Disclaimer - Everything you're about to read belongs to someone else. You know, except for the total compilation of ideas. That would be mine. Yup yup.

Author - Chibi / Warlordess

Notes - Okay guys, this is a weird one. I think it definitely qualifies for the fantasy genre I picked for it. Plus it's almost sickeningly romantic. Ugh, I hope I come out of this one unscathed. Even if you don't understand something or don't like or appreciate it, I hope you'll stick it out til the end and also - maybe, just maybe - give me a review and tell me what you thought.

So, without further ado. . .

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Title - "Undine's Thread" / part two

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The walk to Cerulean City took them the rest of the day, mostly thanks to Mt. Moon's rocky paths. By the time the two young men and Pikachu made it to the edge of town, the sun was just starting to set beyond the waters surrounding Misty's hometown.

"Brock. . . If she's there, what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

Their unanimous pace slowed down as they approached the silhouette of the Cerulean Gym, the massive Seel statue standing out in luminosity against the onsetting darkness.

"Misty. If she's still staying at the gym, what are we supposed to do? She didn't tell us about any of this. I'm sort of mad about that. . . but if she's got a reason, or even if she doesn't, how can I say anything to her after what just happened to her and her sisters?"

Ash thought back on the same fear that had momentarily gnawed at him before he'd left home. It'd been awhile, such a long time, since the two of them had talked. What right did he have to get angry at her or else tell her off when he hadn't updated her on anything in his life in a year?

"Ash, you can be mad all you like. This is big, what happened to Misty, and her not saying anything probably means that she didn't expect us to care. So get mad and prove to her that she's wrong. Besides. . ." And his next words made positive that he truly understood where Ash's thoughts laid, "communication is a two way street. You've been pretty caught up in running around and winning your badges. Misty could have tried to contact you just as much as you did her. She could have left messages with your mom if she didn't know where to look for you. Did she do either of those things?"

"Uh. . . no. . ."

"So then you're not completely at fault here. Just remember to word it delicately. Don't just shout and yell and throw a fit; she wouldn't respond well to that."

"No duh. . ." Ash replied with a roll of the eyes. He wouldn't soon forget how often Misty had attempted to kick his face in due to his insensitivity.

"We're almost the - whoa. . . !" Brock said, stretching his neck upwards at the huge crane set before him.

And that wasn't all. Other machines and materials sat around what should have been the pathway leading to the Cerulean Gym entrance, yellow tape cautioning visitors and detour signs posted here and there to direct their way. A few personnel walked briskly back and forth but they seemed to be tidying up and packing to leave for the day.

"Hey, you two!" a voice shouted from behind. Ash, Brock, and Pikachu all jumped half a foot in the air before turning to face an elderly man as he removed his yellow hat and wiped his brow of sweat, "Ya know this is a construction site! Ya got business here?"

"Ah, y - yeah, we were just. . ." Ash tapered off as Brock quickly thought of a valid response.

"We're old friends of Marina's. We just wanted to catch up with her real quick after hearing she'd be taking over the Cerulean Pokemon Gym, maybe wish her luck."

"Hah! Yeah, right, I've heard that one a hundred different times today. . . Well, that's fine. I'll just have to accompany ya to see her then. Wouldn't want ya to get lost on your way through this mess."

"O - okay. . ."

The two of them were shuffled through the maze of equipment and towards the front door, which they probably would have had trouble finding if not for the assistance they'd been offered. Of course, as they approached their destination, they kept chancing small glances between them and trying to think of a solution to their possible dilemna.

Are you sure Marina will remember you? Brock asked mentally.

How the heck should I know? It's been years since we last saw each other! And we only met the one time! Ash exclaimed back with his brow furrowed and mouth set agape as if to yell.

This does not bode well for us.

The front doors were closed and tinted black so they weren't able to see inside. Blocking their vision even further was a sign posted along both shades of glass with the Pokemon League HQ logo at the top.

Cerulean Gym is temporarily closed for renovations. Apologies to any trainer inconvenienced. Please view the official Kanto League website at your local PokeCenter for other nearby gyms currently accepting challenges.

The foreman leaned forward between Ash and Brock and rang the bell beside the doors then stood back again for the following few moments it took for a shadow to sppear beyond the tinted glass before the doors slid open with a woosh.

"Pikachupi. . . ?" Pikachu asked hesitantly from Ash's shoulder before sniffing the air and shaking his head in negative.

"Look, if this is about your silly Sensational Sister fad, guys, then you can just shove it! I had nothing to do with. . ." Marina groaned as she stuck her head out for them to see, her bright blue hair still long and her violet eyes blinking up at them as confusion dawned on her face, "O - oh. . . hehe. . . Sorry! You're definitely not who I thought you were. . . But, uh, that does beg the question. . . Who are you guys anyway?"

"So ya don't know 'em, eh? Thought not. . ." the older man claimed, replacing his helmet and bracing his vision against the setting sun. "Well then, I'll just be assisting 'em off the property so ya can go ahead with yer evening. Sorry to bother ya, ma'am."

"Ah, wait!" And she was in such a hurry that she tripped and practically fell from the door, Brock catching her with all of his debonair though he refrained from making anymore of a move, most likely because he knew Ash would rip his ear clean off for wasting their time.

"Are you alright?" he asked her though with a flashy grin. Hey, there was nothing wrong with being polite, was there?

"Yeah. . . Yeah, I am, thanks," she sighed as she mashed her palm into his face, using it as leverage and easing herself back up onto her feet. "Well, I definitely don't know you," she continued with a nod at Brock, who twitched and seemed just a bit put out by it, "but you. . ." She turned and stared Ash down with her hand to her chin in thought. "You do look sorta familiar. . . but how could I possibly know who you are. . . ?"

"I traveled with Misty," Ash took the opportunity to say, and waited for the befuddlement to leave Marina's expression before she clapped one fist into her other hand. "We met back when I was training for the Orange League, when you two battled to see who was the better water-type specialist. . . You thought Psyduck's tail glowing meant it was going to evolve, remember?"

"Hahaha, oh yeah! Luckily I don't fall for silly rumors like that anymore! In fact, I can barely remember hearing about that! I'm sort of shocked you remember it, though. . . You've got a pretty good memory."

"Ah, well. . . it's not really like that. . ."

"Ash remembers almost anything to do with Misty. It's kind of funny since he can't even remember how many brothers and sisters I have." Brock commented inquisitively from behind the two of them with a cunning smirk.

"Seven, right?" the raven-haired trainer attempted.

"Not even."

". . . Well, hey, why don't we head inside to continue this conversation further?" Marina asked, her hands up and hoping things wouldn't get hostile from here. "Thanks for showing them the way here. It is kinda messy out there," she continued to the construction worker, "Have a nice evening!"

"Thank ya, ma'am, same to ya." He tipped his helmet to her and turned to make his way back into town, leaving the two young men to follow the new Cerulean Gym trainer inside.

Not much had changed in the previous few years since Ash had last been there. There was still the lobby straight ahead with a door branching off to the right leading to the huge pool used as a battling arena. Right behind the front desk was an elevator and an emergency staircase that would take visitors either downstairs to the aquarium or upstairs to the gym leader's private living quarters. Of course, one needed a passcode to go up.

Marina led the two of them plus Pikachu to the elevator and pressed the button to open it. A short ride upstairs and a few buttons pressed on a small four-by-four keypad and they were in, staring at the rather unfamiliar setting of Misty's childhood home. It looked obviously different than it had the one and only other time they'd been here, seeing as a new resident occupied the space.

"Sorry it's so messy and underfurnished. It's kinda hard. . . taking the place of four people." Marina commented with a bashful and somber expression. Things grew quiet between all of them as they took their seats on the furniture nearby, Brock and Ash claiming the soda while she landed on the couch.

"So. . . what's really going on?" she finally asked.

Ash and Brock turned and gave each other the same despondent look before the former cleared his throat and started with introductions. It seemed the most neutral way to go about it.

"Well, first, if you don't remember, I'm Ash and this is Brock. He traveled with Misty and I for a couple years before she had to come back home and run the gym. He was staying with. . . a friend. . . when we went through the Orange Islands though," he phrased rather delicately as Brock's expression went rigid at the near-mention of Professor Ivy.

"Uh, anyway, we saw the newscast yesterday and heard how you were taking over the gym. We tried calling just in case Misty was here because we wanted to ask her about it but the line's been disconnected. Guess things have gotten pretty hectic lately, huh?"

"Yeah," Marina said with a sigh and her arms perched together at her knees, "I won an honorable title against Drake in the Archepilago a year and a half ago. It was pretty busy for awhile after that, interviews, challenges. . . I hadn't even won the match! But I guess it was close enough to put my name out there. Then I got a phone call about eight months ago asking if I'd like the position. At first I really wanted it. You remember how much I love water-types, don't ya?" A brief moment of silence as she gave Ash half a glance before continuing, "So the Indigo League flew me out here and told me to take a look around and give them my two cents. I really, really wanted to say yes. . . I mean, to train and battle purely with water Pokemon as an official gym leader? It was like a dream. And then Misty and her sisters came home in the middle of the inspection. I recognized Misty right away, I'd tried looking her up back home but there wasn't really a lot of info to go on so nothing panned out. It was pure coincidence that I met her again here.

"Anyway, she looked really confused while her sisters seemed to know everything about it. Turns out they forgot to tell her that she was going to lose her home soon. Seeing the look of shock on her face, hearing her yell and defend her reputation, I told them no. It took a lot of willpower to say so too. . . but the League council member who'd accompanied me here just ignored it all and said they'd work out the negotiations later."

"And now, eight months into it. . ." Brock continued for her, urging her to continue.

"They tried wearing me down, kept calling, spread a few rumors and stories so I wouldn't be left alone about it. Other specialty trainers sought me out on their behalf to challenge me and, everytime I won, the Indigo League had more incentive to force me to accept the position."

"That sounds like a really dirty tactic," Brock commented with a frown.

"Yeah, and like I said before, if it wasn't something I really wanted to begin with, I'd probably have taken more offense to their way of convincing me. But anyway, the last straw was the phone-call I'd received from Misty about a month ago."

"What did she say? Was she thanking you for rejecting the position?" Ash asked with bated breath, leaning forward to hear more.

"No. . . That's the thing. The League had already made their decision. . . Whether or not I became the new trainer, they already had plans to remove the Waterflower sisters from leadership, had posted about the gym shutting down temporarily on the official website. I'd said no in the beginning because Misty sounded so desperate. . . But when she called, she told me to take the job and then thanked me. She said she was glad it was at least someone she knew, someone who adored water-types the same as her. She knew I'd treat the responsibility well. I guess she finally realized that there was no fighting it. Indigo Plateau had complete control of the entire situation."

"That's just. . ." Ash tapered off, unwilling to believe that the first League he'd attended, the start of his grandest dream, would use such cheap tricks to manipulate the events at hand. It didn't feel good, didn't feel right, to remember putting his faith in something so wholeheartedly only to have it turn out like this.

"So she knew for awhile before that then. . . that this was going to happen?" Brock asked in his place to ensure that the conversation continued moving forward.

"Well, yeah, of course. The League could hardly walk in and demand that the Waterflower sisters vacate the premesis on the spot." A few brief moments of silence before Marina's eyes widened in dawning comprehension, "Hey, that's true. . . You guys said you heard about this from the news. . . Misty didn't tell you? Hey!" And this time she stared pointedly at Ash, "Aren't you supposed to be her friend? I thought you two seemed close when we met but maybe I was wrong. . . How come you didn't know about this?"

Ash, both humbled and ashamed, felt his jaw drop slightly open and a strange croaking sound come out. After a few seconds, he clamped his mouth shut again, then open once more, but still nothing substantial came out.

"Pikapi. . ." his best buddy mourned, patting him on the leg.

"Look, she didn't tell us and we admit we hadn't bothered calling to ask. But we're here now and we need to talk to her about all of this. So could you tell us where she is so we could get to it?" Brock asked rather sharply, perhaps out of his own sense of guilt.

"Alright, alright, geez, ya don't have to bite my head off. It's not that big a deal. . . not my business anyway. . . But, um, well, let's see. . . We finished signing the paperwork two nights ago. . . That's when the local news stations got the green light to air their reports about the transfer of power in the Cerulean Gym. . . As far as I know, Misty and her sisters should still be staying at the Seaside Breeze Hotel a few blocks from here. The League's giving them a weekly stipend until they can find a new place to live. If you guys want, I can show you there. I know their room number and everything. I'll probably get you there faster."

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu all leapt up in agreement, the two young men throwing their bags over their shoulders and marching back towards the elevator. Marina followed after them, switching off the lights to her new home as she went, a sense of dread filling her at the thought of how everything seemed to be turning out. And ahead of her, Ash seemed to be thinking along the same lines as the few of them flew out the front doors of the gym and through the mess of the construction halted on the lawn before them.

Eight months. Nearly an entire year. How could Misty have known all that time what was going to happen to her family and not even attempt to call her friends and tell them? How could she not ask for help? Did she really think, as Brock had suggested earlier, that they wouldn't care? What was going through her head while she fought all this time against the Indigo League and their decision to take her title as gym leader away from her? Had she only given in because Marina was a friend? Had she sincerely given up all hope that she could win against the League?

Ten minutes of speed walking later and they were standing at the front desk of the Seaside Breeze hotel, wheezing for more oxygen and awaiting clearance to go upstairs to the Waterflowers hotel room. Ash's heartrate increased dramatically at the thought that he'd soon be reunited with his best friend again. It had been far too long. . .

He glanced at Brock, flipped to Marina, then to Pikachu. All three nodded at him, urging him to understand that it would be alright and that he was obviously doing the right thing.

Three flights in an elevator and down two hallways. They were approaching the end of their last corridor, a grand window framing the wall ahead of them overlooking a fantastic beach-side view, but they all stopped just short of it and made a sharp right.

Room 328.

So this is where she is.

He held up a fist and took a short breath before hesitantly wrapping his knuckles against the dark mahogany of the door.

There were no muffled sounds from within the room. Ash's brow furrowed and Marina checked her wristwatch.

"It is kinda late. . . They could be sleeping."

"Not good enough!" Brock exclaimed with a passing look at Ash's troubled expression. Then he too raised a fist and banged on the door. "Misty? C'mon, Misty, open up! It's us!"

Us. Hopefully even after how long it'd been, she'd still recognize their voices.

Ash, regaining some hope, decided to join in, only to be cut off by Marina stepping in between them and the suite door.

"Guys, you can't do that here! This is a four star establishment! You can't just go around yelling and kicking doors down because you're upset! We have to be tactical about this!" And then, with a coy smile, she removed a key card from her jumper pocket.

"Uh. . . Where'd you get that?" Ash asked, pointing rudely at her.

"It's pretty easy to lose things like this if you don't pay careful attention. . ." she muttered in response, twisting on her heel and sliding the card into the slot just above the handle in the door.

"So let me get this straight. . . You've gone from being gullible to petty theft?" Brock gaped at her, "From one addiction to another. . ."

"Yeah, I sorta wish you'd give it a try sometime, Brocko. There'd be a lot less restraining orders. . ."

"Oh, don't worry! The master card is just going to be missing for an hour or two. Soon the hotel manager will realize he simply misplaced it somewhere around the front desk downstairs. Now let's do this!"

There was a faint beep and the small red light on the door blinked green. Marina replaced the card in her pocket again and twisted the handle.

"Tada!" And she stood back with her arms thrown open invitingly as the door slid open and revealed the dark and quiet room beyond to them.

Brock stepped forward and flipped the nearest light switch, causing the chandelier overhead to flutter on and brighten the entire place with a soft, glowing white. Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder and ran inside as well, jumping onto the nearest (empty) bed and craning his neck around before sniffing at the air for anything familiar.

Finally Ash and Marina entered too, the latter marching towards the balcony to check outside while the former slowly ambled towards the bathroom. Surely they were just missing something. Surely Misty was hiding out here somewhere, perhaps keeping a low profile because she didn't want them to see how upset she was.

Yeah right. Since when has she had a problem admitting how she feels?

Well, maybe she felt embarrassed about losing her title then.

That sure would make things easier to handle.

Could she have finally felt guilty about not telling them what was going on?

No, that would only make me feel better. . .

Pikachu looked up at his trainer with a somber expression, shaking his head.

"Kachu. . ."

"I don't see anything, Ash," Brock told him with a long sigh.

"Yeah, she's not out on the balcony. . ." Marina continued with her hands on her hips while she nibbled on her bottom lip. "Or in the bathroom. Or the closet. Or anywhere."

"She's not. . . here?" Ash breathed, stepping back towards the middle of the room and approaching the bed Pikachu was sitting on. He glared furiously at it as if everything were its fault, flexing his fists before giving up and kicking at the bottom half of the frame. "She's not here!"

"Ash, stop!" Brock demanded, grabbing the younger trainer by his arm and dragging him away from the bed again. Pikachu leapt towards them as well, attempting to console his best friend after finding out that they'd reached yet another dead end in their investigation.

"Brock, this is stupid! Let me go!" Ash heaved inwardly before starting to shout again, "And you! I thought she was supposed to be here!" he cried out, rounding on Marina, who flinched and took a step back.

"Eh? B - but she was. . . This is weird. She never told me or the League council that she and her sisters had found a place to go. Maybe something else happened to them between last night and today."

"Like what?"

"Like. . . something bad?" Brock asked, and then took another look around the room, "I don't think so. It doesn't look like there was any sort of struggle. If Misty and her sisters took off anywhere, they did it of their own free will. Are you sure they even stayed here overnight?"

"Well, no," Marina started, a hand to her chin as she thought back on it, "I mean, after all of the paperwork had been signed, I walked them back here to their room, but it's not like I sat around and watched them go to bed or anything. I didn't even come inside. . . Why do you ask?"

"It's just. . . determining the time they left will help us figure out the distance they were able to travel. Maybe, anyway. Could they have taken anything of value with them? Maybe something that the gym wouldn't be able to run without? Maybe the Cascade Badge case? Or the deed? You know, that way they still had some control over it." Brock asked, attempting to make sense of everything.

"No. . . I have those things back home."

"How long were they staying here?" Ash asked suddenly, looking around the room again as if just noticing something.

"A couple months now. They needed to be out before construction was due to start at the gym."

"Brock, they're gone."

". . . Yes, Ash, we know."

"No, I mean, they're gone. Like, gone-gone." And to make his point, Ash walked towards the nearest vanity and pulled open the drawers one by one, all of which were empty. He threw open the door to the walk-in closet and then marched into the bathroom and began rummaging under the sink. "There's nothing here. No personal affects, clothes, make-up, hygienic supplies, nothing. I don't think there has been for awhile. If they'd been staying here for a couple of months, shouldn't they have left something behind?"

It was true. There were no boxes of household appliances or even a random toothbrush or bottle of nail polish. It was as if the room had never been used.

"You're right. Geezus, Ash, this is bad. . ."

"Why? Does it mean something different now?" Marina asked them in a rather hushed, concerned tone.

"Yeah. . . It means that they didn't run, at least not last night. They just vanished."

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Notes - Well, hello there, neighbor! I finally decided to post chapter two! I wanted to do some quick editing on it first and I didn't have any time until today so sorry it took so long. But, hey, at least it's finally here!

I do want to thank everyone for the reviews! I definitely didn't expect fourteen for the first chapter when I posted it. I kinda hope that I'll get just as many this time. . . However, I understand that not everyone cares to review and that writing shouldn't be about how many reviews I receive. (Doesn't mean I don't love to hear from ya though!)

It sounds like a couple of you know where I'm going with this, or at least have some sort of clue. I thought it had been rather obvious (the title is a give-away) but only if you know what an Undine is or have bothered to look it up. You could also look up Misty's wikipedia page and view the names chosen for her character in other countries, one of which is based off of the mythical creature, Undine. As a final clue, read up on the Sleep of Ondine story, which has a very slight basis for this fic.

I haven't finished chapter three yet (though I'm at least halfway there), nor have I started chapter four, but I have a lot of notes written and I just need to find time to type it all up. Please forgive me if it takes a little longer to update!

Next time, Ash and Brock meet the Nurse Joy who did Misty's first gym inspection! They also receive a few more cryptic clues before finally getting a phone-call from Misty, herself! Is it time to say goodbye?