Chapter Three

The darkness was constant. Sometimes, Misty would eat the gruel the man dropped to her, and sometimes she would hear him talking to himself, distressed about something. She recognized his voice instantly. James. The information she gleaned from him made her sanity stay intact. Jessie supposedly forbade Misty any food, and James snuck beneath her surveillance to feed their captive.

She heard the familiar grind of the large metal door, it slammed shut this time, starting Misty out of her dreamless sleep. James was cursing something incomprehensible, but when he neared her, his voice quieted, and all she heard was a mournful sigh escape from his mouth.

"J-James?" She tried out her voice, and found it was weaker than she had anticipated it to be. She felt an unnatural connection with the man who was essentially saving her life by providing her with food, because it was obvious Ash was not coming to rescue her. "What's wrong? M-Maybe I c-could help?" she asked softly. He was silent for a moment, considering her offer. Eventually he gave in and knelt down before her cell.

"Why do you want to help me? After the way we've treated you?" he asked, and she could imagine the pain in his eyes, for it was evident in his voice.

"Because," Misty sighed. "You h-help me."

"Jessie has met someone, another Team Rocket member. First Meowth was repositioned, and now she's with him, and she's not shy about showing her feelings for him," he trailed off.

Misty felt the pain in her heart reawaken and it brought tears to her eyes. "You love her," she stated, something catching up in her throat.

She could almost feel him nodding in the darkness, and knew that he mirrored her own misery, and felt her pain that sometimes dulled, but was never quite gone. He was silent, somehow unsure of what to say. He couldn't voice his feelings, as she learned that she couldn't. When she was about to try, she realized it would be foolish to admit her unshakable love for him when he clearly didn't return the feelings. James was in the exact same situation. She never thought she would have something in common with the criminal who previously always tried to steal her pokemon. And oddly enough, she didn't worry about her pokemon, she trusted that James had protected them, though she did not know why. It was his pokemon that had captured her. He put her into this situation, and yet he was the one who was helping her.

"You're crying?" James said, and she could see his shadowed hand moving towards her.

She rubbed her wrists against her tear stained cheeks and wiped it away, but more formed in their place. Misty thought that her tears ducts would be dried out by now, with all the hours she spent crying in the dark prison, mourning for lost love more than her desperate, near-death situation.

"I'm sorry," he said and ran out of the chamber.

"I'll miss you, Misty," Ash said, giving her a brave smile.

"I don't want to go," she said, hoping for him to tell her to stay.

"You'll do great, think of all the battles you'll have! Think of how strong you and your pokemon are going to get."

Misty nodded, forcing a smile on her lips and wishing that he didn't see the quivering. She knew she had to hold up, though all she wanted was to collapse in his arms. "Then I'll come and battle you," she said.

"Right, so train hard, because I'll be champion the next time you see me!"

She didn't doubt that.

"Ash-?" It was now or never.

"See ya later, Misty."

She woke painfully slow. The memory of the first time they separated torn at her heart, he didn't care then, and he didn't care now. Why couldn't she just let go? She pounded her head against the wall and instantly regretted it. Her head was already throbbing, and now it was pulsating pain throughout her body. She sucked in her breath, not allowing herself to cry again.

A loud clash of metal reverberated through her sense, accompanying a blinding light. The sudden brightness stung her eyes and made tears fall, she tried to block it, but since her hands were tied together she couldn't. She couldn't make out anything in the light, but she heard rushing footsteps, a jingling noise, and then an unmistakable click. A new grinding noise emitted, and she could hear James's faint mutterings.

"W-what's going on?" she asked, suddenly alarmed.

"I'm getting you out of here," he responded, and she could feel his arms wrap around her. The overwhelming feel of his strength made her want to weep with relief. The darkness was going to be over.

She couldn't see anything around them as he whisked her out of the prison. Light surrounded them, and blurred shapes and noises infiltrated her senses. She felt dizzy and nauseous with everything flying past her, and she tightened her grip around James's neck, burying her face in his shoulder. She noticed he smelled distinctly like lavender and some other wild forest scent that she couldn't think of. It was pleasant in contrast to the stench of her filth in that cell.

She couldn't feel his body moving anymore, and she heard something like an engine, but James still had his arms protectively around her, there was the color yellow prevailing her still adjusting vision. It was a while before the vibration of whatever they were inside stopped, and she saw an amalgamation of greens and grays swirl around her. When she tilted her head back she saw the sky of velvet, twinkling with stars like diamonds. She felt instantly calmed, as if some legendary presence was in the form of a star, ostensibly blessing her with peace of mind.

Suddenly, the sky disappeared, replaced with a light brown, and the scent of honey and jasmine. It was warm, and James placed her on something soft. His voice told her to stay, and she had no qualms about that. The softness beneath her lulled and intoxicated her, she almost couldn't believe it. Her fingers slid along the smooth texture, and she realized her wrists were no longer bound. Smiling, she continued to feel the soft whiteness that caressed her skin and figured she was in the wings of a swablu.

Before she knew it, she felt James's arms around her again, lifting her from the heaven. She was just about to protest, but his arms were just as comfortable. He took her into a dimly lit, warm room, and Misty found she could see better with the candlelight. He set her down on her feet, steadying her. He motioned for her to hold onto a bar. She did, and was instantly alerted when she felt the softness of his fingers against her skin, sliding along it and lifting her tattered shirt off, then the shorts.

He was so gentle as he lifted her into the tub of steaming water, his hands found a cloth and he began to rub her body with it, cleansing it of the filth. He massaged her back with the cloth, and her arms and legs. His hands stayed away from her sensitive parts. He poured water over her hair and washed it thoroughly, being gentle with the matted knots. He scrubbed her tear stains and dirt from her cheeks. It felt completely natural to be nurtured by him, as if that previous torture never occurred.

When he was completed, he lifted her out and draped a soft rub over her shoulders. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and wrapped it tighter around herself. She had gotten so thin, and could feel the b ones protruding out of her shoulders. The pain numbed away, and Misty felt like an empty shellder shell.

It was difficult to walk, but James forced her to make it into the main room on her feet, but he supported her along the way. There was one large bed in the middle of the room with a large blanket draped over it, and a myriad of pillows scattered on it. That bed was the heaven she experienced before. She sat on the edge, expecting it to be the hard floor of the cell, but relaxing when she found it was not a hallucination.

"I have a proposition for you," James said, sitting alongside of her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Join Team Rocket, with Jessie distracted I need a new partner."

She didn't expect that offer, to join the team that had tormented her and her friends for years, and still never stopped chasing Ash's Pikachu. She didn't know if she wanted to be a part of hunting that little yellow pokemon, and having to see Ash everyday protecting Dawn.

You can hurt him as he's hurt you. A dark voice whispered in her ear. She looked at James questionably but he did not seem to hear that voice, for he was still waiting for her response. Let him see how strong you've become. Show him you don't need him. Don't give him the satisfaction of triumphing over you. Don't let him get away with breaking your heart. The voice was tantalizing, and completely right. Ash didn't care about her, why should she let him trample over her heart as if he had a right too? Despair whirled into rage. How dare he?

"I will," she answered.