"Tangrowth... Power Whip."

   Hearing that command brought back every bad memory I had tried and failed to push away. It did more than dredge up the memories, it made them overflow, filling my mind like a flooded stream overflowing its banks. My first response was to duck, and just as I did the glowing vine arced over me. I could feel the breeze the red-hot flora created when it passed just inches over my head. If I hadn't thought fast and ducked when I did... Arceus, no..!

   "Flaris, Flamethrower! Tesla, use Thunderbolt! Nightwing, use Air Slash!" I began yelling out the names of the moves my teammates knew, saying the first thing that came to mind.

   "Fury Swipes!"

   "Poison Jab!"

   The responding orders left the mouths of the Triad more fiercely than I had ever heard them speak before. I scrambled to my feet and saw the madness that had begun around me. Every one of my Pokémon was already locked in a battle against one or more of the Triad's Pokémon. They outnumbered my team by three and my partners were struggling to make up the numbers they lacked.

   "Power Whip!"

   I instinctively jumped out of the way and right where I was previously standing was a vine buried several inches into the rocky ground, cracks rupturing out from the vine made contact. I looked at Kage and both he and Tangrowth were staring at me. They weren't interested in my Pokémon, I couldn't be more wrong in guessing that.

   "Keep still, and it'll be over faster!" Kage snapped. "Tangrowth, Slam!"

   Tangrowth raised both its arms and slammed them down. Once again I managed to dodge the attack, but just barely. I was no longer in fight mode, my mind flipped a switch and I had turned to flight. I had to get out of here. So long as my Pokémon were preoccupied, they wouldn't be able to help me. Or if I couldn't run, I needed to find a different way to stall Kage. As much as I hated running at this point, it was my one chance at surviving, and I could only dodge for so long until I messed up.

   Kage must have guessed that I was going to run because Tangrowth's attacks began coming from my right, the direction that the cave system was in. To my left was the battling swarm of Pokémon. I couldn't exactly tell who was winning or losing but it looked like my Pokémon were holding up fine.

   As the Power Whips, Slams, and Knock Offs kept coming, I yelled out commands for my teammates while ducking, jumping, and diving away from whatever attack Tangrowth threw at me. It felt like I was running some sort of morbid obstacle course, except that tripping or missing a jump would get me killed.

   At one point, Flaris roasted the two Bisharp he was battling, and I felt a rush of hope that he could help me. My hope was immediately destroyed when the corrupted Pearls leapt onto him and started clawing him. I couldn't do it, I couldn't tell Flaris to hurt her! But I had to. If I didn't, Flaris could be knocked out. I clenched my eyes shut and told Flaris to use Arm Thrust. The disgusting sound of flesh slamming into flesh and hearing Pearls yowl in pain almost made me sick. I'm sorry, Pearls!

   "Tangrowth, use Bind!" Kage's order ripped me back into reality and I tried moving away from whatever attack he was trying to throw at me. Sadly, I wasn't so fortunate this time.

   A thick vine slithered around my ankle and yanked me backwards. I twisted myself onto my back before my head fully made contact with the ground. The vine pulled me back towards its origin point, and I quickly found myself being pulled into the air. I was now dangling upside down from one ankle. Blood rushed to my head, and I felt gravity desperately try to drag me down, the vine the one thing keeping the earthly force from achieving its goal. The resulting pain I felt was... dizzying, to say the least.

   Tangrowth's eyes bore into my own and it slowly raised another vine, as if it was a murderer showing me his weapon of choice. And in this case, it was. I threw my arms over my neck and tucked my head down just as the second vine lashed out. The vine grabbed my left wrist and tore it away from my neck, causing a sharp pain to race up my arm. To my horror, a third vine took hold of my right wrist. I now had both of my wrists ensnared and held out away from me and I was still upside down. That didn't stop me from trying to struggle, but my attempts were halted when the vines tightened, making it feel like my bones were grinding together.

   Kage appeared right in front of me, inches away from my face. "I never really had a chance to get a good look at you," he said. "Our time together in Driftveil was far too short and besides that, it has been five years. People can change so much in that amount of time. But there is one thing about you that hasn't changed in the slightest..." He lightly ran his gloved fingers over the scar on my neck, tracing the deep-red line left behind by his Pokemon's attack. "You're lucky to have gotten away with nothing more than that and a broken arm... it was broken, right?"

   Don't be afraid. You're not afraid, you're not afraid. You're. Not. Afraid!! I repeated the mantra over and over. I wouldn't let Kage know that I was afraid. It would only make him happy to see me scared. But that sense of false bravery led me to do something incredibly stupid. I lashed out and bit Kage's hand. He let out a sharp hiss of pain as I sunk my teeth deeper into his hand. He wrenched his hand away and smacked me across the face.

   "You little wretch!" Kage growled. "And right when I was thinking of making your death quick and painless..." He held something silver in his uninjured hand, and I quickly found out what it was. A knife with wickedly sharp-looking blade. The sight of it made my already churning stomach turn over, and it took every ounce of restraint I had not to scream. "It goes to show how if you give someone an inch, they'll take a mile," Kage said.

   "Don't do this..." I said, my trembling voice seconds away from becoming a cry. You're fine, you're not showing fear.

   "Why shouldn't I? You did just bite me like the little Rattata you are. And the Persian always catches the Rattata," Kage answered slowly, his voice dripping with venom. "Now... where should I start?" He tilted his head, acting like he was examining a fine piece of art. "Perhaps your eyes? I'm sure you wouldn't want to see yourself die."

   That did it.

   "Why do you have to kill me? What did I ever do to you?!" I broke down into tears. "Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! I don't want to die!!" I sobbed. My chest heaved in an effort to draw breath and my throat was already beginning to feel raw. The adrenaline flowing through me was worthless, serving only as weak fuel for my pitiful struggles. I was getting nowhere, and Kage was enjoying every second of my torment.

   "I've told you again and again... I never leave a job unfinished," Kage said as he cupped the side of my face in his hand. He began bringing the knife closer to me.

   "Let me go, just let me go! You'll never see me again, I swear!" I pleaded, turning my head to the side.

   "Stay still!" Kage slashed blindly with his knife and I felt it carve a long slice into my face under my right eye. I screamed as the pain rushed through me and blood began to flow from the cut. The whole side of my face felt like it was burning. I closed my eye when the dripping blood threatened to run into it.

   "Help me, someone help me!" I cried.

   "Crying will get you nowhere... you know that. Now stop squirming, or do you want it to hurt more?"

   I ignored him and kept sobbing, hoping and praying that my cries would be heard. "Flaris, Tesla, somebody help me!" I screamed, clenching both my eyes shut. I felt the tip of the knife scratch my eyelid before I heard the wild screech of a bird Pokémon. I heard Kage yelling and Tangrowth mumbling out what sounded like a cry of pain. I suddenly found myself no longer suspended in the air, and I crashed to the ground, pain erupting from whatever part of me was hit the hardest. I opened my eyes to see Nightwing dive-bombing Kage and Tangrowth. Kage had the sense to vanish, but that meant Tangrowth was the one to take Nightwing's attacks.

   Nightwing hit Tangrowth with Air Slash after Air Slash, carving jagged rips and slicing its green vines to ribbons. For some reason, it wasn't attacking back. How could it? Its vine arms were severed from its body, and the twitching appendages lay around me. Nightwing landed one last Air Slash, and the monstrous Tangrowth toppled forwards, landing flat on its face. I stared at the fallen Grass-type in utter shock. The Pokémon I had feared for the past five years of my life, the creature that had haunted my nightmares, was now unmoving, and some dark part of me hoped that it wouldn't ever move again.

   I looked away from Tangrowth and checked up on how my other teammates were doing. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were winning their battles. While they were beaten and bruised, they were still standing. Nightwing chirped at me and cocked her head.

   "Go help whoever needs it," I said. Nightwing nodded and flew off to assist Citrine in his battle against a Bisharp. I stumbled to my feet, ready to follow her.

   "You!" Kage suddenly reappeared from the shadows of the cave and knocked me to the ground. The next thing I knew, he had me pinned. He no longer had his knife but seemed more than okay with using his hands, which quickly found their target. They locked themselves around my throat in a vice grip, and I was powerless to do anything as he began strangling me.

   "I suppose I'll have to do this myself, won't I?" Kage laughed. The cloth around his face had fallen away, and I could see the warped, sadistic smile that seemed to split his face in two. His demeanor had devolved from a cold, calculated persona to a complete maniac. I knew for a fact that this was the true Kage. Not some silent assassin, but a madman, a rabid Mightyena in Mareep's clothing. The last of my air left me in a cry of shock, and I couldn't draw any more in. I uselessly clawed at his wrists, more than desperate to pull them from my neck.

   From there it was a struggle to stay alive. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't cry for help, I was reduced to futilely trying to remove Kage's hands, writhing all the while. I became truly horrified when dark splotches began overtaking my vision. My strength was fading fast, and I hadn't made the slightest bit of progress.

   "You haven't given up yet?" Kage asked as he watched me struggle and squirm. "I applaud your tenacity. You must really want to live." He tightened his grip, making me flinch. "But even the stubborn have to fall eventually."

   My oxygen-starved mind raced to come up with some sort of plan. The idea I thought of most likely wouldn't work, but I needed to try something. If I had to go down, I would make sure that I was fighting the whole way.

   I painfully forced my legs under Kage, positioning them in what I prayed was the right place. With my remaining strength I kicked my legs out, shoving them against Kage's chest. As I did this, I again tried to pull his hands away. My move caught him off-guard, and he briefly let go of me, falling back from the force of my shove. I pushed myself up onto my elbows, taking in as much oxygen as I could force my lungs to hold. I used this one chance and did the only thing I could.

   "Flaris, Tesla, Nightwing, Citrine, Pandora, Coral, somebody help me!" I screamed as loud as I possibly could despite my throat seizing halfway through. I could do nothing more before I was dragged back down again.

   "That was your plan?!" Kage laughed. "So much for your Pokémon. They won't help you, not before I'm finished with you anyways!"

   I didn't have an ounce of strength left in me, and the lack of air deprived me of what little I had from the start. My hands fell away, and I felt myself go limp. I could only watch as Kage wrung every last dreg of life from me. It was over, it was all over. I prayed that I would pass out soon and this nightmare of fear and pain would end. Nate, Rosa, Lily, Pearls... I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promises.

   "You've finally given up? It was about ti—!" Kage was cut off and the rest of his words came out as a strangled gasp. I was faintly confused why he had stopped talking. The confusion turned to relief when I felt his grip around my throat loosen, then come away entirely in one rough move.

   I struggled to roll over onto my side, taking in as much air as humanly possible when I did. My shallow breaths quickly became strangled inhales as I breathed in all of the air I had lost, though the pain I felt as a result nearly made me stop breathing again. It was like I had swallowed razors and tried to wash it down with dust and sand. I choked on the air I forced myself to take in, soon breaking down into shuddering coughs that almost made me begin gagging. I felt someone wrap their arm around my shoulders and gently push me up into a sitting position, making it so I could breathe better. The splotches gradually left my sight, and I could see who or what had rescued me.

   It was Tesla and Flaris. Flaris was next to me and was the one holding me up, being extra careful not to burn me with the fire that perpetually streamed from his neck.

   "F-Flaris..." I whispered, my voice sounding as rough as sandpaper. What I tried to say next turned into a cough, and Flaris held me tighter in case I were to fall over.

   Tesla on the other hand, was too busy to see if I was okay. He stood a few feet away from Flaris and me, staring intently at something suspended in the air. I then realized that this "something" was Kage. Tesla had extended the two wires that were attached to his back and they were looped around Kage's neck, holding him nearly a dozen feet off the ground. Kage struggled to pull himself free, and whenever he would try to vanish, Tesla would shock him with a weak pulse of electricity, momentarily paralyzing him and keeping him where he was.

   "You clever little wretch..." Kage gagged out. "Turning the tables and putting me in your place. You must be enjoying this so much right now, aren't you?"

   If I had to admit it, I was. Seeing him like that dissolved every last bit of fear I had. It was disturbing to think, but it was beyond satisfying seeing him like that. He deserved it, he deserved it and more. Kage being the one at my mercy filled me with a sick sense of glee more vile than any poison. He was going to pay for everything he'd done to me, to Lily, and to every other Trainer, Pokémon, and everything else in between. He had to pay.

   Through the pain on his face, Kage sneered. "Do it, wretch. Kill me. I'm completely helpless, and I can tell by the look in your eyes that you wish you were the one holding me like this. I'm lower than lowlife, I can admit that. So why don't you do us both a favor and end me." The fighting around us had stopped, and everyone was staring at us.

   "I... I w-want to kill you so bad..! Neo Plasma n-needs to pay for... for what they've done," I hissed, the words catching and tearing on their way out of me.

   "So do it, kill me. All it would take is a strong enough shock or a hard enough slam. You have an arsenal at your disposal."

   Why did he even have to tell me? I was going to do it whether he told me or not. He was going to burn in every fiery pit for his crimes. "Tesla..." I paused, something about this didn't seem right.

   "What are you waiting for? Say the command," Kage said. "'Kill. Him.' It's not that hard."

   It's like he wants me to kill him... What's his goal? My first thought was reverse psychology, that sounded like something Kage would use. But I was more than willing to kill him, so what was he trying to accomplish? I wracked my mind for an answer, during which Kage continued to taunt me. Nobody around us dared to move. They were waiting to see what I did.

   "Do it, wretch. Do... it..." Kage laughed deliriously, his words growing more slurred by the second. He was losing conciousness. If I didn't make my decision now, it would be made for me. "It only takes a move like this... and then it all falls down..."

   That sentence made it all clear. 'It only takes a move like this..?l After killing Kage, what if my hunger for revenge wasn't sated? Who says that I wouldn't go on to kill Shade or Umbra? Or everyone else in Neo Plasma? If I killed him, that wouldn't end anything. Killing Kage would only serve to fuel my never ending hatred for this team. In my effort to achieve what I thought was a noble cause, I would become the threat. Kage's plan was to turn me into a murderer like him, and he would have succeeded if I hadn't come to my senses when I did.

   "No. No, I-I won't..." I stuttered.

   "What? Speak up, wretch. Let everyone hear your ruined voice..."

   "I won't kill you! I won't become a monster like you, Kage!" I shouted, my voice cracking pathetically as I spoke.

   "Oh, but aren't we all monsters in our own right?" Kage chuckled.

   "We might be... but th-that doesn't mean we... we should embrace it! Tesla, drop him."

   Tesla nodded and released Kage. He dropped like a stone, landing on his right side with a crunch I didn't expect to hear. Kage slowly sat up, his left hand immediately grasping his right arm. The pained look on his face coupled with the burnt red marks on his neck from Tesla's electricity and the strange, broken way his right arm hung was so familiar that it was uncanny.

   "Kage, you..." I trailed off.

   "You're spineless, you know that?! Your little brat of a sister had more guts than you!" Kage tried throwing one more insult at me. I pretended I didn't hear it.

   "L-leave me alone, Kage!" I said with as much conviction as I could muster.

   "Don't think that this is over. I'll find you again. And now that I know you won't kill me, it'll make things easier the next time!" Kage laughed. Tesla hissed loudly and his wires shot towards Kage, stopping millimeters from him. He flinched back as one of the sparking wires threatened to stab into his right eye while the other was leveled with his throat. My other Pokemon slowly approached Kage and stared at him, their gazes containing pure malice.

   Though his eyes were filled with hatred for the Triad member, Tesla gave me an understanding smile. I was shocked. All six of them, not just Flaris and Tesla, were trying to protect me. Of course they would, that was what Pokemon were supposed to do for their Trainer. But it was clear that they weren't doing it out of obligation. They were doing it because they wanted to. I smiled back at Tesla and turned my gaze back to Kage. I then said in a deathly deadpan tone, "Just because I won't k-kill you... doesn't mean my... my Pokémon won't." I hated threatening someone like that, but I needed to get my point across. I was shocked to see fear flash across Kage's face. He was actually scared.

    Kage pushed himself to his feet, being careful to avoid Tesla's wires, and stared pensively at me, trying to hide his fear. And he was gone, vanishing like the shadow he was along with Shade and Umbra. They knew they were beaten.

   Once I was sure that they were really gone, I fell back into Flaris' arms, gasping and wheezing. Kage was gone, he was finally gone. The vile feeling of joy I had felt slowly ebbed away, as did everything else. No fear, no anger, no joy, no pain, nothing. I felt numb, completely numb. Oddly enough, the numbness was the best thing I'd felt in days. I spent the next few minutes forcing myself to breathe and trying to regain my strength. This battle wasn't over, it was far from over. Nate and Rosa needed my help, and I promised that I would come running if I had survived.

   While I was resting, I noticed something strange. Unlike the other times the Triad left a battle, they didn't take their Pokémon with them. I looked over to where I last saw Pearls, and she was still there, sprawled out on the ground in a dead faint, the Poké Ball she was kept in laying next to her...