As soon as I sat down in the car it became clear that something was definitely wrong. A dark grin spread across the man's lips as he yanked the trenchcoat off, revealing his outfit beneath. It was colored the darkest of blacks, with a large red R embroidered in the middle of the torso. He wore a pair of white gloves and boots that held two thin red lines along the hems, and his gray hair and golden eyes stood out amongst it all.

The nurse quickly followed into the car afterwards, locking the doors, only further alarming me. She let out a heavy sigh as she reached up to grab her hair, pulling off the green wig and revealing flowing hot pink locks. Her green eyes were irritable and she kicked her feet up onto the dash, unbuttoning the nurse uniform to reveal a similar outfit- yet instead of pants she wore a black miniskirt. "What a pain. How many kids does this make it now, Rich?"

The man turned on the ignition and I sat up, struggling with the lock and attempting to open the door. I had just gotten the window to roll down when the seatbelt acted on its own- wrapping around me and pinning me to the seat. My wrists were completely cuffed. "Wh-What!?"

"Be silent back there, will you?" She huffed. "Honestly; such a pain. At least this one is a blank slate; we'll be able to mold her easily into a loyal member of Team Rocket."

"Now, now." Rich chuckled. "We need to deliver her to Mistress Augusta first. Hey, kid! You got a name?"

"N… No?" Frick. Oh gods. This is bad. This is really, really bad. Where are they taking me? Weren't they on the news last night? Something about missing children. They're the kidnappers, aren't they!? Crap. "Wh-Why?"

He grinned cruelly. "Perfect. From this moment on… we're calling you Grunt."

"Uh… no thanks?"

The woman laughed haughtily. "As if you have a choice in the matter! Please! From the moment we arrive at the base you are going to work for us. You are no longer going to be a weak, inferior lifeform; you're very existence will be for the betterment of Team Rocket! "Steal pōkemon for profit; exploit pōkemon for profit! All pōkemon exist for the glory of Team Rocket"! You will learn and memorize this!"

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at them. Did they seriously think I would just go along with this? They were totally underestimating me because of my size. Hmph. It wasn't as if I could do anything right now, trapped and pinned like this, so I would simply have to wait. Bide my time. The question is… how long would that be?

"Azurill; keep an eye on Grunt." My eyes widened when the woman held up a black pōkeball, a small red R on the top, and a bright light erupted from it. Slowly taking shape was a blue-colored Pokémon with mouse ears and a little round ball of a tail. It was probably one of the cutest creatures I had ever seen, yet the look in its dark eyes was… frightening. "Hehe. That's right. You'll learn better than to cross us."

Ignoring the rapid pacing of my heart I turned my head away, focusing on what was outside the window- expression shifting into confusion when I saw the scenery that passed by. There were so many large forests and grasslands in Hoenn; it was incredible. They felt so unfamiliar to my eyes, as if they shouldn't have been there, but I loved it. Everything looked so healthy. The ocean, which seemed to take up seventy percent of Hoenn, appeared unpolluted.

The sight of it bothered me greatly, the memories of my nightmares rising back to the front of my mind, and I cringed. I had to tell myself that we were nowhere near it and that we would be fine. My eyes opened and I glanced outside once more, questioning why the water I recalled seemed tainted a brown-ish color. The sky itself was so clear as well… and I had no doubt that once night hit we would be able to see the stars.

Was I truly amnesiac? I felt… empty. Alone. I knew things, but not the people connected to me save for those I just met. My memory felt like it had been taken apart carefully, preventing me from remembering the specifics of the people or places I belonged with. The scenery was in my mind, but the names… or faces of humans…

They were just too far out of my reach.

Whenever I tried to get close a migraine would form and I would wind up in intense pain.

The car ride seemed to last forever, at least to me. At one point we ended up diverging from the road, driving deep into the depth of a large forest. The ground opened up and my eyes went wide, watching as we drove down into what appeared to be an underground base. There were several people dressed like Rich and Velga- the two adults in the car with me- and a few that lacked the red stripes their gloves and boots held. I wondered if that meant they were of different rank?

"Rrgh…" I sat in place as the car came to a halt and the opening came to a close, several people in full black hurrying over. The belts came undone and I let out a relieved sigh, feeling my wrists for any bruises. "Jerks…"

"Ah, ah, ah~!" Velga said, wagging a finger at me as she got out and opened my door. "Villains, darling. There's a difference. And you're about to join us."

Hmph. As if. Whoa!

There was no warning as the woman suddenly grabbed my arm, yanking me roughly out of the seat and into the building. I cried out in protest when she dragged me along, Rich following behind with a smug look on his face. He placed his hands on his hips, watching the fear form on my face with a disturbing emotion in his eyes. That man… he was enjoying this. He was obtaining pleasure by how I was panicking.

Me, a small child. One they've kidnapped.

The stone was held tight in my right hand, fingers not letting it go no matter how roughly I was pulled or pushed through the building. My eyes met some of those of the fully black-clothed people and Rich snickered. "Hey, grunts! You see this girl?"

"Hm? Ah, the new recruit! We got six earlier this morning! You know what division she's going in?"

"We're gonna put her with the blue team. As for her name…" He sneered. "Make sure to refer to her as Grunt. Okay, grunts?"

"What?" The one he was speaking to appeared mildly offended before a grin spread across his face. "Oooh, I get it! Ha. Yeah. Okay. The rest of the blue team kids are downstairs on the west end. Send her there."

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm in a higher faction than you are." Rich hissed. Velga rolled her eyes and I flinched at the tightness of her grip. She really wasn't going easy on me. Team Rocket truly was full of terrible evil. Kidnapping children, abusing pōkemon, hurting all those around them… they're awful. "Velga! Hurry it up! I want her in a uniform stat!"

"Shut it, Richard. Don't make me call the boss."

"Like he'd answer. He's too busy using that Mewtwo and we need to raise these kids up into soldiers so they can serve them! You understand? We can't fool around."

"Gah!" Velga tossed me forward, causing me to stumble and fall hard onto the ground. I cried out. "Th-That hurt…"

"Grow up, brat." She tucked some hair behind her ear, huffing. "Gods, this is the worst job ever. Why can't I handle the teens? Instead I have to care for this stupid baby."

"At least you get a kid. I have to deal with literal infants. I'm going to check on the new recruits now, so deal with the blues."

"Yes, yes." Velga sighed dramatically. "Feed the reds and change their diapers to your heart's content. I'm gonna educate this kid on what it means to serve Team Rocket."

What… does that mean? Is she going to hurt me? Why? I never did anything to her. Were they all truly just a bunch of sadists, gathering together for some nonsensical purpose? I miss Steven and Beldum already. Tears stung my eyes and I struggled to push myself up, glancing down at the hand holding the stone for a split second, trying to recall the feeling of his hand in mine. It was so much gentler than Velga's hand. He treated me with kindness. This woman… I wanted nothing to do with her.

"H-Have fun with that." I choked out, glaring at her with fearful eyes. She turned her gaze to me, eyebrow raising. "I'm not… g-gonna listen to the likes of you! Got that!?"

"Really now?" She mused. "We'll see about that. Maybe you'll start listening after I break a few bones of yours…"

My shoulders jumped and I tensed, a lump catching in my throat. There was no way she would do that. Not to a child. Right? I'm only around four years of age. That would be insane. Seeing the way my bottom lip trembled and the way the tears fell down my face, her purple lips spread into a nasty smile.

"Aha! There it is. The brat understands me." Her heels clacked against the ground and I froze, heart picking up pace inside my chest so much it began to pound against my ribcage. I was so scared about what she was about to do- would she ram her heel into my legs? Smash my hands? Break my fingers? So many horrifying scenarios ran through my mind. She stopped in front of me and pointed a gloved finger at me, green eyes flickering devilishly. "Now listen here, kiddo. I'm not going to explain myself twice. You either live or die here once we begin your training, so if you value your life you will do what we say and pass the tests."

Tests? Training? What were they going to have me do?

"Otherwise we'll slowly leave you to rot. Meals will be taken, your injuries will remain to fester, and your hygiene will suffer. Do you truly wish for such a life? No? Then stand up and put on that blue uniform! A pōkemon will be assigned to you later!"

I… I don't want to do it. What she's demanding of me… I want to refuse. But I was so weak and small; there would be no winning. I had no choice. I'm so scared. I want to go back to the Pōkecenter. I want to listen to Steven rant about stones again. Somebody… please save me. I don't want to die.

I don't want to do this.

My lips curled back, teeth gritting tight together and eyes squeezing shut as I struggled to push myself up. I sniffled and choked back a terrified sob, shaking from my head all the way down to my toes. These people were completely serious; I had no doubt about it. I whimpered as the uniform was shoved into my arms, Velga stepping away and leaving me alone in this tiny room by myself. It was so dark, illuminated only by the ominous wall lights.

"W-We'll meet again…" I murmured quietly, trying to give myself the resolve to go through with all this. All I had to do was wait; I told myself this. Once I was older and stronger I would escape. Perhaps I would even have the area mapped out in my mind by then. The second they let me through those metal doors and back into the outside world I was going to stay gone. "I… I can do this. I'll see them again."

I took a deep breath, attempting to calm down. This was a matter of survival, right? Then that gave me a goal. I had to live through everything they throw at me. I quickly pulled off the sweater and leggings Nurse Joy and Chancey gave me, and I pulled on the pale blue pants and dark blue top. It was a little big, but it would do. I placed the dawn stone in the little black pouch tied to my hips, tugging on the long black gloves and knee-length boots afterwards. I felt ridiculous.

Humiliated.

But I would survive. I had to.

I laced my fingers behind my back tightly, each step a shaky one as I headed out of the room. "I-I'm done...!" My eyes went wide as there was a flash of white and suddenly my head was turned to the side, left cheek stinging painfully. Velga had backhanded me hard with her glove still on, eyes staring me down threateningly.

"Do not talk without permission. There will be punishment. Now, follow me."

I wasn't even given time to react before she grabbed me again, fingers digging hard into my arm. I almost cried out again, but her dark glare had me clamping my mouth shut, teeth biting my cheek anxiously. I wanted out of here so bad.

"Our goal is collect all the most powerful pōkemon and use them to take over the world. To do so we need powerful trainers, but we have been rather… lacking in recruits. So the boss decided that the best way to do things is to make recruits; steal those wandering children whose foolish parents decided to look away from and those who were left alone by terrible accidents." She snickered. "How do those accidents happen, I wonder? I doubt you're smart enough to understand- you're just a brat."

Oh. She really is underestimating me. My expression became a neutral one, eyes growing half-lidded and lips being drawn into a thin line. Perhaps I could use this to my advantage? If I could get out of here at all… it would have to be through cunning. I doubt I was a very good schemer, but if I could survive long enough for them to trust me… or even let their guard down… I might stand a chance. They viewed me as a pathetic four-year-old child. A toddler.

I would have to show them otherwise.

They weren't going to do with me as they pleased.

"But we'll raise you- teach how to use pōkemon, how to harness their powers, how to exploit others weaknesses… and we'll even teach you how to steal pōkemon from their trainers. With you we'll become rich and powerful, and unparalleled!" A smile formed on her lips and she began to laugh maniacally, clearly believing in her own insane plot. "It'll be brilliant! Our master, Giovanni, will be the greatest being alive! And we will serve beneath him as his humble servants! No one will stop us! Nobody has been able to stop us! Team Rocket… we are invincible! Ahahahaha!"

Oh gods, she's completely deranged.

"And this here is the room with the other recruits! You all are to wait here until Mistress Augusta arrives!" She gave me a harsh shove and I stumbled, frantically waving my arms to catch my balance this time, and I turned to see her slam and look the door shut. Moving back around to see where I was, I was horrified to see just how many other kids were in here.

I know that one grunt said that they had gotten around six kids this morning, but there were several more than that in here. They must have just gotten here shortly before me. There were at least eleven… no, fourteen of them standing around. Several were crying and covered in bruises, while a few other sat with their knees curled up to their chests in silence, and there was a child about my age wailing for his mother. They were all dressed identical to me.

"I wanna go home~! Uwaaaah!"

"Wh-What are they gonna do to us!? I want my mommy and daddy!"

"Papa… I'm scared…"

"Team Rocket… e-evil jerks…"

Okay. They're panicking and now I'm starting to panic. Deep breaths. I stepped forward, awkwardly holding my hands up and opening my mouth as I tried to think of something to say. It closed and I went silent, lowering my head conflictingly. What could I say to them? There was no remedying this situation; not right away. It would take time. These children were tormented souls. They were all scared and wanted nothing more than to go home.

"I… It'll be okay." I found myself stammering, voice cracking as I spoke. "W-We'll get out of here!"

"No, we won't!" A boy around eight or nine argued, wiping at his face furiously as his tears kept falling. One of his eyes were dark in color, showing off the awful discoloration from bruising. He must have gotten hit pretty hard. Gods. How could Team Rocket do something like this? "We're gonna be trapped here forever!"

"W-We won't! We'll get out!"

"A-And how do you know!? You're just a kid!"

Says the child. I bit my lip, uncertain of how to encourage him. "It… It won't be easy, okay? But.. But we gotta listen to them- if only for a while! They'll trust us eventually, right? So… So they'll have to let us outside sometime!"

"Outside…?" A young girl asked, sniffling. She was fiddling nervously with her black braid, pink eyes misty. I doubted she was over six. "Th… They will? We'll… see our mommies and daddies again?"

Oh no. I can't make that promise. Still, I didn't want to leave them hopeless. "Y-Yeah, maybe! We can get away! So… there's that. Um." I cleared my throat, coughing a little and brushing some of the hair out of my face so I could see with at least one eye. This wretched hair was so irritatingly long and in my face. I despised it. "W-We just… gotta do as we're told. And then… we'll get out! So… w-we can't panic or freak, o-or anything like that! Okay?"

Did I have a lisp in my voice? Wait, am I missing a tooth? Did that lady smack me so hard a tooth came out!? Freaking… dude, that is insane. Ow. I could taste the iron now that I was focusing on it; my lip was bleeding. Good thing it was just a baby tooth.

"Hmph." A voice suddenly spoke up, sending chills down my spine as the door opened. "Doing as told would be the correct decision. How interesting. To think the youngest here is the one most vividly aware of this fact. It's amusing."

It was coming from right behind me. A woman dressed so differently from the others. Her main top and skin-tight pants were colored silver, accented by red details and the large R on her torso. Underneath she wore a dark turquoise turtleneck, and her eyes were a haunting shade of crimson. Her hair, a medium shade of cinnamon, was curled up at the ends to give a small bounce when she walked, a bun tied up at the top of her head with a similar design. A wavy fringe covered her right eye, hiding it from view, but her black lips were twisted in an intimidating smirk. She was so scary.

She didn't even wear gloves like the rest of us, her nails just as dark as her makeup. This woman… could she be Mistress Augusta? Was she the higher ranking officer in this headquarters?

"Now listen here, children!" The woman spoke up, voice loud and authoritative. Her gaze was cold and merciless, showing no warmth or even a sense of a maternal instinct. "You will refer to me as Mistress. Not miss, not madam, and certainly not ma'am. When you answer to me you will say, Yes, Mistress or No, Mistress. It must be clear, concise, and absolutely no mumbling! Otherwise there will be consequences. Understand?"

There was several terrified nods from the children, while one muttered a quiet "yes". Her expression darkened and she stepped forward, heels clacking on the ground.

"What did I just say!? Do you wish to be punished!?"

"N-No, Mistress!" The muttering child cried out, raising their voice and standing up straight, smacking their arms to their sides. It was the girl with the braided hair from before. "P-Please don't hurt me!"

Mistress Augusta tilted her head back, narrowing her eyes. "Keep it up and I won't have to. Now- here's our mission, so you better listen! To infect the world with devastation, to blight all people in every nation! To denounce the goodness of truth and love, to extend our wrath to the stars above!" She held her hand up to her forehead, saluting, while resting her other against her chest over her heart. She was telling us an oath. "We are Team Rocket, circling the earth day and night! Pōkemon are ours to use, to exploit, to help us take over this world! And all people who stand in our path must be destroyed!"

This place is a madhouse. Were they brainwashed? What is wrong with them? Do they truly believe in their unjust cause? It really seemed like it.

"You all will be given new names and titles, and will begin your training shortly in the future! For now we will have grunts take you to the rooms you will be staying in! Understand? You are Team Blue of the trainees! Make sure you work hard to survive, as your training will be a matter of life-and-death!"

My fingers twitched. I really had the urge to smack these people. I never would, as something told me I would feel bad about it afterwards, but dang would it feel good in that split second if I did. Mistress Augusta snapped her fingers and pointed at the door, and on que several people in pure black and white stormed in. They marched forward and surrounded us all, shouting out orders and telling us to move.

There were several protests and cries of complain, children wailing and demanding to be sent to their families, but that only wound up with them getting smacked or even beat with a riding crop. I flinched at the sight. To make matters worse some of the goons even released pōkemon from little black pōkeballs. They were supposed to be designed to keep pōkemon comfortable after being captured, but I had a bad feeling Team Rocket's did the exact opposite.

Several weird dog pōkemon appeared, colored in shades of black and dark greys, eyes an even brighter red than Mistress Augusta's. One of the children shrieked, saying something about how we were going to get devoured by evil Mightyena. Is that what those pōkemon were called? It made sense. One growled at me and snapped its jaws, baring its fangs at me. It stood so close I could see my reflection in its teeth.

I'm so scared…

I curled my hands close to my chest, meeting its gaze fearfully. That was when the dog-like pōkemon paused, face scrunching up. Its nose twitched and I flinched, watching as it neared. Was it going to bite me? I could feel it sniffing my hand. I tried not to move, holding my breath for as long as I could, and jolted when I felt something wet run across my fingers. My eyes opened and I blinked, staring at it stunned. It was… licking me?

"Huh? Mightyena, what are you doing?" One of the grunt's demanded, reaching out with the riding crop and smacking it hard against its side. The pōkemon whined loudly as it got slashed, a small cut forming on its side. I cried out in protest when the grunt did it again, the man punishing it for showing a gentler side. "You're supposed to scare them! Not comfort them!"

"L-Leave it alone!" I reached out for the pōkemon, attempting to shield it, and screamed when I felt an intense pain rip against my back. "Aaughh! S-Stop!" I crumpled against the Mightyena, the two of us laying on the ground. It let out a noise and growled, barking at the grunt and tearing up when he hit it again. I had no doubt my back was bleeding from the beating. "S-Stop…!"

"Get off my pōkemon! I'm trying to teach it a lesson, you brat!"

"Hey, now!" One of the men said, smacking his ally on the shoulder. "Remember what Rich said? We're supposed to call her Grunt. According to Velga she doesn't have a name!"

"What? Ha!" The man laughed. He narrowed his eyes and grinned savagely. "In that case… take this! Hyah!"

He reeled his leg back and kicked me hard in the side, forcing me off the Mightyena and sending me sprawling painfully against the metal floor with a pained whimper. The pōkemon pushed itself onto its feet, wobbling for a moment, before it turned on its owner with an angry look. It barked its name over-and-over again, as if trying to threaten the man. The rest of the children were all huddled together, fearful of this situation and understanding that this could be them if they acted out. If they behaved as I did… they would be beaten just as badly.

This bloody visual would forever haunt them.

"The hell is wrong with you? Obey me!" He made to smack at the pōkemon again, but Mightyena dodged and lunged forward, sinking its teeth hard into the man's arm. He screeched loudly, blood gushing everywhere as his flesh was torn open. "G-Get ooooofff! Aggggh! M-Mistress, help me!"

"S-Stop it; you're hurting him!" I cried out, reaching an hand out in pathetic attempt to get the pōkemon to stop. This violence was not something I wanted to witness. I was still learning about myself even now, but it was clear that I hated others getting hurt. "L-Let go! You'll tear his arm off-!"

I broke out into several pained coughs, wrapping an arm around my side. I think he bruised one of my ribs with that kick. This body was so small and frail. My bones weren't that strong yet. The Mightyena glared at the man for a moment longer before releasing his arm, but not before clawing at the hand that held the riding crop to force it away. "Rrrrrruff! Mightyena! Might! Grrruh!"

The other pōkemon looked at each other, uncertain now, watching as the rebel Mightyena walked circles around me protectively. I reached out and pressed a hand against the pōkemon's back, jolting when I saw it turn its gaze towards me. Though shaking, I carefully began to pet it. "G-Good job… doggy. Um. Please, don't eat people?" Its red eyes brightened upon hearing the praise, though I wasn't quite sure if it understood me as well as Chancey did. It must be able to sense my emotions or smell my fear, or something of that sort.

Mistress Augusta narrowed her eyes. "Grunt, was it? Release that Mightyena at once."

The pōkemon whirled around and barked at the woman, and slowly the other Mightyena began to join it. The defiance of one had caused the confidence of several others to arise, and soon a group of eight dog-like pōkemon were trying to intimidate the single woman. Her eyebrow raised and her lips tilted up, a hand raising in the air to brush a curl out of her face.

"Oh? You dare turn your fangs towards me? For a little girl you just met…?"

I have a bad feeling. Something terrible is about to happen; I can feel it. This woman… though it was not visible in the slightest, there was a malevolent aura radiating from her form. Her eyes were colder than ice itself, void of all emotion. These pōkemon… they were nothing but a nuisance to her. To all these Team Rocket people.

"Very well. In that case…" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small object, but when she clicked the button that was on the side it began to spark with electricity. A whip. "I'll simply have to teach you a lesson. To the labs you must go!"

What!? No!

I clung to the Mightyena, fearful of it getting even further hurt, but there were far too many for me to be able to protect. I was forced to watch as each pōkemon got cruelly shocked by Mistress Augusta, her strange weapon electrocuting them into unconsciousness. They barked and bit at her, but she expertly dodged and blocked each move with incredible speed. Soon all the Mightyena were down except the one I was holding, the pōkemon glaring defiantly at the woman.

Mistress Augusta stepped forward, walking over the fallen pōkemon with ease. Her cold eyes met mine, sending shivers down my spine. "Step away, Grunt."

Speak. Defend the pōkemon. Do something. Don't just sit there in quiver in fear! Frick.

"I… I won't."

There was no hesitation. Her eyes narrowed and then the electric whip in her hand crackled, pain erupting throughout my entire body. A scream ripped out of my throat and for a moment the world went black. When my eyes opened again the Mightyena were gone and so were the other children, leaving me alone in what appeared to be an infirmary. Several bandages were wrapped around my limbs, most likely from burns I had suffered from the electric currents.

I was very dazed and confused, but one of the doctors said that this would be the only time I would get treatment after misbehaving. They can't have a new recruit dying out just yet, not before I could be trained for battle. They said this all with a matter-of-fact voice, no emotion leaking into their words.

When I was finally healed up and was ready to be sent to the room where I would be staying I was surprised to see two pairs of bunkbeds. The area almost reminded me of the Pōkecenter, but it was a lot less… heartwarming. Everything lacked decoration or color, save for a few posters that were advertising Team Rocket and their goals, and the oath we were going to be forced to memorize and pledge.

Monsters. I hated them.

A part of me, the worst piece of my heart, hoped they burned.

Remaining silent was more difficult than I thought it would be.

I discovered something after spending several days here in this underground hideout and that was the fact that I apparently loved to talk. All the other children were scared or despondent, often breaking down in the middle of training and taking beatings, or having nightmares in the middle of the night about their family members. Some even dreamt about how they were going to fail the next class and get beaten, shocked, or worse.

I found myself inadvertently throwing on a smile when around them, trying to cheer them up with random nonsense. Asking them what they liked, what their favorite foods were, if they had a favorite pōkemon, and what they were most looking forward to when we finally got out of this prison. They seemed surprised whenever I asked that last one, having found escape hopeless. The children earnestly believed they were going to live and die here.

Especially after they witnessed what had happened to me and the Mightyena…

No one ever told me what happened to those poor creatures, but I had a fairly educated guess and it made me want to throw up.

Were they put down for trying to help me? Mistress Augusta said something about a lab, so were they experimenting on them? All the worst case scenarios flew to mind, making me feel sick. My stomach churned and I struggled to focus on the tasks at hand, passing written tests with ease as they tested our knowledge about the basic things. Math, language skills, so on so forth. It was all pretty elementary stuff, which made sense given our ages, but those that showed exceptional intellect were moved into higher classes. I ended up being one of those people.

At least… until the math grew more difficult and I no longer understood what the numbers and symbols meant. It was mind boggling. Reading about pōkemon helped further my knowledge about them and we children were forced to practice battling with them. Most of the fights ended up with their trainer and pōkemon badly maimed, and I found myself in the infirmary more than once. The poor Skitty I was partnered with only knew how to sing and tackle, and was weak to most of his opponents. It was heartbreaking and I wanted nothing more than to take him away and keep him somewhere safe.

The other children made fun of me for having such a lackluster pōkemon, and their bullying only started to get worse when the grunts encouraged them to make fun of others- praising them and telling them what good jobs they were doing. Eventually it led to those very children, the ones whom I had worked so hard to cheer up, to start tripping me during physical endurance tests and pushing me into pitfalls before I could jump over them. One of those instances left me with a badly broken left wrist, a loud and horrible cracking noise echoing in my ears. I ended up letting out an ear-splitting shriek before I clamped my mouth shut, squeezing my eyes closed and taking very shallow, pained breaths to try and remain calm.

I-I had to keep going. That promise I made a year ago- I had to keep it.

We were going to meet again.

The tears were hot against my face as I reached up against the pitfall's sidewall, digging the fingers of my right hand into the dirt. It was a deep hole, leaving me struggling to get out with just one active hand. Deciding to ignore the pain by biting my lip as hard as I could, even to the point where it bled, I used the fingers on my leg to help climb. More than once I thought I was going to fall, but I was not going to just give in.

These children… we've only been here for a year and they were already being molded into Team Rocket goonies. The older ones showed a bit more resistance, but the littler children were submitting to their demands out of sheer fear. If they were praised for bad behavior they would show bad behavior, even if it meant leaving those like me to rot in the dust.

I rammed my left elbow hard onto the ground surface above me, using what little strength I had left to pull myself up. My vision was bleary and my skull was throbbing, but I had made it. That was good enough for now. Coughing from the exertion, I waited a few moments before standing when I heard Rich whistle angrily at me to get up and start moving. I glared at him from the corner of my eyes and started to jog, cradling my wounded wrist to my chest. It hurt so much…

Just why did we have to be subject to such torture?

I weakly vaulted over several metal bars in average succession, gasping for air as my lungs began to burn. This body was so weak. Curses. I needed water. "A-Almost…!" A member from the red team, a boy named Lassiter, came over and sneered, watching as I struggled. His violet eyes twinkled with mischief and he moved over, running ahead of me.

"Hurry it up, Grunt! You're lagging behind!"

Shut up. Leave me alone. I'm trying my hardest! Everything just hurts and it makes it hard to run, nonetheless jog. I watched as he latched onto the the bars above us, swinging on them and letting go to reach the ledge on the opposite side. I came a halt, realizing very quickly I would not be able to make it with just one good arm. If I kept trying use my left hand as badly injured as it was… there would be some serious repercussions. I could barely even feel my fingers; they were gradually growing numb.

Several more children dashed by me, dressed in blue or red depending on their teams, and I watched with uncertain eyes as they flew by. I was starting to find the entire situation hopeless myself, being faced with such an impossible task. I winced when several children shrieked when they fell down into the marsh below, winding up covered in mud and leaves. Some of those trying to swing from the bars ended up kicking at each other, even selfishly clinging to another when they fell as they didn't want to land into the marsh. One of the kids had even hit their heads off of a large rock hidden in the murky water, leaving them with a bloody forehead and a bad concussion.

"Move it, Grunt!" Rich snapped. "Or do you want to deal with Mistress Augusta!? Remember last time!?"

No. No, no, no. Please.

My eyes went wide and my breath caught in my throat, recalling the awful way she punished me for refusing to make Skitty fight several months ago. Ever since I woke up in Rustboro I had been terrified of water and… the Mistress had figured this out rather quickly. And I don't mean scared of it like when it's in a glass, but more of when it's raining heavily or there's a large body of it nearby- like a pond or river. I always freeze up, trapped in this suffocating nightmare of being inside an unmoving cold, flailing desperately to try and break to the surface, unable to ever reach freedom.

Mistress used her knowledge of my fear to get me to behave.

When she first approached me it didn't take long for me to understand what she had meant; she was making a warning, a threat, and a promise all in one. After the lecture she had gripped me by the hair, tangling her long nails into it to make sure I couldn't break free, and she had shoved my face into a low sink filled with cold water and ice cubes. A throbbing ache filled my head after she forced me back to the surface, the sadistic woman having watched as I sputtered and coughed and gagged. And then she did it again. And again. Until she was certain I had learned my lesson.

I had found myself sprawled across the cold metallic floor after that session, drifting into darkness.

Deeper… and deeper… into an abyss.

In that abyss there was a feeling of ice spreading down into my bones, reaching out to touch the very tips of my fingers and the bottoms of my toes. The frost had spread all over my skin, the cold and wildly moving water dragging me further below. I could see nothing through the darkness, arms growing numb and useless. My chest had burned and my lungs ached, feeling like someone poured hot lava into them.

I had fallen away into a deep and very lucid sleep, giving in to the pain and exhaustion that had encompassed me. I questioned the point of survival when it all seemed so pointless then, finding myself agreeing with the other children- escape truly was a dream too far out of reach. I didn't want to die, but what was the point of this everlasting nightmare? Eternal sleep almost sounded like a better option.

My will and heart were being beaten down through the time I spent here, leaving me defenseless to Team Rocket's cruel and unlawful abuse. Mistress Augusta knew this. She was pushing me, tearing me away into nothing. She was determined to break my will. My heart. I couldn't fight her. I was trapped in a losing battle.

"What's the matter?"

A voice had then called out through the darkness. It cut through the black like a light, and suddenly there were hands around mine gently pulling me forwards. Lifting me up, trying to set me on my feet. They were so warm and encouraging, and next thing I knew they were wrapped around my shoulders tightly in an embrace- soft and almost not even there. The remnant of a far-away memory. I couldn't make out his face.

"We'll always be friends, alright? Even after you find your family."

Those eyes of his had been so intense; so determined and warm, filled with the genuine desire to help others. That promise we made to meet again, to travel together- it rang through my mind and my heart swelled up with the desire to live. I hadn't gotten this far just to give in. I had a friend to return to.

"Don't forget about me, you hear!?"

He would never forgive me if I failed to return the dawn stone to him. I was going to find him and hand it back, that way he can finally show his dad the stone he carved out from the cave he had been playing in.

Spitting, wheezing, and snorting out the water that had shot up my nostrils, I was far too busy trying to get oxygen back into my aching lungs to respond to the Mistress when she spoke to me. I felt exhausted, as if all the energy had been drained out of my body. Brown eyes drifted to look up at the woman, staring at her weakly and with recognition that, if nothing else, she was a threat. She held life-and-death in her hands.

My life.

And she knew that.

Because when I didn't answer she had simply smiled at me and then I was being dragged over to the sink, forced to be in the water again.

But that memory, that single desire to hold on to that single important friendship, had gotten me through that terrible event with Mistress Augusta. It was what led to me standing here now, struggling to figure out the best way to tackle the adult monkey bars. They were seriously insane by expecting us to do this… but those with great athletic ability were doing well.

Taking a shaky breath, I took several steps back to try and get another headstart. Rich continued to yell at me, threatening me with more punishments, but I ignored him. I needed to focus. This was going to either go exactly as planned or end up as a total failure, so… I had to concentrate. My eyes narrowed and I blinked away the tears, keeping my breathing as levelled as possible, and I began to run.

My feet pounded against the ground, black boots kicking up dirt, and then I lunged. I jumped into the air and grasped the bars with both hands, silencing a scream as I swung my legs back-and-forth. My left hand kept trying to slip, the numbness growing even stronger as sharp pain-like needles shot through the limb, making it very hard to keep a hold of the metal. I had to hurry.

I shook my body and latched onto the next one, barely clinging on with one arm, and latched onto the next bar with my numbing hand. I almost fell as a result when I let go with my right, body weight too much for that poor limb to handle, but I had grabbed the next bar just in time. A small cry escaped my lips in the process, shoulder feeling as if it were going to burst out of the socket at any second. I wasn't even halfway across. If I could get a few more bars over I might be able to just swing my way over like a madman without having to rely on the bars individually.

Just pure momentum and velocity.

"H...Hraaaah!"

Again. Again. Again!

"G-Guh…"

It hurts. It hurts so much. I can't keep holding on. I have to swing now- before my arm gives out!

I thrust my body forwards as hard as I could using the momentum of my swing, letting go at the last possible moment. I could see the marsh fly beneath me, the kids inside the mud struggling to get out watching with surprise at my behavior. I could see the ground growing nearer, the ledge getting closer and closer, but… something was wrong.

Because I had used only one arm the trajectory was slightly off. I found myself shrieking as I crashed rolled hard onto the earth, wrist even more pained as something tore the flesh open. The bone- it was completely snapped. Blood was everywhere and I found myself arching my back, head lolling to the side as I strangled the screams- only muffled noises of pain able to be heard through my bared teeth.

Rich scoffed, though there was something in his expression. Not just amusement, but… intrigue. Curiosity. None of the other children had attempted such a maneuver. He knew I had high marks in my classes, being rather advanced despite my age, but my athletic ability was lacking. This only proved it, yet it also showed something else.

Dedication to reach my goal… and the willingness to do whatever it took to reach it.

And this was proven when I struggled to stand, world spinning and vision blurring, limping through the rest of the course. Once I reached the finish line I collapsed, falling to the ground and curling into a fetal position.

Rich blew the whistle again and marched over, a wicked grin on his lips as he knelt down beside me. He rested his arms against his knees, observing my wound for a moment. "Hmph. We'll stick the bone back in, but the healing will be on its own. Think of it as your punishment for not doing as told earlier, Grunt. Here."

My eyes remained tightly closed as he lifted me up into his arms, the man calling out to the Blue Team observer.

"Oi, Velga! I'm taking this one to the doc; you keep watch over the brats!"

"Ugh! You're awful! You better not stick me on babysitting duty later, too!"

He rolled his eyes at the woman's behavior. "Whatever. Just be glad I had the time in my schedule to help you out here, wench."

"Hmph."

Crooked.

It took several months for my wrist to be usable again and, even then, I still couldn't use my fingers the way I wanted to. Part of my arm was numb as well. At least the glove helped hide the disfigurement, though it did nothing for actual functionality. Rich had been keeping a closer eye on me after the incident, acting even stricter than usual and putting me through more rigorous training. Eventually he pulled me away from the other trainees to help him out with the infants and toddlers, going so far as to have me take over for him so he could slip away and help Velga train the others.

He really hated babysitting these kids. Still, it was a nice relief from all the constant stress… and I found myself trying to make several of the babies laugh. A lot of them just stared at me with big eyes, watching my every movement. I really had no idea how to interact with them and holding them freaked me out, as they were so fragile and breakable, and I didn't want to drop them. My crooked wrist made it all the more difficult to carry them.

I found myself trying to take comfort in the fact that it wasn't my right hand, as that was my dominant.

Caring for these young ones spanned over the course of several years. When I was nine our numbers, kids and infants, had doubled in size. I found myself getting especially attached to a rather sickly baby- one with dark skin and a curly mop of red hair. Rich was convinced he was going to die and didn't seem all to willing to help him out, and told me I was fool for trying. No matter how disgusting it could sometimes be I changed the diapers of the infants and toddlers, clothed them, bathed them, raised them. I nursed him back to health.

Though, as he had yet to be given a name, I decided to call him something- a title that eventually stuck because I had even gotten the other goonies to use it out of sheer habit.

Adrien.

It seemed to fit him somehow, what with his big blue eyes. Once the baby recovered from his illness he ended up being the sweetest little thing, always smiling and giggling at me, and grabbing at my fingers. For a baby he had such a strong grip. It was so cute. I closed my eyes and sighed, glancing around the rest of the room at the other little ones solemnly. Some had already graduated into taking classes and being forced into the Team Rocket training force, separated into Blues and Reds.

Several times Mistress Augusta tormented me with that wretched sink, even going so far as to punish me with battle against water pōkemon. How many innocent creatures have Team Rocket stolen and forced to submit to their command? My poor Skitty was taken from me by the Mistress, for I had shown him too much kindness, and I had no means to defend myself. I was the only trainee without a pōkemon now.

Who knew what was even being done to that poor Skitty? Being tortured or experimented on, maybe even… killed.

I took a shaky breath, fighting the tears that tried to form.

I would give anything to avoid having these poor children be forced to go through such torment like I have. Being conformed to Team Rocket's ideals like the others. Taught that cruelty and villainy was the only way in this world. I needed… to save them somehow. But how? It wasn't as if I could just march on down to the labs and free the pōkemon that were being abused, or take on everyone that was in this hideout. I was just a kid.

A child that… has long-since been broken.

If I still had Skitty I could at least put the others to sleep… long enough to maybe find the control room and screw with everyone. Open the front doors, perhaps. Although between all the warp and arrow tiles… it would be a feat to even get there. I would have to gain the higher ups trust first. What a pain. Who knew how long that would take? Probably several more years.

Which meant… Adrien might be subjected to torture by then.

I can't let that happen.

At least I knew where the hideout was located after looking through enough maps and memorizing the layout of Hoenn. When they grabbed me so long ago from the Pōkecenter we had been in Rustboro; that meant they drove me out somewhere near Petalburg- estimated to be just east off of Route 104.

During the night I would sleep without any covers and use my arms for pillows, staring at the old wall across from me and trying to recall the face of the boy who saved me. The warmth from the one nurse who brought me clothes and hot chocolate. What were their names again? It's been so long I had trouble remembering. The boy's face was blurring away quickly, especially since I had only really seen him once. The only true part of him that I easily recalled were his eyes- such a strong, determined blue. I found myself fiddling with the dawn stone, placing all my hopes and worries into that one little object, trying to plot the best course of action to take to eventually get out of here.

I had several of the goons daily routines memorized, but Velga and Rich kept moving around the place. They were acting so restless these days. Did Mistress Augusta bother them or does the big boss, Giovanni, have them stressed out? I almost felt bad for them, but then bitterness took over and I found myself uncaring. So long as it wasn't me or the other children that were getting hurt it didn't really matter.

We were all just seeds inside of a large garden. Some, like myself, were considered weeds and were left to rot away and die out. At the beginning when I was first brought here Mistress Augusta certainly thought I was a virus in her perfect system; a poisonous bud in her garden of purity. She was going to have me eaten alive and shredded by pesticide until there was nothing left.

But since Rich had me take over watching the little ones for him… she's been less harsh.

That wretched woman still tormented me whenever she could, spewing insults and talking about how worthless I was compared to the other trainees. She would smack me with the back of her hand when I so much as looked away from her and, on the bad days, she'd use her riding crop and leave several large bruises on my back. Most days it hurt to move… but it wasn't as bad as before. The other children actively avoided me and the woman no longer tried to drown me. I still had nightmares of that, though I found I had nightmares frequently whenever I did sleep. I don't recall a single night that I had a painless dream.

At least they fed me well enough- I wasn't so skinny that my ribs were visible, but I wasn't full enough to hide them either. I was a very small child and needed more nutrition than they were giving me. It must be because I wasn't in the main training course now. Rich had, for some god awful reason, pulled me aside into private training- making me run the obstacle track alone. I got through it a lot easier without the others pushing and tripping me, but… my wrist made things difficult.

I could grab things without fear of falling, but my fingers were partially numb. It was a bit more challenging. Rich would start timing me, telling me to get through the obstacles within a few minutes, and if I failed I would be sent to Mistress Augusta for punishment. One time she showed me the labs where the disobedient or captured pōkemon would be sent, as she knew it would mess with me, and I was never the same since. Her clawed hands curled around my shoulders as she smiled, watching as I stared in horror at the scene before us.

Then, without a word, she turned me back around and forced me to march out of the room.

My hands shook constantly after that and I found myself tapping my fingers against random surfaces, trying to distract myself as my mind played songs I didn't even really know. I was convinced the pōkemon and I didn't deserve the punishments, but it was hard to keep believing it when every day there was more abuse waiting for us all. And yet everyday I pushed through it, did what I normally did, and went so far as to help the toddlers walk around the nursery room. Carrying them hurt me, but I wanted to give them as much affection as possible. They needed to feel loved in this dark place… even if it was only for a short time.

A part of me wondered if I would even survive to see them grow up into the monsters Team Rocket was determined to make them become.

Read and Review! :D And if any of you are worried about Jesse and James, don't be. They'll show up when ORAS starts. I have many plans for that perfect duo and Meowth. For now we're focusing on Kanto with Velga and Rich.