"Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green . . ."

Rosa stared blankly at the empty cell opposite hers, her throbbing shoulders slouched against the back wall. The surrounding gloom was suffocating, and as vast as the ocean beneath her. It was impossible to keep track of time from her cell, but if she had to guess, she'd been trapped for years.

"When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen . . ."

The ship rocked, sending a nest of spiders crawling through Rosa's stomach, but she clenched her fists so her nails bit into her palms until the worst of the nausea passed. The dense fog clouding her mind was thick enough to smother her, but she clung to the one thought that wasn't fuzzy: she had to stay strong for her Pokemon. They needed her, and she them. Even if they couldn't forgive her. Even if she had to release them afterwards. No matter what, she was going to free them. Her worry for her team was like a leaky faucet in the back of her mind, constantly dripping their names and faces. Zaveid. Anna. Sven. Gaston. Her empty stomach and declining health was nothing compared to wondering after their fates.

"Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so? 'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so."

The last note didn't ring through the empty chamber as it should have, but instead died under Rosa's breath, her voice too weak to carry and support the sound. It fell away like winter petals from a summer flower, and she leaned her head back against the frigid stone wall, spent.

Her father's song was the only comfort she'd found in her well of darkness. It bound her to reality, in a way – kept her sane.

Which was good, because it felt like a lifetime had passed since she'd attempted escape. The days crawled by, a blur of throbbing muscles and deafening silence, with each hour passing slower than the last. She yearned to see Curtis, or Hugh, or her mother - anyone warm and familiar - but the only visitor she'd had since she'd been locked away was the ninja.

His presence was never welcome.

Sometimes he brought water, which was nice. But every so often, she was forced to endure long sessions of Joltik treatments. He always knocked her out with sleep powder to do it, and she always woke feeling less and less like herself.

At first, when he came to visit, she'd asked him questions: sometimes about Ghetsis, her teammates, and Hugh, but mostly about the Regeneration Effect. What did it mean? Was it code for something? And what had he meant when he said it couldn't save her? But the ninja never gave up his secrets, and soon she grew too tired to demand answers from him. It was hard to keep her fire lit when Ghetsis's head was fuller than her stomach, and the constant pounding in her head resembled a mariachi band.

So, their visits became silent. He watched her with a wolf-like gaze, and she glared back, vividly picturing different ways she could ruin his elegant facial features.

Groggily, Rosa fumbled with the chains behind her back, wishing she could wash away the itchy patches of dried blood there. Her matted hair was in tangles from shaking the bobby pins loose to pick the locks on her shackles, but they'd all broken in the heavy steel mechanisms. The blood was from trying to slide her wrists out- she couldn't get them slippery enough, though.

Insults and gestures were the only real retaliation she had now. It was only a matter of time before the ninja returned to punish her for flipping him off a few hours before.

Remembering pulled a tiny smile from Rosa's mouth. Ticking him off was a bright spot in her otherwise bleak existence.

"Call up your friends, dilly dilly, set them to work. Some to the plough, dilly dilly, some . . ."

A sharp creaking noise sounded from the other side of the room, jump-starting Rosa's heart. It sounded like hinges on a door frame.

Wishing she could just disappear, she fell silent. The squeak was long and drawn out, like the person opening the door was trying to be quiet, but in the silent room, it might as well have been a gunshot. Rosa's jaw clenched, but she didn't bother turning her bloodshot gaze on the unwanted visitor. Speak of the devil.

"Back to visit me again?" Rosa asked, her hollow voice rough as sandpaper. "That's nice of you, to think of me needing company. It does get pretty quiet down here."

"Rosa?"

The tone was different from the one she'd been expecting, and Rosa perked and raised her head from the concrete wall to get a better view of the person approaching her cell. Their footsteps were hurried, their breathing labored.

He swept through the room and grasped the bars of her prison with enough force to make them rattle. Sitting up further, Rosa was stung by the intensity of his haughty eyes. Purple bruises hollowed his eyelids, blotchy and bold and not at all like his usual flawless appearance. His handsome features were wrought with anxiety, and when she pulled away from the wall, his mouth formed a rigid grimace. Without a word, he snatched the master lock and started fiddling with it.

"Colress?" Rosa whispered, her voice hitching with disbelief. "How did you . . . what are you doing here?"

Colress shook his head. "No time. We have to get you out of there." There was a jingle of keys, and within seconds, the lock was off the door and in his hand. Throwing the door aside, he flung himself into the cell and rushed to where she was slumped on the floor.

"Can you move at all?" he asked, falling to his knees. Like a doctor examining his patient, he hastily prodded her too-thin shoulders and slid his slender fingers down her arms, testing for what, she didn't know. Normally his closeness would have bothered her, but she was too relieved to see him to care. When he reached the chains, Colress bent over to look at her damaged wrists. He let out a heavy gust of air.

"Completely shredded. Burns covering almost every inch of skin along the arms. Dehydration and likely malnutrition, although testing would need to be done to assess the entirety of the damage. What sort of hell have they put you through?"

She didn't answer, and he didn't wait for a response. Snatching the keys from the floor, Colress removed the shackles binding her wrists and ankles. Instant relief flooded her screaming nerves as they fell away, and although the numbness along the back of her hands and forefingers remained, at that moment, she could have hugged him.

"How did you find me?"

"Later."

Extending one of her arms around his neck as a base of support, Rosa was carefully hauled to her feet. She grimaced as pain spasmed through her joints and muscles, and another fit of nausea made her head spin.

Whoa, calm down. I can do this. Walking was easy.

They took a hesitant step forward, and her wobbly knees gave. She slumped towards the floor, but without missing a beat, Colress snatched her up and held her close to his chest. Her head rolled and she rested against him, burning to argue but too weak to do so.

"Don't fall asleep," Colress warned. "We aren't out of the woods, yet."

"Where is Hugh? We can't . . . I can't leave without him."

"Your friend is already safe. It's you who you need to worry about now."

She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "And my Pokémon?"

"Enough. Your body is already spent, and any extra stress could be harmful. I know you don't trust me, but right now, you need to. Everything will be fine, but you must relax."

She nodded, exhausted, and Colress carried her out of the prison chamber and into the dismal hallway. The plop of water dripping from the ceiling overhead was familiar, as was the wooden door they passed on their way to the stairs. Thinking about it now, that was probably where they kept their Joltik. Shivering, Rosa looked away.

"Remain silent when we reach the top of the stairs. The guards are sleeping, and I would prefer them to stay that way."

Sleeping? "What time is it?"

"One."

It was too easy to lose time when there was no sunlight or warmth to keep her on track. If she ever got the chance, she was going to lock Ghetsis and his stupid ninja in a box in the icy darkness to see how they liked it.

"Colress," Rosa asked, her words garbled against his shirt, "How long has it been since I saw you at the World Tournament?" How long have I been stuck here?

"Twelve days. I hope you realize that none of this would have happened if you'd just listened to me and not pursued this vicious team. You've put yourself and your teammates in danger, and if I hadn't found you in time, there's no telling what would have happened. Now hush. With any luck, we'll both get out of here in one piece."

He was scolding her, but she was tired and didn't really care. The world was fuzzy, a blur of gray mist and lab coats, and wrapping her head around being yanked out of her life for two weeks was difficult. Plasma's base must have been on the other side of the region; getting there took forever.

They were silent as he ascended the metal staircase (the broken pokeball was still sitting on one of the steps), which was fitting, because he was right about the slumbering plasma members. Two sets of guards were lying on the bunkhouse floor, completely unconscious, and the inside doors she'd hidden in were all closed.

Impressive.

"Just a bit further, my dear. Hang in there."

Colress's voice was barely audible, and she managed a small grumble in reply.

He hurried through the room, and as they climbed the set of stairs leading to the upper deck, the taste of winter air stirred her a little further into awareness. Heavy snowflakes blew from above, dampening her face and hair, and when they left the protective walls surrounding the staircase, a bitter breeze snapped at her exposed skin. Immediately, Rosa's teeth started to chatter. Her cell had been cold, but the night was intolerable.

"The deck is empty," she said, her voice small. Just like it had been during her grand attempt at escape. Unconscious guards littered the space, their bodies barely visible in the chaotic snowstorm. It was likely they'd been the crew sailing the ship through the storm. Did that mean the ship was drifting now?

Rosa was pulled from her thoughts by a wave of pain crashing through her skull. Colress moved her aching form delicately, trying his best to shield her from the worst of the storm, but the action sent starbursts dancing across her vision. Cringing, she clung to his lab coat and tried her best not to vomit.

"Watch for . . . ninja."

"Ninja?"

Rosa grimaced. "He sucks."

" . . . Noted."

The sky overhead was ominous, a swirling storm of screaming silver. She didn't know how Colress had arrived on the boat, but she had a sneaking suspicion she was about to find out.

They arrived at the center of the deck, and the scientist stooped over to gently lower Rosa to the ground. "Sorry about the cold. It's only for a little while longer." He shrugged out of his lab coat and covered her shoulders with it, but before she could protest, he moved away to retrieve something from the other side of the deck.

"Take this," Colress murmured, returning to her with what she recognized as her travel bag. He slipped it over her shoulder and adjusted it so it was snugly against her hip, then snatched her around the waist and helped her back to her feet. "You're going to have to be strong now, Rosa. It's going to be difficult, but you mustn't let go. Understand?"

No, she didn't, but she nodded anyway. Colress retrieved a pokeball from his inside pocket, and when he tossed it in the air, a burst of light cut through the swirling blizzard. The form of a massive bird Pokémon settled on the deck, its intelligent eyes fixing on them coolly.

"Braviary will take you to safety."

He swept her in his arms again, but only so he could place her on the eagle's back. Rosa let out an alarmed squeal and instinctively clung to his shirt, but he gently pried her off and placed her hands in the bird's feathers.

"I don't know if I can do this." It was true. She could hardly keep her eyes open, and he wanted her to ride a giant bird through a whiteout?

Colress tightened his grasp on her hands so her fingers found grip in the plumages. "You've never doubted yourself before. You honestly expect me to believe you can't handle a little snowstorm? Ridiculous."

Rosa swallowed hard, fighting the bile rising in her throat. This was her only chance to flee, and she didn't want to know what Ghetsis had planned for her. She had no choice.

Instead of answering, she tightened her grip on Braviary. Colress nodded his approval.

"Braviary knows where he's going, so just keep hold until you're back on solid ground. He'll know how to find me again."

"But what about you?" He couldn't stay on this horrible ship, either. There was still an entire army of Plasma guards lurking around. "These people are insane. You have to come with me."

Colress stepped away, his voice soft yet firm. "Do not concern yourself with me. Look after yourself. And whatever you do, do not chase after Team Plasma again. Promise me."

Rosa's heart tightened at the words, the weight of them pressing on her chest. If only it were that simple. At this point, it was too late. Team Plasma had already declared war. "I can't."

Colress' expression softened slightly, though there was a hint of resignation in his eyes. "I thought you would say that. Always so stubborn."

He lifted his arm to signal to his Pokémon, and her heart erupted into a basket of butterflies. "Colress," she blurted, "have you heard of the Regeneration Effect?" Surely a scientist would know, if anyone.

A muscle twitched involuntarily at the corner of his right eye, but he returned to a relaxed position so quickly, she wondered if it was her mind playing tricks on her. "There isn't time for questions now. The sleep powder will wear off at any time, and then the guards will be after us both. You must go."

"But-"

"Farewell."

Colress snapped his fingers, and Braviary extended its kite-like wings. The movement threw Rosa forward, and with no other choice, she dug her fingers into the bird's silky feathers and escaped into the night.