Disclaimers: I do NOT own Pokémon! This is just fanmade.

WARNING: This will be an Egoshipping (GaryxMisty) story. If you don't like this pairing I suggest you stop reading right now.

Shattered

Chapter four: The mission

Team Aqua's Headquarters: (Gary's POV)

"You will be obliged to leave your quarters after the incidents that have been occurring these past few weeks," Archie said, his thumbs fumbling with some paperwork that lay on his desk. A sigh barely escaped his lips. The man was clearly not very happy with this.

Gary eyed the man suspiciously. He'd heard that it had taken Misty more than five years to become an admin and after one month he was being moved to the admin's quarters. Impossible. He had defied her but still. There was something else going on in the man's mind. He could sense it. The way he was sort of fidgeting and thinking about every word he said. There must've been another explanation.

"There is one room left for you. It will be located at the end of the hallways a little bit farther than Emerald's quarters. You will be permitted to leave the premises and you shall get a budget of your own which you can spend to your own liking. As for your codename, that will be Sapphire. Any more questions?"

"Why?" Gary asked. "Why do you want me to become an admin?"

Archie stopped fumbling and looked into his eyes, a serious expression on his face. He put his hands on his desk and let out a small sigh. "I have never said that I wantedyou to become an admin. I, and the other admins, have yet to decide if your abilities are truly exceptional or if they are mere beginner's luck. Circumstances make it so. You shall accompany Misty in the duty of being an admin. She will have to give you enough information and toughen you up a bit but in the end you shall have the tasks Matt is currently ordered to do."

Misty. He'd said her name. It sounded so nice to hear someone say her name. It made her seem more real again. More her. Less frightening.

"Misty?" Gary asked as if he didn't know what Archie was talking about. "Matt? Who are these people?"

"They are the real names of Emerald and Jet of course. Siam is named Shelly. The grunts shall address you as Sapphire from now on. You do not need to worry. Their memories shall be taken care off. We have a fine team of Crobats and Alakazams who will take care of that," Archie continued as he got up and turned his back to him to look out of the window. It was dark outside but it was easy to see the nights were getting shorter. There was still a glint of red at the end of the horizon.

Gary frowned for a second, happy Archie couldn't see him. He'd heard about the memory games these organizations could play with the use of their Crobats or psychic Pokémon. But he'd never thought they could actually erase memories with the use of a Confuse Ray or psychic attack.

"They will not remember me?" he asked, trying to hide his annoyance.

"They will. But they won't remember your name. Only the admins and I will," the older man replied. "Now go on. Tomorrow Misty will take you out of headquarters and go on a mission with you. You'll be leaving for Lilycove City. A ship will be waiting to take you to Slateport the day after. Make sure you have some regular clothing. This will be an undercover assignment."

"I understand," Gary answered. "I shall be leaving then."

As he turned around, he could hear that Archie was still about to say something but he closed the door behind him before he could. He just wanted to get away from that strange feeling he got when he was near the man and he certainly didn't want to be reminded of all the minds that had been manipulated.

Lost in his thoughts, he ran into a grunt who apologized and already called him Admin Sapphire. So Archie had already taken care of things. He shouldn't have been surprised of course. He knew the man had been watching him ever since his battle with Misty.

"I wonder what Misty is going to say about this," he murmured to himself while walking towards his new quarters. "At least now I will be able to see Um-"

"So you've made it to an admin huh?" Misty scoffed as Gary walked past her. "You know Kai, I always thought everything about you was mere beginner's luck. But I have to say, even I am impressed. How about some training later today? You could use it you know."

Gary looked down at Misty and saw that she was still wearing her black suit. She must've come back from the training area. Her french bun hung over her shoulder, strands of her hair that had escaped now resting on her neck. She looked tired. Yet, determined to fight with him. As always.

"It's almost seven. You should head to the cafeteria, Misty," he almost purred at her. "I would not want you to faint because of a lack of energy. You look worn out you know." He loved to see those eyes burn, it was the only thing that reminded him of the Misty he had once known when he was still travelling. "But you could always help me with something else I'm working on. Meet me at the pool in an hour will you? You promised me, you'd tell me more about it."

Gary turned around and walked towards his quarters as Misty called out to him that he was not the one to give her orders. He just smiled, waved at her and turned the corner.

Once he reached his door, the panel immediately asked him for a voice recognition and to insert a code. He did so quickly and entered his room. It was a bright blue room with a green accent wall. It was nothing too fancy, but it faintly reminded him of home. This was a place where he could be himself. In some sort of wicked way at least.

In his closet there was his spare Team Aqua outfit and a black shirt. On his bed lay a brand new credit card. He was sure he'd put it to use once they entered Lilycove. If he had to disguise himself from the world so he would not be seen as Gary, or a member of team aqua he'd need some other clothes and even hair products. It was always a problem to tame his wild mane. At least his mother had always said it was.

"Now my friend, come out," he whispered to the hidden pokéball around his neck.

His Umbreon immediately jumped against his shoulders and pushed him onto the bed, licking his face and wagging its tail. He was an older and more mature Pokémon but after such a long time not being able to really see his trainer or to stretch his legs he was happy to get out. He jumped off after a while and snuggled closer into the white blanket. Being outside was so much more comfortable. Perhaps he could even start to like it here.

"Okay buddy, you can walk freely now when we're in the room, but you can not stay here on your own. Stay with me, will you?" Gary asked as he tried to sit up again. "You never know when I need you."

"Umb, umbreeee!" his Pokémon answered and with that he got up and walked into his orange bathroom, still planning on how he could get Misty's approval and even her trust.

Once he was standing under the shower he finally got an idea. The reason he was searching her in the first place. He'd have to show her his interest in water Pokémon.

One hour later at the pools: (Misty's POV)

Misty walked towards the pools, her Vaporeon by her side. She had been wondering during dinner what Kai was planning. And when she reached the pool, she saw him standing in the water, a young Staryu and Starmie accompanying him. Faintly, she remembered him asking about the gender difference. Somehow, she'd thought he'd forgotten all about it.

He was wearing some swim trunks with the Team Aqua emblem on them. Most of the time these were only used for training how to swim but now that Kai was an admin, he could probably do everything he wanted. Already, he felt like a king.

"I thought you could explain something to me," he said to her as he swam towards her, his arms resting at her feet. "I know that you're one of the experts on water Pokémon here and I lent some Pokémon in the training room. I was wondering how to determine the gender of a Staryu and Starmie"

She wasn't startled by this question and looked down at his sapphire eyes. It was the name Archie had given him. Sapphire. It didn't fit him though. Neither did Kai. There was a name that would sound much more familiar with his face but she could not think of a name that fitted him, his eyes, his voice.

"Or, do you not know the answer?" he asked her with a mischievous smirk before swimming back to the Pokémon.

Yes, she knew those eyes. She knew that expression. But she couldn't remember where she'd seen it before. For days she'd been suspicious of him. There was no way a grunt could become an admin so fast. She'd been a gym leader and it had taken her years to be accepted, to prove herself. And this grunt with his dark brown hairs was so comfortable with everything he had to do. Well, for now he was. Training was different than actual missions. She'd test him the next couple of days. And she'd see if he really was fit for team Aqua or not.

"Look at their core," Misty answered as she was going into the water, taking of her shirt and revealing her blue bathing suit. It was an old habit of her, wearing it underneath her clothes. She'd always done it back in the day when she was still a gym leader. "It is not just a jewel as it seems to many people. Listen to it."

Kai frowned at her but did as he was said and laid his head onto the Staryu, his eyes now turning serious. She knew this man had two sides. Just like she had. Pokémon needed to be treated differently. You had to care for them, know them and train them. They were not like humans. They were friends who gave you an unconditional love if you treated them well enough.

"Stay still," she whispered to Kai who didn't seem at ease. Neither did the Pokémon who acted quite startled. As soon as Misty started to rub its back, it seemed to calm down. For a while, Kai staid still but a smile formed on his lips when he heard the faint thumping sound Misty was hoping him to hear.

"Is it, his heart?" he asked Misty with an amused smile onto his face. It was like giving an ice cream to a 3-year-old. But she was exactly the same when discovering something new about water Pokémon.

"Correct," she answered as she swam over to the Starmie and started to play with it. She knew this one was a child of her Starmie. "Staryu and Starmie's cores are actually their hearts. When a Staryu is born, their parents' cores light up. These Pokémon are hermaphroditic you know. They have no real gender. You only need two of them to breed a Staryu. Their mutual energy will form an egg of some sorts. Although their breeding process works differently. Unless the egg is being carried by a trainer. You know it is alw- why are you staring at me?"

Kai was looking at her with one of his rare smiles. The ones he only gave to his Blastoise. She knew they had a mutual understanding. He had connected to his Pokémon like she had to hers. But she wondered why he was smiling at her right now. Was he amused by her?

"It's nice to see someone else who's interested in Pokémon like I am," he simply shrugged before getting out of the water, water dripping from his black trunks onto the floor. "I'll take these two back to the training department. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

She looked up and nodded once, not being able to answer. There was something about him that got more familiar by the day. Or was she finally warming up to someone? Becoming friends? No, she couldn't be.

"Poooor!"

Misty's thoughts got interrupted by the cry of her Vaporeon and when she turned her back she could see its eyes focused on Kai's necklace. She had not seen it before. It was a simple yin and yang token. Something they sold in various stores around Slateport. She'd seen people wearing it before.

"She likes it," Misty answered when Kai took a few steps back. "It is not often she notices other people. She must've taken a liking to you. Even though you beat her… Strange… She does not like to lose you know."

"Yes, I guess she does," Kai answered, a scared look in his eyes.

"See you tomorrow," Misty answered, swimming towards the edge of the pool and crawling out.

Kai didn't reply. He just ran off as fast as possible and Misty watched his back as he left. His shirt hung over his shoulder and was starting to get wet in various places. The black string of the necklace made his neck look even more pale. But then he turned the corner and the only thing that was left were his wet footprints on the floor.

"You know something, don't you?" Misty asked the Vaporeon as it brought her a towel. "But you're not going to tell me?"

Her Vaporeon looked up into her eyes as she cuddled onto her lap and shook her head. She was not going to tell her trainer anything. Not about the person she'd recognized the first time she'd caught a glimpse of him and certainly not about the friend that was hidden inside that small green and yellow necklace. Cause even the Pokémon didn't know what they were doing here. They would both have to wait to see what they were planning.

The next morning in Gary's room: (Gary's POV)

"I wonder what we're going to do," Gary said to his Umbreon as he pulled on the black shirt and a pair of jeans. These clothes didn't really hide the fact that he was a team aqua member. At least he could leave the scarf and Misty would be wearing other clothes so he wouldn't be too obvious. He hoped.

"Umbreee," the Pokémon worryingly responded before snuggling closer to his trainer. He'd been worried about the fact that Misty's Vaporeon had sensed his presence. He was sure she had. But still, she had not told her trainer about it. He was sure of that. Else his trainer would've gotten kicked out or even murdered.

A knock on the door made Gary jump up. His Umbreon returned into his pokéball and when he opened the door Misty was standing in front of him. She was wearing a green shirt and black skinny jeans. Her hairs hung loosely over her shoulders and she held two jackets in her hands. A black one for her, a blue one for him.

"Guess that will cover you up a little more," she said. "I also brought you this."

Gary took the cell phone in his hands, thanked her and closed the door behind him. He'd have to inspect the device before using it. He'd not be surprised if there was a transmitter inside of it. As he put his cell phone in his coat's pocket, Misty started to call with hers.

"This is admin Emerald speaking. Bring out the AF Togepi in dock three. We will be arriving in four minutes," she said to the grunt at the other side of the phone. "Do not forget the suitcase I left at the reception." When she closed it, a little smile formed on Gary's lips. The AF Togepi. How fitting.

"What are you smiling at Kai? This is a mission and not some game," Misty said to him, a frown plastered on her face.

"Talking about this mission," Gary said. "What exactly are we going to do?"

"I guess I do need to inform you," Misty said as she showed her admin badge to one of the grunts. "We are going to Lilycove and will spend the night in a hostel there. Your credit card is unlimited and you will be able to buy yourself some new clothes. Of course, your expenses will be supervised and you will always have to fill in paperwork before you can buy things. I have already taken care of that for today."

"I see. And what will we be doing tomorrow?"

Now Misty smiled. "You will be tested. And if you fail, well…" A smirk appeared on her face as she got onto the motorboat and ordered her Vaporeon out of her pokéball.

"If I fail?" Gary asked.

"Let's say an excellent Crobat will take care of things then."

Gary slumped down into the back seat. He knew things like these would happen. His memory would be erased. Maybe even read. He'd heard some Swoobats in Unova were able to do that if they were well trained. They probably had an Alakazam with the same powers in headquarters as well. He had to pass this test. If he didn't, he'd be discovered.

Their trip to Lilycove only took two hours or so since the motor boat was built for trips like these. To get somewhere fast. During that time, Gary looked at Misty's small back and remembered the old days and wondered how he'd gotten into this. It all started with his curiosity. It had taken him to strange places before but he'd never thought he'd end up in a criminal organization. Certainly not to save a red haired tomboy.

Sometimes, the waves hit Misty's hair and face and he'd follow the water droplets until they fell onto the bottom of the boat. Somehow he felt free here on the ocean and he would not mind staying on the boat a few more hours. But time passed and they arrived in Lilycove sooner than he'd wanted.

He helped Misty searching for a spot in the docks and paid the owner of the hostel once they arrived. It was common courtesy to him but to Misty it was like being babysat. That's why she offered him to go to the Lilycove department store. She would be more comfortable once he was really wearing regular clothes like her.

"You don't have to come with me," Gary said to her once they walked through the doors of the shopping centre. He knew that a tomboy like here would never like to shop. Besides, he wanted some time for himself. He needed to think things through.

"I'm here to supervise you Kai," she answered. "Now act cool."

Her usual frown turned into a smile and she hooked arms with him, pointing at different clothes and urging him to try them on. He knew what game she was playing. She was trying to act like a normal couple so they would not seem suspicious. But her eyes told him a whole different story. She loathed him. All the kindness she'd shown to him was gone. Or she was hiding it very well.

In the end, and after being shown around the room by Misty, he entered the changing room with about fifteen different items. He tried on most of them quickly and paid for all of them twenty minutes later.

Misty still eyed him out of the corner of her eye when he went to the toilet to change into one of his new clothes but she seemed to be more at ease and eventually went to buy them some sodas. When he came back, she was still waiting in line at the vending machine, her right foot tapping on the floor.

Gary smiled and shook his head. "Still impatient."

He walked towards her, planning on scaring her once he stood behind her but he could see a man in dark red clothes walking towards the vending machine, a knife in his hand.

His heart started to thump in his throat when he realized the man was going after Misty. He tried to scream and run but all he could do was watch as the man reached her and put the knife against her throat.

Various ladies started to scream, men picked up their children and took their wives' arms as they saw the team Magma grunt attack the young woman.

"Everybody out of my way!" the grunt shouted as he walked backwards, still holding Misty in his grasp. He frowned at the other people and sometimes even pointed the end of his knife towards them, scaring them even farther away from him.

Misty's eyes shot towards Gary's and he immediately knew. This was all fake. She'd have the bastard pinned to the ground in a second if she wanted to. This was his test. Or at least one of them. And he'd fail if he didn't do anything.

"Let her go!" Gary shouted to the man who only smirked at him. He was sure he remembered his face. Yes, he was a team aqua grunt.

"What if I don't want to, pretty boy?" the grunt answered before entering the elevator with Misty. Right before Gary could reach it, it closed and Misty was gone.

"They're going to the first floor, sir," a young boy pointed out to Gary. "You can still save the pretty lady if you want to!"

Gary nodded and had to hide a smile. Pretty lady. How the tomboy would like to hear that. He ordered out his Blastoise and gave his orders. "It's time to go and prove we will not be caught, buddy," he said to the turtle Pokémon. "We're going to use that new move we learnt before we came to Hoenn. Remember?"

The Blastoise nodded and ran towards one of the windows on the street's side. "Use brick break!" The Pokémon obeyed and used it's fist to break the window before stepping forward onto the ledge. As soon as it was safe for Gary not to get glass onto him anymore, he jumped onto his pokémon's back. "Now, use smack down!"

With a load roar, the Blastoise jumped out of the window, Gary clamping onto his pokémon's back. For a few seconds it almost felt as if he was flying and that time had slowed down. They jumped down several stories before hitting the ground and Gary jumped off, waiting for Misty and the grunt to come out of the building, his gun in his hand, aiming for the doorway.

Five seconds later, the grunt and Misty came out, the knife still close to her neck. Both of them looked surprised and Misty even frowned at Gary.

"I'm very sorry, Emerald," he answered. "But I think this grunt will need to head back to headquarters and inform the boss that I can't be tricked so easily. Unless you want me to shoot him."

Misty scoffed and the grunt let go. Their plan had failed. The grunt was protected by his Staryu's light screen. No bullets would be able to hit him. But because Gary had discovered their plan, there was no reason for him to shoot someone. No reason to show he could shoot people.

"Let's go back to the hostel, Sapphire. It's getting late," she said as the grunt let go of her and she took Gary's's gun in her hand and lowered it to the ground.

Gary could only smile. He'd passed the first test. And he would not fail if there were more to come.

A few hours later in the hostel: Misty's POV

Misty sighed before going under water in the bath she'd prepared ten minutes earlier. Small bubbles of foam drifted around her and she went back up to get some air. She could not believe Kai hadn't failed his first test. She was sure she'd seen him, frozen solid when he saw what was happening to her. Yet, she was not sure if it was fear of the other grunt or fear of what was happening to her.

"I guess, your second test will have to be more difficult," she sighed to the room around her. Kai was already asleep in the room next to her. She was not supposed to let him out of his sight but her Vaporeon was watching him. Everything was okay.

She got out of the bath and took a soft yellow towel, drying herself off. This whole mission was meant to test Kai like she'd been tested a few years ago. Her tests were far worse than his. She'd lost her mind back then and she'd sworn not to let that happen to him. Unless he had no other option.

A stinging pain entered her heart when she remembered the Pokémon she had to kill in order not to lose her memory. The memories of her past life were something that made her who she was. And the memories of her mother were too precious to lose. The aching pain they brought, she could easily take.

But, like each year she would visit Mt. Pyre to visit the Pokémon. It was a small Spheal, that was using his powers to drown Shelly. All she could do was kill the Pokémon in order to save her friend. Later on she discovered that the Spheal was actually being controlled by an Alakazam. She felt sick after that, knowing that the organization would go to such lengths to test her. But she was a gym leader after all, they could not go easy on her.

She put on her clothes again and took out a long red coat from her suitcase. Her eyes darted to Kai's and she smiled at her Vaporeon. "Take care of him," she whispered. "I'm going to visit our little friend."

The Pokémon nodded and jumped onto Kai's bed, snuggling itself near his feet.

Misty frowned once, wondering why her Pokémon had taken a liking to the trainer. She shrugged and closed the door behind her, walking towards the reception. She asked a spare key and walked outside into the cool spring air.

A sigh escaped her lips and she fumbled in her pocket to find a cigarette. Once she lit it up she put it out again. Spring brought new life, so maybe a new goal was not so bad either. "Gotta quit smoking," she mumbled to herself.

Once she arrived near the Safari Zone she ordered out her Swampert and let it bring her towards Mt. Pyre. She had only brought her Vaporeon and Swampert with her. Her other Pokémon were probably better off in the pools and training rooms. They would not enjoy going out on such a dull trip.

"Stay here boy," she said to her Pokémon. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

The Pokémon let out a cry and Misty kissed him on his head. She had found his egg three years ago, abandoned by his mother and father, near Mossdeep city. He had been her little one as a Mudkip, just as her Azurill had been one day. But now he was a strong Pokémon, about to reach adulthood.

She turned her back and walked inside, not knowing the danger that lay ahead of her. Team Magma grunts had spotted her in town earlier that day and were now planning on catching her. They knew who team Aqua's best admin was. She was even admired for her strength by many members. But killing her and brining the body back to base would be the best they could do. She was always the one to ruin their plans. And now, as they thought they'd found a place to make plans, she was just walking towards them.

"Well hello there," the older grunt said as he eyed the young woman. She looked different in her regular clothes, nothing like the fierce admin they knew. She looked vulnerable. "I did not know team Aqua members grieved for their Pokémon?"

Misty growled and realized she had not brought any Pokémon or her gun. Oh well, these grunts could be easily defeated before they could even order out their Pokémon.

"We do not grief for our Pokémon," she responded with a smirk on her face. "You see, we are not so stupid or weak to let our own Pokémon die. Sometimes it's just nice to come here to see how many of your Pokémon have died."

The younger, female grunt's eyes almost shot her down. Misty had remembered her face when she walked in and the Golbat she'd lost during a mission. She had let the Pokémon fight till dead against one of her grunts. Stupid girl, thinking that Pokémon are mere fighting tools.

"I would not be so cocky," the man said. "Seeing that you are all alone, without Pokémon. Without your gun. You're nothing but a scared little girl."

Misty smiled. This would be fun. The man tried to grab her but she avoided him by ducking, took his wrist and twisted his arm around. "I would not say I'm scared, or little," she laughed. This was nothing but a game to her.

Before the girl could order out her Pokémon, Misty kicked her pokéball out of her hand, turned around again and knocked the man out with her left elbow. The girl would be much easier. She could see her scared eyes, especially know that she didn't have her precious Pokémon to rescue her.

"Never underestimate me," Misty said to the girl as she walked towards her. "You can not win against me."

"I would seriously doubt that, my dear."

Misty gulped. She knew this voice. Its owner's powers. Mack. He had gotten to her once and found her deepest fear. He was a master of illusions, some even said he got this gift from a Zoroark.

The red haired woman turned around and tried to knock him down but instead of Mack, she saw him. Ash. Her former friends. They were all laughing, her Togetic flying around Pikachu.

"Misty," he said to her. "Come with us, we're going for a swim. You like swimming don't you?"

His smile, his voice. His deep brown eyes. She recognized it all. Even his scent that the wind brought with him. The scenery was not familiar to her but she thought she was somewhere in Unova because that was where Ash was now.

"You're not real," she whispered. "This is just a dream."

"Misty," Ash answered. "How could this be a dream? Take my hand."

And she took it, and let him lead her to the top of the cliff. She could feel his warmth. Hear his laughter. Feel the wind of her Togetic's wings next to her. This was real. This was no dream.

"Come on Misty," Ash said to her. "Let's jump down."

And so Ash jumped into the water and her vision changed. Instead she saw Mack, holding her hand as her body leant over the cliff. The only thing protecting her from the jump was his hand.

"Goodbye Misty," he whispered into her ear. "May all your dreams become a reality."

And then he let go of her hand and she fell off Mt. Pyre, deep into the ocean. While her head was filled with memories of her past, which were mere illusions. But they all lead to the same outcome. She wouldn't be able to summon Kyogre, to get out of this mess. There were no friends searching for her, and the once who knew her, would be too late to find her. She'd die here and now. By the hands of a criminal.

Half an hour earlier in the hostel: (Gary's POV)

The door closed and Gary jumped up, calling out Misty's name. She didn't hear him and he did not go after her when he saw her Vaporeon lying at his feet.

"Hey there girl," he said to her as he rubbed her chin. "Are you supposed to look out for me?"

"Poor!" the Pokémon shouted, wagging its tail before snuggling closer to Gary, touching his token with her nose.

Gary took his necklace in his hands and looked down into the water pokémon's eyes. "You know who's in here, don't you? So you must be the one I've raised, aren't you?"

The Pokémon nodded and soon after, Gary's Umbreon came out of his pokéball, reuniting with his old friend. The two eeveelutions touched noses and jumped off the bed, Gary watching them. A decade ago, his grandfather had found an egg and wanted Gary to breed it. When it turned out to be a little Eevee, his Umbreon had bonded with it in some way. A few months later the Eevee was sent off to a gym leader in the Kanto region. Now he knew which. It was Misty's.

"Why haven't you told her you knew us?" he questioned the Vaporeon and the Pokémon just sat still, looking into Gary's eyes. She did not respond to him but just looked into his eyes as if wanting him to realize something important.

"Where is she now?" Gary wondered out loud and her Vaporeon jumped up and ran towards the window, making sounds towards Mt. Pyre.

Gary frowned. She'd gone outside all alone. After this afternoon's incident he wasn't too keen on that. He'd have to go after her.

"Vaporeon, you lead the way. We're going after her, okay? Umbreon, you go back into your pokéball. I'll call for you if we need you. Just stay in your pokéball whenever Misty's around."

Both Pokémon agreed to his plan and after a change of clothes, Gary and Vaporeon walked outside the building, towards Mt. Pyre. Once they arrived at the mountain, Blastoise brought Gary towards the entrance but when he saw some team Magma members standing inside, he stopped and hid behind the stone wall.

"Are they planning on a second test?" he asked the Vaporeon. The Pokémon shook his head and had a worried expression on her face. This did not look good. "Is she inside?"

After a few sniffs in the air, the Vaporeon nodded and Gary gritted his teeth. It was then he spotted the Swampert on the other side of the water, trying to catch something to eat.

Vaporeon jumped into the water immediately and brought the Swampert towards Gary. At first he could not recall if he had seen the Pokémon before but he soon realized it must've been Misty's. He had seen her wearing two pokéballs but that would mean she'd gone inside unarmed. He knew her gun was still lying on her night table, he'd seen it before he went outside.

"Great," he murmured to himself. "Every decent Pokémon trainer knows not to go outside without a Pokémon. And what did she do…"

"Pooor!" the Vaporeon shouted and Gary glanced once around the corner, noticing that two grunts were approaching him. He had to respond fast so he sent out his Blastoise and made it use his water gun on the two. They were down before they could respond. One of them had a swollen eye and he hoped that Misty had been able to protect herself. But if she had, then where was she now?

"Okay Vaporeon, look for Misty, we have your back!" Gary shouted to the Pokémon who now ran inside the building and came to the conclusion that Misty was way higher on the hill than they were.

Just when Gary found the path to the top of the mountain he heard a scream and saw something fall from the top of the mountain towards the ocean and the rocks beneath it.

Vaporeon was faster to realize who it was then he was. He could not identify the object as Misty until he saw her flaming red hairs being lit up by the moonlight. Her scream had faded, or maybe he had erased it from his mind.

There was only one thing he could do to save her.

(Misty's POV):

She felt the cold water beneath her arms, yet her body did not touch it. Her eyes refused to open and she felt herself float in the air. What was happening to her? Was this one of Mack's illusions?

"It's okay Vaporeon, she's safe."

That voice. Kai. What was he doing here? Why was he talking to her Vaporeon? He should be in the hostel. She forbid her Vaporeon to let him leave. She wanted to tell him what to do, to leave her alone. But soon she got over the shock a little and remembered she got pushed off a cliff.

No, she wasn't. This was just a game. Just some dreams in her head. Yes, her mind would be tortured until she couldn't take it anymore. That would probably be Mack's plan. She had to snap out of it.

She forced herself to open her eyes and she saw Kai, a bright yellow glow lighting up his face as he cradled her in his arms. "Everything will be okay Misty," he said to her. "Close your eyes. You're safe."

She could taste the salt water, she could feel the numbness in her limbs. The cold water crashing around them gave her goose bumps. She could hardly handle herself. This was too real to be a trick. But then again, so was Ash's warmth. No, she had to get away.

She mastered to gather some strength and kicked Kai into his stomach. He almost let her fall but he held onto her, refusing to let her go.

"Misty. Calm down. I'm not hurting you, it's me."

She opened her eyes once more and looked at his sapphire ones. She saw her Vaporeon and Swampert out of the corner of her eye and yellow lights circling around them. What were those things? Her attention got drawn to it but as soon as she looked at it, the glows disappeared. It had to be an illusion.

"Let go of me," she shouted. "I know this is one of your tricks, Mack!"

But he didn't let go and stepped onto her Swampert, still holding her. "I am not Mack," he answered her. "You know who I am, Misty."

She frowned at him and looked up at him as they left Mt. Pyre behind them. The full moon did not hide them from possible attacks of team Magma but Kai's Blastoise and her Vaporeon swam around them, making sure they were protected.

"Do you remember?" Kai asked her once again.

Right before she passed out, she remembered the name that fitted him most. Not Kai. Not Sapphire. "Gary," she whispered.