Colress zipped up the bag and set it down on his desk. He was in his office. A small room consisting of a desk and a few bookshelves.
The constant hum of the frigate hardly registered. He was used to it.
They'd been hovering thirty thousand feet above Mistralton for a few hours now.
He took off his glasses and wiped them off. That boy was chosen by Kyurem.
He and Zinzolin had only recently learned of that. Why? Ghetsis had to have known. He was there with Juniper and his daughter. Either way, they'd captured him now.
Zinzolin appeared at his door. A sick grin on his face.
"When do we attack, boss?" Colress frowned.
"Have the bombs been set?" Zinzolin nodded.
"Those Black Emploeon grunts have been very obedient. All the bombs are activated." Colress put his glasses on. Clay and Black Emploeon made efficient pawns but he had a bad feeling.
"Where is the…" Colress considered his words carefully. "Kyurem's link?"
"In the cells with Clay and the Driftveil nurse," Zinzolin said. He approached Colress' desk. "Ghetsis will be proud when he learns of our accomplishment today."
He placed his hands on the edge of the desk.
"Not only will we have captured Kyurem's link. We will have made fools of, not one, but two gym leaders!" He cackled at the thought. "And on top of that, that insolent man Bronius will finally be punished for his betrayal!"
Will Ghetsis be proud. Will he even be happy? What does Ghetsis want? Colress' eyes fell on the zipped-up bag. Zinzolin looked at it.
"What's that?"
"The link's pokemon," Colress said. "Four of them."
"What are you going to do with them?" Colress shrugged and stood up.
"It doesn't matter." He walked to the door. "It's time." The two of them walked out onto the deck of the frigate.
Several grunts were gathered. Two of the shadow triad were also present. Colress looked out at the cloudy sky.
Mistralton was a speck below them. He raised his arms for a moment, letting the wind wash over him. The third shadow triad appeared next to the other two. The sudden movement caught Colress' eye.
He stared at him for a moment. A part of him was suspicious. What was he doing? Another part mocked himself. He was probably using the bathroom or something stupid. A grunt burst from belowdecks.
"He's gone!" She shouted. Colress spun on his heels.
"Who's gone?"
"The link!" She looked around desperately as if the boy was hiding amongst them. Colress shared a panicked look with Zinzolin.
"This isn't concerning," Colress calmed the grunt. His eyes remained on the Shadow triad. They report directly to Ghetsis. They know something Colress didn't. "Zinzolin," Colress said. "Trigger the bombs."
It was a quiet morning in Mistralton City. Trainers were out and about. Bronius and a dozen members of Team Plasma were positioned beside the airport, making signs.
Skyla was speaking with her grandfather, Miles, outside of her gym. She gazed up at the somewhat cloudy sky.
"I know you're still upset," Miles said. Skyla grunted. "The tournament was important to you."
"I wanted to win!"
"Well, you should've tried harder!" She crossed her arms and sighed.
"Maybe I'll fly today."
"You fly every day," Miles said with a wave of his hand. "Maybe you should take your job seriously today." Skyla smiled.
"Hello there!" A girl was approaching the gym. Skyla vaguely recognized her from Nimbasa.
"How can I help you?" Skyla asked.
"I want to challenge your gym!" Mary exclaimed.
"Sorry," Skyla shrugged. "Were closed today." Miles groaned. Mary left with a huff. Skyla shared a look with Miles.
"You're a brat."
Mary headed over to the pokemon center. She muttered to herself about Skyla being lazy. She sat down on a bench beside the pokemon center and grumbled. A few people were talking nearby. She didn't notice the two people appear in front of the pokemon center.
One of them was Andrew, the other was a member of the shadow triad. She'd just noticed when the shadow vanished.
Andrew was alone, a hand over his face. Mary blinked, looking him up and down. His clothes were dirty. His green hair was a bit longer than she'd remembered.
"Don't I know you?" She asked. Andrew looked around.
"Where am I?" He asked. His voice was hoarse. Mary hesitated.
"Mistralton city."
"Mi-stralt-on." He sounded out each syllable of the word. His eyes widened.
"Hey!" A guy came running over. He patted Andrew on the back. "Remember me?" Andrew stared at him for a moment.
"What?" The boy cocked his head.
"We battled on Route 1, remember? Ron?" Mary popped a piece of gum into her mouth. A girl walked out of the pokemon center. She stopped, looking Andrew over. She glanced between Ron and Mary.
"Andrew?"
"Wow you're popular," Mary said.
The girl, Cerea, questioned Andrew about what happened to him. He'd been missing for a few days.
Mary and Ron paid close attention to his answers.
"Are you hurt?" Cerea asked. Andrew shook his head.
"I don't think so."
"Oh!" Cerea dug around in her bag. "I have to call Bianca, let her know you're here!"
The ground rumbled softly. Andrew snapped to attention.
Then the bombs went off. Six bombs in total. Two under the airport runway. Two under the main street. Two at the beginning of Route 7. People were screaming. Smoke filled the sky.
Skyla ran out into the street, ordering people to find shelter. Ron spotted it first.
Andrew was clutching his head.
Cerea was freaking out. Ron was staring at the sky.
The frigate slowly descending.
"You know." Zinzolin slipped a metallic headband onto his head. "This frigate isn't supposed to land… on land." Colress scoffed. Several plumes of smoke were coming from Mistralton.
"If we're doing this," Colress said. His voice was carried by a speaker system across the frigate. "We're going all the way. Mistralton is going to be crushed."