"Mom!" Ash screamed, running out through the shattered glass door, Tyler right on his heels. They both looked around, hoping to find something, anything. But there was nothing.

"Oh, god…" Tyler knelt over, clutching his forehead as tears started to flow from his eyes. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening… Dammit, how did Team Midnight get past us like this?! HOW?!"

Ash knelt down and took Tyler into his arms, as his fellow trainer went into a full mental breakdown, as he himself struggled to maintain his composure. "Look… Tyler, I know it seems bleak, but it isn't the end… We can still find and save them…"

Tyler grabbed Ash's arm, holding onto it like Ash was a lifeline. "Ash… I know you're trying to look on the bright side and remain hopeful, but you don't know how far Team Midnight will go… Midnight is like all the other teams combined on steroids… They're going to do something horrible to them if we don't comply… Every time I think I had them figured out, they would pull another new and underhanded move… It's never going to stop, is it?"

"Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But it won't do any good just sitting here crying about it." Takuya said bluntly. "We need a plan. All of us. After all, it isn't just Delia and Kathy that are in danger. My grandparents are also being held hostage, and I have no doubt they've snatched up Avery's father and Kasi's mother as well."

Ash looked over to Takuya. "Yeah, but… What do we do? If we tell Professor Oak about this, I'm afraid that he'll tell us to sit this one out."

"I don't think we have much of a choice. We will need his help in this." Dante said. "Let's go over to the lab and tell him about this. I'm also going to call the other Balancer Sects about this, see if I can put together a strike and rescue team. Midnight has gone too far this time…"

# # # # # #

Professor Oak's Lab…

One Hour Later...

Oak was distraught after finding out about Delia and Kathy's kidnapping. He immediately called Officer Jenny, who had gotten a SWAT Team together. Oak, as expected, was adamant about Ash and Tyler staying away from the front lines, but the two young boys was not going to let that stop them.

Dante was on the phone at the moment, talking to all the other Balancer sects in an emergency meeting on a conference call, using one of Professor Oak's computer projectors that took up an entire wall. Everyone on the call had their own screen on the projector, and there was a heated debate going on between all the sect leaders, which consisted of all the known regions: Kanto, Jhoto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Oore, Kalos, Alola, Galar, the Orange Islands, the Whirl Islands, Fiore, Almia, Oblivia, Holon, Ransei, Ferrum, Pasio, and the Aeos Island region.

Needless to say, despite the Balancers solidified unity there was a fracturing divide on what action they wanted to take.

"We shouldn't just be sitting here and wait for them to make more demands!" Cept, the leader of the Sinnoh sect barked. "The more time we spend debating this, the more time Team Midnight has to get more ideas! We should go straight in and take them out head-on!"

"I abhorrently disagree with the recommended approach by the Sinnoh sect! Rushing in blind would only be inviting trouble, and for all we know that would be playing straight into their hands!" Igni, the leader of the Alola sect piped. "Cept, you should know better! Even you can't see the future!"

"Really? I suppose all the time you've spent on those island beaches has gone to your head, Igni?" Cept shot back. "This isn't a time for stalling and debate! This is a time for action, lives are at stake!"

"Yes, but rushing in without a plan would be stupid!" Maggie, the leader of the Kalos sect said. "Dante, I trust you've thought of something before this meeting began?"

"I have not." Dante said. "Unfortunately, I have not had the luxury of time to plan out a rescue. This incident happened less than two hours ago."

"What if we tried to pull a bluff?" Smokey, the leader of the Fiore region asked. "If Dante showed up with the Spliced trainers and threatened to execute them if Team Midnight didn't comply-"
"Smokey, how dare you!" Petal, the leader of the Kanto sect snapped. "Those three have been through enough, and now you want to use them as leverage bargaining chips?! You think Team Midnight will fall for something like that?!"

"From what I understand, Team Midnight has put a lot of money and time into making these Pokemon/Human Splices. They'd be a fool not to take such a threat seriously." Naidem, the leader of the Jhoto Sect added. "If we were careful, and played our cards right, that just might work."

"True, but we'd have to make sure all of our resources were available and in position beforehand." Katy, the leader of the Pasio sect said. "Otherwise, we would be risking too much."

"Yes, but we don't have that luxury. We've already lost too much time…" Salem, the leader of the Galar sect said. "We need to make a decision immediately. I say we hold a vote at once."

"Agreed." Naidem said. "We need to take action, not argue with each other. Everyone will have 12 hours to decide on one of the three options we have: Send in a team now, wait to send in a covert team later, or pool all our resources in as soon as possible for a rescue."

"12 hours?!" Dante slapped the table the phone was on. "Naidem, you can't be serious! Taking that long could have catastrophic consequences! The Oore sect objects to that proposal, I demand that we act now!"

"Regardless, we need the time to decide what to do, as well as come up with a plan." Naidem said. "In case you forgot Dante, you don't get to make demands of the order. We will decide on the action to take after the twelve hours are up, not before. This meeting is adjourned, all of us have 12 hours to decide on what to do. I suggest to everyone that you think hard and quick. This is not a game, anymore…"

With that, the phone screens on the monitor cut, and the conference call ended.

Takuya, Kasi, and Avery, who had been standing in the room with Ash, Tyler, Dante and the Oore balancers, all felt the tensity of the situation. They however, knew they needed to act fast.

"12 hours is too long, Dante!" Avery growled. "It's unacceptable!"

"I agree!" Kasi said. "I can't begin to think of what could happen to our guardians in that time period! We need to do something, and quickly!"

Dante slapped his hand hard on the table. "I know!" He snapped. "But I can't control the entire order! Naidem is the head of three on a triad council that has authority to decide on such matters. Once he decides on something, it's nearly impossible to veto it."

Avery slammed his fist into a metal wall, leaving in indent. "Dammit!"

"Avery, calm down!" Dante shouted. "You won't do any good to your father by losing your temper right now!"

"And what about our parents, Dante?!" Ask barked. "I'm not letting my mom just sit on the top of the Sylph building for twelve hours while you and the other sects decide on what to do!"

"Ash, you have no idea what's at stake-" Dante began, but was cut off by Tyler.

"Oh, we have more than enough of an idea of what's at stake, Dante! Innocent lives are in danger, and all the Balancers are doing is telling us to hold up with our thumbs in our asses! Avery's right, this is unacceptable… Let's go, Ash! We're not going to get any resolutions here!"

Tyler and his Quilava then turned on their heels, and walked out of the room, Ash following after him in a similar fashion with Pikachu as Ash slammed the door loudly on the way out.

Dante grit his teeth in frustration. "Trisha, keep an eye on them for me. I don't want those two doing anything reckless."

Trisha nodded, and stepped out to keep an eye on the two boys.

Dante turned back to Avery, Kasi, and Takuya. "...I will find some way to get this done and over with before the twelve hours are up."

"I certainly hope so, Dante." Takuya said softly with a cold edge in his tone. "Because if anything happens to our guardians, you and the Balancers will be held responsible. Don't think I'm not afraid to step out in public and tell everyone what's going on. I also know that Kasi and Avery would stand by my side if I did so, despite their oath."

Dante sighed. "Takuya, now is not the time. I'm telling you, I don't have a lot of control right now."

"I am telling you that I don't give a damn." Takuya replied. "I'm not going to let them harm Shen or Mogi just because you and your Balancer buddies were twiddling your thumbs. The Balancers may have half a day to decide, but we don't have such luxuries as a council to dither around with decisions. You have one hour to figure out what to do. After that, we will have to make a choice of our own, and we won't let you stop us. You have been warned."