Chapter 71: Pieces of a puzzle

Mid-morning

Sinnoh

Sandgem Town

Following her separation from Whi-2, Platina made the return journey with a thousand thoughts tumbling over each other in her head. By the time she strode up to the gates of her mansion and walked down the cobblestone pathway leading to a set of stained oak double doors, she made up her mind on what to do first. When the head maid and butler escorted her in and her parents, startled by her abrupt return, enquired about her condition, the heiress politely excused herself and went upstairs for some time alone. She showered, changed her clothes and ruminated whilst the servants brought up dinner. The next morning, at the crack of dawn, she roused up her father's underlings and demanded they open up to the information archives. Bewildered by her request and not really being unable to refuse her orders, the agents complied with her demands and the frosted glass doors slid open to reveal her family's prized secret. The Berlitz information archives. To most, it might paint a picture of a library of books, sitting pompously on ancient oak shelves but this chamber looked nothing like a library. It appeared as a laboratory of sorts, hundreds of computers hooked up to a main supercomputer stationed in the middle of the vast room. From the entrance, one could see it, a thick cylinder of black and red metal towering up to the ceiling. The features were all wireless and thanks to this modern invention, the marble tiled floor remained clutter free. With a small band of researchers, the young female marched inside the room and seated herself before an antique study desk; her father's agents automatically veered off to their work benches and since then, silently trawled through the archives in search of a single piece of highly classified information.

"I want to find an individual by the name of Red." She stated, her voice full of quiet authority like her mother, "He is the ex-champion of the Kanto League and a commanding member of the Dex Criminals. When our holiday mansion was raided, the police arrested him. My associates at the base are unable to find where he is kept and due to certain..." here she paused, however, none of the workers looked up, "complications...we assume he is either hiding right under our noses or being detained very far away." Platina remembered Lack-2, the boy responsible for the mess they were currently embroiled in. The former Dex Criminal member knew how they operated and thus would take drastic measures in order to keep his sole prisoner in check. She briefly wondered if Gold managed found traitorous lackey and her thoughts turned to the media, which heaped disgrace on her family due to rumours that the Berlitz nobles funded the Organization. Her eyes hawkishly zoomed on the bowed heads of the men in front of her, who spilled this information? She questioned herself and inhaled sharply, whoever did this needed to be quickly found and punished.

Severely.

"Ma'am, we have several reports on his location." One of the agents stood up and reported. The noble pulled her attention away from the papers in her hands and motioned at him to continue. "First...I'd like to report that we lost a considerable portion of money in order to secure this information...the security officials demanded heavy bribes and thus the budget is..." he hesitantly informed and Platinum waved her hand dismissively, "well then, I shall continue. Red is claimed to have been held in Mainland Sinnoh, according to the Unovian authority. The Kanto and Johto officials state he is detained at Unova whilst other rumours go as far as Kalos and Alola. Tracing these tales have proved to be ineffective." Looking up, he met his future employer's eyes and saw a displeased gleam passing through her inky irises, nodding slowly, she asked for his opinion and he quickly glanced at the laptop before speaking up. "I think he might either be in Mainland Sinnoh...or Unova. Sinnoh is a good area because the region's champion is an active member of the International Police, whilst Unova is an excellent choice due to it being the hub of the world." Situated at the far front, he breathed a relieved sigh when she told him to sit down and commended him on a job well done. He flushed and sat, wiping his clammy hands on black slacks. With such a beautiful daughter taking over, he looked forward to spending his days in the service of the Berlitz family in relative ease.

Sinnoh...Unova...The informant had a point. Platina ruminated and heard the terminal emit a soft buzz. She stared into the blank monitor of her laptop and thought. Red could be anywhere and the sensation of guilt, which she took root in the pit of her stomach, steadily intensified as the morning grew longer. She internally apologized for squandering her father's money in this way, however, if they discovered a concrete location on his whereabouts, then her organization could stage an escape plan and the dishonour on her family would shift to accommodate more sensational news. The teenager tapped her nails on the glazed surface of the desk. They could not afford a large scale operation because the whole world remained wary of the Dex Criminals, a slight weakness in their plan will cause the already fractured Organization to spiral further out of control. Combing an entire region is impossible at this rate...Maybe...She could ask her father for help? Perhaps hire some people? No, the commanders would disagree. Speaking about commanders, Platina was shocked at Diamond's self-issued status as Execution's new commander. Despite Pearl vehemently denying it, she privately thought her best friend did not do a very good job of taking control.

He let his emotions fuel him.

But for someone so young, she admired the way he stood up and proceeded to take command whilst disregarding what others may think of him.

For this, she respected him very much. Her friends taught her the meaning of freedom. Pearl's relentless coaching lessons and blatant remarks hammered reality into her head whilst Dia's potent display of empathy towards her and other people's plights made her realize how important it was to convey emotion and not keep it suppressed. She knew all this but yet her destiny dictated her to act with a stiff upper lip. Why was it her fate to be the Berlitz Heiress? Shutting her eyes, the girl attempted to compose herself. Now is not the time, she chastised her mind, to be thinking of what ifs...She should focus on the task at hand and ponder on how to minimize the damage to their funds.

"My lady...I believe the individual you are searching for is currently being held in Ransei." A well accented voice spoke and she blinked.

What?

"More specifically..." the man droned, oblivious to her devastation, "he is detained in Valora Castle which is..."

What?

"...Situated on a flat plain and boasts the most secure defences in the entire region. Valora is flanked by Spectra to the east, Dragnor to the north and by Nixtorm to the west..."

Nixtorm! Why did Valora have to be next to Nixtorm of all places?

"...Military style...Slats of metal...the Imperial Palace is a fortress...I believe this prisoner...Kept there." Her informant's words fell on deaf ears as Platina tried to reign in a panic attack. For as long as she lived, she never felt such terror. Her breath hitched, coming out in short, uneven gasps and her hands and feet became cold and clammy. Heart drumming in her chest, the rush of blood pounding in her ears made all other sounds imperceptible.

"Stop!" The noble commanded in a shaky tone and the man fell silent at once. "I understand." She breathed through her nose and swallowed, something slimy and unpleasant slipped down her throat. "You have done your research properly; I am convinced that he is indeed in Ransei." Her eyes caught the fleeting smile the man gave her before reorganizing his face into a neutral expression. "You have done well, I will ask father to raise your salary...For now, you are all dismissed." Bowing politely to her, the men filed out and the teenager closed her laptop. Ransei...It made perfect sense for Lack-2 to somehow wriggle Red all the way there. None of the Dex Criminals will ever be able to sail in its sea space much less land on its shores and rescue their leader. The Imperial region only accepted pure nobility and those who were invited via a royal letter to serve some purpose or the other. Stories of the Warlord's or their retainer's illegitimate children were rife but even these half royalty were not allowed and their noble parent shunned their existence. Platina rubbed her hands together and worked feeling into them, she spied a few colourful rubber bands encircling her wrist and smiled sadly to herself. Whi-2 bought them for her, claiming it will bring good luck. In a way, it did bring her luck.

Both good and bad.

Time to have a serious talk with her parents, the noble decided; and convince them to open up their relations with the main family of Nixtorm. Unlike the other noble families of Ransei descent, the Berlitz maintained their ties and her mother (who had been of noble birth) frequently visited Nixtorm to conduct business. However, as the rules stated, only she was allowed inside the region and her father, as well as herself could not enter without invitation.

Still...She could try.

Hours later, Platinum gazed at her reflection in the full body mirror as her maids adjusted her dress. A dark blue satin evening gown wrapped around her slender form and glided over the floor. The hair stylist pulled her hair in an elegant updo whilst a delicate golden necklace rested on her collarbones. As the servants fussed over her outfit, Platina felt slightly foolish for asking her parents on a formal dinner, but on remembering her two friends, she strengthened her resolve, whispered a thank you to her maids when they hurried out of the room and thereafter waltzed out. In the lavish dining room, her parents eyed her confusedly as she sat down opposite them and related her experiences. A queer sensation overtook her as she talked; never before had Platina sat down and confided in her parents like this. Her father, the more amiable of the two guardians, tilted his head slightly and grinned whilst her mother, a prim and proper woman by anyone's standards, had a ghost of a smile wavering on her pale pink lips. The Constellate member spoke, pausing for effect and conveying her thoughts clearly.

"No."

Her parents articulated in tandem and gazed at her disbelievingly.

"Platinum darling..." Her father's warm voice did nothing to soften the icy resolve in her heart. "You are asking for the impossible!" he stated softly and glimpsed at his wife who ate her food gracefully. "As your parents...we cannot ask you to open our relations with the main branch, they will demand something beyond our capabilities and since this Red is detained in Ransei...There is nothing we can do. We are not allowed there and you can be sure no other commoners will be able to set foot in there. The region is heavily guarded and trespassers are killed or executed without mercy. Please be sensible Platina and resign from the Dex Criminals, you cannot associate with them any longer."

The teenager set down her fork and wiped her lips with a napkin. "I can...And I will," she repeated Pearl's favourite words. "If mother is allowed in there, then as her daughter, I should be able to go in as well. I don't care if they ask for the improbable, my organization and I will find a way to fulfil their requests." Her father exhaled and shook his head disdainfully, "please understand, this is what I want to do...I don't want a future marked down in stone. Father...Mother, I never asked you for anything so please for once in my life...Allow me to do what I want." She waited patiently whilst her parents exchanged troubled looks. Pushing his plate away, Mr Berlitz got up from his table and vacated the dining room. The chandelier light cast a mellow glow around the room but to Platina, the surroundings seemed harsh and discordantly bright. Her mother, resplendent in a blouse and skirt, deliberately ate up her dinner with measured tardiness and after finishing her drink, eyed her daughter in the eye and silently commended the younger noble for not flinching. She motioned for her maid and the servant brought down her handbag. Extracting a tablet from the krookodile leather bag, she brought up a document and read it out aloud.

"Should a branch family, which keeps minimal relations with their main family in Ransei, decide to open up and fully forge ties with the main family due to them wanting to relocate to Ransei, then, it shall be decided that the branch will offer their offspring in a marriage contract to one of the Main family's heirs." Mrs Berlitz faced her daughter and saw distress etched on the girl's pale face. "In simple terms...Should you want to go to Ransei, your father and I will be forced to marry you off to a one of Lord Mitsuhide's sons, or if his lordship wishes, one of the retainers or their offspring." She shut the tablet with a tap of her finger. "You claim to not want a future set in stone...tell me Platina, do you see yourself as an Imperial noble's wife? Darling...You don't understand why we do the things we do. We simply want what is best for you." Mrs Berlitz also got up from the chair and passed her bag to waiting maid. "Please be sensible child and listen to your father, resign from the Organization you work in and come home, you are growing up and it's by time I show you how to manage your future assets."

"I have to do this..."

"You will not do this and I am not allowing you to." Platina's mother whispered fiercely and glared at her daughter. "Do you want to throw your life away for people that may be simply using you? Do you think they will do the same for you? Do you? Answer me Platinum Berlitz."

Platina pulled the chain looped around her neck and ended up breaking the fine thread. One of the maids gasped softly and ran forward to receive the broken filaments. The noble ruminated on her mother's words and in spite of the threat of her dismal future and the prickling of hot tears pooling at the corner of her eyes, she forcibly answered her mother's queries: "Yes they will. Pearl and Diamond will do anything for me...My friends will do all they can for me and it is time I show the same loyalty to them. Senior Red and the commanders put our safety first and repeatedly allowed the younger generations to leave the base whilst they protected us. Mother..." the girl tried to keep her voice steady as the expression of disbelief on her parent's face became more pronounced, "send them a letter asking them to open up the boarders, I will agree to their conditions. This is my resolve...Please let me do this." The older woman shook her head and pressed her eyes closed, whirling around; she left, heels leaving loud clucks on the tiled floor. Grasping the soft fabric with both of her hands, Platina tried to control her emotions and not think about the consequences. She reminded herself that if anything happened to her, they would equally try their best in order to find her. Besides...Living in Ransei might prove to be a novel experience...didn't Pearl say that experiences are the joys and sorrows of life? It allows a person to live life to the fullest.

Her lips trembled.

It's going to be okay

She sniffed.

I'm going to be alright.

And Platinum begun to cry. Hot tears sliding down the curves of her cheek and dropping into dark splats on the fabric of her dress.

Afternoon

Sinnoh

Base of Mt Coronet

The members returned soon after completing their missions. For Sapphire and Yellow, the duo hightailed back to base in the dead of the night. To the Hoenn trainer, flying through the skies with an entire horde of helicopters on her tail and a cavalcade of police vans following her from the ground presented an awe inspiring sight. The girl taunted the pilots by repeatedly twirling on her tropius' back much to Yellow's chagrin. The fruit pokemon displayed an agility not seen of its kind, it dipped and tumbled, avoiding nets and other projectiles whilst its owner held on to it and screamed with delight. The Kanto native on the other hand, did not enjoy the experience in the slightest bit and vehemently refused to go on another break in mission ever again. Whilst Sapphire busied herself with searching for information, the door to Falkner's office in Goldenrod city imploded under the force of a battering team. Grabbing her junior by the wrist, she used her golem to break the window and came face to face with an armed helicopter. The vehicle flew so close; she saw her terror stricken visage reflecting off the shiny fiberglass coating. Golem crunched rock in its steel tipped claws and with a mighty heave, threw the constructed boulder straight at the hovering copter. It smashed into the windshield, penetrated the thick layer of glass and struck the pilot square in his chest. The man hunched forward and threw up blood whilst the helicopter whizzed away in dizzying circles due to the sudden loss of control and exploded a few meters away in a shower of orange and blue sparks. Yellow shelved her prickling conscious, summoned her dodrio and flew to the skies. To her additional dismay, her comrade gleefully threw their calling cards like confetti and this served to further annoy the Johto Police as they sent each and every able force on their tails. Sirens rang, piercing the night with wails and the duo urged their pokemon to fly faster out of Johto.

"So you flew all the way here...man that was an adventure I could do with!" Gold exclaimed much to Yellow's mild annoyance and Sapphire's delight, "Whoo, a cool rush of air calming you down right after a wild chase huh? You sure they didn't tag you by any chance? 'Cause if they did...we are so doomed." His junior replied in a negative, bounced on her heels and Pearl congratulated her. In one corner of the main chamber, Green glared at the trio disdainfully and decided to give them a piece of his mind later. "As for me..." the ebony haired trainer continued, "I went searching for Lack-2," suddenly, everyone became interested in him and he saw Whi-2 shove her way to the front in order to listen. "I found him...However I couldn't catch him, he ran on seeing me." Exhaling, the Johto native shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and only Silver and Crystal picked the troubled emotions rimming his irises. "Let's see what you got Saph," he added and reached for the crumpled up papers. Diamond stood on tiptoes, craning his neck to see the documents and on reading the abstract, the two males frowned.

"You...Have the wrong information senior Saph." Diamond mumbled and pointed to the paper. The girl shrieked in surprise and snatched her papers back. Ruby ambled lazily towards her and read the reports by peering above her head.

"Can't help it," he shook his head and sniggered. "Our cave princess can't read." Instead of denying the fact and flicking Ruby on the forehead, she blushed, the red colour blooming quite beautifully on her cheeks. Depositing the papers on a desk erected in the middle of the room; she sheepishly apologized and stalked away to sit at the edge of the cavern. Green sighed, pushed himself off his leaning position and checked the papers himself. Their mission was to collect information on the whereabouts of Red, any hint on the leader's position, location or situation would be welcomed. According to the papers in his hand, Sapphire picked up a schedule, it dictated meeting times, locations and a brief profile of the members of the International Police. The spiky haired male smirked in satisfaction, to others it may be useless, however, it proved to be a good weapon. They can use this knowledge to their advantage since it tells them exactly how and where the international police will be moving for the next few weeks.

Folding the papers, he stuffed them in his coat pocket as Blue came down from the rickety stairs, she had a towel on her head and her chocolate brown hair glistened with drops of water. Combing the crowd with an inquisitive gaze, she enquired about Platina and Whi-2 spoke up.

"Senior Platina and I split in order to complete our mission." On hearing her words, Blue clenched her jaw in displeasure and slightly shook her head. "Well...There were nasty rumours about us and her family" Whi-2 timidly defended the noble, "in order to get to the bottom of this, she went to her home and is most probably doing research on her own. Let's put our trust in her for the time being." Constellate's commander eventually put on a taut smile, sunk down on a worn sofa and implored her underling to continue with her report. Perching on the arm of the couch, the teenager continued speaking, her voice reaching a crescendo, "there are undercover police everywhere...You can't have normal conversation without suspecting anybody. This good looking dude I bumped into turned out to be a member of the International Police!" She gesticulated wildly and this earned a good natured chuckle from Diamond, "and...Hugh...He is the reason why...I'm so sorry. All my friends are traitors." Her previous excitement deflated like a popped drifblim and she slid off the arm rest and plopped to the floor. "Platina and I happened to catch the news and Cynthia reported that Hugh testified against Red..."

Standing some distance from the main gathering, Silver lethargically leaned against a metal pillar and observed his team mate. Next to him, Crystal thrust her hands in her pockets and scowled. He wondered what happened to her. His indigo haired friend drowned herself in work and hardly admonished Gold on his slovenly ways. She became a bit too quiet for his liking and every time he and Gold tried to confront or urge to her to speak to them about her troubles, she shook her head and moved away. Right now, the female quivered violently in the cold and he reached for her gloveless hands. Crystal had her azure irises boring into the back of Gold's head as the man joked around and flirted with White. On holding her hand she jumped and to his utmost amusement, flushed.

Crys blushing...He mused, what Gold would kill to see that.

"Something wrong?" He whispered to his friend and heard his sibling assure Whi-2 that Hugh was not a traitor and the police threatened him into attesting. At this new piece of news, the youngest member looked up with renewed hope in her eyes. Although Blue told her an abridged form of the treatment the International police conducted against Hugh, he thought it would be better for her not to know the harsh truth. Peeking at Crystal, he saw her eyes trained to the floor and he repeated his query.

"Nothing" she mumbled and faced away after gratefully giving his bony had a squeeze.

"Crys..."

"There is nothing wrong...Please Silver, don't make a fuss or else Gold will come along and start interrogating me as well. I'm fine; I don't have a fever or anything." The capturer sent him a fleeting grin and went back to her senseless staring of Gold's head. The man had his arm around Diamond whilst the little commander tried to admonish him but failed adorably. Crystal tucked her face in her muffler and stopped shivering. Silver's hand, despite being skeletal, was quite comfortable to hold on to.

"Gather around everyone." Blue's commanding tones prompted the other members to shuffle around table and the general atmosphere in the cavern turned rigid and business like. Rubbing his baggy eyes, Silver slunk forward and pulled Crystal with him. In a blink of an eye, Gold appeared in between them and grinned childishly. Much to their chagrin, the amber eyed trainer strung them along and Crystal aimed a kick at his lower back. Silver smiled; guess Crystal felt alright after all. The duo next to him dissolved into a bout of ceaseless arguing and Dia's plaintive orders fell on deaf ears. Finally, when Blue suggested they get a room, Gold quickly shut up much to the amusement of everyone present. He flushed horribly, scratched the back of his neck and relocated next to Diamond. Crystal giggled at his sudden shy behaviour and this sent the man sputtering some excuses and imploring the commanders to get a move on with their meeting. Blue and Diamond teased him a bit more and in an effort to regain his shredded dignity, he pulled out his pool cue from the pocket of his pants and slammed it on the desk. A moment of silence ensued as it broke and Pearl started to snigger. His infectious sniggering spread to the whole group and in moments, Green found himself chuckling on seeing the cue splinter in two. Gold shrugged, fed the two splintered pieces into the fireplace and wriggled himself in between Crystal and Silver once again. The red head shifted up and vexingly emitted a sigh when his male best friend hugged him.

"Stop..." he hissed in a strained voice, "you are making me nauseous."

"Aww Silver!" Gold cooed disturbingly, "show me some lo- OOF! Crys, you getting jealous?" he moaned in pain and whirled to face Crystal who coolly adjusted her hat.

"Pay attention!" she sternly stated and pushed his hand away, "this concerns senior Red." The gold eyed individual straightened up, slicked his hair backwards and faced the commanders solemnly. On the table lay several sheets of paper and the top one had an ugly mugshot of Red. Blue loosened the stack of stapled papers and spread them individually on the table. The report on Red ended up covering the moderately large desk and the commander still had papers in her hands. Craning their necks, each one tried to read the snippets of information on the ex-commander's history and Gold's irises zoomed on his birthplace. How odd. Red never mentioned that he hailed from Cinnabar.

"First of all," Blue began her announcement and the trainers fixated their gazes on her, "This report concerns Red's personal information so we will skip the details and concern ourselves with what is relevant." Her eyes veered to Green who leisurely skimmed through a page, "Green...You don't seem surprised...did you know?"

The spiky haired individual put the document down before replying. "Did I know that Red came from Cinnabar? Yes I did. Grandpa sent me all the way to Johto for my hand to hand combat training and when Chuck's dojo closed for the holidays, I came back home to find a brat as a next door neighbour. When we first met, I saw Red collecting prize money from a couple of teens whom he beat in a street pokemon fight. At that time, I didn't pay much attention to him and later in the day, Grandpa introduced me to him. He told me he came from Cinnabar Island then, but since Grandpa handled his Trainer Identification card, his birthplace somehow changed to Pallet. From there, possibly out of gratitude, he tells everyone that he hails from Pallet." Green, shoved his hands inside his pockets and frowned, the faces of the other members gazed at him, pleading for more information or perhaps some insight to their backgrounds. "I'm not a story teller..." he seethed and exhaled in relief when the attention broke from him and re-focused on Blue.

"Right...Anyway, his life history is not important. The essential part is here..." The heads came together and pored over the last segment of the report. "The convict is currently being held in a cell situated in Mainland Sinnoh." Constellate's leader read and listened as a hush of fierce whisperings poured out. People eyed each other in disbelief and some debated on the probability of him actually being held so close to them. The female Kanto native crossed her arms and anxiety bubbled in her stomach. Even if his location was clearly written in a top secret document, she did not trust the words completely. Her instincts rang alarm bells in her head, it could be a trap, it warned and she distinctly remembered falling neatly into one when trying to steal a magnificent replica of the Azure Flute. The thought mortified her till this day and it brought on a sense of frustration. "Quiet down guys..." the female, fatigued from overwork and stress, rubbed her temples in a futile effort to dissipate a headache, she had long stopped taking care of herself and simply ran a hand through a mess of tangled chocolate brown hair. "Give me your opinion one by one and we will see if we can draw up a strategy." Taking a few steps backward, she collapsed on the couch and felt the cushion sink delightfully underneath her weight.

"The information is obviously false! There is no way they're keeping senior/Red in Main land Sinnoh!" Three male tones overlapped each other and the speakers simultaneously blinked and eyed each other.

"You three should join a circus" Blue snorted, "and display your powers of telepathy in front of everyone. My my Green..." the woman taunted and grinned much to the man's annoyance, "it looks like you are taking good care of Gold." Emerald, Gold and Green huffed and looked away. The midget grabbed the last page of the report and read it once more whilst the older males fidgeted.

Snatching the paper from Emerald, Gold hid his face behind the document and got a good kick from Rald as a reward. Seriously, no way would Lack-2 detain Red anywhere near here. "Lack-2 is very cautious..." he hesitantly spoke and saw Whi-2 nod in agreement. "Since I mentored him, I have a pretty accurate idea of how he thinks...At least I thinks so...I'm not sure anymore." He trailed off and stared at the ground, desperately wrestling with the words in his head. "Although senior Blue and Silver went through a lot to secure this information, I believe it's a trap. They might be scattering false info in the different headquarters in order to lure us out in the open like this. The International Police know we are desperate to get your hands on Red and will therefore use this to their advantage. If Saph had gotten the correct papers...I'm positive they would list his location as someplace else. It's just...Just something Lack-2 will do."

"He's got a valid point." Green intoned.

They were at a stalemate. There was no concrete evidence of Red's whereabouts and once again, the feeling of helplessness crept amongst them, weighing like a black shroud over their heads. Diamond's eyes flickered from his co-leaders and he wondered what to do. White distanced herself from the group and her mind drifted to Black. Maybe if her best friend still lived, he could've found a plausible solution for this problem or at least spout a few theories which could motivate the Dex Criminals to peruse a different way of thinking. Musha floated aimlessly about, playing with some of the other pokemon at the far end of the vast cavern. Silence descended on their meeting and no one had the courage to break it. The brown haired girl brought out a pad and a pencil and jotted down all the various bits of data they exchanged since the morning. So far she understood that Sapphire procured the wrong intelligence, but according to Green, it proved to be extremely useful due to them knowing when and where the Police will be moving. Gold claimed that Lack-2, who arrested Red, would never keep the Ex-champion right under their noses and if they raided the other headquarters and found reports on Red, the former commander's location will all be different. Hence, a ploy to lure the Dex Criminals out, exhaust their energy, resources and mentally breaking them. According to the Johto native, Lack-2 must have deployed Red somewhere out of reach. And the last mystery had been the reports Blue and Silver stole from the Unova headquarters. Sure, the location might simply be a ploy, however White thought otherwise, why combine false intelligence with a canonical report? Green confirmed the validity of the document so it must be highly classified and confidential...Perhaps Red had been detained in Sinnoh for some weeks before being shipped to who knows where? And why stop there? The International Police could very well shift him around in order to make his presence untraceable.

"That's a feasible conjecture you have there." White jumped at the sudden low voice emanating from behind her and flushed when Green half smiled. "It's concrete and makes total sense. Share your thoughts with us White." Her commander's form loomed over her as he read the last of her scribbling, drew away and plopped down next to Diamond and Blue. Dia gave him a half-eaten poffin and instead of screwing up his face in disgust and declining it, he simply tossed it in the air and a red blur caught the pastry and devoured it. Scizor flashed away into the recesses of the second cave and Emerald gave her a nudge. Right...She had to present her theories.

The rest of the Organization faced her and White imagined herself as a movie director, she could do this. As she started speaking, her confidence rose and she projected her hypothesis with more vigour. Her team mates nodded and added their own opinions as well. "When Senior Red was arrested, the police detained him in Mainland Sinnoh for some weeks. According to what we know, the International Police has four superintendents and all four participated in the raid against us. Two of them, Lt. Surge and Champion Cynthia were brutally injured and thus had to recover. For the duration of their recovery, Red had been in Mainland Sinnoh and once the four came together and decided on a proper place, senior Red had been shipped off. For now, we can rule out Alola as a possible candidate because none of the International Police members come from there." After her words, a sudden 'Aha!' Moment swept around the group and they all nodded in vigorous agreement. "Kalos is also a possible area because according to the data Sapphire procured, the chief of police is a Kalosian. It is also entirely possible for the police to move him around from one place to another-" Blue, who raptly listened to White shook her head and cut her conjecture off, the older woman stated that it was extremely difficult to move around a convict so easily. A constant threat of the criminal breaking out of confinement will always be presented and this chance rises exponentially if the felon is continuously moved around. Judging with how high Red is wanted on their list, the International Police will not take the risk of juggling him around. Present the individual a slight window of opportunity and he will exploit it fully. "...I guess you are right...then how about a place where we cannot reach. One we won't...Or rather, can't get i-"

She abruptly stopped talking.

In fact, the whole cavern became deadly still. Blue, Diamond and Green jumped up from the sofa and stood with their hands clenched to their sides.

Outside, amidst the howling of the frigid winds, the unmistakable sound of rotor blades chopping the air could be heard. The occupants inside the cavern turned pale. Had the police found them already?

The helicopter landed in front of their door. White felt her arm being grabbed and dragged inwards. She felt numb with fear. A distant noise of heavy boots crunching on snow slowly grew louder and heavier. The three commanders shoved their underlings backwards and a bang on the door made the youngsters collectively jump. Whi-2 swallowed nervously and held on to Blue tighter, the girl refused to budge from her commander even after Silver pulled on her repeatedly and tried to comfort her with hushed words. Diamond and Green broke into a fierce argument; the youngster gesticulated wildly in the older one's face whilst the latter hissed at him to take cover. In the midst of the pushing and shoving, the door grinded open and in the doorway, flanked by armed guards, stood Platinum Berlitz.

The lone female and her group of panicked friends faced each other with wide befuddled gazes.

"Oh!" Constellate's commander breathed in relief, "it's just Platina, you gave us quite a scare darling. I almost thought the Police came for us." The rest of the Dex Criminals unwounded and let out relieved gasps and giggles. Platina walked in after dismissing her escorts with a hand wave and the door behind her slid shut with a nasty racket. "Whi-2 told me you split up...I do not appreciate the way you decided to take matters in your own hands Platina." The leader sternly stated but gave her underling a soft smile. "Next time, if you want to do something like this, contact me first."

Platina set down her bag and took off her fur jacket, the inside of the cavern remained warm thanks to the never ending fire burning in the fire place. Recently, all the fire types crowded around the crackling flames and made it a competition to keep it alive. So far, Green's charizard held the highest record with Pearl's infernape being a close second; despite Gold's typholsion holding top tier stats, the ponderous volcano pokemon preferred to keep to itself and only approached the fire when no other pokemon sat around it. "I'm sorry for giving all of you a fright..." the noble stated and sat down daintily with her hands folded in her lap, "my parents insisted I take armoured escorts." Her co-workers nodded in sympathy. "When I split up from Whi-2, I researched into the archives and found senior Red's location."

"Where is he?" Gold, who listlessly played with the tassels on Diamond's muffler leaned forward and demanded with a pleading gleam in his eyes. "Your info is accurate right? You are absolutely, one hundred percent sure about your intelligence right?"

"Yes...the information is without a doubt, unambiguous. Commander Red is being held in Ransei. Specifically in a province called Valora."

Once again, the chamber became deadly silent.

No one dared to breathe.

If only...If only they weren't so curious. Then perhaps they could entertain notions of rescuing their commander.

However, the moment Platina mentioned the Imperial Region, their aspirations cracked, shattered and grinded to dust.

And the fickle flame of hope.

Went out completely.

A/N: And they found out where Red is kept whilst Gold is just being Gold. Much thanks for all those who read and reviewed. Virtual s'mores for everyone…I once burned my tongue on a hot marshmallow.

At Sakurafox1218: For some reason, the no killing part sounded real sad :D as for Lack-2 heh, you will have to wait and see what happens. Blue and Silver are not correct, but this chapter will clear up why. At Jack54311: Ransei is not part of Sinnoh, its more to the North of Sinnoh…at least that's how I picture it. Lack-2 and his morality crisis, stay tuned to see where he ends up. I should find that beekeeper and kick him; he told us that honeycomb is bad for digestion…Tsk, all my precious honeycombs :( At Guest: I loved the little details you put into the story. And I think you nailed Pich's character quite solidly. She sounds like a little Green and Yellow balled up together. Though, if Green had a daughter, I think he'd dote on her with Yellow. I like to think that for some reason, if he had a son, the boy would just sneer at him in a very Green-like way. Excellent work :) I really enjoyed reading these. Keep them coming (if you want to, I look forward to your stories)