A feather touched the minute hand. The embodiment of darkness returned, a pool of black looming ahead in the indigo sky. A scream tore through their wings and pulled them toward the clock tower. Five Murkrow went around in circles above the clock tower, dodging sizzling bolts of lightning threatening to shock them to the core.

The gears gyrated gently as time ticked by. The girl, bound to a pipe and gagged with a handkerchief, could not break free no matter how hard she tried.

She's insane! No one uses a—

A hiss disrupted her thought process. Yellow sclera with a thin black line stared at her, not once leaving her sight. Rattling motion sent shivers down her spine as she felt scales freeze her while the Pokémon slithered around her waist. Thankfully, it had a short tongue, but the tongue was tipped with poison. The lengthy purple Pokémon looped around her, licking the pipes. Saliva dripped onto her legs.

Ekans...

Her eyes were now set on the girl in front of her, the long hair reminiscent of blood. The taller girl squatted down and took the gag off the victim.

"Are you... Sanguine?" Amity glared at Yuzu.

"No." The Director of the Film Club smiled as she picked up a shiny black camera and turned the lens. She proceeded to click a button numerous times. "Not bad. You film well. Don't you think it's very entertaining watching people squirm and struggle?"

When the girl kept silent, Yuzu continued, "You're foiling my plans just like that. AZ... It was supposed to be you against Zayn. It's nice to see two close friends in a battle of wits."

"Is this all for entertainment?"

"What do you mean? I need to be entertained because my plan is taking a long time. I'm still setting the stage. And, who wouldn't like to see two investigators fight to their death as a fitting finale?" The taller girl puckered her lips and leant forward. Delivering Amity a kiss, she laughed. "Give me a smile."

"Grr..."

"Don't be a Growlithe. You're not loyal enough. Give me a smile. Or, have you figured out the other hint?"

No. Not yet. I'll have to use Trace. Why can't I ever find out her motives when I use Trace? That's not right. Amity hung her head low and averted her gaze. Through the window, Foncrise City was ghost-quiet. Lights—yellow rays shooting out of hundreds of windows and red neon signs from stores and clubs ready to rock the night and kiss yesterday goodbye—lit the city from north to south, and she could see the androids walking, talking, putting out the laundry, watching television and munching on supper just like humans. There was hardly any difference. So, why androids and not humans? Of course, she knew there were some other humans as well, but not as many.

"Maybe I should tell you something else to let time pass. Like, how Wyatt is helping me, for example."

Yuzu liked the way Amity flinched, how her green eyes froze, looking a little glazed. They reminded Yuzu of peas, small peas she could easily crush with two fingers. Shaking her head to remove the thought, she headed over to retrieve a bottle of colourless liquid, uncapped it and held it above the girl's head.

"I'm not thirsty." Amity glanced at her. Does Madame Valencia know?

"It's a pity if you drank it." The girl tilted the bottle and the liquid trickled onto the victim whose eyes widened. "Kerosene doesn't taste good."

"Do you want to burn this place down?" Amity felt the Ekans' grip around her tighten. Her fingers crawled over to her phone, glad that the racist female did not take it away.

"Not yet." Yuzu dropped the bottle. "Do you know why I chose to call myself Yuzu? That's because I have a thing for sour stuff, like the face you're making now."

"You!" Amity roared and jerked forward, but paused when the Ekans hissed at her.

"Before I leave you alone again, the name is Yvette. I believe you know this name. I'll make you regret pulling my brother into this. We weren't very close, but making him oppose me, you're a bitch."

Amity felt the gag choke her. The third-year left her vision in seconds.

Screw the Ekans. It's way worse than a rope. The brown-haired girl stared at the window, tried her best to ignore the cold reptile and listened for footsteps. No, Yvette was not coming back any time soon. Now was her chance.

Swiping the phone, she brought it into her line of sight and entered the app. She thought about using the gachapon for some time and now, she wanted to give it a try. She would know that she had hacked it right when she got her item.

They say to keep your enemies closer. My intelligence will help me. I will get out of here and stop Yvette. She's alone in her plan anyway.

Purple flames shot across the screen before everything turned monochrome. Then, the shadow of an item was in view, a rectangle that rotated clockwise. Amity held her breath as she jabbed the screen.

「Congrats! You have received 𝓢𝓢𝓡 𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓶: 𝓢. 𝓒.𝓟𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮! Enjoy your gift!」

It worked. Now, if I use this, I can get out of here.

"Initialising process..." A robotic voice deadpanned. The camera lens of the phone faced the Ekans. "Scanning iris..." A tiny glint in the Pokémon's eyes was enough as a signal to Amity. "Ekans is now yours to control."

"Scram and never return," Amity spat while tucking her brown hair behind her ears. The Ekans had bitten off her cuticles so she was free of dead skin. She glanced at the device, and pressed the 'Release' button when she no longer heard hissing.

Picking up her camera, she scrambled for the stairs, knowing that it would be a long journey down.

At the corner of her eye, a sudden and eerie blue beam shot up from the ground. Tall shadows sprang up.

"Zayn? Is that you?" Amity croaked. She held her Slave Control Phone in front of her and squinted. No, he was not alone.

"Amity?" Zayn called out to her as he made himself seen. Valencia, Sage and Blade stepped into the rays of moonlight, looking puzzled.

"How did you get here? I thought you were in Kalos."

"We just came back." Zayn grabbed her and sighed. "I think I'm remembering some things. We worked together before this to investigate the Exitium Cult."

"Oh. I feel like there are other things we haven't remembered but it takes time." Amity pointed at the corner where they just appeared and frowned. "A warp tile?"

Sage nodded and pointed at the blue square amongst grey ones. "Yeah. Why would there be warp tiles in a clock tower?"

Valencia snapped her fingers. "Sorry. It must be Wyatt. He was the one who took over when I was so overwhelmed by the incident. I thought I lost a good friend and I thought I was found out."

"What for?" Zayn crossed his arms. Getting out of the clock tower was easy. They just had to go back where they came from. The priority was unravelling their pasts.

"For... killing some cops and that I quitted being a Team Flare grunt. That was a part-time job." The woman interlocked her fingers and placed them in front of her chest. "Wyatt built this island to help escape from the police. Team Flare didn't care, thankfully. He embezzled funds from my workplace and destroyed the place. Then, we got all of you here."

"Why?" Amity asked, hardening her gaze. "Is it because you want to give Yvette something to entertain?"

"This island is a hideout where Yvette continues to plan something after she failed three years ago. She was influenced by Team Flare and became part of the Exitium Cult two weeks after the ultimate weapon failed. My good friend was involved in the same incident too, as are the all of you. The twenty-three of you are mostly witnesses of the Exitium Cult's ritual, and six are directly involved."

"So it's to shut us up?" Zayn turned away. "Why would Wyatt or even you agree to that? And to make it seem like a thriving island, you placed androids here?"

"Yes. I am sorry, Zayn. I know you trust me, always." Valencia took a step back. She felt like she had nearly wrung herself dry, but she stopped herself. No, this was enough. It was enough. "Yvette wants us to bear witness to her plan when it's in action."

"Okay, let's go back to the academy and continue this conversation there." Amity pressed her temples and proceeded to the warp tile.

A hiss shattered the air, then a disarming cry pierced the glass, the gears spinning furiously as rattles shook the tower. The Ekans leapt off the blue tile and its tongue lashed the girl's ankle. She dropped the S.C. Phone with ragged breaths, her trembling hands feeling for the floor as she lost touch of reality. The Pokémon's glare sent jolts of electricity into her veins, crackling as they halted her bodily functions. Then, she lay herself down.

She thought back to moments before when she had her drink and the words Yvette—she decided to stick to the girl's real name—told her. As her mind gradually gave way to dimness, the names of the berries roared and conjured up a tornado, the names swirling in her head. Amity connected their initials in order to form the second hint she had overlooked: Die now.

Reality was evanescent and that frightened her. This fear, however intense, ended quickly and abruptly as the warmth on her ankle spread like the creation of a vast sea, the scarlet reminding her of the liar's hair. Her eyelids drooped and the back of her right hand hit the floor. Her left hand grew cold. Then, she felt nothing.

"All that trouble to save her and she's... Where did that Ekans come from anyway? Blade, Psycho Cut," Sage mumbled in a monotone, his eyes dull and unsmiling. He turned to the woman and smacked his forehead. "Please, don't let Ulysses take over. Thank you."

Zayn crept forward, picked the S.C. Phone off the floor and slotted it into his pocket. "I'll be taking this."

"A moment of silence for Amity. Your death will not be in vain." Blade clasped his hands together and waited for a minute to pass. He crossed his arms and smiled. "What? She seems like a nice girl."

"Teleport us back. We have to find someone else, remember?" Sage nudged the Gallade and managed a tiny smile. Deep down, he felt Amity's Singularity was wasted. No, the hacker had left them a clue, the four letters MWVM. That must amount to something. Also, he had to ask Zayn about the locked file named 'Healer Killer.'

"Your phone is vibrating," Zayn told him when they reached the basketball court.

"I know. Thank you, for everything." Sage smiled before he took his phone out and placed it at his ear. "Hello?"

Gin said from the other end, "Lynx and Alain just returned. They want to tell us something. Meet us in Lynx's room."