. Tears bubbled out, trickling down her cheeks, with some melting into Cookie's pincer. "If Danny gets seriously hurt or dies, it'll be my fault...and I don't want to wait until it's too late!"

She prayed with all her heart that she would be successful next time.

It would be a long time before Harriet got another chance to see Danny. Ever since that day, the once happy, energetic little boy no longer played in the backyard. Whenever Harriet would do anything in her backyard, like play with Cookie or tend to her begonia garden, she would always look next door and see if Danny was in his yard. Danny was nowhere in sight. Not once did Danny come out of the house. She would hear voices now and again, mostly Richard's and a little bit of Danny's, which told her he was still alive, but a sense of unease amassed inside her with every day that passed. Not a day went by when Harriet didn't worry about Danny.

Even when she, Margeaux, and many other Team Rocket members were gathered into an underground base for a top secret meeting. Archer and Ariana all stood on a stage, greeted by an audience of over a thousand Team Rocket grunts that made up a sea of black and red uniforms. Harriet was merely a blip in this suffocating cluster of people. Just being here made her feel sick to her stomach. Here she was, stuck in Team Rocket, and unable to escape. The people surrounding her seemed to turn into walls, intent on keeping her in, never letting her out. Harriet kept staring down at her boots, not looking up even as Archer spoke.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you are all gathered here today," Archer began, his voice booming because of the microphone attached to his shirt. "I'll cut right to the chase. Team Rocket has made its decision. We are to take over the Goldenrod Radio Tower in five days time."

Whispers and murmurs swam all throughout the crowd. Harriet could hear them all. Her eyes suddenly widened in horror. They were going to take over the Radio Tower in five days? Grunts all around her stood in awe of the announcement while gossiping amongst themselves.

"About time! I was wondering when they were gonna get this over with!"

"I'm just hoping it doesn't get in the way of my appointment at the tanning salon."

"Yeah! We're gonna get something done for once!"

"Man, this is gonna be epic!"

"I really hope this mission succeeds. I've been looking forward to this for months."

"You think we'll get some promotions if it goes well?"

"Silence!" Ariana exclaimed, swinging her hand out toward the crowd. The whispers gradually died down. "This mission has taken months of careful preparation, testing, and planning, and we intend to see it through to the very end. The evolution inducement wave's testing period has finally come to an end, which I'm sure you all know means that it can finally do what we want it to do. You're aware of the red Gyarados incident at Lake of Rage, right?"

Many of the grunts said yes. Others nodded in silence. Harriet cringed, continuing to stare down at her feet.

"Project R was merely the first test run to see if it would actually work. Now that it's perfect, we can not only evolve Pokemon all over Johto, but control them in any way we please," Ariana continued, her eyes glinting with an eerie shimmer.

Harriet shut her eyes, Ariana's voice sending shivers down her spine. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home. Be with her family. Not be stuck with Team Rocket and get dragged into their machinations. But escape was impossible. The crowd seemed to mold into one cluster of black mass, ready to swallow her whole at any moment.

Archer stepped forward. "This mission is absolutely imperative to Team Rocket's quest. All of you play a significant role in its success, no matter how small," He cleared his throat before continuing. "As such, we expect all of you to make absolutely sure that no one outside of Team Rocket, absolutely no one-" The last three words were stone hard, leaving no room for nonsense or silliness. "Knows of our plan to take over the radio tower. I'm sure you're all aware of what the consequences will be, should you fail."

Nobody said anything.

"Loose lips and treason will absolutely not be tolerated," Archer hissed, his voice full of cold venom. "Speak of the mission to anyone outside of TR, and your punishment will be slow and painful. We could have you endure a session. Or we could have you be at the mercy of Yannick's whip. As you all know, he shows no mercy to anyone, especially traitors. Or you could be sent to Petrel, and he will do whatever he pleases with you."

The more she heard, the more Harriet trembled. She knew Team Rocket took punishing traitors seriously, but she didn't dare try to visualize those scenarios in her mind. But more than that...should she try to escape at all and she got caught, any one of those things could happen to her.

This time, Ariana stepped forward. "We are Team Rocket, and our quest for glory is nigh!" She raised her arm into the air. "Glory to Team Rocket!"

"Glory to Team Rocket!" The entire audience broke into chanting over and over again. But Harriet said nothing. She didn't dare chant alongside the grunts. Thankfully, nobody around her seemed to notice her silence.

None except for Yannick, who stood on the stage, glaring at her with cold eyes.

Harriet was physically ill for the next two days afterward. She wasn't sick with a fever or a stomach ache, but sick with dread. All she could do was lie on the couch in the living room, her body limp and unable to move. She stared up at the ceiling, pondering the meeting. One thing was for sure. 'I need to do something about this. Someone has to stop them,' Harriet wasn't going to stand for this. Team Rocket needed to be stopped. Why couldn't she be the one to stop them? But an opportunity hadn't presented itself quite yet. Team Rocket members lived in the entire neighborhood. If even one of them spotted her as she escaped, they'd probably do whatever they could to keep her in Everglade. Or worse.

An opportunity did arise. But it would be in the worst way possible.

"Harriet!" Margeaux whined from the living room. A soap opera was playing on the TV. "Pleeeeease tell me dinner's gonna be ready soon!"

"It will!" Harriet called back from the kitchen. "Just a few more minutes!" The timer on the oven was still on six minutes. Tomato sauce was already simmering in a pot right above the stove. Harriet's nose caught the warm scent. She could hear it starting to boil, so she turned the dial on the oven, turning off that part of the stove.

It was then that Harriet heard a terrible scream.

"Kuukii?" Even Cookie heard it from the floor.

Harriet gasped, whirling around, facing the window. An absolutely frightened Danny had sprinted out into the backyard, his forehead bleeding. Some of the blood trickled into one of his eyes.

Danny!

Immediately, dread seized her. On impulse, Harriet stormed out of the house and onto the porch on her backyard. It was high enough for her to see over the fence, so she was able to watch everything unfold. But the minute she got there, her body froze. Danny was halfway up the fence. Richard stormed out with a belt in hand, grabbing Danny by the shirt collar and pulling him down.

"Daddy, stop!" Danny pleaded, his voice rising. But Richard stared down at him, his eyes blazing with unrestrained anger, baring his teeth like an Ursaring about to slash its prey.

Unable to watch, Harriet fell to her knees, covering her face and cowering. Her ears weren't spared the pain of hearing the belt whip against Danny, and the latter's pained cries and screams. Even more frightening were Richard's roars and bellows as he hit his son with the belt. One, two, three. A painful, monotonous rhythm.

"Why'd you let that Pokemon go?!" Richard roared. He didn't let up one bit. The whippings continued, and with every smack of the belt, all Harriet could hear from him where Danny's screams.

"You were hurting it!" That was the only response Danny could provide.

Unfortunately, it didn't satiate Richard one bit. His face red with an uncontrollable rage, Richard discarded the belt and his fist met Danny's face. Harriet found the courage to move her fingers a bit, uncovering her eyes. The events that unfolded in front of her didn't change. Danny could only let out pained gurgles and cries as blow after blow struck him on the face. Blood spilled from his nose, and Harriet could see the boy's face turning a grotesque red and purple color. Danny didn't deserve this.

"You little wuss!" Richard bellowed, his voice rising with every blow he struck. "We needed that Pokemon for our experiment! Stupid brat! You're gonna be Team Rocket whether you like it or not! Come here!"

Harriet's heart fell to pieces. Richard was beating a child all because Danny didn't want to have anything to do with Team Rocket? All because he wanted to be kind and save a Pokemon from a life of pain? What was this world coming to? Harriet's mind screamed at her to go save him. Do something. Call the police. But fear paralyzed her. Her body refused to move, even though she wanted to just fly over there and save little Danny. Danny, who did nothing wrong. Why couldn't she move? Harriet needed to save him. But how? Richard was a big, strong, burly man, and he had a reputation for being a particularly merciless and volatile Team Rocket grunt who always got his way. Harriet was just a small, mousy woman who could barely lift a set of weights.

Then the realization hit her. Her phone! She rummaged through her pocket, feeling for a metallic rectangle. There it was. She pulled it out, grateful that it was still on, and hit the video record button. She could record footage of Richard's actions, take it to CPS, and give them probable cause to save Danny from further pain! Harriet held the phone out, locking it onto Richard as he punched Danny multiple times in the stomach. She kept her eyes closed, unable to watch. Just hearing the terrible noise made her stomach tie itself into a knot.

It didn't take very long for Richard to drag a helpless, beaten Danny back into the house, and his roars ceased. Eventually, Harriet found the courage to open her eyes. Her phone was still in her hand. She pressed the stop button and played the footage she recorded. It captured it all: Richard beating poor Danny senseless, whipping him with the belt, and dragging him into the house by his hair. Watching it all made Harriet feel as though a Weedle had struck her with Poison Sting. But she knew this would be her greatest asset. She had everything she needed to save Danny now.

And what she needed to get out of Team Rocket forever.

Harriet marched back into the house, only to find Margeaux in the kitchen with a confused look on her face. "Whoa. I've heard the stories, but I had no idea Richard was that merciless," Margeaux said, looking out the window.

The green haired woman said nothing, slipping her phone into her pocket. Good thing Margeaux was looking the other way, so she didn't see Harriet hide the phone. Cookie looked up at his trainer with concern. The crab Pokemon could see the visible anguish on his trainer's face. It was easy for him to know how his trainer was feeling.

Margeaux crossed her arms. "Well, I sure am glad Ariana didn't have me working with him," Then she turned to Harriet with, of all things, a smile on her face. "Is that casserole ready yet? I'm starving. You've got to hear what happened the over day with Sally and Marcelin!"

Something inside Harriet suddenly snapped. She couldn't help but gape. Was Margeaux really so heartless that she'd want to just forget about having seen a child be brutally abused by his father and sharing stories about other grunts' antics? Her blood boiled, turning into red hot lava, and like a Typhlosion's Eruption attack, Harriet was ready to burst. No, she wanted to burst. She had held it all in for far too long. And here Margeaux was, smiling at her like she and Harriet just saw a funny show on TV. She couldn't forgive this. She couldn't forgive this at all.

Baring her teeth, Harriet glared at Margeaux. Unable to stop herself, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Are you serious?! Do you hear yourself right now, Margeaux?! You just saw a child be brutally beaten by his father and the first thing you think about is sharing stupid stories with me and asking about some dumb casserole?!" Even Margeaux couldn't help but take a step back, her eyes wide with shock. She had never seen Harriet like this. Never before had Harriet been so visibly angry.

"Harriet, come on-"

"How heartless can you be?! You can't possibly approve of this! You don't, do you?!"

"Harriet, please. Team Rocket parents do this to their kids all the time. You know that."

Hearing this made Harriet's anger burn hotter. She was making it seem like parents abusing their kids was not only normal, but permitted and encouraged! How anyone could make this a common and accepted practice, Harriet couldn't fathom. Just thinking about it made her taste bile in her mouth. "And that somehow makes it okay?! No! It doesn't! We should be reporting him to CPS, for Arceus's sake! How can you think this is okay?!"

For once, Margeaux had no words. But her silence told Harriet all she needed to know. "I can't believe you. You're so devoted to Team Rocket that you're willing to let a child suffer and potentially be killed. And for what!? World domination?! Money?! Fame?! You're horrible, you know that?!"

In Harriet's mind, there was no possible excuse or justification for any of this. Danny certainly didn't deserve to be treated the way he did. If Margeaux was willing to pass this off as being normal in Team Rocket's world...Harriet could only shudder at the thought of other kids suffering in the exact same way if they don't become members of Team Rocket or do everything their parents say. People who were in Team Rocket probably shouldn't be parents at all!

"Harriet, come on. You don't mean that," Margeaux sputtered. "We're friends-"

Friends? Friends?! FRIENDS?! She finally erupted.

"NO! WE ARE NOT FRIENDS!" Harriet screamed at the top of her lungs, louder than she thought she was even capable of. Even Cookie covered his face with his pincers, cowering. "WE HAVE NEVER BEEN FRIENDS AND WE NEVER WILL BE!" She couldn't believe it. Margeaux actually thought she and Harriet were friends. Harriet couldn't fathom why she would think that. Just because they lived together, talked sometimes, and sometimes went on missions...Harriet tasted bile. "I never wanted to be dragged into Team Rocket! All I wanted was a job and to support my family! But Yannick tricked me! He pulled me into this, and I don't want anything more to do with this or you! I can't take this anymore! I am leaving Team Rocket and you're NOT going to stop me!" This time, tears spilled forth. They came with such force that Harriet's cheeks were practically drowning.

Again, Margeaux had no words. But Harriet could see the completely pained expression she had. It was one of abject heartbreak and misery. Was it real? Or was it yet another facade? At this point, Harriet didn't want to waste her energy on someone she never liked. With Cookie at her side, Harriet bolted to her room, leaving a surprised Margeaux alone in the kitchen.

"Oh goodness…" Both Officer Jenny and Madison had to sit down. This whole story was far too much to process all at once. Madison held a hand to her face, covering one eye. "To think Team Rocket's been marrying off their members and making children all to keep the organization alive…" This was far worse than anything they had ever learned about them in all the time they've been investigating them.

On the other hand, Jenny's hand was at work, writing everything Harriet told her into a tiny notebook. The pen was moving at mach speed, scribbling onto the paper. Pages and pages were filled top to bottom with writing and Harriet's testimony. Harriet merely looked down at her trembling hands, unable to look them in the eye.

"I know. It's horrible," Harriet's breath caught in her throat. But she continued to speak. "Danny's not the only child suffering at their hand. The fact that they encourage these awful acts…" More tears spilled forth, dripping onto the sheets. "I couldn't stay there anymore. If I did, I'd lose all the humanity I had left."

Jenny smiled, slipping a hand into Harriet's. Even though Jenny's hand was covered by a glove, Harriet could feel her kindness and warmth. "The fact that you went through so much all for one child's safety says a lot about you," Jenny told her with a kind, reassuring tone.

On the other hand, Madison kept scratching her head. "Hang on. Something doesn't make sense. This man beat his child in his backyard, where other people could likely see it?" Madison asked, looking quite perplexed. "How come nobody else did anything about it? Someone should have noticed. The entire neighborhood was likely to have seen this go on."

"You're right about that," Harriet told her. "Everglade is a neighborhood where only Team Rocket members live. If a child is being beaten right in front of their eyes, they basically see it as the child being 'disciplined' for not adhering to Team Rocket's ideals and goals and don't do anything to stop it. That's what other TR members said when they saw other kids being hurt," She explained. Once again, pushing those words out was like getting poison out of her system.

"An entire neighborhood taken up by Team Rocket members…" Madison ruminated to herself. "Man, those guys really know how to keep themselves under surveillance."

Harriet gave a grim nod. "Indeed. TR's leader works primarily in housing, so he's able to arrange for various members to live in entire neighborhoods like Everglade, namely so if anyone's doing something they shouldn't, like telling people outside of TR of our plans, someone will notice and report it to the executives. That way, they can weed out those they perceive as traitors."

Jenny put her little notebook down, her smile turning into a grim frown. "Judging by your injuries, I take it someone in the neighborhood found out about what you did and reported it to their higher-ups."

Green hair tumbling about her face, Harriet nodded again. This time, she hid her hands underneath the comforter. The red R on her wrist made her stomach turn into a knot. "That's the other half of this story."

Harriet wasn't done yet. Not even close.