Locked Away, Chapter 41
The next three days aboard the stolen ship were reflective of what Ash would imagine was the military; a debriefing of everything from how a Team Rocket member walked, to what was okay to speak about, and what wasn't. The crash course to how to be evil. More important than how they acted, was their mission; their goal. They were to find information about Giovanni, the microchips, and whatever else they could get their hands on.
Ash had never been in school before, outside of the reading he did in the hospital and at the Cerulean City gym, he never took an interest in school; most things he knew, he figured he could learn by experience. In this case, he was stuck at a desk, reviewing key points until he was having dreams of 'the mission'.
Better safe than sorry. Brock kept telling him, and as if to rub salt in the wound, Misty was like a parrot. Pay attention Ash, take this seriously, Ash.
Ash was trying to take the situation seriously, to pay attention, to be safe. But that made these events too real, and as a result, he was up all night; tossing and turning. When he slept, all he could see were the remastered versions of his original trip to Unova, and the results of that. Dreaming was always difficult since he woke up, quite simply, he didn't dream on most occasions. When he did, they were usually nightmares, some intense, buried fear that he was stuck in limbo-but that wasn't what kept him up. The stress of never waking up again kept him in fits when tension was high, and hours before infiltrating the Team Rocket Unova base, Ash couldn't sleep.
The last time he was here, charizard was shot out of the sky, his wing was damaged to the point of disrepair. Ash wasn't even sure if the pokemon was able to fly again. Since he was stuck here, he hadn't been in contact with his other pokemon, and that was the most frustrating of situations. Not only was charizard injured, Ash nearly drowned; was attacked by a fleet of gyarados; was saved by blind luck; suffered from a major injury; landed himself in the hospital; and now he was going back.
Of course, he couldn't tell anyone this. Brock, his only confidant about the situation only knew half, and Ash was petrified of what Misty would say. Surely, if he spoke to anyone, they would end the operation before it started. No, instead, Ash kept it bottled up, made inappropriate jokes, and landed himself on the deck at 6:00am, watching the sun rise.
Beside him sat pikachu, togepi, greninja, and monferno. Snorlax would have joined them, but the pokemon was much too large to fit safely on the boat—least, that was Ash's thoughts on the matter.
Today was the day. Unova stared back at him in the distance; surrounded by the morning fog and a glistening ocean. Today would mark the first time he would see the continent in the light of day, and the first time in his life he would see it. A small part of him knew this was a bad idea; it was not only risky, but he was bringing Misty along with him. He didn't want to go alone, but he didn't want her to go, either. Or Brock, for that matter; or anyone.
If it was possible to see without being there physically, he would have taken the option. Since the island came into view as a spec on the horizon last night, a pit formed where confidence was rooted. The balistas pegged charizard out of the sky flying close to fifty miles per hour; he didn't want to think what it could do to a stationary boat, drifting in the ocean. Swallowing hard, he looked at the faces of each of his pokemon. Greninja stood bravely at the railing with his arms folded in front of him. Monferno rocked back and forth on the balls of his heels, rocking a sleepy togepi in his arms. Resting on the railing itself, where Ash leaned the brunt of his forearms, pikachu perched himself proudly, watching the island with determined, dark eyes, and raised fur.
They were back.
Couldn't sleep? "Meowwww?" behind him, meowth approached, stretching his limbs confidently while he paced the area beside Ash, sizing up greninja and monferno, who still did not trust the cat. The ape, who watched the cat's teammates beat Ash up, rose in defense, standing as high as Ash's waist, while puffing out his chest bravely.
"It's alright monferno." Ash mused, patting the pokemon's head while mewoth quirked imaginary eyebrows, and climbed up to the railing above.
I've never liked water, meowth meowed, pacing the distance between Ash's arms and pikachu.
When Ash didn't reply, rather, stared mutely into the distance, the cat sighed once more.
You shouldn't worry so much, kid. The cat meowed, jumping down from the railing. We're going to start soon.
Ash grit his teeth behind closed lips, and rose slowly until his back was straight, and his he looked back at meowth, who looked playfully mischievous.
You can do this. The cat meowed, leaving the tired Ash standing alone on the deck, blinking concerned eyes into the distance.
"Pika." pikachu added his verification while looking confidently ahead, followed by the solace of his fellow pokemon, who crowded Ash much like they did in his dream world. In an awkward, lopsided embrace, Ash finally exhaled, relieving the tension in his chest.
"Thanks, guys. Let's do this."
XOXs
The plan was simple.
...or it was supposed to be.
"You'll just have to leave him here, it's not safe to bring a non-water type pokemon with you." James offered, crossing his arms as he watched Ash shake out what little he had left of his belongings; two important objects were missing: togepi's pokeball, and pikachu's. Actually, he wasn't even sure he ever had pikachu's pokeball to begin with. He had the gift Agatha gave him attached to his belt where togepi's ball should have been, and pikachu's ball was probably lost years ago.
Still, he looked for it.
"I'm not going without pikachu," Ash argued, while togepi threw up a complaint. "I'm sorry togepi, you're just too young." Ash offered sweetly, taking time out of his frantic search to rub the pokemon's head. It sighed in frustration while Ash recounted his pokeballs. Greninja, monferno, and snorlax; but the rest were history.
"We'll just have to give him a rebreather." Ash suggested in a panicked voice while slipping pikachu inside of his shirt.
Since noon that day, Ash's uniform was finished. Now, the sun was setting behind the horizon, and the time was lost to Ash, who walked through most of it in a fog. James hemmed the old uniform to not only fit Ash, but to resemble the most current Team Rocket gear. Ash wore a black beret over the top of his messy black hair. The faint scars left on his cheeks years ago were smudged with some kind of water-proof concealer that Jessie had on her person, and he wore all black. All black, so in the sun, should have been boiling hot, but the uniform was made to breath, to fit comfortably. On his right shoulder was a small, red "R", and his shirt was tucked into a belt. He wore slim, dark commando boots that prior to trying to stash pikachu, he wasn't trying to fit into a scuba-diving suit.
"Just leave him here." James tried again, growing frustrated with Ash's incompetency. "Rebreathers aren't made for pokemon." And the island was a good ten miles away still.
Lighting struck through Ash's eyes when he looked sternly at James, who spent the last three days politely bossing Ash around. "I am not going without pikachu." Ash reconfirmed, ending the discussion.
"Ash, be reasonable." Brock managed. "You can't swim the whole way there with a pokemon that can't breath under water. There are too many possible complications."
"Pika-chu!" Pikachu shouted in disagreement, emerging from Ash's shirt.
"Maybe I can just try recapturing him again.." Ash mumbled pathetically, though it would be the seventh time he tried capturing his old friend that morning. Clearly, the pokeball existed somewhere still, because capturing pikachu again was not an option. Ash held the mouse in front of him, a disoriented expression over his face while the yellow creature sighed his frustrations.
Not only did Ash simply not feel comfortable going without pikachu, they promised to never be separated again. Pikachu was always there when Ash needed him; he couldn't fathom being without the pokemon, and to make matters worse, perhaps a small part of him still didn't trust Team Rocket. What if this was some huge ploy to get Ash to leave them pikachu? Ash's bottom lip quivered dangerously at the thoughts, and as if pikachu read his mind, the mouse hopped out of his hands and sat stubbornly on Ash's shoulders. He was going no where.
Outside of the clear frustration and determination; Ash looked in every way the part of a Team Rocket grunt, though Brock and James were at their wits end with the trainer.
"You know, Ash, if you don't feel comfortable going, you don't have to. We can still back out of this." Brock suggested, but it was James, scowling like a dog, who butted in.
"We cannot back out now!" he gasped, gravely insulted by such an idea. "We've spent far too long on this moment to have you chicken out because of a pokemon—you have three more, what good would one more do for you?" James almost squealed, his voice pained.
Ash snapped.
"We're a team!" Ash bellowed, silencing James. "Besides, we don't even know this is going to work; I don't want to be in there unprepared!" Ash shouted, clearing the air about his sudden dislike of the plan.
"It will work if you follow the plan; you shouldn't run into patrols." James argued, glaring down at Ash, who was a few inches shorter.
"Guys, guys, calm down." Brock attempted to mediate, separating the two men before a brawl broke out. Tensions were high.
"Ash, are you sure you're ready for this?" Brock asked again, looking worriedly at the sleep deprived trainer. Backing away and turning back to the island which wasn't any closer than this morning.
"I'm fine Brock. I need to see this for myself." Ash said, though his confidence was dimming in frustration.
"Tell me how this is practical." Misty's voice cut into the stiff air, bringing the boys attention to her and Jessie who stepped out of the ship's door.
If they were worried about her being discovered, they shouldn't have been. To put it in the nicest way possible, Misty, who was proudly one of the most color-blind, bright haired, fair skinned woman Ash had ever seen in his life, was as plain as any female Ash saw on the street. Nothing about her stuck out aside from her cerulean-green eyes. Thanks to the new darkened hair, and flushing make up, she looked like anyone else; only, in a mini-skirt with gray tights beneath it and long black boots that ended at the middle of her thighs. Her black, high collared, long sleeved shirt was cut off below the breast, and below that she wore a gray shirt, tucked in beneath her skirt. Like Ash's, she had a red "R" engraved on her shoulder, and seeing her in that, while it wasn't bad, was painful.
Thoughts elsewhere, mind spiraling, Ash said the first coherent phrase that came to his mind.
"Mist..." Ash breathed, awestruck. "You actually look like a girl." Ash finally muttered, to which a scowling Misty's evil-glare turned from one of frustration, to utter detestation.
"Ash, that is the third time you have said that to me. I told you if you said that again I would-"
"Misty! The black hair was a great idea after all!" Brock cut in, swooping in front of Ash to save his younger companion from his foot-in-mouth syndrome. "I hardly notice you! I guess we don't have to worry about people recognizing you after all." Brock chuckled nervously, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder while she stared up at him.
"That's great." Misty mocked, her eyes turning back to Jessie who was discussing something quietly with James while the children were distracted. "But why do I have to wear a skirt? Ash gets pants." Misty exclaimed pointing to Ash who laughed awkwardly.
"You're about to infiltrate one of the most evil organizations in the world; and you're worried about your attire?" Jessie quizzed, quirking angry eyebrows—it wasn't like she was the one who designed the uniforms, after all! "Besides, it's because some adversaries feel that women are a weaker species, so while they're showing mercy, we can gain the upper hand in a fight." Jessie elaborated quickly, flicking her long, maroon hair over her shoulder. Unlike the previous days, her hair was flat, flowing tirelessly behind her.
Brock, who was always awestruck by pretty woman, stroked his chin and nodded approvingly. "That's actually not a bad idea." He said, suddenly urging Misty to remove his draped arm, and approach Ash, who instinctively took an unsteady step backwards.
"Did you find pikachu's pokeball?" She asked suddenly, watching his face. He stared into her eyes, gulped, shook his head clear of thoughts then shifted his eyes back to James; who he was arguing with only moments ago.
"No." he said flatly. "I was thinking about just using a rebreather for pikachu, too." Ash offered while the mouse nodded confidently.
"Does it work like that?" Misty questioned in a worried tone while watching James who shook his head. Regardless, unlike James, Misty understood Ash's sentiments, and didn't once argue with him while she stepped to the scuba-diving suit she would be wearing and awkwardly pulled it on over her clothes.
"We can just put him into a bag until we reach shore. That way, he doesn't have to move under water." Misty suggested, looking over her shoulder while Ash nodded his approval.
"You can't take a bag on the island with you, it's against protoco-" James, the control freak, was silenced by meowth, who finally grew tired of the constant bickering between the trainer and former thief. The cat stuck a single claw into the back of James' leg to silence him, and the older male groaned in silent pain while the cat grunted unpleasantly.
"Meooow-meowth." The pokemon muttered, just keep him out of sight when you get there. Ash nodded quickly while gathering together his supplies, slipping pikachu into a black, mostly water-proof bag provided by the contents of the boat that they raided, and slipped pikachu the small rebreather before dressing himself in a scuba-suit that matched Misty's. The suits belonged to the cruise line, and in terms of getting to the island, staying undercover seemed to be safer than a paddle boat—which was their other option. Thanks to new-age technology, the rebreathers created by Silph Co. a few years ago offered the ability to breath easily under water for a few hours; their plan was swimming. Staying out of sight.
Before Ash zipped up the hood of the suit, he looked at James, uncertain now that the sun was fading. "...You're sure that the balistas aren't going to shoot us underwater, and they can't see us from here?" Ash asked skeptically, though it was Jessie who sighed.
"We already told you, we're in their blind spot. They won't see you leaving the boat." She assured him while taking a few steps back. "Besides, they can't shoot at what they can't see." Jessie added, and while Ash and Misty stared into the ocean; it was Misty who took the first calming breath.
Misty could do water. It was her element, her voice, her soul. Of all the ideas they've had, this was going to be the easiest for her. Shaking down the stress in her shoulders to her hands, she cracked her neck. Even though her pokemon would be doing the majority of the work tonight she still wanted to be prepared.
"Toge-brriii." The egg echoed quietly to Ash and Misty who both turned to see the sad pokemon gazing back at them on the verge of uncomfortable tears. Already, the pokemon hated looking weak in front of his trainers, but just this once, it sniffled at the thought of being left behind. While it sat in Brock's arms, Misty and Ash stroked his outer shell, and together shared a silent promise.
They would come back. They always did.
Shaking, Brock shot forward, grabbing his two short-time companions into a hug and squeezing them tightly.
"You two better be safe." He warned them while looking at each of them in the eye. Both nodded confidently, and Misty took another step back. She didn't bother to look at Jessie and James, since they arrived on the ship, it was clear that she never trusted them completely; but earning Misty's trust required more than telling a few truths.
Ash wasn't as disloyal, he smiled at the long-time criminals who offered a small smile in return. Meowth waved a paw, standing up with his best ability on his hind legs, and waved very slowly at the trainer who looked down from where he was prepared to jump off the railing, then back at Brock who was standing alone with togepi. The water rushed behind him, piercing his ears with a splash the moment Misty bit down onto her rebreather, and dived into the dark, unsafe abyss.
Too risky flashed in Ash's mind. Limbs shaking, a lump formed in Ash's chest, rising up into his throat before he shouldered the backpack he had pikachu in and tossed it back at Brock, who caught it with surprise.
"Pika!" The mouse cried in accord, clawing at the bag while Ash made a bold decision.
"I love you, buddy, but I can't risk you getting hurt. Stay here with Brock!" Ash shouted painfully then clipped on his goggles and threw himself into the water without a second glance.
He wanted to look back, every nerve in his body screamed at him not to leave pikachu; but the chances of mistake were too great, and he wasn't going to put himself, Misty, pikachu, and their pokemon at risk because he was unsteady. Pikachu wasn't a water pokemon, and even if they made it to the island safely; what then? He couldn't hide pikachu in his shirt, and there was no safe way to guarantee the mouse wouldn't be spotted.
"PIKA!" The mouse screamed, utterly betrayed and hurt by his trainer for leaving him standing at the railing where Brock held him back from jumping in after Ash. Below the water, Ash could hear the pokemon cry to him and his heart nearly shattered until Misty's strong grasp found his shoulder, and she pointed to kindgra, and starmie who were prepared to take them now.
With one last look, Ash let out a mental sigh, begging for forgiveness before allowing the water pokemon to carry them.
On the boat, a greatly disturbed, tearful pikachu clawed at Brock's arm and wriggled against him.
Soothingly, Brock whispered: "Pikachu, settle down."
"Pika! Pikachu!" The terror and scream in his voice tugged at Brock while he tried to reason with the pokemon.
"If something happened, you're not a water pokemon—what if you had to go up for air, they're not going to be able to; when they get to that five mile marker, they can't be seen pikachu. It's too dangerous." Brock reassured the pokemon, patting its head earnestly while togepi attempted to help. Very slowly, pikachu fell limp in Brock's arm, its age showing in the wrinkles below its eyes while Brock sniffled.
"We'll help out some more when they get back, alright? For now, we need to stay calm, see what we can do from here."
"...cha..." The mouse croaked, and a few feet away, Jessie and James shared a knowing, cold gaze while Brock, who knelt on the smooth deck finally came to a short realization.
"...Why would they place rookies on the largest Team Rocket compound in the world?" When the non-accusatory question slipped from Brock's lips, Jessie, James and meowth shared a shifty glance, and pursed their lips.
XOXs
Over the last three days, Misty was the only one who questioned Jessie and James for more information. Each time she would bring up the subject, Ash would remind her what they said to Brock; Jessie, James, and meowth were pawns to Team Rocket, they wanted the organization to end as much as they did. But some how, Misty couldn't believe it. Even if it was true, she couldn't believe that was everything.
Had they been swimming on their own, the trip would have taken them roughly three hours, but with the wave of the ocean on their side, and Misty's pokemon pulling them through the worst of the friction, they arrived on the island shortly after an hour. Even with the rebreather, Ash felt it was difficult to breath under such pressure. Misty, who was used to swimming in water had an easier time with it; and pat Ash to keep his spirits up.
When they passed the five mile marker, a huge wave of relief passed through them when they realized they weren't spotted, and the balistas never fired off. The tricky part was the shore; they couldn't be on there for longer than a few seconds, which meant the very moment their tired bodies touched solid ground, they better be running.
An act easier said than done in wet suits.
Misty returned kingdra and starmie when the sand below them could be touched with their knees, and without words, Misty and Ash dug their feet into the sand to prepare their leap. They would come in with the tide like Jessie and James told them, and they would use the dark of the night to sprint into the treeline which was only a yard away.
Taking the last inhalation of the rebreather, Misty spit hers out, and ran on the count of three with Ash. Water struck the rocks to the right of them and the very moment their bodies sprung out of the water, they bolted for the trees. Under the cover of darkness, they looked like ants moving against the dark shores, and thanks to the crashing waves behind them, the struggle was silent, mostly.
Either way, they made it to the tree line without being seen, and both heaved heavily, hands on their knees. Misty threw her head back, resting it against tree bark while listening for any indication they were spotted. When after a few minutes of silence she heard none, she slowly unzipped the neck of the suit down to her belly, and began to peel of the mostly water proof suit.
"Agh, my shirt his wet." Misty muttered in the dark while Ash ruffled his hair and replaced his cap onto his head. He glanced at Misty in the dark; her silhouette was the most he could see of her.
"That's okay, we still have an hour to find that stupid tunnel, which gives us time to dry off." Ash assured her, shaking off the wet suit and peeling down into his uniform. The sun was hidden now behind the ocean; as if its presence never existed, and like Jessie and James told them, the boat couldn't be seen from shore. Someday, he would have liked to ask them how they knew that would work so well, but it would have to wait.
By the time they were in their uniforms, and their suits were discarded, Misty held onto her necklace, to remind herself that it was there, and then tucked it underneath her shirt, and attached kingdra and starmie's pokeballs back onto her belt. Ash followed suit, but felt oddly bare without pikachu and togepi; almost naked. He shrugged his shoulders several times in attempt to get used to their absence, but when nothing came, he glanced over at Misty who almost disappeared on him.
"Did you bring a flashlight?" Ash asked calmly, and whether or not she shook her head, he couldn't tell. The former red-head stopped, keeping quiet. She still breathed heavily form the trip, though Ash had mostly recovered. Her harrowed breathing came from nerves; fumbling with the pocket on her skirt, she revealed a very small, very dim light, and held it up to flash Ash.
"Ouch!" he hissed quietly, rubbing his eyes.
"Sorry." She grimaced, patting him on the shoulder.
"Do you have everything?" She asked while they used the small source of light to tuck their suits beside a tree which was located beside a large rock; a place they would remember to look. She removed the rebreather which was tied around her neck simultaneously with Ash, and they dropped them on top of the suits before heading into the forest. The very dark, eerie forest.
Ash knew Unova well from its lush forests in his dreams, but knowing that they hadn't been inhabited for awhile only made his skin crawl at what could be lurking around the corner. Each time he took his eye off of Misty to investigate a crack a short distance away, he recalled the snake incident in route eight, and walked closer to her until he was practically walking over.
"Could you back up?" She hissed, tension high.
"Sorry," Ash muttered, stepping away while she grunted beneath her breath. Ash followed after her, "Maybe we should hold onto each other, you know, just in case?" Ash offered, though it was Misty whose hand snapped from her side to his wrist instantly at the invitation.
Misty wouldn't show it, she would more than likely die first, but if there was anything she disliked more than bug pokemon, it was the fear that they could be surrounding her, in a dark forest in the middle of nowhere. She heard the crackles, the hoots, and the whistles around them; but she forced them to the back of her mind while following the directions Jessie and James gave them exactly as they reiterated it over and over again. Ash was no good with directions, so he let Misty drag him along and let his mind drift back to pikachu.
XOXS
Standing on the railing with high ears, and a raised tail, pikachu watched the quiet island in the distance. Beside him, a loyal togepi rested, reflecting pikachu's own determination in his eyes. Then, as if the two of them wasn't enough, an anxious Brock stood beside them, waiting. If they got into trouble, surely he would see it before anything else; hear it if nothing else. Yet, it remained calm for an hour, then two.
"They're going to be okay." Brock told the pokemon, who refused to move. Especially pikachu, who was deeply offended by Ash.
"Toge." The egg whined, glancing at Brock who rubbed the pokemon's shell, particularly over the crack that it received the first time Ash met Brock.
"You worry too much for a baby pokemon." He offered, though the glare made the egg's frustration known without words.
Laughing nervously, Brock corrected himself. "You're right. You're almost all grown up now. I'm sorry." Brock apologized, recalling the baby egg that he first encountered, compared to the pokemon that stood toe-to-toe with pikachu in a battle if Ash asked him to.
A small grin formed over Brock's lips while he sighed. "You got your mother's glare though." Brock joked, returning his eyes to the shore line.
In this moment, he understood the pokemon's frustration more than anyone. The three of them were supposed to be a team, like Ash and pikachu were—and now, they were separated because of a silly plan, and he wished he could do more.
XOXs
After an hours walk, an awkward, stumble through the even darker forest, the escape tunnel Jessie and James described was exactly where they said it would be. Once you reach a tall, rock wall, head east until you find metal pipes. And here it was. Over grown, littered with cobwebs that could have belonged to any assortment of insects, and bursting vines from years of disuse.
"I'm not going in there." Misty said objectively, taking a few steps back while Ash squinted into the darkness.
"It's...not that bad." he said, thought his voice wasn't confident. Watching as a large something crawled away from the light that Misty shined into the tunnel, he offered her a shaking grin.
"C'mon Misty; be a man." Ash gestured her forward with a smug grin, but the nervous Elite Four member shook her head several times, refused to move, and even took a few steps away.
Sighing, Ash grabbed her wrist and tugged her forward into the tunnel, ignoring the painful, strangled noise that escaped her lips.
"It's just a few pokemon, Misty." Ash tried to reassure her, taking the light from her shaking fingers and shining it ahead of them. Misty clung to his arm tighter without control of the light and the ability to see.
"You have, what, a gyarados? What's the worst that could happen?" Ash tried to reason with her but she squirmed beneath her skin.
"They can inject poison that paralyzes you and then they eat you while you're still alive after wrapping you in a cocoon!" Misty explained with a shaking voice. Ash abruptly stopped, forcing the nervous Misty to stumble into him, but he remained firm and glanced over his shoulder at her.
"We're about to walk into one of the most dangerous complexes in the world; and you're scared of bug pokemon more than you are of them?" he inquired jokingly, cocking one eyebrow while she pressed her lips into a flat, not amused line.
"I have priorities, Ash!" She hissed at him in a whisper. "I'd rather die getting shot at than a slow, painful death in some webbing!" Misty added, pressing forward and dragging Ash with her; she wasn't going to stand in a bug infested tunnel any long than she had to, and the reaction made him chuckle sincerely.
"You know they don't do that, right? Most of them eat grass, or, you know, other insects." Ash mused playfully but she shook her head, refusing to listen. Apparently she had seen one too many horror films on the subject, and it warped her mind.
Still, he went a long with it and let the frantic woman lead the way; they cleared the tunnel much faster than they would have with Ash leading nervously. Nothing moved faster than a fearful Misty. At the end of the tunnel, right before the sewer cut off, the ladder that lead up into the old facility Jessie and James told them to use as a basis of entering the new facility was rusted, and missing the bottom half.
"Great." Misty murmured, shining the light up to see the sealed manhole at the top. On her tip toes, she could almost reach the first rung, but unfortunately was unable to grab it. Ash looked behind them, watching for any movement before turning back to Misty, and giving his best attempt.
"Well, this isn't any good."
Their height difference became very apparent the moment Ash reached up, and could only brush his fingers against the first rung. Misty snickered in response to his best attempt, which was quickly followed by a poor attempt to jump, but he only ended up slamming his fist against solid concrete, and breaking off another piece of the ladder. Clanking echoed down the previously silent tunnel, which was met with the sound of creepy, crawling shuffles that forced Misty to shake her head.
"Just give me a boost." She gestured to Ash who pointed at himself.
Then, without warning, she jolted and Ash's breath stilled. Unprepared for her to suddenly leap at him, he clumsily grabbed at her waist, and squeezed her to prevent himself from falling, rather than lifting her up. He blinked into her face, which stared pessimistically back at him, and he swallowed hard. During the exchange, Ash dropped the light, causing her face to glow slightly in the darkness, and his mouth opened and closed while an awkward sensation bubbled up from his chest at their sudden closeness.
Clearly frustrated, she blew a strand of black hair from her face. "Let's try that again."
Flustered, Ash dropped her. "Well, don't just run at me. Give me some warning." He gasped, shaking his head furiously. Concentrate, Ash told himself while nodding to his companion who took a few steps backwards while Ash intertwined his fingers and nodded to her.
Misty sprung forward on the balls of her feet, and stepped into Ash's folded hands where he properly lifted her. Her knee found perch on his shoulder, her right boot pressed painfully into his palms, and while Ash stabilized the wobbly approach, she grabbed the last available rung, and exhaled.
"I got it."
"Great." Ash muttered, turning his face away from her body while she holstered herself up a few rungs, and found her footing. Ash looked up at her while scooping the light from the floor and narrowing his eyes.
"Can you get the grate open?" He wondered aloud, worried that she wouldn't be able to. As he spoke, a loud creak followed, and he questioned why he ever wondered in the first place. Misty was probably as strong as he was, if they were going to compare.
"I'll find something to throw down." Misty assured him while she crawled up into the dark room, Ash exhaled worriedly.
"Maybe you-" Then a rope dropped at his feet, and he mentally scolded himself once more while her bright eyes made an appearance once more at the top of the hole.
"Hurry up." She smiled down at him while he tucked the light between his teeth, and grabbed the hopefully secured rope, and found his way up the small tunnel. Once his feet reached the first rung, he released the rope, and crawled step by step until his hand pressed against cold, concrete surface of the old building, and his left was met with Misty's soft, gloved hand where she proceeded to help him up. When he finally stared up at her, his heart raced and stopped at the same time and forced himself to breath, clutching at her fingers.
Misty turned away, and glanced around the room while Ash spit out the light to look around.
"I...should have asked sooner, but are you okay?" Misty asked in grievance to pikachu's departure. Ash stilled, and nodded.
"I couldn't risk taking him." Ash explained, though he still felt guilty. "It's better this way." Carefully, she pat him on the shoulder, and nodded at him.
"As of now, we're no longer playing around. We're in dangerous territory. If we get caught, they will more than likely shoot on the spot." Misty explained, looking into his eyes to convey the feeling. Ash had been told a million times before coming here. Team Rocket was ruthless, thieving, killers; he knew that. Slowly, he nodded and exhaled.
"I know. Just means we shouldn't get caught." Ash smiled, while she wilted and dusted off his shoulders in the dark.
"It'll be okay." She told him, speaking more to herself while she turned and mentally prepared herself for the next step.
The adventure into the new facility.
XOXs
It wasn't any brighter in the open warehouse than it was in the tunnel; and for good reason. While passing through the loading dock of a rusting warehouse, they heard snores, loud, metal rattling snores that echoed from each corner of the facility. At first, Ash and Misty were on their feet, prepared to take on some kind of monster, until they realized that whatever was creating those sounds, was locked into one of many large, metal crates. Huge pokemon were inside, fortunate for them, none of them were awake.
"What are these..?" Ash asked, counting the dozens of boxes. Misty shrugged, flashing the light at Ash.
"...Dragon pokemon?" Misty suggested, since it made the most sense. Unova was known for them, and they were large, dastardly creatures; the sounds made sense if it was coming from a dragon. While Ash slowly stepped away from the metal boxes to follow after Misty who was only interested in reaching the exit door, Ash inhaled.
"...But I don't get it, kingdra is a water and dragon pokemon—noivern is part dragon; why aren't they bigger?" Ash gestured to the crates behind them, and Misty gnawed on her lip.
"Well," She whispered trying her best not to disturb the sleeping dragons with her voice, "I'm not a pokemon professor, but from what I understand, primary dragon types are very different than secondary dragon types, stronger you could say because they're generally much older. Where as a secondary type is only partially a dragon, a primary is a dragon first, and then whatever comes after that. Their genes are different which makes their sizes different." Misty tried explaining, though it was clearly not her forte. In his best attempt to calm her down, he smiled.
"Oh, okay." he said, making a mental note to call Gary later, and ask.
"If they're still using the old facility to keep pokemon—maybe that tunnel isn't as unknown as we thought?" Ash suggested, trying to clear the air; though, Misty was clearly frustrated with his attempts. He didn't understand be quiet.
As they passed the final crate, and budged against the entrance to the new facility Misty raised her eyebrows.
"It doesn't matter because we're already here." said the former redhead. While nodding to him to turn off the light, she continued, "I would say it looked pretty unused though, so we don't need to worry."
"Alright, if you say so." he said, watching her face brighten in confidence. "Ready?" He asked after, and Misty nodded with confidence, and pushed open the door into the bright, new hallway.
They both covered their fragile eyes when their pupils dilated at the sheer, blinding light. Their eyes had finally adjusted to the dark, and now seeing the brightness, they felt truly blind. Jessie and James swore that the inside would be manageable, quick to navigate—but the silver, clean, metal walls without dents and turns made their mouths hang open.
Apparently, more had changed than they thought.
"This doesn't look anything like they said it would." Ash voiced his concern while pushing Misty forward so they wouldn't be caught loitering.
"I know." she replied concerned. "Do you think the layout is the same?"
"I'm not sure." Ash announced, remembering Jessie and James telling them to take their first left, only, the longer they walked down the winding corridor, they less likely a left turn was plausible.
"Oh no." Misty thought aloud, wondering how they would find the overseers office in this mess. Ash looked around, and while gnawing on his own lips, he pointed to what he thought was an over pass. A bridge.
Their strides were trained while they stepped eagerly from the corridor onto the bridge with a glass dome. Lights flickered in all directions, and below them, they saw cranes; large ones lifting and maintaining several large crates like they saw in the old facility, and separating them beyond the safety of a large shutter. Countless pokemon existed in boxes below them crying like starved animals while members of the facility organized the creatures into areas. Ash's breath froze, and Misty's eyes went wide.
More than that, weapons of all kinds sprawled the metal surface below; missiles, tanks, powerful electronics and Misty's face turned pale. An army, they were preparing an army.
"...I don't think this facility is for training rookies, Ash." She muttered to him while he made the connection himself. Jessie and James weren't informed after all. They didn't know.
"Hey, what are you doing?" A voice boomed from the end of the hallway where another pair, a male and female, approached Ash and Misty who were still mindlessly gawking at the scene below them. Like Misty and Ash, their features were plain, their hair was dark, their faces sullen and their uniforms matched theirs perfectly.
"Heading back to work." Misty elaborated quickly with a forced smile. In a split second she could turn off her mind, and switch on her 'gym leader' mode, even if her hands were shaking.
The woman smacked her lips, her brown hair falling in front of her eyes. "From where?"
"The transferring docks." Misty replied to the woman quickly while she sized the two of them up. "We're still new here; we just transferred from the Kanto Region branch; could you point us in the direction of the overseer? We need to finish up our paper work." Misty snapped, her tone cold.
"At this hour?" She snickered and Ash stiffened.
"Look, we just has a really long day..." Misty huffed, hoping to convey that they were just another hard working, tired employees like the rest of them; but it was the man who recognized their wrinkles clothes, their disheveled faces, and then snorted.
"Oh, I see." He scoffed, crossing his arms and nodding to them. Unsure of what to with with himself, Ash forced a partial smile, and the man nodded.
"Sneaking off, huh? That's okay, we've all been there."
Misty's face flushed red, though Ash didn't understand the innuendo the woman laughed. "Ohhh." She said. "That's alright. We get it." She added, and then pointed behind her. "The overseer's room is the last door to your right after reaching the main floor. Don't get lost again." She snickered while pressing forward without another comment.
A gawking Ash turned at them, then spun back to Misty with a questioning gaze. She raised her hand to silence him.
"...Don't even ask." She suggested, and then they pressed forward without another word.
"Oh, the overseer isn't back until tomorrow, so maybe just leave a note on his door!" The woman shouted honestly, her voice more relaxed now that Ash and Misty were passed off as just other workers.
"Thanks." Misty called backed to her, throwing her hand up before shoving Ash into the stairs which they began to climb. While the suspicious duo watched Ash and Misty leave quickly, the woman crossed her arms, and pursed her lips.
"Wasn't the Kanto Sector dissolved months ago?" The woman asked, and her partner raised questioning eyebrows before staring back at Ash and Misty.
"Hmm. Looks like we might have some trouble." A sinister grin spread over his cheeks, and they very slowly followed after the rushing duo.
XOX
Surprisingly, it was Ash who realized they were being followed. Not because he saw them, but because he heard them. Their boots scuffing against the ground were a lot heavier than Ash or Misty's, so when they would turn a corner to spy on the duo, their noise level wasn't exactly stealthy.
Ash nudged Misty on the arm and smacked his lips. "We're being followed." he muttered quietly, and Misty's eyes fell on him, but she didn't look over her shoulder—she didn't want to blow their cover, if they still had one.
"Are you sure?" She whispered, and Ash nodded.
"Pretty sure." He responded while they stopped at the stairs that would take them into the overseer's hallway.
"They must be onto us, then." Misty whispered. "What should we do?" She asked, and Ash paused for a long time.
Trying to match his odds in a fight wasn't an option. He and Misty weren't trained; his last fight with a team rocket member ended with a black eye and a busted lip—that was thankfully almost healed now. Fighting wasn't their best option, but, they did have one of the best strategist in all of Kanto, and the most reckless individual in the world.
Ash took her hand, and gestured to the top of the stairs.
"Follow me." Ash nudged her, and like clock work, the duo behind them followed to the end of the stairs when Ash and Misty reached the top.
"We can't make any noise." Misty whispered, inches away from Ash's ear while Ash rubbed his finger around greninja's pokeball, and curved off to the side, grabbing Misty.
"Walk ahead." Ash told her, opening greninjas ball. Misty clued in quickly, and then while clicking her heels, she very loudly walked away from the stairs. At the wall beside the stairs, Ash held his breath, awaiting the duo who followed them this far. Like clockwork, when Misty reached the split in the hall, the group from previously followed up the stairs, only, when they saw Misty standing alone; alarms went off in their heads.
Unfortunately for them, greninja was about stealth; it was the majority of his ability, and the two of them were out cold before they turned to see Ash. The pokemon stared down at the grunts who fell limp onto the metal surface and Ash crossed his arms gleefully.
"Nice work." Misty complimented, flashing him a toothy grin and a thumbs up; if all of these goons were as simple as these two, then this was going to be easy!
"Here, help me with them." Ash gestured to the closet at the corner of the hallway, and together, they lifted, and transferred the bodies with the help of greninja, then locked them inside.
"That should give us a few minutes, right?" Ash offered and Misty quirked an eyebrow.
"That was pretty quick thinking." She added earnestly, silently applausing greninja who bowed in respect.
Ash laughed. "You do the talking, I'll do the grunt work." Ash assured her, marching past her with greninja at his heels. "Sorry buddy, you stick out too much. I'll call you again if I need you, thanks." Ash told the pokemon who nodded proudly to his trainer. They had come a long way, and Misty smiled gratefully, appreciative that it didn't turn into a fist fight.
Looking down, Misty pressed her glove up to see the watch beneath and her nose scrunched up.
"We need to hurry." She urged while they ran up through the center of the hall.
At some point, past the many, bursting windows staring down into different sectors of the military warehouse below, and matching metal surroundings, Misty and Ash stopped at what was labeled Overseer and inhaled.
"Alright, now it's time for you to work your magic." he told her while Misty fished a metal wire out of her boot.
"Yeah, magic." Misty mocked. "They said there weren't supposed to be any alarms, but they were wrong about the facility; so maybe they were wrong about that, too.. Keep an eye out, would ya'?" Misty asked while kneeling at the door, she flicked open a few swatches, and kneaded the metal wires into the crevices of the keyhole while Ash followed her request, and folded his arms, watching the hallways in both directions.
When her silent patter echoed through the hallway, and bored Ash was left to watch the minutes click by on his watch—he thought to complain. Already, he felt like their cover was blown. If those people woke up any time soon, Ash and Misty were done for. This was taking too long. Before Misty could shimmy the door open, Ash stepped close to her and inhaled at the sound of foot steps. He crouched beside her and watched her fingers move.
"We have company."
"I almost got it." A sigh filtered through her lips when Ash tugged gently at her black sleeve.
"We'll come back, c'mon." Ash urged her, but her brow had a sweat on it, and she shook stubbornly seconds before the latch gave way and she was left with a loud smirk. No alarm rang, and Misty stood, pushed Ash inside, and followed behind. She quietly shut the door before a loud set of voices carried over where they had been sitting previously.
Normal people, talking about normal events, and normal tasks throughout their day to day job. It was unsettling how normal Team Rocket employees were. Ash and misty listened for a few minutes, how they talked about their kids, about family gatherings and while she was disturbed that the face of evil had real, living people; they where both sure that the moment the stakes were high, the switch turned off, and those normal people turned into the ruthless killers they always knew.
"Do you think they'll find-" Misty slapped her hand against Ash's lips, silencing his question as to not give away their position.
"Shh!" She hissed, waiting for the foot steps disappear outside the door before she released Ash, who gawked at her with blinking eyes. It was still dark in the room, and she rubbed her eyes in her best attempt to see in the dark. Knowing it was safe, at least for a little while, she pawed around the wall beside the door frame for the light.
From the far end of the room, the warehouse below could be seen from a round window that Misty raced to close to prevent their position being discovered from the workers below. He's out for the day that woman told her. However, the brief glimpse into the warehouse was a painful reminder that this was not a training ground; this place wasn't for rookies. Then again, she should have known better than to believe that the most renown, undiscovered facilities was for rookies.
"Do you think they intentionally sent us into a fully developed base?" She asked Ash, who didn't have time to think about it.
"Why would they do that?" Ash countered, looking up and over his shoulder at her. "Hurry up, we don't have a lot of time to go through this stuff." his tone was demanding, and Misty pursed her lips, unused to Ash telling her to stay focused.
Still, she did what she was told to do, she approached the computer, sat at the chair and clicked on the screen to see nothing more than the password screen she expected. While Misty may have been a lot of things, a hacker wasn't one of them.
"Find me a password." She mused, standing up to shuffle through papers that sat around the desk.
Meanwhile, Ash opened a file drawer that had a key placed inside of it. Sweat trickled down their necks, they only had a few minutes, if that duo woke up, their time could be less. Even if they were tied up, it was only a matter of time before someone realized they were missing, right? And surely people would hear them in that small closet. Ash whipped through the files, thumbing passed documents until finally settling on one: Delia Ketchum. These weren't just random files—they were a collection of peronal files.
"What..."
Misty's head reeled. "Did you find something?" looking over his shoulder at the same compartment of files. Seeing them didn't come as a shock as much as it had been for Ash, who slowly removed the documents one at a time.
"What are you doing? We're not here for those?" Misty muttered; they already knew Team Rocket had tabs on them, on his mother—on her family. Their fingers were in everything, that much was established. What they needed was information they didn't have: what the microchips were going to be used for, who that pokemon Jessie and James told them about was, what they wanted Ash for! Misty wracked her brain while Ash paused, licked his lips; then looked up at her.
"Aren't you curious?" asked Ash while opening one that was labeled "Delia Ketchum".
"They even have a file on my mom." When he cracked the document open, it had a list of her normal identifications, her battle record history and family. At the top was written contained in bold red letters. While Ash flipped through the document, his head spun.
Misty thumbed through some materials on top of the desk, through sticky notes, note pads; anything someone would scribble a password onto while Ash placed the document on the floor, and snatched the next one greedily. Ash Ketchum, it was labeled, and he plucked it out. The label was much longer than Delia's, but unlike his mothers, most of his information was left blank. He had no battle records until recently, with the most recent one being from his time outside of the league party before he shut his pokedex off. With information as old as the day he electrocuted himself, and as odd as the amount of scars on his torso, and incident reports—hospital files. Listening to Misty scramble about, frustrated, Ash's mind slowly broke.
He ripped through the next set of documents until he found one titled Samuel Oak, and upon reaching for it, the first, bold lettering on the inside of the manila folder were the red, angry letters "TERMINATED"
The file slipped from his fingers, scattered along the floor, and caused Misty to jump.
"What are you dong?" She hissed, and Ash shook his head slowly, and started ripping at the files without answering her. Misty looked around the room, shocked by his absurd behavior, and slowly approached him.
"...Ash?" Misty questioned once more, worry decorating her former hostile tone, approaching him with her head tilted down.
He tossed one document after another; Gary Oak "Under observation", Flint Harrison "Terminated", Dawn Matthews "Under observation", Brock Harrison, "Under observation", Regard Shinji "Terminated", Ash skipped a few names, throwing them out over his shoulder, forcing Misty in her best attempt to dodge them. Then finally, Iris Avonu "Contained", next, Cilan Measters "Contained". For a moment, hope threatened to pour into his heart, dance across his icy chest and breath life into what should have been the best news in the world while he thumbed the two documents out of the file drawer, when his finger slipped through the next two documents, and his eyebrows knit slowly.
Cole Oak "Contained", Misty Waterflower "Contained".
Finally, words found his throat again, "They have documents on everyone here... As recent as last week." Ash motioned, holding up Misty's file to her, which was no laughing matter. It was as thick as Ash's was. Misty snatched it from his fingers, clearly unsettled by the information, and finally looked inside, though they didn't have time for this. She knew Team Rocket was watching them, Jessie and James told them at least that much...but...
"What does contained mean?"
"I don't know, they marked my mother contained, and, and Iris and Cilan." Ash fumbled, gathering the two documents and placing them on the table. "And...others were terminated;Dawn's is under observation." Ash elaborated, looking up at Misty. He flipped through the pages of his long-lost companions, Iris and Cilan, very, very slowly, looking for any information about their whereabouts—if they were even still around. Unlike the rest of the documents, their statistics weren't on display, and they weren't being actively updated. Not since five years ago.
His heart burst when Misty finally pursed her lips, displeased with what she was reading in the most recent update.
"They handed me the Elite Four position." Misty expressed with a loud, drawn sigh. "To control me." Misty added, then with one very angry lunge she threw, and scattered the file across the room. Papers fell in all direction while Ash's eyes remained wide. He looked down at the rest of the files. Names he knew, some he didn't, then followed by her example, and scattered them onto the floor aggressively.
"What are you doing?" Misty gasped, watching Ash frantically disorganize and ruin thousands of papers.
"I thought we were throwing them out?"
Misty's mouth opened, then closed and she let out a soft noise of agreement.
"But let's get what we came for first okay?" Misty said, keeping them on task was very important, especially if time was thin. While the two of them turned back to the consecration at had, a bubbling, joyous feeling formed in Ash's chest. There was no reason to be as happy as he was, but he could feel the burning trickle of hope. A sticky, uncertain hope, but he inhaled happily.
"They have my mom after all." Ash announced suddenly, very eagerly. "Maybe it was just..."
"I know." Misty interrupted.
"And Iris and Cilan's papers were..." Then Misty grabbed the dazed man's shoulder, squeezed his arm and while he tumbled through his mind, his chocolate gaze met hers. Misty breathed.
"I know." She told him in a sweet tone, but nudged the computer. "But we can celebrate about all of that after we do this."
"Right." Ash said, nodding his head obediently while he circled the computer with Misty. The latter took a seat in the rolling black chair and stared quietly into the password box. Of course Team Rocket wasn't going to leave their password sitting out; so it had to be something that they knew.
"Anything come to mind?" She questioned Ash, who was a box of wonder sometimes.
"No." Ash murmured behind her, looking once more over the area of the monitor. Her fingers clicked slowly on the keyboard while she thought of some occasional passwords; but in fear of setting off some kind of alarm, she merely stared.
"Why wouldn't they tell us it had a password?" Misty mused while Ash looked down thoughtfully. He rocked on the heels of his feet, and crooked his neck.
"Maybe we already know it?"
A sigh escaped her lips. "How?"
A shrug followed, while a shifty eyed Ash looked around the room, reiterating a very familiar speech in his head. Misty watched him pace back and forth, and pursed her lips while he muttered to himself.
"Do...you want to share with the group?" Misty mocked, eyes slanted while she glanced at the clock.
"Shh!" Ash shushed her, holding up his hand to his forehead. "Try... Blasts off at the speed of light?" He grunted, a small blush covering his cheeks while Misty gave him an expired look, then turned back to the computer.
"It doesn't fit."
"Then try..." What was it that they used to say all the time? "Prepare for trouble?"
Misty snorted. "Are you going to tell me to make it double or something?"
His mouth hung open at her expression and then closed in a delight while he smiled down at her. Inaccurate connections to his dreams were reoccurring themes in their conversations; whether she was aware or not.
"You think that's really it?" She questioned and Ash shrugged.
"I...think so?"
Against her better judgment, she pressed enter. At first, silence hung while the cogs in the computer's mainframe decided if that was the correct answer or not. While the clock ticked away in the corner of the room and the computer hummed loudly, Ash's mouth moved beside her ear.
"Can...we talk?"
"About what?" Misty questioned staring determinedly at the computer screen, willing it to accept the password.
"Uhm.." Ash cleared his throat. "About us?"
Her head snapped at his, eyes were narrowed, brows furrowed and lip at a perfect, Misty frown. "Is now the time for that?"
He shrugged slowly, peering at the closed window. "Well," He started by clearing his throat, glancing as far away from her harsh gaze. "When is the time?"
"I don't know, sometime when we're not in enemy territory?" She gaped, mortified that he would pick now of all times to talk about..to...Her face flushed a deep red and she shook it off, retraining her thoughts to the task at hand, though Ash wasn't as serious as she was, apparently. Now was the perfect time, they weren't in dire straits, no one else was around, and what else was there to talk about?
"You're just avoiding because you're-" Ash tried with his lips pursed, but a strangled noise interrupted him while Misty turned away from him in a huff.
"I am not avoiding anything." She denied clearly, though the way she pointed away from him, coiled her fingers around her arms and frowned; her body language said otherwise.
"Uh-huh." Ash offered. "Now's as good of a time as any..." Ash started but Misty looked up at him, frantically.
"Now is not a good time." She urged. "Why couldn't you have said something, oh, I don't know, when you were at my house kissing me when I was asleep?"
His face turned bright red. "You knew about that?"
"Of course I knew about that!" So she did know, did she know about everything? Before the party, after returning to... his face burned darker—it would certainly explain a few things.
"Then why didn't you say-"
Brrrrrrriinnnggg. The alarm sounded off above their heads, ending the conversation where Brock would have, if he had been present.
"That's not..."
Ash laughed. "...no, it couldn't be." he offered dryly, then glanced over at the computer which had flashed"Access Denied" across the screen and Ash nodded slowly, painfully.
"Who designs a computer that sets off an alarm when ever the wrong password is used?"
Misty cursed, numbing Ash's senses to the words. Of course this would happen! Ash picked the worst times to talk about anything, and she let him get under her skin. They crowded the screen while Misty frantically typed in words, receiving an error message one after another.
"What are you putting in there?" The loud alarm sounded again and Ash looked up at the door. It was locked, but that wouldn't do much if they were caught.
"I don't know. Usual passwords." Misty explained and Ash stared down at her.
"Let me try.
"No! You're the reason I was too distracted to press cancel!"
"Hey—don't." He glared at her with a heavy huff. "Don't argue with me. I know Team Rocket better than you, and I can get into this stupid computer." Ash borderline ordered while pushing her rolling chair across the tile floor, away from him, and squat at the desk. His fingers fumbled over the keys, pecking at the buttons like a novice, at best. At this moment, Ash realized he never used a computer before.
However, when he finally managed to press the keys and enter the password, the screen lighted green, and Misty breathed. "How in the world did you-" She started and shook her head. While Ash reeled backwards with a cheeky grin, Misty gently pushed him out of the way while clicking open the file documents that Jessie and James told them to open.
...only...
they were empty. There was nothing there. All that work to get in here, to blend in, to hide among what was already here and it was... empty.
"What's wrong?" Ash watched her pale face turn even paler while listening to foot steps outside the door.
"There's nothing here." her tone was flat, then suddenly anger boiled at the pit of her stomach. "They tricked us! There's nothing here, Ash!" She screamed and Ash turned around to see the files for himself; Misty clicked through them, and she was right, the entire history was wiped clear. Perhaps a fault of setting off the alarms?
...Then again, it did make sense that the greatest evil organization in the world wouldn't hold all of their information in a tiny box where any curious foot soldier could stumble across the password, and find their files.
Ash looked around the room, and then finally back to Misty who was seething.
"I knew we shouldn't have trusted them!" She screamed, and Ash felt his understanding buckle, and his belief crushed a little—and then suddenly.
"Brock's still with them." Ash said anger starting at his chest. "And togepi and pikachu!"
"Shit!" Misty cursed. "We need to get out of here." She quickly grabbed Ash's arm while moving to the door where they heard someone struggling with the locked door knob.
Their hearts stilled, and Misty looked at Ash who looked back at her, guilt ridden eyes—something she hadn't seen since his time at the nursing home. Then, Ash crammed them behind the door when it swung open; hidden away. A man walked in, and then touched his walkie upon seeing the destruction strewn about the room. Documents thrown everywhere.
"I've found-" Misty was silent, watching with wide eyes when Ash stepped forward and dropped a heavy brief case over the man's head. The man fell with a loud thud before his message was delivered, and he collapsed to the floor. Heart skipping, Misty exhaled.
"Good job." She urged, took Ash's hand tightly, and pulled him out the door of which they came. She turned a sharp right, past the undisturbed closet, and gnawed heavily on her lips while Ash stumbled behind her. They took so many stairs, she wasn't sure where they came in from. The loud ringing in their ears only intensified the need to run, and Misty groaned tirelessly.
"If we can get back to that old facility, we can go back the way we came." Misty told Ash, though, he watched shutters fall over unlocked door; he wasn't sure that escape route was going to be the case.
"Hey, what are you two doing? We're going to the warehouse unit! Get back in line!"A man barked at them from across the bridge where they stood earlier that day. Misty could see from the corner of her eye the multitude of units pouring from corner to corner into the warehouse from several elevators and looked up at the man with wide, deer-like eyes.
"Isn't there an elevator this way?" Misty awkwardly asked, butt he man scowled, believing her question to be stupid.
"Get moving!" He shouted, as he pressed a switch that shut a large, metal shutter across from the bridge; exactly the way Ash and Misty needed to go.
"...Ash." Misty mused, blinking a few times when her lips cracked. "...Can we have that talk now?"
"Now?!" Ash gasped, looking at Misty who turned to him.
For a few seconds, the padding of feet, the rush of men around them, and the blaring alarm fell quiet.
"I might not get another chance to say this-" she announced, staring directly at him.
At all of him. The healing bruise over his right eye, the small cut on his lower lip, the way his tanned skin flushed when he ran, or the mess his hair became under the sweaty cap on his head. When he leaned forward slightly, listening to what she had to say, watching her eyes intently from his three inches height over her. For once, her sea-green eyes, which only a few months ago were always full of overwhelming, glowing confidence and determination, were riddled with confusion, and fear. Long lost were the doe-eyes of Ash, his chocolate gaze permanently scarred by the events around him; yet most important of all, were still kind, and trusting.
"I-" her voice cracked.
"Get a move on!" The same Rocket member screamed, cutting Misty from her sullen stupor, she looked up at the speaker, eyes sparkling while she prepared to move thoughtlessly.
Without skipping a beat of his thundering heart, Ash hooked his hand around her's, a jolt of energy forged through his nerves, up his arm and through his heart when he pulled Misty into him. Her questioning eyes gazed up at him when their bodies met, but before a question was formed, his lips collided with hers in a fierce, passionate kiss.
Author's Note:
Yep, I went with the 'kiss' in the middle of danger cliché. I DID IT. I DON'T REGRET IT. Also, yep, I'ma leave ya' hanging there for awhile. -leaves-
Rebreathers with CO2 tanks are good for up to six hours under water, in case you were wondering about the accuracy of that. (Except in this case they didn't have a tank, screw you logic!)
NINT