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It had been weeks, maybe even months, since he had been put in here. Honestly, he had lost track of the time. Etching lines into the wall hadn't appealed to him at all, and frankly, it would probably just serve to be even more depressing. As if being surrounded by concrete walls, in complete isolation, with no view of the outside world, wasn't depressing enough.

Due to distasteful and meager rations and the lack of exercise, he had lost a noticeable amount of weight. Not quite gaunt, but close enough, he certainly didn't look as healthy as he had coming in. Even the color in his hair had faded a bit, and it wouldn't be surprising if he earned a few grey ones from this whole ordeal.

Despite it all, Lance tried to keep himself sharp and alert. Fighting the boredom and doldrum of each day was certainly a challenge though. It was the only way he could fight in this situation, and he wasn't a quitter. Still, as he laid there on the pathetic excuse for a bed, staring at the ceiling, he constantly wondered how long they intended to let him just sit here. Arms folded behind his head, the man sighed quietly, golden eyes half lidded as he allowed his thoughts to wander. There was much to think about after all. Of home, his friends and family, his Pokemon, the circumstances leading up to his imprisonment, and so on. Needless to say, it was a dull and lonely existence.

Hearing the footsteps, Lance tried to identify who it was exactly that was coming. Sounded like heels, so it was likely a woman. Although in the back of his mind, he had hoped it was Faleen, he knew that wouldn't be the case. Indeed, he did expect the red headed elite who had taken his cape, but when he sat up and saw the white haired scientist, the man lifted his brows in surprise.

At Nyx's smug words, Lance didn't hold back his smirk. He didn't satisfy her with a reply, and as he stood, merely chuckled. "My, I wasn't expecting company today. Or any for that matter. And I suppose I should congratulate you on the promotion... Nyx, right?"

That tuft of white hair wasn't easy to forget after all.

It also looked like he was going somewhere today, as Lance looked to the guards who came in. The champion didn't struggle as they shackled his wrists together and proceeded to lead him out of the cell.

Lance said nothing to this, and simply allowed himself to be led away. It was the first time he'd stepped out of that cell... in... who knows how long. They didn't let him out to stretch his legs, and as a result, his muscles had weakened. Thus, as they escorted him out of the brig and into the halls, his pace started to slow. This was the farthest he'd walked since he'd been locked up, and fatigue was setting in quickly, especially as they ascended a short stairwell.

Once they reached the top, the man was out of breath and stumbled, falling to one knee in exhaustion. However, he was given a swift kick by one of the guards. "Get a move on!" Oh yes, it had been a while since he'd been at the receiving end of a boot too.

"Afternoon, Faleen." Nyx said cheerfully as they passed. Today was a good day--Not for Lance, but for Nyx it was a great day. The elite wouldn't have minded if Faleen decided to follow along and see what was going on, but she wasn't going to say anything; It would be a surprise, just for Lance.

Before long the small group were in the elevator going down to the deepest level of Team Rocket Headquarters. "Ohhhh Lance... We've got a treat for you today." She chirped gleefully and slid her cardkey to open the lab doors, ushering the two guards and their prisoner through. "I really think you're going to like this, honestly I do." The mad-scientist led the group down a few halls and into a very sterile looking room with a metal dentist's chair with straps in the middle.

"Cheer up, Lancey!" Nyx slapped the man on the back, her tone dropped to one void of amusement, "You're sucking all the fun out of this." She growled, but quickly replaced her frown with a malicious grin. "Do you want to know what we're about to do? It is really very interesting. I think I may bake a cake later to commemorate this event. Perhaps I'll even send you a piece- Not that you'll enjoy it." This elicited a hearty evil laugh from Nyx, which queued the two goons to start pushing Lance towards the chair to be strapped in.

"Oh goody!" Nyx almost skipped out of the room while the men strapped Lance down, coming back a few minutes later wheeling in a white-board. "I drew some diagrams to prepare for this- Okay!" She grabbed a little metal tube and extended it out so that she could use it as a pointer. This was so exciting! "We've come up with a brilliant little device, just for you- Well, and the handful of people and things we tested it out on- See, what it does is it lets us control the serotonin levels in your brain!" Nyx clapped excitedly before pointing to various diagrams and pictures she'd drawn on the board, going on about how exactly the device worked for a bit.

"Brilliant little invention, really. You might like this little factoid-- Faleen helped design it!" The white haired scientist cackled.

"I thought you'd like that." Nyx grinned, "You really should try to cheer up, Lancey, because this is the last chance you're going to have." One of the guards wheeled her white board out of the room and came back in with a tray. "See- because I'm about to control exactly when and why you're happy! And you may realize by now that I don't like you..." She hissed that last part as she strapped on a surgical mask three or four other people in lab coats and masks filed into the room.