Adélaïde couldn't help but chuckle as Seth admitted how he felt about her daughter.

"I was wondering when you'd come around. I must admit that I didn't expect it to be under these circumstances," Adélaïde said, closing the album with a smile. "I suppose it's better late than never," she chuckled.

"I'm not sure if I should be surprised or embarrassed that you knew before I did," Seth said with a nervous laugh.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't? I sat with Allie for who knows how long as she went into nearly every detail about your time together prior to the wonderful evening you showed her. Her face lit up, her eyes sparkled and I kid you not she could not stop smiling. I had my suspicions that your view of her had changed, but they were confirmed the moment she mentioned that you initiated the dance, something you had refused once before," Adélaïde added.

"I'm glad I didn't decide against it, and I promise you I will do everything in my power to get her back," Seth said with conviction in his voice as he turned to walk back out onto the balcony.

"I know this doesn't need to be said but... Lysandre must be stopped. So please, do whatever you must to bring her back safely," Adélaïde replied, tears streaming down as she could no longer contain them.

Seth silently reached for his holocaster and opened it to reveal a hologram of Mathilde.

"I see you're back on your feet. You've no idea how relieved I am to see that," Mathilde said smiling.

"Well you and Lucario did fix me up after all. It's no surprise that I bounced back this quickly. If I hadn't, you and I both know my mom would have given you an ear full," Seth replied with a grin.

"Yeah... I had enough lectures from her during our time together to last a lifetime. Hard pass," Mathilde said with a frown. "By the way... I found out where Lysandre is hiding, courtesy of someone you know by the way. I believe her name was Jacqueline. Ring any bells?"

Seth arched a brow upon hearing the name.

So that's who he had waiting for me there. I had a feeling that he'd send in someone who would try to stall me. If she was there, that must mean that the other two I'd met were with her.

"I'm guessing she's not going to be a problem seeing as she's already run into you," Seth stated, sweat sliding down the side of his face as he imagined how their conversation must have gone.

"Let's just say that she's more likely to help you rather than hinder you. Diantha and I did a little digging and found out a few things about her that might be of some use. As long as she doesn't get in your way her grandparents won't have to their granddaughter out of jail anytime soon," Mathilde replied casually.

"Dear Arceus... what exactly did you say to her?" Seth asked hesitantly.

"It's me Seth, you should know what my methods are by now. At any rate, here's the location you'll be headed to. It's in Geosenge Town and like the first Team Flare base this one is also underground only several times more fortified."

"Sounds like I'll be needing some backup," Seth muttered, his friends popping into his mind as he said those words. "And I think I know who to bring. I'd ask you, but this is something that I need to personally take care of this time."

"That's how it should be. So go rally up your friends and take Lysandre and his twisted organization down. I don't want the world going up in smoke before I'm married you know," Mathilde replied in a half serious tone.

"I don't plan on failing. So you can rest easy knowing that your wedding is still going to happen along with your dream of being a mother," Seth said with a soft smile.

Mathilde's face went red at Seth's words. She looked away and cleared her throat before replying to him. "I um... well... you see..."

"You're already on your way there aren't you?" Seth said with a deadpan expression.

Mathilde's blush deepened.

"I thought as much. Alright, I'll be on my way then," said Seth as he reached for Staraptor's ball and released him.

"Not that it will be necessary, but if you need me I'll be here. I'm leaving the rest up to you Seth which means how this goes is in your hands now. You realize now that you are in a life or death situation, not just for you and your friends but for the fate of this world, so I think it goes without saying that you are to do whatever it takes to put an end to this... even if it means disregarding the one rule I had set in place..."

Seth's eyes widened. Over the course of his training, Mathilde only had one rule when it came to using what she taught. Under no circumstances was he ever to use what she taught him to kill. He followed it, but to hear her tell him that he could disregard it if it meant putting a stop to all of this was downright confusing to him, mostly because she never swayed from what she said.

"I know you are probably wondering why I'm telling you this. You didn't honestly think that I would teach you these skills under the assumption that you would never face a situation of this magnitude right? I knew the moment I took you in that there would come a day like this. When you meet Lysandre again, there is a chance that you may have to take his life, and when you are faced with that choice... hesitation is not an option."

Seth nodded, showing that he understood fully what Mathilde was saying. He knew as well as she did that he was going to have to take that route if he had any hope of saving Allie and by extension everyone else.

"I will keep that in mind, teacher..." Seth replied, a faint smile forcing its way onto his face as he jumped onto Staraptor's back, taking one more look at Mathilde before ending the call.

Opening up a new message, he hastily sent instructions for everyone to meet him in Geosenge Town. After finishing that, he gave the command for Staraptor to take off toward Geosenge.

Allie looked up as she heard the lab doors open and close for what seemed like the hundreth time that day. She immediately frowned upon seeing who it was who had walked into the lab. Mr. Dubois stopped just a few feet from her position and looked up at her with a smug grin.

"How much longer do you plan on pestering me? I've already given you my answer so you might as well save your breath," Allie spat.

"Princess Allie, you really are as stubborn as they say. I had hoped that things wouldn't have to come to this, but needs must as they say," Mr. Dubois said with a chuckle. "Had you only accepted my offer instead of prolonging this silly little game of yours you could have spared yourself the trouble you are in now. So I'm here to extend the offer one more time. Should you decide to call off this competition and simply marry my son, I will ensure the safety of you and your family..."

Allie gritted her teeth and fixed him with a glare. Did he think she was stupid? The trust she had placed in Charles had all but shattered after having found out that he was working for Team Flare and had committed numerous unsavory acts under the orders of Lysandre in an effort to further the goals of the organization.

"You must think I'm a fool if you're asking me again. I was taken by your son at one point and would have considered a life with him if he were to win, but after hearing of his direct involvement in all of this I'm not so certain I'm going to allow him to continue on. That is my final decision Mr. Dubois..." Allie said sternly.

Mr. Dubois blood boiled at her answer. She had refused him not once but three times! Clenching his fists he scowled up at her.

"I gave you a chance to save your skin, but if you desire to die along with the others who were foolish enough to oppose us then so be it!" Mr. Dubois growled as he turned to storm angrily out of the laboratory.

Allie had never felt so uncomfortable in her life. She'd been allowed to at least use the bathroom, but that was only while under strict watch which she thought was absurd. A lady should be allowed to use the facilities without someone standing guard!

"I swear, when I get out of this mess the first thing I'm going to do is punch that walking tub of lard in the face! Do you hear me chubs! The moment I get out of here I am going to throttle you!" Allie screamed furiously.

She knew it wouldn't do any good but it felt good to just let it all out. Struggling against her restraints wouldn't help and she knew well enough that nobdoy else could hear her. Truth be told, she was scared... scared that she would never get out of here and afraid that she would die before having the chance to fulfill her dream. She felt miserably inadequate and it hurt. She knew that she must have looked pitiful being chained to what was essentially a device designed to cause her pain. She never wanted to be the damsel in distress and yet there she was, locked up with next to no hope of escape save for the slim possibility that Seth would find her and get her out of this mess.

"I know you can't hear me... but please... hurry. Hurry so we can get out of here together..." Allie said, her voice cracking as her eyes began to water.

Floette watched from within her small prison as her friend cried, something she never wished to see. It was the same sadness and dispair she'd seen long before she knew Allie. She'd seen tears like that before fall from the eyes of a very dear friend whose face was still burned into her memory. She longed to see him again, and hoped that things would be different. As she pondered her fate, she caught a glimpse of a faint glow out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw that the tree in the center of the platform she was on had just emitted a bright light for a brief moment and then went dull once again.

Jacqueline tapped her foot impatiently as she waited on the outskirts of Geosenge, far from the prying eyes of Team Flare. Out of all the ways she'd imagined things would go, this was most certainly not on her list of possible outcomes. While she was happy about the fact that Allie was now being held captive, Jacqueline was upset that she wasn't the one who did it. That was supposed to be her moment. It infuriated her even more that Charles was still insistant on wedding the woman when she didn't know the first thing about the man!

"It's not fair," Jacqueline huffed through gritted teeth. "I've known him far longer and yet she's the one who has his full attention?"

Memories of her and Charles when they were kids began to play in her mind. She remembered the many times he'd visit her and her grandparents and practice riding Skiddo with her.

The only reason I joined this stupid organization was so that I could get closer to him anyway... was that so wrong? Besides... now that she knows he's with Team Flare there's a chance she won't reciprocate the feelings he has for her so why does he bother? It's clear who she's really—huh?

Her thoughts were soon interrupted as she heard the sound of flapping wings just above her position. Looking up, she saw that it was none other than Seth. She figured he'd be the first one to get to Geosenge given the circumstances.

"Speak of the Darkrai..." Jacqueline said quietly, a smirk dawning on her face as she watched Seth dismount and recall his Staraptor. "Why am I not surprised you got here first?"

Seth pinned her with a stern look and remained silent.

"What, not even a hello or a thank you? I am helping you out after all," Jacqueline added with a grin.

"You're expecting me to express gratitude when your organization is holding Allie hostage?" Seth replied in an irritated tone.

"If it's any consolation, I'm not very happy about it either," Jacqueline said with a frown. "As much as I really don't like that woman, having her around has somehow made her even more of an obstacle! Try wrapping your mind around that one."

"Why don't we skip the small talk and just get to why I'm here, Jacqueline..." Seth snapped.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll get to that. I was told to wait until your crew got here and I intend to do just that. The last thing I want is for your teacher to be up my ass about disobeying the one order she gave me to do. As much as I admire her, I'd rather not get beaten within an inch of my life. So why don't we just sit tight for a bit and... never mind, they're here," Jacqueline said with a grin, looking behind Seth to see a group of individuals approaching.

Seth turned around and spotted his friends approaching on their mount of choice. They all came to a stop and recalled their teammates and ran over to meet up with Seth and Jacqueline. While most of them had their reserves about Jacqueline being of any help, they knew that it wasn't the time or the place for personal grudges. As soon as everyone had gathered, Jacqueline cleared her throat to speak.

"Now that we're all here, shall we get started?"