I stared into the face of the person who ruined everything. Leftover sleep spores blew in the air, twirling and dancing, finally settling on my unconscious classmates. Her foongus stood protectively in front of her, defiant and daring. I still couldn't believe it knocked out my whole class, managing to spare me. She was powerful, which only made me hate her more.

Her eyes surprised me. They were wide and scared, perhaps on the verge of tears. She was visibly shaking and her forehead glistened with sweat. Something inside of me melted a little, and a small piece of my rage broke away; turning to pity. I almost felt sorry for this girl who was cowering before me now.

I gritted my teeth and hardened my resolve. Remember your sister, I chided myself. Revenge. You can get her stolen purrloin back, and the only person standing in your way is this person in front of you.

I took a step closer. She stood her ground, unflinching.

"So it was you," I said, trying to remain calm. There was no use in blowing up right off the bat. I reached into my pocket and drew out her pendant, set in crystal and hanging on a slender gold chain. She gave an audible gasp of recognition. Her hands left her sides, slowly rising in the air towards my chest. Her fingers clenched and unclenched, like they were unsure of what to do. I curled my fist around the picture of the green-haired man smiling up at us.

"I didn't know." Her chin trembled and her eyes watered. A single tear slipped from her lashes and made a trail down her cheek. Her hand dropped helplessly to her side.

"Didn't know what?" I said gruffly, both my hands clenched in a fist. "That you were part of an organization that kidnaps Pokemon and throws them away?"

"T-they said the P-Pokemon were liberated," she hiccupped, crying freely now. She furiously rubbed at her eyes with her shirt sleeves.

"Liberated?" I shouted. I stormed up to her until her heels were aligned with the edge of the pier. "You believed that bullshit?" She looked back in fright, seeing the ocean waves below her crash against the dock. Grabbing her shoulders, I shook her until she stopped crying.

"I...I..." she looked away from me. I waited, but she was unable to form anymore words.

I shook her again. "Answer me, Whi-two!" I roared. "You believed all that shit that old man was spewing? They took my sister's Pokemon. Her Purrloin was the start of their kidnapping campaign. Do you know how I know this?" Without waiting for a reply, I scrabbled at the lock on the chain and took out a microchip.

"This!" I screamed, shoving it in her face. "I put it in my computer two nights ago, and I found a list of all the Pokemon who were taken away from their trainers. And guess what? My sister is at the very top of the list!" With each sentence, I shook her again.

"You were entrusted with this information," I growled, slipping the chip back into its proper place. "In addition, you were part of Team Plasma- or still are." I paused, my chest heaving. Whi-two didn't meet my eyes.

"Well?" I grabbed Whi-two's chin and forced her to look at me. "What do you have to say for yourself? What are you scheming?"

"Hugh." Whi-two collapsed into my arms. I staggered back under the sudden weight. I wanted to push her away from me. I truly did. But something, a force stronger than the hate burning inside of me, encouraged me to wrap my arms around her. I could feel it; she was at the brink of fleeing, and I needed her to stay.

"Speak." My lips brushed her ear, forming the word. With each sob, her shoulder pounded against my chest. I rocked on my heels, patiently waiting for her to finish. Eventually, the sobs subsided to sniffles.

"I...I didn't know they did that." She spoke into my torso. "They... I mean, my mother's friends told me that Pokemon suffered when they were cooped up inside balls. Trainers that were too weak to handle Pokemon shouldn't be allowed to have them. They said all we were going to do were release the Pokemon back into the wild, where they belonged. They would be happy." Her voice broke, and she took deep breaths to calm herself. Her hair smelled like lavender, and I closed my eyes, breathing in the pleasant fragrance. Now that her guard was down, she seemed like totally different person... smaller and more insecure. It made me feel protective over her.

"But," Whi-two continued, "When I went to help the general manager get his pokemon back, I saw Team Plasma again. They had other stolen Pokemon besides them. But these pokemon were shoved into a corner, tied up and bound like villains. They did nothing to deserve that. At that moment, I realized that not everyone on Team Plasma was like Lord N." She looked up at me, her blue eyes watering again.

"I'm sorry about your sister," she whispered. "I'm sorry about everything that Team Plasma did to you." She stood up straight, setting her shoulders back.

"I'm going to help you." She held out a hand. "If you'll let me. Team Plasma's ways have strayed far from the ideals of Lord N, and I can't allow that to happen. "

I frowned. She seriously was pretty like this, in a lioness sort of way. That was the kind of girl I liked- fierce and courageous. If I could only get her away from Team Plasma, she would make a great...

What was I saying?

I took a few moments to consider her deal. There was a slight possibility that she could be using me, to find her King. On the flip side, however, I sensed that she was truly sorry about what Team Plasma did to me. Could I really trust her? I decided to take that chance. I accepted her outstretched hand and shook it. "Deal." I looked around at my classmates, who were just beginning to stir. Gazing out at the ocean, I could see the Lack Two's spiky hair racing towards us.

Cheren walked forward, his hair sticking up haphazardly.

"Whi-two...?" he inquired, his face expressing concern. "Are you really..."

"She's not," I interrupted, stepping in front of her. "I made a mistake. Sorry."

Cheren raised an eyebrow. "What made you change opinions so quickly, Hugh?"

I shrugged. "I don't know," I responded vaguely. "New evidence, I guess."

In the corner of my eye, I could see Whi Two flash me a quick smile. I made sure to smile back.

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