Prologue

Four-year-old Touko White is lying upside down on the couch, her long brown hair dangling off and touching the floor of her living room. Her eyes wide open, glued to the TV screen, where Polly the Pikachu is dancing animatedly.

"Touko, sweetheart, you know that's not good for you," scolds her mother, sweeping elegantly into the room. "All that blood rushing to your head." Though her mother studies Pokemon evolution and body structure, she is also an expert on the human body.

"But mom," argues Touko, "Polly the Pikachu dances better when I'm upside down!"

Not quite knowing how to respond to this statement, her mother nods skeptically and sits down beside Touko.

As another episode of Polly the Pikachu starts up, Touko begins to sing along to the theme song. That is, until the song is interrupted by a scary man's face, smiling somewhat menacingly through the screen.

"Hello, Unova region," the man says, just as Touko is deciding he's extremely ugly. "My name is Ghetsis."

Surprisingly, Touko's mother gives a small shriek. She yells for Touko's father, who comes racing down the stairs at the mention of this 'Ghetsis'. He plops down on the couch on Touko's other side and watches the broadcast intently.

"I'll keep this short," says Ghetsis, which Touko is grateful for, as she'd much rather be watching Polly the Pikachu than him. "Team Plasma has taken over Unova. As the current King of Team Plasma, I am your ruler now. Bow down to me, Unova region."

His laugh sends chills up Touko's spine. The broadcast ends, but instead of returning to Polly the Pikachu, the TV shuts off completely. Touko sees her parents exchange fearful glances, before all the electricity in the house shuts down.

Suddenly, the windows shatter and the door breaks down, all at the same time. Touko and her mother's screams mix into one, as the electricity all turns back on.

They are surrounded by ridiculous looking people dressed in gray, with ugly hairstyles. On each of their uniforms are the initials TP in an ugly shade of yellow. Touko's parents look scared out of their wits and frozen in place.

"You two are Professor White and …. Professor White, right?" asks one of them, frowning at their identical professional names.

"N-no," lies Touko's father.

"They are," says another one of the strangers invading their house. She holds up a funny-looking gadget. "They match up with the pictures on their files."

"You have files on us?" asks Touko's mother shakily, her face pale white.

"Of course," laughs the same lady with the funny gadget. "Team Plasma does their research carefully, especially with people as interesting as you two." It doesn't sound quite like a compliment to Touko.

Touko's instincts make her automatically dislike these Team Plasma people. Who do they think they are, breaking the windows and scaring her parents? And, most importantly, interrupting an episode of Polly the Pikachu?!

As if the TV could read her mind, it turns on, showing Polly the Pikachu singing a song about the colors in the rainbow. Touko knows all the words to this song too, and so she starts to sing along:

"Red and green and purple and blue and white and pin -"

"SHUT UP!" screams one of the Team Plasma people, switching the TV off. "God, I hate kids and their ridiculous television shows."

"Hey!" Touko pipes up angrily. "I was watching that."

"Not anymore you aren't," the Team Plasma person snaps.

"Don't talk to my daughter like that," threatens Touko's father.

A Team Plasma laughs in his face. "As if you're in a position to make threats, Professor White. You're surrounded by us Grunts."

"Grunts?" giggled Touko. "That sounds stupid."

Quick as lightning, the Team Plasma 'Grunt' standing closest to Touko slaps her in the face, hard enough that it makes a cracking sound and leaves a red mark there. Tears spring to her eyes, but the brave four-year-old tries to hold them back.

"How dare you!" screeches her mother, reaching an arm out toward Touko to comfort her but another Grunt pulls it away, instead using the arm to drag her mother towards the door – or the space the door used to hang, anyway.

"Let's go, Professors," he says cheerfully, as if dragging people unwillingly out of their homes is something he does all the time.

Another two Team Plasma Grunts flank Touko's father on either side, forcing him towards the door as well. Though both her parents struggle with all their might, neither of them are particularly athletic – both of them preferred to get into the sciences rather than athletics at school – and so the Grunts are still able to take them away without breaking a sweat.

After a moment, it becomes clear to Touko that no one is coming to take her away too, so she follows them out onto the front porch indignantly. "Excuse me, you've forgotten me," she announces to a Grunt standing next to her.

The Grunt takes a look at her and grabs Touko's arm. Twisting it painfully, he shoves Touko back into her house. "Stay in there, you little brat!" he hisses. "We don't give a fuck about you, only your parents."

Touko's not quite sure what fuck means, but she gets the gist of the rest of her sentence. Still, she's not going to give up her parents without a fight, and nimbly pops outside again. "MOMMY! DADDY! TAKE ME WITH YOU!" she screams.

Her mother looks back, desperation in her eyes, and flails harder in the Grunt's grasp. "Please!" she sobs. "You can't take me away without my baby! Bring Touko … she's only four! Bring Touko! Please!"

Instead of sympathy, the Grunt gives Touko's mother a slap. "Four is perfectly mature enough to take care of herself," he says in a monotone. "Now get on." He shoves her violently onto a bird Pokemon that looks tired and over-worked.

"MOMMY!" Touko screams again. "DADDY!"

But her father just shoots her a defeated glance, and says simply, "I'm so sorry, Touko. No matter what happens, remember we love you."

Another Grunt pushes him onto the bird Pokemon, right behind Touko's mother, who is still screaming for Touko, despite the slap.

The Grunt who had pushed Touko into the house before laughs and looks at her. "Your parents are pathetic," he says jerkily, and with the strength of her four-year-old rage, Touko kicks him in the spot men should never be kicked.

He screams in agony. "You stupid fucking child!" He curses at her, letting loose a whole other stream of curses Touko never heard before.

"Wash your mouth out with soap," says Touko viciously, stomping on his foot as hard as she can, since she doesn't weigh much.

In retaliation, the Grunt shoves Touko to the ground, and then hops onto his own bird Pokemon to join the rest of Team Plasma in the air. Touko stands up quickly, still screaming for her parents, her hope diminishing the farther and faster they fly away.

Finally, as they are lost forever in the sky, little Touko White is left alone on her front porch, sobbing her heart out without the strength to say anything louder than "Mommy, Daddy," in a solemn whisper.

In his large, luxurious office in Team Plasma's gigantic castle, Ghetsis lounges around in one of the spinning chairs, awaiting his Grunts. He would never tell anyone how much he enjoyed spinning in these addictive chairs, for it would seem childish and be misunderstood to the other Sages of Team Plasma.

But alone in his office, he is free to do whatever he wishes.

Of course, his Grunts choose this time to march in, bringing with them the two famous professors of Unova, the married couple Professors White and White. Ghetsis brings his spinning chair to an abrupt stop, and stands up menacingly, as if daring any of the Grunts to ask him what he was just doing.

"Um, boss?" says one of the Grunts timidly. "What were you just doing?"

"GET OUT OF HERE!" roars Ghetsis. "HOW DARE YOU ASK ME SUCH INTRUSTIVE, PERSONAL QUESTIONS!"

The Grunt drops everything and runs, giving Ghetsis the familiar rush of pleasure he always gets when he feels powerful. There is almost nothing really that Ghetsis cares about, but power is one of the very few.

The remaining Plasma Grunts kneel down before him, murmuring "To the good health and everlasting fortune of our king, Ghetsis."

"Rise," says Ghetsis in a bored tone, hiding his excitement. Finally – finally – he is the ruler of Unova, and here are the two most renowned Professors, at his control.

One Grunt shoves them to the floor in front of Ghetsis. "We have accomplished our mission, my King," he says quickly. "Here are Professor White and Professor White."

"That's annoying," says Ghetsis, referring to their identical names. "What are your first names?" he points to the male professor.

"I-I'm Kairi and t-that is my wife, Natsumi," he stutters. Ghetsis smiles icily. Only the truly weak ones stutter. He will crack easily.

"And that is what we shall call you from now on," Ghetsis announces. It's perfect – degrading to these Professors at the loss of their title, and much easier to establish one from the other now.

All the Plasma Grunts nod in agreement.

"What do you want from us?" The female, Natsumi, asks boldly. "My daughter is waiting for us at home all alone. Make it quick."

"Quick?" echoes Ghetsis. "Oh no, no, no. You won't be leaving here."

"Excuse me?" Natsumi says with what seems like attitude, but he can hear the tremor in her voice. She's interesting, he thinks with a sly smile, and young - perhaps a prostitution system for 'traitors' who go against Team Plasma, and we can start with her...

"At the moment, it seems I have a need for you two," says Ghetsis slowly, as if speaking to a bunch of imbeciles (which, incidentally, the Grunts were, but not these professors), "and so you will fulfill that need."

"And once that is done, you should let us go!" argues Natsumi.

Ghetsis laughs. She is spirited, he has to give her that. "But your research, your willingness to unite people with Pokemon and to study them like lab rats goes against everything that Team Plasma stands for. And traitors must be dealt with, must be made an example to the public as to what will happen if you defy your leaders. You and your husband will be sentenced to jail for life."

He saw her eyes widen in fear, but other than that, she hid it well. "Then why should we ever help you?" she spat at him. "I would rather die!"

"Natsumi," says her husband weakly.

Both Ghetsis and his wife ignore him. "Oh, you will help me. I have my ways of making people do what I want them to. And as the ruler of Unova, I have plenty of time to wait for you to break."

Ghetsis watches with an evil smile as the two Professors expressions change as they imagine what he will do to them.

"You heartless, evil man," whispers Natsumi.

"I have been called worse," replies Ghetsis dismissively. "Now Grunts, take them to the dungeons. I will deal with them later."

Yes, he has been deprived from his spinning chair for much too long. As soon as they all leave, he will return to its softness and spinning wheels, its endless entertainment. He deserves it, after all. It takes quite a lot of effort to be so evil, to ruin so many lives.

He sinks back into the comfortable, cushioned chair and smiles to himself, a real smile, the first one in years and years of hard, dirty work. Ghetsis, he thinks to himself, Unova is yours.