"She doesn't look like she even has it on her... You idiot! You were supposed to make sure she had it with her!" The scientist staring at Crystal in her cell room shouted at the grunt in red who carried her in

"Agh... Why do I have to be bossed around by some kid?" The grunt groaned

"Shut it, Kyle, or I'll have you removed" Kyle waved his hand, brushing the comment away, but obeyed "I'm going to look more into that Froslass we captured, so stay guard for this girl" the scientist walked to the door.

"Huh? What about Westly?"

"Another guard is watching over him. Can't have those two together if they're connected to the legends. It's hard to say for sure if they're even useful. We're going to have to get it out of them. Call me when she wakes up" he left the room. Kyle sighed and leaned on the bars, staring at Crystal sleeping on the floor with a look of discomfort on her face.

"You awake yet?" He asked, not getting an answer "Didn't expect me to be part of something that has been trailing you for this long, huh?"

Doing this whole betrayal thing brought him back to his childhood when he was faking to be friends with West back when they were kids.

He remembered when West was a chubby child wanting to buy Zamiacones all the time and laugh about almost nothing. It was like that when they were really small, but Kyle slowly started to notice that he started losing his smile. He would go to the hospital more often than some and come back always looking depressed, trying to hide it

The day when Kyle finally stopped pretending to be his friend and started bullying him with Ryan was when West was on his edge, and he ran away into the forest around the tower, the most dangerous part around Zamia.

Not expecting it, he came back alive and brought back a legendary Pokémon with him... Since that day, West changed and never came back to Zalma again. The look in his face when he left the forest... He looked relieved

Then that day when Kyle saw him again was like meeting a whole new person. His face was so calm and relaxed. The way he looked at Crystal in the eyes... He grew up and changed so much for the better... It made Kyle shake a little without knowing why

"It's too bad you can't be with that wimp... No matter how much he changed, he'll always be a wimp to me. To be honest, if I knew you and West were the ones we've been looking for, I would have gotten a hold of you sooner-" blood was leaking from the bandages around her arms and legs "What the..?" He leaned closer, noticing her face growing pale "Hey!"

"He's the reason why I'm alive..." her voice echoed through his head when she talked down to him earlier "He's very important to me" his hands shook on the grip on the bars.

"How come he ended up happy..?" He glared

❄️

"Where is she?!" Wyatt slammed into Emilia's house uninvited. She almost dropped the pie she just got out of the oven.

"W-Wyatt..?!" She put down the pie and jogged over "You're so much older now! You look great! Look how handsome you've gotten" She smiled. Wyatt sighed with a blush on his face and looked at his shaking hands.

"I-It's nice to see you after so long..."

"What's wrong? Why did you come all the way here in a panic?"

"Crystal is in trouble. She called me in a panic before her voice got muffled and the communicator turned off" He groaned at his communicator on his wrist "I didn't even think she had one... I didn't think she'd want me to be in her contact list, after all, not after what I've put her through... Since she ended up running away."

"You did what you had to do, but you were also putting yourself before her own needs" he bit his lips, guilty "We can talk about that later... We have to look for her!" They nodded and stormed to the door, where Rhea was about to knock

"Rhea?" Emilia questioned

"Oh! H-Hey... Ms.Emilia, are you busy?"

"Very, get out of our way" Wyatt said aggressively "We have important matters to attend to."

"Hey, aren't you Crystal's butler?"

"Aren't you getting your hopes up that you rechallenging Emilia will help you become unbanned from the gym?" Rhea flinched

"Hey! You don't gotta be so rude!"

"I'm rude?" He raised a brow "You were the one coming to the castle and demanded a battle" she glared

"Look!" She took a deep breath "I know I was wrong... I apologized for my behavior, and she forgave me" she thought for a moment "I think... anyways! We're friends now!"

"Why would a Kimana want to be friends with an Otashi? Stop talking nonsense... We don't have time for this. Crystal is missing" Rhea gasped

"We think she might have been kidnapped..." Emilia frowned

"Oh! I came here to look for West! Do you think he was taken as well?!" Rhea cupped her mouth "Team Victoria must've taken them!"

"Team Victoria..?" Wyatt asked, confused

"They're an evil organization who always abuse people and commit crimes! They've been after him and Crystal because we believe they might have a connection with the legendary lovers" Wyatt's eyes widened "They can hold the red feather of the Red Feathered lake that's known to burn anyone who touches it. It hurt one of the shrine maidens, but Crystal and West weren't affected! Her Froslass-" Froslass? What Froslass?  "-holds the Ice orb of legends, the one that belonged to the Princess of ice! If Team Victoria gets their hands on it, we can be in trouble!"

"Oh my..." Emilia cupped her mouth

"After all this time of trying-" Wyatt started shaking badly before running pass them to look for clues

"Wyatt!" Emilia chased after him with Rhea and found him kneeling to a bag on the floor

"That's the bag Crystal had earlier..." Rhea said. Wyatt searched inside and gasped, seeing all her medicine and BP machine inside with a magazine of the Kannena region, clothes, and an unusual looking journal with seals attached on the side. He took it out and brushed on the cover

"What is it?" Emilia asked

"I don't know" he picked up the medicine bottles and groaned "She put a lot of thought into this journey" he found money on the side pockets "Dammit... If we don't find her fast and if she doesn't take her medicine..." his body started shaking

"Wyatt..." Emilia frowned, seeing Crystal's communicator by a bush and picked it up

"I can't bear to know if something bad is going to happen to her. I just wanted to protect her..."

"Who are you... to her?" Rhea asked, "Are you an Otashi too?" Wyatt stood up, taking the bag with him

"Why does anything even matter to you? You're a Kimana"

"Because I want to know! S-She told me... that she didn't have a lot of time left to live. She was taking this journey so she can see her family, and go home... planning never to see any of us again" Wyatt cupped his face, breathing sharply

"Dear, that's a very sensitive topic. Wyatt is her doctor, so it's better if you don't mention anything about her condition. He's frantic when it comes to Crystal."

"If you're her doctor... then there's something you should probably know" Wyatt listened "She's been running a fever when West brought her to the tower... She's been asleep for three days." his face went pale

"W-Without her medicine..?"

"Pretty much..." he groaned loud enough to startle the girls.

"This is terrible... Her body is growing weak. She never sleeps for that long, even if her fevers were bad. She always wakes up to eat and take her medicine..." he hugged the bag tightly "Why didn't I let her see everyone!? If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have gone on her own!" He shut his eyes "If she doesn't take her medicine... oh Arceus..." he dropped to his knees "What have I done..?" Emilia started crying with him. Rhea stared at everyone crying, not knowing what to do...

"We'll look for her! No matter how long it takes!" He sent out Glaceon, Umbreon, Weavile, Chandelure, and Litwick. Litwick spun around happily before looking at Wyatt showing the bag to his Pokémon and Glaceon

"This is Crystal's bag. Remember her scent and find her!" Litwick and Chandelure looked at each other and felt the presence of another ghost type around. It was hiding behind a tree, holding something in its wraps

❄️

A few hours had passed and Kyle was instructed to bring the prisoners dinner. The first prisoner was Froslass in an icy cold refrigerator while floating in the middle of the room with Pokémon surrounding her, standing guard just in case she moves and attacks

"What's this Pokémon got to do with anything?" He put down the Pokémon food and turned to the door "It's not like it's going to respond to a question we ask."

"Her body is growing weak..." a sudden voice spoke. He flinched and turned around slowly, seeing Froslass staring at him from the corner of her eye "You need her that badly, but you won't get the chance to make her do anything because she couldn't take her medications."

"Medica..tions..?" He stormed out the refrigerator and rushed into Crystal's room, seeing her vomiting into the toilet in her cell. He put the tray of food on the table and slowly made his way towards her. Her loud vomiting made it impossible to hear him.

She kept gagging and crying, gasped for air and was shaking like crazy... "H-Hey.." his voice was too soft to be heard. She glared at the cells angrily.

"Who's there!?" He frowned, watching her lean away from the toilet and weakly stumble onto the floor, trying to use the wall to catch her fall, but failed. She laid on her arm, landing on her back, and looked up weakly.

"You can't see me, or what?" He asked

"All I can see are spots" her voice was nearly gone "You idiots... I haven't taken my medicine in days. Only one out of so many... I'll end up dead if you don't get me out of here."

"We have a doctor in the-"

"No!" She coughed "I need my damn medicine!" Kyle stares at the red in her eyes

"Y-You're going to strain your throat..."

"It's too late for that" she stared at the blood covered floor that came from her soaked bandages. The look was horrifying to watch... "I-Is West okay..?"

"Why are you worried about him when you're practically dying in here!?" He opened the cage with his keys and stormed in, kneeling to her

"He's all I'm going to care about... He kept me healthy for this long, even when I'm supposed to be home due to this life-threatening condition."

"Life-threatening..?"

"I want..." her eyes watered "to repay him for showing me this place... I've been stuck at home my whole life, living in the hospital, and never got to see the world. He wanted to show me everything and take care of me, even if I'm not worth his time. I've lied to him for this long... and I love him" she sobbed "I want to take his terrors away... His body is weakening as well, and I want to help him by asking Glēgotan to give me his curse, so that I can die with it so he wouldn't have to" Kyle's jaw dropped.

"W-Wait a minute! You can't die! Hold on!" He took her shoulders "You can't die! You were planning on leaving him without telling him anything!?"

"I planned on leaving him since the beginning. He wasn't supposed to have feelings for me... His terrors are getting worse due to his weakening body, and my body is having a harder time fighting the illness and healing wounds... I've been asleep due to my fever... taking four pills in the place of three days worth was pointless. I'm already too far gone. I have to be there for West..." she slowly closed her eyes "I-I have to repay him for everything..." Kyle slowly stood up, frozen to move another muscle.

"T-They..." he cupped his mouth, shedding tears without realizing it and stormed to West's room, seeing him leaning against the wall with a dark shadow hanging underneath his hair, shading his eyes.

"Westly!" Kyle shouted

"I should have known you were part of them..." West said "You are bad enough to be called a grunt... You've done so much wrong... Why am I not surprised that you were the one that took us..? Because of you, Crystal might be suffering right now. I might not have known her my whole life, but I know her enough to know that she needs me" Kyle dropped to his knees, leaning on the bars.

"I-I know man... This wasn't supposed to happen. I-I didn't plan on seeing you two in pain. I honestly thought Team Victoria was going to force you to be part of us since you're connected..." he shook his head "T-This is wrong... Your girl is dying in there!" West slowly looked at him with angered eyes, making him look like he was ready for murder

"And whose fault is that..?"

"W-West..?" West lunged at the bars, making Kyle fall back

"Don't say my name like we're friends! We are not friends! You ruined my life! You ruined me! I was happy with Crystal! And you dare to separate us!? She's suffering!" He shed multiple tears, still holding his glare "Your plans of using her isn't going to work, because you've taken away the things she needs to live!" He started shaking on the bars "Do what you want with me! I'll give you the Fiery orb! Just release Crystal and Froslass! Please!" He begged "Please! Please! I'll do anything!" The front door opened, letting in the child scientist with a notepad in hand

"You heard him... Release the girl and her Pokémon. We can get them later. If she doesn't recover by the time we need her in the temple, everything may be ruined..." Kyle stared at West's glare, seeing a whole different person, and slowly bowed. West blinked a few times before snapping out of it and stared at him confused

"I-I'm sorry... Westly" he couldn't get the image of Crystal out his head "I was... just jealous of what you had. To be honest, I thought we could be friends once you joined us, but I'm the last person you'll ever forgive. I'll take your girl back to safety, just... I'm sorry."

"Just get her to her medicine... Take her to the tower..." Kyle nodded and stormed out, grabbing Crystal in the open cell and carried her out, running to the room where Froslass waited

"Jared said to release the Pokémon!" He told the guards "Let's go!" Froslass stared at Crystal horrified and floated out with him ripping off his uniform to a point where he was only in his muscle shirt so no one can see him for who he worked for

It was already late and it was suddenly darker than usual. The street lights weren't working, so it was hard to navigate where his surroundings were

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He gasped for air, looking around to see which direction to go "I'll get you to safety... Gotta find the tower" he shook his head "Forget that, I got to take you to the hospital-" a Weavile landed in front of him with a murder look on its face "A Weavile..?" A few other Pokémon came running like they were angry. A Litwick appeared and stared down at Crystal and how horrible she looked.

"Lit! Litwick!" It cried out. Just then, a shadow appeared from behind Kyle, making him jump to turn around and see a tall figure with murderous blue eyes

"Who are you..?" He hissed "What are you doing with my princess!?" Kyle stood there frozen before pushing to speak to this tall angry figure

"I-I found her in the middle of the street like this!" He lied "I was planning on taking her to the hospital!" The figure took her away from him and laid her on his lap

"Litwick! Chandelure! Use Flash!" His ghost types shined the way brighter, exposing how terrible she looked "C-Crystal!" He cupped his mouth

"Wyatt! Is everything-" Emilia and Rhea rushed over, stopping to see Crystal in his arms and gasped "Crystal!" Emilia shouted. Rhea gasped and looked over at Kyle confused. Wyatt started to shake before taking her in his arms and prepared to run

"Where are you going?!" Emilia shouted

"We've got no choice... We got to go to the hospital!"