It is a dark, cold day for the citizens of the Unova region. The formidable forces of Team Neo Plasma, led by the sinister leader Colress, have captured and imprisoned the legendary dragon Kyurem, and are abusing its power to permanently freeze every city in Unova! With the Pokémon League Conference less than a month away, the future of the region looks grim. Only through the strength and ingenuity of a select few trainers can the evil Team Plasma be defeated, and peace be restored to Unova once and for all…
"Scolipede, Poison Jab."
The eight-foot-tall centipede barreled forward and smashed its glowing purple antennae into the opposing Lampent, KO'ing it instantly and winning the battle for Juan Burgans.
For the young, blue-haired Pokémon Trainer, victory in the face of adversity was a mundane accomplishment. Despite his age and short stature, Juan's skill in battle matched even veteran trainers, making him somewhat of a prodigy among teens. At the mere age of twelve, he had swept across the Unova region with ease, amassing Gym badges and a powerful collection of Pokémon to challenge the League. In a few short weeks, Juan planned on finally achieving his ultimate goal: to become the Unova League Pokémon Champion.
For now, he stood at the bottom level of the enormous White Treehollow, sweeping the teams of countless trainers with little effort. While the rest of Unova was in a state of panic over the rise of Team Neo Plasma, Juan had taken the opportunity to train for the upcoming regional tournament. He had just finished defeating an anonymous ninja wannabe across from him (his real name was Seth, but he was trying really hard to disguise himself). Evidently, Juan's opponent was not too happy over the 3-0 loss.
"Th-that's impossible!" the hooded adolescent cried, on the verge of tears. "You're just a kid! How can you be so powerful?" Juan shrugged and returned Scolipede to the Pokéball in his hoodie.
"It's not that difficult. As long as you have a plan to achieve victory, you can never lose," he said in a soft, somewhat snobbish voice.
Without another word, Juan and the massive Luxray standing beside him turned to leave the underground room. The boy was never much for conversation, plus he didn't have time to talk to inferior trainers like the one before him. He decided to move on and leave his opponent to mope.
Somewhere just below the stratosphere, the Plasma Frigate hovered between clouds. Solar-powered engines held the massive ship aloft in the air. Deep in the bowels of the boat, reinforced steel was used to keep the Legendary Ice/Dragon type attached to the cannon on the front of the ship. It was this weapon that was responsible for coating Castelia, Mistralton and other major Unovan cities in a coat of unbreakable frost.
The bridge to the frigate sat below the solar panel sails. The half-circle room consisted of a dozen computers that displayed all information needed to control the ship. At the center of the room was the captain's chair and a traditional wheel for steering. Sitting in the seat and staring out the bay windows was none other than Colress, the current leader of Team Neo Plasma.
Colress swept his silver lock of hair out of his face and lazily flipped through the virtual tablet in his hand, monitoring the status of their mission and condition of Kyurem. His trusted Metagross waited at his side, making its own calculations with its supercomputer brain in order to help its trainer succeed. Up to this point, all events had proceeded exactly as Colress had designed. All that was left to do was wait for a certain phone call from the Pokémon League, itself. A phone call that, by Colress's estimate, would come in three, two, one…
"Commander, we're receiving a transmission from the Elite Four!" one of several Plasma Grunts called from his monitor. Their dear leader smirked.
"Our victory is at hand, friends. Receive them." Colress stood from his chair and waited at the helm of the Frigate. The video call was sent to the center monitor in the room, and soon Colress was faced with the enlarged, hopeless faces of two of the strongest trainers in the Unova region.
"Shauntal and Marshal of the Elite Four," Colress greeted them with a polite bow, "I trust that you've received Team Plasma's requests?"
"We have," Shauntal confirmed tiredly. After a solid week of rescue missions, press conferences and debates on what to do, the Ghost and Fighting type experts looked much worse for wear. Dark circles were evident under Shauntal's eyeglasses, and Marshal looked ready to punch the screen out of sheer anger over Team Plasma's actions. The woman continued, "We've called to negotiate with Team Plasma, not to give in to your demands. No matter what you say, the League will remain in our control."
Colress tsked, "My dear lady, you are mathematically in no position to negotiate with us. You carry no leverage and have no choice but to fully comply with Team Plasma."
"This is insane!" Marshal suddenly shouted, jabbing a finger at the camera and causing his fellow Elite Four to flinch. "You're all cowards for hiding in that little boat of yours! Come to the Pokémon League, and we'll show you how a real trainer fights! Until then, you aren't getting squat," the tough words failed to remove the smug expression from the scientist's face.
"Perhaps you both need a reminder of what Team Plasma's capable of." Colress pointed at the grunts below him. "Lock onto the nearest settlement and prepare to fire," he looked up just in time to see the color drain from both member's faces.
Shauntal pushed Marshal out of the way and cried in desperation, "Wait, he didn't mean that! Don't-"
"Too late." Colress put on a thin smile. "Prepare to witness the power of the Legendary Pokémon, combined with the brilliant technology of my Plasma Frigate!"
The denizens of the White Forest screamed in terror as the Plasma Frigate appeared over top the treeline. It flew forward at maximum speed, dropping in altitude and aiming at the signature Treehollow. The cannon on the front of the ship hummed to life and began to glow with freezing cold energy. Trainers attempted to escape on their flying Pokémon, knowing that nothing could stop the sheet of destructive ice once it hit. The cannon reached a blinding brightness, then fired with a deafening explosion that knocked leaves from the surrounding trees. An orb of frozen energy flew across the forest and crashed into the Treehollow, sending pieces of ice and wood flying.
Underneath the Treehollow, the ground began to shake, causing Juan to halt and look about the area. He raised an eyebrow at the large roots that held the dirt walls together, which had suddenly turned a shade of frosted white. The trainer behind him gasped in fear.
"That giant ship must be here! We've got to run!" the hooded teen cried. There was no time to argue. Already, the roots of the tree were completely encased in brittle ice, which began to spread throughout the room.
Juan, his Luxray and the other trainer sprinted toward the elevator as Kyurem's energy encased the tree in snow and frost. Juan could see his breath as the temperature rapidly declined, and he was forced to dodge icicles that formed above his head on the low-hanging ceiling. Within minutes, the exit to the Treehollow would most likely be completely covered.
Finally, they reached the rickety elevator and stepped onto the half-frozen platform. Just before Juan could press the button to ascend, a scream rang out from deeper in the hollow. Underneath his cloak, the other teen's eyes widened.
"There're still people stuck down here," he said. "I can't just leave them here!"
"Are you insane?" Juan glared at him. "We'll never get out of here in time." but in an abrupt act of bravery, or stupidity, the other trainer was already running off.
"Go on without me!" he yelled back at Juan. "All my life I've been meek and defenseless, but now it's time for me to step up and be the hero!" Juan watched him disappear into another room, through a rapidly shrinking opening in the ice.
"Idiot," he muttered, not knowing or caring anything about the other teen's backstory or character arc. He didn't need to be told twice to leave, either. Juan pressed the button and ascended, leaving his companion to his pointless self-sacrifice.
With its trainer clinging to its back, Juan's Luxray leapt out of the Treehollow entrance just before the final ice crystals formed around it completely. Juan directed his Pokémon through the new, freshly fallen snow and toward a crowd of bystanders watching in horror. They stared at the White Treehollow, a symbol of nature's bounty in the urban Unova region, as it was turned into a jagged, crystalline sculpture. Anyone who didn't make it out in time was now trapped in an unbreakable prison of ice.
Above, Colress chuckled at the dumbstruck faces of Marshal and Shauntal. "Now, do you see the futility of defiance? However, I do think that I'll take you up on your offer, Marshal. Perhaps you'll be a more willing participant in person," he turned toward the Frigate operators once more. "Set due course for the Pokémon League," As the ship rose back into the clouds and headed northward, the Plasma leader ended the call and returned to his seat in triumph.
Meanwhile, Juan left the police and rescue crew to a futile effort of saving those trapped inside the Treehollow. He had seen the efforts to melt Kyurem's ice in other cities and knew that there was nothing he could do to help. He was annoyed at Team Plasma though, for ruining yet another location to train and hone his Pokémon's skills before the tournament. At this rate, he'd never be prepared for the League!
As he began the hike toward Nimbasa, the young trainer was met with an inexplicable sight. A sleek, black limousine came cruising down the road in the opposite direction. Juan tried to ignore the vehicle as it passed, but it slowed down upon approaching the trainer. Already miffed over the previous events of the day, Juan sighed and waited for the limo with an impatient tap of the foot.
The tinted window rolled down to reveal another teenager, only a few years older than Juan, himself. Everything about the young man's attire, from the two-piece suit to the fedora, was the exact same shade of gray. The inside walls and seats of the limousine matched his clothes completely, giving off the impression that the window was actually a television set, playing an old timey movie. Beethoven's "Eroica" played softly from inside the car, further adding to its eccentric appearance.
"Juan Burgans?" the teen asked with a posh, sophisticated accent. When Juan nodded, he smiled and held a hand out the window to shake. "Greetings. My name is Grey Gainsboro. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Charmed," Juan awkwardly shook his hand without a smile. "Have we met?"
"Quite possibly! You may know of my family name; my father is the famed CEO of Cyneca Industries- the world's first trillion-dollar corporation, if you didn't know- and I've gained quite the reputation as a skilled trainer in Unova." Grey took the opportunity to brag.
In fact, Juan did vaguely recall meeting this person in the past. Over the course of his journey through Unova, he had come into contact with countless strange characters, one of which had the same fashion sense as the person sitting before him. From what Juan recalled, the young Gainsboro was something of a spoiled sociopath, used to getting whatever he wanted. At least, that's what he had gathered from a glance.
"Did you just stop to shoot the breeze, or do you need something from me?" Juan asked flatly.
"Yes, of course. I've come here to discuss a matter of some importance, Mr. Burgans. Please, join me, we can talk more privately in here." Grey opened the car door and shifted in his seat to make room. The preteen raised his eyebrows at the invitation but shrugged and complied. He didn't ride in limousines often, and it definitely beat walking.
The limo drove through the White Forest once more, with Grey directing the driver to maneuver around panicked passerby and patches of ice. He opened the minifridge and turned toward Juan, who now sat across from him. "Soda? Water? Bourbon?"
"Nothing, thanks," the twelve-year-old declined as he made himself comfortable on the leather seat. "So, you wanted to ask me something?"
"Yes, I did." Grey poured himself a drink, staring at his guest with intense, silver eyes. "As you may have noticed, the Unova region, and consequently myself, are dealing with a most serious problem in the form of Team Plasma. Specifically, their tendency to freeze and destroy several major cities has hurt Cyneca Industries' bottom line, as well as my own, long-term goals for the future. I've attempted to stop them by myself but have seen little success thus far.
"As such, I've decided to alter my methods going forward at this point. For the past two days I have been contacting a group of skilled Pokémon trainers to assist me in putting an end to Team Plasma's destruction. Several of my associates have recommended you, Mr. Burgans, as one of those select few to aid me," the young businessman finished with a smirk. Juan listened to the offer and considered it in silence.
"…What, exactly, would you want me to do?" he questioned.
"That's to be determined in the near future," Grey responded. "For now, if you accept this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we'll meet with the other trainers that I've gathered in order to devise a plan to tackle this situation. Can I trust you to help?" Juan gazed out the window, watching the trees pass by and weighing his options.
Finally, he gave a nonchalant shake of the head, "Nah, I don't think I will." The smirk vanished from Grey's face.
"Why not?" he asked, an edge creeping into his voice. However, it did little to phase Juan, who shrugged once more.
"I've only got a few weeks until the Unova League Conference, and I'm running out of time to get my eighth Gym Badge," he reasoned.
"…Pokémon League?"
"Yeah. I've kind of got a strict schedule for training, if I want to become the Champion. I really don't have time for distractions," Juan dismissed the fate of countless individuals as if talking about the weather. "Anyways, can you stop the car so I can get out?"
Grey was not adept at hiding his lividness over being denied. "…Fine," he growled, and motioned for the driver to stop. By the time Juan hopped out without any sign of gratitude, the sophisticated man looked ready to throw a temper tantrum.
But as his guest turned to leave, Grey remembered a certain piece of information, and quickly formed an idea.
"Yes, well, that is a shame," he said to the retreating Juan. "But I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to train for next year's conference. I had just heard, yesterday, that the Unova League is planning to cancel the this year's tournament if the Plasma threat isn't resolved," he spoke truthfully about the current state of affairs. As expected, Juan stopped in his tracks at the news.
"Cancel the tournament? Are you kidding?" he glared at Grey with annoyance, who shook his head with sympathy.
"I don't make the rules, unfortunately. I just report on them," the younger teen kicked a rock in frustration and considered the new development.
Wait another year to win the League and become Champion? No, Juan, thought, he couldn't do it. Not after a cross-country trip and seven gym badges. He wouldn't allow the tournament to be cancelled. If that meant putting a stop to Team Plasma's antics, and if Grey needed Juan's expertise to achieve it…
"…Fine, I'll help you out," the blue-haired trainer conceded, and the grin returned to Grey's face.
"Excellent! With my intellect and your prowess in battle, Team Plasma's defeat is all but guaranteed!" Juan nodded in agreement.
"You're right. I always plan to win."