My eyes slowly opened to find myself laying on a bed, or to be more accurate, a hospital bed. I could feel my body aching as I turned over to see a note laying on a stand beside it. It had big letters that spelled out my name. Without reading the note, I could feel my heart beating faster and faster as I had immediately recognized the handwriting.

It took every bit of strength for me to reach that note as it felt like it was slowly inching its way away from me. By the time I grabbed it, I sat up and opened it up.

Sylvia Gray,

I can't believe you were so stupid in going in with Rena on that mission. You could've gotten everyone killed! Don't you realize how dangerous that mission was? I should've gone with you. You should have let me go so I could keep my sister safe.

I just can't believe you dragged Hilda in on it either. The girl was injured enough, and you had to drag her into that mess. I'm very disappointed in you.

This is payback for being with someone else, isn't it?

If so, then I guess this is goodbye.

~Rudi.

My eyes widened at the letter, not wanting to believe any of it was true. Rudi wouldn't have written something like that, would he?

Then I read the third paragraph, or rather, the single line that was there.

This is payback for being with someone else, isn't it?

True, I didn't want him to come because of that, but I mean, I had the right to be mad and not want him to come. I thought we could tell each other anything. I guess I could have confronted him about it, but that would only cause more harm. In the end, I could only picture us fighting once again, which, I didn't want. I hated fighting with him. I hated not being able to tell him what was going on.

If this was how he wanted to play things, then fine, so be it.

I looked around, realizing this wasn't a room I was used to. It wasn't the Pokémon Center, Rena's building, not even the underground hideout we always relocated at. This wasn't even the hospital Hilda was last at.

Something wasn't right.

I jumped out of the bed and looked around, wondering where I was even at. Looking down, I realized I was still in my nurse uniform, but my Poké Balls were nowhere to be found. My heart started to beat a bit faster as I looked for the door.

The minute I saw the door, I ran towards it. But seconds before I could reach it, the door disappeared. As I looked around, I realized there wasn't even a window present.

Sweat poured down my face as I started to run in circles, trying to find a way out of the room. I pressed on the walls, hoping for a trap door. When I couldn't find any, I looked back, finding the room had somehow shrunk since the last time. The walls were caving in and the bed was gone.

Even Rudi's letter had disappeared from my fingers.

I turned around, not knowing what to do. The closer the walls got, the darker the room became until I was consumed by it. Then out of the darkness a pair of eyes blinked into existence. They were the same electrifying blue eyes that haunted every nightmare I had. They stared at me, stared into me. Only this time, I heard a voice along with it. Every word was full of hate.

Stop while you're ahead, the voice warned, Or everyone you love will be ripped away.

"Sylvia!" Rudi's voice yelled. "Wake up, gosh darn it!"

My eyes shot open to see Rudi wearing his Braviary suit without the mask. Of all people, I wasn't expecting to see him, or N, or Hilbert for that matter. Somehow, they all managed to be here. I wasn't going to question it as Rudi looked back at someone while his hands were on my shoulders.

"Why isn't she waking up!" I heard him protest.

I looked around to see myself in Nox's warehouse. Everything was trashed as planks of wood, material scattered the floors with broken beakers and bookshelves all over. The whole place was a mess.

"Rudi, look again." Hilbert's voice said.

I watched as Rudi turned his head to look at me. The moment it did, I could see the tears trying to fight their way out of his eyes. Within seconds, Rudi pulled me up and wrapped me in a hug, not wanting to let go. I looked behind him, seeing Hilda, Hilbert, and N all standing there. N was talking to Hilda about something, though I wasn't sure what they were talking about. Hilbert, however, was staring at me, eyes narrowing.

The place was trashed. As I looked over Rudi's shoulder, I noticed that there were two people missing.

"Rudi," I whispered.

My boyfriend let go of me, and quickly wiped away the tears that didn't escape his eyes. "Don't you do that again. You had me worried."

Instead of commenting, I shook my head, feeling a massive headache rushing over. I just ignored it. "Where's Rena and Nox?"

Rudi exhaled. "They're alright, which is more than I can say for you. What happened?"

I shook my head, not knowing what to believe. Just moments ago, I thought I was already up, but seeing what happened, I wasn't sure anymore.

For all I know, this could still be a part of the nightmare.

Something tapped my shoulder, causing Rudi and me to look. Hilbert knelt down and looked as if he was searching for something as he looked at me. I froze, not sure what to exactly do.

"It was Shade, wasn't it?" Hilbert asked.

"What do you mean? Who's Shade?" Rudi asked.

I ignored Rudi's and slowly nodded my head as I recalled the last few moments before waking up in that hospital bed. It was so weird. All she had to do was tap me on the forehead. After that, everything went blank.

Hilbert shook his head. "What did you see?"

"What do you mean what did she see? Hilbert, she was unconscious," Rudi argued.

I took a deep breath and lowered my gaze, seeing three Poké Balls on my belt. Even if I were to have my teammates out for support to tell the truth, I still wouldn't be ready.

If Rudi wasn't ready to tell me about Gila, then I wasn't ready to tell him about my nightmares. Besides, we had other things to worry about than Rudi's past (if it was a past) or my pointless nightmares.

"Nothing," I lied, "just darkness."

Hilbert didn't look convinced. He opened his mouth to protest when someone spoke up.

"Guys," Hilda's voice said from a distance. "There's something I think you'll all want to see."

Rudi helped me up to my feet keeping his arm around me. I avoided everyone's gazes as I was afraid if I'd look at anyone, someone would know. Hilbert, Rudi, and I walked over to where Nox's work table was. Even as I looked down at the table, rather than seeing Hilbert and N, I could see exactly what I needed to.

My stomach tightened upon seeing the single picture that laid on the table. I held my breath, seeing the scared sapphire eyes of a sixteen year-old girl, her pink hair hanging in knots. Her pink nurse dress was torn as her hands were bound behind her. It was the same picture that Lethe showed me before.

I will do my best to keep Joy safe, Lethe claimed.

Yeah, right.

Then he claimed that Team Oblivion isn't going to stop hurting her until you either stop fighting—

If only that was the truth.

Back when I fought Team Miasma, I always had the choice in whatever I did. I didn't have to fight Hunter Krait on my own the day they attacked the Ferris Wheel. I didn't have to meet Gila for the exchange. I didn't have to face Taipan alone. Those were all choices I made.

Now, it felt like I didn't have a choice. If I fought at all, Joy would end up with the repercussions. I couldn't do that. Joy was my responsibility. The day I agreed to train her was the day I agreed to take care of her and protect her from harm's way.

Some mentor I turned out to be.

"Krait," I heard Hilbert growl under his breath.

I turned to look at him as the brunette shook his head. "I can't tell you how many times she's won, whether she really has or not."

"Are you sure she's not related to the Krait Twins?" I asked.

Everyone turned their heads to look at me. As they did, my fingers tugged at the end of my winter coat, making me realize I had never taken it off in the first place.

Hilbert nodded his head. "We've already been over this subject."

"I know, but I mean, how do you know?" I pointed out. "When we battled the Krait Twins, they fought in fear. By the way Shade fights—"

"It's a coincidence," Hilbert argued.

"Is it though?" I countered.

Hilbert's lip twitched as if he was going to say something about it, but he was quickly beaten by Hilda, who snuck up from behind him and tugged his arm.

"Sylvia does have a point," Hilda pointed out.

"While I agree with Sylvia and Hilda, I'm not sure if Team Oblivion could even get to the Krait Twins." I heard Rudi argue. "I mean, they're locked up in the Nacrene City prison. There's no way of getting them out of there."

I looked back at Rudi, and for the first time, I couldn't read his expression. He did have a point. Back in Nacrene City, Officer Jenny and the rest of the officers made sure no one got in or out of that place, despite it being one of the smaller stations. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"We should check it out though," I offered. "What harm is it going to do us?"

Rudi's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'll go!" Hilda offered.

I turned my head to look at her, seeing Hilbert facing the girl with his arms crossed over his chest.

"No way," Hilbert protested. "Look what happened these past two missions. You're not going because I—because you're not fully recovered yet. There's no way I'm letting you go, not when something could happen again."

"Besides," I heard Rudi said. "I'm going."

I looked at him. Just by the look on his face, I knew there was no turning back. Nothing could change his mind.

The worst part of it all: I wanted to change it. I didn't want him to come. It would've been better if it was just Hilda and me. After all, it would make sense if I went as I personally knew Officer Jenny. She was close friends with Nurse Joy.

Sometimes, it was hard to see one without the other.

"Whatever happens," I heard N speak for the first time, "be careful. Your Pokémon rely on you too much."

I sighed. Yep, there was definitely no getting out of this one, especially if the Christmas tree man thought it was a good idea.

(-o-)

As Rudi and I walked into the Nacrene City police station, I couldn't help but to feel as if someone was watching me once again. I turned my head to look behind me, but there wasn't anything there.

Paranoia, that was all I was feeling, just like back at Rena's Widget's. Not that it really mattered. No one was here. Everything was fine. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Beside, nothing could go bad twice in one day, right?

"Sylvia, Rudi, what are you two doing here?"

I turned my head to see Nurse Joy standing there, looking a bit puzzled as to why I was here. In all honesty, I could ask Joy the same question, that was, until I saw Officer Jenny walking from the back as she unwrapped some bandages from her wrist.

Something must have happened, but as to why Officer Jenny asked Nurse Joy for help was beyond me. Unless, of course, there was something I just wasn't picking up here.

"We were doing some investigating," Rudi explained.

"Officer Jenny," I noticed as the green haired woman stopped right beside Nurse Joy, allowing me to get a better look at her. She looked pretty tired and beat up as I noticed a bump on her head. If she'd worn her hat, I wouldn't have noticed. "Everything alright?"

The officer shook her head. "Best if I talked to the two of you alone."

Nurse Joy looked over at her friend. "What do you mean? They—"

"I know they weren't involved in the crime, Joy, but that doesn't mean they don't have an idea as to what's going on," Officer Jenny stated.

I gulped. This couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Nothing was a coincidence anymore. Instead of saying a word, Rudi and I followed the officer in the back to a small cubical where there was a single desk and chair with papers scattered all over it. I noticed a single picture of Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy standing together on the desk while another picture of over a dozen different Jennys sat for a picture.

Jenny walked over to a standing tac board that had a variety of different strings, connecting different pictures on it. Even at a distance, I could tell whose faces were on there. I recognized nearly every single one. From Hilbert's, Hilda's, and N's faces all the way to Shade Krait's and the two Joys that were on there. I could even see a torn picture of Braviary Man and Swanna Girl in action with Rudi's and my own picture below to clarify who was in action.

Normally, I'd be a bit skeptical as to how Officer Jenny found out who I was. After all, I did everything I could to make sure no one knew about me being Swanna Girl. However, this was Officer Jenny we were talking about. As a member of the police force, it didn't surprise me that they kept tabs on me, making sure I did my job when need be.

It was because of them I wasn't working at the Pokémon Center right now, as I was too emotionally distraught to even run a Pokémon Center until Joy came back. In other words, it was their way to keep people from discovering my secret.

The minute people found out, I would be doomed. 

As I looked at the strings, I noticed a few blue strings hanging from the bottom, as if they used to be connected to something that was no longer there. In addition to that, there was only one picture with a bunch of men and women dressed in black. It was the only one with a black string on it.

They knew what we were doing.

"A few days ago," Officer Jenny explained as she moved some of the strings, "I was knocked out by one of these ninjas."

"Team Oblivion," I whispered.

Officer Jenny looked at me. "Team Oblivion?"

"They're a new organization," Rudi explained. He looked down at one of the papers on Officer Jenny's desk. "And while their motive is unclear, we know they don't make many attacks. When they do, it's usually in secret."

"This of course is with the exception of the Castelia and Nacrene City Pokémon Centers," I added. "I just wish I was fast enough."

"Well, that solves one mystery as to who they are," Officer Jenny said as she took a sharpie from the table, and wrote the organization's name on a paper before pinning it above a lone picture. "Do you know why they would want the Krait Twins?"

I froze.

I knew it.

No one listened to me. Hilbert kept disagreeing with me and no one seemed to take my side as well, but I knew it.

Officer Jenny didn't have to say a word as I figured out what had already happened. I should've realized this sooner. After all, things happened for a reason, as if this was all pages in someone's book to move the story along.

I just refused to play as someone's book character. Team Oblivion might think they know everything, but I was going to make sure I put an end to it all and keep everyone safe.

That was when I saw young Joy's face on the tac board. My heart sank as I let out a sigh. I couldn't help though, could I? Not with Joy getting hurt in the process.

"There's a member." Rudi finally broke the awkward silence I was giving everyone. "Her name's Shade Krait. While I don't know much about her, she is dangerous."

I didn't have to look up at Rudi to see him looking at me. I just looked away from his gaze. All he was trying to do was to get me to open up to him. It was something we used to do so well before this entire thing happened.

Well, except for the day we had our big fight.

"I can tell you one thing. The person that broke Hunter and Archer Krait out wasn't a girl. Whoever he was stole a few of my pieces from my board too," Officer Jenny explained.

I walked over towards the board, trying to see if I couldn't mend the pieces together. It made sense that someone would sabotage her work. Officer Jenny seemed to be wanting to put a stop to this. Team Oblivion wouldn't want that.

My eyes searched, seeing as the only person on Team Oblivion's label was indeed Shade Krait. Whoever else was left of that organization had mysteriously disappeared. I sighed as I looked down, seeing a picture of Rudi and me as Braviary Man and Swanna Girl standing there, only a part of it was ripped off.

It was a part of my face torn diagonally down so that most of my body, including my head, had disappeared from the picture. The only way I could tell it was me was due to the white cloak that was still in the picture, with Swanna somehow beside me.

Whoever sabotaged Jenny's work must've needed that picture for some reason. Instead of wasting time in wondering why, I looked back up at another lone picture.

"That's Shade," I explained as I tapped the photo of the dark-haired woman. "She's dangerous, the most dangerous person I've ever come in contact with."

Officer Jenny lowered her voice so I could be the only one to hear. "She did something to you, didn't she."

I nodded my head, whispering, "Just one touch was all it took for me to black out."

"Fair enough," Officer Jenny didn't seemed convinced as she looked at me, crossing her arms. "If you find out anything with this case, I want you to report it to me pronto."

Once again I nodded my head. "What else have you found, Officer?"

The green-haired woman looked at me, and took a deep breath. "Honestly, every time I look into this case, I run into a dead end, which is why I want your help."

As Officer Jenny turned to walk towards Rudi, I looked back at the tac board, seeing N's picture. In red lettering, the officer wrote Natural Harmonia Gropius: Leader of Team Plasma.

My eyes widened, especially as I remembered something Lethe told me about.

...There's a lot of double agents in everything, even in your little group...don't take it the wrong way when someone betrays you.

Lethe wasn't kidding. I couldn't trust anyone in our group.

Could I even trust Officer Jenny?

I turned to look at Rudi, who was talking to Officer Jenny. Looks like the only person I could trust right now is someone I don't even want to speak to. Sure, I was mad at him, but I mean, I had all rights to be mad. He was with Gila at one point! A criminal mastermind! How could he have done that? How could he have dated her at one point when she was a part of Team Miasma?

Despite all that, something  in my gut told me Rudi was the only one I could really trust.

Author's Note:

Hello! Hope everyone's having a great day! With all this new information about the group, do you think Sylvia's right or wrong about being wary of her group? And if so, who do you think she should or should not be cautious around?

All I'll say is this the events of BW an B2W2 are the same (if you put Hilda into the earlier and Hilbert in the later, and no age gap).

Only time will tell whether she is right or not. Hope you're having a fabulous day! Bye.