Warning: the following chapter contains dark content that was mentioned earlier in the book. Please tread with caution.

(-o-)

No matter how much I wanted to scream at my friends for not doing anything, I remained silent. I thought Rena had created these earpieces for a reason: to keep in contact and make sure things didn't spiral out of control. Having a team here meant that no one was going to get hurt.

Apparently that didn't happen.

I was guided down a staircase, quickly finding out that the two men behind me were the Krait Twins. It surprised me that they were able to stay quiet for so long which made me doubt who they were. When I looked back, I always saw those Ekans-like eyes that were undeniably theirs.

By the time we were down, I was pushed against a wired caged arena. The arena itself was smaller than a fourth of a Battle Field, with the roof only reaching about four feet above me. Criminals surrounded the place, chanting and yelling who they thought would win.

It was among the noise that I overheard something in my ear.

"Sylvia, what's going on? The others stopped communicating," Rena's irritated voice echoed in my ear. "I could really use some visual right about now because my video feed somehow blew a fuse."

My mouth remained shut as I watched two random people toss Swanna into the cage as though he weighed nothing more than Plusle did. I could feel my throat go dry as I couldn't do anything but watch. If I were to respond to Rena, the Krait Twins would know what that I had some back up.

Except, maybe it was worth the risk to let Rena know what was going on as the entire room exploded in shouts as Gila walked into the cage and released my little Pokémon out of her Poké Ball.

"They're forcing two of my Pokémon to battle to the death," I whispered, hoping Rena could pick up what I was saying. "I don't know where the others are, but I'm further down in the place."

There was a pause. During the silence, I was almost certain Rena didn't hear me. I swallowed hard, feeling my dry throat was in need of some water. That was the least of my worries as Plusle saw me in the crowd and started to run towards me.

Plusle looked relieved that I was standing there. She started to smile as she leapt up off the ground. By the way this caged looked, the holes looked big enough for her to leap through. Plusle must've known that. Her petite figure would've been perfect for an escape, but there was just one problem. The second she hit the wall of the cage, electricity buzzed off of it, striking her down to the ground.

Everyone around me bursted into laughter.

"Two? So I take it you don't have Braviary," Rena's voice finally cut in.

"I do," I whispered. "They have my Plusle and Swanna fighting to the death."

"Little pipsqueak is finally going to get what it deserves," Hunter gloated. "A weak Pokémon doesn't belong here."

His comment angered me. There was more to a Pokémon than being strong enough for battles. Plusle might not be the strongest Pokémon, but she had personality and was very kind. She didn't deserve to be forced into that ring.

My eyes glanced over towards Swanna. He would never take another Pokémon's life to save his own, especially when that other Pokémon was his teammate. I held my breath as Gila walked towards Swanna with a devious grin on her face.

"Everyone, this is the moment you've been waiting for," Gila gloated. "The moment we watch our most hated enemy suffer in the hands of her own Pokémon."

Everyone erupted into cheers as I found it hard to breathe. Just how long has Gila been planning this event? Was it since I left Team Miasma, or was she going to do this to me after I found Lantana? I wanted to ask, but I couldn't. I wasn't in the position to do anything right now.

"You've got to get yourself out of there," Rena warned. "Feather or not, it's not worth risking your Pokemon's lives."

My eyes squeezed shut for a moment, hearing her words. Did Rena honestly think this was a choice I made? We were all forced into this position. My Pokémon didn't deserve to be the ones fighting to the death. Plusle was far too sweet and innocent. Swanna...he wouldn't kill her, I knew he wouldn't, but would he if it meant getting out of there alive?

Opening my eyes, I looked around at the revolting people clinging around the cage. They weren't going to be happy until blood was spilt. No, they weren't going to be happy until they knew a Pokémon was dead.

I could hear the bets being made as to which one would make it out alive. Some thought it would be funny for the little Electric-type to win as it was nothing more than a pipsqueak. If that happened, there was talk about who would take her to sell. Apparently, there was nothing more valuable than a Pokémon from another Region who knew the taste of blood. Plus, if Plusle won, Swanna would no longer be around causing them trouble.

Due to how well-known Swanna was, there were people who wanted him to win. I was forced to listen to the people who placed their bets on my other Pokémon, claiming he was stronger and would probably blast Plusle into nothingness. Then, once it was all done, they could torture him. They could torture him by feeding me to him and other unmentional sickening ideas.

For a moment, I thought there was no way that could happen. Swanna and Plusle saw each other as teammates. If anything, this battle was just going to end up nothing like they'd expect. If they wanted Swanna or Plusle to fight for their lives, they would've done so by putting them up against a different opponent.

But Gila was always one step ahead. I watched as she grabbed Swanna by the throat and pulled out a vial filled with purple smoke with her other hand. I stopped breathing for a moment as I saw Swanna struggling out of Gila's grasp, but every time he struggled, the rings that wrapped around his body tightened around him and send bolts of electricity through his body.

Everyone around me burst into loud cheers when they saw that.

"It would be unfair for this Pokémon to battle one with a Type advantage, don't you think?" Gila asked, causing most of the people who wanted Swanna to win to burst into cheers. "For the past few months, my team and I have been traveling the world for ways to make these supers suffer. Thanks to our friends in Ryme City, I have a vial of R gas, which will ensure that Swanna will fight his pathetic teammate."

R gas? Ryme City? Those were two things I've never heard of. Here, I thought I had traveled all over the place with Team Miasma. Apparently that wasn't true. I wasn't even sure where Ryme City was, or what this R gas would do. I didn't even want to know what the R gas would cause Swanna to do.

But, it was too late. I watched as Gila popped the lid on the vial and forced it into his nostrils. The purple gas inside seeped out and into Swanna's beak. I was forced to watch as Swanna's eyes slowly closed as the last bit of gas disappeared. Gila dropped the vial and let go of Swanna before she ran out of the door, locking it behind her, forcing both Plusle and Swanna to stay trapped in the cage.

For a moment, nothing happened. Swanna just laid there, almost as if he was dead. The criminals around me leaned in, smiling menacingly as Swanna's body started to twitch. Meanwhile, I bit my lip, afraid that Swanna was about ready to go just like another Swanna I knew. That couldn't happen. I didn't want to lose another friend.

Plusle slowly walked over towards Swanna. She wasn't sure what was going on as her teammate lay there on the cemented floor, passed out like he was. The small Pokémon turned to look at me with her large eyes started to water. It was as though she was starting to process that Swanna wasn't going to get up.

Seeing my little Pokémon like that, I tried to jerk myself out of the Krait Twins grasp. Swanna and Plusle didn't deserve this. They weren't the ones causing trouble to these criminals. That was all me. I was the one who became Swanna Girl and took down two organizations. Even then, that was it. It didn't make sense as to why it mattered to them that I was tortured like this. If anyone was going to be tortured like that, it should be me, not them.

Swanna and Plusle needed to get out of there.

As if hearing my internal struggles, Swanna opened his eyes. I froze and smiled for a moment. He was alive! Swanna wasn't going to die. Everything was going to be—

Swanna's wings shot from his side, breaking the rings that wrapped around him. Before, those bonds of his were keeping him from moving, and now, they just snapped off as if it was nothing. I blinked, unsure how that was possible, but that was the least of my worries.

A beam of ice escaped Swanna's mouth, wrapping around Plusle. The crowd of criminals erupted into cheers. The air around me started to thin as my trusted partner chirped as he flew up into the air. His body shimmered in white and blue seconds before he dove down, slamming into Plusle.

Plusle was knocked out of the ice mound she was trapped in and rolled closer to me. The little Pokémon glanced up. A small moan escaped from Plusle as Swanna opened his mouth once again to attack.

"Plusle," I screamed when I couldn't take this any longer, "stay away from Swanna!"

A jet of water shot out of Swanna's mouth. Not wanting to be attacked again, Plusle scurried onto all fours to attempt to dodge the attack.

Whether or not she dodged it was a mystery. Right as Swanna's would've slammed into Plusle, I felt the Krait Twins let go of me. Being as I was free, I wasn't going to let it be a wasted opportunity. I twirled around to see a man wearing a leather jacket and dark shades. He was a few inches taller than me, with gelled back hair. For a moment, I was afraid of what was going to happen as the man grabbed my shoulder and yanked me away from the cage.

That is until he lowered his head and whispered, "It's just me, Hilbert. Just act like you're struggling, and it'll make this whole thing easier."

Hilbert didn't have to ask me to pretend. While he may of reminded me who he was, since he looked completely different than I was used to seeing him, I didn't feel safe around him. True, it was probably the outfit, but I knew it was more than that. We were in a room full of dangerous criminals. Ones, of which, had Swanna and Plusle fighting to the death.

It didn't matter if Hilbert was trying to get me to safety, I needed to get my Pokémon back. My hand grabbed for Braviary's Poké Ball, and when Hilbert wasn't paying attention, I threw the Flying-type out. Hilbert froze, unsure what I had planned, but he was just playing into my plans. I elbowed him in the chest just before I jumped up and grabbed onto Braviary's leg.

The criminals watching from below gasped as their attention switched from Swanna's fight to Braviary flying with their most wanted hero. I climbed onto Braviary's back to keep away from the many who tried to grab me. That didn't help from the screams and foul names they called me. It didn't bother me, but I could tell Braviary wanted to dive down and hurt them.

"Get me to the top of that cage," I whispered into Braviary's ear. "I need to get in there to save my Pokemon. While I do that, I need you to cause a distraction, understood."

Braviary didn't answer as he swooped down to the top of the cage. I slid off of Braviary and grabbed onto the wires, feeling a burning sensation as I did. I ignored it, realizing I had bigger problems I had to worry about.

Underneath me, I saw Swanna standing over Plusle as he opened his beak. Plusle was breathing heavily, squirming to get out of his teammates grasp, but there was no stopping him. Whatever that gas Swanna was forced to breathe in, it changed him. He wasn't acting like himself.

"Swanna!" I screamed, causing the Pokémon to snap his head up to look at me.

As Swanna looked at me, I noticed something was off in his eyes. They were covered in a purple haze, as though he wasn't seeing what was going on. He probably couldn't tell what was what.

"Sylvia, can you hear me? I think I regained connection again," Rena's voice cut through my ear.

"R Gas," I recalled Gila calling that purple gas, "what is it? I need you to—"

I wasn't paying attention to what was going on beneath me that I missed out on what Swanna was doing. He peeled himself off of Plusle and decided to make me his new target. My Pokémon threw his body against the side of the cage, nearly causing me to fall off the top. I held my breath as I wrapped my fingers tighter around the cage until they turned white.

That didn't stop Swanna from attacking. He let out an ear-piercing cry before he rammed into the cage again. My hands tightened around the wires, finding it harder to hold on.

"Dear Arceus, you're joking right? That stuff is highly dangerous. Whatever you do, don't let your Pokémon breathe it in," Rena warned.

"And if that's too late?" I groaned as Swanna glared at me, opening his mouth to prepare for a more distal attack.

"Then you're screwed because that Pokémon is going to be out of control until it passes through their system!" Rena yelled in my ear. "Get the fu—"

I never heard the end of that sentence. True, I could tell what she was going to say as Rena has a foul mouth, which can sometimes make it predictable of what she has to say, but she was still cut off. A jet of water splashed into my face, causing the earpiece to fall from my ear and land right on ground below me. It snapped into three uneven pieces the moment it touched the ground.

Rena wasn't going to let me hear the end of it once I got back...if I got back.

"Swanna, stop it!" I screamed as Swanna glared at me. "You've got to stop it!"

My cries meant nothing to Swanna as he turned away to gain speed to do another attack. I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed his Poké Ball and tried to return him inside. The red light escaped the Poké Ball, but it did nothing. It just flashed away as Swanna's wing smoothed into a steel gray color. He smacked the roof of the cage at me, which was enough for the wiring to give in, causing me to fall down to the ground below me.

I watched as everything blurred around me. People's voices grew into louder cheers, but suddenly changed into terrified screams. It didn't matter as I saw the ground coming closer and closer until it suddenly stopped. I caught my breath as I looked up, seeing Braviary grabbing ahold of the back of my suit and flew me down into the cage.

The moment my feet touched the ground, Plusle ran to me and wrapped her small little arms around my legs. I picked her up and placed her onto my shoulder, where she nuzzled her small little head into my neck. My hand rested on her head.

"Don't think you're going to get away that easily, Swanna Girl," Gila's voice hissed.

My head snapped to where she stood. I watched as she threw three Poké Balls into the air. The three serpent Pokémon she had always used slithered into the cage to surround me. Their tongues hissed as I looked at each and every one of them as the passed by. Serperior, Arbok, and Seviper all looked very hungry as they hissed.

When I looked up, I realized they weren't the only ones I had to look out for. Swanna dove down from the cage with his beak elongating to use Peck. I didn't have much of a choice as the crowd around me started yelling in excitement.

"Braviary," I yelled, "use Protect!"

The red and blue Pokémon landed in front of me and created a barrier around us. I watched as Swanna flung back a bit, unable to use his Peck attack while Gila's Pokémon waited anxiously for an order from their Trainer.

"How about we see all of them die?" Gila mused. "Today will go down in history as the day the great Swanna Girl and—"

"Freeze! Put your hands up where we can see them!" a voice boomed in the distance.

Everyone turned around to see a huge group of men and women in trench coats bursting through the door with their Pokémon. I froze, recognizing the badge that every single one of them wore proudly on their chest. It was hard enough to hide and keep a low profile, but to have the International Police here? I would be lucky if I made it out of here without being killed or arrested.

Swanna seemed to have taken note of the new people here and flew out of the cage. I watched as he didn't hesitate to attack members of the International Police, not thinking twice about his actions. The criminals that surrounded the cage I was stuck in didn't hesitate in doing the same, throwing their Poké Balls in the air and demanding their Pokémon to do one of two things. They'd either pick a fight with the police force, or they would have their Pokémon Teleport or Fly them out.

I glanced over at Braviary who seemed just as lost as I did. I needed to get Swanna out of here, but with him going psychotic, I wasn't sure if that was possible. There was also a Lunar Wing hidden in here somewhere. Most importantly, Gila still had Plusle's Poké Ball. Without it, she could return Plusle back inside and use her against me.

There was only one thing I could think about doing in that moment.

"Braviary, get Plusle's Poké Ball from Gila, and try to calm down Swanna. Plusle and I are going to make it out of this cage. When we do, I need you to be ready to get us out of here," I instructed.

The Pokémon nodded his head as he took off through the small opening at the top of the cage. I turned around, watching as Gila's Pokémon still circled around me. As they did, I noticed something around Serperior's neck. It was almost hard to see with the green vines that sprouted on her neck. Not only that, but the green pendant around her neck blended in almost perfectly with her scales.

That pendant was no ordinary pendant. As I watched the Pokémon slither around me, I realized it was the Lunar Wing we've been looking for. My hand brushed over my ear to tell Rena the good news and to tell the others, but I soon realized the earpiece broke not long ago.

There was no one else to help me on this. I had to do this on my own.

"Kill her!" Gila screamed.

I snapped my head up to realize she was still standing on the far end of the cage. She smiled before disappearing into the crowd, not wanting to get caught with the others. Before I had a chance to scream at her, Plusle let out a warning cry. I turned around finding Seviper baring his teeth as he lunged at me.

Seviper wasn't the Pokémon I needed. I took a step to the right, which was a mistake. Something slithered around my leg, forcing me to fall on my back. Pain jolted through my spine as a rather large purple Pokémon glared at me. I felt my body tingling with electricity, paralyzing in fear as he wanted easy bait.

"Plusle!" my little Pokémon screamed as she rammed into Arbok. My eyes widened. Plusle was one of the many kinds of Pokémon that serpent-like Pokémon like Arbok ate as food. She wasn't going to make it out alive if she tried to fight.

Pain rippled through my body as I forced myself up into a sitting position. I wasn't going to let Plusle take the fall for me. This wasn't her fight. It was mine.

A Pokémon hissed from behind me. I turned to see both Seviper and Serperior slither towards me. Their tongues flicked in hunger as they saw me. My eyes locked onto the feather that was around Serperior's neck. It didn't matter what kind of pain I was in. I needed that feather for Mienshao or Audino.

I waited until they both decided to strike. As they did, I pushed myself off the ground and snagged the chain with the feather around Serperior's neck. Both Pokémon slammed to the ground, sinking their powerful fangs into the concrete ground.

While I wanted to feel at ease of getting what I needed from the two, a single scream reminded me that there was more to be done. I whirled around finding Plusle trapped inside Arbok's jaws. My eyes widened in fear as she tried to struggle out of there, but there was nothing that could be done unless I did something.

I tried to take a step, but I felt my body freeze in response. Something buzzed around me, forcing me to stay there, unable to move a muscle. I was paralyzed. My hand squeezed around the feather I had taken from Serperior, but I felt nothing.

Arbok smiled in response as he flung Plusle into the air. My eyes widened as I watched her flinging her tiny arms and legs, as though she was trying to fly away. It was all in vain as she just fell down, right into Arbok's mouth.

Yet, the funniest thing happened the moment Plusle fell right into Arbok's mouth. Her body shifted and expanded. What was once cream and red colored fur changed into a fluffier black coat with the tips being red. Plusle wasn't Plusle at all. She, or rather he, was a Zoroark...Lethe's Zoroark.

Something tapped my shoulder. I turned my head to see the little Pokémon had been sitting on my shoulder the entire time. I blinked in confusion, wondering how it was possible. True, I knew the answer. Zoroark had the power to create powerful illusions, but this illusion didn't just fool the three serpents. His illusion tricked me too.

"Braviary!"

I looked up to see a blue and red Pokémon diving into the cage. Plusle leapt from my shoulder and onto Braviary's neck while I leapt up and grabbed onto his feathers. When I looked up, I saw Swanna sitting at the top, looking afraid to get anywhere near me.

One thing was for certain. The purple smoke around his eyes had disappeared.

"She's getting away!" I heard a voice scream as Braviary flew up.

"Get her!" another one joined in.

"Don't let her out of the building!" a third warned.

Braviary and Swanna flew as fast as they could out of the building. As they did, I looked down, finding members of the International Police and criminals alike using their Pokémon's attacks to try and slow us down.

I leaned into Braviary while Swanna used his own attacks to slow them down. As I watched, reality started to settle in. No matter where I went, I would no longer be safe. The wanted posters I've seen hanging up in every region should've been enough to tell me that, but there was just something different seeing people from both sides attacking me.

It was at that moment I realized I was truly alone. My eyes squeezed shut as I tried to ignore everything going around me.

Author's Note:

Important warning before we get into this week's question. The next update for this book will take longer than 2 weeks. I just realized I've got a lot to edit so that these next couple of chapters matches up with latter parts of the book (because ya girl can't make up her mind as to what's going to happen in the end...and no! I'm not bringing in Jirachi!). In addition to editing, I would really like to finish the book so these biweekly updates can change into every week. I hope you all can understand. I will try to have the next chapter up in two weeks, but I can't promise anything.

This week's question: being that all of Gila's serpent Pokémon have made an appearance in a single chapter, I want to know, what is your favorite snake-like Pokémon?

Take care everyone.