Despite the cacophony of Pidove chirps emanating from outside her window, White only squeezed her eyes tighter and curled up into a ball underneath her sheets with a groan. Suddenly, her eyes jerked open.

"The station!" She exclaimed, sitting up and scrabbling for her Xtransceiver which rested on the bedside table. Clasping it to her wrist, she quickly opened her inbox to look for missed messages.

1 missed message, it read. White quickly scanned her eyes over the small print.

Missed Message from Black, 10:13 a.m: The plane should arrive soon, I'll be around the amusement park. Meet you there!

White quickly glanced at the clock, sighing in exasperation when she realized it was already 11. Diving into her drawer, she pulled out her usual outfit, jean shorts with a black jacket over a white shirt, and proceeded to yank it on. Once she had finished changing, she gathered her unruly brown hair into the usual high ponytail and put her favorite hat over it. It was all she could really do in the hour she had to get over to the station. Before she stepped out of the room, however, she quickly typed a reply to Black's message.

There's been a slight change of plans. Try to meet me at the Gear Station before 12:00.

Hoping he would be ok with the sudden change in arrangements, she quickly exited her hotel room, still in the process of tugging on her shoes. Suddenly, her Xtransceiver began chirping loudly, the sudden ring nearly making White fall over. Straightening her arm parallel to her face, she watched as the notification for an incoming call flashed on the screen. Quickly pressing the receive button, she began, "Hello?"

"Ah, White!" A crackly voice came over the speaker, and White watched as an image popped onto the screen. It was Emmet, with Ingo crowding next to him for a spot on the screen. "A good thing Elesa had your number." His voice was hardly audible over what sounded like a large crowd and the distinct shrieking of the metro in the distance.

Ingo slightly shoved his brother aside with the intent of hogging up more of the screen. "The station is rather crowded today, so we're going to meet up by the information center, if you don't mind." He pitched in, raising his voice in order for her to hear him.

"Not at all." White replied. "See you there!" As she spoke, she was hustling down the hall toward the elevators. Just as she was going to hang up, Emmet's voice broke through once more.

"There are a few people you will meet there, as well." He said as White pressed the lobby button. "Don't worry about them, they're just train workers. A special crew assigned to us, of course. They're just there to make sure things run smoothly, as they do on all trains, so don't worry about them."

"Uh, ok." White replied. Who would be the train crew was hardly a worrisome matter to her, leaving her to wonder why they brought it up in the first place. She hardly gave it a second thought as she burst out the elevator doors and into the lobby. "Well, I'll be on my way now," she continued, "So I'll see you guys soon. Thanks!" With that, she hit the hang-up button. The lobby receptionist shot her a strange look as he watched her pick up her pace with great enthusiasm, practically exploding through the front doors and dashing out into the busy street. While moving as quickly as she could, she also mentally retraced the path that she and Elesa had taken the previous night. Although it had been dusk, the lights of the city had been more than enough for her to identify her surroundings. Turning around the corner, the Nimbasa amusement park suddenly loomed in front of her. Music and laugher could be heard just barely over the bustle of the city, and the thunderous roar of roller coasters echoed into the sky. White slightly slowed her pace as she reached a tourist-heavy sidewalk. The massive figure of the ferris wheel brought back memories to her mind. It felt like just yesterday that she had gone on the ride with several of her friends. The ride with N, however, while she was trying to chase Team Plasma, was something she tried to block out of her mind. She hoped that Black had gotten over his mysterious fear of the ride, though, so they would be able to ride it once more. She recalled him mentioning something about a person on the ride, but otherwise, she was mystified by his sudden phobia. The ringing of her Xtransceiver once again jerked her out of her daydreaming, and she looked down at the new message, weaving in and out of people as she did so.

Message from Black, 11:45 a.m: Gotcha. I'll see you there, then!

White sighed, relieved that he accepted the sudden change of plans. Finally breaking free of the endless tide of people, she launched down a quieter road, relieved to see Gear Station's roof looming in the distance. After lightly jogging for a few minutes, she glanced back at her watch, at rest now that the station was much closer. However, her heart leapt as she read 11:52 on the XTransceiver's screen. After more frantic speed walking, she finally stopped in front of the steps to Gear Station, her breath slightly labored. Meandering inside, she was met by a large volume of people bustling around her, chatting loudly to one another or into their cellphones. White had to shove her way past the torrent of people to simply make her way into the circular station. Looking around, she spotted a sign identifying the Information Booth in the corner near the entrance.

"Thank Arceus." She muttered, eyeing the onslaught of people still milling around. "Last thing I need to do is get held up by slow walkers." It relieved her that nobody seemed fazed by the incident from just yesterday, but it was almost ridiculous how many people were riding the subway today. She shrugged the stray thought off, glancing around the station for the information sign. Soon, her eyes rested on the words "Information Center", and she fought her way through the throng of people, finally spotting the two subway masters. Elesa was beside them, her back turned toward her so she was unable to see her expression, but she appeared to be in an animated conversation, gesticulating wildly at the bewildered twins. Ingo seemed visibly relieved when he spotted White emerging from the sea of people. His voice lost among the many voices in the station, White only followed his hands, which signaled her to step inside a small door next to the booth. Elesa and Emmet quickly filed in themselves, and White followed close behind. Finally, the door slammed shut, sealing them in a muted silence, and White realized that they were crammed into a small room with completely bare walls, nothing furnishing it.

"I apologize for the cramped space, but it's the only place we'll be able to hear ourselves think." Emmet said, his shoulder pressed uncomfortably against the wall. "White, I thought we would be able to introduce our-" He was suddenly cut off by the harsh ring of White's X-Transceiver in the muted room.

"Sorry…" White apologized, aware of everyone in the room staring at her. She quickly glanced down to see another message from Black.

I'm at the station. Where are you?

"I've got to get my friend, Black, he's waiting around here." White announced. "Sorry, you were in the middle of saying something…" Emmet shook his head.

"Go find your friend." He said. "He may like to hear what we are saying as well." White nodded, relieved that she wasn't being rude, and quickly typed a reply into her X-Transceiever.

Come to the information booth.

After it beeped in confirmation of sending the text, she shouldered her way out the narrow door once more, into the loud, crowded station. Taking a single visual sweep of the crowd, she resisted the urge to fish her way through the mass and find her friend. But as she stood there, tense as a wire, a sudden tap to her shoulder made her almost jump through the roof. She whipped around to see the face of her friend staring back with a startled expression.

"Tense much?" Black said. White pretended to scowl at him before hugging him.

"I haven't seen you in ages and that's the first thing you have to say?" She said once she had pulled herself away. Black shrugged.

"We've sent letters and texts, it's not that big of a deal." He laughed. "Sorry for being late…"

"Trust me, I'm used to it." White assured him.

From back in the room, Ingo and Emmet squeezed their head out of the doorway to take a look at the two.

"I suppose this was the friend she spoke about." Emmet commented.

"Hah, look at him." Ingo snorted. "What was his name, Black? What a fool. I bet he hasn't got the guts to confess anything, and Arceus knows how long they've known each other."

"Move aside, you two." Elesa snapped, pushing their heads down to get a better look. "They're adorable! Look at the way she's looking at him!" Ingo shoved her back off.

"We're not here to play matchmaker!" Ingo exclaimed. "But… I don't think they've started dating yet, do you?"

"Definitely not." Emmet agreed.

"Hmph, what a hypocrite." Elesa scowled, withdrawing back into the room.

White, seeing a flash of movement from back in the doorway, saw the two subway bosses staring at them with their faces suspiciously deadpan.

"Oh, uh…" She said. "I think you ought to meet the people I'm working with at the moment."

"Working with?" Black asked, puzzled. "Is this the change of plans you were talking about?"

"It is." She confirmed. "I can explain more when we get inside that room." She pointed towards the doorway, which had already been emptied.

"Alright, let's go!" He replied, headed towards the room. White was glad that he didn't ask any questions, as she was a little worried whether he would be angry at her for changing plans or not.

Once they stepped foot into the room, Emmet immediately piped up, "So, are you two ready for the journey ahead?" White nodded confidently in response, while Black adopted a bewildered expression.

"Journey?" He inquired, glancing sideways at White in confusion.

"Ah, you don't know, do you?" Ingo said, not sounding surprised. He gave White a pained look that said, Why the heck didn't you explain to this idiot?

"He just got here from a long trip, so it's no surprise he doesn't know." Emmet spoke up, glaring at his brother.

White sighed and turned to Black. "I should have told you sooner…" She told him apologetically. "I decided to assist these two on their trip to deliver some cargo for the gym leader Elesa." Black's eyes lit up in recognition of the name.

"Oh, that sounds cool." His voice was slightly flat. Then, he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "I mean, sounds great! Good luck." White vaguely made out both Elesa and Emmet trying to hold back laughter, and White suddenly realized why he sounded disinterested.

"You know you can come too, right?" White sighed, and Black looked up sharply. Hastily, she added, "I wasn't going to waste our first meeting in forever for some random train job!" Black glanced uncertainly at the subway bosses.

"Will they let me, though?" He asked, pointing a thumb at the two.

"Why would we ask you to come here if you weren't coming along?" Ingo retorted, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Good point." Black replied, holding his hands defensively in the air. "I'll come along then, if it's alright."

"Good!" White said. "We could always use an extra battler, I suppose."

"But aren't Ingo and Emmet already good fighters?" Black asked.

"Oh, you know them?"

"Of course, they're the famous subway bosses!" Black exclaimed. "Who doesn't?" White suddenly felt suitably embarrassed, remembering how she had no clue who the two were when she first saw them.

"Well, whatever." She turned back to face the group of people, realizing that everyone had been standing patiently while they chatted. "Point is, you should probably hear what these two have to say."

Once she had finished speaking, Ingo cleared his throat. "Alright everyone, we should expect to leave in no less than ten minutes."

Black seemed less than pleased at the sudden departure time, but he bit his tongue.

"We're heading off to Platform 4, bound to Castelia, so make sure to stick closely with us," Emmet added, "as we don't want you getting lost in the crowd today."

"Right, let's do this." Elesa said, and waited for the two subway bosses to exit the room before leaving herself. White and Black hurried to stay right behind them, but as they quickly realized, it was nearly impossible to miss the twins in their massive, monochrome coats as they waded through the crowd. Perhaps that's why they're like that, White thought as she shouldered her way past more than a few disgruntled passing people. But it wasn't just that, they were impossibly tall as well.

The walk didn't take too long, and the foot traffic diminished as they went along, as the battle subway participants began to get weeded out from the regular travelers. One circle around the station and down a flight of stairs and there they were, standing in front of a pillar with a large black "4" painted onto its surface. From the corner of her eye, White saw a group of about nine people seem to materialize from behind them, all dressed in crisp green suits. It was a rather odd, ragtag group of different people, but all had the same attentive stature and expression, and each had their own badge signifying their job as crew members. One, a tall blonde man with a stern expression and clear blue eyes stepped forward, a lantern in hand.

"Ingo, Emmet." He saluted to the two with his free hand. "We have finished inspection of the tracks, and there are no signs of trouble, so we are clear to go."

"Thank you, Austin." Ingo replied. "I have faith in the crew's perceptive abilities." Then, seeing the confusion evident on White's face, he continued, "Allow me to introduce my loyal crew." She could have sworn she saw a few of their faces blush at the comment. "They assist Emmet and me with our jobs. We can't do it alone, after all."

"Yes, you should see the paperwork…" Emmet sighed. "Luckily we have someone as handy as Turner…" Ingo coughed loudly several times to interrupt his speech.

"Anyway, I'm sure they can introduce themselves as well." Ingo continued quickly, stepping aside to let the remaining crew members step forward. Both White and Black were flustered initially at the sudden crowd of new faces, but everyone seemed to be nice. The blonde man, Austin, who was the first to speak to Ingo, introduced himself first.

"I am Austin, as you know." He told them. "I like to think that I keep these troublemakers in line. You can always come to me for… Responsible directions." White could already tell that he was the strictest person here. It doesn't make him a bad person, being so strict, but he could ease up a little, White contemplated. Austin continued without waiting for a response, practically dragging two younger looking members up, "You'll get to know these two pretty soon, as they're the worst behaved of the lot." One of them, a short, brown-haired man, extended his hand and fixed a smirk on his face.

"Thanks for the introduction." He said sarcastically as he shook both White and Black's hands. "I'm Turner, and you'll find me the most sociable member of this lot."

"Yeah, when you're spying on all the women within a fifty mile radius." The other, a rather scrawny man with orange hair snickered beside him. Turner whipped around to glare at him, and his smile died as he stared at his shoes.

"This is Stanley." Turner drawled. "He's pretty bad with social interaction, and he wouldn't know up from down on a map, but I'm teaching him a few pointers." White had a feeling that she would be seeing that flashy smile way too many times in the future.

"Nice to meet you, Stanley and Turner." White said awkwardly, shaking their hands, and Black echoed her greeting.

The two had hardly withdrawn when a boy who hardly looked a day over eighteen sprang up in front of them. "Hey, the name's Janus!" He cried. He had disheveled brown hair and a young, excited face, almost to the point of naivety, but he still appeared honest and hardworking.

"Err, hi…" White stuttered, startled by the sudden introduction. Janus grabbed her arm and wrenched it up and down in the most excited handshake she had ever felt, and she laughed as she saw Black's face when he did the same to him.

"Well, that's the most introduction you'll need to hear from him." Austin said sarcastically. "He's the newest crew member, so forgive his eagerness."

"Aww, don't be so harsh, Austin!" Janus grinned widely. "We're going to have a ton of fun on this trip, aren't we?"

Oh boy, Ingo and Emmet have hired a bunch of nutjobs, White thought. However, the onslaught of new people was just beginning.

"The name's Simon." A tall, burly looking man with black hair and slim glasses shook their hands. White knew at once that the man had a ton of experience. Not attempting to push authority, but dutifully carrying out his actions was the vibe White was getting from him. No sooner had he greeted them did he step back and fold his arms behind his back, patiently waiting for the introductions to end.

"Hello." A soft, nice voice caused her to look back up and see a tall woman smiling kindly at her. Her eyes were a clear blue, and her smooth blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "My name is Holly. Some tell me I am rather maternal, but I am just as capable as anyone else here. Come to me for any of your problems." White took her hand and smiled shyly back. She almost felt lost in her kindness when a sudden gloomy presence filled her vision. Glancing away from Holly, she saw a rather short figure glaring at her with dark eyes hidden under black, curled bangs.

"Err, hello sir…" White began.

"I'm a woman, dammit!" The glowering figure snapped, crossing her arms. "I may as well just leave now, if I'm this unwelcome." White was rather taken aback at the sudden shift in mood, and she remained silent as words failed to come to her.

Holly cleared her throat and stepped up next to the woman. "This is Morgan." She offered apologetically. "You just have to warm up to her, I promise, and she is very nice inside." Morgan harrumphed, but didn't say another word, and White could have sworn her expression softened a little at Holly's words. White glanced at Black in half confusion and half fear and found that his expression was nearly the same. Suddenly, a commotion occurred from the back of the group, and White soon realized that Austin was dragging forward yet another individual. With olive brown, ragged hair and a lazy expression, the man smiled sheepishly as Austin herded him in front of them. His uniform was not nearly as crisp as the others, and White even saw a wrench shoved in his back pocket.

"Hello, who might you be?" He drawled, and Austin sighed loudly.

"Robert, these are our guests." The strict man informed him, and without pause, he turned to White and continued, "This is our rather sleepy crew member, Robert. He's a heck of a mechanic, if he'd ever stay awake to do anything."

Robert ignored him and gave them a grin and extended a hand. When White took it, she identified the strong smell of oil coming from his sleeves.

He leaned a bit closer and whispered, "If you ever need help giving Austin the slip, come to me. I've almost got it down."

"Um… Ok then." White replied awkwardly. "I'll think about it."

"Ah, it's so cute!" The sound of Black's voice made White glance over, and she saw him crouched over a small Growlithe, stroking its head. A tall man with light brown hair and a distant expression stood over him, and White realized with a little relief that this was the last crew member she would meet.

The man looked up as White crouched down herself to pet the Growlithe. "Is it yours?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Growlithe's a great buddy of mine, as are all of my Pokemon." He said. "My name is Matthew, by the way."

"And you'll likely catch him daydreaming on the job." Robert added in with a grin. "Although, I can't really argue against that, considering my own state at work." He slung his shoulder around Matthew. "We're great friends, as you can see." Matthew continued to stare blankly at his Growlithe, and White had to wonder about that statement, until she saw Austin snort and turn away.

"Those two…" He muttered loud enough for her to hear.

"Right, are the intros done yet?" Elesa interrupted loudly, faking a yawn. "We do have a schedule, you know."

Emmet put up his hands defensively. "Just thought people should get to know each other before the trip."

"Elesa is right nonetheless, we ought to be leaving soon." Ingo declared. "I also have an important announcement. Half of the crew will be journeying with us, while the other half will stay behind to help Elesa."

"You'll be helping me do sweeps of the tracks and station, to see if we catch anything out of the ordinary." Elesa clarified. "I've asked Ingo and Emmet whether I can borrow a few of you and he agreed, so I'm delighted to work with you." The entire group of crew members nodded as they processed the sudden information.

"Now, Austin, Holly, Morgan, and Robert will be coming with us." Emmet continued. "The rest of you will assist Elesa in her task. I hope everyone is comfortable with these arrangements." When nobody objected, he finished, "Crew, get to your assignments. White, Black, you two should be ready to board as well." White and Black both nodded in response, and then turned to one another as the group began to disperse. Elesa waved goodbye at White, and she returned the gesture as Elesa and her selected group of crew members followed her back up the stairs.

"Well that was interesting." White whispered. "I don't think I've seen an odder group of people in my life."

"Man, I'd have to agree." Black sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I am so done with meeting new people for the rest of my life."

"Ugh, me too." White groaned. "Anyway, have you got your Pokemon team all ready to go?"

"Yep, and you?"

"I'm good to go."

"Good, then we can defend this train from whatever happens. I don't want to have to experience another train heist after yesterday."

Black looked back up at her sharply from where he was counting his Pokeballs. "What do you mean by that?" White suddenly realized that she hadn't informed her friend about anything she had done the past day, and she realized why the train trip seemed so spontaneous.

"Oh jeez, I never told you, did I?" She exclaimed. Black shook his head promptly, so she launched into the story of the robbers and the troublesome situation she had gotten into. Black visibly winced when she got to the part of the robber pulling out a gun, and looked impressed as she explained the heroics of Ingo and Emmet.

"So we really do owe them a favor, huh?" Black said when she finished, sounding impressed.

"Yes, and I should have told you sooner, but we were rather strapped for time." White apologized.

"There's no need for apologies, I came along anyway." Black assured her. "Besides, the trip will be fun! We haven't gotten into trouble since the whole Plasma business, and even that feels like forever ago, even if it was less than a year-"

"ALL ABOARD, YOU TWO!" White and Black nearly jumped out of their skin, and their hands flew to their ears to block out the terribly loud noise as Ingo appeared right behind them, yelling harshly into a megaphone. Smirking, Ingo continued without his megaphone, "You guys can catch up when we board the train, but for now, you're the last ones on." He pointed to the train and White felt a flush of embarrassment as she realized not a soul was left on the platform but them. Quickly, the two hustled to the sliding doors as Ingo half herded them along with his megaphone at the ready. At last, the train doors slid closed smoothly, and White felt the distinct rumbling under her feet as the train jerked to a start. She took a last look at the dimly lit platform as it gradually slid past, soon replaced by the repetitive tunnel that she knew she would be seeing for quite a while.

As the train screeched past, marking the beginning of its long journey to Castelia, a shadow warily slipped out of the darkness from behind the staircase, certain that there were no longer any bystanders to witness them. They fished a cellphone out of their pocket, typing in the number they knew all too well, and waited.

"Is it done?" The voice inquired.

"Yes." The shadowy figure whispered softly, still on edge from the potential danger of a witness. "The train has now left the station with the subway masters on board."

There was a small length of silence on the receiving side of the phone, before they finally made out the word, "Good", before the phone line cut out, and the shadow receded back into its cocoon of darkness.