"If madness overtakes us both, then nobody would be alone!

The ghosts of us can linger here~

Forever not to disappear…!"

Steven wasn't sure how to process any of this. After all these years of searching- of dismissing the words of those around him that were convinced of her death, of people telling him to just give up, of him trying to do so and move on with his life, of falling back into the search of locating and destroying Team Rocket, of his trying to get closure, and the girl he failed to save… was standing right in front of him.

She was real. She was alive.

Her name is El.

But Team Rocket used to call her Grunt.

His mind was reeling from this information alone, anger and relief and concern coursing through him. Because of this, he nearly lost his composure several times throughout the few conversations they've had since she woke up in the pokēcenter's infirmary. It took all he had to keep his emotions locked away, the young man desperately wanting to know exactly what all she's been through but not wanting to upset her. The last time he saw her was when they were both children, after all.

When he was ten and innocent and so happy to have made a new friend, and when she was scared and lost and so confused, four years old yet all alone without anyone called family to find her. They were just two children- ones who made a promise…

A promise that Steven failed to keep.

So he decided to let Lorelei do the majority of the talking. Steven didn't want to dredge up any painful memories or try and get her to remember him, especially since a part of him was afraid she blamed him, but… when the brunette girl asked how she could trust them- some of Steven's emotions leaked through. His guilt, the pain he had shut down for so long; it rose to the surface and yet, despite knowing everything she must have gone through, all she had to have survived through to get to this point, all he could do was apologize.

Steven's never felt more pathetic.

She's been through so much- and judging by all the scars and burns that covered her arms and legs, she must have worked so hard to stay alive. She must have been so scared.

And he was unable to do anything to help her.

Still, the fact that she had remembered the ramblings of an excited ten year old child who had wanted to share his knowledge of rare stones with a new friend just… filled him with so much joy. However slightly, however faint- she remembered him.

But… she didn't recognize him.

He thought she had for a moment there, when she asked him about his age, but she went quiet afterwards. So either she did recognize him and didn't want to mention it in case he didn't know who she was, or she had convinced herself he was the wrong person. Or maybe she didn't even know why she was asking, despite finding him familiar.

It was disappointing, but perhaps things were better this way.

Still, it… made it feel as though searching for her all these years had become worth it, and… Steven was… glad she had found friends she could trust. Brock and Blue clearly care about her, and… must have been taking care of her ever since the Team Rocket headquarters exploded. From the things they've said, El must have ran away to try and keep them safe from her enemies, but they chased after her.

That leads them to where they are now. But… something was bothering him.

Who's the Mistress? This was the first time he's heard of that name, though what exactly it meant he was unsure. Someone in authority most likely, given the way she spoke about the person. Steven found his stomach twisting with rage and disgust. Probably someone who's hurt her, too.

Perhaps even more than the other two criminals did, given the way the girl purposefully avoided talking about her. It made him wonder if the Mistress was actually a criminal they knew of- and if so, which one? He would need a physical description of the person to be certain.

All Steven could do was hope that his suspicions were wrong.

…

After being given the Chansey egg, we headed to the cafeteria.

The chef was more than happy to make an omelette out of the Chansey egg I had been given. It was very reminiscent of the time when I had first wound up in Rustboro, as I had been given a Chansey egg back then, too. This one tasted even more delicious than the one I remembered, and each bite seemed to rejuvenate my tired body.

Sparks danced upon my tongue and a warmth bubbled in my chest, and with Brock and Blue sitting on either side of me I felt…

I felt cared for, and as I eagerly ate the Chansey Egg omelette- more hungry than I had previously realized- Brock took to brushing my tangled mess of hair so he could braid it. Blue munched on a few pieces of bacon, and our pokēmon- out of their pokēballs- were all happily devouring their own food. Steven and Lorelei had their own pokēmon out, too, so they could all eat- and they had a lot of pokēmon.

Lorelei's were all ice-types. She had a Jinx and a Dewgong, a Cloyster and a Slowbro, a Lapras, and… surprisingly an Alolan Sandlash. Dewgong and Slowbro made me incredibly uncomfortable, the pair mainly being water-types, and I pointedly tried to keep my gaze away from them. Steven, on the other hand, had what I learned was a Metagross and a Metang- and a few pokēmon I found more recognizable: a Skarmory, a Lileep, an Aron, and an Aggron.

The Metagross would not stop staring at me. After being fed a few pokēpuffs and sandwiches, it moved over to float to the booth behind us. Taking up the entire area, it hummed loudly from its spot atop the table and seat, and I glanced at it weirdly from over my shoulder.

Steven looked amused. "Titanium seems to like you."

"All pokēmon like her." Blue stated, taking a sip from his boba tea. "It's a thing."

I made a face, resisting the urge to argue, and just finished off the last bite of my omelette. Lorelei and Steven became intrigued by Blue's comment. "Oh?"

"Really? What do you mean?" Lorelei leaned forward, lacing her fingers beneath her chin, and I scooted closer to Brock, trying to ignore her piercing red gaze. I could tell she wasn't anything like the Mistress, but the similarities disturbed me nonetheless. "Care to go into detail?"

He shrugged. "They just like her. The more emotions she actually lets herself feel, the more affectionate they are. It was super helpful when we were freeing all the captured pokēmon beneath Nugget Bridge; she managed to convince all the pokēmon to follow us through the hideout and help in the fight against the hideout bosses. And then she convinced their pokēmon to follow us outside."

"Ohhh, that was a cute moment." Brock commented, grinning. "They all just piled up on top of her when she told them they were free. 'Course, you were half-dead with a fever and broken ribs, Blue. We were lucky Bill's house was right up the hill!"

The boy's eyebrow twitched, and he took a long sip from his boba straw. "Can you stop mentioning that, please?"

"...Speaking of pokēmon," I began, trying to ignore the humming coming from the Metagross perched happily behind us. I focused my gaze on Steven, he and Lorelei looking more disturbed with each new thing they learned we've been through, "did you guys release the ones the Team Rocket goons had?"

Lorelei blinked at that, then sat back up in her seat, folding her arms over her chest and crossing one leg over the other. "No, not yet. We were cautious of them lashing out upon release, and given the damage Arbok had done to you-"

"Wasn't that much damage." I said, dismissing the concern. Picking up a spoon, I stirred the weird sundae that was in front of me- a sundae Blue stubbornly convinced me to try. I tried to ignore everyone's stares of utter disbelief. "Arbok… didn't want to kill me, anyway. If it did, it would have done more than just a bite. Arbok could have ripped out my entire shoulder or… pulled off my arm. Could have crushed my bones. Arbok are known for crushing the bones of their prey. Instead, it just poisoned me and tried to throw me in the stream. A stream that would have most likely carried me back into town."

I stopped stirring, scooped up some of the ice cream, and stared up at the two older trainers in front of me.

"Poison can be cured. Death can't."

I took a bite of the sundae. I recoiled near instantly at the cold sweetness, placing a hand over my mouth. I had not been prepared for that sensation in the least. The fudge itself was warm, but the ice cream was as cold as… well, ice. I ended up waving a hand in front of my face in my panic, pushing the sundae away as I tried to finish chewing it. It was ridiculously sweet.

The disbelief and incredulousness that had been on everyone's faces soon became replaced with amusement, and Brock chuckled while Blue just snorted. "You good there, kid?"

"Cold!" Was all I could say, cringing as I swallowed. "Why is it so cold!?"

"Because it's ice cream." Brock said, lips curling upwards in a huge grin. He pulled my bangs out of my face, tying them back with the rest of my hair. As a result, my black eye was clear to see- and Lorelei and Steven's gazes turned doubly intense- the latter's gaze more dark than the former's. "It's super refreshing on warmer days like these. You've never tried it before, right? What do you think? Are sweets not your thing?"

I made a face, eying the sundae suspiciously before poking at it with the spoon again. I made sure to take a much smaller bite this time. Blue and Brock both looked like they were trying to hold back their laughter as they watched me chew the frozen treat decisively, and I could feel the taller boy expertly weave my hair into one big braid before tying it off with the blue ribbons. He tucked it into my scarf, and stole a bite of ice cream for himself. He hummed.

"I love sweets." Brock said. "Coffee, too- buuuut I think you're a bit too young for that."

Lorelei was not as amused as the boys were, instead looking deeply concerned by something. Steven held a hand to his chin, his features steeling themselves and making his thoughts hard to read. His gaze felt like it was going to pierce through my bruised eye.

Swallowing, I squinted at the ice cream and poked it with the spoon again. "I-I dunno. I don't hate it, but…" The fudge is a bit much for me.

"Try this." Blue said, and held his boba tea out. I blinked. Smirking at my stupefied expression, he shook the drink. It was like he was determined to figure out what I liked and hated. "C'mon, try it. It's good. It's blueberry~! Blue's your favorite color, isn't it?"

"…Y-You make it sound so weird." I said, mumbling a bit as I reached out and took the cup from him. This felt so strange- yet… also familiar. I feel like I might have shared food and drink like this with someone before. Probably with the woman from my dreams. "Is it cold?"

"Hm? Nah." He leaned an elbow onto the table, propping his cheek against his fist. "It's warm. It's not too sweet either."

I scrunched my nose up, hesitant, before awkwardly leaning down and taking a decent sized sip from the straw. It really was warm. But, like an idiot, I didn't think to stop and chew the weird boba pearls that got sucked up.

"H-Hey, slow down!" Blue exclaimed, smacking a hand against my back when I started to cough into my arm. "Jeez. You okay?"

"I-I think so…" Ow. If the boba pearl was any bigger I think I might have suffocated on it. "Th-The drink is good, but I-I don't know about the boba…"

"What in the name of Arceus are we gonna do with you?" Blue asked, planting a hand on my head and shaking it light back-and-forth. "Common sense, kid! You see something like berries or fruit in a drink? Clearly you're meant to chew it."

"I-I didn't think I'd suck one up…"

He just hung his head and groaned dramatically. "You're gonna make me go grey like my Gramps."

"S-Sorry…" I awkwardly set the boba tea down. Glancing at Blue from the corner of my eye, I once again took notice of his blood-stained top. I turned away, tightening my grip on the glass and lowering my head. "And… sorry for… ruining your shirt."

"What?" Blue paused at that, confused, before looking down at himself and realizing what I meant. He frowned. After a moment of silence, he gave a half-hearted shrug and leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes lazily. "Meh, it's just a shirt. I was overdue for a new one, anyway."

"…You're not… mad?" He was always wearing it. I figured it was either his favorite or just one he preferred to wear for convenience sake.

"Should I be?" Blue peeked an eye open, raising a brow. "I'll just get a new one at Celadon. Stop fretting, El."

I nodded, unsure of how to stop fretting, and just settled for taking another sip of the boba. I made sure to chew any pearls this time. Speaking quietly, I slid the glass back over to him. "The tea is nice."

Blue just laughed and took the glass. "I knew you'd have good taste, kid."

"Hey," Brock said, folding his arms and leaning over the table to grin at the boy, "she likes my cooking. Of course she has good taste."

"I'm gonna be real with ya, Brock." Blue said, raising a brow. "I don't think we can trust anyone who doesn't like your cooking. El's an exception since she couldn't actually taste stuff until recently, but, like. Anyone that doesn't enjoy your cooking has problems."

Brock just barked out a laugh at that. "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Thank you."

"Meh." Blue turned up his nose and held the boba straw up to his lips, getting ready to take a drink. "Don't get used to it."

"So…" Lorelei began, cutting her way into the conversation, leaning forward and lacing her fingers together in front of her, elbows resting against the tabletop. "What… exactly is your guys' plan? For dealing with Team Rocket, I mean."

Brock and Blue looked at each other, then at me. After a moment's hesitation, thinking deeply about how to respond, I frowned and turned to face the redhead. "Do… Do you guys have the pokēballs from Team Rocket?"

"Yes?" Lorelei was confused.

I stood up, holding my hands out towards her- pointedly ignoring the guy sitting on her right. Every time I focused any sort of attention on him my heart and mind began clawing at each other, an uncertainty and fear like nothing I've ever experienced trying to rise to the surface. I didn't like it. So, therefore, I was going to ignore it. "Gimme."

"What?" That startled her. "Why?"

"So I can release them." Growing a bit annoyed, I made grabby motions with my hands. "If you aren't gonna do it, I will."

Lorelei uncrossed her arms, holding a hand protectively in front of her black purse. "We can't risk them attacking you again. It's too dangerous."

Dangerous? She thinks that's dangerous?

"You're joking, right?" When she gave no response, simply staring me down, I hardened my expression into a glare. I twitched my fingers. This lady was seriously testing my patience. "They won't attack. Not unless we give them a reason to. Dunno if you know this, but being in those pokēballs causes them physical pain. The longer they're in, the more they hurt! Now give them to me before I take them from you."

Lorelei looked like she was about to protest again, but a slight nudge to her arm from Steven and a five second-long staring contest with him made her sigh and give in.

Begrudgingly, she reached into the small bag at her side and rested the pokēballs in my hands.

Due to how many they were and how small my hands were, it was a little hard to hold them, but I managed to cradle them to my chest. "…Thanks. Turns out I will not be having Ansem attack you."

The pokēmon in question barked.

Pausing awkwardly as I debated going ahead and standing up, I looked around the room and observed all the many trainers that were wandering around to talk to other trainers and/or were simply just eating. "We… We can't… talk here, anyway. N-Not that I decided that I am going to talk, but, like, just in general. Y'know. Because… it's not safe." I cleared my throat. My face felt frustratingly warm.

Lorelei raised a brow at me. "Why is it unsafe? There's nothing wrong with the pokēcenter."

"There is when we're surrounded by people." Does she have no sense of caution? Is she that trusting? Actually, I don't know why I'm so surprised; everyone I've met in the outside world so far has been ridiculously trusting. "Any of them could be listening."

"And… you think they'd report back to Team Rocket?"

"No." Steven was the one that spoke this time, folding his arms over his chest and fixating his intense stare on Lorelei. His face was hard to read. "She's saying that any of them could be Team Rocket."

Lorelei became alarmed at that, shoulders tensing and fingers slowly curling into fists. "That's not possible. The pokēcenters spread throughout the regions are all carefully secured to avoid pokēmon thieves breaking in. If anyone tried, the police would be alerted right away by either Nurse Joy or Chansey, and the trainers resting there would band together to defend their injured pokēmon."

I almost snorted at that. "Are they really that secure, though? Rich and Velga snuck in real easy when they grabbed me nine years ago. No one noticed a thing."

"...What?" Her voice became cold. Whirling her head around, Lorelei looked at Steven, almost demanding an explanation via her stare alone, before realization flashed and she turned back towards me, utterly livid. "It was Richard and Velga that kidnapped you?"

If my hands weren't full of evil pokēballs, I probably would have started clapping sarcastically.

Maybe Blue's sass is rubbing off on me. Hmm.

Clearing my mind of that thought, I just shrugged in response to her question. "Yeah. Rich pretended to be the social worker that was supposed to grab me, annnnd Velga pretended to be a nurse and brought me to him. They're also the ones who started calling me… who… started calling me Grunt."

Clearing my throat, I worried my bottom lip and furrowed my brows, glaring slightly into nothing before shaking my head and glancing up at Brock. It was so hard ignoring the anxiety that raced within, telling me that staying with him and Blue was a bad idea, but I did my best and just awkwardly gave him a small nudge with my shoulder to get his attention.

"D… Did you eat anything?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I ate earlier while you were sleeping." I blinked. He tilted his head, seeing my confusion. "Nurse Joy would only let one of us in the room at a time while you weren't… stable, so I came here to eat and calm down."

"Oooh…" I wasn't sure what to say to that. All I could do was duck my head, guilt washing over me once more. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay, El." He reached over and pat my head gently. "I'm just glad you're okay. I'm sorry I didn't notice you were bleeding sooner- it… must have really hurt."

I thought about it. "...No, not… really. The poison burned, but… the pain wasn't that bad. I've felt worse."

"...That isn't nearly as comforting as you think it is." Brock stated, heavily disturbed by the implications of my words. I blinked, then made a face, understanding quickly what my mistake was. "What could feel "worse" than having a giant Arbok's fangs pierce through you?"

That's a good question.

A heavy silence fell over the table as I went deep into thought.

The electric whip I had been hit with several times in the past hurt, but Mistress Augusta shoving my face into a sink full of cold water and ice cubes were what truly made me nearly give up on survival. It was the first time I came close to greeting death- and the first time I considered giving in to it.

That feeling of being repeatedly drowned was the worst, especially since it hit close to the nightmares I frequently had. But there was also the time the bone in my left wrist completely snapped and poked out of the flesh, bleeding profusely. It hurt unlike anything I've ever felt before, and now I can't feel anything in that limb.

…Maybe I shouldn't say anything.

"Y'know what? Doesn't matter." Repressing a shudder, I inhaled sharply and shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut tight. "A-Anyway. Um. Pokēmon." I was quick to focus my attention on the pokēballs I was holding. "We… We need to free the pokēmon."

"...Right." Brock nodded, moving to stand, and Blue slurped up the rest of his boba tea. I was mildly surprised by their compliance, the boys not even questioning what must have been running through my head.

I watched as Brock began to pack up his things. Calling back all his pokēmon except Susie, he slid his giant backpack over his shoulders. He scooped the Vulpix up in his arms. Sliding out of the booth once we were all standing, Blue had his pokēmon return to their own pokēballs. Steven and Lorelei followed suit. Belladonna, Basil, Ruby, and Sapphire all followed behind us as we began to walk, and Ansem dashed up and jumped to sit on my shoulders.

"What exactly is your relationship with Richard Fleck and Velga Penholder?" Lorelei inquired cautiously as we walked. "You mentioned before that Velga holds a grudge against you? And that… Richard wants to bring you back to Team Rocket?"

I faltered in my step at that question. Ansem nuzzled his face against my hair, sensing the anxiety coursing through me, the pokēmon beginning to purr to try and comfort me. "I…"

I didn't want to talk about it. Cleaning my throat, uncomfortable at the memories, I hugged the pokēballs closer and tried to mask the painful emotions.

"I… uh… well, yeah. I-It's not really a grudge; she just doesn't like me. And… Rich-" I grimaced, slightly leaning into Ansem's warm fur. "Rich thinks that because he "raised" me that he "owns" me. Which he didn't, and doesn't."

Honestly, it's infuriating.

"He… He acts like he did me a favor when he just-" I ground my teeth together. It was taking all my willpower to not explode, to try and keep the negative emotions under control. "He never helped. Not once. But then he tries to claim he did? That he… That he protected me? He didn't do anything when the Mistress came by! He didn't stop her, h-he didn't do anything to help when she… wh-when she…"

A hand resting gently on my shoulder had me inhale sharply and I shuddered, fervently shaking my head to dismiss the unwanted memories, habitually leaning into the warmth. Feeling a wave of gratitude towards Brock, who succeeded in calming me down, I looked at the pokēballs I was holding.

"Look, my… relationship with them doesn't matter, okay? It's… whatever. We… We need to release these guys. They won't hurt us. We just… need to prove that we won't hurt them. And… then we can talk. In a room. Without anyone around."

That's the best and safest way to deal with things.

Before heading outside, Blue explained to a very concerned and very stern Nurse Joy that we would be back in as soon as we released the stolen pokēmon. She didn't seem to believe us at first, at least not until I showed her the evil pokēballs I was carrying.

"You come back in as soon as you're done." She said firmly, frowning as she pointed a finger at us. "El needs her rest."

"You got it, Nurse Joy!" Brock beamed. "Though I think I might need some rest too. You-"

Seeing the boy about to try flirting with her again, Blue snagged the hood of his jacket and pulled. "Easy, lover boy. Pokēmon first!"

Brock let out a whimper, and Susie mewed and gave him a small lick on the cheek to comfort him. Steven just raised a brow at the sight, and Lorelei shook her head. When we finally made it to the exit, we stopped outside and I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart as I looked down at the pokēballs in my arms. It feels like it's been an eternity since the time we escaped the underground hideout with Blue.

Yet… it's only been a little over a week.

Brock stopped rubbing his ear and grimacing at Blue, noticing how I was just silently staring at the pokēballs, and both boys made their way over to me. Blue shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning sideways to get a decent look at my face. "What're you thinkin' now, squirt? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing, I just…" I hesitated. It was difficult trying to explain what exactly was going through my mind. Furrowing my brows, I debated whether to keep quiet or not, before ultimately deciding to talk. "I… don't know. It's just- it's hard to… to let myself feel, you know? Even though I… know that I need to, I still…"

"…want to keep them locked up?" Brock finished softly.

"Y-Yeah."

Shifting his hold on Susie so he was holding her with one arm, Brock reached over and gently rested a hand against my arm. "It's going to be okay, El." He told me, confident and firmly believing in what he was saying. "It isn't going to be easy, but… just remember- healing takes time."

"And if anything happens," Blue added in, grinning and straightening his back, pulling a hand out of his pocket and poking the space between my brows with his index finger, "we'll be there. We're with you, kid."

I blinked. Then, feeling my eyes start to sting, I inhaled deeply and backed away, biting down on my trembling bottom lip. It felt like a smile was trying to form, and it was so hard not to try and hide it. "R-Right… thanks. Thank… you. I-I'm… going to… r-release the pokēmon now, so, uh…" I cleared my throat, awkwardly gesturing with my head to the side. "Can… Can you guys stand over… there, please? Next to Steven Strange and Lorelei?"

"About that, actually-" Brock leaned down and started to whisper excitedly, holding his free hand up to the side of his face, "Is Steven the one who gave you the stone? You were asking him some weird questions earlier."

"Please say it's him so I can punch him." Blue said, grinning widely. "Is he your mystery prince?"

Why. Why do they have to keep referring to that person as a prince? It's sounds so stupid.

Scowling, I made a face, and keeping my voice low, I retorted, "He's not a prince, and he's not the guy. He's too pretty."

Brock and Blue stared at that.

Blue blinked. "Too… pretty?"

"Y-Yeah." The more they kept staring at me, the more uncomfortable and awkward I began to feel. I shifted in place. "I-I don't remember him being so pretty. He was… covered in dirt and scrapes and… like, I… I guess he was kind of pretty but he wasn't super pretty. I-I dunno. This dude looks like he's all fancy and rich and stuff. The kid I knew… wasn't all… that."

Brock hummed, seemingly disappointed. "And you're sure it isn't him? People can change quite a lot in a few years. Heck, you changed a lot during the few weeks we've known you."

"I-I'm sure." Maybe. I don't know. They're making me doubt myself now. Frick. "L-Look, I think I would know if it was him, alright? I-It's a really important memory."

Brock and Blue shared a look, neither able to really argue nor agree with my words. Blue frowned and ruffled his hair. "Okay. Whatever you say, kid. You know your memories better than we do. Just… let us know if you ever remember anything else."

I nodded. "W-Will do. So, uh…"

Holding the pokēballs up, I tilted my head in the direction of Steven and Lorelei. The two trainers were gazing at us curiously, probably wanting to know what we were whispering about.

"Can you go over there now, please? I need to free these pokēmon."

After a few more seconds of awkward whispering and mumblings of concern, the two boys did as asked. With them out of the way and safe, I did my best to calm down and relax.

Everything was fine. I can do this. It was just going to be like how we did it back in the underground base. I open the pokēballs, free the pokēmon, and then crush the pokēballs to further convince them of their freedom. Then they all run off to do their own things.

It's fine.

Glancing at my pokémon, I gestured for them to take a few steps back and they did. Ansem hopped off of my head to stand beside me. With one more deep and shaky breath, I hardened my gaze into a determined one and tossed out the pokēballs- releasing the pokēmon that were trapped inside.

Ansem, Basil, and Belladonna made quick work of the empty pokēballs, and the now-free pokēmon looked around in confusion, surprised by their surroundings, only to look on in shock as their prisons were destroyed before their very eyes.

Gengar, Coffing, two Weezing, a Tauros, an Ekans, and… the Arbok that bit me.

They watched as my pokémon backed away from the shattered remains, and when the group of abused pokēmon turned to look towards me I took that chance to slowly lower my knees to the ground, hands up in the air to show I meant no harm and held no weapon.

They all tensed, eying my pokémon and the four people standing near the pokēcenter entrance suspiciously. Arbok coiled back and hissed, and seeing this Lorelei and Steven began reaching for their pokēballs- but Brock and Blue were quick to stop them when I sent the pair a small glare.

Breathing a bit uneven, I tried to release the emotions within. It was always such a strange thing for me to do, uncomfortable and foreign and just weird, as I spent so many years actively shutting them down, but I needed to feel. They needed to understand we weren't going to hurt them. I needed to let them know they were safe now.

Thankfully, due to my earlier sob fest in Brock and Blue's arms, the emotions weren't nearly as overwhelming when they started to flood me.

I gazed at the pokēmon, voice soft, almost weak beneath the pressure of such strong feelings. "It's okay. You're okay. You're safenow."

They were scared. Uncertain. Lost. They've been held captive for so long, being forced to live within a prison that tortures them and constricts them, and being coerced to hurt others, that it was hard to believe they were free. It was hard to believe everything was going to be okay. They didn't know what to think.

They didn't know what to do.

Their fear, their anxiety and nervousness; I knew that all too well. I know how much it hurts. I know how scary it is to finally be freed from the torment, but not knowing where to go from there.

Tears were stinging my eyes as they began to form. My heart felt tight within my chest. "Team Rocket can't… hurt you anymore."

Arbok finally stopped hissing, it and the other pokēmon gazing at me with wide eyes. Gengar moved over to poke and prod the shattered remains of the evil pokēballs, as if to make sure it was real, before suddenly it began to choke. Tears welling up, Gengar began to smile- a huge, beaming smile, and then it lunged forward, slamming into me as it made its body solid. It's chubby arms wrapped around my neck, and I instinctively reciprocated the embrace, holding the round pokēmon up so it didn't fall. It's body was cold to the touch, almost to the point to giving me chills.

"Gengar!" It exclaimed, nuzzling my face.

"…Weezing?"

"Weez!"

"Coffing…"

The three floating pokēmon murmured to each other, and Gengar turned to look at them, smile broadening. "Gengar! Geng! Gengar!"

The three pokēmon were stunned by whatever Gengar just told them, before bursting out into tears and loudly sobbing as they flew over to gently headbutt me in an attempt to hug. "Weezing! Weez! Weez, Weezing!"

"C-Coffing!"

"W… Weeeezing!"

I ended up having to hold Gengar with one arm, attempting to pat the other floating pokēmon to comfort them. Tauros lowed for a moment, stomping one of its hooves against the ground, before moving forward. I tensed at first, mildly concerned, only to relax when the Tauros approached and nudged my forehead lightly with its muzzle, giving a large and rather gross lick to my face. Ekans slid over to curl around me, only to pause and glance at the Arbok still standing there.

Its black eyes were boring into me, and I squirmed beneath all the pokēmon to try and get a better look at it. The pokēmon let out a small hiss. "Arbok…"

Patting the pokēmon a few more times, I made to stand- releasing Gengar and blinking in mild surprise when I saw it floating in the air, just grinning at me. Shaking my head, I took about two steps forward and outstretched my arms, meeting Arbok's intense stare. "...It's okay, you know. I'm not mad."

"Arbok?" The pokēmon stood a bit taller, eying me cautiously. "Arbok!"

Okay. Breathe. Stay calm. Feel the emotions. Let them know.

Arbok blinked, surprise flashing across its features, before ducking its head. "Arbok…"

I took another hesitant step forward. Though my hands were shaking, I slowly outstretched them. "You didn't want to hurt me… right? They made you. They hurt you. But… they won't anymore. You don't… have to go back to that scary place. It's okay."

Arbok did not move. It just watched me approach, listened to me speak, and felt for my emotions. I stopped just in front of it, right before my hands could touch the much larger pokēmon. My hands hovered over its head, waiting for it to make the final move. I kept my gaze steady as it met its own, blinking away the stinging tears as they stubbornly tried to form.

"You can go home now."

It finally moved. The palms of my hands brushed against the thick purple scales as Arbok leaned down and let out a low, sorrowful hiss. After a moment of just staring at me, it closed its eyes and gently, apologetically, pressed its forehead to mine. I did the same, expressing forgiveness, showing I did not blame it for what Team Rocket had it do to me, and lightly brushed my thumbs against its scales.

The silence that passed over us was filled with far too many feelings to describe.

"Just… be safe, okay?"

"Arbok~!" It pulled away and gave a slight nod, then turned to its allies. "Arbok!"

They all either blinked or made sounds of acknowledgment, before glancing at me one last time and then running away to freedom- Arbok slithering after them, guarding them and serving as the group leader. Once they were gone, I let out a heavy sigh of relief and relaxed my shoulders, feeling a bit dazed.

"El?" The sounds of footsteps reached my ears, but it wasn't until Brock was next to me that I moved, stumbling in my walk. I leaned forward, resting my head tiredly against his chest, arms dangling by my side. Susie let out a concerned mew, and I felt Brock rest a hand atop my head. "You okay?"

I said nothing, instead giving a small nod.

He began to pat my head, while Susie's nose tickled my left ear. "You were really brave, you know. You did a good thing."

Yeah.

Inhaling shakily, I focused on the feeling of his warm hand before pulling away and stepping over to pick up Ansem, desperately needing someone to cuddle right now. The pokēmon seemed more than willing to oblige, mewing and licking my chin as I held him close. His soft fuzziness was very comforting.

Turning to face the duo that were standing beside Blue, I tried to steel my expression, not wanting to show Steven and Lorelei how exhausted or uncomfortable I was. "So! S-Should… we all go talk to Nurse Joy about… getting a room so we can talk? Or… not?"

The two trainers looked at each, then nodded.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you all think in the comments, and have a wonderful day/night wherever you are! Stay safe! 💕