"Bet you didn't think you'd be seeing me again, did you?" Nadine smirked up at Ryan.

Ryan glared at her. "I always guessed you would turn up again." He looked past her at the man in the boat. "Who's the big oaf with you?"

The man chuckled to himself. "You really should be nice to your caretakers, kid. Especially since I get to decide if you get any bones broken."

"That's just Victor" Nadine sneered. "You needn't pay him any attention." She took a step forward, trying to reach eye level with her prey. "I'm here to settle the score with you, kid. You see, if Michael hadn't have intervened, I would have been able to get a pretty nice bonus from Elezar if I brought you to him."

"Sorry that I don't feel the same urgency to please that psychopath!" Ryan snapped.

"You hold your tongue you insolent little-" Nadine stopped herself and tried to maintain the same calmness Victor had. "No. I won't let you get under my skin so easily." She pulled out a Poké Ball from her belt. "And I need to get you back for you ruining my plans in the Flower Sanctuary!"

Ryan looked past her at Victor and saw that the two had gotten the jump on Ralph, as the poor sailor was beaten to a bloodied pulp by them. He hurled the injured sailor into the water. "Hmmm. Let's see, Ryan. That's how many friends you've failed to save on this journey?" Ralph was barely able to keep himself from drowning in the shallow water.

The sight of another friend being beaten to a paste by the Syndicate made the young trainer incredibly angry. "You're going to pay for that!"

Nadine shook her head. "No, it's you who are going to pay. And without your precious big cousin to save you, it looks like I get to have my fun!" She threw her Poké Ball in front of her and her Luxray appeared, growling proudly as it stared up at Ryan.

Ryan countered by throwing his own feline Pokémon out there. "Go, Simba!" The Pyroar emerged from the Poké Ball and with one quick glance at another Lion Pokémon in the vicinity, the two Pokémon leaped for each other to commence the battle while Victor watched on.

{Meanwhile}

Tommy ran back and forth several times with the Horsea, laughing and cheering as he did. The Pokémon seemed eager to keep playing with him, but Tommy could feel himself starting to slow down. He took a deep breath as the Horsea swam around in circles in the tank.

"Wow, you are really good at this" he told the Pokémon. Once he was sure he he had caught his breath, he waved to the Horsea. "Okay, I have to go now. See ya later, little guy!" The little boy waved to the Horsea and then made his way towards the entrance of the Aquarium. He skidded to a stop when he saw Ryan in the middle of combatting two trainers.

What's going on here? he asked himself. He peered through the doors and looked at the two people Ryan was opposing. They definitely had a sinister vibe to them. They even had clothing similar to those two weirdos he and Addison had fought off by the Faire. And that guy who attacked Ryan at the Faire...

The boy gasped. "The Syndicate!" He raced back into the Gym to find Renee. He burst through the doors and found her slowly making her way from her private chambers in the Gym.

Thinking the boy was a challenger, Renee waved him off. "Hello. I'm sorry, but the Gym is temporarily closed. There's been a family-"

Tommy flailed worriedly as he approached her. "Renee! Ryan needs your help!"

Renee paused. "What are you talking about?"

Tommy gestured for the door. "It's the Syndicate. They're attacking him!"

Renee looked past Tommy. "Come on, let's go!" Renee finally ran from the gym, with Tommy at her heels.

{Meanwhile}

With one ferocious Heat Wave, Nadine suddenly found herself overwhelmed by Ryan's mighty Pyroar. Even her Luxray was being pressed in the immense heat. He tried to perform a Wild Charge into the Fire Pokémon, but the Pokémon he was calling Simba was proving too powerful for her. Her Luxray ultimately fell onto the steps of the aquarium.

"This isn't-this isn't real" she insisted. "I'm not supposed to lose like this!"

"Pathetic" Victor snarled behind her. "You lost to a child."

Ryan glared at the two. "How bout you two clowns run out of here, before the Gym Leaders show up."

Victor hopped off of Ralph's boat. "We did it your way, Nadine. Now, we do it my way." The Snatcher grabbed the weakened and bloodied Ralph out of the water, with Victor grabbing the sailor's head in his hands. "Alright, Ryan. It's clear to me that you won't go down the same way that little Addison went down. So here is the deal I'm going to offer you."

Ryan clenched his fist and Simba growled angrily at the two. "You were the one who took Addy!"

"Bingo" Victor sneered. "And if you want to see your precious little Addison alive again, you're going to surrender to us, right now."

Nadine looked from Victor to Ryan, the suspense growing in her eyes.

"And why would I surrender to the likes of you?" Ryan asked.

Victor smirked. "I was hoping you'd ask that." He threw Ralph into the water and put his boot on top of the sailor's head. "If you don't surrender to me in, oh, sixty seconds or so, this one drowns and then I go back to the Compound and break Addison's neck. How would you like that?"

Ryan was about to send Simba forward, but Nadine stopped him, holding what looked like a flare gun in her hands. "Ah ah ah! If your Pokémon so much as looks at us funny, I shoot this flare gun and every single Syndicate Snatcher in Titanio City comes here, kid."

Ryan looked down at Ralph, the bubbles frantically coming up from where he was trying to resurface and then at the two Snatchers. Nadine could tell he was trying to desperately weigh his options, but with time being of the essence, he realized there was only one way he would be able to get out of this situation. He lowered his head. "Okay" he said sadly. "You win." Just let him go!"

Victor took his boot off of Ralph's head, lifted the sailor out of the water and hurled him onto the steps. While the sailor choked and tried to regain a bit of consciousness, Victor climbed back into the boat and began to rev the engine. He turned back to Nadine. "Let's wrap this up, Nadine."

Nadine nodded and turned towards the defeated Kingston brat. "Looks like we win."

Ryan recalled his Pyroar. "Just do it." He put his hands behind his back for her.

"You're not getting off the hook, that easy, kid" Nadine hissed. She reached for a Poké Ball on her belt. "Hey, Parasect! How about we use Spore?" The Fungal Pokémon appeared and let out a toxic cloud of spores that made Ryan woozy for a moment before he fainted on the steps of the Aquarium. Nadine picked up Ryan's body and dragged him over towards the boat. With Victor's help, she pushed Ryan over onto the boat. As she climbed up after their captive and her partner, she looked back and saw the Gym Leader Renee and another little boy coming their way.

"Isn't that kid the other one we need?" Victor asked.

"Elezar will be happy enough knowing we have the Kingston kid" Nadine replied. "Let's move! The small fry can come later."

Victor launched the boat forward and they began to jet across Titanio Bay. "Once you've got the kid secured, call ahead to the Compound and have them seal up for the day. We don't need any Gym Leaders pulling off any stupid rescue attempts."

"Simple enough" Nadine said, as she dragged Ryan into Ralph's sleeping quarters. She put the unconscious boy on the bed and proceeded to bind him with duct tape. First, his ankles. Then she secured his wrists behind his back. She then wrapped most of the boy's torso in the tape before plastering two loose strands over his mouth. She then went to the door and slammed it shut, using a barrel to barricade it in case he hoped he would be able to escape this time.

She then took out her Poké Gear and made the call to Elezar. "Lord Elezar? Victor and I are inbound."

"And?"

"We have the boy."

Elezar snickered on the other line. "Well done. Let's see the Kingstons come at us now!"

Nadine ended the call and climbed to to stand by Victor as he piloted the boat out into Titanio Bay, giddy as a schoolgirl. After weeks of playing things too closely and discreetly, now she was able to gloat as if she had just won the lottery. By the end of the night, The Syndicate would be unstoppable.

{Meanwhile}

At Kingston Castle, Julia was shaking violently upon getting the call from her old friend Ralph. Her face had gone as white as a ghost and her breathing became drastically shortened by the news she had just received. Doing her best to remain composed, she took a deep breath. "It's not your fault, Ralph. You did everything you could."

"I wish I could gave done more for the lad" Ralph said bitterly.

"We'll take things from here, Ralph" she said. "Until we can get your boat back, you can remain at the Titanio City Gym as a guest of Renee if you want. I have to go now, Ralph. Take care." She hung up and her anxiety levels took off in record time. "This can't be real. This can't be happening."

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked.

"How did they know?" Julia wheezed. She seemed like she was about to faint. "How could we have let this happen?"

Piper limped her way over to her cousin. "Julia, what is it?"

The door to the elevator opened and Jon and Lady Bonnie made their way into the room. They seemed eager to tell Julia's team some good news, but their good moods fell when they saw the absolute terror in Julia's eyes. Bonnie lowered her head in sorrow as she realized something else had gone horribly wrong. Jon was less quick to grasp the situation. "What's going on?"

"That's what we're trying to find out" Piper said, putting her hand on her panicking cousin's shoulder. "What happened?"

"What did Ralph have to say, Professor?" Amanda asked.

Julia put her hand to her heart and looked towards every single person in the room. "The Syndicate got Ryan."

No one could say a word. One by one, each person's face took on the same shade of pale that Julia's was. Piper nearly collapsed, with only her computer being able to keep her standing. Jon was despondent. Bonnie collapsed to the floor, prompting Amanda to hurry to her side and help her into one of the vacant chairs, though she too was clearly shaken by the events.

"No" Piper denied. "It's not true. It can't be. Not Ryan, too."

Jon picked up one of the vacant chairs and hurled it against the the wall. "DAMN!"

Amanda looked to Julia. "What the heck do we do now? Aren't all of the other Kingstons supposed to be coming here?"

Julia shook her head. "We're just going to have to tell them to-"

"Head for Titanio City" Jon interrupted. "We'll smoke those slimy beasts out from wherever they're hiding and we'll save him!"

"There aren't enough of us to storm the Syndicate's base" Julia pointed out sadly. "Besides, we don't even know where it is."

"That's never stopped us before" Piper said, as angry as Jon. "We'll rip that city apart until we find them."

"And while we're doing that" Julia countered, "they'll have branded both Ryan and Addison."

"It gets worse" Jon said, lowering his Poké Gear. "Renee just messaged me. They took Holly Queensbury, too."

"Not Holly, too" Julia frowned.

"Addison, Holly and Ryan" Amanda sighed. "It's almost too terrifying to believe."

"What about Tommy?" Julia asked Jon.

"He's with Renee right now" Jon said. "But that doesn't do us any good."

"There's got to be something we can do" Piper insisted. "Those kids mean too much to us to just leave them in the grip of those monsters."

Julia's eyes flashed with one last sparkle of hope. "Jocelyn. She's our only hope."

"Isn't she involved in that project by the Seaside Caverns?" Amanda asked.

"She's the closest ally to Titanio City that we have that can help" Julia reasoned.

"But how are we going to reach her?" Jon asked.

Julia took a deep breath. "The KERN."

"The KERN" Jon gasped. "How does some outsider know about the KERN?"

"If it weren't for Jocelyn" Piper told the angered Gym Leader, "we wouldn't have even known as much about the Syndicate as we do. She's our friend. And we can trust her."

"She is the best hope that we have, right now" Julia said. "We have to activate the KERN."

Jon was hesitant. "Do we really need to panic the rest of the family about this?"

"Activate it" a voice called from nearby. Lady Bonnie looked to the group and wheezed. "Please, Jon. Use the KERN." She then fell back onto the table.

Jon sighed. "So be it." He rushed over to his grandmother and took the weakened old woman on his shoulders. "Julia, you know what to do." As Jon helped his Grandmother into the elevator, Julia made her way to the KERN and triggered the machine. After it made a few whirring noises, a Red Light appeared on top of it, signaling that the machine was active.

"Make it loud and clear" Piper told her cousin.

Julia nodded. "This is Julia Pines with a Code ICE Emergency. All Kingstons! This is an ICE Emergency being broadcast from Kingston Castle. Ryan Kingston has been abducted by the Syndicate and was last seen in Titanio City! Please confirm your responses via the KERN Network. Again, this is a Code ICE Emergency. Ryan Kingston has been abducted by the Syndicate in Titanio City! Please respond!"

She held her breath as she waited for an answer. A static sound came in first, but then it went blank. Julia squeezed her eyes shut as a tear slipped down her cheek. Please. Someone answer.

From out of the Radio, a voice was heard, retransmitting the message. "This is Victoria Kingston with a Code ICE Emergency! Attention All Kingstons! Ryan Kingston has been abducted by the Syndicate in Titanio City. All family members are to report to your Standby Stations, immediately. Robert and Alison Kingston! Please Respond!"

Julia let out a relieved sigh. "They'll know, now." She still folded her hands and rested on the table. "Now, if only Jocelyn gets the message."

"She will" Amanda assured her. "We have to have faith, Professor."

Julia shook her head. "Because of anything else happens to those kids, I'll never forgive myself."

{Meanwhile}

Inside the spacious Seaside Caverns by Arcana Colosseum, Jocelyn Aced and her less than thrilled partner in Big Mike took off their spelunking gear as they approached the deepest part of the cave. Big Mike flung his gear to the ground, unhappy about being assigned to someone who had ragdolled him and his Pokémon so easily and he watched bitterly as Jocelyn got her gear ready.

"Why did you need me here?" he asked grumpily.

"What use were you to Professor Pines at Kingston Castle?" she asked slyly. "Besides, I need someone who knows about this kind of stuff."

"What kind of stuff are we even doing down here?"

Jocelyn pulled out a mysterious device she had stolen from the Syndicate Compound. "This device was used to detect heat signatures of places my former colleagues intended to rob. That way, they'd know if there was any guards or people present that they would need to deal with before they got whatever they were stealing from. The range was low, only up to six feet."

"And this is going to help, how?" Big Mike demanded, folding his arms.

She shoved the device into his hands and made him come close towards the wall. "I've found a way we can increase the range, but the figures won't be as precise."

"How does this help stop the Syndicate?"

Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "I was just getting to that. Prior to my defection, my father tasked me to seek our what was causing all of the tremors underground beneath our Compound. Titanio City is too far from the fault lines in the west for it to be any activity from there. So, I've been thinking it could be something unnatural underground. He wanted to me to find what was causing these tremors and to stop them. Anything that bugs my father is good enough to add to the Kingston's ranks."

Big Mike looked towards the deep and ominous cavern ahead of them. "What do you think it could be?"

"The tremors are too powerful for them to be a few stray Pokémon" she reasoned. "I can't begin to imagine what it could be."

"So that's why you wanted me?" Big Mike asked. "To see if I could determine what it is."

"I have a slight hope for what it might be" she said. "And if it is, heaven help my father if-." She paused when she heard something coming from her Poké Gear. "Is that the KERN?"

"How do you know about the KERN?"

"Julia trusts me and so should you. She was supposed to become your daughter in-law, right?" Jocelyn turned on the Radio Transmitter and switched it into the KERN Configuration that Julia had given her. "Let's see what's up."

The Radio came in through small bursts. "...Code ICE Emergen-Ryan Kingston has been abduc-"

"RYAN!" Jocelyn gasped.

"The Kid?" Big Mike cried out.

"They're gonna take him to the Compound to get branded" Jocelyn realized. "I have to get to the Compound before it's too late."

"Don't you mean 'we' have to?"

"You're staying here" Jocelyn insisted.

"I care about that kid" Big Mike snarled.

"I understand that" she said bitterly, "but I can't have you holding me back. I'm going to rescue Ryan and destroy that Compound if I can. But Ryan takes priority." She hurried down the path and called out her Dragapult. "You stay here and see if you can track down the source of those tremors. Give me any updates you find."

"But wait, you didn't-"

"It's not rocket science" Jocelyn snapped, before climbing onto the back of her Dragon and soaring off into the distance.

Big Mike looked at the device and puzzled what it could possibly mean. "Heat signatures? Tremors? I'm not a geologist!" But before he could do anything else, the device began to buzz. He looked and saw a faint heat signature coming from somewhere deep into the cavern. "Well, I'm not about to go into the dark blind." He reached onto his belt to pull out a Poké Ball. "Go! Charmeleon!" The mid tier evolution of the Charmander line growled as he appeared, his tail lighting the way ahead. "Okay, Charmeleon. Let's go see what we can find." He let his Charmeleon march forward while he tried to track the source of the this new development.

{Meanwhile}

"There isn't anything you guys can do, right now" Renee insisted.

Tommy listened worriedly beside her as she talked to her mother and stepfather about their grim situation. After seeing Ryan taken, they had taken Ralph the Sailor to Titanio Hospital and then flew up to Piper Pines's secure penthouse apartment in the Hotel. The boy was frightened of what was going to happen to his sister and his friend, who were now both at the mercy of the Syndicate. But what could he possibly do to help them? He wasn't a Gym Leader or a hero or anything of the sort. All he could do now was stay under Renee's watchful eyes and hope that someone would come to the rescue.

"Mom, you have to tell Jeice that storming Titanio City is only going to make things worse" Renee pleaded. "Imagine the field day they would have over the Kingston Lockdown of Titanio City on ArcTV. Didn't what Michael went through teach you guys anything?"

Tommy folded his hands, the poor boy on the verge of tears. He had heard nothing of his sister since they had parted ways here at Titanio Hotel earlier in the morning and he was only able to watch as the motor boat carried Ryan and the Syndicate goons away. And he had been unable to stop the Syndicate from taking Addison, either. It was terrifying to feel so powerless.

"Just keep him calm, Mom" Renee told her mother. "We just have to listen to Julia and hope this Jocelyn person can help us."

Jocelyn? Isn't that the lady that helped us on The Lonely Road?

"I have him here in Piper's apartment" Renee replied to a question. Tommy could only wonder what would become of him, now that all of his friends had been snatched up so quickly. He would imagine his parents were going to bring him to someplace like Kingston Castle to keep him safe. But he wanted to be able to do something to help. He couldn't bear the thought of his big sister or any of his friends being prisoners of those evil people.

Renee hung up her call with her mother and put her head in her hands. "This isn't good at all. Half the family is too shocked to say anything and the other half wants to go and burn Titanio City to the ground."

Tommy approached the Gym Leader nervously. "What's gonna happen, Renee?"

"I don't know, Tommy" she said worriedly. "I just don't know."

Dejected, Tommy made his way for the balcony, with Renee close behind him. "I just wish there was some way I could help."

"The one thing that matters is that we keep you safe" Renee told him. "Until your parents come for you, I'm gonna be looking after you."

"But what can anyone do against these guys?" Tommy cried. "I want to help my sister."

"I know you do" Renee said, putting a hand on his head. "But the best thing for you to do right now is stay safe. Holly wouldn't want you to be hurt by these people anymore than she wants to be right now. Trust me, my family will think of something."

Tommy looked out over the balcony as the hours in the day began to wane. He could still see thousands of people running about as if their lives still mattered in the grand scheme of it all. Everyone from the business men and their suits all the way down to those ArcResistance Kids down in front of the ArcTV Studios. All of them moving about and acting like anything still mattered any...Wait a minute. That's it!

"I have an idea, Renee" Tommy told the Gym Leader.

"I'm all ears, Tommy" Renee replied, only partially listening.

"There are some friends we made that could help us" Tommy said to her. "Please, it may be the only way I can help."

Renee, looking at the sad look in Tommy's eyes, sighed. "Okay, let's go and see them."

{Meanwhile}

After being out of commission for nearly half an hour, Ryan came to and once more found himself bound all together in duct tape, only this time he was in even worse shape than he might have been before. His bag was nowhere to be found and he couldn't reach a single Poké Ball on his belt even if he tried. His Poké Gear, which had been in his bag, was also missing. He tried to rip free of the tape that restrained him, but was unable to cause it strain. Nadine had secured him about as well as he could have imagined. He couldn't move much of anything, except his legs, but even his ankles were bound together. He tried to worm his way to his feet to try and find a way to escape, but found that the only way out was the door.

"Mmmph" he said to himself, as he tried to hop his way over to the door and break through it. But something was blocking the door and only allowed him to get it to slightly budge. He tried a second time, but didn't even manage to make it budge. As he was about to try a third time, he could see the daylight that had been coming from the outside of Ralph's boat being snuffed out by something.

Where the heck are they taking me? he thought to himself. He then remembered what Jocelyn had warned him about the day earlier. The Syndicate Compound. Maybe Addy is here.

But he couldn't very well save Addy if he was unable to free himself. Before he could try and think of a way out of the duct tape coiled around him, the boat rocked and caused him to fall on the floor. He could hear footsteps above him and coming towards the door. Ryan tried to get into a defensive position to try and fight back, but he couldn't reach a Poké Ball or even prepare to kick without realizing he would just be grabbed and dragged off.

The door burst open and Nadine entered. She looked him over and snickered. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

"Mmmph!" he growled back at her, unable to counter properly thanks to the tape over his mouth.

She walked over to Ryan and used a knife to cut his ankle restraints free, then hauled him to his feet. "Let's go, Ryan. I have some friends I'd like you to meet." Ryan tried to resist, but her grip on his arm was firm and she dragged him out of Ralph's sleeping quarters and out into wherever they had taken him. He looked around and saw that he was in a cavern of some kind. A Syndicate base on the water, perhaps? It didn't matter as he was pushed and pulled along by his captor and escorted down the plank of Ralph's ship until they stopped in front of a crazed looking man in a lab coat with a graying mullet.

"Nadine" he said coyly. "What have you brought for me, today?"

"I present to you, Cassius, Ryan Kingston" Nadine sneered.

Cassius? Cassius Sinclair? That guy that Mike and the others were after? Ryan could do little as Cassius looked him over carefully and looked at him with unnerving analytical eyes.

Cassius nodded. "He does look the part of a Kingston." He took Ryan's bandanna off of his head and messed up the boy's hair. "It's been a very long time that I've been able to brand a Kingston." He then planted the bandanna back on his head and looked up to Nadine. "Put him in one of the holding cells and keep it guarded. The last thing we need is an unscheduled escape plan. I'll have Elezar come and see him when I can."

Nadine was confused. "Don't you want to brand him now?"

Cassius shook his head. "We're booked solid until tonight. I've already got a hundred others including that Queensbury girl in for branding."

"Mmmph?" Ryan tried to ask. So they kidnapped Holly too? Where was Tommy?

"Besides" Cassius smirked, "Kingstons don't get special privileges here. Put him in a holding cell." With that, Cassius departed and Nadine moved to lead Ryan down a dimly lit hallway. When Ryan tried to resist, Nadine's grip on him tightened into a pinch until he ultimately cooperated. She was leading him down so many hallways, he couldn't tell where the exit was anymore. She finally stopped in a vacant holding cell and pushed him inside. Once he was in, she prodded him against the wall and fastened shackles onto his ankles to keep him chained to the wall.

"Can't have you running off, Ryan" Nadine giggled evilly. Ryan tried to rush her, but the chains kept him in place, prompting Nadine to cackle even more. "Never you worry, Ryan. Soon, you'll be one of the family." She pinched his cheek and left the room, slamming the door and locking it behind her.

Ryan tried desperately to free himself, but found no slack in either the duct tape or the chains on his ankles. Nevertheless, he was determined to escape the clutches of these monsters by any means necessary.