Passively, Forcibly Captured

Yan Yang crawled through the dark pipeline.

Though he had obtained the clues, they were incomplete. Silvally's whereabouts remained unknown, Alice's attitude was ambiguous, and the truth about Xiao Ai weighed on his heart like a boulder.

Good thing I'm broad-minded... Yan Yang thought bitterly. Otherwise, this amount of information alone would be enough to make an ordinary person cry that they couldn't take it anymore.

He had to leave this cramped pipeline as soon as possible and find a temporary safe spot.

In theory, returning to Alice's laboratory was the best option—it had just gone through a disturbance, so it would actually be the safest place in the short term. Besides, he could show her that horrifying record.

Everywhere else had probably already been covered by an inescapable net.

As for his original hiding place? The operation was far from over. Going back now would be useless; that was somewhere to consider only after daybreak.

Perhaps... staying in the pipeline for the time being was also an option? The space was narrow, adults took up a lot of room, and the other side would have to hold back if they used force.

But he quickly dismissed the idea—they could simply send smaller Pokémon in.

Those Pokémon raised by criminals would not show the slightest friendliness toward an intruder like him. It'd be nice if I could make even evil people's Pokémon friendly toward me someday.

He glanced at the time: 11:29.

He quickened his pace, trying to reach Alice's laboratory before midnight.

However, not long after crawling past an intersection, an incredibly familiar feeling of weakness instantly swept through his entire body!

It was as if all strength had been drained from his limbs and bones in an instant. His muscles turned sore and limp as he barely managed