"Nadia! Hey!"

The moment I exited the gym I spotted Gerald and Tess walking up to me.

"Hey, Tess, Gerald," I acknowledged them when they stopped in front of me. "You found something?" Cinderace walks out from behind me and Tess pats her head, the Fire-type leaning into her hand.

"Mhm!" She nodded, still petting the humanlike Pokemon. "We wanted to share it with you, but we weren't sure where you were, exactly. We knew you went to Route 11 via Sky Train, but we weren't sure whether you were still in Aredia. So we went around Aredia Palace and learned you would probably be at Fluoruma."

"How did you deduce that?" I asked incredulously.

"Hmm...simple deduction and reasoning from the one and only Prince Ryan." Tess deadpanned. "Anyway, did you already challenge the gym? We assumed that you would actually do that now."

"Yeah, I already got the badge." I grabbed the apple-shaped medal from my bag and showed it off. Tess's eyes suddenly lit up.

"It's the real Harvest Badge! You're really an incredible trainer to have beaten two gyms before we even got to ya!"

"Yeah, reminds me of a certain someone who allegedly beat three in a day and a half." I respond bluntly. "I wonder if Zinx and Jake are alright."

Tess grows solemn again at the mention of our kidnapped friends. "I hope so..."

Gerald breaks the suddenly tense atmosphere. "On another note, but certainly not unrelated," He draws our attention to him. "About the info we wanted to pass on."

Tess lights up again and claps her hands together. "Right! So, we confirmed that Team Eclipse's base is indeed on Crescent Island. There was also info that leads us to believe Hoopa resides somewhere on that same island."

"So that is our next destination." I reply, and Tess nods.

"According to some of my sources, there is a way to get to the Eclipse base without getting caught," Gerald added, "Once you find your way in, you should be able to make your way to Jake, Zinx, and your parents."

"Alright!" I grin, "It's infiltration time! Ready for this, Cinderace?"

Cinderace turns to give a quip of determination while Tess chuckles, retracting her hand away.

"You're an increasingly strong trainer," Gerald remarked, "So you should be able to take on any Team Eclipse members that happen to be in your way."

"Well, that's what usually happens to a kid with plot armor," I commented, getting myself confused looks. "Never mind."

"Anyway, that marks our next destination, Crescent Island," Tess smiles. "You're ready to take that risk and break into the base with me and save everyone, right?"

"Of course I am, who do you think I am to not do that?" I exclaim.

"Alright!" Tess holds up her fist and I do the same, resulting in a fist bump. "We've totally got this! We'll infiltrate the base, and get everyone back! We'll do this for Jake, Zinx, your parents, and all of Roria! We will stop Team Eclipse from unleashing Hoopa and their goal of escaping this world and leaving it to ruins!"

"Hell yeah!"

We cheered loudly, possibly leaving some concerned citizens who were walking by, and some of the trainers within the gym. Gerald chuckles and Cinderace looks at us with a weary look on her face.

"Well, you guys are certainly determined," He laughs. "It's a plan, then. I would love to travel with you two there, but I would not be of much use beyond this point. However, I will continue to find information and keep you updated."

Tess nods. "Thanks, Gerald."

"Anytime. Oh, by the way," He remembered something just as he was about to leave. "I should remind you how to get to Crescent Island. You'll need to continue onto Route 14. Hidden Machine Rock Climb might be of use there." He hands the disk over. "After Route 14 is Frostveil City. If you wish to take on the gym there, you can. I should inform you that Frostveil is tucked away in the cold, snowy mountains, so you'll certainly need more than a simple autumn jacket. Bundle up for that. From Frostveil, though, you'll be able to make your way to Port Decca, where you will be able to get a boat to Crescent Island. Of course, Port Decca's shipyard has many other ships that can take you to different places, so if you so wish, you can do that in your free time. Did you get all that?"

"Route 14, Frostveil, however many other routes before Port Decca, and then finally, Crescent Island," I recounted, and Gerald nodded.

"Looks like you do."

"So we have our directions, thanks Gerald!" Tess smiled wider, now more increasingly excited at the prospect of saving everyone.

"Like I said, anytime." Gerald turned back to face the city. "I'll be on my way back to Anthian now. Good luck, you two."

He leaves, with both of us waving goodbye at his retreating form. Tess lowers her arm and looks at me.

"We're back on mission!" She cheered again. "I'll go ahead to Frostveil if you need to do anything last minute here. Seeya!"

She takes off. I decide to head to the Pokemon Center to heal up before traveling over to Route 14.

That very route was chock full of scaling walls Pokemon could use. I didn't have a Pokemon eligible for Rock Climb, so I somehow did it myself.

Yes. It works.

On another note, Route 14 looked like another cave city, but reduced to rubble. Who knows what happened here.

To get through the route, I had to actually go through the broken down houses on the walls. Even Cinderace looked weary of the place.

Apparently one did. The city was once prosperous, but some sort of disaster destroyed it and the residents relocated to where Fluoruma is today. Interesting.

Within that house was a ladder, which we climbed, and then another threshold that led to a seemingly empty cavern, had I not noticed the light on top of a cliff in front of me. There was a pathway to the top, and once I got up there, I noticed Tess surrounded by Team Eclipse grunts. Four, to be exact. Two looked different from the others, having masks covering their faces. Tess was standing in a defensive stance.

"You won't get away with anything," Her voice grew louder as I got closer to them. "We're going to put a stop to you and your evil plans!"

"Yeah? Who is 'we'?" One of the grunts looked around mockingly. "I only see one incompetent fool."

"The incompetent fools I see are you four," I call out, alerting them of my presence. Tess grows relieved when she sees me.

"Thank Arceus!" She breathed a relieved sigh. "I got this far before those guys decided to block my way."

"We're accepting member recruits," Another grunt said. "You're welcome to join us."

"No-"

"I should've mentioned we weren't taking no for an answer." He interrupted me before I could get my sentence out.

"Are you brainwashing people or something?!"

"Whatever it is, we're not joining whatever lunatics are in that organization." Tess spat, glaring at the grunt. "Not after everything you've done. You've taken our friends and family, and even almost destroyed an entire city with no remorse. Don't you realize what you do is borderline terrorism?"

"Anyone with a working brain knows what you do is unforgivable." I add. "So no, we with the common sense say we're not contributing to your BS." Tess nods along, although I can tell she's wondering what exactly "BS" is.

"Well, we do what we have to in order to save mankind from its foolish ways," The first grunt stepped in. The masked grunts remained silent. "Don't you want people and Pokemon to be happy, living in peace and harmony?" He asked. "That's all we want, after all."

I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose as well.

Tess looks increasingly frustrated. "You people are brainwashed into believing your foolish leader's ideals. People and Pokemon are happy living together as of now. Somewhere in the world, a trainer might be cooking food for all their Pokemon. Somewhere else, someone's child is playing with their Pokemon, having fun without a care in the world. Why can't you see that by being stupid, your actions will put a complete end to that harmony? Professor Cypress couldn't care less about that. He only knows one side of the story, and acts on that alone."

"Shut up!" The grunt shouts, his voice reverberating off the cavern walls. "You're wrong, all of what you're saying is wrong!"

"If all you can say is that we're wrong, that just basically means you don't have a good reason to back up your claims." I deadpan. "If you want to settle it in battle, then that just solidifies my claim even more..."

"Well, that's exactly what I'm gonna do! Come at me! If we win, you have to accept our ideals and join Team Eclipse."

"That's such an insane statement." Both me and Tess deadpan before the grunt initiates the battle.

Both grunts got obliterated. Obliterated is an exaggerated word, actually. In actuality the battle was pretty even. Although, still somewhat one-sided.

Both masked grunts watched the battles intently. Once the second grunt was defeated, he glared right at me and said, "We're not done with you, kid. I know we have something-or someone-you still want back."

"Yeah, your parents, right?" The other grunt quipped.

"Yeah, you're definitely that kid."

"What of it? I just want my friends and family back, now is that so hard to return?" I retort.

"Speaking of, I was there the day we got em." The guy continued. "They begged us not to harm you. We would've taken you too, had you not gone off playing with your new Pokemon." He pointed at Cinderace, who growls lowly, trying to restrain herself from Pyro-Balling the guy in the face.

"Enough of this!" One of the masked guys exclaimed, and he stepped forward. "We're not here to talk about the past. We're here to offer membership to those who wish safe passage to the new world."

"What do you say? Will you continue to resist, or will you finally comply?" The other grunt asks.

Both sound familiar. Why is that?

"We will never join the likes of you," Tess shakes her head. "You people will destroy this world and see a new world fail as people and Pokémon stop helping each other. You think that people and Pokémon are not existing in harmony, but really we grow from each other. Why must you destroy everything in order to see that?"

"I'm only trying to help you two. Nadia, you want to reunite with your family, right? And Tess, if you come along, we can all be safe! Professor Cypress is becoming ever closer to discovering the secret behind Hoopa. The whole of it. And when he does, this world will be desolate. Nothing will remain. Can't you see I'm only trying to protect you? Both of us are."

Tess startles. I don't blame her yet again. How...?

"How...how do you know my name...?" She asks, the question coming out in almost a whisper.

The boy(?) hesitates. "Tess..." He utters slowly, prompting the girl's gaze to lock onto his.

"Please forgive me..." He unravels his hood mask, revealing familiar tufts of dark blue hair spiked upwards. Tess's face becomes one of complete horror and shock. My own eyes widen.

"Jake?!"

"No...No, this can't be happening!" Tess completely breaks down. "Jake, this has to be a joke. You couldn't have joined the enemy!"

"Except...I did. This is me in flesh and blood." Jake confirms basically our worst fear possible.

Wait a minute.

"Hold on, you said both of you. Does that mean..."

"Ah. Right." The other pulls off his mask to reveal that it is in fact Zinx.

"So Professor Cypress brainwashed you too." I say as soon as I confirmed his identity.

"No. I was with Team Eclipse this whole time." Zinx replied. "Being a trainer was just a disguise. In reality, I was sent to watch you and Jake carefully to make sure you stayed out of our way. Although, it certainly didn't work."

Tess blinked her tears away, glancing at the other boy. "Hold on...were you the one who let Alakazam loose on that airship to Anthian City?"

"Yeah. It seems that that didn't work at all."

Tess clenches her fists, looking just about ready to lash out or something. Jake looked even more solemn.

"Team Eclipse is going to leave this world in ruins. My best bet was to join them, find you guys, and bring you back with me. I can save all of us. Will you please stop fighting and come along instead...?" Jake pleaded, stepping towards Tess. Tess steps back, shaking her head vigorously.

"Do you even hear what you're saying, Jake?!" She exclaimed. "You're fine with what Cypress is going to do?! And you, Zinx! You really think a new world will solve humanity's problems?!"

"It's the safest bet, honestly."

"That's literally what we call being a wimp and a coward." I deadpan. Jake noticeably flinches.

"I'm doing all that is within my power right now." Jake mumbles. "What else could I have done? In a situation like that, all I can do is give in."

"We were supposed to fight Team Eclipse together, remember?" Tess protested. "You, Nadia, and I were going to stop them together. Heck, I was even ready to include Zinx in that too! We were going to do whatever it took to stop this horrible tragedy from occurring. Instead, you seem to have given up and taken their side?"

Jake shook his head. "You think I didn't actually try to fight back?" He countered. "I didn't beat them. Zinx told me there was no choice but to join him instead. I wasn't strong enough to fight back, so the only choice I have is to bring you back with me. That way, we'll all be safe." He looks at me. "This is my last offer. Will you please give in and come back with us?"

I look at Tess. I could tell she's having the same thought process as I am. We both look at Jake and Zinx.

"No, we're going to stop you guys." I say as confidently as possible.

"I'm sorry, Jake, Zinx. We're on a mission, and not even you guys can stop us, friends or not." Tess says just as determined.

Jake sighs, clearly defeated. "I have no choice, then," He muttered. "We're gonna have to battle. If I lose, I'll respect your wishes and leave you be. If you lose, I will have to take you back with me by force. Do you accept those terms?"

"Yeah. That's alright." Cinderace walks in front of me again. "We're gonna battle."

I wonder if Zinx had personally trained Jake's Pokemon, since they were much stronger than when we saw him last. Regardless, I still managed to defeat him. Jake had a melancholic expression on his face as he returned his Vaporeon.

"That settles it," I say. "We're not coming with you."

"A deal is a deal," Jake replies. He then chuckles a little. "You know, I thought that maybe since you were my best friends, you would listen to me."

"Friends or no friends, you've still joined forces with our common enemy." Tess jumped in. "I know your capture was not easy for you, but we were on our way to rescue you. You lost your faith in us and our mission, and you joined their side."

Jake ignores this, and says, "I'm sorry, Tess. I wish I was stronger, for you and Nadia. We will leave now. I will look for you again, in case you change your mind."

Tess looked panicked now. "Jake, you don't have to do this!"

Jake stops, as everyone else filed out of the cave.

"Goodbye, Tess."