When I exchanged looks with Rosa, we both knew what we needed to do. If things kept going the way they did, Zinzolin would call Drayden's bluff, and we would have to fight him along with all of the grunts he brought in order to keep the Splicers safe. And while I knew we could probably handle them, who was to say that they wouldn't call for help? I cautiously looked at Rosa, watching the wordless countdown she had started, heart pounding. Three... two... one! She put her index finger down, and without a moment of hesitation, we bolted.

I soon found myself on an abandoned stretch of road somewhere within the depths of Opelucid City. All of the entranceways to the buildings and alleys were frozen over here, meaning I was stuck running in a straight line. By this point, I was exhausted from all of the running I had done, but I forced myself to keep going. I couldn't stop until I had successfully escaped the city.

My feet crunched rhythmically on the patches of snow and ice covering the street, the noise alarmingly loud in the deafening silence that filled the streets. The frigid air was almost painful to take in and my breaths came out as small white clouds. I wouldn't be exaggerating when I said that the streets were desolate. It was like the apocalypse had taken place and I was the sole survivor. It was hard to believe that so much destruction had occurred in such a short amount of time. I wondered what happened to Hugh and the others, whether they were able to fight off Zinzolin and his lackeys. I shook my head and forced the thought to the back of my mind, I couldn't think about that, not right now.

I had finally reached the end of the street when I heard someone yelling behind me. I turned my head to see four figures in black standing at the end of the street. I couldn't believe how fast they had tracked me down. I turned back and pushed my legs to move faster. I couldn't let them catch me.

My lack of caution caused me to step wrong on a patch of ice and the ground came up to meet me all too quick. Landing painfully on the ice, I slid across the ground, my momentum pushing me farther than I expected. I laid on the numbing ground for a moment, countless pains shooting through me, originating from what parts of me were hit the hardest. The shouts of whoever was chasing me steadily grew louder and my instincts screamed at me to get up. I forced my battered limbs under me and pushed myself up, pure terror forcing me to run. Choosing a random direction, I turned right and ran down the connecting street.

The streets here weren't as frozen, and I suspected that was because Kyurem hadn't lingered in this part of the city for too long. I knew the people had saw me and they would be here at any moment. I saw an open alleyway and got an idea. I turned into the alley, grabbing Saber's ball off my belt as I did so. I let him out and told him to use his Ice Beam on the alley's entrance. Saber unleashed a powerful blast of ice on one of the building's walls. The ice quickly became a thin sheet that stretched from one side of the entrance to the other, which then turned into a moderately thick, cloudy wall.

Once the ice wall was finished, I recalled Saber, flattened myself against the alley wall, and waited, praying that the fake ice wall would be enough to hide me.

I heard their footfalls first, heavy and rapid as they ran down the street. Four dark shapes passed in front of the ice wall... and one of them stopped. The figure walked up to the ice wall, seemed to examine it, and lightly knocked on it, as if testing its thickness. I pressed myself harder against the alley's side and I held my breath. The person then smashed their fist into the ice, cracking it slightly and sending my heart into my throat.

"I know you're there..." the monotone voice of a Triad member said flatly. I choked back the urge to scream and took off down the alley, my heart pounding out of my chest. The sound of smashing ice echoed behind me and I took the first turn I saw.

I continued running through the twisted maze of alleys, each step harder to take than the last. My chest ached, and my throat felt like it was burning. I can't stop, I can't! I kept telling myself. I practically threw myself out of the alleyway system and onto the main streets. My body and mind were at war with each other, one wanted to give up while the other said otherwise. Just a little farther, you can rest once you get out of here!

I was going to turn down another street when the Triad member that was pursuing me suddenly appeared in my path. I skidded to a stop, nearly falling over as I did so.

"Running will get you nowhere," the Triad member said. "Now... you have something I need. Ariados, Poison Jab."

Something jabbed the side of my right leg, sending a bolt of pain through me and making my leg buckle. Before I knew it, I crashed to the ground for the second time. I landed hard on my right shoulder and yet another stab of pain erupted from my right side. I tried to move but I could only muster up enough strength to roll onto my front. I couldn't move another inch; the exhaustion I felt immobilized me. My right arm felt useless, agony coursing through it when I tried to move it. Nausea rose in me at the thought that my shoulder might've been broken.

"Your effort to flee was truly valiant, and I'm amazed that you were able to evade me for so long." The man roughly yanked my backpack away from me, and I cried out when my injured shoulder was twisted back. My exhaustion rendered me useless, not even the insane amounts of adrenaline pumping through me could get me to move. "You're too tired to fight back, aren't you?" the man said, feigning pity. He rifled through the bag, tossing it down once he found what he was looking for.

The man passed the Splicer from one hand to the other, as if he was testing its weight. "I suppose I'm obligated to thank you," he said, "but I've thought of something else. Umbra didn't kill you, so it looks like I have to finish you off myself. Ariados... put this nuisance out of his misery with another Poison Jab."

The large arachnid Pokémon crawled into my line of sight, venom dripping from its pincers. It raised one of its front legs which had begun glowing a sickly purple. I tried to at least roll out of the way but my body had given up on me. I had pushed it way beyond its limits, and I was going to pay for it. I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the Poison-type's spear-like leg to pierce me.

"Midnus, Night Slash!"

The sound of swishing air and Ariados hissing loudly occurred and I flinched, thinking it was attacking. When the blow never came, I cautiously opened one of my eyes to see what had happened. My eyes widened when I saw that someone else had appeared before me. He was a young man around Hilbert's age with short brown hair and gray eyes dressed in a white shirt with a light gray jacket over it, worn tan jeans, black shoes and a black and white cap. Two Pokémon that looked like larger bipedal versions of Illie stood on either side of him, facing the Triad member and his now-fainted Ariados.

"Drop the Splicer and nobody gets hurt," the guy threatened. The Triad member's eyes narrowed and he vanished without a word, taking his Ariados and the Splicer with him. "Hmph, never listens to anyone but Ghetsis," my rescuer said. One of his Pokémon looked at me and barked softly. He nodded in response and quickly asked, "You okay?" in a soft tone.

I weakly shook my head, still breathing too hard to really say anything. He talked so fast that I could hardly understand him.

"Oh... are you hurt, then?"

"M-my arm, it... it hurts too much to move." I managed to get out. The man nodded slowly and kneeled down in front of me. He quickly glanced at one of his Pokémon, which yipped and its eyes glowed green. It reminded me of whenever Illie cast her illusions. He then hesitantly reached out a black gloved hand and touched my right shoulder, pain surging through it again. I bit my tongue to avoid crying out but I still pulled away from his touch.

"You've dislocated your shoulder," he said. "I can help you put it back into place, if you want me to that is. It'll hurt a bit if I do."

"Okay, just make it stop hurting," I whimpered pathetically. He grasped my right wrist and positioned my arm so that it was at a right angle. He then rotated my arm until I heard an audible click from my shoulder that made my stomach lurch. He let go of me and I tested my shoulder, amazed to feel only minimal pain. "Thank you!" I sighed, relieved. "Um, my... my name's Nate," I said, feeling obligated to introduce myself.

"Nice to meet you," he responded. "Call me N."

"N? Like, the letter N?" I asked. He nodded, and I again thanked him for saving me.

"There's no need to thank me, I saw you being attacked and I knew that it wouldn't end well for you if I didn't help. Shade likes to 'put others out of their misery,' as he phrases it. All three of them are predictable to a fault."

"Wait, how do you know who he is?" I asked, finally having enough strength to sit up. My legs still felt like jelly, so I couldn't stand yet.

"Shade, Umbra, and Kage. The Shadow Triad. Well-trained assassins and loyal bodyguards to Ghetsis. I knew Team Plasma back when they first wrecked havoc on Unova. I heard rumors that they were rising again, calling themselves Neo Team Plasma," N sighed. "Truthfully, I came here because of Kyurem. I could tell that it was moved from its dwelling in the Giant Chasm, and I want to return it back to where it belongs."

"Oh, that's interesting to know," I said. N picked up my bag and handed it to me. The fact that a Triad member stole my Splicer made me realize that Rosa was most likely being hunted by the Shadow Triad too. I felt a knot of dread form in my stomach and I feared for my sister's safety.

"Why did you have one of the DNA Splicers with you?" N asked.

"It's a long story," I said hastily.

"I'm listening," he replied simply, arching an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "I don't have time to explain! My sister has the other Splicer and we're trying to keep them away from Neo Plasma. If the Triad came after me, I'm sure they're chasing her. I know she can battle well, but not against the Triad!" I tried to stand, but my legs gave out and I faceplanted onto the ice.

"Don't try to push yourself, you'll end up hurting yourself even more," N warned sternly.

"Rosa's in danger, I can't let her get hurt! She always looks out for me and I want to do the same for her!" I objected, pushing myself up onto my hands and knees.

"You won't be any good to her if you're exhausted! Rest for a few minutes, and I'll help you find her," N said.

"You want to help me?" I asked.

"Shade could come back, and you're obviously in no shape to fight back. Sit back and... try to relax or something," N said quickly, glancing around nervously. I did what he said and sat against the wall of a building. He was right, I couldn't help Rosa if I couldn't move. Every second felt like agony, and I was practically willing myself to regain my strength faster. I knew just thinking wouldn't help but it was all I could think of. It was either do that of think of every horrible scenario that could be happening to Rosa.

The moment I felt I could stand without collapsing, I told N that I was leaving and ran off without waiting for his response. I just couldn't wait any longer. And while my legs and feet ached with every step I took, my fear and slight hope fueled me to keep going. Rosa is strong, she can hold her own, she wouldn't go down without a fight, she's going to be okay.

As N and I made our way down street after icy street, I kept my eyes peeled for any signs that Rosa had been there. I soon then discovered a trail of human footprints and decided to follow them. There were no other signs of human activity and this was the only lead I could find. The prints haphazardly dotted the snow, sometimes in jumbled patches or what could only be described as long strides. It was obvious that whoever created the tracks was in a hurry. Two more sets of prints joined the first, one was a person's and the other some Pokémon's. The Pokémon prints looked like... a feline's.

"No, you won't win this!"

I nearly froze in my tracks when I heard Rosa's shout. N, who was running beside me, noticed my hesitation. "Was that who you're looking for?" he asked, his breathing sounding labored from running so much. I nodded and began listening for another yell.

"Suki, Lucky, Detect!"

Yes, it had to be Rosa. Her voice was coming from a few streets over to the right. I mustered up the last of my energy and followed her shouts. I was close, I had to be.

We turned a corner several streets later and saw them. Not her, them. Rosa was being cornered at a dead end by two Neo Plasma grunts along with the Triad member that was Umbra. I could tell it was him because he had Pearls with him. Pearls was slashing away at two diagonally placed walls of energy created by Suki and Lucky while Rosa cowered behind them, covering her face with her hands. Well, I was pretty sure the blue fox Pokémon alongside Suki was Lucky, it somewhat resembled her anyways.

"Leave her alone!" I yelled, catching everyone's attentions. Umbra noticed N and I and recalled Pearls, vanishing right afterwards. Suki and Lucky didn't let their guards down and continued using Detect even though the move was hardly effective now.

Without breaking stride, N shoved past me and pointed at the grunts. "Midnus, Luna, Punishment!" he yelled. His Pokémon raced towards the grunts and slashed at them with their sharp red claws. The grunts fell to the ground and N approached them. "I met a few of your comrades in Undella Town several days ago. They were 'training' some Pokémon you had no doubt stolen from other Trainers," he said breathlessly. "They didn't take the real punishment I had intended for scum like you, so you two will have to take it instead." He removed a Poké Ball from his bag and let out a huge white Pokémon that sort of resembled Design. It stared down at N with a disapproving stare, its blue eyes squinted slightly. "Trial by fire," N said with a laugh.

"Reshiram?! N-no, don't hurt us!" one of the grunts cried. He scrambled to his feet and heaved his female partner to hers. They both then ran, slipping and sliding their way across the ice until they were out of sight. At that moment, Suki and Lucky's Detect failed and the force fields dissolved away.

I ran to Rosa, ignoring the Pokémon that was apparently Reshiram, and hugged my sister tightly. "I'm so glad I found you! Are you hurt? Did he take your Splicer?!"

"Nate?" her voice came out faint and choked. Once she realized it was me, she hugged me back. "It's you! Thank Arceus! I'm okay, I managed to keep them away from the Splicer. But forget about me, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was attacked by Shade and my Splicer was stolen, but I was saved. I can't believe I let it be stolen..."

Rosa shook her head furiously. "I don't care about that hunk of metal! You're okay and that's all that matters. But... who saved you?" she asked as I let her go. She followed my gaze and saw N standing off to the side, his arms crossed and his shoulders shaking from laughter.

"Run, run, run, like scared little Patrat," N sniggered, covering his mouth in a poor attempt to hide the crazed smile he wore. "Don't be part of Team Plasma unless you're willing to accept the consequences for doing so."

Almost afraid to, I asked, "Hey, you okay..?"

N turned to face Rosa and I. "I'm fine, don't worry." His voice had regained the soft, calm tone it had when I first met him, but he was still smiling. I instinctively took a step back from him, feeling my skin crawl. It was clear that there was something wrong with this guy, no normal person should enjoy threatening someone that much, even if they were part of a criminal organization. "What? What's wrong?" N's smile faded and he looked at me, confused.

"You were..." I trailed off and N gave me a concerned look. "Nothing's wrong, just forget about it." I tried to dismiss it and changed the subject.

"You were the one who saved my brother, right? My name is Rosa." She extended a hand to him. N eyed it warily and shoved his own hands into his jacket pockets.

"Call me N," he said. "These are my Zoroark, Midnus and Luna. And this is Dream." He looked to the white Pokémon, who was still staring down at its Trainer.

Rosa's brow furrowed and she frowned. "Your name is N?" She seemed to thinking, then her eyes lit up with recognition. "Do you know anyone named Hilbert by any chance?"

"Hilbert Idelle? I couldn't forget him if I tried!" N smiled.

"I knew it!" Rosa said triumphantly.

"You know this guy?" I asked.

"No, I don't. I heard the name from Bianca. She was talking to Hilbert back in Undella Town, and she said that his hairstyle reminded her of someone called N," Rosa replied.

N laughed. "Hilbert copied my hair? Well, he did always look up to me."

"Um, you look nothing like him," I commented.

N touched the back of his neck and nodded. "I suppose since you're friends with Hilbert, I don't really have any need to keep this deception going. Midnus, drop the illusion." One of his Zoroark's eyes flashed green. N's hair changed from brown to a light green color and it unfurled into a long Ponyta-tail that reached his waist. His eyes turned from light gray to a piercing ice-blue. "I sometimes forget that I'm using an illusion, honestly," he said, readjusting his hat.

"Did you teach Hilbert that trick? He wouldn't go outside without casting an illusion," I said. My gaze had been caught by Dream and she looked at me curiously, her head tilted to the side. I felt nothing but intimidated by her, yet I somehow knew that she wouldn't hurt us. She gave off an air of peace, and it comforted me. If this Dragon really was Reshiram, then that would make N the Hero of Truth... right?

"It's the other way around, actually..." N paused. All three of us picked up on the shouts coming from the next street over. "They must have called for reinforcements. I can tell that you two have quite a few questions to ask, and it's the same for me. Maybe asking them in a more hidden location would be in order."

"Wait, you claim that you know Hilbert, but how can we be sure that you can be trusted?" I interjected.

N seemed taken aback but only for a moment. He shook his head and said, "I wouldn't lie to you. After all, it wouldn't be right if the Hero of Truth was a liar."