[4]

-Hoenn-

"What are we supposed to do, Blaze?" the fiery-haired girl asked. The Blaziken standing next to her worked its mouth, and she said, "Right. You don't have any more of an idea than I do."

The tall Pokemon shrugged helplessly. The truth was, he had never been this frightened before. He had had to get his Trainer to safety when strange men in red robes burst into the Gym and started shouting at her. It wasn't difficult; the training she'd given him since he was a Torchic had been intense, and never failed to leave him feeling stronger for the experience.

And yet he had no idea where to go from here. They were hiding out in one of the caves outside of Lavaridge Town for the time being, but… what next? If those men came back, he wasn't sure he could face all of them for long. But still, he wasn't sure his Trainer would do well being on the run.

"I guess there's really not much for it," she said. "We'll have to go into hiding for now. Unfortunately, that means you have to stay in your Poké Ball. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I can stop in at Grandpa's and get a change of clothes, a disguise of some sort. I'll be less obtrusive if people can't see you."

Blaziken reluctantly muttered his assent, and Flannery, almost equally as reluctant, recalled him to his Poké Ball. Hiding it with the others, she crept toward the mouth of the cave and poked her head out. Not seeing anyone nearby, she began sneaking off to the north.

Hours later, she walked out of her grandfather's house in Fallarbor Town, completely unrecognizable as the same person she'd been when she abandoned the Gym. She had donned a fresh set of clothes, including cargo pants, a matching jacket, and a paperboy-style cap, all in a greenish color. It would help hide her in the ash between Fallarbor Town and Lavaridge Town, and wouldn't stand out much anywhere else.

Still, she didn't much care for it. It was too boring, and she'd been forced to cut her hair a little and darken it. She'd worked hard on it, and had become quite proud of it. Oh well, she sighed. I won't do my Gym any good if I'm in jail, will it?

The question was… where did she go from here?

-Sinnoh, Canalave City-

"Miss Cynthia?" He's here," the librarian said in a hushed voice.

"Good. Send him up here," the blond answered. She'd had to alter her appearance, opting to lose the decorations in her hair and the black pantsuit she typically wore for something less obtrusive. Her long hair was worn up in a braid.

Up the stairs walked a man she could always recognize, but only because she'd taken time to go and meet him personally. "Pierce," she said. "It's good to see you again."

"Cynthia," he said, tipping the brim of his hat to her. "You as well. And one of these days, you'll remember to actually call me by my first name instead of my last. It's-"

"I know your name. It just makes more sense to call you Pierce," Cynthia said, cutting him off with a smile. "Don't ask me why."

"If you say so. Like the new look, by the way," he answered.

"It became necessary given recent events. I notice you're still wearing the same kinds of things you did when you formed the Orre League," Cynthia said.

"Well, we are a little more off the beaten path. For example, our last out-of-town visitor was you," Pierce replied. "And yeah, I know. The news has even reached me all the way in Agate Village. Exactly twenty seconds after Sherles left, having come to arrest me as well."

"Pierce, that's… that's horrible. How did you manage to get away?" Cynthia asked.

"I actually had a pretty easy time of it," he answered. "Sherles' heart wasn't really in it. If it had been, he would've sent Johnson out to get me instead. I think he's actually trying to give me a chance, truth be told."

"I see," Cynthia said. She turned in her seat and looked out the window at the sea. "What are we going to do, Pierce? The whole world's been turned upside down, the Champions are on the run… well, except Steven. They got him already."

"They arrested Steven?" Pierce said in alarm. "That's not good. You don't think Lance-"

"No, he's fine," Cynthia answered. "He and his cousin took off long before the real trouble started. They're probably hiding out in one of the Dragon villages. Not even these groups are stupid enough to go out there. And Red, well… when does he ever come down from Mt. Silver?"

"That's true. So it looks like it's… what, us? The few Gym leaders who escaped?" Pierce asked.

"Seems like it. The trick is going to be tracking them down without showing up on any radars. We may be too late in most cases, and I guarantee almost nobody's going to be in their Gyms after this. Well, except for Blaine," Cynthia answered.

"Yeah, I don't imagine anyone wants to be too close to a volcano that just erupted a few years ago. Heck, I was even tempted to set up a base at either Mount Battle or Citadel Isle myself," Pierce said, grinning.

"Why am I not surprised?" Cynthia asked. "Still, though. We should get a move on. Try to get to some of the others before it's too late."

"Before it's too late. You make it sound like we're actually in trouble here," Pierce said.

"Aren't we? You haven't heard the names that are running this new regime, have you?" Pierce shook his head. "Giovanni. Cyrus. Maxie. Archie. Ghetsis."

"And Greevil, right?"

"How did you know?"

"You named the heads of every major crime syndicate in the world. Rocket, Plasma, and Galactic are bad enough. It may take a while, but if they're rallying together, you can bet Cipher won't be far behind. That will be a world of trouble, and it's one we have to avoid at all costs."