Locked Away, Chapter 39
Ash's head was spinning, possibly because of the exhaustion, even more possibly from the stars projecting from his eyes after the lavender haired man smashed Ash's head against the concrete wall of the sewer. Above them, latched onto the ladder above, the maroon haired woman yanked the man-hole cover closed, and gently made her way down, heels clacking against the metal.
Each thump sounded like an alarm going off in Ash's head. His hands were tied behind his back, pikachu and togepi were at his feet, weakened, tired, exhausted, but ready to fight. Even togepi seemed prepared to lunge forward at their perpetrators, but pikachu waited; recognizing the people in front of him, as well. Worriedly, the small rodent looked to Ash for support, but the dazed trainer could offer none.
"You're those two from the party!" Misty hissed, jarring a nearly unconscious Ash back to reality.
He sat forward, watching as who he believed was Jessie and James step forward to haul the three of them to their feet; unlike Ash's original belief, Misty and Brock were not tied together, rather, they had been seated together by the professionals. How pathetic, to be taken down so quickly! However, he still had pikachu, and they could still get away. Maybe.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelped, though shortly after, the duo raised their hands.
"We don't want any trouble." The females voice crooned, tired like an old woman, though her features remained stoic and strong, aside from a wrinkle here and there, she looked young still. Who Ash believed was James, crossed his arms, and stroked the length of his chin a few times, assessing the situation as pikachu looked back and forth; confused on what to do. Should he attack? or...
"All you ever want is trouble!" Ash countered deciding to fight. He delivered the words with such a power that pikachu faced Jessie and James with his cheeks alive in electricity. Togepi prepared as well, twisting his arms left and right, though before either could act, Jessie and James swooped down, and collected the two pokemon into small bags, which effectively subdued their attacks.
"Chuu!" the mouse screamed, lights emerging from the bag, but nothing else; togepi thrust its small paws in each direction and Ash shook his head at the duos abnormal speed—but of course, he, and his pokemon were both extremely fatigued; they were probably all moving too slow.
"Let them go!" Ash demanded with the authority of a child.
"You were about to attack us." James screeched in a shrill voice, eyebrows raised.
"You attacked us first!" Misty called, having maneuvered herself to reach her pokeballs, though was shocked when she realized they weren't there. "Where are my pokemon!?" She yelled, wobbling on her feet.
Three belts jingled across from them, held tightly in James grasp as he watched the life in the trio's eyes fade very slowly. "You mean these?" he said in a mock tone. "You should keep a better eye on your things."
"I guess you two earned your nicknames after all." Brock grunted standing beside Misty.
Ash flinched, fighting against the cuffs behind him—willing them to break while inwardly wondering: What now? What could be at the end of this? They were bound, their pokemon taken, and in a dark sewer. Outside, they were truly being chased by the bad guys. Now he had to choose the lesser of all evils.
Struggling in the bag still, Ash saw pikachu's paws bulge from the bag at all sides, as well as togepi's shrill cries, and his shoulders slumped. The lesser evil, was the one who wasn't trying to shoot guns at them. Stole their pokemon, threw them into a sewer, yes—but right now, there was no immediate danger. Ash sighed bravely, puffing his chest up with a fresh breath of air, then released once more.
"What do you two want?" He asked, distinctly realizing only now that their third member was missing. "Where's Meowth?" Ash asked skeptically, looking around. For a moment, Jessie seemed startled.
With the elegance of a queen, she leered at Ash while leaning over to whisper into James ear, he appeared troubled, then after closing his green eyes, he opened them to nod to the group.
"Follow us." James demanded, walking around the trio to the back of the group while Jessie waved them forward. Unlike Brock, and Ash, who seemed to go along with the demands quietly, realizing they were in no place to bargain; the former red-headed fury was hard to silence, moreover, she was frustrated with Brock and Ash's easy compliance. She stomped her foot in much of the same fashion she did when she was a child.
"So what is this? You chase us through the forest, set a trap, only to drop us in the sewer!?" Misty inhaled, bumping shoulders with her companions. They walked out to the stream of the sewage system, the smell made her nose hairs curl and her stomach churn, but she pressed forward with no reply. Their steps bounced off the concrete walls.
"Damn it!" She cursed. "Who are you people!? Did the Elite Four set you up to this!? The police?! Team fucking Rocket!? Ash these are those crooks from your dreams, aren't they? Say something to them!" Her voice carried, causing both Brock and Ash to wince.
"Misty.. calm down." Ash tried, but her green eyes blazed into his soul angrily.
"I will not calm down until someone answers me! We've been shot at, chased down, and now our pokemon have been stolen! If this is it, then I want to know what the hell has been going on!" She yelped loudly, huffing; her face turned red from anger from her struggle against the binds, and Brock knew from her posture that if she had a chance, she would crack the hand cuffs over the duos head in a heart beat.
A very long pause enveloped the group which only fueled Misty's rage. She huffed once more, but before she could speak, a very solemn voice bellowed in front of her.
"What's the difference?" Jessie spoke quietly.
Ash wasn't sure that he heard the woman correctly at first, his head cocked to look at Misty's expression of shock, then to Brock's. Before knowing it himself, Ash's lips started to move.
"What does that mean?" he questioned aloud, earning a jab from James to nudge them forward faster.
No answer.
"What does that mean?!" Both Ash and Misty's voice rang in absolute panic, though luckily for them, Brock was between them. With the imaginary comfort of his arms around their shoulders, and a quiet 'shh', they two relaxed.
"Guys, calm down. I don't think we're in a situation to ask the questions." He nudged his chin forward to show the two of them that while Jessie and James were not immediately violent, they had the means to do so. A small, metallic item hung in a holster on Jessie's hip while she held the two struggling pokemon with one hand.
"Chaa" Pikachu moaned painfully, finally slumping against the imprisonment, and Ash's voice returned to him.
"It's okay, guys. We'll get through this." Ash told his two pokemon, trying to sound as convincing as possible. James scoffed behind him, eliciting a cold, chill down Ash's spine while he swallowed hard, and looked to his companions for support.
Brock was stoic, in that same-powerful gym leader gaze, he put up a front as strong as any wall. Brock, who was usually the most relaxed of the three of them, was also the most mature; at least, from what Ash knew of him. The face of a man prepared for anything.
Misty was another story entirely, her lips were drawn into a scowl, her eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits, and her head was cocked away from the group, staring into the sewer stream that ran between the concrete beside them. Even now, Ash could see the cogs in her mind working, trying to find a means to escape. James had their pokeball belts, but Jessie had some kind of weapon; which meant James most likely had one, as well. Misty gnawed her bottom lip painfully, searching for answers until finally she realized there were none; and that righteous, furious gleam in her eye faded as she realized they were beaten.
For a moment, Ash thought to say something to her; anything. A comforting phrase or comment that she was usually so good at reiterating to him when he was in the dumps, but nothing fortunate came to mind. He couldn't lie to her, tell her things would be okay, because he wasn't sure that they would be. He wanted to be optimistic, and perhaps it was the exhaustion thinking for him, but he couldn't see a way for this to end happily. Either way, they were goners.
Instead, his heart lurched and when she finally caught him staring, her sea-green eyes probably reflecting the same worry his own eyes had, his heart skipped; and his mouth opened to speak.
"Misty I-"
"Shh!"
Suddenly, they stopped. James threw the three of them flushed against the wall with Jessie's help. Gasping as they hit the solid concrete behind them, Brock groaned—likely his injured head only felt worse with the inclusion of more bumps, but now, the foot steps pounding in the sewers from the distance had Jessie and James worried.
"How did they find us?" James groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand.
"They must be tracking these twerps somehow." Jessie alluded, looking down the sewer in the direction that they came, then, her crystal blue eyes fell on the group they captured and she hissed. "Are your devices turned off?"
"Y-yes." Ash blurted out first. His nose scrunched up, glancing at Misty once more who once again had the fury of a hundred men in her eyes, and he sighed in relief. Brock, winced away from the woman when she turned each of them around to rip off their back packs.
"There has to be something else, sorry kids." Jessie grunt, and then threw them into running sewer below.
"Hey! That had-" Misty tried, but James gloved hand pressed firmly against her lips to silence her, an action she thought to bite him for.
Material items. Ash thought, trying to justify the fact that Jessie flung away their last means of survival. Ash's pokedex, Misty and Brock's phone; other small items Ash had been gifted over the year and become attached. He inhaled, but remained silent as the foot falls grew closer; the all knew better than to speak at this point.
It didn't take Misty long to realize that where Jessie and James were probably not good, they were atleastnot working with the crazy people who were shooting at them. Those men in black, with a small, red embroidery on their shoulders did not match the pure black, burglary outfits that the duo wore.
Brock was the next to realize, and opened his mouth the whisper. "We have a microchip that we found at the indigo league. It's in my right pocket." He spoke, twisting his hip to Jessie, who looked absolutely appalled. Her face turned green.
"...You're not just being perverted, are you?"
Brock looked genuinely disturbed, mouth opening. Despite the situation, Misty and Ash found it difficult not to chuckle along side James who silenced his chuckle by biting hard on his cheek.
"I would sooner cut off my tongue." Brock murmured with an eyebrow twitch that pressed Jessie into action. She fished the microchip out quickly, observed the small, red light that beeped on the front, then with one strong arm, chucked the microchip as far back into the sewer water as possible.
"Alright, that might have bought us some time." She nodded to James, who reeled Ash and Misty forward, while Jessie tugged on Brock.
"Move!" She hissed, lunging them forward. "And stay quiet!"
While, they still questioned what was going to happen to them; where they were going, and what Jessie and James wanted. Right now, they were helping them get away from the elite force of jack-asses behind them, so neither member of the trio felt the urge to complain while they were hustled down the foul-smelling sewer system.
XOXs
By the time an hour had passed in the sewers, Ash wasn't sure if his feet were still moving anymore. If it wasn't for the fact that he saw progress by not being yelled at, he would have been convinced he took a nap a few minutes ago. Muscle memory pushed him forward, but his will was gone.
After the group threw the microchip away, the progressing footfalls behind them disapeared into the distance, somewhere far, far away, until only the occasional drip of water echoed along their steps, a huff from one of them, and shrill orders from the maroon haired woman at the front. James would occasionally whistle mindlessly, only to be silenced immediately from Jessie, and while they bickered briefly, Ash would check up on his companions. His stomach felt twisted inside watching his friends' torment; never had he truly witnessed suffering in his dreams, and prior to now, he never saw anyone else suffer; he was usually the one injured in some way.
Seeing them this way, tired and beaten, made his heart ache, and he felt like throwing up.
Apologies threatened to pour out of his mouth—but nothing would have come from such words except retaliation from Jessie and James, who were clearly in favor of remaining quiet. A small, distant part of him still prayed that they were helping the trio, but given their current position; he wondered.
For the first three quarters of the hour, Ash tried to check up on everyone; now, he wasn't so sure that he, himself, was well enough to be asking. His knees hurt; his forehead where he hit Brock earlier was throbbing, and if possible, every muscle felt torn and on fire. However, it was still only the second worst he has ever felt—right behind that ordeal in Kalos when the world was spinning, and he was burning up and freezing cold at the same time.
Brock wasn't much better, his head ached to the point of a migraine, behind the strong composure that wavered very seldom, his body was just as sore as Ash's, if not more. His feet, from the previous day's walk, were on fire from the blisters beneath his socks, his back ached from the fall from the train—and that didn't even start the pain in his head. Jack hammers drilling through solid concrete came to mind, and even the distant sound of drips were starting to weigh heavy on his patience and pain tolerance. However, he didn't complain, they weren't running anymore, and they weren't dead. Brock would make it through this, though he kicked himself mentally.
He spent hours looking at that stupid microchip, he should have known better. They were designed to track pokemon, he should have known right away that they were being followed—they were defeated before they ever started this journey; they probably knew that they were going to Saffron City from the very beginning. Those people, whoever they were, were a step ahead of them from the very start, and at his core, he might have believed he was the cause of this.
Beside the two boys, Misty walked the closest to the sewer water—it was the stinkiest place to stand, but it kept her away from James and Jessie, who both seemed too finicky to stand too close to the stream themselves. Time and time again, she thought about throwing herself into the water, but there was no telling what kind of diseases and bacteria were alive in the brown-green sewage system. Only as a last resort, she told herself with a loud sigh.
When she wasn't focused on the smell, she was focused on her friends, and the two bags that Jessie carried. Togepi and pikachu hadn't moved in well over thirty minutes—they either fell asleep, or worse. Though, Misty couldn't find the strength to speak. Ash was the only one of the three to talk, with his words being replied with groans mostly from Brock, and silent shrugs from the former-redhead. They were in no situation to speak to one another, and while a part of her wanted to, in fear she wouldn't get another chance to talk to the two few them, another part of her knew this wasn't over yet. She wasn't going to prepare for the worst, because whatever was going on, this was only the beginning.
From the start of their trek through the tunnel, Ash was forcefully pressing forward, trying to remain calm and even stubbornly optimistic, against all odds. Now that his feet shuffled, and he stumbled off and on, Misty exhaled, taking a few steps to the left to his side, and nudged him gently.
"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, watching his sleepy expression fade for a slightly-more alert one. He stared up at her with large eyes, then nodded very solemnly before looking forward once again defeated. More so, now that the microchip they hoped would give them the evidence and information that they needed to finally move forward, was gone. Misty wondered exactly how they wound up here. It was never supposed to be this complicated.
Political battles, media reports, rule overturns, riots, petitions; Misty expected anything but this. Being chased through a forest, being shot at and attacked at the league party—Ash being accused of kidnapping her and the entire league hunting them down. Now this, the fact that Team Rocket was supposed to be controlling them from the distance—pulling the strings...
"What's the difference?" Jessie's words echoed through Misty's mind, and while her nose scrunched up, she felt angry all over, and against the aches and exhaustion, she exhaled.
"Are you going to tell us where we're going now?" She groaned, breathing life back into Brock and Ash. "You're clearly not working with whoever those guys were, but you're still up to something, and we want answers!"
"Man, you don't stop, do you?" Jessie groaned looking back at Misty who scowled. Watching her outburst, Ash inhaled as well, invigorated.
"Why are you helping us?" Ash followed her question with another, which caused Jessie's back to stiffen.
"Helping you?" She hissed, turning one cold eye over her shoulder. "What made you think we were helping you?" She barked, the words followed immediately by complete, and total darkness.
XOXs
Execution came to mind when Ash woke from his dreamless state. Darkness faced him once more, courtesy of the blindfold tied over his head tightly. He was on his left side; trying to recall his last waking moments.
Some kind of drug, chloroform, a drug famous in those crime movies Misty liked to watch came to mind. He wasn't sure when they used it though—maybe they used tranquilizers instead? Ash listened for a short while for footsteps around them, but found that it was silent. If they did use chloroform, would have the three of them out in seconds—but why wait so long before using it? Ash pawed at the ground behind him with his cuffed hands, feeling solid, wooden floors beneath him while trying to wiggle his head free of the blindfold to no avail. It was tight against his flesh like a mask. Struggling, he tried to move to his knees when a slow breath beside him halted his movement.
"Misty?" He bit his tongue. "Pikachu? Togepi?" He called into the room, unable to smell anything other than the stench of dust and decay, which embedded his nostrils. Usually, Misty smelled like wildflowers and distinct chlorine, a scent he became so accustomed to over the year that he could find her easily. Now, he only smelled dirt, and his nose hairs curled. No reply, only another breath. Ash rolled over onto his right side, bumping against another body that was larger than his, Brock's most likely.
"Hey, Brock." Ash scoffed sarcastically, trying to wake his friend with a shoulder thrust, though he did not budge. With a groan, Brock moved away from Ash, and the latter sighed.
Ash turned over once more, and then sat up with his best attempt to remove his blindfold. Jarring his head back and forth, he tried using his shoulders, wiggling his eyebrows and nose, but to no avail. He fell backwards, facing what he believed was the ceiling, and released a loud, painstaking sigh.
Whatever they got themselves into, this was it. This was the end. After months of preparation, planning, and training; the people he never truly believed were bad from his dreams, left them in some kind of cell to rot. Took his pokemon, and injured his friends. His chest hurt, for the second time that day, some deeply embedded mark in his heart that cried at him for the second time while he looked what he believed to be death in the eye.
They were alone, somewhere far away from home or civilization, and would likely disappear to some jail cell where they would never be discovered again. A lump formed in Ash's throat, and he squeezed his eyes shut. No, he couldn't think like that! The three of them were smart, they would make it through this one way or another. Too many people were counting on them.
"Ash?" Misty voice cut through the silence, catching him off guard.
"You're awake!" he gasped, sitting forward. He heard her groan, and shift—discovering most likely, that her eyes were also covered.
"Where's Brock? And the pokemon?" She questioned while sitting forward. Ash gestured to Brock with his shoulders, and swallowed.
"Still out cold, I think." Ash hesitated, "I don't know where the pokemon are, and they haven't been here since I woke up.
"Oh.." Misty offered aloud. "Can you see anything?"
"No, they blindfolded me." Ash said quietly.
"Yeah, me too." She said halfheartedly, though her tone rang painful to listen to. Ash moved towards her voice, inhaling. Whether it was from the survival part of his mind, or the sudden urge that they might not make it, or simply because now was better than never—and what would make things worse than they already are? He faced her.
Ash swallowed nervously, a blush on his cheeks that Misty couldn't see, thankfully. "Misty, can we talk?"
"Err.. I guess?" She replied, though the tone of her mind seemed occupied.
"Well...it's about everything that has happened, and if we get separated—ahh-It's that—you know... I'm not giving up, it's just that...I wanted to say that..." He stammered, his lips falling into a slight scowl, struggling for the proper, or improper words when a feisty groan cut him off.
"Ash, shut up." She hissed angrily, her voice silencing the worry in his mind. "We're not going to get separated."
Suddenly, anger replaced the softness in his heart. "I'm not saying that, either. I'm just saying that if we do, there are some things I'd rather not leave unsaid!" He challenged her, only to be countered with a powerful tone.
"If you're going to have some kind of confession—it better not be a 'just in case we all die' scenario, Ash." Misty growled, her voice growing closer to his. His back stiffened, leaning back. How insulting! He was only trying to help the situation. His face was scarlet, not that she could see.
"C-confession? What confession!" he snapped in a shrill voice unlike his normal, deep tone. "I was going to tell you that you smell like sewer!" he mocked, covering his own embarrassment. If his hands had been free; he would have groaned into his palms and hidden away for the rest of his life.
Then, she laughed.
"That's the Ash I know." She chuckled, and even though he couldn't see it, he knew that she was grinning, and suddenly; he was too.
"Jeeze, Misty." He started, but she blatantly nudged forward, interrupting him.
"Come here." she ordered.
He echoed his concern, following her voice until her knees pressed against his. "Why?"
Once Misty felt his knees brush against her own, she sat forward urging Ash's instincts to move as well. His heart stalled for a moment when the heat of her face mixed with his own, and he held his breath moments before her lips collided with the blindfold on his face. Followed by teeth that gently nipped the flesh of his cheek.
"Ow!" Ash gasped in pure shock. "What are you doing?" he groaned, jerking away from her—he should have known better! When he moved, light stung his eyes from dust covered windows, and he hissed at the bright room around him. Suddenly the unpleasant smell made sense when he glanced at their surroundings, covered in rotting wooden walls, ruined, molded furniture, and the appearance of trash bag sized sleeping bags and a single source of light in the corner of the room. The sun, however, was making enough murky light to give Ash an instant headache.
"Well?" Misty prodded, waiting for Ash, who glanced back at her, betrayed, though unsure of why he felt so distrusting, his heart eased at the blush across her own features. He relaxed, and pursed his lips.
"Well what?"
"My blindfold." she groaned, puffing her frustration when Ash rolled his eyes and with a scarlet blush, leaned in to use the same technique she had on him. When the blindfold fell around her neck, she shook her short, black hair free, and glanced around the room. The sun was up, which meant that they survived the night, if nothing else. Her eyes lingered on his, embracing each stubborn mark, the purple and yellow over his right eye, the busted lip, and she heaved a loud sigh of relief, seeing that he was okay.
"We do need to talk." She urged, but then when Ash sat back and blinked, she licked her lips and her attention fell to Brock. "But not here." Misty added while turning her body away from the raven-haired boy.
"You don't see our pokemon anywhere?" She asked, blatantly avoiding Ash's gaze.
Ash followed her glance and they both moved on their knees to their sleeping companion, but said nothing. Her words needed time to sink in, and they had to worry about Brock before anything else. They all had to be okay first. Misty twisted at the last minute, until her hands were at Brock's head, and she pulled the blindfold down from his eyes, and felt his forehead for a fever then moved away.
"Brock." She tried, nudging his side with her knee, but he didn't move. "Hey, wake up." She tried again, a bit rougher. Ash watched her with slight amusement, and frowned.
"I think he needs the rest."
"Right, because you gave him a concussion." Enamored, Misty glanced at Ash with narrowed eyes, and Ash scoffed, trying to defend himself—though it was more than likely true at this point. Brock hasn't been himself since the train.
"He probably got it when he hit the ground..." He cleared his throat when he spoke, though it didn't make him feel any better.
"Which was also your idea." Misty offered heartlessly, and Ash glared at her.
"At least I'm trying!" he defended " Besides, what put you in such a horrible mood?" He accused, and Misty scowled.
"Oh, I don't know, we're handcuffed in an old dusty cabin with no idea where we are?" Ash cocked his head to one side at her sudden hostility; she was known for it—and had done so to him several times. When put in an awkward situation, she always reacted brash, that's a part of who she was. Ash knew this, so why he took the bait was beyond him—he opened his mouth to retaliate, but Brock's voice cut through the argument.
"Could you two not argue over me?" he groaned. "My head hurts enough without you two yelling at one another."
"You're okay!" Misty gasped while Brock sat forward on his bum. Ash exhaled and offered a smile.
"Did you have a nice nap?" Ash asked sarcastically, which was met with a frustrated, impatient scowl.
Brock looked to Misty for answers. "Did they drug us? I feel like my head has been hit by a semi-truck."
"I'm not sure, but my head hurts, too. That could be the dehydration though." Misty spoke, forcing herself to her feet, even if she didn't want to. She walked the distance of the small cabin while Ash found his way to his feet, and to the sleeping bags.
"They must have been living here." Ash acknowledged, kicking at the magazines on the floor, as well as the three sleeping bags on the floor.
"Do you see any keys? Have they been back?" Brock questioned, but both companions, staying oddly a rooms length away from one another, both shrugged.
"We just woke up a few minutes ago." Misty said, finding a slightly rusted paperclip and struggling to grab a hold of it before groaning when she dropped it on the floor.
"I can't do anything like this!" She yelled in frustration. Ash and Brock both turned to her, worriedly, and frowned.
"It's alright, Misty. We just need some time to think..." Brock tried to calm her when she fell to the ground, and against the binds of the handcuffs, slowly pulled her arms up and around her back, until they were between the back of her thighs and calves.
Both men panicked, hearing her bones crack under the twist of her body, and shuddering. Ash shut his eyes and looked away when she folded her knees to her chest, and then yanked her handcuffed wrists to the front of her body, and fell backwards on the dust covered floor, huffing.
"Flexible enough?" Brock remarked sarcastically, earning a pained glare from the woman when she sat up with better balance and flaunted her hands to them.
"Why don't one of you try it?" She scowled, bending over to collect the paperclip she dropped earlier, and then slowly started to straighten it out. Curiously, Ash pursed his lips, thinking of his own attempt at escaping handcuffs in that way. He bent over, trying to reach his arms to his thighs as Misty did, though his best attempt only made him fall over and cough in embarrassment.
Brock and Misty stiffened a laugh, through the mood was dire.
"It's not for everyone, champ." Brock half mocked.
Ash smacked his lips. "Thanks Brock." He crooned sarcastically, climbing to his feet once more as Misty twisted the paperclip into the lock on her hand cuff.
"Don't worry, I should be able to do this." Misty muttered in determination, bending the paperclip in several ways while twisting it into the lock to find the sweat spot. Ash and Brock looked at one another, and then back at Misty.
"Is there something you need to tell us?"
"I've never lock picked handcuffs before." Misty expressed while they boys crowded around her to watch her fingers move. "But it can't be too different than a door, right?"
Ash knew right away the culprit to teach Misty the ways of heinous lock picking was none other than her sister, Violet. The older woman had a wild side, that Ash mentally thanked for once. After the winding and cracking of her fingers against the metal frame, a click sounded, pouring relief into their souls.
"You did it!" Elated, Ash jumped while Misty rubbed her sore wrist and smiled herself. "We can do this guys! We have a chance to get out of here after all!" Ash bellowed confidently, earning the same confidence in his friends.
A few more minutes passed from fighting with her companions cuffs, she freed them as she did herself, and eventually, the three of them stretched to get the blood moving in their arms once again while they talked strategy. They needed to escape; but first, they needed to defend themselves if Jessie and James came back, and secondly, find their pokemon—there was no way any of them would leave without them.
"Why would they just leave us here?" Brock questioned, walking the perimeter of the cabin, and glancing out the window while Ash and Misty searched for a weapon of some sort. In the end, Brock's question was left unanswered, and Misty and Ash were fruitless in their scavenging attempt.
Aside from the dirt and decay, there wasn't a lot to choose from.
"We'll just have to get the jump on them.." Misty offered, but Ash rubbed his neck, the one handcuff jingling in his ear.
"That's assuming they even plan on coming back..." Ash added when Brock's blurry vision from outside of the window was masked with dark shadows and he grabbed, then pulled both younger trainers into him and pointed to the door.
"Don't need to worry about that, get ready." Brock explained when the cabin door they were standing by swung open. From the ground, as a tornado ripping through a cornfield, dust rose in circles around the black boots of Jessie and James. They looked surprised, a bit worried that the three prisoners were gone when they walked into the cabin, so when Ash, Misty, and Brock silently pushed off the wall and tackled them; Jessie and James screamed in fear.
The three of them collided into the thieves, knocking them to the floor face first. Misty hit James with Ash's help, and Brock tackled Jessie. They each fell into a wrestler's hold, and while Ash held James, Misty ripped the fabric of her blindfold off her neck, and quickly tied it around his wrists before he raised his leg to kick them both away. James rolled away from them as Ash staggered to his feet.
The duo hadn't noticed, but Jessie had already escaped Brock as well, turned Brock's weight against him so she had the upper hand, and held him firmly against the dirt ridden floors, face first.
Misty and Ash blinked at the situation while James quickly freed himself from Misty's poor tying skills, and started to speak.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" James whined, but before either could speak, they were knocked back by animals. One a furry, ecstatic pikachu, and another a soft, cheerful egg.
"Togepi-!" "Pikachu?" They gasped in unison, stumbling as a third pokemon entered the room; his claws tearing at the hard wooden floors with clacks. His feline features were masked by lines of gray around his snout, and his wide eyes were narrowed to slits. The golden jewel placed on the forehead of his body gleamed in the faint light, and he paused at the entrance, glared at the trainers with a kingly drawl, and meowed.
"Meowth..?" Ash managed. The pokemon was larger than he remembered—the goofy, over sized head was a bit smaller, matching the bulk of his body as he rose to pace around Ash and Misty.
"Pika, pika chu! Pi!" The mouse started with togepi speaking at the same time, trying to explain the situation while Misty flinched and nervously took a step closer to Ash. Brock was slowly released from Jessie's grasp at the compliance of the feline pokemon, but Jessie wasn't so gentle when she shoved the trainer into his companions.
"We're not here to hurt you." Jessie managed to say, though the very words seemed painful to speak through her ruby lips. James dusted off his shirt with a girlish groan.
"Jessie, do you know how long it will take me to clean these uniforms?" He shrieked, glaring at Ash and Misty.
Misty, who was still completely against everything Jessie and James had to offer, and Brock, who was confused either way, looked to Ash for answers. Originally, Ash thought he, too,would be distrustful, that he would take on look at these childhood villains and leave; but when he looked into Meowth's eyes, away from the humans in the room, the sparkle indicated they were going to be working with these two long before he actually said it.
Misty watched this expression and groaned in unison with Brock.
XOXs
"You're too quick to trust people, Ash." Misty scolded Ash on their way out of the cabin.
After the morning incident, Jessie and James explained they were out on patrol to make sure they were not followed into the forest. The last thing they wanted to deal with was more people firing off guns; it didn't go well with Jessie's new hairdo. So of course, After a brief glance at Mewoth, and a short conversation with Jessie and James—the five of them followed the three kidnappers out of the cabin, with the intention of following them. Once more, Misty had to remind herself that anything revolving around Ash couldn't be normal. Brock also questioned this same incident several times that morning, to no avail. Brock knew that Ash was strange and imaginative, but he never thought the trainer was crazy, until now.
"Well, togepi and pikachu trust them—and I trust them—so.. do you?" Ash looked to her with sad, brown eyes—begging eyes; those stupid eyes that made even the coldest hearts melt under his gaze.
"That's not the point!" She hissed quietly, using Brock to shield herself from his puppy-dog-gaze. "Do I need to remind you that these people blew up the league party's doors and injured many other pokemon trainers—including you—twice!" She tried to wager, though Ash met her sea-green eyes by bending around Brock with a harrowing ache, and twist of his nose. His way of pleading for her to listen to him.
"I know, but..." Ash's eyes followed to Meowth, who was listening to their conversation with his keen hearing, and Ash looked sadly back at Misty. "They said they would explain everything when we get to where we're going..."
"But where are we going, Ash? We have no reason to trust them, they haven't told us anything!" Misty growled when Brock looked back, giving his silent agreement to Misty's sane, and logical approach of the situation. In any case, they should take their pokemon, and run.
"I know we don't...but..." Ash fidgeted, "They weren't bad people in my dreams, and they did save us from whoever has been following us—they aren't always good at making quick, effective decisions." He tried in their defense, but it was meowth who finally put an end to the conversation by mewing quietly to Ash; thus silencing Misty.
When he left, Ash's shoulders slumped.
"What did he say?" Misty asked impatiently, and Ash looked to Brock and Misty.
"He said that if you two aren't comfortable following them, then they will give you back your pokemon and you can go..."
"Toge!" The pokemon interjected quickly from Misty's arms, completely against the idea—though Brock and Misty didn't need the pokemon to tell them. They weren't leaving Ash with these nut jobs!
"We're not leaving you alone with these three." Brock muttered, but then Ash shrugged. "Do you even know what they're wanted for? They're still two of the most well-known criminals in the world!" Brock glowered, trying to break through Ash's thick skull.
"They healed pikachu and togepi's wounds, too." Ash gestured to pikachu, who was walking at the front of the pack beside Jessie and James, and Misty finally let her shoulders fall in defeat.
"Fine. But if I—we don't like their reasoning, we're leaving." Misty muttered, but Brock, who was still fatigued from the night prior, shook his head.
"What-!" Brock gasped, unable to believe what he was hearing
"Ash is going either way, and we can't let him go alone, right? We might as well take the chance." Misty offered in Ash's defense.
"Now who's trusting people too easily?" Brock scolded Misty, who shrugged and rubbed her temples with her free hand while Ash smiled warmly at the two of them.
"It'll be okay, I promise." He offered to them confidently while wrapping his arms up and around both of their shoulders and pressing forward.
It was a long shot, but Jessie and James swore that once they were safe, they would explain what was going on—Meowth said he had been looking for Ash for a very long time, which Ash intentionally left out of his reason for following them; so they were either walking into a trap... or about to increase the numbers of their rebellion. Ash was hoping for the later, no, he was praying for it. Somewhere, Jessie and James had to still be bad at being bad, right?
Author's Note:
Jessie and James are a little tricky, because there's no way they can still be their 'goofy' selves, and have been a part of what I've made Team Rocket out to be in this story; so I made them "quirky". They're supposed to be master thieves, so I imagine their combat skills are good, compared to the original trio's combat skills. (lol, Brock used tackle...it was not effective!), and given the state that the group was in when they met, I don't think they would have trouble manhandling the group.
I mentioned earlier that Misty could lock pick doors; but I want to put this out there: lock picking a door, and lock picking handcuffs are completely different. Handcuffs, in general, are actually easier to lock pick (I think that depends on if they're military handcuffs or not)
Thanks again for reading!