She didn't give herself even a moment to think, before bursting up the stairs of which she'd came, thrusting herself into whatever mess Team Plasma was going to throw at her. As she headed out, the teen noticed many of the trainers in the Gym rushing around frantically, unsure of what to do. But oh, Touko knew what she had to do.

As she emerged from the Gym part of the museum, she leaned over the balcony to inspect the scene below. Across the way, another young girl was doing the same thing. When Touko asked what was going on, the girl could only shake her head.

"Those thugs sure were bold…It's almost as if they believe they are doing the right thing; stealing from us."

Touko sure didn't know what they meant, so she could only guess. Only evil people steal from others. Right or not, I still think they're wrong!

With that thought in mind, she leapt down, two stairs at a time, right into the middle of their argument.

Lenora continued shouting, "Enough fooling around!"

Touko, hearing this, took her place by the Gym Leader's side.

"So, you've come to stop us?," one of the Plasma grunts spoke up. "Well, you're too late! We, Team Plasma, claim this museum's Dragon Skull in the name of Pokemon liberation!"

You don't have to keep referring to yourselves; the get-up you're wearing and nonsense from your mouth says "Team Plasma" better than anything else… But Touko kept this thought to herself.

Noticing Touko's glare, another grunt spoke up, "To prove that we're serious, we'll steal it right here and right now!"

And just like that, smoke filled the area around them, obscuring their vision. The teen scoffed under the thickness in the air, stumbling trying to keep her balance. It was only when it was too late, that the three of them opened their eyes to find the Dragon Skull gone.

"W-what's going on?," Lenora asked, still struggling to breathe, but managing to gain enough control to scurry out of the building.

Hawes continued after her. "We have to go after them!"

The petite teen followed them at a quick pace, but stopped for just a moment to look at the now beheaded dragon structure. She hated it in this state, hated Plasma for putting it there, and although she believed it wasn't alive or anything, she swore that the big, black dragon was feeling some kind of pain; not that she had any proof of it, or anything.

Making her way outside, Touko spotted Lenora standing on the street, looking around. A colourfully-dressed man approached her, and began to speak to her in a casual tone. If the brunette didn't know any better, things would have just looked like an ordinary day, nothing out of place; but she did know better.

Lenora called Touko over, introducing her to the man, who went by the name of Burgh. When the teen was told that this Burgh person was the Gym Leader in Castelia City, Touko made a mental note to stay away from him as much as possible, no matter how nice he may have seemed.

Remembering that this wasn't just a casual conversation, Lenora exclaimed, "Burgh! Some thugs were just in the museum, and they took an exhibit!"

The shock on Burgh's face only became more priceless the longer Touko looked at it, and for the first time in a long while, she let out a little laugh.

But of course, it was no time for laughing, and things became clear of that as Bel came traipsing over to them. "Oh, hey there Touko, it's been a while! What's everybody doing here?"

As if on queue, Cheren came right along after her. "Touko, is there some kind of problem?"

Why can't everybody just shut up and listen? Things would go by so much faster that way…

Remembering their manners, the two other teens introduced themselves to the Gym Leaders. After hearing that they were trainers, Lenora gave them all assignments to split up and search in different directions, telling Cheren and Bel to stay at the museum, and Touko to go with Burgh to Pinwheel Forest, before heading in a direction of her own.

If only Lenora had remembered that Cheren and Bel still had no clue what was going on.

Upon making her way to Pinwheel Forest, Touko spotted Burgh just along the outskirts of it, waiting for her. But she couldn't help him. She had been given an assignment to help catch Team Plasma, but how could she all of a sudden just come out and tell them that she didn't have any Pokemon, especially after all this time? She couldn't.

So instead, the brunette hoped the fence beside her, and hurried her way down into a grassy groove, the one where she and the Pidove had parted ways, trying her best to stay out of Burgh's sight. Touko could hear him call after her, but she ignored him and kept running. She had known all along that there was no way she could get involved with others, without there being consequences, but for some reason, she kept getting to know people, kept getting into other people's lives. She hated herself for it, and she wouldn't stand for it any longer.

Her only hope now was that maybe, just maybe, there was another way to get to Castelia, without having to take Burgh's lead into Pinwheel Forest.

But as the petite teen began to look around the area, she could already tell there was no other way. The large puddles caused by the rain not that long ago, sloshed in the marsh as her boots sunk into them. Trees, grass, and some muddy water were all that could be seen in the small route, leaving Touko in a pit of her own despair.

Her eyes blurred with tears as shame weighed down on her shoulders, and she realized how much her body ached for sleep, or more so, just a friend to lean on. Her eyes closed more and more and she tried to walk, but although she wanted to try and find another way, her body and mind were already quite aware that there was no way around this situation.

But from the maze of her own thoughts, she noticed she had reached the end of the groove, and all there seemed to be was a dead-end. She stood, feet engulfed in the waters of a large puddle. The brunette gazed at the area around her, deciding to turn back. The second she swivelled around, a gust of wind took her hat.

"Damn wind! Why do you keep doing that!" Touko spoke as if the wind could hear her, even if she knew it couldn't.

Doing a complete 180 to catch up with her hat, she stopped dead in her tracks. Standing behind her, was probably the one being she needed to see more than any other. In his paws, the creature held her hat, holding it out to her.

"Looking for this?," Oshey asked.