The girl was the final item up for auction for the night. There was nothing left to see after that unknown man that presumably worked for Team Plasma won the bid and so, there was no reason for Vance and I to stay. In fact, Vance had nudged me to get a move on even before the auction for the night was officially declared to have come to a close, saying that we had attracted too much attention. If we want to leave without getting harassed by people who want to make acquaintances with us, now is the time.

"A hundred and twenty million, while still within our family's budget, is not an amount that should be carelessly spent."

I guess my foul mood was plain for Vance to see because he actually tried to explain himself. I simply shook my head, indicating that I understood his rationale and why he stopped me. That still didn't change the fact that I'm pissed at the Plasma representative. If it wasn't for the fact that this auction venue was where numerous powerful individuals and factions tend to gather, I would have already come to blows with that villain and sic Kratos on him. Even in the event where that man may be a much more powerful trainer than I am, I still have Vance, and he's someone who could give even Pillars a run for their money.

"Well, if you really want to save the girl, I have a backup plan."

My head snapped back up to look at Vance.

"Come on, Vel. Think about it, what is the nature of this auction? It's illegal. So, hypothetically, what can that guy do if he so happens to get mugged not long after he left the auction house? Hypothetically, he wouldn't even dare to report the mugging to the authorities because he got himself involved in something as illegal as human trafficking and hypothetically, he wouldn't want to do anything to offend the underground powers that had been ensuring the secrecy of the operations of this auction house all this while by calling in the police… You get what I'm saying?"

Seriously, Vance was right. Why hadn't I considered this option? This way, we would be able to save the girl without needing to fork out a hundred and twenty million.

"Vance, you are a goddamn genius."

"We need to hurry and hide ourselves before he comes out," Vance whispered as we quickly left the auction house with hurried steps. The area where the auction house was situated was right between an affluent district and a slum. There were many abandoned buildings in sight just a few streets away from the auction house that we could use for a stakeout and that was where Vance brought me to.

"Alright, you stay here," Vance instructed me when his gallade teleported us to the eighth floor of the abandoned building of his choice. He promptly cut me off when I was about to protest.

"You don't have any experience in tracking," Vance was quick with his rebuttal. "Were you trained to erase your tracks? How to move about without being caught? I was one of the best operatives in ACE and even I cannot claim to have mastered the art of tracking. That man back there, have you seen his weavile?"

"What's wrong about his weavile?"

"Maybe you didn't pick up on it because you never raised one yourself, but that weavile back there, it's not just strong, it's definitely seen its fair share of combat. I don't mean the usual pokemon battles, it's the kind of battles that even ACE wouldn't want to partake in unless necessary. I don't know to what extent, but I can safely tell you that man is definitely dangerous."

Vance placed his large hand on the top of my head and ruffled my hair.

"You are not ready yet, Vel. One day you will, but that day is not today. I'm not saying that you are a liability, but this matter is clearly out of your depth for now. So, have some faith in your big bro that he can help you save that little girl. After all, helping their little sis is what big brothers are for, yeah?"

I don't know what else I should say, but I'm grateful that I'm still wearing that masquerade mask that I wore to the auction because Vance would undoubtedly tease me if he were to see the expression on my face right now.

"Be careful."

"Aww, my cute lil sis is worried about me?"

"Just shut up and go," I pushed him away, not wanting to deal with his tease and trying to ignore the faint heat I could suddenly feel blooming on my cheeks. I know Vance is a highly capable trainer and I trust that my brother is able to deal with that Plasma no matter how dangerous he could be. He is the goof that you can always rely on when it matters most.

Vance disappeared into the night, his usual goofy persona vanishing along with his presence as though he was back being Wallace's second-in-command when he was still in ACE. I simply looked out of the window of the abandoned unit that we are in, observing the desolate area where Vance had tracked our target to. He had to be nearby somewhere, it's just a matter of time before Vance locates him.

'Do not worry, Mistress. Vance will be able to save the girl.'

I simply used my fingers to lightly scratch Rena behind her ears, conveying my thanks to her. I can feel the ghosts in my shadow shifting every now and then. They were clearly enjoying the silent night, the time of the day when they are the most active.

Minutes passed as the seconds ticked by. It's only been a short while since Vance left me here to track our target down in order to rescue the girl but it definitely did seem like an eternity to me. Rena engaged in idle conversation with me, probably doing so in order to distract me because it was obvious to her that my emotions were currently highly strung.

Something about the little girl being auctioned off in the black market like a commodity to be sold just rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know why I felt so extremely bothered by it. I had expected to witness some of the darkest side of humanity before I decided to attend the underground auction. I had mentally prepared myself for it, but apparently no amount of preparation was enough. I simply lost it when those heartless auctioneers threw a raging haxorus and a little girl into the same cage just to put up a show.

What if the girl's ability didn't work as it is supposed to? What would happen to her then?

Everything is just so wrong.

I continued to look out the window, the desolated room that we were in dimly lit by the moonlight that shone through. A part of me was hoping to somehow be able to help Vance spot the man that had screwed my plans over to save the little girl, even if the chances of me actually spotting him was miniscule. Maybe I should have lent Vance a ghost or two before he left since they work best in the dark. It was an oversight on my part.

I was lost in my thoughts, and was rudely yanked out of it not long after when a very unfamiliar voice whispered into my right ear. The owner of the voice was so close to me that I could feel his warm breath blowing right into my ear, and I could feel the literal chills running down my spine when I heard his voice from literally out of nowhere.

"Looking for me?"

I jumped and turned around from the shock. A rush of adrenaline and fear filled my body while my mind tried to remain calm to no avail. Right by my side were Rena and a respectable number of ghosts residing in my shadow. Yet, none of them realised that there was someone who had sneaked up on us until he chose to reveal himself when he was merely a few centimetres away.

I managed to catch a glimpse of who it was thanks to the dim moonlight shining through the window. The familiar visage of the masked man who had ruined my plan to save the girl was what entered my vision. That same weavile was still beside him alongside a new addition, a bisharp.

Rena had reacted faster than I did. She had immediately leapt at the man, showing no hesitation to physically put herself in between me and this unknown threat that even Vance had deemed dangerous upon first glance. What happened next was a blur because everything happened so fast, so soon, but I understood that we were severely outclassed in terms of ability when the man's weavile easily took out Rena with a single hit by punching her into the nearby wall. Rena never got back up.

I panicked. The last time I felt such intense fear gripping me was during my first exposure to war back during the Lilycove Invasion. I never expected to feel that same fear again by the hands of a single man.

"RENA!"

My hands were already reaching out for my pokeballs. I'm desperate at this point because I immediately realised just how big of a trouble I had landed myself in. I had thought that Rena and my ghosts were enough protection while we remained here far away from the hypothetical site of the battle. I never thought that the man would see through our intention and struck where he was least expected to be at. I should have released several other members of my team out with me so that I wouldn't be so helpless now.

My hands were about to reach my pokeballs. At this point I don't really care who I called out because that man is bad news. His pokemon could easily take Rena out in a single hit and Rena is by no means weak despite the inherent type disadvantage. I don't even care if I have to call Kratos out and bring the whole building down with us because the presence the man gave off was just that dangerous.

I didn't succeed.

That man was fast. I felt an iron grip choking me as his hands grabbed me from behind my neck as my world turned and twisted. I could feel my body being forcefully lifted as gravity seemingly detached its hold from me temporarily. I didn't even have the time to react and scream because pain was what greeted me next when the man brutally slammed me face down onto the floor, restraining my hands and preventing me from accessing my pokeballs.

I cannot see the man thanks to the position that I am currently in but I persisted in my struggle, still having plenty of fight in me. I still have one last trump card in hand, a highly deadly one that is often overlooked. With that, I can break free and fight back.

"Dolly!"

I felt my shadows responding to my call and my emotions. I felt them raging and pushing to get out, to rip our foes apart for daring to harm Rena and for daring to harm me. Just like how the ghosts that were always by my side are able to discern my emotional state, I could feel some semblance of their intentions as well through the tether of connection we shared.

I could feel their rage, their intention to burst forth and fight to the death. However, even after seconds had passed none of the familiar screeches and howls that I am used to appeared. A cold sweat broke out across my body when I realised that there was only one explanation why I am still being physically restrained by the man and why none of my ghosts had come to my aid. My hunch was further supported by the fact that I could feel the desperation, followed by the instinctive emotions of hurt and pain before the rage in my shadows were forcefully quelled and went silent.

I could feel my heart skipping a beat, the sudden empty feeling in my gut growing larger and larger. I could hear the thundering of my heartbeat and feel the clamminess of my cold sweat as fear that I had never felt before gripped me and held me hostage. Somehow, one way or another, not only did that man realise that there were ghosts hiding in my shadow, he had prevented my ghosts from exiting my shadow through unknown means to come to my rescue. I couldn't even turn my head to see just what he had done to make that impossibility a reality.

I am totally defenceless, at the mercy of the man who was very possibly the Plasma representative that we were originally here to hunt. I know just what kind of people would frequent places similar to the underground auction I just attended and my life and fate is now in his hands.

Even if I had already experienced death before, I still cannot quell the intense fear I felt from the man.

I don't want to die.

I could feel the man lowering his head closer to mine, now at a very uncomfortable distance that was too close for comfort. His voice whispered into my ear once more, his warm breath felt as if every word he said was another omen of my impending death.

"Now now, we really don't have to do this, but since you were so eager to make friends, why don't we get to... know each other a little better?"

I struggled to break free. I was so close to reaching for my pokeballs and calling out my team. It doesn't matter who. As long as I can call them out, even if it's just one member of my team, there is hope that I can turn this situation around.

"Let me go-! Ah!"

I was forced to cease my resistance when I felt my airway being choked to the point that I was unable to breathe properly. I could feel the man increasing the weight he is pressuring on my body to keep me restrained. One hand on my neck, one knee firmly planted on my back, and his other hand twisted my arms so that he can painfully hold both my wrists to the point I am starting to be unable to feel the blood circulation to my fingers.

I need to break free, I need to continue to struggle. I need to alert Vance to this somehow, even if it's just shouting for help but I wasn't given a chance to. The moment I regained the fight I had in me I immediately felt the sharp cold whistling of the wind as an object stabbed itself right into the floor less than a centimetre away from my face. It may be just a small crack, but that man had somehow stabbed a dagger into the concrete floor and I knew that if I continue to persist in my struggles, the next time, the dagger would be stabbing into my body instead. He's not playing around.

It's like Vance had told me. This man is dangerous, definitely someone who had lived with his life constantly on the line in the darkest parts of society. This is definitely someone who had taken lives before and would not hesitate to do so if needed. I never knew it was possible to be able to feel someone's bloodlust but that was just what I felt. I could feel the suffocating presence that he was emitting that could only be best described as killing intent, the feeling that clearly tells me that he wouldn't hesitate to end my life if I didn't do as I was told.

I had no choice but to cease struggling and remain still.

"Since you don't seem to understand the kind of things you are poking at. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," The man's hand had released his hold on my neck, but I involuntarily released a choked cry of pain when I felt my hair being violently pulled on instead as he forcefully lifted my head away from the ground by a few centimetres. That fight in me was briefly reignited due to the anger I felt from this harsh treatment but it was also instantly eclipsed by the feeling of fear when I felt the sharp cold metallic edge of his dagger lightly tracing across my neck horizontally in a subtle warning.

I don't know how to put it into words. I had thought that I'm not as afraid of death as most people do thanks to my reincarnation and the doctors' warning of my supposedly short lifespan of my second life as a result of my frail body. Even so, this man was able to make me feel fear in the worst way imaginable with just a few words and gestures.

I never, ever, felt so afraid for my life before.

I knew that I definitely wasn't imagining the warm sensation of liquid slowly trickling down my neck. The man's dagger was so sharp that I didn't realise that I was being cut until the warmth of my spilled blood alerted me to it, and all he did was to lightly trace the tip of the weapon along the skin of my neck.

He is telling me that he can end my life anytime he wishes to, and that there is nothing I can do to stop him. I can only remain still and listen to what he has to say.

"The easy way will be for you to forget everything that has ever happened tonight. You have not been to that auction house, you have not seen what happened inside, and you forget everything about me. You go back and enjoy that pampered rich life of yours and go back to being the spoiled rich brat that you are, never taking a single step into such places ever again. We good?"

I had heard a lot of unsavoury words hurled at me before and usually, I never cared much about those. I am fortunate to be able to be born as a Vera and I am fortunate to be the daughter of two very loving and capable parents, but I lost all semblance of rationality the moment he insinuated that I am a spoiled pampered girl who knew nothing better, as if I am who I am today simply because of my background and not because of the blood sweat and tears that I had exerted to get to where I am now.

"Go fuck yourself."

My first reaction was to spit at him which in hindsight, really wasn't the wisest choice. It was simply stupid to antagonise the person who can now easily end my life with nary a thought. Maybe Looker wasn't wrong to say that I can be reckless at times.

"Then the hard way it is."

His voice was cold and calm, as if he was simply stating something unimportant. The next thing I knew, I felt my head being lifted higher as he pulled on my hair before swiftly slamming my head back down against the floor. Pain filled me and my vision blurred. I don't know if this was intentional, but I am still somewhat conscious even if I cannot make out much of the sounds around me with my ears or see clearly with my eyes.

I felt his cold fingers prying off the masquerade mask off my face and there was nothing I could do to stop him in my current state. A part of me was afraid about what it would mean if he saw my face and eventually found out about my true identity.

But there's nothing I can do. I am helpless and defenceless against this man.

I heard muffled sounds around me but I wasn't conscious enough to make out what the conversation was about. I am constantly slipping in and out of consciousness with how hard he has hit my head against the floor, unable to move a single finger.

A new jolt of fear briefly forced me back into consciousness for one short moment when something materialised into existence right before my eyes. The haunting visage of a spiritomb, one of the most violent and temperamental creatures currently known in existence, stared right at me with its eerily luminant green eyes.

A spiritomb is never good news, especially one that is hostile.

Am I… going to die here? How ironic, that I would meet my end by the hands of a ghost when my moniker is the Ghost Mistress.

The spiritomb locked eyes with me, floating closer and closer. All along I thought I was indifferent to my eventual death but it was at this very moment that I realised that I really do not want to die. I still want to live. I still want to be able to see my parents, my brother, my friends, my pokemon. There are still so many things that I want to do and see. I still haven't got to fulfil my wish to be able to travel the world.

I don't want to die. I really do not want to die.

I tried to will myself to move away, tried to shout only to realise that my throat was unable to make a sound. I mentally screamed at my body to move because there's still so many things I want to do, so many unfulfilled wishes that I haven't completed. An irrational part of me tried to believe that this was just a very realistic nightmare that I will wake up from but it did not remove the rapidly growing fear festering within my heart with every inch the spiritomb got closer.

Somebody, someone, anyone, save me. Please save me. I do not want to die just yet. Vance, Vance! Save me! Please!

I'm scared. I'm really really scared. I'm so afraid that my last words to you would be "Just shut up and go".

I could feel the chill in my bones as spiritomb activated its otherworldly powers on me to do whatever its trainer had commanded it to do. A cynical part of my mind pointed out that I actually attained the realisation of something which I thought I never cared much about when I first heard from the doctors that I will never live past fifteen.

I… I really want to live, even if it's just a little longer. I am not as unafraid of death as I thought I was.

One singular thought permeated my mind as my eyes gradually closed shut.

I really do not want to die.

Character and pokemon list:

Velda Vera, Age: 13, Female, Pokemon Trainer, Member of the International Police

Pokemon on hand:

1) Rapidash (Flamel), male

2) Swampert (Bigblue), male

3) Banette (Dolly), female

4) Flygon (Snap), male

5) Absol (Kelsa), female

6) Charizard (Toothless), male

7) Cradily (Lily), female

8) Espeon (Rena), female

9) Pachirisu (Fuzzy), male

10) Tyranitar (Kratos), male

11) Clefairy (Joy), female

12) Nidoqueen (Ness), female

13) Pangoro (Hulk), male

14) Porygon-Z (Jarvis), genderless

15) Scizor (Archer), male

16) Lapras (Chill), female

17) Gengar (Wacky), male

Vance Vera, Age: 20, Male, Heir to the Vera Family

Pokemon on hand:

1) Gengar (Macky), male

2) Sceptile

3) Salamence

4) Metagross

5) Gallade

6) Walrein

7) Electivire

8) Weavile

9) Magmortar