Super intense chapter coming up… or at least I hope it is for you guys as well as me. :) This is where everything really takes off and I'm starting to set up what I want the ending to be. I still have to think out a few things though. So, as far as this chapter goes, enjoy it!

Keith

An hour later, Kate had arrived. What can I say? My girl works fast. I was scolded for the first fifteen minutes about how I shouldn't just go off and disappear. I think she was just relieved at having finally found me. She was getting down to business already, deep into conversation with the Go-Rock Squad. I was half-listening, mostly to make sure that jerk Billy didn't step out of line, but I let Kate run the show. She was always best at the planning stage of things anyway. As for me, I liked the doing part. Not so much the planning.

I could see he was making her smile. Billy. He was a charming son of a bitch. I frowned even deeper, if it was possible. She wasn't keeping her smile hidden either. What game was she playing?

The planning stage was soon finished and not a second too early for me. Kate walked up beside me as she saw me scanning the landscape for any trouble. I didn't want any surprises. She looked over at me, hazel eyes soft and teasing. She seemed to have forgiven me for disappearing mysteriously like I did. "You wanna tell me why you're so grumpy, ginger?"

I couldn't keep the scowl off my face. "I'm not grumpy," I answered, knowing that my denial sounded false, even to my own ears.

She smiled, taking my hand and rubbing a thumb over my palm. "Something's bothering you."

"I just don't trust them," I shook my head, "They're up to something, I can just feel it."

"I agree," Kate replied quietly and I did a double-take at her, "Billy was trying to make me smile. He was trying to cozy up to me, almost. I let him, just to see what if I can figure out what he wants. Because, Keith, they want something and it ain't from you."

"Well, what do you think-" Our talk was interrupted by Kate's styler.

"Voicemail, voicemail," Kate grabbed the styler from her pocket, frowning, "I just talked to the Union an hour ago. Who could it be?"

She answered, clutching the styler tightly. "Hello?"

"Big sis," Alyssa sounded like she was trying to be calm, but there was an edge of hysteria to her voice, "I'm not okay."

The reaction was immediate. Kate's eyes snapped to the styler. Her voice was clear and lucid, cutting through the silence. "What happened?"

"I was out and there was a Pokemon I thought was in danger…" Alyssa sounded like she was barely holding it together and Kate strained toward the styler, as if she wanted to just go right into it and be there for her sister. "But it wasn't a Pokemon and now these bad people have me and I don't know what they want," her voice cracked into a small sob and Kate clutched the styler even tighter.

"Alyssa, where are you?" she asked urgently. This was killing her, I could tell. To her, every second that Alyssa was out there, scared and alone, was another second that Kate wasn't there for her.

"Kate, listen, you can't come, please. Promise me you won't," there were sounds of a struggle, "Big sis, don't come after me, please." Alyssa sounded like she was being wrestled back and gagged and Kate's face turned white.

"Alyssa? Alyssa! Can you hear me? Where are you?" Kate yelled frantically into the styler. That was when another voice came in, one that sounded a lot more sinister than the one of Kate's fourteen-year-old sister.

"Hey, Katie-noob," the voice said mockingly and Kate's face when from completely white to filled with anger. "You can try and catch us, if you dare."

"Ice, I swear, if you even touch a hair on her head, I will make you wish you had never been born," Kate snarled, "And Arceus help you if you think I'm kidding."

"I don't doubt it," I could almost hear the shrug in Ice's voice, "But you'll have to find us first. I'm sure you can figure it out. We'll be waiting." The styler's connection was disabled and Kate immediately put it away, walking toward the entrance to the castle.

"Kate, hold on a minute," I chased after her, pulling on her arm, "Just wait one second before you go dashing off." Everything was happening way too fast for me right now, but this tasted too much like a trap. I was worried about Alyssa too, but I wasn't going to let Kate go running off without a plan.

"Why?" she retorted sharply, "I have to get her back. I have to. She's my sister."

"I understand that," I replied, trying to sound calm, "And believe me, if it was my baby sister, I'd do anything to get her back. But let's be rational about this for a minute."

She stared at my hand, which held her back. "Let go of me."

"Just let me call the Union," I explained to her, refusing to let go of her, "Let's make a plan before we go rushing blind into this."

She hesitated, seeing the sense in my statement. "Fine," she finally said, "but he will not get away with this. No one gets away with hurting my little sister. No one. I don't care if it's Arceus itself, I will not let it happen."

"I understand, Kate," I let go of her, but kept my arm outstretched, "Just give me three minutes. Okay?"

Her face looked thunderous, but she nodded, "Three minutes." I backed off, calling the Union and watching as Kate paced.

"Yeah, Rhythmi, we have a problem. Get Erma on the line for me."

"Yeah, right away, Keith," Rhythmi didn't ask any questions. A few moments later, I recognized Erma's voice on the other end.

"Keith, what is it?"

"Chairperson, Kate's little sister has been kidnapped by Dim Sun," I explained, trying to make this as quickly as possible, "They're holding her over Kate's head. It's gotta be a trap."

There was a moment of silence in which Erma was processing the information. It was a lot to process. "I agree with you. It sounds like a trap set just for Kate. I'm going to send Sven and Lucy to Wintown right away to start the search," Erma replied calmly and a bit too slowly for my liking, "But, Keith, you have to understand that it's essential you and Kate get that Cresselia. It's the only thing that Isaac thinks can potentially cure this Darkrai for good. The best thing Kate can do right now is stay away from Wintown, no matter how badly she wants to go there."

"Yeah, well, Kate's not going to give it up that easy," I hissed back. "What are we going to do?"

"You're going to have to talk her down, Keith," Erma answered steadily. I think I almost had a coronary.

"Erma, you know I can't do that," I freaked, making sure to keep my voice down, "Get Rhythmi or Sven or Wendy or Isaac on the line right now and have them talk to her. Rhythmi would be good at this. She's so much better than me. Heck, even Marcus will do. Marcus and Kate are pretty good friends, right? A little bit?"

"Keith, you're the guy on the ground," Erma said simply, "You have to make the calls. Besides, everyone's busy enough as it is." How was she always so damn calm?

"But she doesn't listen to me," I squawked, having a hard time believing this was actually happening right now, "She won't, not about this. This is her sister, Erma. I can't do this."

"You have to Keith," Erma replied solidly, "I won't have Kate walking into a trap and I need you two to get this Cresselia job done. Just make sure she knows that this is the most important thing she can do for her sister. Dim Sun is doing this to reel in a Ranger with a Vatonage styler to capture Darkrai for them. If they don't get anyone from this, Alyssa will be of no use to them. They'll just let her go."

"So as long as the Vatonage styler stays here, Dim Sun won't get what they want. Unless…" my blood ran cold as I thought about the other Vatonage styler Kate had asked to be made, "Erma, we have to warn Wintown. Now!"

Solana

I was out in the Sekra Mountains looking for Alyssa. When I had gotten back to Wintown, Silent Chris had told me and Elita that Alyssa had gone out taking her Chatot for some legitimate flying lessons over near the mountains. Seriously. When a Chatot needed flying lessons, you knew it had to be pretty screwed up.

"I gotta see this," I had grinned and rushed out to find her. However, I couldn't. I thought she would be in her usual spot, near the meadow, so I started there. But she wasn't there. I did a spiraling search path from there, looking farther and farther from her meadow as I circled. I was starting to get a little bit worried after a while.

After almost an hour of looking around, it started to get dark. I decided that she must have gone back to the base. I was about to head back when I heard the fall of gravel down the cliff side of the nearest mountain. Something or someone must have caused that.

"Alyssa?" I called out, looking up to the top of the cliff where the gravel had fallen. There was no reply. That was when an avalanche of rocks cascaded down the mountainside, barreling right toward me. By the time I realized it, it was too late. I hugged Plusle to me and braced myself as the first few rocks crashed into us, dimly seeing that there was a shape much larger than Alyssa coming down the mountainside toward me. That was the last thing I saw before I was knocked to the ground and blacked out.