So I've been undergoing a fun little "side project" of drawing all the dexholders when they're older(like, early twenties). It's been a lot of fun! Additionally, I'm on such a roll… Idk if the quarantine is driving me to do this out of sheer boredom or if my stress levels are down, but I just am really cranking out chapters!

Amy47101 does not own pokémon, only her OCs, Sara Knight/Agent Blitz, Vale, and the Bennet family.

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The Adventure Saga

The Truth Behind Us

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Start Date: June 2nd, X017

Current Date: November 1st, X017

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The sun had long since set, as Hilda ran through the small path in order to hopefully catch up with Black. According to him, this route would take maybe six hours to cover, depending on weather and how much they stopped to rest.

"The sun is setting, Hilda." Eevee spoke from her arms as she stopped, bracing herself against a tree and heaving out breaths of air. "Call the others back. We've been going all day, we need to stop and rest."

"I know." Hilda exhaled. Bringing her fingers to her lips, she whistled, loudly. Now it was just a matter of waiting for her pokémon to come back.

Stopping was probably a bad idea. She could feel her shins burning and her legs felt like jello. Her lungs were burning for air. Hilda considered herself decently fit, but she was no track star or, in Black's case, super secret agent with special training. Glancing at her X-transciever, she groaned. Signal was still poor as hell, and the time…

"Dammit… It's already five…"

It was November. The sun was going to be down by six, and it wasn't safe to travel in the dark. Plus, it was way, way colder on this side of Unova than in Nuvema town. The cold was already causing the grass to crust over with frost. She was going to have to stop and get a fire going before it got any colder.

She knew this that she needed to stop. The cold air was stinging her lungs, reminding her that she would be stupid to keep going. But she didn't want to stop. Considering that N left after her, and the Triad before him, she knew Black might be in the middle of a crazy sandwhich. She was also taking into factor his mental state previously, despite expressing a calmer demeanor and outlook, worried Hilda.

"I know I need to stop, Eevee, but I'm worried about Black." Hilda muttered.

"But we need to remember when to stop." Eevee advised her, cool-headed as always. "It's dangerous to travel in the cold and in the dark."

"All the more reason to find him!" Hilda exclaimed. "We've got supplies and shit…"

"Hilda, just think for a moment. Use your head instead of your heart for a minute. Is stumbling in the dark really, really going to help him?"

Hilda ground her teeth together. She knew the answer to that question, but it didn't ease her worries. She heard a mighty flap of Braviary's wings. Glancing up, she saw Victini had extinguished his little fires that he was using to light up the night. She also heard more noises, and Zebstrika crashed through the bushes while Lilligant came through a little more gracefully.

"Anything, you guys?"

"We didn't see anything from above," Braviary answered.

"It got to dark to see through the trees." Victini crossed his little arms. "We wouldn't be able to see a campfire, the trees are making it harder to see."

"Lilligant? Zebstrika?" Hilda was surprised by the amount of worry in her voice. Lilligant's face fell.

"I couldn't find him." Zebstrika sighed. "I crashed through all sorts of things trying to see where the hell he was hiding. No luck."

"I really tried, Hil-da…" Lilligant had tears forming around her eyes. Hilda sighed, patting her on the head.

"I know you did, you always do your best. All of you." glancing around, she frowned. "Where's Dewott?"

No one answered. Hilda brought her fingers to her lips again, and whistled, then waited. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as Dewott darted into her field of vision.

"Hey, what took you so long? Why didn't you come the first time?"

"I found something and wanted to grab it. I came running as fast as I could." Dewott answered with a somber look on his face. Coming up to her, he held up a familiar hat. Hilda felt her stomach sink. Black's hat…

Black was stupidly insecure about the way his hair stuck up all crazy-like. So much so she was certain he slept with that hat on. While she wasn't trying to discount Black as being nothing more than vain, it wasn't like him to just loose his hat. Taking the hat from him. She flipped it over and, to her surprise, saw something tucked away in the brim. Setting Eevee down, she carefully pried the piece of paper out.

Quietly, she unfolded it, and was surprised that it was a picture, or rather, two. The newer one was of them back in Nimbassa, on one of the many rides. It was a tiny little wallet photo that was taken en route, so neither of them looked exactly good in this picture. Hilda was in front, grinning like a madwoman while Black was behind her, a faceful of her ponytail smacking him in the face. There was obvious disgust as he turned his head away, trying to get her hair out of his mouth.

Next to it was a much older picture, meant for a picture frame. It showed a man that looked disturbingly like Black, with blond hair straightened down with jell and a sharp, piercing blue gaze that sent made Hilda think he commanded authority. He had his arms crossed behind his back, clearly wanting no connection at all to the people standing around him. Next to him was a woman with wavy brown hair and warm brown eyes. She had a big smile on her face, almost the polar opposite of the man beside her. In her arms was a small baby, maybe a year old, wearing a pale pink dress. She had a thick head of brown hair like her mother and pretty blue eyes like her father. Then, way at the bottom, clinging to his mothers free hand, in between the adults, was a small boy. His brown hair was shiny, like they had tried to smooth it down for the picture, but a couple stubborn strands stuck up on the crest of his bangs.

Was this Black and his family…?

This only solidified that maybe he clung so tightly to this hat for less than simple vanity. If he was tucking away pictures inside it and all...

"Was there anything else?" Hilda asked, scrambling to tuck the photos away where they were before. "Any clues? Anything at all?"

"No, the hat was just laying there." Dewott said simply. Hilda took the hat, staring at it. She felt really conflicted right now. She couldn't call him, had no clue where he was, and knew that he was perusing the Triad. The same set of triplets who proved they could subdue him, at least in a two on one fight. What the hell could they do if it were three on one…?

"Just fifteen more minutes." she glanced at Eevee. "The sun should set closer to six. Fifteen more minutes and I'll set up camp."

"… I find that to be an agreeable compromise." Eevee said simply. "But we stay out of our pokéballs, in case something happens."

"Fine by me," she turned to Dewott. "Show me where you found this."

"Easy!" turning and gesturing for them to follow. "This way, everyone!"

Dewott led the way with Hilda chasing after him, the rest of her pokémon flanking her as they chased after him. Considering she was sprinting and searching for who knows how long, it didn't feel like they were running for long until they reached a small clearing.

"I found it right around here." Dewott said, pointing at the base of a tree.

"It doesn't appear there was a struggle or anything." Braviary said, glancing around.

"… Okay, this is the only lead we have right now." Hilda said, clenching his hat tighter. "So how about we search area, and then I'll whistle and call you back in ten minutes. When everyone is back, I'll start setting up camp."

Everyone nodded and gave confirmation, turning to go and search. Hilda let Eevee crawl up, resting on her shoulder, and turning in the direction of Mistralton City. She figured, if he was chasing the Triad there, then maybe she'd find him on the way there.

However, the sun was going to be setting in minutes, and she knew she didn't have much time left to search for him. She had to take responsibility for her team, but she was out of her mind scared for him too…

Dammit, with all this bullshit with Team Plasma… He's an easy target right now, and it'll be my fault if he gets hurt or killed!

"Don't think like that, Hilda." Eevee whispered in her. "I can tell you're thinking irrationally…"

"It's not irrational." Hilda said between pants. "He's a target, everyone is a target because of me… And I let him go. Dammit…"

"He's strong enough to handle himself."

"Not when he's emotional." Hilda shook her head, remembering the strange shift in Driftviel. She wasn't sure what caused the sudden shift back then, but she picked up on it. Then he bolted. The next time she saw him, his lips were blue. "… I can't let it happen again."

"Hold on, Hilda." Eevee suddenly nipped at her cheek, getting her attention. Hilda yelped, rubbing at the spot where he nipped her. The skin had broken, but it still hurt. Irregardless, Eevee clamored down and began sniffing at the ground.

"Did you pick up on his scent, Eevee?" Hilda asked, hopeful.

"Yeah."

"Is he close?"

"He is… but he's not moving."

Hilda felt like the cold was cutting through her at that.

"Get me to him, immediately." Hilda ordered. Eevee glanced back, and nodded once. Leading her into the thicket of bushes and trees, Hilda cussed as the branches clung to her clothes and hair.

Eventually, however, Eevee stopped at the base of the tree surrounded in bushes and fallen branches. Her eyes raked the scene, spotting a flash of blue.

"Oh hell, Black!" she exclaimed, whistling loudly for her pokémon. She dove headfirst into the thicket, throwing branches into the woods and trying to uncover him. "Please, please, please don't be dead…!"

Braviary and Victini were the first to arrive. Immediately, Braviary used her mighty legs to haul the larger branches off of him. Soon, Zebstrika followed, apparently having picked up Dewott on the way. Finally, Lilligant stumbled onto the scene, expressing immediate worry.

"We should set up camp here." Eevee instructed simply. "Zebstrika, Victini, help me build a fire."

"What can we do, Hil-da?" Liligant asked, hovering over her with obvious concern.

"I… I don't know, let me get him out first." Hilda held out her bag to Lilligant. "Think you could get the tent set up?"

"Yes! Dew-ott, come help me!"

"Gotcha, Lils!"

Braviary was still getting the last bits of big branched off Black. As she did so, Hilda reached dow, grabbing Black under his arms, and began to attempt to haul him out. With a few tugs, she managed to detangle his legs from the mess of branches and leaves.

"Hey, Black." she tapped her fingers against his cheek, for lack of better knowledge on what to do. He was still warm, and breathing, but she wasn't really sure what was wrong with him. "C'mon, wake up…"

"There's something pinned on his jacket, Hilda." Braviary noted. Hilda glanced at his back, and saw there was, indeed, a piece of folded paper pinned to his jacket.

He is lucky to have chosen to pursue me, and not my brothers.

"Signed 'S'…?" Hilda muttered. S must be one of the Shadow Triad… But she didn't see Vale anywhere.

"Maybe he's a good guy?" Liligant asked, glancing at the note for herself.

"A good guy in Team Plasma?" Braviary snorted. "Be realistic, Liligant."

"Yes, but what I mean is that some Plasma member might be gooder than other Plasma members."

"So he didn't outright kill my friend, such a great vouch of character." Hilda muttered sarcastically. Liligant seemed to wilt at that, immediately causing Hilda to feel bad. "I'm sorry, Liligant. Your optimism is always appreciated, you know that."

Almost immediately, Liligant smiled brightly again. Hilda herself forced a smile in Liligant's direction, then turned her attention back to Black.

"All right, up we go!" Hilda grunted, wrapping her arms under Black's and dragging him a little closer to the campfire. Laying him down, she exhaled. "Dammit, for a dude who isn't that chunky, you're Arceus-damned heavy!"

"Hilda, I just thought of something." Zebstrika spoke simply, dropping some sticks onto the fire, now blazing and lighting up the night.

"Yeah?" Hilda asked.

"I'm not trying to be an eternal optimist like Liligant here, but it's been bothering me." Zebstrika continued. "Could it have been possible that this 'S' left his hat as a trail?"

"That could be a possibility." Eevee muttered, nudging his nose against the hat, now sitting forgotten next to Hilda. "There's a weird scent on the visor."

"If he's a so-called 'good-guy', he could have told his brothers that he deposited Black to pick him up later." Victini hypothesized. "Since Vale's a bit of a handful. They couldn't handle two super-human freaks if it takes two of them to subdue Black alone and near electrocution to keep Vale still."

"Plus Eevee picked up on his trail pretty quickly after we reached that spot you found his hat…" Hilda trailed off. Shoving her hand on her forehead and pushing both her hat and bangs off her face, she sighed in frustration. "What the hell is going on with Team Plasma? Like, you can tell people who are good and evil, right? On one hand we've got N, who despite being off the rocker, seems okay-enough as a person, or the people who are just peacefully protesting… But on the other, there's that sage that tried to kill me in Pinwheel Forest, the Shadow Triad that kidnapped and attacked us, and Ghetsis…"

She trailed off, shuddering just thinking about Ghetsis. Reshriham above, that man was just off. Everything about him was off. It disturbed her to her very core how easily he managed to manipulate everyone around him, how quickly he disposes of people and how he just has people convinced he's this great guy…

N, you moron, he thinks so damned lowly of you yet you revere him and praise him…

"Do you really think it's safe to stay here?" Dewott asked, staring at the fire. "For all we know, Victini could be right about them coming back for him… Not just something to pacify his brothers, either. And then we'll also be here, ready to be served up on a silver platter."

"It's getting dark, and way to cold. It's to late for us to keep going to Mistralton, not to mention that Black is still out for the count right now…" Hilda muttered, reaching out a hand to try to rouse Black again.

"I could probably-" Braviary's sentence was suddenly cut off as she squawked, whereas Hilda felt herself tumbling. It all went so fast, but before she knew it, she was staring at Black's frantic gaze, his hands around her throat, and Dewott's shell at his neck.

The air was tense as can be, no one dared to move.

"Dewott, it's all right." Hilda said as Black loosened his grip on her neck, face morphing from terror to horror. Dewott slowly backed away, but didn't leave her side. Black leapt off her.

"I'm sorry." he immediately said with painful sincerity. He was as appalled by his own actions as her pokémon were. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. I just saw someone reaching for me in the dark. I'm sorry."

"You're fine." Hilda slowly sat up. Reaching for the hat, she held it out to him. "We found your hat."

"Oh." Black took the accessory with one hand, smoothing down his uncontrollable flyaways with his other hand. "Thanks."

"What happened?" Hilda asked as he placed the hat on his head.

"I tried to catch up to them." Black explained simply. "I was trailing them for a while, but then they caught on and split up. I have no clue which one had Vale, and I couldn't chase all three at once… So I figured I could take one on by myself, took my pick, and chased one. You know, eye for an eye… Give us Vale, I'll give you your brother back."

"Didn't work out for you, did it?" Hilda asked.

"No." Black shook his head. "I was keeping a trail on him, but then I lost him. I figured he slipped through my fingers, so I turned on me heel to see if I could pick up on a trail one of the other two… But when I did, I felt something hit my neck, and then nothing."

"According to him, you chose the right brother." Hilda said, holding out the note to him. Black read the note over, then let out a condescending breath that almost sounded like a laugh. "… I'm guessing the other two would've taken you back to Ghetsis or worse."

"How kind of him." Black muttered sarcastically, throwing the note into the fire. "What happened with N? I'm guessing you won?"

"Easily enough." Hilda shrugged. "He switched up his team… It's like he bases his team on the pokémon around him… or he makes friends with ones around him, so you can't really predict or make a strategy with him. I beat him… He said some things that got under my skin, though…"

"And what was that?"

"He told me he wanted to make an ideal world for pokémon and people. He mentioned Cheren, Bianca, Vale… and you, by name."

"Me?" Black glanced at her. "That's strange. What did Team Plasma's king have to say about me?"

"He was spouting some nonsense about how pokémon and humans can only reach their purest state when they are separated, and only when the world is completely black and white would the world be the best it can be… And he said that in doing so, he would create a world where you wouldn't need to worry about being the 'ideal' version that people want you to be. He basically implied you'd be happier in his world because you'd never have to face the truth."

"Huh." was all Black had to say in response. "So what did you say?"

"I told him that their happiness… Yours and Vale's and Cherens and Bianca's… it's for you to decide, in the world as it is."

"So what's the problem, then?"

"Well, obviously I want you guys to be happy." Hilda muttered. "You too, Black. And it bothers me that he's leveraging your happiness against my beliefs… But I believe in the truth! I believe you could be in as many 'ideal' situations as you want, but unless it's true, then it's nothing but gold covered shit!"

She yelled those words into fire, clenching her fists.

"Bianca grew up 'ideally', you could say." Hilda muttered. "She had money, toys, everything a kid could ever wish for. But she wasn't happy. Your situation, when you were with you mom and sister, dirt poor… That wasn't ideal, but you were happy…"

"That's true." Black said simply.

"I just believe that you can't force happiness onto someone, no matter how 'ideal' a situation is. You need to look at the truth, because even if the truth is harsh, it makes you act! If Bianca didn't face the truth of how shitty her Dad is, then she never would've sought to leave, sought something beyond being Daddy's little heiress!"

She turned to him, fists clenched

"Am I wrong for that Black? For believing in the truth and not wanting anything to be sugar-coated or coddled? For believing that true happiness is the greatest happiness you could fight for?"

Black was quiet for a moment, staring at the flickering flames.

"I'm probably not the best person to be asking these questions." he finally answered. "Because I'm not sure I fully processed being fired and disposed of by my father. I know there's still a part of me that wants his approval, and an even bigger part of me that both wants to see my Mom and sister again, but scared to do so because I can't imagine them not hating me… So facing that 'truth', when I'm finally ready to, is going to be difficult. I'm not sure if I ever want to face it."

"But even still-"

"Facing the truth is the only way to overcome it, right?" Black grinned at her. Hilda opened her mouth, then pressed her lips into a thin line.

"I can't be that predictable."

"You're not. But you are the type to say something like that." Black cast his gaze downwards.

"You'll come out better, you know." Hilda offered, hugging her knees as she spoke.

"I'm sure I will. But when it's time to cross that bridge, I will." Black crossed his legs, continuing. "As for whether you're wrong or right for believing that, that's not up for me to decide. It's all on you, Hilda. But with that in mind… What do you plan to do with your 'truth'? Are you going to force it onto other people like N and Team Plasma are trying to force their ideals onto people? Or are you going to let the world continue on, maybe in denial, maybe facing the truth?"

"Of course I'm not gonna force it onto other people!" Hilda rolled her eyes. "I'll call it like it is, but I'm not gonna try to revive Reshriham and be like 'My truth is law because I am the King of Unova!'."

She put out her hand like a ruler giving orders, speaking at a mockingly lower octave as she gave her command.

"… However… I might need to force N to see this truth… And to see the truth of Team Plasma. Because I feel like that might be the only way to get him to stop believing in them." Hilda furrowed her brow. "… I can't believe in a world where pokémon and humans need to live apart… I can't believe in forcing a biased ideal onto others, even if N thinks that will make everyone happy. People… they need the truth… They need to acknowledge their mistakes and the lies that they used to blind themselves. Then, and only then, can we really grow."

"… Then I don't think you have anything to worry about." Black smiled at her, reaching out and patting her on the head. "And if it's any consolation, I believe in your 'truth', okay?"

"Don't treat me like a kid." Hilda muttered, taking his hand off her head by grabbing his wrist.

"I'm not trying to." Black answered. Hilda was quiet, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, studying his face, his features, his expression.

She put a little more stock in Black since they were traveling, but sometimes she really did struggle about whether or not to believe him based on what he said alone. He was an incredible actor, enough to almost slip past her ability to see his true feelings. Though he was being more honest lately, she just wanted to make sure he wasn't just humoring her.

"You really do believe in it?"

She asked again, just to be certain. Black met her gaze, and smiled.

"I do."

Hilda found herself grinning back at him, somewhat filled with relief.

For the first time since I met him, finally, that smile reached his eyes.

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November 2nd, X017

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Vale let out a grunt as Jiro rammed her into the wall, keeping her in place by her neck. She wasn't sure what time it was, exactly, but it was either late at night, or early in the morning. She never quite understood how these three were able to almost transcend time when they travelled through the shadows, but irregardless, they were in Mistralton City… or at least, that's what she thought.

From what little she saw of the city, it seemed to be a town that relies primarily on air cargo transportation. This, admittedly, made Vale a little nervous. How easy would it be to smuggle a person away if Team Plasma could rent a plane?

How easy would it be to get rid of a body, flying overseas?

Being killed, Vale figured, would probably be a blessing over being delivered to Ghetsis with a bow on her head.

Vale tried not to think about the negative aspects of it, but considering the compromising position she was currently in, it was hard not to think about it. She could only hope that N's command for them to 'not overstep their bounds' was enough to keep them from outright killing her… But judging by the look in Jiro's eyes, and his hands around her throat, it probably wasn't.

"Why don't we just kill her now?" Jiro asked after exhaling through his nose. "You heard her, she's trying to get Natural to talk it out with Hilda Veritas."

"We can't kill her." Ichiro sighed. "And you know why, Jiro."

"Well, broken limbs doesn't mean death, right?" Jiro glanced back at her. Tugging at the cloth covering his face, he revealed three long, red scratches, now scabbed over and no longer bleeding. "Hey, Destroyer, your claws really hurt, you know? Almost destroyed my disguise…"

"You should be proud." Vale responded cooly. "You and your brothers trained me, after all. I managed to land a hit on you."

"Cheeky little…" Jiro trailed off, tightening his grip on her neck. "How easy would it be to break this skinny little neck…"

"Jiro." Saburo suddenly spoke up, the tone in his voice laced with a certain warning.

The three turned towards him, having entered the area between the cargo crates. Vale found it strange, as he was the youngest of the three, but the tone seemed to stir something in Jiro. His hand dropped from her neck. Vale stayed put, glancing between the three of them.

"What, not gonna run?" Jiro seemed to be teasing her.

"As if I would give you the pleasure of an enjoyable chase." Vale crossed her arms.

"What happened to Touya Burns?" Ichiro asked Saburo. Saburo shrugged.

"Gave him a wild Ducklet chase and lost him. I figured getting him off our trail would be easier than trying to keep him and her subdued." Saburo glanced in her direction. Vale met his gaze.

"So, what did Ghetsis ask you three to do?" she asked. "N told you to escort me here, but you're still hanging around?"

"Oh, Vale, you sound so disgusted. Is that what you think of the man who gave you a home?"

Step.

Shh.

Step.

Shh.

At that, Vale felt a shiver shoot up and down her spine. She would recognize that limp anywhere. Standing at full attention, she whipped around and instinctively took a step back. Barely illuminated by the light of the lamps around them, was Ghetsis. The Shadow Triad had disappeared, and now, Vale suddenly, sorely missed their company. There was officially nothing standing between her and Ghetsis.

Wind blew through the air, slightly moving his robes and lifting her hair off her shoulders. Her heart was pounding a mile per a minute while her eyes flicked around, trying to find an escape route, any means to escape.

"Vale, Vale, Vale…" Ghetsis continued, chastising her like she was a child. "Are you surprised to see me here? I went out of my way to come and see you, my lost, missing daughter. I thought you were dead!"

"Enough." Vale shook her head, scowling. "You knew I was alive, you saw me in Castelia, when you tried to kidnap Iris. I'm no more a daughter to you than Silver was a son. We were more tools than children."

"Very true." Ghetsis chuckled. "But you have to admit, I did provide for you like a father. You had a place to sleep, food to eat, medical attention and an education…"

"You hurt us, broke us, scarred us…" Vale hissed, clenching her fists. "You're not a father, not even close."

"Oh?" Ghetsis met her gaze with a familiar amount of condescending spite. "Vale, do you know what a father is supposed to be like? Have you learned that over the course of your freedom? Because I can tell you, grateful, good little children don't fake their suicides to run away from their parent."

Vale bowed her head, clenching her fists harder.

Step.

Shhh.

Step.

Shhh.

"Tell me, Vale, how long did you think you'd be able to hide from me?"

"I never planned to hide from you." Vale dared to meet his gaze, only a few feet away from her. "To complete my goal, I had to learn to not be afraid of you. I knew I would have to confront you eventually."

"Not scared of me?" Ghetsis chuckled. "My… I really did make you into something near perfect. So desperate to destroy you'd destroy the man who built you into what you are…"

"You talk about my want and need to destroy, but it was you who destroyed me. You ruined anything that I could have been… And I will never forget what I was forced to do under your rules. One day, I'll have to pay for that, but I'm going to make sure you walk that path with me… Even if I have to drag you down it."

"How long have you been planning that little spiel?" Ghetsis openly laughed in her face. "Vale, you are sharp in your own right, but so undeniably stupid. Do you really think you're going to be able to take me down?"

"I do." Vale glared at him.

"I could have you killed in an instance." Ghetsis reminded her.

"I'm aware." Vale smirked. "It's a good thing I'm not afraid of death either."

Ghetsis seemed annoyed at best, but Vale met his burning gaze with coldness. She was daring him to do his worst… She didn't care about death anymore. How many times does she have to hear that threat before she just stops fearing it? How close was she to it? She didn't care, she was done caring about living or dying.

"Not afraid of death." Ghetsis echoed with a chuckle. "You shouldn't be so candid with your own life, Vale. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself 'why am I alive right now'?"

"Why…?"

"Yes, why. Don't think to deeply on that, I don't care about your purpose or your dream or what sentimental garbage you have to spout, it'll all be for nothing anyways. I am your god. I am perfection. I could have you killed with a tap of my cane, yet… you're here, standing in front of me." Ghetsis looked down at her, a maniacal gleam in his eye as he continued. "Why would your god mercifully let you, a traitor, continue to live?"

Vale was quiet. She didn't have an answer for him, specifically because she didn't have one. She knew that he had the ability and the resources to annihilate her entirely from this plane of existence. Her life didn't matter to him, and he knew that she knew all the darkness within Team Plasma… within him. He had to know he and N were close at this point, he had to know she could easily shatter N's view of him with one conversation…

She simply stared at him quizzically.

"You don't know?" Ghetsis chuckled. "Allow me to explain. Vale, my intentions with Silver, originally, were a bit different, but do you know why I allowed you and him to work together?"

"… Why?" Vale asked, not quite sure where he was going with this.

"He was a token for to motivate you."

Vale felt coldness sink into her stomach.

"What?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice that his punishments were harsher when you failed or struggled!" Ghetsis openly laughed in her face. "You stupid girl! I used that boy to make sure you worked yourself to the bone! I planted that little seed in your stupid, stupid head… You fail, Silver got punished. That's why you became the Destroyer. Silver may have had a better mindset towards the ability to hurt others, but he lacked the compassion for me to fully manipulate him. Not like you, Vale. You cared so much for your 'brother' that you pushed yourself to become a monster because you didn't want to see him hurt."

He spoke that last line in such a sickly sweet tone that it was obvious he was mocking her. Without skipping a beat, he continued.

"N, for a child so smart, is also so niave and stupid. He thinks I don't know about your little dates. He thinks you're his well-wrapped little secret. I do believe, Vale, that despite him not having even the slightest concept of love, that he is falling in love with you. Now then, Vale," he spoke, almost right on top of her, voice lowering to a threatening little whisper. "What do you think would be the ultimate punishment if N failed? The greatest manipulation if he stepped out of line?"

Vale felt like all the sound suddenly got sucked out of the world. In all her efforts to try and get N out of this mess, she never stopped to consider how Ghetsis would take advantage of the relationship. Of course she knew that he was aware she was alive, but she never thought that she would ever be the one to be used as a pawn. She always believed he would threaten someone else, or herself, to keep her quiet. Never, ever, ever did she consider that it was going to be her used against someone else, especially N.

"What is it Vale? No snarky response? No 'I'm not scared'? Where did that confidence go?" Ghetsis let out a condescending laugh. "Can you see it, Vale? The broken expression on N's face, if you were hurt or killed because of his failure?"

Vale closed her eyes, trying to subdue her expression. Truthfully? A part of her could see it, because she remembered that horrified look on his face in Chargestone Cave. Would it be like that, only more shattered and hopeless? She didn't want to think about it, she wanted to distance herself from it as much as possible. But she saw the worry on his face, the concern when he saw the scars on her face, his promise to make a world that was safe for her.

"Of course, I wouldn't kill you right away." Ghetsis continued. "I need you to stay alive long enough so N can cling to that hope of seeing you again. That is why you are alive, Vale, and know that is the only reason you are alive."

"I'll…" Vale wracked her head for plans or ideas, trying to figure out how to get herself out of this situation without hurting N in the process.

"You'll what? Distance yourself from him? Run away?" Ghetsis smirked, leaning down and getting in her face. "Go ahead. Run. Run as far and as fast as you can. Break his heart for me, why don't you? Know that I will always find you, you will never, ever escape me."

Ghetsis stood straight again, turning on his heel, and walking away from the storage containers that they had previously been wedged between.

"Ah, and Vale, I almost forgot," he turned, smiling slightly at her, his tone gentle, like the threats he made earlier was nothing more than a hallucination. Despite it being so early in the morning, he was putting on his kind, sagely act, just in case someone happened to catch sight of him. "Before you think about telling N about our little talk, maybe you should consider your student, Bianca, in all of this?"

Vale didn't answer, but at this point, she figured that there was no point in doing so. She just stood, staring at her feet, long after Ghetsis was gone. This was far worse than she ever thought. All she ever wanted to do, up until this point, was to get N out of this hell, relatively okay. She didn't even care if her own life was at risk, she just knew that he was worth saving and she had to be the one to do it.

But now, it felt like no matter what she did, N was going to get hurt in the end. If she stepped out of line and finally let it all go, told N everything, then Bianca… sweet, kind, niave Bianca would be the one that Ghetsis set his sights on.

Vale felt her vision blur a little. Opening her palms and staring at her hands, she watched as tears fell into the crescent shaped cuts from her own nails. The stinging surprised her. She doesn't normally cry…

She heard a small pop on her belt, and felt a familiar presence scrambling up her back, finally settling on her open palms. Jolt was staring at her, eyes full of concern.

"Jolt…" she cupped her hands around the little guy, more tears gathering and threatening to fall. More pops came from her belt, and she turned.

Audino stepped forward immediately, tugging at her leggings as if begging her not to cry. Her Whimsicott floated up, hugging her cheek, while Mienfoo had her little paws clenched, looking ready to punch something. Gothitelle's stoic demeanor was betrayed by the concern in her eyes, while Swanna drifted forward, then tugged at her shorts, trying to ease her down.

"Everyone…" she slowly fell to her knees, more tears falling with each passing moment. She didn't know what to say or where to turn. "I…"

I don't know what to do…!

o.0.o.0.o

Her pokégear had died days ago. She hadn't stopped except for minor fits of restless sleep. She ate as she ran, she drank water as she ran. She kept running until, eventually, she found herself emerging from Chargestone Cave.

Panting like she ran a marathon and exhausted beyond measure, she took a moment to rest against the exit. She managed to keep her cool long enough to ask some hikers if they caught sight of her boss. They had, said he went sprinting into the forest.

"Pitch Black…"

His named slipped through her lips in a rasp. Just saying his name was like throwing gasoline on the fire that was her current emotional state. She was probably completely irrational at this point, but she didn't care.

She took a step forward, then another. She knew her pokémon were worried about her, she knew that Looker was probably frantic. She just didn't care, not anymore. The only thing on her starved, exhausted brain was finding Pitch and making him understand just how she felt.

Sara Knight lifted her head from the ground, glaring into the trees as if she was about to burn them for daring to conceal her target.

"I am going to make you pay for not taking this seriously…"

o.0.o.0.o

Yes, I stretched out an entire chapter just from getting from Point A to Point B, what of it? Next will be Mistralton, which shouldn't take to terribly long… Although, It's time for Sara to finally confront Black!

With that in mind, stay safe out there and I hope you enjoyed!

Amy47101 signing off! ^.^