Hey guys, I'm so sorry I took so long in updating! I just haven't felt motivated lately, and my grandpa recently passed away, so that didn't help either. Guess I needed a break.

But I'm back with a new chapter, and I'll try to be a little more consistent with the updates. As always, read, review and enjoy! ^^

P.S. I do not own Pokemon.

Last time, Hikari, Tatsuya and Cheren were on the trail of Team Plasma in Driftveil City. With Zorua and Vanillite's help, our heroes have tracked them down to a warehouse in Cold Storage and are now entering in the hopes of recapturing them.

I was hit with a blast of cold air as I stepped into the freezing-cold warehouse. My breath misted, and I pulled Tatsuya's jacket closed. Honestly, I didn't know how he could stand going in there with just a T-shirt. Zorua, Vanillite, Victini and the boys came in behind me, and we slowly ventured forth.

And the first thing I did was slip and land right on my butt. "Ow!" I cried out before trying to get up only to slip and fall again. I could hear snickering behind me, and I didn't have to look to know that it was the Pokemon. "Ha ha, very funny guys," I muttered.

Someone came up and placed his hands under my arms, carefully helping me stand up. "Careful, the floors are a bit icy," Tatsuya's voice said with a light laugh.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," I replied as he released me.

Cheren sighed. "Let me try," he said before cautiously placing one foot out on the ice. He moved it back and forth for a minute, and then suddenly backed away. "Stand aside," he instructed me and Tatsuya. We exchanged looks before clumsily moving off the ice. Then he rushed forward and jumped onto the ice, sliding across it until he reached the other side of the icy patch. The sudden loss of momentum made him stumble forward a bit, but he just turned and looked back at us. "Well? Are you coming or what?" he called.

Tatsuya and I nodded before following Cheren's example and sliding across. It was actually kinda fun! "Well, that solves one problem," I said as Zorua slid into my leg, Vanillite and Victini flying after him.

Tatsuya noticed Victini shivering. "Hey buddy, wanna go in my bag for a while?" he asked. The Victory Pokemon nodded before unzipping the bag and burrowing into it. The older Trainer chuckled as he zipped it back up.

"How can you not be cold?" I asked in amazement.

"Cuz I'm just awesome like that!" Tatsuya joked, flashing a goofy grin before walking ahead. I laughed and shook my head as I followed the boys.

As we wandered through the warehouse, I could hear Cheren talking to himself. "Well… Still. Is there anything more important than strength for Trainers, like the Champion said?" He sighed and shook his head. "Oh, I'll never understand just by thinking about it. What a bother."

I just looked at my friend. It seemed that he was still confused by what Alder had told him earlier that day. As I strode past Cheren, I punched his arm. "C'mon, let's hurry up and finish. The sooner we catch these guys, the sooner we can challenge Clay… and the sooner you get to see a certain blonde!" I couldn't help cracking a smile as I said that last bit.

"Zoru, zorua! (Good one, Hikari!)" Zorua giggled.

Cheren's cheeks flushed a deep red. "I told you, Bianca and I weren't on a date! We just ran into each other at the theater," he protested.

"Surrre you did," Tatsuya said teasingly, looking behind him as he walked. Then he slipped on another icy patch, sliding across until he hit the huge container on the other side. As I tried not to laugh, he steadied himself before giving me a sheepish smile.

Vanillite suddenly called our attention and we went over to the large container he was hovering in front of. "Is someone in there?" I asked. The Fresh Snow Pokemon nodded in response. "Nice work, Vanillite!" I praised, patting it on the head.

"Shall we go, then?" Tatsuya asked, gesturing toward the open end of the container. Cheren and I nodded and we moved in.

Looking inside, we saw several grunts huddled around someone. "All of you – huddle around me! I can't take this cold…" I heard an old man's voice mutter.

"Whatever. I can't believe you were really hiding," Cheren scoffed as we stepped inside the container.

"If you're cold…" Tatsuya began, already readying a Poke Ball.

"Shall we show you outside?" I finished.

The grunts all turned in our direction before parting, revealing an old man wearing violet robes. I immediately guessed that he was one of the Seven Sages. "Pokemon are our king's friends," the old man said. "While we're taking care of them, we can't let any harm come to them here. Everyone, drive these intruders away!"

"Understood, Zinzolin of the Seven Sages!" one of the grunts said. "Put 'em up, cuz here we come!" Then he and the other eight grunts faced us.

"Guys, let's each take three of them!" Cheren said as he called out his Servine.

"Sounds good to me!" Tatsuya said as he let out Minnie.

"Then let's do this! Go, Dewott!" I called as the Water-type Pokemon leapt out of his ball to face the first of three grunts.

Hikari is challenged by Team Plasma Grunt!

Dewott's first opponent was a Watchog. "Super Fang!" The Watchog leapt forward and sank its teeth into Dewott, who cried out in pain.

"Revenge!" The Discipline Pokemon tightened his fist before launching a powerful uppercut at Watchog, sending it flying.

The foe's Watchog fainted!

The grunt then sent out a Scraggy. "Headbutt!" Scraggy tried to Headbutt Dewott, but it managed to roll out of the way.

"Hit 'im with Razor Shell!" Dewott drew its scalchops and slashed at Scraggy.

"Swagger!" An instant after Scraggy used that move, Dewott was confused.

"Snap out of it, Dewott! Use Water Pulse!" I shouted. But instead of attacking Scraggy, it whirled around and nearly hit me with the Water Pulse! "Hey!" I exclaimed.

"If you got a Full Heal, I'd use it!" Tatsuya called over as Minnie was slapping the heck out of a Sandile.

I nodded and pulled a Full Heal out of my bag just as Dewott barely avoided another Headbutt. "Let's try that again. Water Pulse!" Now that Dewott was no longer confused, it shot its Water Pulse attack directly at Scraggy, knocking it out.

The foe's Scraggy fainted!

Hikari defeated Team Plasma Grunt!

"Next!" I said as I moved on the second grunt.

Hikari is challenged by Team Plasma Grunt!

The grunt sent out Trubbish while I recalled Dewott and Zorua took his place. "Shadow Ball!" Zorua shot the dark energy ball right at its opponent.

"Take Down!" The Trash Bag Pokemon charged Zorua, slamming into him at full force and making him land at my feet.

"C'mon, don't give up! Use Faint Attack!" Zorua stood up and suddenly turned into Trubbish's Trainer, startling it. He smirked before rushing forward and hitting it hard, turning back into himself just before impact.

The foe's Trubbish fainted!

Hikari defeated Team Plasma Grunt!

"Two down," I muttered before moving on to the third and last grunt I would have to face.

Hikari is challenged by Team Plasma Grunt!

The grunt sent out a Liepard while I recalled Zorua. "Go, Deerling!" The shiny Deerling burst out of his ball, glittering as he entered the battlefield.

"Hone Claws!" Liepard bared its claws, preparing to strike. But I wasn't about to let that happen.

"Deerling, use Jump Kick!" The Season Pokemon turned around and delivered a powerful kick with his hind legs, striking Liepard hard enough to send it flying right back to its Trainer.

The foe's Liepard fainted!

Hikari defeated Team Plasma Grunt!

"Yeah! We did it!" I cheered as Cheren's Servine Wrapped up the grunts and Zinzolin in its vines.

"Nice work, guys!" Tatsuya said. "I'll call Clay and let him know we caught 'em." He held up his Xtransceiver and proceeded to call the Gym Leader.

While he was doing that, I knelt down in front of one of the grunts I defeated and looked her right in the eye. "So, mind telling us what exactly you were up to here?"

The grunt glared at me before answering, apparently seeing no reason to lie to me. "In the middle of the night, we gathered all the Pokemon we stole in front of the container, so we could transport them all at the same time. Then Clay, that old guy, found us. We had been captured!" She then sighed. "Great plans are always interrupted."

"Vani! Vani vanillite! (It's true! I saw the whole thing!)" Vanillite piped up from right next to me. I had almost forgotten the little guy was still around.

"I believe you, Vanillite," I said with a light laugh. "And thank you for helping us find Team Plasma!" Then I had a thought. "Say, why don't you join my team?"

"That's a good idea," Cheren said. "I heard that Clay uses Ground-type Pokemon, so an Ice-type Pokemon will come in handy for the Gym Battle."

"So what do you think?" I asked the Fresh Snow Pokemon.

It thought for a few seconds before answering. "(Well, Zorua was right when he said you were a great Trainer)," it said. "(So sure, why not? Zorua's Trainer is my Trainer!)"

"Excellent!" I exclaimed before pulling an Ultra Ball from my bag and tapping Vanillite on the forehead with it. The ball wiggled around in my hand before settling down.

Gotcha! Vanillite was caught!

A few minutes later, Clay came in with some of the Cold Storage workers. His eyebrows rose a bit when he saw the captured Team Plasma members. "Well, I'll be! Hidin' in a chilly old place like this…" He then looked back at the workers. "You guys take these Pokemon robbers!"

"Roger!" one of the workers responded as he and the others led Team Plasma out of the container. I couldn't help giving a little wave to Zinzolin just before he left.

Once they were all out, Clay walked over to us with a hint of a smile on his face. "You guys ain't so bad! Yup, a promise is a promise. Come on an' challenge my Gym!"

"You bet I will!" I said with a determined grin. I guessed this guy wasn't so bad, after all.

After Clay left, Cheren sighed. "Whatever… Team Plasma's ideal… Separating people and Pokemon… It's exactly the same as not having Pokemon in this world at all."

"Yeah, I agree," I said quietly, trying to imagine a world without Pokemon and failing. Tatsuya took my hand in his, but didn't say anything.

"That bunch is a waste of oxygen," Cheren said as he turned toward the opening in the container. "Hikari, Tatsuya… It's cold, so I'm getting out of here."

"We're coming, too," Tatsuya said as we followed my friend out of the container and out of the warehouse.

Once we were all out of Cold Storage, Cheren went ahead to the Pokemon Center. I gave Tatsuya his jacket and the two of us headed to the Driftveil market. There, we found something called Moomoo Milk, something that was apparently a popular drink for both humans and Pokemon. I bought a dozen bottles, deciding to give them to my Pokemon later for a job well done.

Hikari obtained Moomoo Milk!

While we were there, we also bought a black hooded jacket for me to wear in case of cold weather or sandstorms. That way I wouldn't have to keep borrowing Tatsuya's all the time.

Afterwards, the two of us went back to the Pokemon Center to rest up. I sent Zebstrika to Professor Juniper's lab to make room for Vanillite, and then I gave each of my Pokemon a bottle of Moomoo Milk as a reward for their hard work that day.

Later that afternoon, Tatsuya and I headed for the Driftveil City Gym. It had started raining, but this time Tatsuya had an umbrella to keep us from getting soaked. We had to share it, and I couldn't help blushing at the close proximity. Behind us, Dewott and Minnie were huddled under a smaller umbrella that Dewott had gotten out of the Prop Case in my bag. Victini had returned to its usual perch on Tatsuya's shoulder.

"Driftveil City Gym

Leader: Clay

The Underground Boss"

As we were nearing the Gym, we spotted Cheren standing under his own umbrella, watching something. "Cheren, what's the matter?" I asked as we walked over.

"You're not gonna believe this," he replied with an irritated tone in his voice as he pointed in front of him.

Standing in front of the Gym was Clay with the Team Plasma members we had captured, and facing him were about a dozen Team Plasma grunts with Ghetsis leading them. The three of us just watched from the sidelines to see what would happen.

"Clay. It's a pleasure to meet you," Ghetsis said in a business-like manner. "I am Ghetsis, of Team Plasma. I've come to pick up my associates who are in your care."

Clay just placed his hands on his hips, the hard expression on his face not changing. "I don't need no thanks, now. Yer buddies were tryin' to steal some folks' Pokemon."

Ghetsis's eyes widened a bit in false surprise. "What's this? It seems as if there has been some misunderstanding. We only free Pokemon from wicked people."

The Gym Leader cocked an eyebrow. "Well, that sounds real nice, if it's true. I may not talk purty, but at least I'm an honest man. You talk real nice, but what yer sayin' kinda sounds like lyin'." He then folded his arms and looked Ghetsis straight in the eye. "So tell me plain, what are ya tryin' to say?"

The green-haired Sage returned Clay's stare, a sly smile appearing on his face. "Team Plasma also has an interest in Driftveil City. And we have many, many more members besides those who are here."

This is bad, I thought. If there really are more than the ones I see, then Clay's in trouble!

Clay grimaced. "…Well, I can't tell if yer lyin' or not, but I reckon you've won this without a fight," he said reluctantly. "Fine. Take 'em and git!" And he moved aside so the now-freed Team Plasma members could go.

Ghetsis nodded his approval. "A decision worthy of a businessman called the Miner King. Your grasp of the situation is outstanding. Well then, we will be taking our colleagues off your hands…"

"Why, you…!" Tatsuya growled in frustration, his grip on the umbrella handle tightening. I couldn't believe it, either. After all our hard work, those guys were being cut loose?! It seemed even Clay couldn't stand up to Ghetsis's charisma.

Zinzolin bowed gratefully to the green-haired Sage. "Ghetsis… Thank you very much."

Ghetsis placed a hand on his fellow Sage's shoulder. "Don't worry, my fellow servant of the king. We are two of the Seven Sages, are we not?" Then he turned and started walking away, glancing us as he walked by. "Well then, everyone, I expect that we will meet again somewhere," he said, his gaze meeting the icy glares Tatsuya, Cheren and I were shooting at him. Dewott, Minnie and Victini mimicked our glares, but Ghetsis didn't seem to notice them. Then he and his procession left the area without another word.

We didn't say anything for a little while; we just stared off in the direction they had gone. Then Clay walked up to us. "Sorry to let Team Plasma go after you tracked 'em down, fellas," he said sincerely.

Tatsuya's expression softened and he shook his head. "I'm sorry you were put in such a tight spot."

Clay gave a small smile. "Say, why don't we cheer ourselves up with a Pokemon battle?"

"Maybe tomorrow," I replied. "My Pokemon need more training."

"Heh, smart kid," Clay said before he turned toward the Gym. "Don't keep me waitin'!" Then he disappeared inside.

Cheren turned to face me and Tatsuya. "Well, we avoided a fight in the middle of the city, anyway. Still, I can't help but think Ghetsis isn't just an ordinary person."

"You can say that again," I said. "One of the Seven Sages we met said that Ghetsis could 'liberate Pokemon through words alone.'"

"If even Clay can be sweet-talked by him, then we've got a pretty worthy opponent," Tatsuya muttered grimly.

After a few minutes of silence, Cheren apparently decided to change the subject. "I'm off to go make my Pokemon stronger. I really don't want to lose to that Clay guy." He pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Actually, I'm going to win my Gym Badge in a flawless victory!"

"Then you better get a move-on, cuz I'm toughening up my Pokemon, too!" I declared. "Race you guys to Route 6!" I said before taking off ahead of the boys.

"You're on!" they both shouted as they raced after me.

Although the day has ended in a victory for Team Plasma, Hikari is far from giving up. She silently vows to keep up the pursuit once she has defeated Clay in the Driftveil City Gym! Stay tuned!

Author's note: Hikari's line-up now consists of Dewott, Pansear, Tranquill, Zorua, Deerling and Vanillite.