"Get back here, you Plasma scum!" I demanded. The three Neo Plasma grunts I had been chasing were only a few yards in front of me. I had been scouring this city for literal weeks and had finally found them and I was not going to let them escape. Manage to defeat them and they run like scared Patrat! I would've laughed if I wasn't all-out sprinting.

The grunts abruptly took a left and fled down a side street leading to Driftveil's cargo yard. Oh no you don't! I thought as I continued to pursue them. Flaris wasn't exactly the best runner, so recalled him and sent Nightwing out in his place. She was able to fly fast enough to keep up with me.

   "Air Cutter!" I yelled. Nightwing spun in midflight and several crescent moon shaped blades shot from her wings. The blades of air slashed into the ground right where the grunts had been moments ago, missing them by a hair. I cursed under my breath. They just got lucky!

   I had won my fifth badge earlier that morning and was heading to Route 6 when I heard a commotion going on near the Driftveil Market. When I saw what was happening, I thought I was hallucinating. Three Neo Plasma grunts were pushing around another Plasma member, only the one being pushed around was dressed in the uniform they wore two years ago. What was even stranger was that the person was trying to fight back against the Neo Plasma grunts. Of course I stepped in and knocked out the Pokémon they were using with Flaris, did they really think they were gonna win against me with a couple of Joltik and a Spheal?

   When we were pretty far into the cargo yard, the grunts finally had the sense to split up. Nope, they weren't getting away this time! "Nightwing, fly up and see if you can find them," I told my Tranquil. She nodded and with a powerful pump of her wings, she pushed herself into the air above the many rows of cargo crates.

   I stopped running and attempted to catch my breath while Nightwing purposefully circled the sky a dozen or so feet above my head. She landed on top of a nearby crate and pointed with her wing in the direction I was headed in the first place. Nightwing squawked loudly as she launched herself into the air. She hovered in place in front of me, waiting. Though I had barely caught my breath, I forced myself to run. I was so close!

   Nightwing led me deeper and deeper into the maze of metal boxes. For a while, it was nothing but sharp turn after turn. After my legs almost gave out on me at one point, I resorted to speed-walking. Wherever these Neo Plasma grunts were hiding, they were at least smart enough to hide in the farthest corner of the yard. Just when I thought Nightwing had officially gotten me lost, I heard voices talking a row over from where I was.

   "We were pursued but we managed to lose him," one voice said.

   "For a kid, he was ridiculously strong. His one Pokemon took all of ours out in a matter of minutes!" another added.

   "Inexcusable... If you let yourselves get caught off-guard again, you'll have to speak to Zinzolin," a third voice said flatly. For some reason, this person's voice sounded eerily familiar. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it though. Whatever, all Neo Plasma grunts were the same. I quietly called Nightwing down and she perched on my shoulder.

   Peering around the corner of the row confirmed that these were the Plasma members I had been chasing for the past twenty odd minutes. Only this time, there were six of them and they had different Pokémon with them. I recognized an Ariados, a hulking Grass-type I didn't know, and a Shiny Liepard. Three of the people were the runaways, and the other three were... definitely familiar. All black clothes, long light-colored hair, and the similar deadpan way they spoke. No, it can't... The awful memory of that day five years ago flashed through my mind and I felt like I was going to be sick. There was not just the one who had attacked me and Lily, but two more?

   I ducked back behind the crate I was hiding near, my heart racing and my stomach tied in knots. No, no, no, I can't believe it! Why is he here? Why are there three? And they still have Pearls! My head was spinning, and I felt incredibly faint. It took me literally having to slap my face to bring me back to my senses.

I let out a shuddering breath. Even though I had finally found Pearls, how was I going to rescue her? I wasn't even listening in on the conversation anymore. Although every instinct I had was screaming at me to run away as fast as I could, I was frozen in place knowing the fact that Pearls was right in front of me. It then suddenly registered with me that everything had gone silent.

   "... There's someone else here," a voice said flatly. Though I was fully hidden by a huge metal crate, I could feel a pair of the men's eyes staring at me. I was flabbergasted. How did he know I was here?

   "Tangrowth, Power Whip."

   I instinctually jumped back from the crate, and just in time too. The terrible sound of tearing metal ripped through the air, and a glowing vine sliced clean through the crate, its end scraping the front of my jacket and carving a jagged tear into the fabric. Startled and scared out of my mind, I fell backwards and let out a cry in tandem with Nightwing as she was equally as scared. I scrambled back as the vine sliced upwards, cutting a third of the crate off. The now separate piece slid down and crashed to the ground, leaving me in full view of the Neo Plasma grunts.

   "It's him!" a female grunt cried. The man standing beside Pearls shook his head disapprovingly.

   "Why did I even believe you in the first place..?" he sighed.

   "You grunts can't even take care of a single child," the man with the Ariados continued.

   "Leave the Triad to take care of such a simple task... Don't any of you let him escape," the man next to the Tangrowth finished.

   Without a second thought I got to my feet and ran, Nightwing flying right beside me. Forget the grunts, forget revenge, forget... Pearls. I had to get away, that was all that mattered at the moment. If I was caught, there was no telling what would happen to me.

   I had only been running for a minute or two when I nearly tripped, not because there was something in my way, but because I was on verge of collapsing from exhaustion. The impact of all the running I had done was now beginning to show its debilitating face, and I had to force myself to put one foot in front of the other. The adrenaline served as an almost painful contrast to what I felt. It pumped through my veins like liquid fire, the only thing keeping me going. My mind told me to run yet the rest of me said otherwise. Whether I wanted to or not, I had to rest. The voices of the grunts sounded far enough away anyways.

   I saw an open crate and ducked into it, praying to Arceus that they hadn't seen where I hid. What if they found me? What if I was caught trying to run? It was a horrific thing to consider, but it was a possibility. Nate and Rosa would need to know what happened if they caught me. Thinking quickly, I switched my Xtransceiver on and recorded a quick message about what was happening. I then took the device off my wrist and attached it to one of Nightwing's legs. She had seen pictures of my friends before, she knew what they looked like.

   "Nightwing, go to Nate and Rosa. Fly as quickly as you can and try not to get caught," I whispered to her. She cocked her head to the side and chirped at me sadly. "Please, Nightwing! I'll be fine. I'm doing this just in case, okay? Now go!" My Tranquil gave me one last sorrowful look before taking off into the sky. I prayed I could do what I said and make it out of there. I steeled myself for the final run I had to make, and left the safety of the container.

   My feet pounded against the ground as I ran. Over the sound of my ragged breathing, I could hear the voices of the grunts and the trio that called themselves the "Triad" close by. Unlike me, they actually knew their way around the cargo yard. I turned a corner into a main aisle when I heard a grunt's voice directly behind me. A hand clamped down on my jacket collar and I heard the one female laughing as I struggled to get free.

   "He's here! I got him!" the woman shouted over her shoulder. "Who's the one running scared now?" She taunted as she tried to get a better hold on me. I screamed, absolute fear coursing through me. I kicked my foot back and felt my heel collide with I thought was the woman's shin. Whatever I hit, at least it made her let go. Stumbling forwards, I was able to regain my balance before I could faceplant. The main aisle connected to the entrance of the cargo yard, I was almost out of there!

   "Ariados, String Shot."

   Something wrapped around my right ankle and pulled back. I was sent sprawling across the ground, my head smacking into the concrete pavement with a painful crack, stunning me. I could do nothing but lay there, immobilized by the shock and agony. My mind felt foggy and my vision was blurred. From out of nowhere, a Triad member began speaking. He had somehow gotten right next to me. But how? I didn't hear any footsteps except the woman's.

   "Did you really think you could escape us?" one of the Triad members said coldly. Once again, I felt a hand grab the back of my collar and I was yanked to my knees. I futility reached up and tried to pull his hands away, but I could only manage to cling on like Remoraid to a Mantine. Exhaustion and pain had robbed me of what little strength I had left. The man put one of his gloved fingers under my chin and lifted my face up to his. I was greeted by the soulless blue eyes of the man— the man, the one who had caused so much pain and terror in my life, the one who had singlehandedly destroyed my little sister's life and ruined mine at the same time. 

   The man stared hard at my face, his eyes narrowing as if he was trying to remember something. With his free hand he let go of my chin and roughly pulled down the front part of my jacket collar, exposing the scar I'd tried to hide for years. His eyes widened by the slightest when he saw it. He glanced up at me, his eyes staring directly into my horrified ones. I couldn't look away from those pale blue irises. "It seems... my suspicions were correct," he said. "I was sure I had killed you. How intriguing."

   I didn't dare say anything, just clenched my jaw in some vain attempt to look intimidating. But I was failing horribly.

   "Leaving you alive back then was a mistake. It's the Shadow Triad's job to silence those who interfere with our orders. You may have escaped death that one time," the man continued. "But that won't happen this time. We never leave a job unfinished. Besides, even if I'm not the one doing it, someone else will. Ghetsis doesn't like eavesdroppers you know." 

   I swallowed hard. Oh Arceus, oh Arceus..!

   "Don't worry... I'll make sure your end is slow and agonizing," the man said, a sadistic edge creeping into his otherwise monotone voice. "Now... shall we?"