AN- Thanks for bearing with my erratic update schedule everyone! Things are indeed getting more busy but hopefully I'll have most of the story done before rehearsal season.

Hope everyone's well, and hope you enjoy! :)

Songs that inspired this chapter:
- The Longest Drive, by VHS Collection
- Semi-Automatic, by O Mer
- Brother, by Sam Tinnesz
- Running Up That Hill, by Kate Bush
- Bite, by Plastic Picnic
- Lonely People, by Tribe Society
- Weight of Living Pt. 1, by Bastille
- Carl, by aeseaes

Cassidy didn't believe in folding things. All of her clothes went in scrunched-up handfuls back into her satchel as she swept the motel room of all her belongings, plus the little tubes of soap that smelled way better than the grimy block she'd been using. The bag didn't want to zip closed by the time she'd gotten everything in, but a few well-placed punches sorted that right out.

She got up from the scratchy carpet and went back to studying the map spread over the double bed. The whole region was chartered, every square carefully inked and labelled, but it was the cluster of islands that made up the Orange Archipelago she was interested in.

'Somewhere around Navel Island', Derby had said. 'Used to be deserted'.

If his information was reliable, then that left only one possibility. All Navel's neighbouring islands were populated, except one to the south west, which didn't even have a name.

Just the place to go if you wanted to disappear.

The buzz of her phone in her pocket startled her. She fumbled to take out the phone and answer it: "Hello?" she spoke, trying to sound casual, like her heart wasn't trying to outrun itself.

"Cassidy," came Jessie's voice back. With a pang in her stomach Cassidy realised how much she'd missed her. It could only have been bad news, she knew that, but even so it was a relief just to hear her voice again.

"Hey," she said. "Is er… Is everyone okay?"

Jessie's sigh crackled down the line. "Team Rocket baited Mondo. He's okay, they let him go-"

Cassidy's eyebrows shot up. "They let him go?"

"-but he told them Derby's name, and that you were looking for him, so-"

"When?"

"Like just now, he just got back-"

"Oh, that's fine then," said Cassidy. "I'm about to leave anyway-"

"But-"

"That's all he told them, right? Derby's name?"

"Yeah- but Cass, do you think he'd give you up to them? Derby, I mean?"

Cassidy picked a bit of dirt out from under her fingernail. "Probably," she admitted, "but I'll be somewhere else before they catch up. Probably."

"And what if you're not?"

"Jess," Cassidy sighed, "we knew Team Rocket were following me, that's not new. So thanks for the info but, y'know, it's okay, I'll handle it." She paused. "What about you lot? You know you can't stay where you are, right? It's too risky, they could track you down."

"No, we're- we're packing, we're trying to figure out a way out of Kanto but Mondo and James haven't got passports, and I don't know what we're meant to do, 'cause to be honest I'm really fucking scared that-"

"Jessie," Cassidy said firmly. "Deep breath."

"I just-"

"Go on."

The whoosh of Jessie's exhale through the speaker made the hairs on Cassidy's neck stand up. She could almost imagine she was right there next to her, but that was a slippery slope to getting caught in her emotions, which was exactly what she didn't need at this moment in time.

"What if-"

"Listen to me," Cassidy interrupted, trying to sound authoritative, "it's gonna be fine, okay?" She leaned back over the crumpled map of Kanto. "Right. Here's what you're gonna do."

Jessie stared at the cellphone for a while after she'd hung up. She took more long, deep breaths, but couldn't stop shaking, couldn't find calm.

She put the phone in her pocket and walked back down the hill.

There was a tangle of feelings in her chest that she didn't know how to resolve. It was hardly fair to say it was Mondo's fault, but then again, if he'd just stuck to the plan then none of this would have-

She opened the door.

The others were gathering the food from the kitchen. They looked up at the sound of the door closing behind her, and she walked over, not really wanting to look at anyone.

"Did ya get t'rough okay?" Meowth spoke up.

Jessie nodded. "Yeah. She said she'll manage it, but… I don't know."

"Well at least now she won't be caught off guard," James encouraged. "That's good, isn't it?"

"None of it's good," Jessie muttered. An angry wince came over her face; she turned towards her bedroom. "I'm going to pack." And she disappeared through the doorway before anyone could say anything else.

She snatched a t-shirt from the floor and balled it up, then stuffed it into her backpack, telling herself she could deal with this, she always did, and she was as strong as she'd ever been so there was no reason to think she wasn't perfectly capable of keeping her cool and just-

"Miss Jessie?"

Mondo's voice, soft outside the door, dragged her out of her inward pep talk. She sighed loudly.

"What?"

"Can I come in?"

She spread her hand over her eyes, willing herself not to explode. "Yeah fine, just get on with it."

Mondo walked in hesitantly, looking first at Jessie, then down at his fidgeting hands. "I just wanted to say," he mumbled, "how sorry I am-"

"Why did you have to go on your own?" Jessie cut him off. She couldn't help it- no, actually, she didn't want to help it. "Like I get it's been hurting you but would it really have killed you to wait a couple more hours?!"

Cringing, Mondo nodded. "You're right," he said, his voice barely there. "I should have-"

But Jessie was just getting into the swing of her rant: "And you told them Derby's actual name, like couldn't you have just given them something bogus?"

"I- I did think about that," Mondo answered, "but… They had a gun, and they were threatening me, and James, and- and I just didn't want to risk putting you in danger by-"

"Cassidy is not worth less than I am!" Jessie shouted at him.

Mondo flinched. Until then he'd just about managed to keep himself pulled together, but it all came unwound in an instant, his tears falling to patter on the hardwood floor. "No," he whispered. "Of course not."

"I can't lose her!" Jessie sobbed furiously. "Can't you see that?!"

Even if Mondo had been able to think of a response, he wouldn't have been able to say it. He didn't feel worthy of speaking. He didn't feel worthy of much at all.

Thankfully James came to the rescue, squeezing Mondo's shoulder as he stepped into the room. "I think it's important," he said carefully, fully aware of the minefield he was walking through, "that we all try our best not to-"

"I'm trying to pack," Jessie snapped, but her anger was less convincing than before. The fear underneath was bubbling up, shuddering in her shoulders. "Piss off, both of you."

James gave Mondo's shoulder another squeeze. "I think we'd better," he muttered in his ear, and gently steered him, sniffling, out of the room.

Jessie waited for the door to shut and then broke down crying, trying at least to do it quietly as she sank to the floor. She hurled her backpack away from her in an effort to hold onto some rage, anything to stop this feeling getting deeper, but it was no use.

She hid her face between her knees. "I can't lose her," she said again, hoping something in the air might listen. "Please."

Straight from Pewter Morgue, Ravi had driven straight back to headquarters, in a replacement jeep that wasn't nearly as good as their old one. The cup holders were too small, and whatever sickly air freshener it had been sold with was yet to fade. Not exactly the worst thing going on in their life right now, but still. Annoying.

Driving past Mt. Moon was like slipping back into a bad dream. Across the plains they could see themself, Sandslash dragging their broken body from the wreck of their motorbike, hurting, heavy, scared-

"Pointless," they murmured to themself. Reliving those memories changed nothing. They had survived. It was fine.

They caught a glimpse of their worried eyes in the rectangular mirror. The momentum of their emotions had taken them this far without many second thoughts, but now they had to question what exactly it was they were doing.

Maybe they shouldn't have let Mondo go. No, they definitely shouldn't have- on paper it went against everything being a commander stood for, which was why Ravi was going to make sure it never made it to paper. But though they could hide the truth from Team Rocket, they could not hide it from themself: they had committed a betrayal of their own this morning in sparing Mondo, thus depriving Team Rocket of who knew how much information. They had chosen his life over a job properly done.

And they weren't sure that they regretted it.

A bit troubling, but… Well, that hardly mattered in the long-run, did it? No doubt there were more senior agents who had swept much worse under the rug at some point in their careers. Now Mondo was out of the picture, Ravi wouldn't let anyone cloud their judgement like that again. They would prove how reliable they were, which was extremely.

Catching Cassidy would make up for it. Every failure would pale to that victory.

They parked close to the doors when they finally arrived, and retrieved their doctor-ordered walking cane from the back. They didn't much like it- mostly because it was grey and bulbous and boring, not at all the suave black number they'd been hoping for- but admittedly it did make the walk to the elevator much less of an ordeal.

Matori's office was at the very top of the building, a floor you couldn't set foot on without clearance. It was noticeably swankier up here, big windows for lots of natural lighting, sculptures decorating the hallways, a water cooler that actually worked. Ravi had always fancied themselves working in one of these offices, their name engraved in gold on the door. No one to answer to.

Alas, they weren't there yet. The only name in gold was Matori's.

"Enter," she called before Ravi was even done knocking.

They propped the cane on the wall outside, and stepped in. "Madame Matori," they greeted, saluting with as much dignity as possible, given that they still very much looked fresh from the med bay.

Matori- sat behind her irritatingly-well-organised desk, wearing her usual maroon number- looked at her watch instead of at Ravi. "You're seven minutes late, Commander. But given the state of your health I shall kindly omit that from my report."

Ravi dropped their saluting arm, trying very hard not to roll their eyes. They took a seat at Matori's gesture to do so.

"You're very lucky to be up and walking again," said Matori, in a tone that made it unclear whether or not she was being kind. Ravi had known her long enough to guess she probably wasn't. "You very nearly got yourself killed that night."

"I know," Ravi sighed, impatient, "but with all due respect, I already explained-"

"Your judgement was impaired because you had been drugged with knockout powder," Matori finished, "which is why instead of alerting anybody else in headquarters to the emergency, you made the illogical decision to pursue Mondo alone. Yes, we covered that." She folded her hands on the black leather desktop. "I didn't want to put you under any additional stress while you were still recovering, but I think you can handle it now. Because frankly, Ravi, your performance has been lacking."

"I have a new lead on Cassidy," Ravi blurted. Their palms, quite dry until now, clammed up sweaty and cold. They wouldn't even think of the word demotion- damnit- "A strong lead, and I'm confident that-"

"You've been confident before," Matori said. "You've had Cassidy cornered before, and you've still managed to lose her. And now you've managed to lose James, too."

Ravi scoffed in exasperation, starting to panic: "It's hardly my fault that Mondo defected-"

"It is your responsibility to choose your staff wisely," Matori countered, "and to be able to recognise who might endanger each operation. You knew Mondo had history with James. But you were playing favourites, so you ignored it."

"But-"

"You put too much trust in Mondo," Matori stated. "That's all there is to it." She knitted her fingers together. "We all have standards to meet if we are to keep our jobs, no matter how high our rank. I have been incredibly patient with you but if you don't get your act together soon then I will have to consider someone else for the position."

Ravi blinked rapidly as they listened, then shook their head in frustration. "I'm right behind Cassidy, trust! And she won't get away again, I'm gonna personally make sure of it, I swear, Madame."

Matori tutted. "See that you do. Just don't go charging into the thick of it on your own again- you're in no shape to, regardless of anything else." She gave Ravi an extra-stern look. "And if I hear that you've re-broken your neck ignoring me, then I'm demoting you back to a field agent." Just the faintest trace of a smirk on her lips. "It's not a good look, a head of security in bandages. Remember, you have an image to maintain. People look up to you."

Ravi grimaced.

"Get to it, Commander."

Ravi stood, and saluted again, without much enthusiasm. "Yes, Madame."

Casimir Stanislaw was one of Team Rocket's most talented scientists, although he wasn't one to brag. Currently he was putting his inventive skills to the construction of a falafel sandwich, spreading hummus on two slices of toasted sourdough, humming a song he'd heard on the radio earlier. He was short, just pushing five foot, with shoulder-length chestnut hair, and a fitted cardigan under his lab coat. He tapped the toe of his black slip-on shoe to the offbeat rhythm he was singing, as he lovingly pressed the sandwich together.

Just as he was lifting it to his lips for the first bite- he could have been a sandwich advert if he wasn't in the business of chemical warfare- the door to his lab swung open, and in hobbled Ravi.

Casimir put the sandwich down, sighing. Clearly 'ON LUNCH- DO NOT DISTURB' written in thick red ink meant nothing to these people.

"Can I help you, Commander?" he asked wearily.

Ravi shut the door. "Yeah, you can," they answered.

"More poison, is it?"

"Nah, nah I'm all good on that front- I mean the potion you were working on, the one that works on humans? Is it done yet?"

Casimir's eyebrows lifted. "Ah," he said knowingly. "Well, we're still in the first phase of testing, but so far the latest formula has proven very effective on the subjects. I'll admit I'm rather pleased with it."

"I need some," Ravi said. "Like, now."

"Well, officially I'm strictly forbidden from leaking substances outside the lab-"

Ravi took a roll of money out of their pocket and put it on the table.

A thin smile came over Casimir's lips, but he didn't take the money yet. "You should also be aware of the potential side effects. We know it's effective in the short term, but the long term risks are still-"

"What kind of long term risks?" Ravi butted in. "As long as I don't blow up, or grow a tail or something- actually a tail could be kinda sick-"

"No tails," Casimir chuckled. "Nothing so colourful- no, we're more concerned about issues with cholesterol down the line."

"Will it kill me?"

Casimir shrugged. "In a few decades maybe, if you overuse it." He smirked, talking behind his hand like he was whispering in class: "But between you and me, I dabbed a little on a paper cut I got this morning and it worked marvellously."

"Then make with it," Ravi said impatiently. "I've got places to be!"

"All right, all right." Casimir made a sweeping gesture to the examination table. "Hop on then. We'll have to get those bandages off before anything else."

Taking care not to move too fast, Ravi took a seat on the padded table, then lay down. They didn't much enjoy the clatter of metal as Casimir rummaged through his drawer full of tools. He popped into frame holding a mean-looking circular saw, which he gave an experimental whir.

Ravi licked their lips, eyes wide.

"Not to worry," Casimir beamed. "It can't cut through skin. Now, keep still, there's a good chap…"

Ravi didn't have much choice. Casimir put a firm hand on their chest, holding them down as he cut through the cast their arm was in. It wasn't as bad as they'd feared, just a lot of noise and vibration. The cast popped free in two pieces, and Ravi felt the air on their skin for what felt like the first time in ages.

"Don't move yet," Casimir warned, leaning over them to undo the straps on the sides of their neck brace.

"Ow ow ow," Ravi complained as it came off. Casimir ignored them, humming again as he opened one of the lower cabinets and retrieved a spray bottle of something clear.

"Try not to breathe it in," he advised. "It doesn't taste very nice." And without further notice he sprayed the potion along Ravi's arm before moving to their neck.

Ravi failed to heed his advice and breathed in without thinking; they spluttered, struggling not to move their head as they coughed. The spray felt colder than water, and left no trace of damp. Within seconds Ravi's skin felt tingly and warm, followed by a very welcome numbness as all the pain and stiffness seemed to evaporate.

"Give it a minute," Casimir instructed. "Especially your neck."

Ravi flexed their fingers one by one, then rolled their wrist around. No pain. They bent their elbow- it felt normal.

Laughing in amazement, they sat back up, and moved their hands to gently poke at their neck. Still, no pain at all. They looked at Casimir as if to ask if this was really happening.

"Quite handy, isn't it?" he smiled. He peered closer: "And no rashes that I can see, good, that's very good…"

Ravi turned their head every which way, expecting each movement to be the one that brought the pain back, but they felt just dandy. Like they'd never injured themself in the first place.

Back in the race.

Grinning, they eyed the bottle as Casimir went to spray their ankle.

"How much to take that with me?" they asked.

Casimir had the same greedy glint in his eyes, which went to the money on the table. "I'm sure we can come up with a price," he purred.

Jessie spent a long time hunched over the map, marking out the route Cassidy had suggested with a dried-up highlighter. It helped, having something to do. Making a plan instead of getting stuck in how impossible it all seemed.

Like a frightened flock of birds, what had happened that morning had scattered her calm, but it was fluttering slowly back, piece by piece.

She kept looking at the door. She'd never shouted at Mondo like that before, and the more she thought about it the harder it was to stay angry at him. Yes, going off on his own like that had been incredibly stupid, but how many incredibly stupid things had she done when she was his age? Things that had put her friends in needless danger?

It didn't feel right to leave him stewing any longer- she'd heard James and Meowth's muffled voices through the wall telling Mondo she didn't mean it, but she knew only she could make that sentiment worth anything.

The door to Mondo's room was ajar; she peeked in, and saw him crouched in the corner writing something on a piece of paper.

"Hi," she said, making him jump.

Mondo quickly put the lid back on his pen. He didn't seem to know what to say, staring at her like he was waiting for something bad.

"I've been thinking about it," Jessie said, "and Ravi put you in a really shit situation, playing with your heart like that, making you pick between James and Cassidy…" She frowned, shaking her head. "I don't know what I would've done, if it was me in your shoes. So… Sorry, is what I'm trying to say. Sorry I blamed you like that."

Mondo relaxed a little, but not as much as Jessie had been expecting- he was clearly distracted, not-so-subtly pushing the piece of paper under his leg. It was at that moment that Jessie recognised the guilt on his face, and joined the dots together before he could try to explain himself.

"Please tell me that's not a goodbye note," she said, face falling.

Mondo shifted awkwardly. He still couldn't look at her. "I…"

"Damn it, Mondo!" Jessie exclaimed, laughing in frustration. Mondo just blinked into his lap, so, sighing, Jessie walked over to the wall he was leaning against and sat down next to him, knees to her chest. "So what, you were just gonna run off on us? Where would you even go?"

"I don't know," Mondo mumbled. "I just… Thought you'd be better off without me."

"God," Jessie huffed, "you're so much like James, it's fucking annoying- look, I get that you feel bad, but if you can't make it up to me unless you stay! Okay?!"

Mondo wrung his hands. "I don't know how I can ever make up for it. I've… I've betrayed both sides, Miss Jessie, I'm- I'm doing no good to anybody." He winced. "Cassidy's in danger because of what I said."

Jessie exhaled. "Cassidy's in danger because she chose to be."

At this Mondo lifted his head a little. He looked sideways at her, curious.

"She wasn't even angry at you," Jessie continued. "She was already expecting Team Rocket to track her, so…" She scoffed. "Honestly I'm just as pissed at her as I am at you. She's acting like all this is normal, but… If she'd just stayed with the rest of us…" She went quiet.

It always went like this. So much drama around Cassidy's departure that Jessie hardly noticed she'd been dumped until days after. But no matter how noble the reason, that was what it boiled down to. Cassidy had made her priorities clear, that revenge came before Jessie did. They could warn her as much as they liked about Ravi, but the only way to get her out of harm's way was for Cassidy to choose her own safety, and history had proved just how unlikely that was.

Jessie pulled herself out of those thoughts, tracing her finger along the floorboards. "And it's not just Cassidy I was worried about," she said. She looked at him, her eyes fierce and full of love: "You could have been killed, Mondo," she tremored. "I was so scared we'd lost you. So whatever you do don't you dare leave, okay?"

Mondo looked like he was about to cry. "How am I supposed to trust myself?" he whispered.

Jessie held him by the shoulders. "You're a good person," she said firmly. And then she pulled him into a hug, because she didn't know what else to say.

The two of them trembled together. "I'm sorry," he sniffed over her shoulder.

She hadn't forgiven him yet, not really, but it didn't matter. He was still her precious Mondo. "Promise you'll stay?" she asked, clinging tighter.

She felt him nod against her.

"Okay."