Cold rain splattered all over the streets of Jubilife City. People ran into the nearest building, trying to escape the frigid shower. They probably thought they'd catch a cold if they stayed out in it for too long.

I sighed a little at the thought. Really, colds weren't caused by rain or coldness in general. That was just something parents told their children that was nothing more than a myth. I should know, since Nurse Joy warned me about that when I was younger. Trainers would always come running into the Pokémon Center, claiming that they and their Pokémon were going to catch hypothermia or some sort of cold like the flu or Pokérus.

My eyes were fixed on the ground below me, traveling over the black, high heeled boots I now wore. They were matched with purple skinny jeans and a black raincoat with an emblem of two serpent Pokémon weaving through a purple 'M' on it. The only thing I wore to actually shield me from the rain was a dark purple cap, which made my short dark hair stick to the back of my neck. The outfit was something I never would've worn, but I really didn't have much of a choice these days.

Funny how things like that could change in an instant, just like the promises I thought I'd never make. About five months ago, I ran into an organization I thought was gone. Thinking about it made me fear what other organizations could resurface. Team Plasma had already made their comeback years ago. Recently, I heard that Team Magma and Team Aqua both tried to take over the Hoenn Region once again. It didn't matter that they were already defeated, these organizations would just keep coming back.

The other teams didn't really matter to me, though. What mattered was that along with that seemingly-dissolved organization, I ran into an old enemy of mine who made a deal with me to help save Unova. All I needed to do was pledge my allegiance to them after the fight was over.

I never intended to go through with the deal. I thought that I could get myself out of that current situation, and we could tear them down once again. That was what heroes did, they tricked the villains and locked them up for good. Guess that didn't make me a hero anymore.

I needed to forget about that life. As much as it killed me to do otherwise, I had to listen to whatever Team Miasma wanted me to do. That was the deal I made them to have them help tear down Team Oblivion. If they helped us do that, then I would help them in whatever scheme they wanted until a particular member was found.

I wasn't exactly sure what they would do with that member, Lantana. The last time I saw her was when she was on their side, fleeing from the fight. She had made an enemy of Team Miasma, so the only thing I could think that could happen was that they were going to kill her.

A chill ran down my spine, something that wasn't caused by the rain. I turned my head to see a man walking down the alleyway Swanna and I were hiding in. His broad shoulders made his dark plaid shirt look tight on him, and he didn't have a strand of hair on his head. If anyone were to see him, he might have passed for a normal guy, especially seeing as he wore work boots and held an umbrella over his head.

Like me, that man was far from normal. He wasn't even from the Sinnoh Region. Instead, he had a blue, bipedal Pokémon that looked to be wearing a karate gi with a blackbelt walk beside him. People might have looked at him funny for keeping that Pokémon out, but if there was one thing I knew about this man, it was that he never traveled or worked alone.

"Clyde Damion," I greeted, "you're late."

The man smiled as he looked down at me. It was as if he was sizing me up. "Swanna Girl, or do you go by Sylvia Gray by now?"

I frowned in response. After my identity had been exposed, everyone I had encountered had to have the last laugh. No one had expected a simple Pokémon Nurse to be Unova's Superhero, Swanna Girl. Likewise, no one expected a superhero to turn rogue and work alongside the greatest threat in Unova. There wasn't much I could really do about that though. As much as I wanted to arrest him, and lock this guy up for good, I couldn't. Everyone knew how much the bounty was to have a bit of information on me. Turn me in, you could earn a few grand. Add my partner Swanna into the mix, and you could double it.

When I didn't answer, Clyde looked over at the Pokémon standing by my side, then down to my belt with four Poké Balls clasped to it. "I see you have more than just a Mienfoo and a Swanna now. What did you do? Steal the other two during a heist or something?"

I glanced down at my belt. Only one of them was truly new to the team. The other three had been with me before I had my first encounter with Clyde. He didn't recall the Audino I had due to the fact that I hardly used him. Audino might have been one of my best battlers, but before my identity was exposed, everyone knew Sylvia Gray had an Audino. If I used him in public as Swanna Girl, my identity would've been exposed a lot sooner.

As for Mienfoo, she wasn't a Mienfoo anymore. Shortly after I had been shipped away from the Unova Region alongside Team Miasma, she had evolved into a Mienshao. The only reason Clyde knew about her was because I had just caught her when he tried kidnapping Rudi and me for a client of his.

The third Poké Ball on my belt was the only one who didn't come from Unova. True, I used to have a Musharna, but that Pokémon was in the loving care of my old assistant. With Joy taking care of Musharna, I had another Pokémon I'd taken in, one of which I had captured in the Hoenn Region. Clyde didn't know about her due to the fact that I had just caught her a few weeks ago.

As for my fourth Pokémon, he stood beside me as we faced Clyde. He scowled at the Pokémon thief, remembering him all too well. His eyes narrowed towards the man, as he stood protectively beside me. If there was one thing Swanna wanted to do more than protect everyone on our team, it would be to lock up the criminals that we had to deal with.

Unfortunately, we didn't have that choice anymore.

"How I've obtained them is none of your concern," I commented, before grabbing a small brown bag from my pocket and handed it to him. "You got my message, correct?"

"Wow, straight to business." Clyde tilted his head towards me. "How did you deal with Braviary Man when you worked with him? I'm sure he was a bit of a distraction at times."

He didn't have any time to say another word as I dropped the brown bag of cash to the ground and pushed him into a wall. My right arm held him across the shoulders while my left one brushed over the wall behind him, feeling the rain trickle down from the building and over my hand. My eyes glared into his as my face twisted into a nasty glower.

"Do not speak of anything outside the deal, Damion," I growled. "I've gotten the okay from my leader to slit your throat if you so think about doing otherwise. Don't think I won't do it. I've done it once to a man. I won't think twice about doing it again."

"Swanna!" my partner squawked in warning. To Clyde, Swanna's actions might have seemed like a warning to him, but deep down, I knew my partner was trying to stop me from acting out. I didn't act out much, but I had to be reminded of my place often. All Swanna was doing was making sure I didn't do anything to irrational that could get us in trouble. Again.

"Fine, I won't bring up your precious boyfriend after this," Clyde promised. "I didn't know it was a touchy subject. But you know I could be free of charge if I just turned you in. Your boss better have something better than just payment."

I nodded. "That bag has more money than you can imagine, a note from Gila, and a map that can guide you to the location of a very valuable Pokémon. That's only half of what she promised. All you have to do is give us the Pokémon wants."

Clyde's eyes widened as his mouth turned upwards into a greedy grin. Of course, this was all just a lie. There was no way Gila's note had anything that would be of value to the thief. Plus, the location of the rare Pokémon inside was just common knowledge. Obtaining it would be a challenge.

Just not as challenging as the Pokémon Gila wanted to get her hands on.

His eyes flashed downwards, making me realize I still held him against the wall. I pulled my hands upwards, as if signaling that I was surrendering and took a few steps back. The man looked down at the bag and grabbed it before glancing at the money inside. He didn't need to use his imagination to figure out that money wasn't earned honestly.

Then again, everyone I came into contact nowadays never made an honest living.

"What Pokémon do you need me to retrieve for you?" Clyde asked.

I pulled a sealed envelope out of my back pocket and handed it to him. It was sealed so that Gila would be sure I would have no clue as to what they were looking for here in Sinnoh. For all I knew, it could very well not be a Pokémon at all, but valuable information.

Clyde was notorious for poaching Pokémon and selling them to people, which was why I assumed they wanted a Pokémon. That didn't mean he didn't do other criminal acts. I'd done my research and found out that this man didn't kill. He'd steal diamonds and precious jewels from billionaires who could easily ask for his head in return. Other times, he'd steal Pokémon, kidnap people, and valuable artifacts and sell them to the highest bidder. His job would've been easier if he could just kill.

Why didn't he kill? It was very simple. Anyone and any Pokémon could be sold for a higher price if they were alive.

I watched as Clyde didn't even look at the envelope and tucked it in his back pocket. "Now, who's going to be my getaway man to do this? You work for Gila right? Whatever she has plan is going to need a minimum of—"

"Call when you're ready," I cut him off. "We'll send whoever we want over then."

The criminal rolled his eyes. "Fine. Have it your way. Just know when this deal is done—"

"I'm fair game for you to kidnap and sell to whomever you want, including the police," I mused. "Oh, Team Miasma is fully aware of that. Just keep in mind the consequences. Making an enemy out of them is like making a deal with Giratina; a one way ticket to the Distortion World."

"Your leader doesn't scare me," the man claimed as he adjusted his umbrella and matched my gaze.

"She should," I warned. "Make an enemy out of her, and you'd wish you'd just turn yourself into the authorities."

Clyde didn't say a word. Instead, he just turned around and walked out of the alley with his Sawk following close behind. I waited for him to disappear before I leaned back on the wall closest to me and looked up, allowing the rain to fall on my face. My lips pressed together as I squeezed my eyes shut.

Things have changed since I last stepped foot in Unova. I would be unrecognizable to those who knew me. Since then, I had done everything I could do to survive, even if it was against my morals.

But none of that mattered. I knew how my story would end. Either way, I had already accepted it. I was going to end up behind bars, alone with my thoughts, remembering every wrong I've done. If not that, then I'd be joining Rudi wherever he ended up.

The worst part of losing him was knowing that today he would've turned twenty-two. He was too young to go. It was cruel to know he had so much life ahead of him, and yet he would never experience it.

I wondered how his parents and sister were doing. No. I knew the answer. I just wish I could be there to try and help them. They'd done so much for me that I felt as though I was already a part of his family. It seemed only right I should help them in someway, but I couldn't. There was no way I could reach out to them. Gila made her rules clear the day she I had been taken away from my home region to join her and Team Miasma.

Rule Number One: Listen to any command given. If she wanted something, no matter how horrible it may be, I had to do it. This task I had given to Clyde was nothing compared to what I'd done in the past. I'd set poisonous bombs in buildings filled with people. I had my Pokémon attack both Trainers and Pokémon alike. It always pained me to do it, but I knew the consequences of what would happen if I didn't.

Rule Number Two: I couldn't make calls to anyone outside of Team Miasma. To make sure of this, I was given a Holo Caster, a device made in the Kalos Region. With it, I couldn't call anyone on it who didn't have one. Even if Rena had created some sort of invention to make that possible, it wouldn't matter. I had to return the Holo Caster to Gila every time I came back from a mission. There was no way to delete messages either. I'd tried.

Rule Number Three: No healing. This was the hardest rule for me to follow. I was allowed to heal Pokémon that belonged to a member of Team Miasma, but that was it. That was why I started catching Pokémon at this point. If they were in trouble, and needed medical attention, I would catch them. But there were more I'd hurt, ruining my reputation as a nurse, if I could even be called a nurse after all I'd done.

Rule Number Four: Any member of Team Miasma was above me and could do to me as they please. This means a grunt could give me command. The Krait Twins could give me any punishment they pleased or...

I shuddered at the thought as my hands rubbed up and down my arms, knowing the battles they forced my Pokémon to fight. If I was a hero, none of this would've happened.

Swanna nudged his head against my leg, almost as if to ask what was wrong. I didn't answer. The water ran down my face, but it didn't belong to the rain. Being far from Team Miasma, I had to force myself not to show any emotion, but I was alone now. It was alright for me to cry.

Then again, Rudi wouldn't want me to cry. Not today of all days. He would want me to finish the job he had started. It was just impossible at this point. Unova needed a superhero, but there were none to take that place. Even if we were no longer in Unova, I knew there needed to be someone stronger than Rudi, the Champions of Unova, and me to take down Team Miasma.

Just how did I wrap myself in this mess? How could I be a hero when everyone only saw me as the villain?

Swanna nudged my leg again right before I slid down the wall and pulled my legs to my chest. I was just doing the exact opposite of everything I'd tried to stop four years ago. It was all my fault.

Author's Note:

This is up a little sooner than expected, but I'm sure none of you mind. I'm just so thrilled that you've all decided to return to read this book. I hope you all enjoy. As always, I'll try to leave a question for every chapter. This chapter's question: which character(s) are you hoping to see make an appearance in this book?

Can't wait to hear from you all. Until next time, stay awesome.