I struggled at my bindings uselessly as Falkner lounged on his fancy, comfortable, throne-like chair. He sent me a bored look and rolled his eyes. “You’re only going to exhaust yourself, you know. Just quit while you’re ahead.”

            “And how in Arceus’s name is this ahead?” I snapped bitterly. He was actually right about exhausting myself- I’d woken up from the Zubat bite late this morning, and it was probably like eleven pm by now. “You tied me to a chair! Speaking of which, this thing is uncomfortable. We should switch spots.”

            “No, I think I’ll stay in my deluxe leather recliner. And if I untie you you’ll just run off.”

            “If Giovanni does manage to accomplish taking over the world or whatever, you will be a horrible co-ruler.”

            “And why is that?” Falkner sighed tiredly.

            “You’re cruel to your subjects, forcing them to be in pain!”

            “You’re my subject now? In that case, polish my shoes for me, peasant.”

            “No! You aren’t worthy. Now, give me the leather chair, this wooden one is going to mess up my back!”

            “For the final time, you are not getting my chair. So shut up. And apparently I have to stress this because you’re an idiot, but Giovanni isn’t someone who cares about his underlings.”

            “Then why are you working for him, dunderhead?”

            We bickered like siblings, which was probably the most normal thing that had happened to me all day. Unfortunately, I didn’t really have much of an effect, because he was just as spiteful as me, and I was really in no position to argue. Falkner had tied me to a chair with my arms wrapped around the back, and he bound my wrists with duct tape. You’d think that I’d be begging for him to let me go, or at least be worried about what was going to happen to me, but instead I was complaining about the unpleasantness of being strapped to a hard wooden chair.

            “This thing is too small for me,” I complained. “If you knew I was tall, couldn’t you have at least prepared a better chair? The edges are digging into my spine.” Maybe Giovanni was right when he said I needed to get my priorities straight.

            Falkner groaned. “Is there a single day that goes by when you don’t complain about something?” He asked in exasperation.

            I shrugged. “Probably not.” Falkner’s response was an eye roll.

            “You aren’t worried about what’s going to happen to you?”

            “Well, of course I am! It’s just that today your stupidity has put me and my friend through a lot of crap. Your minions stole our Pokémon, you’ve slammed both our heads against the floor, someone choked me, and Giovanni broke Luna’s hand!”

            He scowled. “Exactly how is that my problem?” Falkner questioned.

            “Because I’m going to sit here and complain until you do something about it!”

            “I’m done with this nonsense.” Falkner said, standing up. “Why don’t you try asking me a question that doesn’t concern my chair? In the past three hours, you’ve been kidnapped, beaten, and had the biggest shock of your life. But you’re focused on getting a more comfortable seat!”

            “I thought you said I had to wait and find out what was going to happen to me,” I taunted, sticking my tongue out like an idiot.

            “Well, right now it doesn’t matter since it’s inevitable in the long run, and I’m willing to answer almost anything to get you to shut up.”

            I beamed. “Okay! Here’s a question: When can I have your chair?”

            “You are not getting it; I thought I made that clear!” Falkner snapped. His rubbed his temples and sighed. “Alright, I’m going to explain to you why you’re here, if you promise me you’ll stop complaining about your seating arrangements.”

            I pondered this for a moment, then relented. “Fine. But only because I plan to use this information to blackmail you. Payback time is near!”

            “Whatever you say.” He growled, sitting back down. “Alright. I already told you that Giovanni needed someone on his side to have a connection with outside people-”

            “Yeah, yeah.” I said, squirming miserably in the chair. “Now get on with the important stuff already. I know you like to hear yourself talk, but I have better things to do than sit here.”

            Falkner scowled at me, but decided to ignore my insult. “Well, here’s thing. We needed someone to cause a stir in the media. You already did with your Pokémon stealing stunt, and adding on your disappearance really brought your name into the limelight.” I wrung my hands while he talked and stretched my fingers as far as I could. I could almost reach my back pocket…

            “Anyways, Jared, we needed you to be noticed by the whole region before we could use you for what we wanted. And it worked. People know your name well; you’re always on the news nowadays. Being my brother only attracts more attention from news reporters and whatnot. Basically, our plan was to find some way for everyone to feel sorry for you, and be much more willing to…help you out, than if you were just an average kid off the streets. When they found out you were ‘dead,’ all their hatred completely disappeared and they pitied you. People are stupid sheep, and that’s exactly why Team Rocket excels.”

            “How heart warming, you want people to care about me. Now get to the damn point, oh ‘Elegant Master of Flying!’”

            “Okay, fine. I’ll just say it- we’re ransoming mom and dad, using you.”

            “Wow, you really are high in the sky!” I groaned. Seriously, could Team Rocket be any stupider?

            “It’s not as simple as that.” Falkner snorted. “We knew that if everyone knew your name, mom and dad would have a lot of pressure on them to make sure you were returned safely- or the whole family would be hated. Can you imagine? The famous Walker, abandoning his son to die?”

            “Yes. I can imagine that.”

            Falkner shrugged and continued his explanation. “Team Rocket needs money, so this is a surefire way of getting sufficient funds. Besides, the police are much too afraid of us to actually try and stop the operation. They’ll collect information on our plans and whereabouts, but ultimately it’s up to Champion Lance and the other high ranking Trainers of Johto to shut us down. And they haven’t succeeded yet.”

            “Seriously, of all things you could’ve possibly done to earn money for your Armageddon equipment or whatever, you’re ransoming your own brother? Do you not see how this could have a few fall backs?” I snarled.

            “Would you rather we robbed a bank?” He inquired sneeringly.

            “Hmm, let me think. I’m tied up fifty feet underground and my only friend’s hand was broken by your boss. So…yes, I would definitely like it better if you’d robbed a bank, numb skull!” I shouted.

            “Well, too bad. We’ve already gotten this far. And besides, you know about larceny pretty well, don’t you? People aren’t afraid of thieves. They’re angered by them. And that’s not a particularly hard process to stop, so the police would probably get involved with a robbery, whereas they’ll be hiding under their beds for something as dangerous as a kid held at gunpoint.”

            “Ugh, this is boring. If you’re going to use me for getting cash, at least tell me why you stole my Igglybuff and Smeargle. And if you need me alive, why’d Gigi’s captor try to kill me?”

            Falkner snorted. “You think we cared about that Pokémon? It was only an incentive for you to come after her and walk right into our trap. And then the Smeargle was taken away just so he couldn’t help you escape. They’re probably in a cage or something for storage. I don’t know; that’s lower rank work. As for the grunt who stole your precious puffball, he was a grunt who probably thought we only wanted the Igglybuff. He didn’t know it was to lure you here- you see, Giovanni doesn’t always tell all his employees the full plan. Any other brilliant questions?”

            I thought for a moment. “Yeah. Why’d you act so concerned about me when you were tied up?” Falkner was silent for a moment before responding carefully.

            “I wasn’t ready for you to know I was part of Team Rocket; I didn’t even know you were here yet. It came as quiet a shock to me. I was simply calling for help, because Giovanni had locked me in that room, and then you showed up…I couldn’t let you know so early, not when you still had a chance at escaping. But if screamed loud enough for you to leave, someone would catch you. Then Giovanni became angry, and let it slip. But it doesn’t matter; I trust his judgment. And he did a pretty good job of keeping you from leaving the well.”

            I wrinkled my nose at him, but didn’t bother replying. I was reaching into my back pocket…aha! Got it! I pulled the Zephyr Badge from my jeans pocket, and holding it behind me, attempted to cut the duct tape that bound my wrists together. I held it awkwardly between three fingers and kept missing the tape, but I knew if I could scrape it a few times, I’d be able to free my hands.

            “Now that you know everything I’m going to risk telling you…do you honestly still think you’re better than me?” Falkner smirked, reaching behind me and plucking the Zephyr Badge from my fingers.

            “Yep,” I replied, wriggling my hands. I’d managed to cut through a layer before he had noticed the Badge. The duct tape fell off in a coil and I did something I’d been wanting to for very long time. I slapped Falkner across the face.

            “Why you-” He grabbed at me, but I stood up quickly, my ankles still tied to the legs of the chair. I hobbled towards the door, hissing as the exertion made my bad foot throb with pain.

            Leave to Falkner to be the one who crushed my hopes- or rather, bones. “You’re staying right here!” He growled, sitting on my back shoving my face against the floor.

            “No way! You’re insane; I’m not sticking around this place!” The good thing was that he when tackled me to the ground, the tape around my ankles had come loose, and I managed to rip myself away from the chair. I thrashed beneath him, trying to get up. While he used my face as a mop, I grabbed the Zephyr Badge from where it had clattered to the ground. I struggled to roll over, and slashed the piece of metal across his arm.

            Falkner let go of me, shrieking as blood began to well up out of the cut. “Y-you cut my arm!” He exclaimed, gripping his left bicep to stop the blood. Wow, what a genius. That statement was just…philosophical.

I leaped to my feet and grabbed the roll of the duct tape from his chair. “Here, why don’t I patch it up with this?” I growled, lunging for him.

            We crashed into the wall and I held him against it, literally taping him to the wall by his arms and legs. “Release me this instant, Jared!” Falkner demanded as I stepped away from him, proudly inspecting my work.

            “What are you going to do, tell daddy? Nah, I won’t let you go. I think I’ll sit in your chair.” I did exactly that, and bounced up and down on it for good measure. Falkner glared at me, not making an attempt to free himself. I stood up and walked towards the door. “See ya, bro!”

            “You’ll let me go, I know you will. You’re bluffing. You’d never actually hurt your own family member- so just make this easier on both of us and let me down from here,” Falkner tried.

            I started laughing. “Like I’m going to do that. You really are crazy!”

            He growled and kicked against the wall with a foot he’d manage to get loose. “Fine, then. I can get out of here easily, and I’ll just come after you that way!”

            I snorted. “Okay, but remember to put on your straitjacket- it’s cold outside.” I heard him screaming at me as I ran out of the room and down the hall.

            I knew that, within minutes, everyone would know I had escaped the room, with all Falkner’s screaming. When I’d walked into Falkner’s office, he paged Giovanni and warned him that Luna and I had gotten out, and she hadn’t been caught. Which was actually his fault. But I knew now that they really didn’t care about Luna- she’d been dragged into this because of me. Where could she have gone to look for the Pokémon? I traced our steps back to the place where we’d been imprisoned, and then chose a different path than we’d taken to get to Falkner.

            Sprinting down the hallway, I peeked into every doorway I passed. Surprisingly, none of them held Rocket grunts or other workers. I didn’t find Luna, but I didn’t find any enemies either. Just like before. It was really starting to freak me out, because I had a feeling that if I was ambushed it would not go over well. I skidded to a stop in front of a door when I heard the sound of a Pokémon cry. It was an Igglybuff!

            I entered the room, a bit more carefully than before, and gazed around. There were cages lining the walls, but most of them were empty. I did see a few Pokémon, however- and one was Gigi! I ran towards to her, relief flooding me, and studied the bars that held her captive. The door was locked, but luckily I still had the Zephyr Badge. I snickered as I picked the lock. I bet Falkner was really regretting giving me this thing right now.

            “Are you okay, Gigi?” I asked, pulling her out of the cramped cage. She didn’t respond, but instead snuggled into my arms gratefully. I held her close and looked around frantically for Romeo and Luna’s Umbreon. Nothing. I sighed and was about to leave the room when I heard a whimper.

         My eyebrows knitted in confusion as something made a shuffling sound. Was I hearing things? I hoped so, because otherwise there was something else in the room with me. Out of reflex, I looked to Gigi for advice, but she only buried her face in my shirt. I frowned at her. She must’ve been really scared; usually she wasn’t so…timid.

             I heard the noise again and slowly inched towards it. As I neared the sound, I realized that there was a closet in the room, obscured from view by stacks of empty cages, and that’s where the sounds were coming from. I groaned inwardly, having a feeling that I would soon regret this. I was pretty sure it was a human; at least, that’s what it sounded like. Who knows what Team Rocket could be harboring? It was clear that they could be an unpredictable group.

          I took a deep breath, grasped the closet handle, and flung the door open like in horror movies. No aliens, no monsters, no serial killers. Instead…Bugsy. He wasn’t tied up like Falkner, but tears were streaking down his face. To my surprise, he flung himself at me, nearly crushing Gigi, and held me tightly. I stiffened in shock while he bawled. What was going on here? Why is the Azalea Town gym leader hiding in a closet underground? I can’t handle this. No, no, no. I don’t like crying…make it stop…

       “Jack!” He wailed. “It’s you! I thought…I thought you were someone coming to look for me. I…I’m scared. They-they took my Scyther and I ran away from them, but I’m stuck here! Wh-what if they come for me? Help, please!” he sobbed against me. I stood there for a moment, frozen, as Bugsy cried hysterically. It reminded me that he was still a child- as mature and intelligent as he could be, he wasn’t old enough to deal with something like this and be able to put on a brave face.

            “What…what the hell is going on here?” I wondered aloud, head reeling. Today has got to be at the top of my Weirdest Days list. It was also extremely nerve wracking. I should just have a mental breakdown right here, and spiral into madness. I could live in a delusional world where I eat rainbows and swim in rivers of melted chocolate. Yeah. That sounded like a good alternative to my current situation.

            “Team Rocket. They…a bunch of people with red Rs on their shirts came to the gym, and they took me away to this place, and then they stole Scyther, and-and they tried to lock me up in a room but I ran away from them and I found this place and hid!” Bugsy cried, his whole body shaking.

            I sighed and patted his head, hoping that it was comforting. I really am horrible with people. “I’m sorry that happened, Bugsy…” I sighed. “Do you know why they tried to hurt you?”

            “N-no. But they weren’t grunts, because they wore different outfits. They kept talking about the Jared Wilson person though.” Bugsy sniffled and wiped his face clean of tears, stepping back. His eyes were still puffy and red from crying. “And it sounds like they think he’s still alive…”

            I looked at the boy nervously, then down at Gigi. Should I just come clean, before he figures it out? It might be better in the long run. But he might get really angry or freaked out, and run off and get himself in danger. Then again, we were already in a perilous situation. “Well…Bugsy, Jared is still alive…” I said hesitantly.

            He blinked at me curiously. “What makes you say that?” He asked.

            Here goes. “Because…I’m Jared.”

            Bugsy stared at me for a long moment, then slapped me upside the head. “You’ve gone insane. Snap out of it!”

            “No, really.” I replied warily, rubbing my head. I was going to have a concussion by the end of the day. With a sigh, I pulled out the brown contacts and showed him my naturally green eyes. Then I pointed to the top of my head, where hair roots were starting to grow in black. “See? If you take away the hair and eye color…which is faked, but whatever. If you do that…you can easily tell who I am.”

            He looked me over warily. Then I watched as the realization hit Bugsy, and his eyes widened. “It was you all along?” He whispered. “You stole a Pokémon and pretended to die? And then challenged my gym? But…why?” Bugsy was backing up into the closet.

            “It’s a long story,” I responded tiredly. “Just calm down, and listen. We need to find Luna and get out of here. If they brought you here for the same reason as me, well, it’s not going to pretty…tell me, exactly how rich is your family?”

            “Y-you’re crazy!” He screamed, pushing past me. “Stay away from me!” And in a blur, he charged out the door and disappeared. I groaned and placed Gigi on my head. Great, now I have a ten year old with PTSD to track down, as well as Luna and Romeo. Screw my life.