Chapter 8: Treading Within the Shadows (First Snag)

Within a few minutes of the conversation with Ein and Sierra… Nascour was contacting another of his admins; namely, Miror B.

"Greetings, Master Nascour!" Miror B. exclaimed, grinning at the vid-screen before him in Pyrite Town. Next to him, his two trusted direct subordinates, Reath and Ferma, stood patiently, awaiting any orders they might receive.

Nascour nodded. "Greetings, Miror B.," he replied. "Forgive me for such a late communication… I had meant to speak with you yesterday, but… there was a little commotion last night."

Miror B. shook his head in an unconcerned way. "Think nothing of it!" he insisted. "I'm glad I did get to talk with you, sir. I was just on my way out to deal with a little… problem that has popped up in Phenac."

"A problem in Phenac? Do tell."

"Apparently… that girl Gonzap tried to catch of behalf of Fera, about… oh… eight years ago, that had mysterious powers? She seems to have suddenly come up again, and Gonzap ordered two of my members to kidnap her!" Miror B. sighed. "Well… the two never actually told Gonzap they had joined me and quit Team Snagem, so they had no choice but to obey so they wouldn't get in trouble. What idiots… but they almost succeeded."

Nascour cocked his head. "Ah? Almost?"

"According to them, some kid named Wes turned up and saved her. So now… Gonzap's on their backs, but I'll be patching things up, don't you worry."

"Make it clear to him that these two… whoever they are… are on our team now," instructed Nascour. "This girl… her name is Rui, correct?"

Miror B. was taken aback. "Sir? Are you psychic too, or what?"

"No… I've heard about this girl with powers… In fact, I might have encountered her and this Wes the other day. She's really of no concern to us, at least not yet. If you can, try to catch her. Otherwise, leave her to Gonzap and Team Snagem."

"You got it, sir!" Miror B. assured, grinning brightly once again.

Nascour closed his eyes for a moment, trying to decide how much time he had before he needed to start preparing for the meeting with Evice. "Well, just concerning Pyrite Town… I trust things are going according to plan, Miror B.?"

"You bet! Everything is just peachy-dory… nothing to worry about whatsoever," Miror B. replied. "Duking is too scared to fight back against us, and the police are utterly clueless. Soon, this entire town will be aligned with Team Cipher!"

"Very good. I'm very pleased," said Nascour, with a laugh. "Until next time, then?"

Miror B. stuck a dance pose, which made Nascour sweatdrop. "For sure, Master Nascour!" he exclaimed, as the screen went blank. The 1st Admin of Team Cipher turned around to Reath and Ferma, who were waiting patiently. "All right, lovely ladies, we're all ready to hit the floor and head out to Phenac City! Ferma, darling, get my stereo. We've got business to take care of!"

After breakfast about half an hour later, and after bidding both Dusty and Willie goodbye once more, Wes and Rui decided to head back to Phenac City again. Rui was interested in seeing if Mayor Es Cade had discovered anything in his investigation; to which, of course, Wes had no choice but to accept. Wes wasn't quite too keen on meeting the ultra-happy mayor again, but if Rui wanted to go see him, then hell, so would he.

After another exhilarating journey across the desert in Wes's speeder, the pair hopped out and reentered Phenac City again. However… things weren't as they had left them…

"Wes! Rui! Is it you?" Almost upon entering, the two were confronted by Anna, the woman who had met Wes and Rui when they had first come to Phenac. She looked very flustered and frightened.

"Anna?" questioned Rui, approaching the young woman and taking her hands to calm her. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"I… I just saw a group of thugs heading towards the mayor's house!" Anna gasped. "There were… six of them. Three of them looked similar, except they had different colors of clothing… One had this… enormous red-and-white afro… and the last two… were those two kidnappers from yesterday!"

Wes narrowed his eyes. No matter what he did, the criminals after Rui just kept coming back. But what did they want from the mayor? "Don't worry. We'll go help him," he assured Anna. "Come on, Rui. Let's hurry."

"You're right," agreed Rui. "The mayor could be in danger!"

They took off through the city, running as fast as they could to the mayor's house. Not knowing that this would be an encounter like none other…

"Master Evice?"

"This is he. Speak."

In basement of the Shadow Pokémon Lab, huddled deep in a dark corner behind several boxes and crates, Tech took a deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing to speak further. The green illumination coming from the screen of his communication device lit up his young face eerily, and appeared to make the darkness around him even more pitch black, which didn't help his already-frazzled nerves any.

"Master Evice… I've made several discoveries you might be interested in," he said.

"Then tell me, and quickly. I'm en route to Realgam Tower, on my way to a meeting with Nascour." Master Evice, head of Team Cipher, sounded very cruel, and very annoyed. Tech could feel his throat going dry just listening to his voice.

"Ok. The first… Ein has not received the last of the Pokémon to be changed to Shadow Pokémon from Gonzap… Apparently, Gonzap is taking his time with the whole thing…"

Evice snorted. "What a fool… Luckily for him, I have finally received my ultimate Shadow Pokémon… If that were to be delayed, I would be most displeased… Gonzap's delays do not concern me much, just as long as we can equip our peons at Realgam Tower for the tournament after opening."

"That has already been done, sir…"

"Then it is of no concern."

Tech nodded, although of course Evice couldn't see him. "Very well… Um, Nascour has asked Sierra Noviena, Ein's direct subordinate, to accompany him to the meeting this afternoon… She's supposed to be some sort of bodyguard, in case you attempt anything against Nascour's life…"

"Oh really?"

"Yes sir. 16-years old, armed with twin pistols."

"I see…" chuckled Evice. "Well, I really do not fear anyone Nascour could drag along with him… much less a little girl with guns."

"But sir… she's really quite skilled…"

"Silence. If she does try to kill me… Ein shall have to be short a direct subordinate… and… sister?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yes. Ein will be missing a direct subordinate and sister. I fear her not."

Tech swallowed again. He hoped Sierra wouldn't try anything against Evice… The thought that Evice would be ready to eliminate Sierra if need be killed him from the inside out. If Sierra died at this meeting... Tech would never forgive himself...

Stop it, Hayden! he chided himself. Sierra's a tough girl, she'll be fine! And Master Nascour would never let anything happen to her... You know that...

"...Ah. And one more thing. Nascour has killed off another of his direct subordinates… or, actually, she was killed off by someone else… but…"

Evice laughed at those words. "Nascour's lost another direct subordinate?" he asked. "My, my… four direct subordinates… one admin… eighteen peons… and countless other random members of Team Cipher have all fallen to Nascour's blade thus far. It's a wonder if there'll be a team left in a year or so, if he keeps this up… So I assume he'll be wanting a new one?"

"Yes sir… he's assigned Sierra to search within Team Snagem's ranks…"

"Quite amusing… Nascour is cruel and ruthless enough, but… his stupid desire for formalities and honor within our team will prove to be his downfall, I can assure you," Evice told his spy. "Tell me… do you know exactly what Nascour has to do with the founding of this team?"

"According to Ein… he's the one who developed the idea and began drafting members… Ein and Sierra, I think, were the first to join…?"

"Yes… but do you know what he was before he decided to settle down and create a criminal syndicate within Orre?"

"Um… no…"

"He was a traditional mercenary from Johto," Evice snapped. "That's why he uses a sword with such skill. In fact, his first members were supposed to be other traditional mercenaries like him… but he ran into some problems with them. That's when he found me and we made a deal. If I gave him all the financial backing he needed, he could start his little 'Team Cipher.' On the condition I be its head, of course."

Tech could imagine well why Nascour didn't like Evice very much. "I see. So, that's why he's hung up on formalities and courtesies and stuff? Because that's what traditional mercenaries go for?"

"Yes." Evice paused for a moment, apparently checking something elsewhere. "I must go now. I am almost at Realgam Tower. I expect you to continue your espionage within the Shadow Pokémon Lab. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Evice, out."

Tech's communication device went dim, leaving the spy/scientist alone in the darkness and silence. He sighed, and stood up to return upstairs to the lab, most likely to assist Ein in research again. The job was risky, he knew. If Ein or Sierra ever caught wind of the fact that he was spying on them for Master Evice, they would no doubt kill him—or take him to Nascour for judgment, which would be infinitely worse.

But then again… Team Cipher itself was a risky organization in itself.

"First those two mysterious people we saw leaving his house… and now a gang of criminals!" shuddered Rui, hiding behind Wes as they approached Mayor Es Cade's house again. It was a quiet scene at first, but as Wes went up to the door, he could hear lots of muttering from within…

…And music.

Wes blinked, and put his ear to the door just to be sure. No mistaking it… some sort of bizarre tune, something to the effect of salsa music or such, was filtering through to the outside. He glanced at Rui. "Do you hear that?" he whispered.

Rui nodded, and frowned as she stuck her ear to the door to listen too. "What sort of music is that?" she asked.

"Beats me. Come on, let's go inside and see what's up."

"But there's six of them, and only two of us…"

"Don't you worry about a thing. Just stay behind me…" With a deep breath, Wes reached forward and pressed the switch to open up the door. It slid open, and the two stepped inside.

And stopped.

"Wha—?" began Wes, as he stopped short at the sight of the colorful individuals all standing about the first floor of the mayor's house, causing Rui to bump into him. All of them turned at stare at them with surprised looks on their faces. Wes glanced around at each of them, sizing them up as best as he could.

There were Folly and Trudly, the two goons who had tried to kidnap Rui. Folly was carrying a stereo on one shoulder, from which the crazy salsa tune was blaring. Trudly quickly hit a button on it to stop the song, and the room went silent.

Then there was a trio of mysterious men standing in a line, each looking the same as one another, but with different colors. One was red, the other was blue, and the third was green.

But the last guy… he was the most striking person out of the whole crew. He had to be already about six feet tall, but his hair—his giant, half-white and half-red afro—caused him to in reality have a height of about eight feet, coming dangerously close to brushing the ceiling. He had a bright, sparkly gold outfit on, and matching sparkly sunglasses and earrings. As Wes and Rui gaped, this man grinned and stepped forward, crossing his arms.

"Well, who do we have here?" he asked, in a sickeningly cheerful way. "Come now, don't be shy."

"Miror B., sir, that's the girl we were trying to kidnap for you!" Folly exclaimed. "And that's the guy who stopped us. Wes and Rui were their names."

"Wes? Rui? Why, it's an exquisite pleasure to meet you," Miror B. replied. "Unfortunately for the lovely little lady… I'm afraid I'm going to have to take her into our possession. Isn't that right, boys?"

Everyone else nodded their agreement.

Wes stepped in front of Rui. "So you're after Rui as well?" he asked. "What's the deal with you? Why do you want her? I don't think you're a part of Team Snagem…"

He was interrupted by a burst of laughter from Miror B. "Team Snagem? Heavens, no!" he said. "I'd never join that ragamuffin team. No… I am the 1st Admin to Team Cipher, the criminal syndicate that will control Orre… and soon, the entire world!"

"Team Cipher?" asked Rui. "I've never heard of them before!"

"We're only just starting to come into the open, is why, darling. We've been using Team Snagem as a cover-up for quite some time… but no more. That should make Master Gonzap happy, don't you think?" All the Team Cipher members burst into laughter at their boss' words.

Wes frowned. "That still doesn't explain why you want to kidnap Rui!" he said.

"I've received personal orders from the team head, and that's all you need to know," Miror B. responded coyly.

"Then what are you doing here in the mayor's house?" demanded Rui. "What have you done with Mayor Es Cade?"

Miror B. grinned. "I've done nothing with him; this house was empty when we got here. A nice peaceful town like Phenac is the perfect place to have criminal conferences, don't you think?" With a sigh, the Cipher Admin suddenly snapped his fingers, and the three tri-colored men stepped forward. "Rosso. Bluno. Verde. We're leaving. Verde, take my stereo." The green-clothed man nodded, and walked over to Folly, who handed him the stereo. "Folly, Trudly, redeem yourselves and defeat these children. If you don't, then I'm afraid you'll have to face the consequences of your failures. I can only be so forgiving, you know."

Folly and Trudly nodded, swallowing nervously. "Do we catch the girl, too?" Folly asked.

"Please do. Now, Wes, Rui…" Miror B. swaggered up to Wes, towering over the teen (with help from his enormous afro) menacingly. "If you knew what was best for you, you'd stay out of Team Cipher's way. If you think Team Snagem's a group of rough-and-tough criminals… you have no idea what Cipher has in store for you." He winked at Rui. "And hopefully, you'll be able to join me back at my hideout, darling."

Rui shook her head, huddling behind Wes's arm. "I'd rather not, thanks," she told him.

"We'll see, we'll see… Until next time, later baby!" He struck a dance pose, and, with his theme song blaring back to life, he exited the house with the trio of colorful peons in tow.

As the door shut, Miror B. turned to his "Mystery Troops" and indicated for the music to cease. "I'll be continuing back to Pyrite Town," he told them, as Reath and Ferma came out of nowhere to stand by his side. "Dears, take my stereo…"

Reath nodded. "Yes, Master Miror B.," she acknowledged, taking the stereo from Verde.

"I want you three to guard all the entrances into Phenac City," Miror B. continued. "If Wes and Rui do manage to defeat Folly and Trudly, I want to be sure they don't escape. And if you can, capture Rui as well. Nascour would be most pleased if she were delivered to him, don't you think?"

The three Mystery Troops saluted, and went off to do as they were ordered. "Yes, sir!"

Miror B. grinned once again, and turned to his two direct subordinates. "Back to Pyrite, then, ladies?" he asked, extending his arms for them to take.

The three departed in a cloud of odd music.

Back in the mayor's house, Wes was now staring down Folly and Trudly as they all prepared to battle, determination written in their eyes.

"Now I know where I've heard of you before, Wes," Trudly said, pointing at the teen. "When Folly and I were still on Team Snagem… I remember you. You were one of Gonzap's right-hand men, and the best Snagger on the team. Guess you've decided to call it quits, too."

"So… Is this why Team Snagem's been losing a couple of people as of late?" asked Wes, keeping a hand on his belt, where Espeon and Umbreon's Pokéballs waited. "They've been joining this Team Cipher instead?"

Folly shrugged. "Almost. Actually, most of the people were transferred over to Team Cipher in deals. You see… Team Cipher and Team Snagem have made an alliance with one another. Team Snagem captures Pokémon for Cipher's plans, and then Team Cipher pushes forward to conquer the world—with Gonzap reaping some of those benefits as well, of course."

Rui shook her head. "That's it, then? How horrible! Why would anyone want to take over the world? That's wrong!"

"No kidding," snorted Folly. "Maybe that's why it's a criminal syndicate. But that should be the least of your worries right now. Cause when we beat you, you two will be wishing you never meddled in our business. Miror B.'s counting on us to crush you!"

Wes took his Pokéballs in hand and held them forward. "I'm afraid I'll have to crash your dreams of making things up with your boss," he stated. "I'm defeating you here and now for the last time!"

"Afraid not, Wes," Folly grinned. "After we beat you and catch your little girlfriend, Miror B.'s bound to promote us in Team Cipher's ranks!" He took two Pokéballs off of his belt as well. "Here's for defeating me yesterday and ruining our plans to kidnap Rui! Go, Whismur! Go, Lotad!"

Two flashes of light lit up the house, revealing one of Folly's Whismur, and the Grass/Water-type Lotad. Wes supposed it was an improvement over using two Whismurs… but he still wasn't afraid of Folly.

"All right. Espeon, Umbreon, you're up!" Wes yelled, sending his two Pokémon out as well.

"Lotad! Water Gun attack on Espeon! Whismur, Pound on Espeon as well!" Folly commanded.

Wes frowned. Because Espeon had much lower defense than Umbreon, it would make sense to gang up on the Psychic-type first off. "Umbreon! Use Bite on Whismur! Espeon! Confusion on Lotad!"

Espeon quickly made the first move, and hit Lotad with a powerful Psychic-type attack that sent the Pokémon reeling for a moment. In the meantime, Umbreon Bit Whismur for some damage as well. However, the Normal-type soon came back with a hard Pound attack on Espeon, followed by Lotad's Water Gun attack. Espeon yelped in pain as the two attacks connected.

"Don't give up, Espeon!" Rui called encouragingly.

"Espeon! Confusion on Whismur this time! Umbreon, use your Bite on Lotad!" commanded Wes.

"Lotad, Absorb attack on Umbreon! Whismur, Pound Espeon once more!" Folly retaliated.

This time, Lotad got to work first, by Absorbing a little of Umbreon's HP. Before Whismur could Pound Espeon again, though, the Psychic-type attacked with his usual speed, and knocked the Normal-type out with Confusion. Umbreon then Bit Lotad, weakening it even further.

"Good job!" congratulated Wes. "Finish it! Secret Power and Return attacks, now!"

"Water Gun, Lotad!" Folly yelled desperately, but to no avail—the Grass/Water-type was quickly felled before it could even make a move.

Folly's mouth dropped in aghast horror at the fact that he had been defeated once again by Wes. "W-what? No! I lost again!" he wailed, recalling his two Pokémon.

Rui beamed, and gave Wes a quick hug. "Yay! You did it! You beat him!" she congratulated.

"Idiot!" berated Trudly, whacking Folly in the back of the head. "You lost! Again! I thought you said you'd be ready for him next time around!"

"Ow…"

Wes crossed his arms. "Looks like you lost. Now get out of here."

"No way, Wes!" Trudly stepped forward, taking out two Pokéballs of his own. "I'll be taking you on now! Against my Pokémon, you can't win!"

"Is that so? I'm ready for you," said Wes. "Ready, guys?"

"Espi!" "Umbri!" the two Eevee-evolutions replied eagerly.

"Spinarak, Duskull, go!" The spider-like Bug/Poison-type and the spooky Ghost-type Pokémon of Trudly made their appearance, crying a challenge. "Ready, Wes? Spinarak, Leech Life on Espeon! Duskull, Lick Espeon as well!"

"More teaming-up on Espeon? Figures," snapped Wes. "Luckily we have type advantages here! Espeon, Confusion on Spinarak; Umbreon, use Bite on Duskull!"

As usual, Espeon got the first move in with Confusion, knocking Spinarak out before it could attack. Duskull proved to be a bit more challenging, however. Dodging Umbreon's Bite attack, the Ghost-type Licked Espeon, causing great damage and paralyzing the Psychic-type to boot.

"Hang in there!" Wes called to his Espeon.

Trudly frowned a little as he recalled his Spinarak, but his frown quickly turned upside-down as he took out a third Pokéball. "Nice job, but this is the end of the road for you, Wes!" he cried. "Go, Makuhita!"

Rui gasped at the name. "What? Makuhita?"

But before Wes could ask, the room lit up with a flash of light, as the Fighting-type made its appearance. It took a sumo stance as it prepared for battle. But… something was wrong. Wes could sense it. Espeon and Umbreon both growled nervously at this new challenger as it stared them both down. Wes bit his lip. What was it? What was the matter?

His questions to himself were quickly interrupted by a pained gasp from Rui, who swooned and clutched at the side of her head. Wes grabbed her arm before she fell over, and turned her so she was staring into his eyes. "Rui, what's wrong?" he asked urgently. "This Pokémon… it…"

She nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "Yes… I can see a black aura coming from that Pokémon. They must have done something to it. Wes! That's the strange Pokémon I saw in Pyrite Town! The one I was telling you about!"

"That's it?" He gaped at the Pokémon, normal in every way, and yet… not normal at all.

Makuhita smiled coldly at Wes, in a way no Pokémon was meant to smile. Then, all of a sudden… it dived at Wes in a burst of speed, catching everyone in the room off-guard.

"Wes! Look out!" screamed Rui, a split second before Makuhita drew back its fist and punched Wes hard in the chest, sending him flying backwards and hitting the bookshelves behind him with a choked cry of pain. In a sudden rush of tears, Rui ran blindly to her friend and fell to her knees next to him. "Wes! Wes, are you ok? Please, say something!"

A thin trickle of blood slowly ran down Wes's face from the corner of his lip as he gasped in pain, attempting to sit up. Instantly his hand went to his chest as a sharp stabbing pain gripped him, indicating that, more than likely, one of his ribs was at least cracked, if not broken. With a sick sob, he collapsed into Rui's arms as she tried to help him sit up. He gritted his teeth against the pain, and looked up to see Makuhita looming over them with its fists raised. Rui shrieked and hugged Wes even more tightly to her, burying her face in his shoulder.

Wes swallowed, and glared past Makuhita to Folly and Trudly. "D…damn you…" he growled. "How dare you… use a Pokémon like this…"

"Get used to it, Wes," Trudly smirked. "Team Snagem never played fair, and Team Cipher even more so. We're not afraid to do whatever it takes to win."

Rui looked up fearfully. "But… how can you… turn a Pokémon evil like this?" she cried. "What did you do to it?"

Folly grinned. "It's called a Shadow Pokémon, and basically its heart has been closed to all emotion, leaving only aggression and fighting instincts in its place," he explained. "That makes them the ultimate battle machines. Perfect for our plans to take over the world!"

"That's wrong!" Rui shouted, leaping to her feet and glaring at the two peons. "How dare you! Pokémon are not meant to be fighting machines! Humans are supposed to live in harmony and cooperation with Pokémon, not use them for their own evil plots!"

"Save it, girl!" Trudly yelled, losing patience. "We've got more important things to worry about than your stupid blathering about how we should treat Pokémon! Makuhita! Grab that girl and bring her to us, then finish Wes off slowly and painfully!"

"Maku-hita!" the Fighting-type yelled, bounding forward and snatching Rui up by the arm in one easy move.

Rui screamed, and kicked at the Pokémon wildly in an attempt to free herself. "Wes! Help!" she shrieked.

Wes tried to get up, but was stopped by the pain in his chest. "Rui…" he whispered in frustration.

"Espi!" At that moment, Espeon suddenly tackled Makuhita with a hard Return attack, making it stagger. Umbreon quickly ran around and Bit the Fighting-type in the arm, which caused it to drop Rui with the pain. It faced the two Pokémon angrily and pumped its fists, ready to fight. Espeon and Umbreon both growled, and prepared to unleash their most powerful attacks on Makuhita.

"Hold on!" Wes called, forcing himself to stand up. "Don't knock it out. Wear it down, as much as you can, but don't knock it out!"

"What are you trying to pull?" snarled Trudly. "Makuhita, shut Wes up for good! Shadow Rush!"

Rui paled as the darkness around Makuhita intensified, and she struggled to her feet. "Wes! Look out! That attack is really strong!" she warned.

"Umbreon! Block and counter with Secret Power!" commanded Wes.

"Umbri… umbreon!" The Dark-type instantly placed himself between Makuhita and his trainer, and met the Fighting-type head on in a powerful attack. Makuhita reeled; both from Umbreon's counter attack and Shadow Rush's kickback, and Wes took the opportunity to give Espeon a command.

"Espeon, attack with your Return!"

The Psychic-type nodded, and prepared to unleash an attack. However… he suddenly yelped in pain and fainted on the spot, as Duskull came up behind him and gave him another Lick.

"Oh no!" cried Rui. "Duskull! I nearly forgot!"

Wes paled, and quickly recalled Espeon into his Pokéball. He had forgotten about the Ghost-type too. Wes, come on… you're losing your focus! Don't be so careless! he berated himself. But he couldn't help it… the pain in his chest, his concern for Rui, and his horror and fear of this Shadow Pokémon, this Makuhita… It was all making him lose his cool. You've got to focus! If you don't, Rui will be kidnapped, your Pokémon will no doubt be stolen and turned into Shadow Pokémon themselves, and you…

…You'll be killed…

He swallowed the lump of fear in his throat down, forcing himself to think. If one of Makuhita's Fighting-attacks connects with Umbreon, we'll lose! Fighting-types are great against Dark-types… But… I've still got a chance… Umbreon is faster than Makuhita. We can still win.

"Umbreon, get ready!" he commanded.

"Makuhita, Cross Chop attack!" Trudly yelled.

"Dodge it, and go for Duskull!" Wes countered in return. "Bite attack!"

Skillfully dodging Makuhita's arms, Umbreon ran at full speed towards the Ghost-type waiting in the wings for an opening, knowing that all his friends were depending on him to win this battle. Taking Duskull totally off-guard, the Dark-type delivered a devastating Bite to it and knocked it out in one blow.

Wes nodded. "Great job, now we've got to weaken Makuhita!"

Trudly fumed as he recalled Duskull. "Makuhita, use Cross Chop again!"

Makuhita barreled towards Umbreon once again, but Umbreon was prepared, and dodged the attack. "Use your Secret Power!" Wes cried. Umbreon closed his eyes, focusing deeply on this one attack. With a final cry of fury, he suddenly charged and smashed hard into Makuhita, doing severe damage and knocking it to the ground in a daze.

"That's it!" Wes exclaimed. "Now… we get to Snag it…"

Rui gasped at his words. "Snag it…? Oh! Wes…"

Pressing a button within the sleeve of his Snag Machine, a Pokéball (loaded just after breakfast, of course) slid down into his hand and lit up with purple light. Biting down against the stabbing pain in his chest, Wes reared back, spun around once, and threw the now-transformed Snag Ball directly at Makuhita. "Snag Ball, go!"

"Wha—? Izzat… a Snag Machine?" gaped Folly, a bit too late.

Trudly gasped. "Oh no!"

The ball snapped against Makuhita's stunned form, and in a burst of light, the Pokémon was taken into it. Clacking to the floor, the Pokéball continued to wiggle back and forth, back and forth… then finally stopped, as the Pokémon within ceased its struggling and gave in to the capture.

At first, everyone just stared at the Pokéball lying there in the middle of the floor with stunned looks on their faces. Then, Umbreon quickly broke the trance by grabbing the Pokéball in his mouth and running over to Wes, placing it in his hands.

Wes smiled weakly, and fell to his knees. "Good job," he congratulated, rubbing Umbreon's head. "I'm very proud of you."

Folly and Trudly's mouths both dropped open. "No way! We lost!" Trudly cried.

"Aw man! Now Miror B.'ll be totally hacked off at us!" Folly wailed.

"And… what will Miror B. say when we tell him the Shadow Pokémon we were issued got Snagged?" Trudly whimpered. "Even worse… what will Master Ein and Sierra say when they find out?"

"Too bad!" Rui said, surprising Wes with how angry she sounded. "Now go away and don't bother us anymore!"

"Oh yeah? Well—" began Folly, stepping towards Rui threateningly. But Umbreon's growl made him think twice.

Trudly shook his head, knowing that it would be dangerous to remain here in the mayor's house. No doubt people had seen them coming into the city; if they stayed any longer, citizens would be bound to start calling police up from Pyrite. After all, they looked rather suspicious, and some might even have recognized Folly and Trudly from yesterday. "Forget it, Folly, I think we should go," he said.

"Huh? Go? But—"

Wes nodded. "You heard him. Going would definitely be in your best interest," he recommended.

With more despairing glances at one another, the two trudged out in defeat. "Man… Master Ein will kill us…" Wes and Rui heard them continue to whine as they left.

A few moments of silence passed, before Rui collapsed to her knees besides Wes. "That was so scary…" she whispered, hugging Wes tearfully. "My gosh… are you ok, Wes? Where are you hurt?"

"I think… I think one of my ribs is cracked… if not broken…" Wes replied, undoing the front of his trenchcoat and feeling at his ribs distastefully. "Yeah… that does not feel good…"

Rui touched at his ribs as well, and winced to feel the definitely unnatural arrangement of at least one or two of them. "Oh… oh dear…"

He suddenly coughed, and turned his face away. "Damn… that definitely is not good…" Rui heard him mutter.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Coughing up blood… not a good thing…" Wes remarked, managing to smile. "Guess that means internal bleeding somewhere, eh?"

Rui gasped at his words. "Wes… you… I'm sorry… I had no idea how dangerous that Pokémon really was… I'm so sorry…" she whispered, hugging him close.

"What are you sorry for? I'm just glad I got that Pokémon, just like you planned." He showed her the Pokéball of the Snagged Makuhita, before putting it on his belt. "Plus, you also got to see me Snag a Pokémon. Not too bad, eh?"

"But Wes… we must get you to a doctor immediately," Rui insisted, standing up and helping Wes stand as gently as she could. "If you really are bleeding somewhere inside, we have to help you quick, before… before…"

Wes cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I get it. But there aren't really hospitals in Orre… they've got wandering nurses and stuff… Let's get to the Pokémon Center, that's the next best thing to a hospital. Ok?"

"Ok…" Rui sniffed, trying desperately to hold back her tears, and began helping Wes to walk out to the Pokémon Center, with Umbreon following behind.

Please Wes… Rui thought to herself desperately. Please… be ok… If anything happens to you, I… don't know what I'd do.

Stay with me always...