Flannery opened the door for me. "After you," she said. I nodded and walked out. To my surprise, conversation had nearly halted. I noticed that Tate had left the main room and that Roxanne's aqua-haired companion was now stacking the stools in a corner. I felt nervous, anxious, concerned, and worried- whatever you want to call it- over the events that would come. Something was off.

Flannery apparently noticed this too and indicated it with a quick blink. She beckoned me to sit down on the ground next to the couch which held Antares, who had stretched his legs out to cover the whole length of it. The green-haired boy had moved to the ground and was absently picking at his fingernail while Liza tried to shove Antares' feet off the arm of the couch so she could sit down. He responded with a yawn and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile Roxanne was staring at Flannery and I as we entered the room. She didn't seem too concerned about it, but her crimson eyes quickly darted away from mine as soon as they met. I didn't quite understand what had happened in the few minutes I had been gone, but the tension in the air seemed to have completely dissolved.

"Well look who's back," Antares said with emphasis on "look." He opened one of his brown eyes and looked straight at me.

Liza sighed in exasperation. "Antares, there's no need to state the obvious." She resumed trying to slide the boy's legs off the couch.

"But that's my special talent!" Antares pouted. "And you are not sitting on this couch arm thing. My feet claimed it first."

The two continued to bicker at each other in a friendly manner but I wasn't paying much attention for something far more interesting caught my eye. It was the boy with green hair. He had a pokeball holster on his belt, and it contained one of the military's most valued items: a shadow ball. My heart hurt for him immediately as I knew what exactly had happened to the pokemon inside.

He didn't seem to notice me though, as he promptly switched to pick at his other hand's nails.

"Alright, you two calm down now," Roxanne finally said after another minute. Liza glared at Antares as he wore a triumphant smirk. She exhaled in frustration and sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor. Flannery sat next to her while I continued to stand.

"You know you can sit down, right Astoria?" Roxanne asked. I nodded in reply, seeming to have lost my voice. She shrugged. "Hey Brawly," she said as she turned her head to the aqua-haired man. He stacked the last stool and looked back at her.

"What?" His voice, unlike Antares, was deeper than I expected, with somewhat of a surfer's accent behind it. Brawly wore a dark blue sweatshirt and cargo shorts, but other than his hair and build, nothing in particular stood out to me. I couldn't even see his double-moon charm.

"Are you ready to get started?"

Brawly shrugged and walked over. "Sure, why not?" He took a seat on the floor and Roxanne sat next to him, a little closer than what the others were to each other.

"So, I assume you know what this is right Astoria?" Roxanne asked me.

I nodded. "Isn't this like an orientation?" As I spoke, my voice came out shakier than I had expected. My hands were already sweaty and clammy, a sign that generally showed my discomfort better than anything else did.

Brawly chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "You just contradicted yourself by asking that question."

I blinked. "I did? Is that a bad thing?"

Roxanne smiled leisurely. "No, not at all. Brawly's just giving you a hard time." For some reason, her openness put me at ease. I slowly sat down, separating myself a little bit from everyone else. I pulled my knees up to my chest and draped my hands over my ankles.

"Anywaaay... I guess some introductions are in order," Brawly said after I settled. He gestured to himself. "I'm guessing you already heard my name, but I'm Brawly. I was living in Dewford Town before everyone on the island got dragged out here."

Dewford Town, I thought. From what I knew, it was on a small island where physically based trainers and pokemon had gone to train in years past. It made sense considering the build Brawly had. He was muscular, but not overly so. It appeared that he was one of the most physically capable of the group.

He then gestured to the green-haired boy who sat closest to me. "Your turn now Wally."

The boy looked up from his hands. "Oh, sorry. Like Brawly said, my name's Wally." Wally had a soft voice, sort of trembling even. In some places, his spiky green hair reached down to about his shoulders. He was wearing a light gray blazer jacket over a pale blue shirt and light colored jeans. I could see the chain of a golden necklace hanging around his neck, where I assumed his little charm was. His exterior appearance gave off the impression of being feeble and weak, but there was some sort of pressure coming from him that reminded me of authority.

I nodded, suddenly shy and humbled.

"Um, Wally, where exactly are you from and what exactly did you do?" Brawly followed up.

"Oops, sorry again," the boy said. "I'm from Petalburg City and I used to be a trainer." He cracked a smile at the end as if to make up for having to speak twice. Underneath that smile however, I could almost feel his sadness.

"Hello Wally," I began. "It's nice to meet you." Wally's icy blue eyes had become dull when he mentioned that he had been a trainer, but he extended a hand nonetheless. I reached towards him and shook it. A sudden thought came to me, but based on his reaction of being a trainer, I decided not to say anything.

"Next time can you please pay better attention?" Brawly said with a sigh. "Now, um, you've already met everyone else, so why don't you guys tell her a little bit more about yourselves?"

Antares groaned. "I'm tired! Can't we get this over with? I have a job in the morning to get to!"

"Please Andy," Roxanne said, using the boy's nickname. "We all have stuff to do tomorrow. Besides, just as a heads-up, Astoria will be tagging along with you tomorrow."

Antares sat straight up in excitement. "Really?!"

Liza smiled and with lightning speed pushed herself from the ground and up on the arm of the couch in an instant. "Yes! I win!"

"Wait, so you were lying about Astoria going with me?" He almost sounded… Disappointed.

Roxanne sighed. "No I wasn't. I should've let you know sooner, but I guess I forgot to tell you." She pushed a lock of her brown hair back behind her ear.

"Wait, what am I doing?" I asked. I was genuinely confused because I thought that Steven would at least have given me a day of settling in.

Roxanne flicked her hand as if she was brushing away a bug. "I'll tell you later. Now where were we? Oh yeah, Andy, it's your turn."

Antares shrugged. "Fine, fine. I'll go. My name's Antares and I'm from Nimbasa City in Unova. I moved to Hoenn when I was younger and now I'm here." He paused. "There, happy now?"

Brawly nodded. "That's good enough. Now, who's next?"

Flannery and Liza both looked at each other as if they expected the other to go. When neither of them said a word and the room filled with silence, I asked the question that had been in the back of my mind for a while.

"So what exactly is it that you guys do?"

Flannery looked at me with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

"Well, um, you are in a division that's part of the military. You must have some significance if you guys exist."

Flannery looked to Brawly for an explanation. His aqua eyes grew dull as they met mine. "It's actually not that complicated," he said. "Basically we're mercenaries for the military. We're loaned out to the highest bidder, whomever that might be for whatever purpose they need. We occasionally do missions without our pokemon, but that happens less and less now."

I stared dumbfounded. "Hold up. You mean to tell me anyone can use you if they have the money?"

Roxanne nodded. "Yeah, if they have some military connection anyway. If we're not in use like right now, then we become default soldiers around the region."

"So I'm a mercenary now?" I whispered half to myself. I didn't know what I thought of the situation, but it wasn't a normal one for sure.

Wally spoke up. "But that's not all we do. If any other divisions need special materials, then we can get those too."

"So, basically we run whatever errand General Stone wants us to," Flannery said flatly. "And those days are just the best."

"Oh." I didn't really know what else to say besides that. Flannery had already told me that they went all around the world, so I couldn't even begin to imagine how many other people out there knew about this small group of nine.

Nine? That was right. There was a ninth person I hadn't met yet.

"So, I'm guessing no one else would like a turn to share?" Brawly asked Flannery and Liza. They both shook their heads. "That's totally fine guys, but Liza, could you tell us about your brother?"

"Why? Is it because he's not here and you're going to make fun of him?" Liza asked. "You know I'll join you guys, but he'll be even more pissed at you all."

Antares laughed. "Fine by me. If he goes into rage mode, maybe a nice hit to the head will help him get back to his normal self."

Flannery eyed him suspiciously. "You'd be the one to hit him Antares?"

"Oh for Groudon's sake no! That would be Liza's job," he said with a chuckle.

Brawly sighed. "Okay then. I guess that's out. So Rox, you have anything to add?"

Roxanne shook her head. "I don't think so, but if you're ready, I can go get Bryndell."

And there it was. The name I had only been hearing fragments of up until now. Bryndell. "Who's Bryndell?" I asked.

Roxanne and Brawly shared a glance. He nodded and said, "You'll see." Roxanne stood up and walked towards the balcony door. She pulled back the curtain, opened the glass door, and took a few steps out.

I noticed that Antares, Liza, Wally and Flannery were exchanging looks with each other, mostly ones that made them look anxious.

Roxanne poked her head out from the behind the door. "Alright guys. You can all come on out here." I stood up immediately despite the fact everyone besides Brawly was acting on-edge and sitting on the ground. Brawly apparently noticed this and beckoned them to stand up, each one taking their time.

I waited for them, unsure of what else to do. Their reactions worried me, made me feel unsafe. Who was this person we were going to see? Was it even a person?

"Geez," Brawly sighed. "You guys really are edgy tonight." He turned to Roxanne's direction. "Y'know what? We'll stay here. Astoria, you go with Roxanne for now."

I wore a worried expression on my face. "Am I going to be okay?" I asked.

The aqua-haired man sighed again. "Yes, you will be fine. Bryndell's not bad at all. These guys are just making her out to be some big, bad head figure. Ignore them."

Brawly's words made me feel a little calmer, but not much. I was still a bit skeptical about this girl I was going to meet and the fact that no one else wanted to was… disheartening.

I nodded half to myself and walked over to the door where Roxanne waited. I looked outside of it and saw nothing but the ocean and a metal balcony. I was confused at first because no water was rushing into the room, but after a quick glare caught a few feet in front of the balcony, I realized a bubble of glass surrounded the area. Because of how dark the water was beyond it though, there were lights on the outside of the building we were in. It actually did surprise me that the building was artificial, but it didn't matter too much.

I turned back to Roxanne and opened my mouth to tell her how pretty it was, but she shook her head and walked onto the metal outside.

"Hey Bryndell? I have someone you need to meet, so get up here!" Roxanne turned around and beckoned me out with her. Without hesitation, I did as she ordered.

"…Really? Is she the last one?"

So a reply came. I was somewhat surprised that someone who secluded themselves out here would answer, but part of me expected it too. Something, however was off. The voice sounded… dead.

"Dang Bryndell! How'd you know it was a girl?"

"Just a… guess." I heard movement under the balcony and in a few seconds saw a woman maybe two years older than Roxanne and Brawly in front of me. Her hair was long- reaching down past her waist. It was a pale blond, and I guessed that in a certain light, it would look white.

But that was not what stood out most about her appearance. I felt guilty almost saying it aloud, but it hard not to be concerned about it. And I could've said anything else about her! Like how pretty her eyes were or how… well, that was about it. I guess nothing about her looked nice. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were dull and empty. She was thin, almost like she hadn't had a meal for weeks.

And then there was her arm. Just her left one though, because the right was gone. Just… gone. Her right shirt sleeve was filled with part of her hair that had been pulled into a long ponytail. Part of me wondered if it was meant to function as a stand-in for her arm, but judging by how her left hand clutched what was left of the other shoulder, I guessed otherwise.

"You can go ahead and say it. I don't really care about it anymore," Bryndell said suddenly. I was forced out of my thoughts and stared back at her in surprise. What did she mean?

In an attempt to draw attention away from the other's missing arm, Roxanne intervened. "Bryndell, this is our last member. Her name's-"

"Let me guess. Astoria Thatc-"

"No!" I shouted as I interrupted Bryndell's response. Suddenly feeling nervous, I continued in a soft voice. "It's Astoria Mizuko."

If Bryndell had any expression in her eyes, I would have guessed she'd look skeptical. "I… see. Interesting last name."

I didn't reply. I couldn't reply. No one was supposed to know what my mother's last name was. I mean, I had let others like Antares know Mizuko was fake, but how could this stranger know my last name? It wasn't logical.

Unless she heard it from someone else.

But I hadn't even told Steven that! Not Phoebe or Sidney, not Brendan or his neighbor friend. I had told no one.

"I apologize if I offended you in any way," Bryndell said after seeing my reaction. Her voice was as dead as before. "It's a rather bad habit of mine to say things without thinking."

"N-no, it's fine…" I replied, my voice trailing off at the end.

Roxanne opened her mouth to say something, but a look from Bryndell silenced her. "Roxanne, you know you don't have to be here," she said. "I know you're stressed over a lot. Go rest."

Roxanne then stood with me in shock. "How could you tell?"

"Do you even need to ask? Your body language was speaking for itself. You haven't slept for days."

I glanced over at Roxanne. She appeared to be standing straight up, hands in her pockets. Nothing seemed to be screaming "fatigued."

"And Astoria, you should probably go to. You're going out with Antares to the mainland tomorrow. If you don't calm your anxiety down before then, I'm sure you'll have issues."

Anxiety? Sure, I'd been feeling nervous all night, but I didn't consider it to be that much of a problem. Actually, the more I thought about it, the more negative thoughts seemed to pile up in my brain.

Accidently, Roxanne and I spoke simultaneously. I tried to say "Thank you, it was nice to meet you" while Roxanne tried to say "Thanks Bryndell." It didn't work out too well.

Bryndell didn't appear to notice though and dismissed us both with a wave of her hand. "Get out of here."

Who is that? I wondered. How did she know all the things she did about us?

But those thoughts would eventually get pushed away, because inevitably Steven Stone showed up right after that.

Tate's POV

I just felt so awful about everything at that moment. I didn't mean to call her those things, I honestly didn't. Everything just sort of tumbled out of my mouth in a jumbled mess.

No, stop thinking about it, I told myself. I had to search my memories, had to search my feelings and find out if that girl really was there three years ago. If she was, then I would have an excuse for calling her a parasite. Personally, I hated people like her who just drifted between alliances whenever it benefited them the most.

But how could I know that for sure? Maybe she finally had made a concrete decision about her loyalties. If that was the case, then I could find her a little more trustworthy, no matter what side Astoria did end up picking.

Certainty is better than uncertainty just as a choice is better if you determine it beforehand. Those were just stupid words that floated around my head for the past few years. Liza called me an idiot. Bryndell called me conflicted. General Stone called me incapable.

But I had to be certain of my loyalty so I wouldn't act like an idiot, so I would no longer be conflicted, and so I could become a little less incapable.

Search your memories. Think hard, remember the pain. Remember the fire. Remember your tears. I dug my nails into my palms, hoping the pain would help spark the memory. It was pretty hopeless though, since the pain caused was a heck of a lot stronger than me drawing a little blood by digging my fingernails in myself.

Focus harder. Liza was there with you, and your parents too. Remember their faces, their names, their voices. It began to come into view slowly but surely. What had once been known as the Mossdeep Gym was a factory, filled with hundreds of workers from across the region. It had the same layout as the gym.

I focused harder on that. There were windows, rows and rows of them. They were blacked out, but even I remember being able to see through them at a few points during the day.

The day. What day was it when it happened? April twenty-third. What time of day? Late afternoon- no- late evening.

I could almost picture it then. Rows of windows let in the last light of the day, men and women sit down after standing all daytime. Idle conversation ensues between us, the children who work there too. And a large sound suddenly echoes through all the halls, shakes us where we stand. Figures fly by outside, ten of them to be exact. The sun keeps sinking even as they flee into the distance. One of the figures has dark hair flowing behind them, almost like the dark haired girl I just met today…

"Tate!"

My eyes snapped open, feeling as though they were never closed in the first place. My hands were slicked with my sweat and my throat was tight. I suddenly found myself on the verge of tears and unable to breathe. I resorted to coughing even though it offered no relief.

"Tate, are you alright?" I recognized Liza's voice almost instantly. She sounded concerned.

Between fits of coughing, I managed to stand myself up and walk over to the door. It recognized my key as soon as I lifted the leg it was on and the door unlocked. My sister rushed in as soon as she could.

"Tate, calm down. Take deep breaths." More coughing. A pain in my chest I didn't even know hurt suddenly intensified.

Liza, I thought to her. It's never been this bad before! I don't know what to do! I can't stop it!

Yes, you can. Focus on my thoughts and it'll go away soon.

In a matter of minutes, Liza's telepathic communication with me settled my coughing and I was on the ground taking extremely deep breaths, per her command.

Liza placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay now?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I must've been trying harder than I should've to bring something back." The ache in my chest was gradually going away, but it scared me a lot more than the coughing. Every time I'd done that before, nothing besides a slight pain in my head or coughing would happen.

Liza looked puzzled. "Hey bro, what were you trying to bring back?"

I met her gaze. "Nothing important."

"It had to have been somewhat important in order for you to be like this," she said as she gestured from my chest up.

I scowled. "I wasn't focusing enough, okay? It didn't work out because my thoughts were conflicted. Nothing more, nothing less."

And there she went with that look that pissed me off so much. I was her brother for Arceus' sake! She had no reason to feel like she had to protect me! I was the one who had to protect her!

Seriously, what was it Tate? she asked. She was playing her little mind game with me again.

N. O. T. H. I. N. G. That spells nothing Liza! Now calm down and leave me alone! I knew it was hard to portray emotion when we talked to each other like that, but I was pretty sure I got the point across.

Liza sighed and stood up. "Well, if you change your mind and want to talk, I'll be next door." She put her hand on the door handle before looking back at me. "Anything else you need?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "Oh yeah. Has Astoria met Bryndell yet?"

Liza nodded back at me. "I think so. If you want, I can talk to Bryndell for you and find out what was troubling Astoria so much. Bryndell's got a good grip on those types of things."

"Yes, I'm well aware. I don't need to be reminded. And no, I don't care 'bout what's bothering her. I just wanted to know if they met."

Liza frowned. "Sometimes I don't get you."

"Yeah, well neither do I."

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you that you and Flannery are staying here tomorrow."

"Oh really?" I asked. "Who's paired up then?"

Liza put a finger to her chin. "Roxanne and Brawly, Astoria and Andy and Wally and I."

Well that's interesting. I expected a little more of a heads-up before she started working with us for real. "Alright. Thanks sis."

"Anytime Brother. You take care and actually get some sleep tomorrow when we're gone, alright?"

"Yep. Sure."

Liza sighed. "You are hopeless. I wish I had a brother who was less stubborn!"

I grinned. "Well, you're kinda stuck with me, so don't complain about it! It hurts my feelings!"

"Whatever you idiot. I'll keep you posted if anything else interesting happens."

And with that she walked out. I heard the automatic click of my door as it locked itself after it shut. Once she was a good distance away from my room, I looked at my palms and noticed they weren't as bloody as they felt.

"That's weird…" I muttered to myself. There were small piercings I made with my nails, but from concentrating like that for a few minutes, I should've caused myself a little more harm.

And just thinking that I failed to hurt myself again made the ache in my chest change to a completely different one.

Hey guys! I apologize for not updating in forever! It's kind of complicated, but I'll try to get stuff done faster(for like the two people out there that are actually reading). And this chapter just kind of wrote itself if you know what I mean.

I also apologize if anyone got confused about my POV change halfway through. It's not permanent, sort of experimental really. Anyway, please review and tell me things that could have made this better for you! I'm feeling kind of lazy right now, so I won't reply to the two reviews I got. But hey, thanks guys for your support!

Hopefully I'll you all soon again!