Chapter Two
Hostage
Nightfall was at its peak, and as the moon climbed higher into the dusking sky, two felons paced the tiled floor of their organization's headquarters while the curled form of a young Pokémon trainer laid, unconscious on a cot.
Butch and Cassidy had returned before midnight to Team Rocket's hideout, fulfilling the task of breaking into the Cerulean Gym and thieving a valuable Pokémon for their boss.
And although the two were successful in bringing back a with the requisitioned creature for their leader, the grunts happened to bring along its trainer.
"What're we supposed to do with her?" whispered Butch, his hands behind his back, shooting exhausted eyes at his partner.
"Keep her here, what else can we do?" replied Cassidy as though the answer was obvious, but still retained a trace of nervousness. Out of the two, she was the one who carried more confidence when it came to their schemes. But even she began to crumble inwardly, as fear of consequence drowned her.
"This completely ruins the plan. The boss specifically told us not to be seen!" screeched Butch, forgetting that they were to remain quiet.
"I'm aware, Butch!" Cassidy snarled in return. "What do you suppose we should have done then?" Cassidy cast her baleful eyes at her partner. "Leaving her would only lead to more trouble not just for us but for the boss," Cassidy ranted on. "If we left her there, she would have sent the police after us. We cannot blow our cover."
Butch scoffed, leaning on the wall for some comfort. "As if no one else in Kanto hasn't already… I'm sure everyone knows by now that Team Rocket has been resurrected."
"But they have no proof! She, on the other hand saw us!" Cassidy gestured to Misty before continuing. "I told you to keep quiet!" She stalked closer to Butch, threateningly, referring to the whole incident.
"Yeah, well…" Butch grumbled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "But—I told you that we should wait until after midnight. At least there was a guarantee that everyone would be asleep."
The room became fogged with tension, Butch and Cassidy's minds clouded with worry and frustration. Fighting did them no good, considering that they both failed in a sense. They did bring back a Pokémon from the gym that would surely please Giovanni. But the fact that they had also wrangled in the gym leader was not something either were willing to share so eagerly.
The two agents clutched at their chests suddenly when their ears perked at the heavy sigh coming from the direction of the bed. Butch and Cassidy flinched, shooting their shaky glances at Misty as she stirred a little on the cot, but her breathing evened out once more as she continued to sleep undisturbed.
Both criminals could not have been more grateful for their Parasect's powerful spore attack. Misty had been out since their encounter back at the gym. No amount of carrying, lifting or transporting could budge this redhead out of her heavy slumber. But the effects were not meant to last forever. Misty was due to wake up anytime now and Butch and Cassidy would have to act quickly to subdue her in case she rebels upon waking up. They already removed her Pokébelt, which was slung on their desk.
"What are we going to tell him?" Butch suddenly said.
Cassidy shot a nervous glance back at Misty before looking back at Butch with an uncertain look on her face, shrugging. "We tell him that we brought her here."
"What?!" Butch exclaimed then clamped both his hands on his mouth, remembering Misty was still asleep.
After shooting a warning glare, Cassidy explained, "It's not like we can hide her. And we can't bring her back, lest we want to ruin everything." The woman crossed her arms, darting her eyes back at Misty's form with contempt. "Even if could bring her back, it won't be easy. Dragging her all the way here without anyone seeing us was enough of a hassle."
"I know but—" Butch paused, his face twisting as the he pictured Giovanni's reaction. "The boss won't be happy," he groaned into his hands, muffling his words.
"Get yourself together, Butch!" Cassidy snapped. "Now's not the time to have a breakdown. If we just explain to him what happened and—"
"And he'll fire us on the spot! Or worse, feed us to his Arbok! It's all this brat's fault!"
Cassidy hissed through gritted teeth, her patience thinning as her partner outwardly faltered. He was too consumed with dread that his anxieties were rubbing off onto Cassidy.
"You're not helping!" Cassidy snarled, shooting daggers at the green haired felon. "We need to think."
"What if she wakes up soon?" Butch asked.
"She's out like a light," Cassidy pointed out.
Butch huffed. "She can still wake at any time."
"Doesn't matter," sniped Cassidy. "We have her Pokébelt and there's two of us against her. What could she possibly do to us?"
Suddenly, Butch's face blanched, rubbing his sore jaw as the sight of Misty's foot clashing with his face, replayed in his head. "I'm sure she'll try something…"
Cassidy ignored him, trying her hardest to figure out a way for everything to work out without her and Butch facing punishment from Giovanni. However, the issue of having Misty there remained consequential, as did the thought of returning her to the Cerulean Gym.
"We better think of something quick," Butch announced, growing more perturbed. "We have to meet the boss at dawn."
"There's still some time," Cassidy said, her eyes remaining blank as she continued to think of a way to pardon she and Butch of their error.
A couple minutes had passed without either agent exchanging another word. Luckily for them, Misty was still sound asleep, barely budging in place except for the occasional twitches.
However, the grunts' search for some reprieve to their problem was severed when a deep voice cut through the room; smooth yet fearsome.
"Cassidy and Butch, report to the main office immediately."
The two agents froze, staring at the source of the demand. The intercom on their desk drowned out their thoughts, sending their stomachs to do somersaults once their boss's voice roared through the electronic speaker.
They each gulped, exchanging worried looks and quickly peeking over to find Misty still asleep, not even flinching at the fearsome voice that just boomed inside the room.
Their heads shot with panic. It was the middle of the night, and they did not check in with Giovanni when they returned. How Giovanni knew of their return was a mystery to them. And why he wanted to see them before their scheduled arrival at dawn, made them all the more frightened. Although, the man practically has eyes and ears everywhere.
Suddenly, the terrifying possibility of Giovanni already knowing about Misty made Butch and Cassidy shudder.
The two felons did not know what to do. Their time to formulate a plan, a lie was cut short abruptly, like the middle of a long tether.
And keeping Giovanni waiting was a death sentence. Yet, meeting him in his office was equivalent to being sent to the gallows, particularly in this case.
The two shared another look of worry, almost speaking telepathically. Not waiting another moment, they both nodded and went for the door, checking on Misty one last time before closing the door behind them and locking it. They turned a heel en route to Giovanni's office—or more appropriately their tomb.
The walk through headquarters' corridors felt more like a death march. Butch and Cassidy remained quiet the entire time as they passed several other grunts that all looked a little on the tired side but relaxed nonetheless. Lucky them.
Although it was considered an honor (a suicidal one at that) to have Giovanni personally assign someone to a mission, Butch and Cassidy would have traded their positions as higher ranked agents to lowly, rookie grunts at this present moment.
Nearing the large doors that held the main office within, Butch and Cassidy froze before them. They both eyed each other, trying to get the other to knock on the massive doors.
Finally Butch gathered up enough nerve and gently tapped the door. With how soft the knock was it was miraculous that Giovanni had heard it. After one tap on the door, the boss's voice hissed an order for the two agents to enter at once.
The two scrambled in response, shutting the doors behind them and trudging over to the front of the boss's desk. They were met with the back of Giovanni's large, leather swivel chair.
It was like déjà vu. Barely a couple hours had past since the last time Butch and Cassidy were ordered to meet the boss in his domain. They thought the first time was scary, but nothing compared to the trepidation that chilled their pounding hearts with its icy claws.
Not wanting to incriminate themselves nor agitate Giovanni right away, Butch and Cassidy remained silent, standing tall in their spot, not wanting to falter just yet.
It was still the dead of night, yet it wasn't a surprise that Giovanni was awake. Team Rocket was a twenty-four hour operation, no rest until all missions were accomplished.
"You two are back so soon," drawled Giovanni from beyond his chair. One long arm stretched to the side, stroking his loyal companion Persian as it purred with affection. "I admit I was a little surprised when I noticed your arrival through my surveillance. I take it that all went well then?" There was a bitter note in his tone, like Giovanni had already assumed that his agents had failed him.
The agents flinched at his question. It was now time for them to speak even though they could give a simple response of yes or no. But they were not even sure if they were successful at this point. They had managed to take one of the gym's strongest Pokémon but their achievement was soddened with the baggage that came along with it, which was Misty.
"Or did you two fail me?" Giovanni snarled after a long pause. He slowly spun his chair around, revealing the irritation and impatience that was embedded on his face. "Well?"
Butch's posture began to crumble, his head dipping into his shoulders as he twiddled with his fingers. Cassidy, however, stood tall and forced the lasting bit of confidence she had left passed her lips.
"We brought back the Pokémon you requested, sir," she stated.
Giovanni narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to get them to reveal something. "Where is it then?"
"We brought the Gyarados you sent us for into the aquatic facility, sir," Cassidy went on. "It's currently asleep inside its tank."
"I see," he said, his expression unreadable.
Butch darted his cowering gaze back at the boss before flinching them away and turning to see that Cassidy was still trying her best to remain composed, but still noticed the stiffness in her posture.
"It appears you two have done well, then," Giovanni said at last after a long, agonizing moment of bated breath.
Cassidy and Butch quickly stole a look from each, feeling their worries slowly melt away. But they were not out of the clear just yet. The image of their hostage still asleep on the cot blurred their sight of victory. There was still no telling how they were going to explain Misty's appearance to the boss.
"You entered the gym after hours?" the boss asked suddenly, ripping the two from their thoughts.
"Yes, sir," both agents said.
"You left no evidence of entry?"
"Yes, sir."
"Nobody saw you?"
At that question, the color in Butch and Cassidy's faces began to drain right before the boss's eyes. Giovanni's lips curled downward, darkening his face even further with a scowl.
"Uh…" Butch began to stammer before he realized what he was doing, causing Cassidy's brow to twitch.
"Did anyone see you two?" barked Giovanni, his voice rising an octave that felt as though it emitted an invisible force causing his subordinates to stagger back.
"Sir," Cassidy murmured. "We—"
"You were seen?!" The roar ripped passed the boss's lips as he got to his feet and slamming his palms on the wooden surface of his desk.
It was over. There was no point explaining or at least that's what Butch and Cassidy believed. Giovanni's baleful eyes practically impaled them. Remaining before their now enraged boss was far too terrifying that Butch and Cassidy wished that the floor beneath them would just swallow them instead of dealing with Giovanni's ire.
"I specifically ordered you to not bring any attention to yourselves! Who saw you two idiots?" Giovanni demanded.
Butch and Cassidy looked at each other again, hesitating, which was not helping them in the slightest. Instead, their silence only spurred more agitation in their boss.
"Well, who? I'm going to have to find them and—"
"I-it was the g-gym leader sir!" Cassidy replied instantly, her ears were practically bleeding from all the hollering and her heart thumped painfully as she felt it rise into her throat.
Giovanni cocked a brow, lowering his voice but the anger still present. "The gym leader?"
Cassidy and Butch nodded, not meeting the penetrating glare of their boss.
"So she saw you then," Giovanni whispered, pondering to himself. "Then she's probably on her way to notify the authorities…" He ran a large hand through his coifed slick back hair, gripping at the strands in pure frustration.
"S-s-she's here, sir," Butch stuttered, hoping to delay whatever ruthless punishment Giovanni was planning for he and Cassidy.
Giovanni froze, flashing his eyes back Butch. "What'd you mean she's here, Butch? She's inside my headquarters?"
"She was in the gym when we were there," Cassidy began explaining at once. "She saw us, sir. Forgive us, please. We had our Parasect induce her to sleep and after we snatched her Gyarados, we thought the most logical thing to do was to bring her back here. She's still asleep and locked up."
Her words spewed out of her throat and to her surprise came out coherently. She watched Giovanni process what he had just heard. His eyes became blank in shock but after another minute or so of waiting, a devious smile graced their leader's face.
Butch and Cassidy gulped not sure of what to make of Giovanni's now calm demeanor. He was smiling but that did not offer reassurance to the two cowering agents. Giovanni was known among the organization for being sadistic. For all they knew, perhaps Giovanni was thinking of ways to punish them for bringing Misty into headquarters.
Their instincts told them to run for it, but their legs were glued to the floor. They just waited, not daring to speak up again.
A huff escaped Giovanni's mouth, his arms folding as he stood up, regaining his composure.
"The gym leader is here, you said?" he asked, an impish gleam in his dark eyes.
"Y-yes, s-sir," Butch and Cassidy stammered. The note of intrigue went unnoticed as the two agents braced themselves for a sharp tongue lashing, which only meant the beginning of something worse.
"Very well, then," Giovanni said, after a long moment of mulling over everything he just learned. A roguish smile tugged at his lips although his usual scowl remained. "I'm pleased to say you two did not fail me this time."
Butch and Cassidy stood before their boss with their mouths agape. Did he just say that they did not fail? Did this mean that they were no longer in trouble? They remained rooted in their spots, confusion stunning them.
"S-sir?" Cassidy began. "What about the girl? What are we going to do with her? Are we going to keep her here?"
Giovanni sat back down in his chair, using one hand to stroke his Persian's ears as it nuzzled its snout against the man's knee. He sighed; gazing passed the agents, his mind devising a plan.
"I have something in store for our guest," Giovanni said. His grin grew wider, before her finally let out a snicker. "I think Team Rocket could make great use of her."
"We're not returning her then?" Cassidy asked, her curiosity overshadowing her initial fear.
Giovanni shook his head slowly. "No, Cassidy."
"What will you to do with her, boss?" asked Butch, softly.
"You'll see," Giovanni replied, rising from his chair and stomping over to the PC that was similar to the ones that were in Pokémon Centers.
He began to push a few buttons, his eyes scanning the screen before him. Connected to the PC was a metal machine that was used to transfer Pokémon in their Pokéballs as computer data from Team Rocket's lab. The Pokéball would be transferred through the PC, arriving in a jet of blue shockwaves in an encasement.
Once Giovanni made his selection, a Pokéball appeared in a matter of seconds. He grasped the ball in his hands and turned to his agents, a fearsome gleam in his dark eyes.
"Bring the girl to me."
The room around her was dark. Misty opened her bleary eyes to see that she was on her knees under a bright light that hung above her. She looked around, but the dark room was spinning before her.
The sleepiness still clung to her, making it hard for her to concentrate on where she was. Her nose met the whiff of sweet tea somewhere nearby, arousing her senses.
Trying her hardest to wake up, Misty attempted to get onto her feet, but her knees wiggled in protest. She tried getting herself up on her feet but froze upon hearing a deep voice lurking within the shadows.
"Don't bother getting up," it snarled, which sent a shiver down Misty's back.
Misty fell to her knees, still languorous from her deep slumber and used her only strength to focus her vision on the room.
Once her vision flickered into clarity, Misty however was only able to make out a tall silhouette a few feet away from her. She presumed this silhouette was the owner of the deep voice that spoke.
"W…where…is…this place?" she moaned, still feeling a bit disoriented. But a clear scene flashed before Misty's eyes. She remembered being at the Cerulean Gym and the last thing she recalls seeing were the blank, zombified eyes of a Parasect before it shrouded her with a strong aroma.
It then came to her like a strike of lightning. Her eyes widened and her heart paced faster in her chest. What made her even more helpless and scared was the abrasive bite on her wrists; her hands were tied behind her back.
Misty looked down to her waist, only to discover that her Pokébelt was gone, along with her bag. Her green eyes scanned around the circle of light she was under, seeing that Azurill was missing.
"What've you done to my Pokémon?" she demanded at the voice straight ahead.
The silhouette simply guffawed at Misty's outburst. "We've seized them at the moment. You won't be needing them just yet."
Feeling her blood boil, Misty growled, "Who are you?"
From the shadows, Misty was able to make out a pair of gleaming white teeth.
"Let's skip the formalities," the voice said. "When we're finished here, you'll already know who I am."
"Why don't you just show your face? What're you afraid of?" Misty spat, challenging the man lurking in the darkness. Her heart thumped past endurance at this point as she watched the shadow motion forward one step. The man's face still remained in the darkness, but his legs became visible, clad in black slacks.
"I fear nothing, let alone a young girl," he replied silkily. His tone did not reveal a hint of worry. Instead, the voice was laced with a fearsome sureness.
Misty's nostrils flared, her posture becoming tense as her eyes strained to make out the features on the man's hidden face. Her ears suddenly perked at the sound of whispering behind her. Craning her head delicately past her shoulders, Misty caught a glimpse of two familiar looking figures.
Like the man before her, the two figures' legs were the only things exposed to the light. After recognizing a pair of knee high white boots, Misty twisted her neck ahead, gritting her teeth.
"You're Team Rocket," she growled venomously.
A sinister cackle pierced the gym leader's ears, prompting the two agents behind her to join in. The ringing chortles made Misty's stomach churn over in terror.
"Very good, girl," the man said. "But don't sound so spiteful. You'll come to embrace Team Rocket soon."
"Like that would ever happen," the redhead hissed. "You're the ones responsible for all the theft and crime around Kanto. You stole from trainers—"
"I see you're familiar with our work," the voice went on, interrupting Misty smoothly. "Oh, and I assure you that you will accept Team Rocket. You have no choice."
Misty froze, ruminating on what the voice was insinuating. "What on earth are you saying—?"
"You should have never crossed Team Rocket," the voice threatened. "If only you minded your own business. Now onto more important matters…it's time to begin your recruitment."
"Recruitment? You're out of your mind!" Misty shrieked. "Let me out of here and give me my Pokémon back—"
"Enough of your prattling," the man snapped, the room dispersing into tense silence. "We have business to take care of." From the man's pocket, he brandished a Pokéball and dropped it onto the floor, letting it roll towards Misty.
She inched away still unable to have full use of her legs. She glared at the Pokéball briefly before the blinding white light emerged from the capsule, revealing a large, humanoid looking creature with a long nose, its body covered in yellow fur with a white tuft collar. The Pokémon's eyes looked dull narrowed and what sent Misty's heart to thump even harder was the sight of the pendulum in the creature's left hand.
The Hypno stood in front of Misty, purring with its half lidded gaze. Her defiance suddenly became eclipsed with fear. Misty's head screamed for her to run but her body was still weak from the effects of the spore attack. She crawled back, trying to get as far as she could from the psychic Pokémon.
"Hypnosis," the man's voice commanded firmly, not hesitating any further.
Misty's eyes widened, darting between the Hypno's eyes and its pendulum. She felt the shiver of renewed fear crawl down her spine, aware of what was coming. The creature continued to purr in a rhythm that followed the swinging motion of its pendulum.
Misty shut her eyes, turning away, realizing that it was her best bet to avoid contact. But the purring grew louder, ringing through her head, lulling her to look at Hypno without her consent.
"Hypnoooo…Hypnooooo…Hypnooooooo," the purring went on.
She struggled against the psychic influence. Part of her mind was clearing and before she knew it, her eyes had opened on their own and she was now facing the Hypno, watching the pendulum sway back and forth.
However, Misty still held control of part of her brain. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the creature's tool, but tried her hardest to focus on something, someone to distract her from being hypnotized.
The thoughts in her mind were blurry as if being smeared of its clarity. Misty panicked inwardly, desperately wanting to hold onto her thoughts. She thought of her sisters but couldn't retain their physical traits. Like an ending to a silent film, the image of Daisy, Violet and Lily were irising in, shrinking into a small circle before nothing but black covered them.
Misty did not want to give up. She strained to think of all of the Pokémon she's had, past and present. Her Azurill, no longer a clear blue blob but now a washed out mass. Psyduck was even beginning to drift from her memory as well and her Togepi—
Misty only saw an unhatched Pokémon egg with an odd pattern. As she went on staring at the pendulum, her eyes seeing the yellow fur that covered the Hypno. The color yellow then filled her thoughts and Misty forced herself to think of Pikachu. She dreamt of it calling her, but no longer remembered what it sounded like.
With her continuous resistance, the psychic waves only seemed to make the whole thing painful. Her head felt as though it was splitting open, and an invisible power was forcibly yanking out every single thought in her head.
Then came the face of her friend. His black hair covered with a hat, his brown eyes fiery with determination, and his smile that was infectious. Misty crumpled inside as she begged against the psychic power consuming her to not let her forget him, along with everything else.
But as she tried to get the boy's name past her lips, her mind drew a blank and the image of the boy vanished, along with all of her memories and essence of her true identity.
Misty was now staring blankly at Hypno, her face lacking of emotion and the green in her eyes looking sunken and hollow. Her whole body slackened, no longer putting up a fight. Her head swayed in sync with the pendulum. She looked frightening, almost like a ghost.
Hypno continued to hypnotize Misty until the man from the shadows stepped into the light, followed by his cohorts who were behind her.
"It's working," Giovanni whispered, watching the girl transform into an empty shell. "Now onto the details…"
Butch and Cassidy walked over to either side of their boss, watching from the Hypno's view, not wanting to become hypnotized themselves. Witnessing the scene before them left the agents a little spooked and yet they couldn't help but cringe with pity for Misty.
"Misty," he drawled. "I am Giovanni, your boss, your leader. You serve me. You have been a member of Team Rocket for your whole life. You are an expert at water types." He spoke very slowly, wanting to allow Misty's brain to soak in every word he uttered.
Misty's eyes remained blank, looking like a Deerling in headlights.
"You follow Team Rocket's rules," continued Giovanni. "You are a criminal, stealing Pokémon for a living. You trust no one but members of Team Rocket. You must remain loyal to this organization and especially to me." Giovanni went on, as the pendulum continued to swing.
Misty's eyes remained fixed on Hypno's tool. The rhythmic purring now began to drag Misty into drowsiness. All the while Giovanni continued to speak to her.
A grin split Giovanni's face, making him look even more sinister than Butch and Cassidy have ever seen him. His dark eyes glistened as he spoke clearly as if conducting a business proposition.
What pricked his mind at first as a simple thought, developed into a full-grown ploy. As the superior to Team Rocket, Giovanni could only afford to have the best trainers work for him. Recruiting agents was never an easy task and admittedly the crime boss was questioning whether or not he had gone soft, allowing such amateurs to join Team Rocket's ranks as of late.
But here sat a gym leader before him. Giovanni's lips curled more, not able to resist the excitement that currently fueled him; to have a gym leader part of Team Rocket held a great advantage. A water master, nonetheless, would surely be able to serve his organization in other ways.
Giovanni, being a former gym leader himself, having retired the position due to "personal" reasons, knew of the Cerulean Gym. He recalls the gym's rise to acclaim once this young redhead had taken over. And with the heist he sent Butch and Cassidy to carry out, the man did have some background on the gym.
But now, the gym's loss would be his gain. Butch and Cassidy's mistake was now his latest weapon. He was going to make her an accomplice, a pawn for him to use...making a hostage of Misty's own mind.
As the purring went on and the pendulum swayed endlessly, Misty's body slackened even further before she submitted to sleep for the second time that night. This time however, her conscience falling deep into oblivion.
TO BE CONTINUED...