Warming Hearts

A/N: Hey there, guys! Sorry for the delay, but I finally finished this chapter. It's short, but it does play a crucial part in the story.

Now, let's get on with Chapter 18! Roll it!

Chapter 18

Exposure Gone Wrong

The following night, back up in Snowpoint City, Miette was discussing the frustrating lack of progress with Team Rocket in their meeting place. The group of Pokémon thieves weren't happy that this was taking so long.

"It has been nearly four months since we made our agreement!" Jessie hissed. "And the Twerp and his Pikachu still haven't made a single showing!"

"You would think that they would've fallen off the face of the Earth." Meowth complained.

"And we've been meeting here in this dinky, drafty warehouse every night in this town of frostbites!" James added.

Miette scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Man, you guys sure are whiny." She said, annoyed. Her Slurpuff agreed.

"Don't let your fingers fall off just yet." Her statement made Team Rocket shudder with discomfort. "We're getting closer as to where Ash is."

She pointed to a map on the table, showing a large red circle drawn around the vicinity of Lake Acuity. There were blue X marks around the southwestern area.

"All I could get so far from his mother is that he's somewhere here." She got out a green marker and circled around one of the X's. "Tonight, we move out and check it out."

"Good." Team Rocket said in unison.

"Not so fast!" A loud voice shouted, making all of them jump up as a flashlight suddenly flicked on. They turned towards it and saw that Delia was holding the flashlight while Mr. Mime was holding a video camera.

"I knew that there was something off about you, Miette." Delia said. "But I never thought that you would actually be conspiring with Team Rocket!"

"Mr. Mime!" The Psychic and Fairy type added in her chiding.

"Guess you aren't as smooth-talking as you thought you were." James muttered to the Kalosian girl. Miette only gritted her teeth.

"I did trust you for a while, Miette. But then I noticed that there was something off. You seemed a little too interested as to the whereabouts of my son." Delia said. "Then I remembered Ash complaining about your constant harassment once."

Miette almost snarled viciously, giving Team Rocket a strange shudder down their backs.

"And now, I have all the evidence that I need." Delia finished.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jessie exclaimed, and threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Gourgeist!" The Kalosian Ghost and Grass Pokémon appeared in a flash of blue light, ready for battle.

"Shadow Ball!" Jessie commanded.

A dark purple orb of energy appeared in its mouth and Gourgeist fired the attack.

Delia quickly grabbed the camera. "Mr. Mime, use Light Screen!"

Mr. Mime obeyed and with its hands, formed a wall of light in front of it, deflecting the Shadow Ball.

"Inkay, on the double!" James summoned, throwing a Poké Ball of his own.

The Kalosian Dark and Psychic type appeared in a flash of light.

"Use Psybeam!" The male member of Team Rocket ordered.

Inkay fired a beam of rainbow-colored energy at Mr. Mime, but it was still reflected by the Light Screen from before.

"Mr. Mime, use Double Slap!" Delia said.

The Psychic and Fairy type released the wall of light and then jumped up to Inkay and gave it two mighty slaps.

Jessie and James were getting a little worried. "Now I see where the Twerp gets his annoying strength." The female member muttered.

"Great battling instincts run in the family." Delia said with a smirk.

"Mr. Mime, Mime!" Mr. Mime exclaimed proudly.

Miette scowled. "I'm surrounded by idiots." She grumbled quietly, and then held a Poké Ball of her own between two slim fingers.

"Psychic!" Delia commanded.

The eyes of Mr. Mime began glowing a bright blue and nearby crates beside them began floating in the air, the edges of them all highlighted in the same shade of blue. It then threw them towards Team Rocket, making them flinch in fear as the crates hit them.

"Let's go, Mimey!" Delia said, ready to run.

"Mr. Mime!" The Psychic and Fairy type exclaimed in agreement.

But before they could, they were suddenly enveloped in the familiar blue light of Psychic. However, as she struggled to regain control of her limbs, Delia knew that Mr. Mime wasn't doing this. Someone else's Pokémon was.

Delia felt the camera being snatched out of her grip, and it floated over to hover above a male Meowstic, his eyes glowing a similar cyan blue. Miette was standing behind him, her arms crossed and a sinister smirk was on her face.

"I'm afraid that we can't let you leave." She said. "Not when we're so close to finding Ash."

"Why do you want to find him?" Delia demanded. "I know why Team Rocket trails behind him, but what about you?"

"Because your son and I are meant for each other." Miette answered, as if it was obvious.

Delia felt a strange churning in her stomach and it wasn't because of her maternal overprotectiveness. Ash never could understand women for most of his life until he became a young adult (unless it was painfully obvious), and he certainly didn't know how charming he could be without knowing it. But this was on a level that bordered dangerous.

She glanced over at Team Rocket and it looked like they didn't exactly agree with the mindset that Miette had implanted in her brain. They only joined forces just to find Ash.

"He doesn't seem to agree with you." Delia finally said, glaring determinedly at the obsessive periwinkle-haired girl. "He told me that himself."

Miette rolled her eyes. "Ash can be so naive." She replied. "You of all people should know that."

Delia gritted her teeth. Of course Ash was innocent at heart, but that, along with the strength of his Pokémon and friends, is what makes him strong and more understanding.

"But if you won't tell us where Ash is," Miette continued, "then we'll just have to let him come to us."

Delia felt her blood run ice cold as the faces of Team Rocket gained evil smirks of their own.

"I'm not sure how, but when he knows about his mother being in danger, he'll come running." Miette finished.

Team Rocket grinned evilly while chuckling, rubbing their hands, or paws, in anticipation. Delia now felt like her heart had stopped because of the fear that she was feeling. They were right, though. Ash wouldn't stop until she was safe. He had proved that back when she was kidnapped by an Entei created by Unown. And he'd come running into their trap.

A/N: Well, that didn't go as planned. And Miette is heading down a much darker path because of her obsession for Ash. Delia is now their captive and bait to lure the raven-haired Trainer back to Snowpoint City.

Well, the next chapter will be the one that you guys will love, and it includes a scene that I definitely enjoyed writing.

Until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Got to fly! ;)