A/N: Those of you who come to this page, please listen. I am currently overloaded with several projects and I recently got a job at a local store chain that sends me out almost like a freelance agent to whichever shop needs my assistance most. My time is seriously being eaten up by these guys and I don't have much choice but to go along with it because I really need the money to pay my bills and debts. It may seem like I've been ignoring PC: UoS, but the fact is, I've been trying to work on it whenever my time is open for it. I want to get the next chapter done with the same quality I've always had in my stories, and rushing the next chapter to get it posted will very probably ruin it and not be as satisfying to read and write as the previous chapters. Please bear with me just a little longer. Thanks for listening.

Ch 10

For a moment, Seth wasn't sure he was hearing things correctly, so he asked the nurse again. Once more, in that same cheerfully patient voice, the nurse repeated her answer and Seth had the sudden urge to sink the island right then and there.

"You're telling me that I can't access my Pokémon storage system from here?" he growled out through tightly clenched teeth. The nurse just smiled sweetly at him.

"Nope, sorry! Our network connection isn't powerful enough to reach the mainlands, so if you came here from Orre, then you can only use the Pokémon that are in your current team." she remarked brightly, "Also, if you have a full team already, you won't be able to capture more Pokémon because they won't be able to be transported to your storage space."

"The Sevii Islands suck!" Jupiter griped angrily as Seth stalked out the Center, "This whole place sucks! We can't swap Pokémon, we're stuck living on a jet with creepy Ein, and we can't grab any new Pokémon, whether we catch them or snag them!"

"This place deserves more than a rainstorm. They need a hurricane. Knock some sense into their heads and make 'em hurry up with their network issues." Pluto agreed viciously.

"This whole thing had better be worth five million bucks." Seth grumbled under his breath and the image of Rui bloomed in his mind. He turned a deep shade of red and pulled the visor down again, ignoring the knowing snickers of the twins. "Okay, okay. She's worth all the crap I'm going through. Enough, guys." he murmured, grinning despite himself. He whistled and the two snapped to attention. "Let's get back. It's almost dinnertime and I could eat enough to beat the whole army in a contest."

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Ein immediately asked upon his return to the jet. Seth glared at him pointedly.

"The only reason you ask about that is because I've got your precious data. Leave me alone." he grumbled, sour mood returning now that he was back in a place that was both boring and shared with one of the many people he had hoped he would never see again. He slumped into a chair and sighed in boredom. "Red, rain's coming. Expected to hit Floe Island by tonight." he announced and the older trainer looked at him.

"Are you going to do anything about it?" he asked and Seth scowled. "I was only asking. Pikachu doesn't like putting on the watertight gear."

"Does everybody want me to use my power to screw with the weather! Leave it alone! Leave me alone!" the Snagger yelled and slouched back in the seat. Pulling the PDA free after a moment, he flipped it open and studied the inbox. After a moment, he blinked in confusion. Why hadn't Rui written back? She always wrote back when he e-mailed her. He tapped open a new message and began writing. "Rui, is everything okay? You haven't written back. Is something wrong?" he murmured mostly to himself and sent the mail off. "There anything made for dinner?" Seth finally asked aloud, glaring over at the scientist in the corner.

"Do I look like a chef? You've regained enough strength on your own, get your own bloody food!" Ein grumbled, scribbling away at something in his tattered notebook. The Eons shot him a disgusted look as they both got up and trotted towards the small kitchen.

"Never mind him. We'll poke around and see what's here. When are we going to the next island?" Jupiter remarked.

"It's dark enough now." Red suddenly answered and Seth turned to watch him in surprise. The older trainer started up the jet and the Snagger felt his stomach lurch just a touch at the vertical takeoff. He may have gotten over the fear of flight, but that didn't mean the feeling of it was any less disconcerting.

"I hate flying." Seth grumbled under his breath and gazed out the window worriedly, "Rui, what's happening in Zirconia? Is something going on that I should worry about?"

Rui stared dully out her window at the ocean, watching the last few shreds of daylight die away. Her mind had cleared once she was brought back to her room, and the message from the servant that led her here had made her stomach drop, her heart sinking so far it could have fallen from the earth into oblivion. How could everything have been so wonderful just a few days ago, only to become so heart-wrenchingly horrible?

"Seth!" she yelled at the window, yearning for her voice to carry out and float on the winds of the incoming rainstorms, "Seth! Find me! Save me, please!" The other girls were still in a daze, slumped in their beds as they tried to clear their minds. No one was around to help her, and without a plan she couldn't risk Neptune and Saturn.

Sobbing, Rui sank to her knees and covered her face with her hands. Apolo was ruining everything! All because he wanted power, because he wanted to control people and money, she would have to marry him and all her dreams would vanish.

And Seth! Rui's cries soared in volume at the sudden thought of how the Snagger would react if he ever knew. The only thing keeping him sane, keeping him alive and encouraging him to change from bad guy to hero was her; if she was married off and he was to learn of it... Rather than destroy the world, Seth would probably destroy himself, all to keep Orre safe and to let her live on.

But what good was living if she and Seth were separated forever?

That thought seemed to have clicked on something in her mind. Rui lifted her gaze to the window, staring out at the stormy night as the rumble of thunder and the flashes of lightning filled the sky. How oddly appropriate; the violent swirls of darkness and storm raging outside her window was so much like the whirlwind of despair and heartache within her.

Where was her desert prince? Why wasn't he coming to save her? Because he believed she was safe in Orre, safe in Zirconia, waiting for him to finish his task of collecting money so he could return in triumph and carry her away to a life of love and joy. She laughed bitterly. Oh, he'd return to Zirconia all right, and when he learned that she wasn't there he'd unleash Raykyoudon's wrath upon the city and then go off to kill himself somewhere. Wonderful. Just ruin Orre's future like that, Apolo, uncaring wretch.

"And everything goes to hell." Rui whispered as she got to her feet and continued looking out at the storm that now covered the island and the neighboring one, "Tempest of the southern sea, hide this tragic night for me." She reached out, opened the vast window and stepped out to the balcony just beyond it. Immediately she was drenched in water, the rain hiding her tears as she gazed down over the banister at the grassy meadow below her.

"If I can't be with Seth in life, then I'll go to death and wait for him to join me." she whispered, eyes wide with fear of her own unnatural decision. Now she could see why Seth hated heights so long ago; it was so inviting, the idea of just falling and falling and falling...

Rain on Floe Island made the job a little harder. Again Red and Pikachu split off from Seth and the twins to search the island. Pikachu was not pleased with the Snagger's refusal to alter the weather, but quickly shrugged it off and raced into darkness. Seth darted for the cover of house interiors, drying off a little each time he entered a home.

"Man, this is worse than the storms we get in Orre!" Pluto sighed deprecatingly, resisting the urge to shake himself off in the living room of a young woman's house. He stood to let Seth dry him down with a towel with Jupiter anxiously waiting his turn. "Remind me not to pick on you as much about getting caught in the rain, Seth. This really is depressing." The Snagger nodded slowly, pulling the towel free and motioning to Jupiter for the next treatment.

While they worked on drying off, Pluto wandered the house, sniffing around for Silver's scent. Without contact with either of the other two girls, the only real method of silent searching they had were the Eons' noses. Logically, wherever Silver was, the other two girls would be there as well. So he sniffed around, and despite being thorough and hopeful, the Umbreon found nothing. He trotted back to the others in frustration.

"Nothing." he reported as Jupiter watched him from where he stood, getting his fur patted down with the damp cloth. The Espeon tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm really not liking this whole mission." he finally grumbled, "If we're dealing with a businessman who potentially has a lot of power and influence here, why are we bothering with a bunch of small houses? Shouldn't we be searching for corporate buildings or something?"

"I don't think the Sevii Islands can support a corporation's base of operations like that." Seth murmured, stripping off the dripping wet jacket and Snag Machine to let them dry for a bit, "Realgam Tower would probably sink one of these things." He ran his hands through his hair, trying to regain some semblance of his hairstyle; the rain soaked it through, flattening it down and making it cling to his face and neck. There would be no salvaging of the spiky coif tonight. He sighed and shrugged helplessly. "We just have to do it this way." Jupiter snorted.

"I still don't like it. I just have this feeling that we're being set up." he pressed and blinked at Seth's sudden glare.

"We're not being herded into anything. This is Red we're talking about. I trust the guy. We're alike." he argued, "Why would he want to do anything underhanded to us? We're helping him get the girls back."

"Just something stinks about all this." the Espeon muttered as the Snagger redressed and looked out the window in apprehension. No choice, he had to get back out in that downpour. With a sigh, he slipped outside, followed by the Eons.

The clouds swirled above her, raging against the sea and land, the wind's fury tore at the forests, battered small houses, and stole the breath from Rui's lungs as she stood on the balcony. This was what she was reduced to? This night, this moment, staring down at the beach so far away, lit up only when flashes of lightning deigned to cut through the sky? Was this the only fate she was allowed to have because she loved Seth enough to protect him this way?

Rui closed her eyes, held out her arms for balance. Whatever dreams she had, she held them close to her heart, forced the image of her shining desert prince into her mind. He would be her last vision; she had promised herself this long ago, when the journey to save Shadow Pokémon had its darkest, bleakest moments.

She took a deep breath.

The Eons halted dead in their tracks, stared over their shoulders as Seth suddenly dropped to his knees and gazed into the darkness, a horrified expression on his face. Zinc oxide strip long since washed away by the rain, hair clinging to his cheeks and forehead, he looked a mess. But this new feature, this sudden turn from sullen and depressed young man to stunned and terrified boy, was especially worrisome to the twins.

"Seth? What is it?" Pluto asked in concern, trotting back to him. The Snagger didn't answer, hands lifting to clutch the front of his jacket as the rain pounded down on his defenseless head. There was a squeak of pain that issued from his mouth, but nothing else. Jupiter cocked his head, flicking his dual-ended tail in anxiety as he joined his brother.

"Seth, c'mon. What's going on? Why are you... like this?" he whispered, growing fearful of the stretch of time that was passing, "We can't stay out here like this." Pluto mirrored his twin's expression.

"It's dangerous to be this exposed. We're not used to this kind of weather. Seth, get up. We're going back to the jet." he told the young thief. Seth didn't seem to hear him, a whimpering rising from his throat as his eyes grew wider. "Seth! Snap out of it!" the Umbreon barked harshly and snapped a look at his twin. The Espeon understood immediately, turning to lash his tail against Seth's cheek. The Snagger reacted just as quickly, hand flying up to the injured skin as he stared in shock at his partners.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jupiter demanded shakily. Seth ran his fingers through his hair, a perplexed look on his face.

"I... I don't know... I felt... something wrong... Like, something was hurting so bad..." he stammered brokenly, his mind grasping at the feeling that was rapidly vanishing from him, "Rui... I want to be with Rui... now..." He scrambled to his feet, whirled and stumbled towards the black jet that was sheltered in a copse of trees not far from the eastern shores of Floe Island. The Eons leaped into action, loping alongside him as they made their way back to base. "I have to be with Rui! I need to be with Rui! Now!" the Snagger panted, disoriented mind locked on that single force, the urge to return to his love's side.

"NO!" Flannery's voice yelled out. Rui dimly felt several pairs of hands grab her arms and clothes, yanking her from the edge of oblivion and into the embraces of her friends.

"What were you thinking? Rui!" Silver shouted in a mix of rage and horror. Leaf sobbed loudly, eyes spilling tears and emotion as she clung to the older girl.

"Why! Why were you...?" she bawled, her hat gone, brown hair disheveled, "If I... if I was just... a little... late...!" Rui blinked as her full awareness returned and looked around at the other girls.

"Wh-what? Why... did you stop me?" she asked in confusion, "This is the only way I can save him." Silver gave her a resounding slap across the face, glaring as the redhead's eyes went wide, then narrowed in pain and anger. "You didn't have to hit me, Silver! You don't understand anything!" she yelled.

"The only thing I don't understand is how you've lost enough of your mind to think that jumping out there is gonna help Seth!" the Johto Champion snapped back, "Get yourself together, girl! What would Seth think of you if he knew his strong girlfriend just broke down and tried to chicken out of this situation?" Rui sank to the carpet, ignoring the large puddle of water that soaked it from her clothes, from the others'.

"You don't understand." she repeated dully, "Apolo... he wants to marry me... to get control of Seth." She heard the startled gasps of her friends and closed her eyes, willing away the tears that threatened to destroy what little composure she had recovered. "He doesn't know what else to do to find out what Seth has to control Orre, so he's going to marry me and use that to force Seth into telling him whatever he wants." She held her arms tightly and bowed her head, shivering. "The wedding is supposed to take place when the rain stops. I wish Seth could make it rain forever, so I could never marry Apolo." The girls looked at each other with grim expressions on their faces. A quick nod of silent agreement and Silver looked back down at the redhead.

"Let's escape tonight, Rui. We'll get out of here and find a way back to the mainlands." she decided, "We may not have a plan or any idea of how this building is set up, but we can't afford to stay here any longer." Rui blinked up at her in shock. "You're the only one of us who can battle right now. It'll be up to you to help us get to wherever our Pokémon are being stashed." the Johto Champion went on and clenched her hands into fists, "Think you're up for it?"

For a moment, Rui was silent, staring up at her friends with a strangely apprehensive look. Finally, she stood, the expression changing to one of a fierce determination. She returned the nod and lifted her fingers to her earrings.

"Let me get into some dry clothes. Then we're busting out of here!" she hissed, "I'll be damned before I let that jerk try to use me!"

"You're dripping all over the floor, you blasted little cretin!" Ein bellowed in a fury, "Don't you have any idea who gets stuck cleaning that up?" Seth ignored him, gasping for air as he stood his ground in the belly of the jet, glaring at older trainer sitting calmly in the cockpit.

"Take me back to Orre!" he demanded, "I've got to get to Rui!" Red glanced back over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes.

"We can't go back. We haven't found the girls yet." he answered coldly, "My mission isn't complete, and you're stuck with me until it's done. Five million, remember?" The Snagger growled harshly, shaking his head.

"I don't care about the money! Rui's in trouble! There's something wrong; I just know it!" he yelled back, "I have to get to Orre!"

"Oh, so now you're a Psychic-type Pokémon, too?" the trainer asked coolly, "I'm fairly sure that none of the DNA bits that made you up comes from a Psychic Pokémon." The fact that the young thief suddenly flared angrily, golden eyes shining almost inhumanly bright, didn't seem to concern him. "Unless you plan on ripping the storm out there to bits and flying back on your own two wings, you're going to have to wait it out here." Seth opened his mouth to protest further and Red suddenly bared his teeth, a feral growl escaping him as the Second Soul reached out and slammed squarely into the Snagger.

"Ugh!" Seth grunted softly, stumbling backwards and falling into his seat, the Eons looking back at him with startled expressions as Ein cried in alarm. The Snagger squirmed feebly, then glared at the older trainer, finding himself unable to move.

"You're not leaving this plane, and you're not going back to Orre. We have a job to finish." Red snarled, "I'm not going to lose my fiancée, half-sister and target just because of your stupid little hunches!" The Pikachu sitting by him glanced between the two of them, a strangely guilty expression on his face. Jupiter and Pluto stepped forward, growling.

"What are you doing, Chosen?" the Espeon spat out, "How dare you use the Second Soul like that on Seth!" Red shot them a warning look and though the twins flinched, they didn't back down.

"So what if you're the Chosen Master? That doesn't give you the right to force control over our partner like that! We came to help you! Is this how you pay us back?" Pluto demanded, angered by the situation. "If Seth says something's wrong with Rui, then something's wrong and we have the right to go back to her!"

"Not now." Red only said and turned back to his laptop, "Our readings came up negative. Did you find anything?"

Seth struggled against the bindings of the Second Soul for a few more seconds, then sighed harshly and answered with a bitter, "Nothing." This mission was starting to turn weird; was Jupiter onto something when he said that he didn't trust the whole plot? Was Red hiding something from him? Why? What could it be? Weren't they friends enough to be on equal terms?

Probably not, as Seth was still a Pokémon in the end and Red, as Chosen Master, could technically be master over him as well as the twin Eons that finally stepped back from Red to join him. The Snagger sighed again, softer this time, and tried to lift an arm. It felt like lead, refusing to budge from where it rested by his lap. Ein looked confused, gaze snapping between Snagger and trainer as he tried to grasp what had just taken place.

"Can you at least let me go now?" Seth finally muttered in annoyance. Red glanced back at him again, irritation marked clearly on his face.

"Sleep." he commanded and the Snagger slumped in his chair, chin resting on his chest as the Second Soul forced him into an unnatural slumber.

"Hey! Cheater!" Jupiter snapped as the trainer turned away and Ein gathered the courage to poke at Seth's shoulder in curiosity.

"He needs the rest and he was beginning to annoy me." Red grumbled and gave the laptop screen a forlorn expression, "I just hope that he has a better chance of getting through this than I did..."