She was smiling at me as I flew away with Gold's body, as if it was exactly what she wanted.

Staraptor flew us to Mt. Silver as fast as she could, even with the extra weight that was Gold. Gold's phantom had jumped into his body when we took off, and only his head was sticking out. I couldn't get anything out of my head. It was too crowded, too full of thoughts and information. I wished I had a Munna like Black to help me clear my head, but these weren't dreams I needed to get rid of. This was fear.

I looked at Phantom Gold.

"Who are you?"

"I don't know. But you call me Gold."

"Why do you leave your body?"

"I don't know that either."

I felt like I didn't know who I was. It was when we landed at the peak of mount silver that I realized I was too weak to do anything about Gold's body. So I released Lucario again and asked him to carry Gold's body. Then we made the careful trek up to the peak. When we reached the cave I knew Red resided in, I hesitated.

'Whoever's after us...they got Gold, Silver, Crystal, Yellow, Gold's mother, and possibly Blue too. What if they got Red as well?'

But I knew I had to try. So I told Lucario to keep his aura open for any enemies and enter the cave. I walked a bit to find some sparks, and one of them zapped me. It hurt, but I knew it was Pikachu's way of finding out who it was. So when Red came up to me with a worried face, I couldn't do anything more. I broke down and cried.

Yeah, I know. Not so macho, am I? But all my fears and all my worries slipped away as I could finally have some peace of mind knowing that with Red, I was the one being protected. So I called Lucario in, and he came in with Gold's body. Red picked up the body and we walked deeper into the cave, where Red lived. He laid Gold's body next to the fire, and gave me a blanket. He made me some hot cocoa, and I let him heal my Staraptor and asked my Lucario to keep his aura senses open.

He sat next to me with an identical cup of cocoa, and we had a whispered conversation, afraid we would be eavesdropped on.

"We're all in danger, aren't we?"

I looked at Red. Then sighed, taking a sip out of my cup of chocolaty goodness.

"Yeah."

"Who's gone?" Trust Red to ask such a pointed question.

"Gold, Silver, Crystal, Yellow and possibly Blue."

Red frowned.

"And the lock-down isn't helping, is it?"

"Yeah..."

Red sighed, then stood up. He brought his bag and asked for mine, which I gave. He then began to transfer all his things from his bag into mine. Hyper potions. Elixirs. Water. Emergency rations.

"What are you doing?" I questioned. He gave me such a sad look that I wish I'd never asked.

"I think I'm next." If we weren't in a cave, then I'm sure I wouldn't have heard what Red said. He whispered so quietly that I had to strain my ears to hear. But then he looked at Gold's body again and sighed.

"I'll take Gold's body to a safe location.."

I looked at him worriedly.

"I'm next, so if I leave, you can stay up here a bit longer without having to worry. Don't stay too long, though."

Red was going to sacrifice his safety so I could do something about what was going on. I wish I knew why.

"It's because you're the one who knows the most." a whispery voice said. I turned my head to look at Phantom Gold. He shrugged, and I looked back at Red again.

"I'll leave, okay? Good luck, Iris. We're all depending on you now."

But before Red could leave, carrying Gold's body, I held onto his shirt.

"I can't, Red. I'm not strong enough. I can't beat you, how can you go? If they can get you, they can get me."

The knot in my stomach came back. I was beyond worried.

Red turned around to face me. Then he smiled.

"That's not true, Iris. You can do it. I know you can."

Then something similar happened as with Gold. He leaned closer to me, and whispered something into my ear.

"I won't ever tell you where I take Gold's body, by the way."

He left without another word. I felt so alone again. If Red left, that maybe bought me another day or two, some time to rest before I went on the run again. So leaving my Lucario out for security and Staraptor for quick escape, I sat next to the fire and began to drift off.

"Alone...I'm all alone..."

"No, you have me."

I thought I heard Phantom Gold say something, but I didn't have enough time to register it. I fell asleep to the sounds of cracking, and the soft whooshes of the wind outside. I was woken up the next morning by the sounds of my phone ringing. I looked at the caller ID to recognize the number as Red's. I let out a sigh of relief, but was also tense, recalling what Red had told me the night before.

"I won't ever tell you where I take Gold's body, by the way."

I picked up, waiting to hear that voice. Indeed, I heard it.

"Hey Iris."

"Red." I was nervous. This voice was Red's. There was nothing wrong…so far.

"I'm just calling to tell you that I hid Gold's body in Goldenrod." I flinched. Red's words from last night began to repeat over and over in my head. I didn't know what to say. There was a bitter taste in my mouth. Of disgust.

"Yeah?"

"Yep." Still Red's voice. So either this person had done the same thing they did to Gold's mom, or it was Red, but Red wasn't the type to go back on his word or forget what he said. I had only one response in my head which fit the situation.

"Well then. Fuck you."

I hung up. Red didn't call back. Instead, I let my guard down when Lucario told me that there was nothing wrong right now. I rested my head against the cave wall, letting myself slide down and down until I had my knees to my chest. I then looked at my phone, wondering what I should do. I called Red.

"The number you have dialed is not currently in service. Please check again."

So Red was gone too, huh? I sighed. The only way to keep myself safe was if I had connections. If I had people to ask for help and people to talk to. But I didn't know who to trust anymore, since apparently my enemy could become a new person, or take the form of another person. I decided that Red wasn't going to come to me anytime soon, since there was a snowstorm being forecast since yesterday. It was a miracle I managed to get to Mt. Silver without dying, and this miracle would keep me alive for at least another two days. Luck was on my side…for now.

I sat down near the burned-out fire, and released Roserade and Emboar.

"Roserade, Magical Leaf….for….a campfire. And Emboar, light the fire, please."

Soon enough, I had a fire going, and not wanting to freeze my poor grass and fire types, I returned them to their pokeball. Lucario and Staraptor shifted over to the fire, and I gently tapped Staraptor to return her to her pokeball as well. Luke was staying outside with me. If there was an emergency, only Luke could know. Only Luke would know.

I warmed up a bit, and opened my bag for breakfast. I quickly fed my pokemon as well, trying to keep them out of the cold. Then I wondered what I should do next. Phantom Gold had disappeared, and I wondered if he couldn't stay far away from his body. I wondered if Red had actually managed to hide the body before…before whatever happened to him. I briefly remembered my 'last will and testament' from last night, and found it after a bit of shuffling around in my bag.

I stared at it for a moment, then looked at my phone. I called Ruby.

"The number you have dialed is not currently in service. Please check again."

Sapphire.

"The number you have dialed is not currently in service. Please check again."

Emerald.

"The number you have dialed is not currently in service. Please check again."

"Damn it."

I began to get scared to try anyone else. I was afraid that I was alone. That I was the only one left. But I had to make sure. And if there were others who were still alright, then I had to make sure they stayed that way. I called Platinum next.

"Hello?"

"Platinum!"

"Oh Iris! I was worried about you! You left for Johto, and around the time you would have landed in Hoenn, there were tremors there!"

"Really? Nothing happened…I guess I even missed the new about it."

"Well, I'm glad you're alright." I began to get uneasy feelings.

"Platinum, where are you?"

"Me? I'm outside to-"

She was suddenly cut off, and there was a loud beep. My heart was beating so fast. What happened? Was she alright?

"Oh sorry, Iris. Bad connection. So anyways, I'm outside to go and meet Pearl and Diamond. We received a phone call from Green yesterday, telling us to stick together. He said that we might be in danger."

"…"

"Well, he also said not to use the phone anymore. I'll hang up, okay Iris? And don't worry. We'll be fine."

Platinum hung up, and I couldn't get the uneasy feeling away from my stomach. I knew that the three Sinnoh trainers were more than enough to fend for themselves, but this was beyond being able to battle. So I called Diamond. Just in case.

"The number you have dialed is not currently in service. Please check again."

"SHIT!" I called Pearl too, praying that he would pick up.

"The number you have dialed is not currently in service. Please check again."

I immediately called Platinum back. She was in danger.

"Hello? Iris? What's wrong?"

"Platinum, don't go to meet Diamond and Pearl. Something's happened to them!"

There was silence on the other end. Then a soft giggling.

"I know, Iris. And frankly, don't you think that suddenly hanging up the phone saying 'fuck you' is rude?"

Platinum's line went dead with the same monotonous voice of that lady who kept telling me that my friends were gone. Unable to help. I was in shock. So apparently my enemy could practically teleport himself to different regions. That was impossible. Even a fully grown Alakazam couldn't do that. So what was going on?

Then it hit me. The phone calls. Every one of them. Every time I phoned someone, the recipient was targeted next. The only exception was Red, who I had gone to see personally. And Platinum had said that Green told her to stay away, which meant that the enemy knew that Green was getting suspicious. So Green was probably out of the question. Did my enemy have my phone tapped? How did they do this? My thoughts began to swirl around my head again. I couldn't think.

I took out a notebook which I always carried with me, and stuck a new post-it where the last one ended. I labeled it PG for Phantom Gold, then I realized what I wrote and ripped it off, throwing it away. I then decided to write PB, for Phantom Boy. I guess I got attached to the silent Gold, after all. I even gave him a nickname. Then I began to write notes for everything which happened so far. This was what I did. I gathered information through experience, then I recorded and organized it. It allowed me to make a plan of actions, and my plans of actions never failed unless there was an anomaly.

Johto-Gold, Silver, Crystal, Yellow

Gold-Coma. Body hidden (?) by Red

Kanto-Red, Blue, Green (?)

Hoenn-Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald

Sinnoh-Platinum, Pearl, Diamond

Unova-Black, White, Me

So far the only people who I weren't sure of was Green, Black and White. But I wouldn't risk calling Black and White because as far as I knew, they were safe. Wait, Green? I recalled what Platinum said. "Well, he also said not to use the phone anymore." Platinum, the enemy, had told me not to use the phone anymore. What was that? Moreover, she told me that Green had told her not to.

Was this a trap? To trick me into not using my phone, leaving me isolated from the world? In a flurry of rage, I picked up the cursed device and dialed Green's number. Then when he picked up, I lost all sense.

"What the hell are you playing at?"

There was silence at the other end. Then Green burst into a full-blown laughter. I knew that laugh. It was when Green was really enjoying something. For a second I wanted to believe that they were all just playing a trick on me, and that Green was the one who couldn't take it anymore and gave them away, laughing. But then he suddenly stopped, and began to speak again.

"Well, if you kept using your phone and kept leading your friends to me, then this game of cat and mouse wouldn't be as fun anymore, would it?"

My mouth gaped. I couldn't think logically anymore. My next words were forced through my teeth, a growl.

"Then this is just a sick game to you?"

"Exactly. Don't use the phone anymore, dear flower. Maybe you'll stay alive longer, then."

The disgusting excuse for a human hung up. My head began to spin. I think as I fell, Luke caught me, but then I didn't remember anything anymore.

When I woke up, it took me a while to remember what had happened the past two days. I bolted upright, and quickly fed myself first. I fed my pokemon too, then stood up to walk around the cave a little. The snowstorm was beginning to light up. It would be totally gone by tomorrow. I needed a new place to go. But first, I needed a plan. Any plan would do. I took out my notebook, then began to organize things.

Tremor-targets cities with gym (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn affected)

Why? – incapacitate ability to help me

-make defenses weak

-any other purpose?

Phone calls-tracked

-phones get out of service.

Alternatives to communication to Unova?

-Pokegear same as phone. Useless + Doesn't work in Unova

-letters Unova too far, too easily intercepted

-radio easily intercepted

-Xtransceiver Would it work? It's only usable between other Xtransceiver users…

Gold-what has he forgotten?

I circled Gold's name. For some reason, I knew it. I had an epiphany. Some sort of weird, sick, twisted insight into what was going on. One way to end this all. One solution to this madness.

Gold.

Gold was the key to all this.