I didn't know how long I sat in the corner like that. It could have been several hours for all I knew. But at one point I must have passed out from sleep deprivation, because I opened my eyes and I was laying on the mattress curled up on my side. It felt like glue had dried in my veins and muscles, and it was a struggle to sit up, or even move. I was also surprised that I didn't have any nightmares with my Lunar Wing having been confiscated and all.

   Blinking hazily and aching all over from sleeping in that horrible position, I slowly got off the bed and took in my surroundings. Everything was still the same. The same, nearly empty space. What the hell was I supposed to do in here?

   Investigate, Meteor suggested. Mysterious doors are always interesting.

   Rolling my eyes, I walked across the room and opened the wooden door. Flicking on the lights, I was greeted with a full bathroom, shower and all. I wasn't sure whether I should scowl or laugh. I was imprisoned against my will, but at least Valerie took my personal upkeep into consideration. And she chose this over anything that could actually help me pass the time. Thoughtfulness at its finest. But what did I expect from a murderer?

   At that thought, sorrow began to overtake me again and I felt my eyes pricking with gathering tears. But before I could descend into grieving, my stomach noisily prompted me that I hadn't eaten in ages. The last time I had anything to eat or drink was early in the morning before Faye and I left for Rustboro.

You think they'll bring you food? Meteor asked, sensing my new discomfort.

I have no clue. I couldn't help but give the sink faucet a longing look, thinking about how dry my throat was. I reluctantly decided to give in. Sacrificing the last of my dignity, I quenched my thirst by drinking cupped handfuls of water from the sink. It did nothing to satisfy my hunger. If anything, it made it worse knowing the sheer lack of sustenance I had just consumed. If this isn't desperation, then I don't know what is, I thought, wiping my mouth.

   It's called self-preservation, my partner corrected.

I couldn't care less about what it really was. Having no reason to remain in the bathroom, I reentered the main part of the cell and laid back down on the bed.

   Well, now you have all the time in the world to talk to me, don't you? We haven't had that much time in the past couple weeks, Meteor said. He made no attempt to be humorous with these words, knowing the severity of the situation we were both in.

   ...

   Orbit's presence shifted in emotion, becoming equal measures reassuring and sad. I was positive they would have contributed to the conversation if they could speak.

   I suppose I do have time, I replied, smiling sadly. I knew the one reason Meteor was trying to sound cheery earlier was to boost my spirits.

   Hours passed, and nothing of note occurred. Well, unless purposefully positive conversation and the ever-growing pain in my abdomen counted as something.

   More time passed. I drank water like a madman, futilely hoping that it would subdue the dull yet agonizing hunger pains. I thought about sleeping so I could escape them, but I didn't want to try doing so again in fear of my nightmares returning. They weren't gone forever. That previous time I slept was a fluke, I knew it.

   How long do you think it's been? Meteor asked.

   Twelve hours... Perhaps an entire day, I guessed. I turned off my PokéNav so its battery wouldn't drain as quickly. But it feels like it's been so much longer than that, though... Are they feeding you and the others, Meteor?

No, but our physical states don't improve or decay when we're in our Poké Balls. We're all fine, don't worry.

I tried to smile in spite of the gnawing void trying to consume me internally. That's a relief, I said.

I'm sure somebody'll check on you eventually, Meteor reassured me.

I sighed. Yes, eventually.

—~*~—

And still the hours continued to pass. Were they just going to leave me in here to starve? Valerie had said she planned on keeping me alive, but I didn't put anything past them at this point. Worse yet, I felt myself beginning to doze off. I forced myself to get up and pace around each time this happened. I wasn't going to sleep, I wasn't! A delirious smile painted my features when I realized my resistance to sleep made me sound like a young child.

   Finally, when I was about to pass out from exhaustion for the third time in a row, I heard the metallic jingle of keys in a lock. The door then opened. I lifted my head, my eyes clearing and focusing on my "visitor." In walked Liam, my satchel of all things in one hand and a tray in the other.

   From what I could see there were two different-sized bowls, a small plate, and a bottle of some kind of colored water or juice balancing on the tray. I couldn't tell what was on or in any of these dishes, but I could smell it, and it was heavenly. I almost whimpered aloud, it smelled so good. But I still had enough of a grip on non hunger-consumed cognitive thought to see that it was Liam who was bringing me this food. It could have been poisoned or drugged with something.

   "We've left you alone for some time," Liam said as he placed the tray on the table and my bag on the floor next to it. "You must be quite famished by now."

   I shrugged nonchalantly and gave a casual nod, trying to look indifferent but in truth totally and completely lying. As if wanting to call me out on my lie, my stomach emitted a sound akin to that of a dying Wailord. I hastily crossed my arms over my midsection in a failed attempt to muffle the horrendous racket, my face reddening.

   "You're not very good at lying," Liam said, one side of his mouth raised in a half-smile. "Pride can only do you so much, and it certainly won't feed you," he continued. I frowned. Was he mocking me? Liam gave me a similar expression. "Don't look at me like that, I'm simply stating the facts."

   "In a very condescending way..." I muttered to myself. Evidently, he heard me.

   "I'm trying to give you life advice, to show you we're not as heartless as you perceive us," he said in a completely serious tone. Was he joking?! I couldn't believe he said that!

   "Heartless?" I questioned, affronted, my voice weak but steady. "You threatened my dad, killed my mom, and are keeping me here against my will like some kind of sick award or trophy!" It was the first time I had voiced that thought, and hearing it made it sound even more horrific. "You do that, and you expect me to think you're anything but savage, depraved, disgraceful monsters sent by Giratina himself? I'd never think of you any other way!"

   Liam's face turned grim, a hurt look in his eyes. "I see." He began to leave the room. "That is a shame, because my apology would be even more pointless."

   "Apology?" I repeated, incredulous.

   "Yes," Liam nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss, I truly am." With that, he let me be, leaving me utterly bewildered. Why did he apologize? Why did he care? I thought that he would be glad that Mom was gone and I was locked up here. I was pulled out of my thoughts quickly as I was reminded of what Liam had left behind. I hauled myself out of bed for the umpteenth time and made my way to the small table.

   The tray held a bowl of some kind of pasta mixed with herbs and pieces of meat, another bowl filled with assorted berries, a plate with a sliced tomato on it, and the colored plastic bottle that contained an Oran berry-flavored fruit drink. My mouth watered at the sight and smell of the meal.

I couldn't hold back any longer and began eating, forcing myself to do so slowly so I wouldn't make myself sick. It was one of the best meals I'd had in weeks. Everything was amazingly fresh and teeming with flavor. Even if I hated the Insurgents with every fiber of my being, whoever did the cooking was certainly no slouch.

   It seemed all too soon when I finished eating, every bowl scraped almost clean. My stomach now comfortably full, I could feel some life and energy begin to trickle back into my body. It was a reassuring sensation. All I wanted to do now was sleep, but I refused to let that happen. The downside of that, however, was that I was left to ponder the intention behind Liam's "apology." He hadn't actually wanted to apologize, he had surely been toying with me, right?

—~*~—

Liam briskly made his way through the fourth floor of headquarters, his gaze fixed ahead of him in a glare that seemed like second nature to him. He passed several other Insurgents, each of whom nodded respectfully at him. He acknowledged them with less menacing glances, showing that he appreciated their actions.

Though he was higher in rank than all of them and had been so for years now, he still felt awkward for addressing them as such. They were all several years older than him, making him feel like a toddler masquerading as a first-grader.

   Reaching one of the floor's elevators, Liam entered it and pressed the button for the top floor, where his room was. The top floor was split into three sections, one for him, Andrew, and Valerie. It was where Liam lived since he became an admin, and it was always pleasing to him when he was able to return to it.

   The room itself was split into four smaller sections, a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and a study/office combination. Liam locked himself in as soon as he stepped through the door, the welcoming scent of paper and leather filling his nose. Apartment, sweet apartment...

   Without hesitation he sent out his Pokémon: Manetric, Gengar, Gardevoir, and Altaria. The four puppets stared at him blankly, awaiting his orders like the collars rewired their minds to. Liam hated the way their stares bore through the soul of every living thing that crossed their path. No being should have to be subjected to that.

Sighing, he went up to Manetric and kneeled down next to the canine. He pressed his thumb to the hidden scanner on the device's left side and it unlatched, freeing Manetric from its control.

   "You've had those on for long enough today," the admin said as he released each of them. The Pokémon swayed drunkenly on their feet and paws before regaining their ability to think for themselves, their eyes turning back to their normal hues.

   Thank you, Liam, Gardevoir said, placing a hand to the side of her head as if she were experiencing a headache.

   "Gar!" Gengar agreed happily and more loudly than the others.

   "You don't have to keep thanking me, it's to be expected by now," Liam said, placing the collars on a counter.

He knew he shouldn't have been freeing his Pokémon like this, but he couldn't stand seeing them in those robotic states every day of their lives. He had raised them from Eggs and taken them on his journey around Hoenn as a child, they were like family to him. "Can you please entertain yourselves tonight? I have some reading to attend to." His Pokémon agreed and Liam went to leave the room before being stopped by Gardevoir.

   Is everything alright? she asked with concern. I've been picking up on some very negative thoughts and feelings from you a lot lately...

   "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he said, letting out a nervous laugh. "I guess you could you say everything isn't alright. It's been a very stressful few days. We... we did something that caught me off-guard," he finished, his tone darkening.

   Gardevoir's eyes widened in surprise, no doubt shocked that her Trainer was upset about something. He wasn't one to fluster easily, unless Valerie or Andrew were involved. Oh, well... we could talk about it, if it would make you feel better, she suggested.

   Liam shook his head. "No thank you, but I appreciate your concern," he said earnestly.

   As I always do! she chirped, smiling.

   "As you always do," the blonde echoed, smiling sadly. He then closed himself off in his study with mixed thoughts and feelings.

   Over the next two hours, Liam tried to get some reading done as he intended. However, something else was on his mind, flooding his thoughts and jumbling the words on the pages of his book.

He couldn't get the death of Carol Stone out of his head. It filled his mind's eye so vividly. How Valerie's Gallade silenced the black-haired woman so quickly, how her husband seemed to have something break within him when he saw his wife collapse... Liam kept seeing these events over and over, like they were scenes from a movie on loop. They horrified him, scarred him.

   Liam hadn't expected all of this to take such a dark turn. When he joined the Insurgents he wanted revenge on the Stones, yes, but he didn't want to kill them. And Valerie's mentioning of the deed when her obsession with Joseph's son grew was one Liam dismissed, as she often threatened violence to get what she desired. But he had thought wrong, and now Carol Stone was dead, her son was at Valerie's mercy, and Liam was in part to blame for it.

Liam could have said something or tried to stop it as the young Hoenn Champion had done so valiantly. But no, he stood by, letting it all happen with not so much as a flinch. The man he thought he hated most had lost his wife to a cruel fate, and he couldn't empathize with the Devon president more.

   Looking to the corner of his study's desk, Liam gazed upon a set of two photos. One was of a young brunette with dark green eyes, and the second was of a younger him standing beside the brunette. They both wore fine white dress clothes and had their left hands raised and intertwined, showing off the gold bands glittering on their ring fingers.

   Those photos were all he had left of her, and he felt even worse thinking that Joseph's own wedding picture had been ruined by Valerie's Sableye. Every time Liam looked at those colored, flat time capsules he was filled with the greatest sorrow without fail. Memories of years past, captured in bliss, never to be experienced or relived again.

   "You want revenge, don't you?" The offering words of Valerie echoed in his mind. "You said it wasn't an accident, and I believe you. They're always covering up for 'accidents' or 'mistakes.' You can join us, and you can avenge her, punish the Stones for taking her from you."

   I wanted to avenge her, but not like this! This isn't what I wanted! Liam's fingers lightly brushed across the first photo, grazing the brunette's beautiful face. "Eliza, I'm so sorry I'm failing you," he whispered, tears glistening in his eyes.