Last time, on Tony's Journey…
Tony was congratulated for a job well done after his theatrical premier while Pop Roxie learned that his daughter didn't want him to become an actor because she was afraid that he wouldn't have any time for her anymore. Father and daughter made up and all was well, until an alarm was raised that a trio of criminals had stolen the studio's Pokemon actors, claiming that they were going to liberate them! Team Plasma has returned!
What will happen next? Find out now!
Team Plasma; arguably the most infamous organization in Unova and maybe even the world now. They were a cult of dangerous, intolerant Pokemon Liberationists who believed that Pokemon could only be "perfect" if they were free in the wild, and that humans who competed in the Pokemon League or kept Pokemon for pets were slave drivers and monsters.
Tony, as you probably know, had much experience with Team Plasma. Everywhere he had traveled seemed to have been affected by them: they had corrupted Chili, one of the Striaton City Gym Leader, stolen Pokemon from innocent people, stolen a skull from the Nacrene Museum, kidnapped Hawes, husband of Nacrene City Gym Leader Lenora, attacked Tony and his friends on multiple occasions during the bug-catcher's journey, and, their crowning achievement, had invaded Nimbasa City and held it hostage for a few brief hours before the invasion was foiled by a skilled team of S.W.A.T Jennies.
Needless to say, Tony thought very little of Team Plasma. He saw them as incompetent (full-grown adults unable to beat him, a mere fourteen-year-old), cowardly (constantly running away from him, again a mere fourteen-year-old), hypocritical (they preached that keeping Pokemon in Pokeballs was wrong and that using them for battle was wrong, but they did both of those things), and, of course, morally abhorrent. Even someone who wasn't raised in a traditional, old-values family like Tony was could see that there was just something off-putting about the cult.
If he had the option, Tony would have avoided Team Plasma like the plague. Unfortunately, their actions constantly drew him into a confrontation with them. It seemed as though everywhere he went Team Plasma was right behind him and ready to ruin someone else's life.
Mystico and Numera didn't help his opinion at all, especially after their recent betrayal. Mystico had been perhaps the most devout Plasma Tony had seen (ironic, considering his ultimate betrayal by the Plasma King). Despite his evident buffoonish behavior he displayed a deadly cunning and diabolical sense of street smarts. Numera was probably worse; she had hardly cared about Team Plasma's ultimate goal. She only cared that they had appreciated her genius and had promoted her to a high rank the moment she was allowed in. It was all about ego for that one.
Not only were the ex-knights alive, but Team Plasma was alive and well also, even with its leader, the Arch-Sage Ghetsis, locked tightly on Devil's Isle. Of course, logic dictated that these three Plasmas were very likely just some leftover members the police hadn't gotten around to arresting yet. They could hardly be considered too dangerous; for all the resentment and fear Tony held for the cult, they usually had low to mid-level Pokemon on their teams, relying on numbers rather than skill or power. Regardless, they were still stealing away Pokemon from their friends and family, deluded in the notion that they knew best, and oblivious or unsympathetic to the devastation they left in their wake.
Gym Leader or not, legal obligation or not, Tony was not about to let them get away with this if he could help it. And so it came to pass that Tony followed Brycen and Roxie in pursuit of the Plasmas, leaving Poke-Star Studios and Virbank City altogether. They rushed to the east of the port-city, to the lush Route 20.
Route 20 was a nightmare for any sort of hunting: lots of tall hills, tall grass, and tall trees shielding just about everything. The Plasmas could be anywhere, and the fact that it was becoming dark out wouldn't speed the search at all.
Roxie growled irritably as she surveyed the landscape, seeing neither hide nor hair of the Plasmas. "Great," she grunted. "Where'd they go?"
Tony was in an equally dismal mood. "They could be anywhere," he muttered to Lucky.
"Freeh," the Butterfree agreed, nodding her tiny head.
Fortunately, they had Brycen with them. The older Gym Leader had switched from his Masked Man costume to his usual, if not more bizarre, attire, which consisted of long, flowing robes colored light-blue and white. They reminded Tony of when his mother was brainwashed into working for the Plasmas, forced into the persona of Lady Frost, clad in an outlandish outfit and sent to attack innocent Pokemon Trainers.
He shivered angrily; yet another reason to hate Team Plasma.
"They couldn't have gotten too far," Brycen reasoned, "if they are on foot. However, it is very likely that they have an escape vehicle of some sort."
Tony nodded. Team Plasma was by no means the smartest bunch but they weren't dumb or insane enough to not have an escape plan. Then again, they had just attacked Poke-Star with only three goons and a haphazard plan to go with them, and to be honest Tony had seen them do much dumber things than this. "I don't know…" he said. "I mean, I've had a lot of experience with these guys. They aren't the sharpest tools in the shed."
"What you saying?" Roxie asked.
"What I'm saying is, they might not have an escape vehicle," Tony said. "I mean, Poke-Star Studios is a relatively public place with hundreds of witnesses, right? But those Plasmas just ran in, scooped up whatever they could, and ran out. Not exactly a great plan, is it?"
"Heh, you're right," Roxie agreed. "What a bunch of morons."
"They did incapacitate the security guards at the gate," Brycen pointed out. "Regardless of their intelligence, they are still dangerous. Perhaps it would be best for me to forge ahead. You two can wait for Officer Jenny."
Naturally, that plan did not sit well with the younger trainers. "Fat chance!" Roxie spat. "What, you think you're the boss of me just because you've been a Gym Leader longer?"
Tony took the politer and more logical approach. "There's three of them and three of us. They've already got the advantage of cover, so let's not give them the advantage of numbers, too. Besides," he added grimly, "I'm really getting sick and tired of these jerks ruining everything."
Brycen sighed and turned away. "Follow if you wish," he said so quietly that Tony had to strain his ears to hear it. With that, the actor walked off into Route 20, his keen eyes searching for clues.
Tony and Roxie pulled out their Pokeballs and followed suit.
The search was off to a good start. They found an exhausted-looking hiker by the side of the road, who said that he had seen three people in black, two women and one man, run by with bulging sacks of some sort. They had been in a rush, running by too quickly for them to notice the hiker, who was unaware of just how lucky he was to have escaped their notice. He pointed our heroes in the direction the Plasmas ran and they were off again.
The sun was starting to set over Unova, but it was still bright enough that they caught a few clues: Roxie spotted scattered boot-prints in the dirt, leading into a nearby shrouded forest. Brycen found a torn piece of black cloth on a low-hanging tree branch. They were lucky; as the Plasmas got farther and farther away from Poke-Star, they started getting sloppy and careless.
As Tony had said: Plasmas were not the sharpest tools in the shed. But Kayla loved sharp things.
"Go on, little Riolu. You're free now!"
Aldith was down on her knees, her hands gesturing to the tiny canine. Riolu stared back with an expression of timidity and aggression, shivering as he shielded the other captured Pokemon – consisting of a Vullaby, a terrier-like Pokemon called Herdier, and a Pawniard – from the Plasma, as if she intended to harm them.
"Go on! Shoo!" Aldith said, sugarcoating her voice to encourage the Pokemon. "You're free now. No human will ever bother you again."
"N-niard…?" Pawniard asked Riolu; despite his fearsome appearance, the Dark/Steel-type was very timid.
"R-rio…" Riolu replied nervously.
Herdier, the eldest Pokemon present, growled angrily at the Plasmas. "Rowf!" he barked, baring his fangs.
Aldith leaped to her feet, scowling at the hesitation and hostility. "Look at them!" she snapped to Barret. "They've been ruined!"
Barret, who was leaning against a tall oak tree, nodded. "Blast it all…" he muttered angrily, clenching his fist.
The Plasmas were hidden underneath a thick shroud of trees and foliage, almost invisible in their dark uniforms. They had chosen this moment to try and release the liberated Pokemon, but the poor souls were too reliant on their masters, too weak to ever comprehend survival in the wild.
It was enough to break Aldith's heart. Humans! Humans had done this! It was times like this when she was revolted by her own existence as a miserable miserly human being. It was times like this when she wished that she too could be a Pokemon.
"What do we do?" she finally asked her partner.
"Our King has ordered these Pokemon liberated," Barret replied with a shrug. "I guess we should just leave them here, let them sort things out themselves."
Aldith shook her head. "Maybe we could bring them to the King! He can speak to Pokemon. He can make them understand!"
"Our King is busy," Barret argued, "planning an operation to save Arch-Sage Ghetsis. He can't speak to every Pokemon that we free."
"Then what do we do?" Aldith asked.
"Oh, I'll tell you what we do."
Both Plasmas shivered in unison as their squad-leader walked into their clearing. She was clad in a black trench-coat and had equally dark hair, messy and unkempt, shrouding her head like a hood. Her face was pale from years of living within a sunless prison cell. Her white face and dark garbs gave her the appearance of a feminine Grim Reaper, not helping the Plasmas' fears.
Kayla Reeds, anarchist supreme and mercenary for hire. As vile as human beings, even by Plasma standards. A sociopathic murderer who had worked with Team Rocket, the exact antithesis of Team Plasma (in the minds of Team Plasma, mind you).
Neither Aldith nor Barret had wanted to work with Reeds. Neither of them understood why their King, in his infinite wisdom, had chosen to hire her. Keep in mind that both Plasmas had served under Sir Mystico, and while they had thought that he had mental issues, they knew for a fact that Kayla was absolutely off her rocker.
"I tell you what we do," Kayla said again. "See, these poor little tykes aren't wild Pokemon anymore. They're domesticated – tame." She cast a disdainful look down at the petrified Pokemon. "Poor dears are completely lost. Only thing to do is…" she reached underneath her trench-coat and pulled out a long, shining knife, "put 'em out of their misery."
"What?!" Barret and Aldith exclaimed in unison.
"It's only merciful," Kayla said with a pout on her colorless lips. "Why make them suffer under human control any longer?" she asked.
"There has to be another way!" snapped Barret.
Aldith was equally hostile towards the looney. "You're not a Rocket anymore, Reeds! You're a Plasma now! To kill a Pokemon is blasphemy!"
"Blasphemy," Kayla repeated thoughtfully. "That's a big word, isn't it?" She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "See, this is why I'm not religious. Too many rules."
"We're not killing them," Aldith growled.
Kayla almost laughed at the grunts' false courage. She knew petrified little corpses-in-waiting when she saw them. Still, might as well humor them; she wanted to stick around with the Plasmas for a while. Not because she cared, of course. She just wanted to see how things turned out.
"Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine…" Kayla said rapidly. "I won't slit the little bugger's throats. Condemn to further misery if you must," she said, feigning a regal tone. "Oh, yeah, by the way," she added, "three Pokemon Trainers are following us."
"What?!" Aldith screeched.
"Shh!" Barret hushed her, not wanting to give away their position.
"Why didn't you tell us before?!" Aldith demanded in a hushed tone.
"Slipped my mind," Kayla said innocently.
"Great," Aldith growled. "Now what do we do?"
Kayla smirked. "I'm glad you asked," she said with a chuckle. "Let's split up. You two take the Pokemon with you. They'll have to split up to catch us, and then we beat 'em when they're weaker. Divide and conquer, right?"
The two Plasmas slowly nodded; that was the first sensible thing Kayla had said all day. "R-right," Barret said. "Where do we meet up when we lose them?" he asked.
Kayla was already walking away from the grunts. "We'll meet up back at base!" she called. "Try not to screw this up, kiddies. I'd hate to lose some innocent Pokemon back to their slave-drivers."
And with that, she was gone, vanishing into the darkness.
Aldith and Barret scooped up the Pokemon as best they could and beat a hasty retreat. "You think her plan will work?" Barret asked.
"Don't know, don't care!" his companion replied. "Let's just get out of here! Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll all go after her! It wouldn't be much of a loss."
Barret nodded. Maybe they would get lucky; maybe Kayla would be arrested again.
He could always dream.
Author's Note:
I'm starting to smell an episode of Scooby-Doo coming along.
Reader Question Time! Which new location in Black 2 and White 2 do you think was the coolest? Answer after you review!
Tony's Party:
1: Lucky, female Butterfree
Ability: Compound eyes
2: Sunny, female Larvesta
Ability: Flame Body
3: Lancelot, male Karrablast
Ability: Swarm
4: Strike, male Scolipede
Ability: Poison Point
5: Clover, female Swadloon
Ability: Swarm
6: Rock Candy, female Dwebble
Ability: Sturdy