Wherever Team Oblivion was hiding, it wasn't far from the White Forest. It was either that, or the Krait Twins didn't have any Flying-type Pokémon. I wouldn't be surprised either way.

I kept my head down, thinking of all the ways to get out of this mess, I mean, there had to be some way, right? The minute these guys loosened their grip, I could throw Swanna out and fly out of here. They didn't knock me out, so I still had a chance. All I had to do was make sure I stayed conscious and kept my Pokémon on hand.

That task seemed to be easier said than done.

"So, Swanna Girl," the Krait twin to my left started. "Why so quiet for three years?"

I took a deep breath and made an audible exhale, not saying a word.

"Come on, you know she's not going to say a word, right?" the other one pointed out.

"Still," the first twin moaned, "it'll be awhile until we get there."

"Where are we going," I growled.

"Ha! See! She talks! I told you!" the twin to the left cheered.

"Idiot," the one to the right muttered, exasperated.

He couldn't have said it any better.

After three years, I'd never expected the Krait Twins to act like this. Actually, I thought I was done with these two. But somehow, I ended up with them once again. Then again, a majority of the time I had to deal with them back when I was Swanna Girl.

My heart sank. They wanted to kill me back then, and they were so adamant in doing so too. I wouldn't be surprised if they were going to be doing the same today. This day just keeps getting better and better... I tried to think positively. At least I caught a new Pokémon. Except... The positivity faded. Now I just dragged her into this whole mess too. It seemed like there really wasn't an upside in all of this.

"So, got yourself a boyfriend?" the one to the left asked.

I didn't say one word as I kept my eyes on the ground, watching as the snow slowly disappeared. At least we'd have left somewhat a trail, so I could be easily tracked.

"I bet it's Braviary Man, or I guess you know him as Ruby, don't you?" the annoying Krait twin to the left continued.

"Archer, shut up," the twin to the right, Hunter, barked. For a moment, I thought he wanted some peace and quiet, but then he glanced over at his brother. "And I don't think it's Ruby, it's Rudi, isn't it?"

"No, it's Ruby, like the stone," Archer insisted.

There was no way out of this. If I kept quiet, they'd pester me some more. If I said something, I could have it used against me.

"Who would name their kid Ruby?" Hunter asked.

Their complaining was giving me a headache. What they were arguing about was pointless. Face it, I knew a guy named N, and whoever his parents were seemed to have no imagination when doing that. Anything would be better than some letter, but hearing these two fuss about it was seriously getting on my last nerves. So what if someone named their child Ruby, or N, or Lethe for that matter? It shouldn't matter.

There was just no way of getting these two twins to shut up.

Then again, maybe there was.

"How do you know his name?" I asked.

"Wait, which one is it?" Archer said as he tightened his grasp on my arm.

I hissed in pain, feeling his nails digging into my skin. "Tell me where we're going first, then maybe."

The two brothers tilted their heads over me, as if silently asking the question of what to do. I smiled, internally. I just might've had them.

"It's definitely Ruby," Archer said.

"It's Rudi!" Hunter shouted.

I groaned, realizing my plan had just backfired.

(-o-)

We walked for a long time, surprising me that Rudi didn't come after us. I kept an eye out, but nothing happened. Instead, I was forced to listen to Hunter and Archer Krait bicker the entire time.

Nothing was more annoying than that.

By the time the sun set, the Krait Twins led me into a cave on the side of the mountain just north of the White Forest. The trails were thick with snow, which was a good thing in the sense that we left a path. The downside to it all was that it seemed like no one really knew about this place.

I looked back, seeing one more downside. Because of the wind blowing everywhere, our tracks were quickly sealed.

"You sure this is the right thing to do?" Archer asked.

"No," I quickly argued, "which is why you should let me go."

Neither of the brothers seemed bothered by my comment as they dragged me inside the cave, which had no light at all. I couldn't see a thing, which made me wonder how they could. Without a flashlight or a Pokémon that knew Flash, there was no way to tell which way we were going.

I slowly concentrated on my breathing, telling myself that this was going to be a good thing in the end. At least I knew where Team Oblivion was hiding. I mean, they didn't blindfold or knock me out. This meant that I knew where their hideout was located. Once I could get back, I could tell Rudi and the others.

We could end this thing before it began.

"You know we can't trust her," Hunter reasoned. "This is the best option."

Of course they couldn't trust me, I was working on the other side. I tried to look around, but it was complete and utter darkness. How could anyone see anything here? I couldn't even make an outline of either twin when I looked in their direction.

An idea popped into my mind on how to get out of here. My hands, despite being bound together, moved towards the pocket of my pants, trying to reach for the phone. If I could just get the light to turn on from it, I could at least tell where these guys were taking me.

As if knowing what I was doing, both of the Krait twins pushed me forward a bit, throwing me off guard. I could feel the phone that was safely tucked in my back pocket slip out.

Looks like there was no way of getting out.

"Don't worry," Hunter whispered in my ear. "We're almost there."

Yippee, just what I wanted to hear. I dropped my head in response.

Archer Krait was right though. After a few more steps, I could see torches lining the walls in my peripheral vision. I looked up, seeing a hooded figure sitting on a stone-like throne as a Mandibuzz sat in front of them. A single hand was the only thing that could be seen from this person as it stroked the top of the Pokémon's head.

The twins stopped just a couple of feet away, letting me see the cloaked figure a bit more. There was a Miasma emblem that seemed to be what fastened the two sides of it together. All I could see of the person's physical features was the bottom half of their face. Due to the gentle jawline and thin red lips that slowly curled into a smile, my guess was that this was a girl.

Curiously enough, I knew of only one member of Team Miasma that I knew for sure was alive and out of jail. She was the one who actually killed Taipan, the old leader of Team Miasma. While she might have been kicked out, it was the only explanation I could come up with. Had these two not held me back, I might have attacked.

There was just one thing I found odd. I remember that admin having a Flying-type Pokémon, but it wasn't a Mandibuzz like this one.

"So, we finally meet once again, Swanna Girl," the voice said.

My eyes widened. That voice, it didn't belong to the purple haired admin that I remembered. It belonged to another member I believed to be dead since she never showed up behind bars.

How did Gila make it?

The girl stopped petting her Pokémon as something slithered past me, causing me to freeze. I cautiously looked down to see two different serpent Pokémon slither towards the cavern throne, slipping their way beside their Trainer.

I watched as Gila's hand rose to the hood of her outfit before she slipped it off, revealing a face that was always different, even now. Half of her head was shaved off while the other half had locks of blonde hair hanging down to her jawline.

It was only then, as I looked into her brown eyes, that I realized what had happened.

Zekrom must've tried to finish her off but never had the chance.

My stomach tightened.

"What? This isn't what you were expecting?" Gila asked before looking up and down as if she was sizing me for something. "You know, you're really not anything special."

I closed my eyes and bit my tongue. Gila was just trying to get under my skin. There was no way that I was going to let her do that.

All I had to do was stay calm.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"Awe, you don't want to talk? Not even some one on one girl talk? Shame. I was really hoping we could catch up," Gila pouted.

Girl talk? Yeah right. Why would I want to talk to the girl that was a part of Team Miasma? It didn't help knowing she wanted me dead. Well, then again, everyone in Team Miasma wanted me dead.

Why was it that everyone was after me? It wasn't like I was anything extraordinary. Even then, I was nothing but Nurse Joy's assistant.

"Untie her," I heard Gila instructed, "and give us some time alone."

My eyes shot wide opened just as I felt the Krait Twins let go and untie the bonds that wrapped around my wrists. I turned around as I watched both of them leave, soundlessly.

Now could be my chance to run for it.

"Look," Gila said, "I know we didn't get along in the past."

I turned around, seeing Gila leaning over her legs as her chin rested on one of her hands.

"You wanted me dead," I shot back.

Gila smirked. "You were destroying our plans. Would it help if the only reason we didn't want to kill off Rudi right away was so he could see the world suffer? Plus, he's seen too much. You were just a pest."

"Jeez, thanks for the compliment," I muttered.

"You're welcome," Gila smiled. "Now, let's get down to business. I have a deal to make you."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "What makes you think I'm going to even consider a deal with you after what you've done?"

The girl leaned back on her throne of stone while her two serpent Pokémon—Serperior and Arbok—both gave me a death look. Both of them were highly dangerous Pokémon, but I had to remind myself not to give into their threats. Instead, I straightened my back a bit, showing that I had some sort of authority.

As for their Trainer, she looked amused.

"Huh, straight to the point and feisty. No wonder Rudi likes you so much," Gila commented, before wiggling her eyebrows for a moment. "Must come in handy when the two of you are alone. Am I right?"

I didn't say a word, just glared at her.

Seeing as I wasn't going to react, Gila cleared her throat. "Right, straight to the point. You and your friends are trying to take down Team Oblivion, correct?"

I nodded my head, not entirely sure where she was getting at.

"We'd like to help," Gila said.

My eyes widened. She was joking, right? Team Miasma wanted to help? Everything about this seemed wrong.

"What's the catch?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"In return, we're cleared of all charges and you have to help us find Lantana," Gila stated.

"You're kidding."

Gila shook her head as she brought her finger to her cheek, tapping it in thought. "Of course, if you don't go with your end of the bargain, well, your precious Pokémon Center was already broken into. It'd be a shame if something more drastic were to happen."

I took a step forward, grabbing Swanna's Poké Ball. "You wouldn't dare!"

The girl shrugged. "Of course, then we have our other option of giving you to Team Oblivion. They were the ones that broke those two numbskulls out of prison."

"Then why don't you? Why give me this choice?" I beseeched.

"Simple," Gila smiled. "I don't like Shade. She beats around the bush too much. Not to mention she's related to Hunter and Archer, and if she's anything like her cousins, well, she only has half a brain. I'd rather make a direct path. With her, all we have to do is turn you in, and she'd grant us protection, but I think we all know what happens when you make a deal with the devil."

I let out a puff of air, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Who was to say she wasn't doing it again? This was Gila we were talking about. As a member of Team Miasma, she couldn't be trusted.

None of them could.

There was just one problem. In the situation I was in, I couldn't get out. I just had Swanna. He could get me out of here, but when I looked back, I noticed Gila and I were no longer alone. Instead, there were a group of Team Miasma grunts that must not have been at the Giant Chasm the day I shut them down. Each of them had their hands on their Poké Balls, as if threatening the same.

Even if they'd be easy to take on, I also had to deal with Gila's Mandibuzz, Serperior, and Seviper. It was a lose lose situation here.

"What do you want with Lantana?" I asked as I looked back at the—who I would now assume—current leader of Team Miasma. "She's disappeared for years now."

"Oh, that's none of your concern," Gila said sweetly. "She just has some unfinished business with Team Miasma."

Unfinished business didn't sound right. Last I checked, she quit the organization.

That meant only one thing.

"You're going to kill her, aren't you?" I asked.

Gila's eyes widened as she froze for a moment. After processing what I had just said, she leaned back, placing both arms on the armrests of the throne, looking me dead in the eye.

"How is it you can be so naïve to our earlier conversation, but you could figure that out," Gila wondered out loud before shaking her head. "What we do with her is none of your concern. It's either we help you help us, or we can take you straight to Oblivion. Arceus only knows what they'll do with your pretty little face. So, what's it going to be?"

I looked down, realizing what was at stake here. If I let whatever was left of Team Miasma get their end of the bargain, Lantana would die. I hadn't seen her since she left me there to die. It was against my morals to let anyone die, despite what happened. There were other means of justice.

At the same time, they would help us shut down Team Oblivion once and for all. Hilbert, Hilda, and N have all had trouble taking down the villainous team for quite a while now. Maybe it wouldn't hurt having someone help out, though, then again, they'd never gone through with their end of the bargain before. Who was to say they wouldn't do the same now?

However, if I didn't make a deal with her, Team Oblivion would have what they want. I remembered Hilbert warning me that they were the cause of our nightmares, but that was the thing. My nightmares couldn't have been caused because of them.

Team Oblivion also had Joy. If I didn't make a deal with Team Miasma, maybe I could find a way to get Joy out of there, which was the reason why I was in this mess in the first place. It was my job to keep her safe, no matter what. Despite what that Lethe claimed, I didn't think they'd kill her. I mean, I didn't do much. I didn't interfere with their plans. Besides, wouldn't they want to keep her alive just to irritate me? After all, killing her would just give me the more reason to shut them down once and for all.

I looked back up at Gila, tightening my hand around Swanna's Poké Ball. After my internal debate, I had finally made my decision. I knew I would regret it. Then again, that was how I'd feel with either decision.

Author's Note:

Looks like a lot has changed since Team Miasma last showed up. My question to you all is who's your favorite member of Team Miasma? Now that I get to give them more personality, I love making Archer...well...thickheaded, but Gila's seductiveness and tormenting, well, she's probably my favorite villain to write because of it.

Yelp, next time we'll see what decision she's made. Take care everyone, bye!