Falkner slowly pulled a Pokeball from his belt, grinning all the while, as if he was enjoying and savouring the look of uncertainty I was no doubt displaying. I was horrifically tense and completely unsure as to what Falkner was going to do or even could do. My body itched with the need to move, but I was still frozen. To add to my already tightly stretched nerves, the place was deathly quiet, the only movement seeming to come from the folds of Falkner's extravagant outfit flapping in the biting winds. I chewed on my bottom lip, remembering what Falkner had said when we had first met. From the way he had spoken it was like he seriously looked down on people that used Electric Pokemon to take on his beloved Flying types. I had to moisten my lips as my mouth ran dry from nerves. Thoughts invaded my head, twisted around in my mind and clashed viciously. After a moment's consideration, I made a decision. In my heart I knew that I was a good enough trainer that I knew I didn't have to rely on type advantages. I decided I would show this guy exactly what I was made of! Without having to use Electric types!

Falkner released a Pidgeotto first that soared majestically into the air and letting out an ear-piercing shriek. As the Pokemon flew high into the sky, sailing far above our heads, I began calculating. Battling a Flying type Pokemon on the ground was just asking for trouble. I needed a Pokemon that could either get up in the air with that Pidgeotto or had attacks that could reach such a long distance. I mentally ran through my team with these criteria in mind. Cairo was the only one who could fly, but he wasn't exactly the strongest in my team. He was still part Ground type, meaning the majority of his attacks would be totally useless against Flying types. The only moves I could use were Supersonic, Faint Attack and Dragonbreath… and even then I wasn't so sure he could even keep up with Flying Pokemon… I dithered hopelessly before finally deciding that I simply couldn't use Cairo. He could fly, yes, but I felt he just didn't have the physical power or defensive strength to guarantee me that win I so desperately needed.

My pride refused to let me use Meloi for the battle, and omitting Cairo meant I had to decide between Aurora, Monty, Kiba and Indigo. Monty and Indigo weren't strong physical attackers and they didn't have much range on their attacks. So that left me with Aurora and Kiba. Both had their advantages. Aurora had a much wider range of attacks and she had a lot of power behind them, but she was slow and dodging certainly wasn't her strong point. She'd be a sitting target for the bird Pokemon's wickedly fast attacks. Kiba on the other hand was fast and agile, with decent strength and range on his attacks, but he was weak defensively. I floundered for a long time, before eventually making my decision and unhooking a Pokeball. "Kiba! Let's go!"

As my excitable Growlithe burst from the Pokeball with an enthusiastic bark, I saw Falkner's eyebrows twitch. "A Growlithe…" He said in amusement, looking up at his Pidgeotto that was still circling above us. "What an interesting choice."

I had to bite my tongue fiercely to stop myself from responding with a scathing remark. I hated people who made assumptions about an opponent just by the first Pokemon they chose. Gym Leaders seemed especially guilty of this, whether that was justified or not. I clenched my fists tightly as the Gym Proctor stepped forward to issue the rules that I had grown scarily accustomed to hearing. I felt I could recite them right there and then alongside the proctor…

"This will be a two on two Pokemon battle between Gym Leader Falkner and challenger Sienna Volbeda! Use of items is prohibited, and there will be no time limit. You may begin!"

I didn't dare wait to give Falkner any chance and snapped straight into action no sooner had the last syllable left the proctor's lips. "Come on, Kiba!" I shouted, bringing the exuberant puppy Pokemon to attention. "Start off with a Flame Wheel!"

"Groooowl!" Kiba barked obediently, before shooting forth the magnificent spiral of burning fire that was fast becoming his signature move. I tensed, anticipating the flames to burn ferociously right into the Pidgeotto's path, scorching its feathers, but the bird Pokemon merely soared safely out of the way!

"What the…?" I gaped in shock as the Pidgeotto effortlessly evaded the attack, flying straight over my head and circling round again.

Falkner was grinning as the bird Pokemon sailed past the burning flames, which merely burned away into mere glowing embers that fell uselessly to the ground and blinked out. "See! That's how we fly! Now come on, Pidgeotto! Gust!"

I hadn't anticipated the sheer power behind the force of the Pokemon's attack, so instead of ordering Kiba to attack or evade, I simply (and stupidly) stayed quiet, assuming the attack would do barely any damage worth mentioning. I was wrong. The winds the Pidgeotto summoned up were strong. They were almost hurricane force! I was amazed a mere Pidgeotto could make such an awesome display of power! The winds swept up poor Kiba, lifting him up from the security of the ground and sending him hurtling backwards! Panicked, I could do nothing more than shout his name, as no sooner had he hit the ground, the Pidgeotto was soaring above him again! I let out a cry of shock as the Pidgeotto suddenly broke into a dive and sped towards him! I wanted to cover my eyes, stop myself from seeing the vicious attack, but I couldn't. I watched helplessly as the Pidgeotto hit out, slashing its wings straight across my Growlithe's fragile body in a perfectly executed Wing Attack. Kiba shrieked in pain and tried to snap at the Pidgeotto as it hovered nearby, but his efforts were useless. His jaws snapped helplessly together, completely missing the Pidgeotto. For all the difference it could have made, the Pidgeotto could have been miles away…

Once Kiba eventually staggered to his feet, I urged him to use his Fire attacks to attack, but as hot as both his flames and determination initially burned, they fizzled out too quickly. The plumes of fire simply couldn't reach the Pidgeotto who swerved expertly to avoid the rush of flames every time, swooping down just low enough between attacks to deliver nasty, impossibly fast and continually surprisingly powerful Wing Attacks and Gusts. Kiba was under constant attack, bombarded non-stop with barely any reprieve. Eventually, after an intense five minutes of sheer, vicious onslaught, he simply couldn't take it any longer. He collapsed…

I recalled Kiba as soon as he fell to the ground, feeling instantly guilty. My poor Growlithe had simply been destroyed out there by the aerial attacker, and I was in a serious dilemma. What could I do now?

Part of me knew that if I used Meloi, I knew I would practically be guaranteed a victory so long as Meloi got the chance to land the hits. However, there was a huge part of me that didn't want to use Meloi for that exact reason, as mad as that may sound. I know what you're thinking. Why would anyone deny themselves a chance to win when it was right there for the taking? Call me crazy, but I just couldn't see the achievement in winning a battle, even a Gym battle, by relying solely on type advantages. To me, it just felt like… not cheating exactly, but almost like the victory wasn't wholly deserved. Battling wasn't about exploiting weaknesses to me, it was about finding clever strategies so that type advantages and disadvantages barely even came into play. Not only that, but the way Falkner had spoken about Electric Pokemon beating Flying types had cemented it in my mind. I wouldn't rely on Electric types. I wanted to show Falkner and prove to myself I was better than that.

I was still facing a hard dilemma though. I had assumed that long range attacks would have worked just fine with Falkner's beloved bird types, but I had been wrong. They were too fast and agile even for long range attacks. I seriously doubted even Aurora's attacks could reach them. I knew then if I wanted even the slightest chance of beating Falkner, I needed an aerial attacker. However, the only aerial attacker I had was Cairo…

I removed his Pokeball from the belt around my waist and squeezed it tight, willing and wishing for this battle to go well. I then threw it forward, calling his name. "Cairo!"

As my Vibrava buzzed rather erratically into the battleground, Falkner's eyebrow twitched. "Ah, I see. You've finally wised up and decided to use a flyer. Hmm," he nodded, looking Cairo up and down, almost critically, I felt. "But it won't make any difference, you know?"

"We'll see about that!" I cried, looking up at Cairo. "Quickly, Cairo! Supersonic!"

"Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!"

I let out a yelp of shock as the Pidgeotto suddenly broke into a dive. I calculated as fast as my panicked mind would let me. There would be no way Cairo could attack before that thing would be on him. "Dodge it, quick!"

In one moment of blind panic, I had a vision of the Pidgeotto colliding with Cairo and knocking him straight to the ground, ending the battle right there and then. However, to my extreme shock, Cairo let out a confident cry and swerved out of the way, his wings moving so fast they were nothing more than a blur. The Pidgeotto swooped past him safely, but it only missed him by what looked like millimetres. I squeaked in horror as the Pidgeotto flew past me at lightning speed, nearly knocking me over. As the Pidgeotto swerved, turning itself around to begin another assault, I found myself screaming out a command. "Come on, Cairo! Supersonic!"

I remembered only just in time to jam my hands over my ears as Cairo emitted a strange high pitched noise. As soon as it sounded out, I saw the Pidgeotto's eyes suddenly come over glassy and wide as it slowed to a stop, flapping its wings only enough to keep it airborne, but making no other movement. As Falkner yelled for his Pidgeotto to snap out of it and I heard murmurings coming from the stands, I seized my chance, my heart in my mouth. "Now, Cairo! Faint Attack!"

Cairo responded at once. He zoomed towards the dazed Pidgeotto, before suddenly completely disappearing! I heard gasps coming from somewhere at this and I found myself fiercely willing Cairo to put as much strength behind this attack as he could. He didn't disappoint. He reappeared behind the confused Pidgeotto, nailing it with a vicious attack teeming with sheer power! The Pidgeotto cawed in fright and pain as it lurched forward, still too dazed to attack. I felt goosebumps spring up all over my body as I yelled out another command. "Come on, Cairo! Finish this! Use Dragonbreath!

And with that attack, it was over. The Pidgeotto was done. It dropped to the ground, completely overwhelmed by the power of the flames from Cairo's Dragonbreath. I saw a look of displeasure slowly inch across Falkner's face as he slowly recalled his Pidgeotto in a calculating manner.

"You took out one of my best fliers, Sienna Volbeda." He said as he looked down on me with narrowed eyes. "Maybe there's more to you and that Vibrava that meets the eye. Unfortunately though, you're not going to win here. I'm going to show you the ultimate in Flying type power! Let's go, Pidgeot!"

No sooner had I heard that word 'Pidgeot', my heart gave an ominous twist before plummeting sharply to somewhere in my stomach. When the Pidgeot that Falkner had flown in on was released into the fray, I honestly wanted to turn straight around and run out of the battlefield. That Pidgeot was intimidating, with a sharpened beak, huge, beady eyes and was massive. I had thought Scott had owned a big Pidgeot, but this one was just something else. Falkner's Pidgeot was easily as big as Scott's, if not bigger, but while Scott's carried a bit of extra weight and fat where it probably shouldn't, Falkner's was lean, powerful with a wingspan that spanned more feet than I cared to count. I looked at my little Vibrava hovering nervously next to me in the shadow of that beast of a Pidgeot and felt like I wanted to throw up

Cairo was buzzing nervously next to me, and I turned my head to look at him. "What do you think, Cairo?" I murmured nervously. "Think you can do this?"

"Viii…" Cairo buzzed, looking scared.

"You've gotta do it, Cairo…" I told him, putting as much confidence and encouragement into my voice as I could. "You can do it. Now come on! Supersonic, again!"

It seemed Falkner wasn't going to take any chances, as no sooner had the command left my lips, he too was shouting out an order. "Wing Attack!"

With speed I felt was practically undetectable to the human eye, the Pidgeot raced towards my poor Cairo! Cairo was still standing near to me, and the Pidgeot as it rocketed forwards seemed to simply disregard the fact I was there too! It almost collided with me! I had to dive to the side just to avoid being hit! As I steadied myself on my feet once again, I heard Cairo squealing as he was knocked backwards! He flew back at least ten, maybe even twenty feet, his little face twisted in pain. He righted himself, but he looked worn down even from one attack. He was buzzing and droning weakly, his eyes already beginning to lid. I swore under my breath and bit my lip. "Quick, Cairo! Faint Attack!"

"Quick Attack!"

I wanted to let out a triumphant bellow as Cairo disappeared with speed that rivalled the incoming Pidgeot, slamming into it from behind and making the bird call out in a mixture of pain and surprise as it suddenly came under attack. While I knew the attack fell a little short on power and didn't seem to do much damage, it still ended up serving an excellent purpose. The attack distracted the Pidgeot long enough for Cairo to barrage it with a series of Dragonbreaths. The Dragonbreaths ripped across the Pidgeot's body, engulfing it and making it shriek in pain. I tensed as the onslaught slowed and Cairo eventually stopped his attacks. We both paused and watched the Pidgeot as its whole body shuddered, its feathers singed and burned, looking weakened. It looked like it was going to drop at any second. My heart thudded madly in my chest. I dared to hope. Had I done it?! Had I already done it?!

A triumphant look was spreading over Falkner's face though as he looked up at his weakened Pidgeot. "Don't look so confident!" he called out. "Pidgeot! Roost!"

I knew what this move was as soon as Falkner said the word. I knew what was going to happen before I even saw the Pokemon execute it. I wanted to scream out in frustration as the Pokemon regained health and spread its wings once again, looking rejuvenated and even more intimidating than it did before. I swallowed nervously and looked at Cairo. He looked exhausted and frightened in the face of his newly recuperated opponent. I wasn't sure he had enough energy in him to keep attacking, especially if Falkner's Pidgeot was just going to keep on using Roost to heal itself. I could already see this battle degenerating into an endless, frustrating cycle of Cairo attacking and the Pidgeot healing itself until Cairo was simply too weak to fight anymore, making him an easy target to be knocked out I couldn't let that happen! If I wanted any chance of winning then I had to take that Pidgeot out with a strong move and take it out fast. But did Cairo even have any moves that could do that? The only attacking moves Cairo knew were Sand Tomb, Faint Attack and Dragonbreath. Sand Tomb was completely ineffective on Flying types, and Faint Attack and Dragonbreath didn't have enough power behind them to do enough damage in simply one hit! What could I do?!

My mind raced with worst case scenarios and figments of badly formed strategies as I tried to put together some manner of battle plan. Nothing came to me, and my moment of fretting cost me dearly. On Falkner's instruction, the Pidgeot suddenly soared high into the sky, blotting out the light of the sun with its massive shadow. I took a wary step back. I realised what was going to happen far too late…

The Pidgeot suddenly dove forward, speeding towards the ground like a missile closing in on a target. I screamed for Cairo to move, dodge, do anything, but my little Vibrava either was too scared to move or simply couldn't. I yelled out in horror as the Pidgeot collided with Cairo, the two Pokemon slamming into the ground, causing such horrific vibrations that I had a frightening, sudden thought that poor Cairo had been squashed underneath the Pidgeot's bulk, and would be lying there, unconscious, all his bones broken or even worse. After knocking Vibrava to the ground, the Pidgeot flew away and left Cairo in a crumpled heap.

"Cairo!" I called out in fear.

I wanted to run to him, scoop him up in my arms, hold him protectively and defend him from any further attacks. But as instinct kicked in and my feet automatically began moving me forward, I suddenly saw Cairo twitch. He raised his weak head up to the sky and I could have sworn at that moment he was watching the Pidgeot as it slowly circled above us, with a strange sort of longing reflected in his beady eyes. The look in his eyes was so intense, so pure and so desperately sad that it stopped me straight in my tracks. He began buzzing weakly, his wings flapping furiously, but it was useless. Despite his best efforts he just simply couldn't move. He was grounded, too exhausted to even get airborne. He was still staring up at the Pidgeot flying effortlessly above us, looking… almost jealous I thought.

And then suddenly, the most amazing thing happened.

"Viiiiiiiii!"

With a frighteningly high pitched call, a bright light began filling the battlefield. I cried out in surprise as the light beamed across my vision, blinding me, sending dots and circles of fluorescent luminous colour dancing across my eyes. The light was so bright I could barely even see Cairo undergoing the change that evolution brought. I couldn't believe it! I just couldn't believe it! Cairo was evolving! I found myself backing away as the light continued to shine so brightly and so intensely for a few moments that I couldn't even look directly at it. Eventually, the light faded away entirely and a strange calm descended.

And at that moment, I heard a roar so loud and powerful it felt like it should have come from directly beside me and not halfway across the battlefield. I squeaked in surprise, and all of a sudden a flash of something dark streaked across my vision.

"N…no way!" I cried in shock as the magnificent silhouette soared above me, shooting skywards. As it sailed overhead, it blotted out the sun, casting a huge shadow on the battlefield. I squinted into the distance, finally identifying two different winged beasts high above us.

I focused on the unfamiliar shadow. My heart was beating faster and faster as I finally began to process what had just happened. Where there had once been a tiny little Vibrava, there was now a huge, intimidating silhouette of a magnificent Flygon. I staggered backwards, completely astonished and amazed at the sheer bulk and size of the newly evolved Cairo. The Pidgeot was hovering in midair, looking confused, as if trying to work out who this new opponent was and where it had come from. As I stood there gawping uselessly, my new Flygon suddenly powered towards the dazed Pidgeot, disappeared and then reappeared behind it, nailing it with an exceedingly powerful Faint Attack! The momentous force behind the attack sent the Pidgeot lurching forward, winding it momentarily. Evidently in pain, it shrieked and struggled to right itself while I stood there, still snared in the jaws of disbelief. I watched everything that went on in sheer and total amazement. Cairo was strong!

Falkner was also surveying Cairo's actions, looking both surprised and annoyed at the presence of a Flygon where a Vibrava had once been. "Evolution…" Falkner drew the word out slowly. "This has certainly set the Meowth among the Pidgey… but no matter! We can still fly! Pidgeot, Roost!"

I cursed. That move had caught me out once before. I wasn't going to let it catch me out again! "Cairo! Dragonbreath!"

I'd never anticipated the sheer difference in power of Cairo's Dragonbreath after evolution. I knew it was a strong attack, certainly Cairo's best move, and Elliot had told me that Dragon type moves always packed a punch, but I hadn't expected this! The brilliant flames Cairo spat forth roared with at least twice as much power, strength and reach than he had ever been able to produce when he was still a Vibrava. I cried out in shock as the Pidgeot shrieked in pain, encompassed by the attack.

"Pidgeot! Fight back!" Falkner cried as his Pokemon floundered.

"Come on, Cairo!" I willed. "Faint Attack!"

Cairo executed the attack brilliantly once again, slamming his full body weight straight into the Pidgeot. Cairo's sheer bulk was enough to send the Pidgeot hurtling forward towards the ground. It righted itself just before it hit the ground, looking pained and exhausted, barely even recognising the frantic commands Falkner was issuing. It managed to fly higher up again, but could only hover there for barely a moment before Cairo threw himself bodily at it again, dragging the bird Pokemon down at least ten feet, before blasting a Dragonbreath right at it! At that moment, my heart leapt to my mouth. The Pokemon were too high up in the air and against the harsh light of the sun, I couldn't see exactly what was happening.

But the next thing I knew, the Pidgeot was falling.

It was falling, and I half expected (and dreaded) it to suddenly right itself and fly away, but to my amazement it didn't. The Pidgeot plummeted to the ground and I found I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing. I forced my eyes to stay open, suddenly terrified that if I blinked, the whole thing would cease to exist. So I forced my eyes open until they watered, watching that Pidgeot fall down and down and down, before hitting the ground with such a force I felt it ripple through what felt like the entire of the battlefield. An awed gasp escaped me as the giant bird fell and didn't move again.

There was a long, painful silence.

"The winner is challenger Sienna Volbeda!"

I heard my friends cheering and all of a sudden, before I could even contemplate doing anything or even reacting, there was a massive thud as Cairo dropped to the ground next to me. I whipped around just in time for Cairo to shove his massive face into mine with what I could swear was a beaming cheeky grin across his face.

Elation hit me like a wave of water and a broad smile burst across my own face. "Cairo…!" I squealed, throwing my arms around his long neck. "You did it, boy! Well done!"

After hugging the life out of Cairo, I looked back at Falkner. He was looking despondent as he raised the Pokeball to recall his Pidgeot. "Damn… my father's cherished bird Pokemon…" he said sadly, before raising his head to look at me. "You're the first one to beat me since the Gym reopened, you know? Maybe I have a long way to go yet to become the best trainer…"

He suddenly strode up to me, passing something into my hand. I looked down to see a shiny badge reflecting back at me. "Take the Zephyr badge as proof of your win here. And oh, you can have this as well." He fumbled with the folds of his overcoat for a moment before pressing a disc shaped object into my other hand that I instantly recognised as some form of TM. "This is the TM for Roost. Teach it to a Flying type." He then grinned and touched Cairo gently. "Teach it to this guy, actually. He's a fine flyer."

"He is, isn't he?" I said, my chest feeling like it was about to burst from pride.

Falkner nodded, and moved away, stopping only briefly to look up at the stands. "Alright, I'm assuming some of you guys want to challenge me, too? Who's next?"

"Me!" Jasmine said, a little too enthusiastically, getting to her feet. "I'll battle you next."

"Very well, come down." Falkner told Jasmine.

As Jasmine made her way down the stands, Falkner nodded at me and I returned a grin. I stowed the badge in my pocket and slipped the TM into the over-the-shoulder bag I had slung on. The spoils of my win still echoed in my palms and I couldn't help but grin as my new Flygon butted his head into me affectionately.

"Look at you!" I grinned at Cairo, hugging him again, feeling so proud and happy that I could simply burst. "Well done!"

"Sienna!"

Someone was shouting my name and I looked up to see Jasmine stepping out onto the battlefield. She was smiling wryly, impatiently slicking back a tendril of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "You just gonna stay there? You'll get in my way."

"Sorry!" I called back sheepishly.

I recalled my new Flygon, still in shock, and quickly began making my way off the battlefield. It was never a good idea to get in the way or get involved in someone else's battle. Besides the obvious danger of getting hurt, I didn't want to disturb Jasmine or distract her attention. So taking the safe option, I immediately ran off the battlefield.

No sooner had I retreated to the relative safety of the battle sidelines, I felt a strange buzzing and vibrating come from my back pocket. I stood there, momentarily flummoxed and wondering what the hell was going on before common sense finally kicked in. I jammed my hand into the pocket and pulled out my phone which vibrating merrily from an incoming call. I checked the caller ID and I was surprised to see that it was my dad. At that point, alarm bells should have been ringing, but excitement and exhilaration had me in their clutches and any worries or concerns I had of anything being even remotely wrong were completely disregarded.

"Dad! Dad!" I cried into the phone no sooner had I clicked 'accept call'. My excitement was bubbling up like a geyser, desperate to be unleashed upon anyone that could be there to listen. "You'll never guess what!" I screeched, not even giving him the chance to respond. "I just beat Falkner! And I have three Gym Badges! Oh! Oh! And my Vibrava just evolved too! Into a Flygon! Isn't that awesome?!"

There was a silence at the end of the phone.

"Dad?!" I was still laughing from the excitement. "Dad, are you there? Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Sienna."

My dad's voice was solemn. My heart dropped to somewhere in my stomach and the excitement that had been encompassing me completely died away. "Wh… what?"

"Have you seen the news today?"

"N… no…" I admitted, running a hand through my hair, wondering what the hell he was getting at. "Why…?"

For a few moments, Dad didn't speak at all. All I could hear for those agonising moments was the sound of his heavy, ragged breathing. My heart started beating rapidly in my chest and my mouth went dry. When Dad eventually spoke, his voice was trembling. He spoke only one word.

"Nathan."

The one word he spoke was enough to send a chill of fear straight down my spine. Ice crystals burst all over my body and it seemed like all my limbs suddenly seized up. I wanted to speak, say something, say anything but I couldn't. A thousand incomprehensible thoughts slammed together in my mind and for that moment, I was completely incapable of anything. But then suddenly, my feet began to move and I was running. Adrenaline had totally taken me over and I was heading straight out of the battleground, my body completely on autopilot. As I ran, I vaguely registered someone yelling my name and the noises of Dad talking in my ear, but I disregarded them and pushed on.

The gym battleground became corridors, before melting only briefly into cold air and greenery before I burst through into the familiar surroundings of the Pokemon Centre. The place was practically deserted. No trainers were around. Not even the Nurse Joy was at her desk. I sprinted towards the communal television which was turned off. My hands were shaking as I lunged for the remote and snatched it up. It took me several attempts to turn the TV on and frantically punch in the channel number for the news.

When the news first flashed on, everything seemed calm and I dared for that one moment to hope and pray that everything was still alright. Then my eyes picked out a breaking news bulletin on the ticker tape running near the bottom on the screen…

"And now we will remind you of our breaking news—"

An image of Nathan suddenly flashed up onscreen. It was a recent photograph; a prison mugshot. All I had to see were those cold eyes and the prominent burn, a parting gift given to him by Nikki's Magby, and it was enough to send me into fits of terror. I wanted to scream, cry, pass out and throw up all at once and I staggered into a chair, feeling weak and shaky, tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

I only vaguely registered the newscaster speaking and I forced myself to pay attention, even though my body was trembling so much I could barely even hold my phone to my ear.

"—the attack on the high security Hoenn prison took place only a few hours ago from an outside assailant. Preliminary reports indicate that the incident has been contained, however one criminal is suspected missing. Former member of Team Plasma, Nathan Clarke, remanded in custody eighteen months ago for his actions within Unova's most notorious criminal gang, and for additional charges of theft, grievous bodily harm and attempted murder, is suspected to be missing."

At that moment it was like my whole world came to an end.

Author's Note

Well, this is it! This officially marks the beginning of the end. No more filler!

I apologise for the long wait for this chapter. I've had a lot of family commitments over the past week and a bit, but come Thursday, things should go back to normal.

Big thanks to my reviewers!

Shadow Wolf Hikaru, glad you enjoyed the GreenhornShipping fluff. I had fun writing that bit!

ArchXDeath, yeah, I do agree it was a wee bit drawn out, but I wanted to kinda slow the pace down cos it's gonna be quite fast-paced from now on if things work out the way I want them to.

WarriorSwift, Yes, you were totally right! You get a cookie! *gives cookie*

Twisted diction, thank you! Glad you're enjoying it!

TCo BlackRoses, love your reviews as always. Thank you so much; hope this didn't disappoint too much.

TwewyReaperGirl, skirts and dresses, huh? I'm not normally one for them either but I've been wearing a lot more of them recently cos of a certain someone's influence (he'll kill me when he reads this) :P Thanks for the review!

Until next time, guys