Chapter
41
"Your
mother's been kidnapped!" Norman exclaimed.
May staggered backward and nearly fell over on the ground. Her face looked pale as she was essentially mortified by the news. Max ran into his father's arms almost immediately and started to cry. Norman held his son dearly and caressed his hair, he regretted shouting what happened to their mother in such an unnerving manner.
Ash and Pikachu were stunned silent by the news, they could do nothing but stare in shock at Max who was sobbing in his beaten father's arms. How did May's parents get attacked while they were walking home from the restaurant?
Norman's face was battered and worn, and showed evidence of a fierce fist fight. He had a black eye and a face full of bruises, along with blood running from his mouth and dangling from his chin. It was clear that the once esteemed Gym leader of the Petalburg Gym had seen better days.
The Petalburg Gym beside them was set ablaze in flames. The scorching fire reached into the night sky, as large quantities of smoke filled the air. The entire house was set in a red and orange hue, as if the place had been burning for quite some time. It was apparent from the raging inferno that the entire inside of their house was totally destroyed by the flames. The sounds of raging fire in their home only encouraged the despair of Norman and his family, the attacker had done a number on their emotional stability.
Norman continued to wade with Max in his arms as the Gym leader began to mope hopelessly. Max had his face fully buried in his chest, as the tears from the young boy soaked his father's shirt. Norman was conflicted with anger, contempt, helplessness and was grief-stricken by what he was unable to prevent; the abduction of his wife and the destruction of his home.
"Dad! You gotta find Mom! Please!" Max cried hysterically while dropping his glasses to the ground.
Norman waded silently while holding his son. Max looked up at his father and was even more aghast when he saw the mutilation of his face, it was a morbid sight.
"NO…wha – why did this happen?" Max cried.
May sat on the ground with her hands holding her head in a distressed manner, as she rocked herself nervously and rambled nonsensically to herself. The girl was in a state of shock, she could barely comprehend what was going on and tried to shove the horrible images and thoughts of what happened to her family out of her mind.
Ash finally got frustrated and yelled out to Norman, with a mix of anxiety and fear. "Caroline…did – did you see what happened to her? We…we need to save your wife!" Ash shouted, with a hint of hopelessness in his voice.
"DAD!" Max yelled angrily, "Li-sten to Ash, tell him what happened to Mom!"
Norman shook his head a number of times and spit some more blood out of his mouth.
"Caroline…DAMN…how could I let him do that to you?" Norman screamed.
"Dad?" Max sobbed.
"Damn…I…I don't believe it…I completely forgot!" Norman yelled, "The Pokemon are still inside the house, they're in the fire and could be dead!"
May suddenly shot up from the floor as her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. She turned weakly as she looked at the raging fire shooting out from the Gym. The thought that her Pokemon, Beautifly and Skitty, as well as the others still being inside the house terrified her.
"What?" Ash screamed, "You mean May's Pokemon are inside the house?"
"YES!" Norman nodded uneasily, "I – I have Slaking and the others with me, but Beautifly and Skitty were out of their Pokeballs and inside the house when we left! I don't know if they're still in there or not!"
"NO!" May cried, as she frantically wiped her tears out of her eyes.
Without warning, May darted for the house despite the menacing flames and overbearing smoke.
"May! What are you doing?" Norman screamed.
He let go of Max quickly and raced for his daughter as fast as he could. He realized that May was likely to do something stupid and step inside the burning house to look for her two Pokemon. Ash and Pikachu quickly ran after Norman and toward the inferno.
May dashed hopelessly toward the Gym before Norman caught up to her and snatched her in his arms. The father could hold his daughter at bay easily, and held her secure as she struggled with her body to get out of his arms.
"LET GO OF ME!" May cried, "Skitty and Beautifly are still in there!"
"If you run into the house you're as good as dead!" Norman scolded, wrestling with his daughter. He held her from behind with one arm wrapped around her torso and the other holding her left arm which was struggling to push him away. The girl even tried to head butt him to get free but Norman's stronger body allowed him to hold his daughter still.
"Damn, I don't like this!" Ash cried.
Pikachu suddenly noticed that something was strange about the fire, and after taking a brief sniff of the flames, it quickly noted that something was amiss.
"Pikachu, pika Pika!" Pikachu shouted.
"Pikachu, I don't have time for you now!" Ash said frantically.
"PIKACHU!" Pikachu shouted.
Frustrated, Ash looked at Pikachu as the Pokemon slowly inched closer to the fire on the shrubs that were near the walls of the Gym.
"Pikachu, what are you doing? Get away from the fire!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu ignored its trainer's command and decided to put its paw into the burning shrub. Once it didn't feel anything, Pikachu knew its suspicions were correct.
"Pikachu…wha?" Ash asked, startled.
Pikachu was putting its paw in and outside the fire that was caught along the shrubs and grass, but it didn't look like it felt a thing!
Ash slowly inched his way closer to the flames, and nervously reached with one hand to press it against the fire that was shooting from the window.
"What the hell are you doing, Ash?" May yelled, still struggling to get free from her father.
Ash put his hand in and out of the burning window. He then moved his whole arm around the flames of the building, and to everyone else's surprise, he didn't react at all! The fire didn't seem to burn his skin, nor did the huge amount of smoke cause the boy to cough or struggle to breathe.
"I don't believe it…it's not….hot?" Ash asked, confused.
Norman and May looked at him astonished, as Ash and Pikachu were showing the family that they were putting their limbs in and out of the fire with no negative effect. Max quickly ran up beside them and made another discovery.
"There's no smell either!" Max gasped, trying to sniff the air, "There's so much smoke in the air but it doesn't smell like anything! It – it doesn't even smell like the house is burning!"
Max rubbed his tears from his eyes as Norman slowly let go of his daughter. The trio inched closer to the raging inferno and were astounded by the discovery; not only was the fire not hot, but it didn't smell or feel like the Gym was ablaze either!
"There's…there's not even any heat," May said, trembling, "We're…we're standing right in front of the fire yet we don't feel the heat on our faces."
"Wait a sec," Ash said, reaching for his Pokeball, "Corphish, I choose you!"
Ash threw his Pokeball in the air and his familiar Corphish materialized in front of him. Ash instructed Corphish to use Bubblebeam in the flames, in which the Pokemon did accordingly.
"Corphish?!" Corphish said astonished, as its water attack went right through the fire, and didn't phase it at all.
"It all adds up," Ash said, amazed, "There's no heat from the fire, there's no smell of smoke despite the sky being filled with it, there's no smell of burning wood, and when we touch the fire not only do we not feel a thing, but everything goes right through it!"
"Then…that means?" May asked, stuttering.
"The fire isn't real!" Norman exclaimed.
"How – how could that be?" she asked, astonished.
Suddenly, two familiar Pokemon began to emerge from the depths of the house. The group was astonished as Skitty and Beautifly quickly ran out the front door and toward the gang unscathed.
"Beautifly, Skitty! You're not hurt!" May exclaimed.
She quickly ran toward her Pokemon and hugged both of them as they leaped into her arms. Tears flowed down her cheek as she hugged them dearly and kissed both of them on the head.
"Beauti-fly?" Beautifly asked.
"The Pokemon were inside the house as it was burning the whole time, they walked through the fire and everything, and they look perfectly fine!" Max said, astonished.
"You guys….how?" May asked, looking at her Pokemon.
Skitty and Beautifly shook their heads as they had no idea what was going on.
"I know," Ash said as he faced the house, "This fire isn't real. This whole thing must be an illusion or something."
"You…you must be right, Ash! There is no other explanation!" Max shouted.
May let go of her Pokemon as she walked up beside Ash and looked at the flames determinedly. Standing only three feet in front of the entrance, she made a daring move of jumping inside the house.
"MAY!" Norman shouted.
Ash and Pikachu impulsively ran inside the doorway following her, and were astounded again, they didn't feel a thing despite jumping into a raging inferno. May gazed upon the inside of the house, and noticed that all of the furniture and rooms looked fine, the fire only seemed to be covering it, not burning anything.
"Ash, there's nothing on fire in the house," May gasped, "Look at everything in here, nothing looks scorched at all."
"I know, we're actually standing ON and inside a burning house, and there's nothing bothering us!" Ash exclaimed.
Norman and Max followed in the house as well, and were equally astonished. Norman brushed his hand along the couch that only appeared to be on flames, but the couch was fine, and the fire was merely flickering on top of the couch, rather than burning it.
"You're right, our whole house isn't in flames after all," Norman gasped, "None of this is real. The entire fire is a farce!"
"Who could do something like this though?" Ash asked, sitting down on a chair that was in flames, "It…looks so real…but it's…all fake."
"The same bastard that took my wife, apparently," Norman grinded his teeth.
The mention of their mother got the siblings upset and frightened once again.
"Forget the damn house!" May screamed, "Since this is just an illusion and my Pokemon are fine, who cares! We gotta go find Mom!"
"Beautifly!" Beautifly said, landing on May's head.
Max picked up Skitty from the ground while Ash recalled Corphish into its Pokeball.
"Dad, we gotta call the police!" Max gasped.
"Hm, I wonder if any of our Pokemon can shine through this illusion," Ash said, he then noticed Beautifly flapping its wings on May's head.
Norman walked over to the phone on the wall, and hesitated as the whole thing was covered in fire. Despite the fact that the fire wasn't real, it sure looked real enough, and it was very unnerving to touch something that would ordinarily burn his skin. Nevertheless, he picked up the phone and began to dial the police, slowly pressing the buttons that were flickering in his face.
"May, tell your Beautifly to use Psychic attack!" Ash instructed.
"Why? I don't think it even knows how to use it," May stuttered.
"Just do it!" Ash yelled.
"Beautifly, try using Psychic!" May said, weakly.
Beautifly hovered off her head and prepared to launch the attack. Its wings started to glow a faint purple as it unleashed a massive energy attack that encompassed the room. Ash watched as the purple psychic energy covered the flames, and noticed immediately that the "fire" began to fade away. Unfortunately, after the energy attack moved on, the fire would reform in the same place and continue to flicker.
"Did you see that, Ash?" Max asked.
"Yeah, the Psychic energy just showed us the real room, without the flames. I think that just proved that it really is an illusion," Ash said, "Anyway, it seems Psychic attacks can show the truth of what's really going on. Too bad we don't have any Psychic Pokemon, otherwise we could probably phase out the entire fire."
May began to pull on her skirt nervously, she no longer cared about the house. She wanted to know about the safety and well being of her mother, and was angered that her father didn't mention what happened yet. She watched her father talking on the phone to the police, feeling both a mix of frustration and sympathy toward him. The sight of the bruises and cuts on her father's face discouraged her however, as she started to mope into her arms.
~*~*~*~
The putrid smell of the surrounding area was enough to make anyone gag. In a small dark room in an unknown location, cigarette smoke filled the air along with various other substances and garbage was scattered around the floor. Beer bottles and prescription medicine lie all over table tops, along with the faint smell of blood scattered about.
A woman rested against a chair unconscious, bonded by tight rope around her arms and legs. She was sleeping contently, albeit against her will. The woman had long brown hair and an orange dress, the same woman that a family was desperately searching for.
"Do your thing," a man said.
A flash of white light shone in the room, which instantly awoke the woman from her slumber. She squinted her eyes as she tried to adjust to the light, and raised her head to figure out where she was.
"You should be awake now, Sableye's Hypnosis attack doesn't last that long," Ross grinned.
Caroline rocked in her chair once her recollection caught up with her. She looked around the damp, dark room and struggled to move her arms and legs, but she was tied down too well. She looked at the man who wore all leather and several chains, who grinned at her flirtatiously as he leaned against a wall.
Ross pushed his hand through his shaved head while twirling his big metal chain on his neck in a circle. "Are ya awake, hon?"
"You low life piece of trash, you'll rot in hell for this, you scumbag," Caroline spouted.
"Heh, I didn't expect that to be your opening line," Ross laughed, "But either way, glad to see you remember me."
"I don't forget scum," Caroline yelled, "Untie these ropes right now."
"Sorry, babe, I can't do that," Ross said, as he leaped onto the couch beside her, "You see, I went through a lot of trouble to come up with this plan, and now that it worked, I'm quite proud of myself. I think I'll treat myself to a few extra beers tonight."
"You couldn't win a Gym badge at our Gym and this is what you have to resort to?" Caroline snapped, "You're a loser, as expected. You better untie these ropes before it ends up being worse for you."
"I'm afraid not, Caroline, because you see…you're kidnapped!" Ross chortled, "I am "the" kidnapper, and I am quite pleased with having you here."
"Sableye, Sableye," Sableye grinned, echoing its trainer.
Caroline looked at the goblin Pokemon, whose jagged teeth were as menacing as they were creepy. "Your Sableye's attacks could have been put to good use, you bastard. Instead, you use them to kidnap me, what a crying shame."
"I did well, didn't I?" Ross asked, "Sableye's Hypnosis attack sure knocked you out cold. You were snoozing like a baby as soon as Sableye waved his fingers, and it was pretty easy to carry you back here, it all worked perfectly."
"And you're proud of yourself?" Caroline scoffed, "You're proud that you're going to wind up in prison as soon as I get out of here?"
Ross scratched his chin silently.
"I always knew you were a scoundrel, but I honestly didn't know you were this disturbed," Caroline said, "As soon as my husband knows what happened to me he'll…"
"Your husband?" Ross cackled, "Please, don't be an idiot. I've already dealt with your "precious" Norman. It's funny too, I was originally intimidated by him after all these months, but after I got up close and personal with him, he wasn't so tough."
Caroline began to feel her throat go dry. "What…what did you do to him? Is…is he here too?"
Ross shook his head. "Sorry, wrong answer. Ah, I forgot, you were already knocked out by Hypnosis so you didn't get to see me beat the living crap out of your husband. Ah well, I would have enjoyed watching the horror on your face as I pounded his face away, but I had to work as a team with Sableye to make sure I could run off with you easily," Ross grinned.
"You, what?" Caroline asked, weakly, "Norman…could never…"
"I suppose he's still laying there outside the Gym, I wonder if the poor bastard will be able to find the teeth I knocked out of his mouth," he laughed.
Caroline shook her head in despair, she was unaware of the violent act he performed on her husband. For the first time since she was conscious, she finally realized she was in trouble.
"I'll, I'll scream…at the top of my lungs. If I'm not untied, I'll continue to scream until finally someone wonders what's wrong and knocks on your door, or better yet, calls the police. Your walls are not soundproof, if they hear someone crying for help, people will call the police," Caroline warned.
"Scream all you want, see if I give a damn," Ross said, "I very much doubt you'd want to alert the boys in the other room though, they're too busy drinking themselves silly and enjoying the strip show."
"Where…where am I anyway?" Caroline gasped.
"That would be telling, wouldn't it? Anyway, you won't be going anywhere for awhile, so make yourself comfortable," Ross said as he got up from the couch.
"Where are my kids?" Caroline asked, impulsively.
"Your kids?"
"Yes," Caroline nodded.
"Don't know, I didn't see them," Ross said, "Well, I actually did see them earlier in the day, and that older kid actually gave me some advice of what Gym to go to, but that's about it."
"You didn't harm them, did you?" Caroline asked, meekly.
"No, I didn't lay a finger on them," Ross said. He walked toward Caroline and leaned in front of her face. "But I can be talked into going back."
"You…you really see no problem with what you're doing?" Caroline snapped, "You'll be charged with assault and kidnapping, it's enough to put you away for quite some time. I wonder how long gutter trash like you will be able to elude the inevitable, but we'll see how fast the time ticks and the police come knocking on your door, dirtbag."
He chuckled, "You're a tough lady, I'll give you that."
Ross took his hand and rested it on the top of Caroline's head. His hand gripped down on her head which hurt her scalp. He moved in closer to whisper into her ear.
"I'm going to enjoy my time with you," he whispered, "After all the trouble I went with kidnapping you, I might as well have some fun."
He forcefully slammed her head down as he walked away. Caroline lifted her head up as she eyed her capture. He lifted several small black cases out of drawers and put them on the table. He turned to Caroline and grinned maliciously at her, before he snapped open the case. The woman gaped in horror as he took out several small blades and a taser.
~*~*~*~
"What is this, some kind of a joke?"
"Do I really look like I would lie? I'm the Gym leader for god sakes!" Norman retaliated, "As if my bruises aren't proof enough."
Norman raised the ice pack and rested it against his cheek as he sat on the grass outside the Gym. Ash, May and Max were standing to the side next to Norman, unsure of what to say.
Norman had called the fire department while the Gym was ablaze in flames, but by the time the fire department actually arrived, the illusion had subsided, and thus the appearance of the burning Gym disappeared. Since the inside and outside of the Gym was perfectly fine, there was no evidence of a fire either. Nothing inside or outside the Gym looked scorched or destroyed, which led the firefighters a very hard time to believe Norman's story.
Aside from Norman and his families frustration over the firefighters thinking it was a prank, the police did however note that his wife was kidnapped and he was assaulted by a young, white male in his early twenties by the name of Ross. Norman never did catch whim of Ross' last name, which made him harder to find than he would be otherwise. As Norman continued giving the details of what happened during the assault to the police, Ash and the siblings were getting restless.
"We…we saw him today," May frowned, holding her brother by her side.
She sat on the grass, depressed and discouraged. Max continued to sniffle while leaning against his sister, he was no longer in the mood to speak. Ash had his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall of the Gym. Pikachu was sitting in May's arms, as the girl stroked its yellow coat to help relieve her nervousness and uncertainty.
"We – we should have known then," May stuttered, "If we knew he was up to something when we saw him in the alley, we might have been able to stop him."
"I know," Ash said, frustrated, "He seemed to be a shady person, but I…we…could have never imagined he'd do something like this. I can't believe we were so naïve and actually talked to him without suspecting a thing."
"Even back at the supermarket," May recalled, stroking Pikachu's head while staring out into space, "He was harassing me, and I could have screamed to get security to take him away…but I didn't. I…I wonder…would things have turned out differently if I didn't run into him in the supermarket? Or in the alley, even?"
"Pikachu," a glum Pikachu sulked.
"Those two events could have provoked him even more, after the nasty things we said to him," she said, as she felt Max moving his head up against her shoulder, "It didn't seem like he would be such…such a threat at the time."
"I don't think things would have played out differently if we didn't see him again after your Dad banned him from the Gym," Ash said, "His rage and jealousy of your father must have been building up for a long time. It…it just seemed like Norman had everything under control. He was the Gym leader, and that guy was just a trainer, your Dad had complete superiority over him."
"Yeah? And what good did that do?" May retorted, "All it did was get Mom kidnapped."
"May!" Max whimpered.
"Sorry, Max," May said tearfully.
She held his body close to her to try and relieve his pain, although she knew that whatever she would do, it wouldn't make a difference. She was emotionally distressed herself, and knew that there was no way she could help reassure or comfort her younger brother.
Ash felt discouraged as well. Usually when times looked grim, he would always spring into action with some words of reassurance, something that would brighten up even the darkest hour. No matter how bad the odds looked, he would always have the courage to try and stand against them, and be able to say that things would turn out ok in the end.
This time however, he had no such enthusiasm. Their mother was kidnapped and their father was badly beaten, there was nothing he could possibly say or do that would turn this into a hopeful situation. For the first time in his life, Ash was unsure if things would ever get better. He knew that as painful as the thought was, there was a chance that May and Max would never see their mother again. He knew that there was a chance that something horrible could happen to her, and her children would never be the same again. It frustrated him greatly, because this one event could tear apart the entire family forever. They didn't deserve this, not a cheery, happy family like May's once was. Nonetheless, there was nothing he could do to shake the terrifying feeling that this time, there might not be any light at the end of the tunnel.
~*~*~*~
"So we're not going to do anything?" May yelled.
"It's not that we're not going to do anything, it's that we have no leads," Norman grunted, "I have no idea where Ross lives, nor do I know anything about him but the skin on his face."
"Dad, you're acting so indifferent about this!" May screamed, standing in front of her father, "MOM IS GONE! YOU DON'T SEEM TO CARE!"
Norman placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders and rubbed them passionately. He was losing his patience with her, yet he wasn't the kind of father who would physically slap their children if they were being obnoxious. He knew how serious the situation was and that his children were emotionally confused, but they had to face the reality of it all; they were at an absolute loss as to where Caroline was.
"We're going to find her, May, we'll find her," Norman promised.
"You're…you're not doing a very good job of it so far," May sniffled.
"I know," Norman nodded.
"But…"
"I know," he repeated.
She sighed as she slowly leaned toward her father and whimpered in his arms. She had been consoled by her father multiple times in the evening, but each time did little to reassure her that she would see her mother again safe and sound. They were both frustrated and powerless, the barrier between parent and child meant little during this moment. A father couldn't comfort his child, which was an excruciating feeling for him.
May moved apart from her father and sat on the couch. Her hands fidgeted in her lap as she struggled to wrap her mind around the lack of action taken to rescue her mother. Various thoughts crossed her mind, including one in which she imagined what life might be like without a mother. The thought was horrifying enough, and she desperately tried to push it out of her mind as quickly as possible.
She walked upstairs toward the bedrooms, and briefly peeked inside Max's room. Her brother was sound asleep in his bed, which wasn't surprising, as it was nearly 1 a.m. She saw the quiver in his lips as he slept, and sighed as she shut the door. As excruciating as her pain was, she knew her brother felt it even more due to his age.
She walked into her bedroom and saw Ash and Pikachu working on something on the floor. She walked over to them curiously, wondering what they were up to.
"You're still awake?" May asked as she peeked over his shoulder.
"Yes," Ash said, briefly looking back up at her.
He continued to draw on a piece of paper on the ground. The outline looked like a brief sketch of the Petalburg Gym and the surrounding area, with several markings seemingly to indicate possible paths that Ross took when he flew the scene with Caroline.
"Your Dad said Ross attacked them when they were standing right in front of the Gym," Ash said, making an "x" mark on the map, "He didn't get to see which direction Ross went because he was knocked out, but I'm guessing he took the path leading to the south…which was exactly the way we came from the restaurant."
May approached him and shook her head. She knew he was desperately trying to plot out a plan to find her mother with very little to work with. Ash was trying to play the role of a hero once again, even going to lengths of plots and graphs when the boy barely knew what he was doing in the first place. May knew that Ash was a do-er and not a thinker, thus his map of the Petalburg Gym and paths Ross could have taken was as relevant as a child's scribble on a piece of paper.
"We're not going to figure out which way he went by doing that," she said simply, as she sat on the edge of her bed.
"Why not?" Ash snapped, "You want to find your mother, don't you? Of course you do, so that's why we gotta figure out which street Ross ran down, that way we may have a clue of where he's staying."
"Pikachu, pi," Pikachu said.
"But that leaves you grasping at straws, Ash!" May exclaimed, "I appreciate your good intentions, I really do, but this is not going to help us find Mom. Even if we do somehow figure out which way Ross went, there's absolutely no way of figuring out how far he went or which house he's staying in! For all we know he could have taken Mom in a car and drove several miles away!"
Ash's pencil cracked off her last remark. He threw the pencil to the side and looked up at her, dejected.
"It may not be much to go on, but it's all we have," Ash sighed.
"That's what Dad said too," May sulked, "And that means we have basically nothing."
Ash picked up his map and placed it on the bed, looking at it objectively to try and figure out if what May said was true.
"It's just a drawing, Ash," May sighed, "I don't think we can find Mom with a sketch."
"I…I wanted to figure out a way to find your mother…this was all I could think of," Ash said.
"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu sighed, jumping on top of the bed.
May curled up in her bed and rested her head on the pillow. She stared at the ceiling as Ash took his map and crumbled it up. Pikachu shouted at its trainer to not give up hope, but Ash took the crumbled ball and tossed it into the garbage nonetheless.
Ash turned toward her frantically. "I just refuse to believe that there's absolutely nothing we can do," Ash said, enraged, "There's just gotta be some clue or something to point us in the right direction!"
She sat up on the bed, wiping her brow with her arm, and looked tearfully into her boyfriend as he fumed.
"You never give up, Ash, this is why I like you. I just wish there was a better way," she said.
"There can be one if we put our minds together and try to figure something out! I mean, c'mon, May! It's your mother, it's like you don't even care!"
"D-on't say that, Ash," May sniffled, "It's my Mom, of course I care. I care more than anything in the world about her. If she could be standing in this room right here with me right now, I'd…I'd be ecstatic."
"Then why do you act like you've given up hope?" Ash asked, as he sat down on the bed next to her.
"I haven't, it's just that I've finally been able to accept what Dad has been saying. As much as we put our heart and mind into finding Mom, we don't really have the first clue as to where she is. We can't scribble on a piece of paper or hope for the best…this stuff won't bring Mom back. It…it won't bring her back."
"Yeah, but…"
"I don't want to pretend and tell my little brother that everything will be alright, that Mom will be there to make us breakfast the next morning and take care of us when we get hurt, because I don't know if I could keep that promise, and I don't want Max to suffer more than he already is."
Ash grabbed her arm and moved her body onto his lap. He hugged her around the waist tightly as she rested her chin on his shoulder. He stroked her back passionately to relieve her pain.
"Don't give up hope," Ash whispered, "Whatever you do, you can't give that up."
"I'll never give up hope," she said, "I…I just can't promise anything either."
"If your mother is fine…we can always – "
"If Mom is fine," May frowned, "It's also the fear of not knowing what's happening to her that's eating at me. I…I just hope that Mom's ok, wherever she is. I-I hope she's fine, and…and that she can hold out until we find her."
"We will find her, May," Ash whispered, "We'll find her."
May lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him objectively. "Now you sound like Dad, and that didn't reassure me coming from him. I…I don't think it sounds more comforting coming from you, either."
"What can I say, then? I want to find your mother and bring her back safely," Ash said.
"I know, but you're not doing a very good job of it so far," May said.
"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu frowned.
~*~*~*~
The loud music from the other room pounded away in the dark and somber setting that Caroline was in. The only light coming into the room was from the reflection of the jeweled eyes of Sableye's, as the Pokemon hid in the shadows like a phantom.
Ross snapped another photo from his digital camera and smirked after looking at the picture on the screen of the camera.
"This is another good one, you just hold that pose, miss Caroline," Ross said, placing the photo down on the table.
Caroline was still tied to the chair, only she was now being degraded against her will. The mother forced herself not to sob as it would show a weakness to Ross, but she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to endure the physical and emotional pain.
Her clothes were torn and thrown to the side. The only thing on Caroline's body was the remnants of the beautiful orange and brown dress she once wore. Her body was being exposed in the open, her flesh struggled to break free of the chair that confined her, but she was in no position to get free.
"Heh, I was right, you really are a C cup," Ross snickered, snapping another photo on his camera.
"If torturing women is what gets you off in life, you don't have much of a life to begin with," Caroline said, agitated.
Ross laughed. "I honestly can't believe you're still being so stern about this after what's happening to you. I see you take after that deadbeat husband of yours. You act tough on the outside, but inside you're absolutely pathetic."
"My husband is a thousand, no wait, a million times a man you'll ever be," Caroline berated, rocking her head against the chair.
"Yeah, and that certainly didn't help him in the end, did it?" Ross said, as he crouched and took another shot of Caroline's body.
"Sableye," Sableye nodded.
"When you're done taking those photos, make sure you cram them up your ass," Caroline said.
Ross shook his head and walked up to Caroline, holding a small blade to his side. He brought the blade up to her face as he twirled it in the air, menacingly.
"I'm going to sell those photos," Ross said, "Real nude photos of a Gym leader's wife sure will sell a lot on the internet. I'm glad you have such a wonderful figure, otherwise it probably wouldn't have been worth it to kidnap you."
"And then what?" Caroline yelled, "After you get your kicks, what are you doing to do, kill me?"
Ross lowered the blade and stepped away from the mother. He slid it into his pocket as he put his hands behind his head.
"No, I'm not going to kill you," Ross said, "I do have some decency after all."
"That's funny, 'cause I haven't noticed any," she scoffed.
He chortled as he started pacing the floors, eyeing the glamorous but disgusted mother on the chair.
"I'd keep silent if I were you, it'll probably go better if we get this over with quickly," he snarled.
"You're a real fine piece of work," she said sarcastically.
Ross approached her and kneeled down in front of her. He gripped her right breast sternly, and reached into his pocket for something else.
"I'd be careful if I were you," Caroline said, trying to ignore his advance, "Come close to me and I might end up tearing your face off with my teeth."
"I thought about that too," Ross said, taking some duct tape out of his pocket, "At least this way you'll finally shut up."
He slapped the tape over her mouth as the poor woman struggled to get away. She tried to yell but her speech was muffled by the tape. There was nothing she could do to escape her grim situation.
"I'll be gentle, I promise," Ross said.
He took out the taser from his left pocket and began to do unmentionable things to the mother.
~*~*~*~*~*
The following morning was an uneasy one, as neither May nor Ash got a wince of sleep the previous night. The entire family was uneasy, as their mother was officially missing for an entire night.
Norman's face was already beginning to heal, his bruises and cuts would remain apparent for a while, but at least he was going to get better. The father greeted his daughter when she walked downstairs, and the two shared a much needed hug after the events of the previous night.
"Any…any progress with the police?" May asked, meekly.
Norman shook his head solemnly. "No," he said.
May hid her face in her hands as she slowly walked over to the kitchen. Ash and Norman exchanged glances after May left the room.
"I was wondering about this, is there any kind of special protection that Gym leaders get?" Ash asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, can't the Elite 4 or someone like them do something about this?" he asked.
"Gym leaders don't get any special treatment over normal people, I'm afraid," Norman responded, "It's not like if someone of royalty is kidnapped and the whole country is in search of the kidnapper…something like this won't get much publicity. News reporters were already on my doorstep in the morning, but I managed to shoo them away. I don't want the abduction of my wife to be publicized on TV so a bunch of people can watch it as entertainment."
"Yeah, the news can be horrible sometimes," Ash sulked.
"The news just wants tragedy to get ratings, they don't give a damn if the situation will get better at all," Norman said, sitting down in his chair.
Ash looked over in the kitchen area as May slowly spread some butter over her toast. The girl was trembling as she held the knife, it looked as if she was too shaken to even eat.
As Ash walked over to the kitchen to give May company, Norman called out to him.
"Thank you, Ash," Norman said.
"Huh?"
"Thank you for comforting May in such a crisis," he said, "You're doing a much better job than I am."
Norman sighed as he put his hand over his face. The man leaned back in his chair and tried to reconcile with himself. Ash nodded solemnly at the distressed father as he made his way to the kitchen.
"Want me to make you something?" Ash asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"No, it's ok," May said, taking a nibble of her bread.
"Sure?" he asked.
May took another tiny bite of her bread as she forced out a smile at Ash.
"I'm sure. Thanks for the offer," she said, softly.
Ash smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead. The moment of affection calmed her briefly, but as soon as he walked away her mind returned to her missing mother. She picked up the slice of bread, and took another small bite. Eating nibbles at a time was all she could manage.
~*~*~*~*
Ross lie on the ground unconscious, with the taser and blades surrounding his body. After being degraded the previous night via intercourse, Caroline was left to rot while tied against a pillar that held up the ceiling. Luckily for her, she managed to put her quick thinking to work, and successfully managed to get a grip on the situation.
Although she was unable to avoid her fate the previous night, the next morning was another story as Ross returned for another round. As he approached, Caroline had successfully wrapped her legs around his waist, preventing him from escaping. The taser he was holding was on full charge, and she was able to kick the taser into his face. As the man fell down on the ground, she quickly reached with her legs to move the taser and place it on top of his body. She frantically held the taser in place with her foot as it pulsated on his skin. He was now stunned unconscious with a taser constantly zapping his body.
Her captive was out cold, and Sableye was luckily back in its Pokeball at the time to prevent any outside help, but it still didn't do her any good if she was tied to the pillar. She was completely naked and had no apparel on her that she could use to reach for anything. Her hands were tied around the back of the pillar, disallowing her to use her arms. Her legs were her only source of movement, as they had to be untied in order for the dirty deed to occur previously.
She gasped in joy as she noticed that several of Ross' small blades had fallen out of his leather pocket when he fell to the ground. She reached with her foot to pull one of the small blades toward her, in hope that she can use it to cut the ropes that bound her.
After several attempts, she managed to bring one of the blades near her, but it still didn't do her any good if she couldn't pick it up. She tried to extend her toes to hold the blade between them, in some hope that she can fling it over her head. She ended up doing so, only to throw the blade too far behind her and end up ruining her plan.
"Damn," she muttered, "Too far."
She looked at Ross' body as she noticed the gleam of a Pokeball in his left jacket pocket as well, it had to be Sableye's.
"Hm, the bastard ended up being shocked by his own taser, maybe I can get his Pokemon to help me free," Caroline thought.
She briefly thought of the alternative, and the thought that Sableye might knock the taster off of Ross' body and help him up instead registered in her mind. It was a risky decision, but after being a wife of a Gym leader for so many years, she knew that deep down, Pokemon had morals of right and wrong as well, and she thought that perhaps Sableye would change its tune if she could reason with it. She bit her lower lip in hesitation, and then reached with her leg again to get the Pokeball out of his pocket.
Her toes just barely touched the tip of the Pokeball, as she tried to roll the ball out of his pocket. After quite a number of failed attempts, the strained mother managed to get the ball to roll out of his pocket and onto the floor. She quickly used both her feet to clasp the ball and bring it back toward her.
Hesitating for about a minute, she stared at the Pokeball at her feet and contemplated whether to release the Pokemon or not. She knew it could go either way, and she would end up in a far worse situation if the Pokemon helped Ross instead of her. She looked around the room for any last minute better ideas, but eventually found herself back to her only option, the Pokeball. There was no knight in shining armor ready to bust down the door and rescue her from the sinful environment, if she wanted to escape, she had to do it herself.
"Please, I need to be back with my family," Caroline prayed.
She closed her eyes and made a silent prayer. She then painstakingly lifted the Pokeball with her feet and flung it to the air which prompted the Pokemon to be released from the ball.
Caroline froze with uncertainty as Sableye formed before her very eyes. The Pokemon had its back turned to the woman, and cocked its foreboding head as it turned around to face her. The goblin Pokemon gazed down upon its trainer, who lie on the ground unconscious with a taser on his body. It then looked up at the woman who was tied against the pillar, the very same woman Sableye helped to kidnap in the first place.
"Please, can you help me?" Caroline asked, meekly.
Sableye growled.