[Excuse me, Astro...are you ready to say your piece? Amber told me before we started that this was a sore point in your life...]

{'Sore point'? Christ, that's an understatement. But, someone's gotta add what happened to me and Riolu, so it better be me.}

Astro.

Some Time Later.

I have a bit of a fuzzy memory on some of the details from when I was in Team Galactic's custody, but anyone would. Gimme some patience.

I slept through the whole transport period, and woke up sitting against the wall in nothing more than a dark, glorified jail cell. My ribs hurt, my spine hurt, hell, even my tail hurt. I must've been banged up bad.

Ugh...what happened...? I stood up, and felt something on my wrists. I looked down, and saw I was chained to the wall, even my feet. The only real slack was to allow me to stand at sit. Padded leather gloves were fastened tightly around my paws, probably to keep me from attacking.

Then, my memory hit me. I'd gotten snatched up by a Golbat, hellbent on rescuing Riolu from that pint-sized twerp, Saturn. That was why my ribs and spine hurt so bad; it had crunched down on me until I passed out.

Immediately, and with good purpose, I panicked. I pulled against the chains, trying to escape. I knew I wasn't strong enough, but I had to at least try.

"Ri-Riolu!" I screamed. "Amber! Anybody!"

An intercom sounded. A woman's voice announced, "Subject 27876 has now regained consciousness." I knew that had to be me.

"I'm not a subject!" I screamed; not with telepathy, but I screamed with my real, true pokemon voice. "I'm a pokemon! I'm a living being!"

With how hard I was pulling on the chains, I'm shocked that I didn't further hurt myself. Had I been human, either the force of my efforts would've broken both my arms, or popped my shoulders out of the sockets.

I wasn't used to being confined, or restrained. I had a pokeball, but to the best of my knowledge, Amber never had put me in my pokeball. The feeling of being unable to at least walk around, it sent me into a panic.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps, and then the door being unlocked. I sank to the ground, defeated and already tired.

A man walked into the room, a man in a Galactic uniform, with spiky blue hair. Tall, well-built, and intimidating to probably anybody else. But I knew him well, and despised it.

"Cyrus!" I screamed. "Where the hell am I?! Where's Amber?!"

He chuckled, cruelly. "The Team Galactic Headquarters. Long time no see, Astro."

"Are you working with these bastards?!" I demanded. "What the hell do you...where is Riley's Riolu?! Why did you take him?"

"That grunt stole the other Riolu to ensure that you cooperate with what I need you to," Cyrus told me coldly, not even a trace of a smile. "It is being kept...alive, unless you decide to lash out."

My vision was blurry and red with rage. I stood up and charged again, pulling on my arms with my feet running like I was on a treadmill.

I don't what's

Worth fighting for.

"You bastard! You cold, heartless BASTARD!" My eyes blurred with tears, and I closed them. "Riolu is just a little kid! He never did anything! I'm gonna get you back, you son of a bitch, I'll rip your insides out with all my strength!"

Or why I

Have to scream.

My arms exploded in pain, which spread to the rest of my body. I opened my mouth and screamed my throat raw, a scream of agony and pure rage.

I opened my eyes. Cyrus had a remote control in his hand, thumb pressed on a button that kept the current flowing that electrocuted me.

I don't know

Why I instigate.

"Stop it...!" I cried out. It strained me to use my telepathy. I sank to my knees, seething in anger.

Cyrus released the button. "You, as well, are going to be punished for misbehavior."

And say what

I don't mean.

I pulled myself to my feet, trying to pull myself loose.

"I...I won't..." I tugged with all my strength, grunting in pain. "I won't stop fighting, not anymore! I'm gonna fight and kick and scream until I see Riolu to Riley, and tell Amber what a cheap, horrible sadist her father is!"

I don't know how

I got this way.

That time, Cyrus didn't electrocute me. He shook his head and sighed.

"You've never learned to keep quiet." He grumbled. Cyrus left me the in holding room, and for the last time that day, I sank to my knees in defeat.

I'll never

Be alright...

My energy was more than spent. I could hardly even think. I closed my eyes, and with my body chained in an uncomfortable sitting position, I fell asleep.

Tess.

In Snowpoint City.

"Dee! Amber!"

When the others finally made it to Snowpoint City, I rushed right over to see them. They were definitely short one Lee, but that didn't matter.

Amber dropped her stuff on a chair in the lounging area, and I wrapped my arms under hers in a tight, tight hug. She laced her arns loosely over my shoulders, and half-leaned on me.

"Tess..." She sounded awful.

Riley and Dee stood behind her, and Mark immediately went to check into a room with Nurse Joy, carrying Lee's backpack and laptop. In Riley's eyes, I saw something along the lines of...anger? Sadness? I didn't know.

"You guys, I...I'm so sorry that happened to you..." Flint apologized, standing behind me. I finally let Amber go.

Volkner let out a sound between a sigh and an angry grunt. "If I hadn't have tried to hurry us here, then we would've been with you...God, I...I'm so-"

"Stop apologizing." Dee's voice was firm; it was like she was speaking to Barry or Max. "That was nobody's fault, you guys-okay? I'm sick of hearing everybody blame themselves and each other."

That hung in the air. In the silence, Mark returned.

He sighed. "Okay, kids, I got you three a room to sleep in," He announced. "I'm gonna go call my parents, then I'm out of your hair."

Riley raised his eyebrows in slight panic. "O-Out of our hair? But, Mark-!"

A big hand settled on top of Riley's head, and silenced him. Mark's other hand, the one on the bad arm, was tucked in his pocket.

"I was only in Sinnoh because Lee can hardly take care of himself." His voice was apologetic, and...sad? "I'm tired and I hurt. I told him, I'm gettin' too old for this crap. I just want...to go home."

Mark closed his eyes, sighing heavily. As an afterthought, he added, "With my arm, I'd only be a nuisense to you. My mom needs to take a good, hard look at it, because I'm pretty sure my arm was poisoned and we never treated it."

Riley stiffened. He looked down at his shoes in silence. Nobody knew how to respond to that.

To break the silence, Dee said, "Well then, go already! Call home and go, if you have to!" She didn't sound angry. Not to me, at least.

Mark shoved his hand back in his pockets, then pulled out a room key and gave it to Riley. He lumbered towards the wall most Pokemon Centers have lined with phones, not in a particular hurry.

At the time, all of that felt pretty surreal. Lee had been a part of our group for so long(even if he was a little irritating), and I liked Mark well enough, so it felt like we weren't whole, standing there in a group.

Riley fiddled with the key with both of his hands, staring at it like he didn't know what to do with it. Dee snatched it away, grabbing Amber and Riley's sleeves.

"What're we watching for?" She demanded of them. "Let's go put our stuff away. Then, if you two would be generous enough to open your mouths, we can tell them what happened."