Hi there! And welcome to chapter 13! Wrote a long one in hopes of apologizing for the long wait. Is it sufficient? No? Sorry. XD
I wanted to get everything all done for Floccesy in this chapter though, so that's why it's so long! So much happens!

Anyway, enjoy! :D

Chapter 13: Floccesy

So this was Floccesy town. I pushed my way out of the brush of Route 19 and stumbled onto the concrete streets of the town. It sure looked more like a city than a town to me, but what did I know? The buildings were made of red brick and the streets were lined with colorful flowers. You could tell it was a newly built city just by looking at it. It all looked so… clean.

I smiled to myself, adjusting the strap of my bag and hurrying on ahead. Unlike Aspertia, there weren't many people outside. I could see lights inside of the apartment buildings but only a few people were out walking. What time was it anyway?

I stopped at the Pokémon Center and peered inside, catching a glimpse of the clock. It was nearly three in the afternoon. Route 19 had taken nearly two and a half hours. Wow, if it took me that long to cross a route I was really losing my touch.

I pushed off of the Pokémon Center and continued on my way. I'd been told to just go straight through Floccesy town and that the main roads would lead me out and toward Virbank. My stomach again excitedly clenched. That would be my tenth badge, and then I'd only have one more left. It was exciting.

But first, I'd told myself I'd stop by Alder's place to say hi. It'd been awhile since I'd seen him and I was quite looking forward to meeting his grandson. If he was anything like his grandfather he'd be one hell of a battler; maybe Talace would get some action after all.

I smiled happily to myself, not truly paying attention to any of my surroundings as I religiously followed the main streets. It was true, the street twisted and turned but eventually the buildings became smaller and homier. I'd been told that Virbank was past quite a bit of farmland so I had a feeling I was going in the right direction.

The asphalt road tapered off after a while, turning into a wide sidewalk and then eventually turning into just a dirt road. Storage facilities lined the road, any hint of apartments or homes disappearing. That was, until I saw a large house in the distance. It was sandwiched in a corner between a row of storage rooms and a big white picket fence. It had a strikingly blue roof and just like the other buildings in Floccesy, red brick walls. Out in its yard was a dirt Pokémon battlefield, with white lines spray-painted onto it.

I didn't even have to look at the mailbox to know it was where Alder was living. He'd said he'd helped build the house himself and it had Alder written all over it. He tended to make a scene wherever he went, whether he meant to or not. Plus, the battlefield was a dead giveaway.

I stopped at the gate to the house and hesitantly undid the lock. Surely he wouldn't mind me stopping by, right? He couldn't be too busy. AndI wasn't too busy, right? I had to make it to the next Pokémon Center before dark but that would be awhile. I took a quick look at where the dirt road would head after Alder's place and saw it made a sharp right up ahead, turning and leading out of sight. I saw a rickety old wooden sign on the side with an arrow pointing down the road labeled, 'Floccesy Ranch', but that was about it.

I shrugged. Maybe I'd been going the wrong way after all; I could ask Alder, he should know the way to Virbank if he lived here.

The instant I pushed open the gate, the door to the house swung open. I stopped in my tracks, my hands flying off of the gate as if it were suddenly made of fire. Oh great, whoever it was was going to think I was trespassing.

"White? Is that you?" I relaxed as Alder's signature booming voice rang out and he quickly shuffled to the edge of his porch. He grinned, "Hey it is you! Long time no see!" He laughed, hopping down the few steps and easily making it across the battlefield.

"Hey Alder," I smiled, craning my neck to get a view of him.

"What're you doing out there? Get in here," he said, waving an arm to let me know I was welcome. I slipped through the space in the gate and carefully closed it behind me.

"I didn't know if you'd be busy or not…" I said as Alder made it to me, patting me on the head roughly with his gigantic hand.

"Of course not!" he boomed, "I'll always have time for the Champion-to-be!" He seemed more than amused by his statement and continued to laugh to himself.

"So this is your new place?" I asked, peering around the large man who made a much better wall than a window. The house suited him; at least in my mind it did.

"You betcha," he answered, gesturing out behind him grandly. "This here's my new home. It's great. I trained Benga here and now I got two more little 'uns inside. Looks like I'm the go-to man when it comes to training," he smiled, pride washing over his face.

"So Benga's your grandson?"

Alder gave me a nod, "You bet. He's a quick learner too; just set off to the White Tree Hollow yesterday. Kid only got his first Pokémon last year and he's already beating veterans. You two'd have one hell of a time with each other." Alder nodded to himself. "Plus, I got this nifty field out here. It's everything I've ever wanted."

I sighed in defeat. I'd in a way wanted to meet Alder's grandson, but if he was out in the White Tree Hollow, that was miles away. The White Tree Hollow was a new attraction in Unova as well. It was a bit of a battle camp or training facility that took it to the max. Trainers were trapped inside battling until all of their Pokémon passed out from exhaustion. It was hardcore, but people said it was effective for training; it even attracted crowds from all kinds of other regions. I figured I'd go take a look at it someday, but not anytime soon.

I squinted up at Alder, "So you're really happy here?"

"O'course I am," Alder confirmed. "Why wouldn't I be?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. I guess I just kinda figured since you'd been Champion for so long that you'd miss it."

Alder snorted, "Miss it? Nah, it wasn't really my thing. Sure at first I found it to be everything I'd hoped, but staying in the same place doing the same thing over and over again just isn't my style." He shook his head and glowered down at me, "I'm more of a traveler, so you can imagine how hard it was to stay cooped up in the Pokémon League for so long. Sukizo would get angry at me because of how much I'd leave." Alder laughed at the memory.

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess that might get a little lonely."

Alder patted me on the shoulder, "You don't need to worry, White. I think that Championship position will be perfect for ya. You're the type who'd be happy just to battle and nothing else. You'd make one hell of a Gym Leader too." He gave me a wink and I nodded in recognition.

"Anyway," Alder sighed, walking past me and leaning onto the fence, "I heard you got your badge from Cheren?"

"Yep," I replied, my mood turning more chipper. "You sure get news fast."

Alder turned over his shoulder and grinned, "Yep, sure do. Y'know Sukizo would actually be happy if you beat Iris. I hear it's been a little tough getting used to her."

"Getting used to her?" I inquired, making a face. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's still quite young, White. She's a fantastic battler, yes, but she's still rather childish. She was a pretty good Gym Leader but she can't take something like the Championship as seriously as needed."

"Huh," I sighed, looking off to the side. I knew Sukizo was happy to find a new Champion after Alder, one that was dedicated to staying in the Pokémon League and one that wouldn't back out at the last moment like I had, but I hadn't ever thought about that Champion not truly being ready. Iris was still awfully young after all.

"Oop, looks like that kid's back." Alder tipped his head to the side, still leaning on the fence, his laughter silent but his gut shaking nonetheless.

"What kid?" I asked.

Alder shoved off of the fence, "There was this really hyper kid and his girlfriend who passed by here this morning. He's a goofball. Oy!"Alder waved a hand in the air to signal down the boy and I leaned to the side to get a better look.

Blue hair and a red jacket… wait… that was Hugh. I let out a chuckle of my own as the one-man stampede came barreling down the street before screeching to a halt at Alder's gate.

Hugh panted harshly as he raised an eyebrow in annoyance at Alder. "What?" Hugh breathed, "I have some catching up to do."

Alder grinned down at the boy, leaning onto his fence. "Where're you going in such a hurry?"

"Floccesy Ranch," Hugh answered in between pants.

Poor Hugh had been out of breath when I'd seen him several hours ago in front of Cheren's gym as well. Taking a journey really got you into shape. I remembered how worn out I'd been my first week on my journey. The walking mixed with the elements and training was enough to tucker out even the most active of children.

Hugh seemed to notice me then and his face turned from far beyond annoyed to nearly excited. "Hey White! What're you doing here?"

I paced over to where Alder was standing, still surveying Hugh up and down with amusement, and smiled over at the blue-haired boy. "I was on my way to Virbank and decided to stop by Alder's new place to see how he was doing."

"You're friends?" Hugh asked, jabbing a thumb over at Alder.

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. He's more of a ... mentor… in a way. He's answered a lot of my questions and helped me out more than I'd care to admit."

Hugh looked up at Alder skeptically before halfheartedly nodding, "That's cool. He doesn't really take anything seriously though…"

Alder boomed out a laugh and slapped Hugh on the back. The boy went tumbling forward, barely catching his balance on the fence before he either impaled himself on it or went flying through. "You take life too seriously, boy. By the way, where's that young lady you were traveling with?"

Hugh's head snapped up, "Yeah Mei! She's in Floccesy Ranch waiting for me; that's why I'm in such a hurry. Although, I bet she's found some way to entertain herself by now," he sighed.

"Why didn't she just go back with you to Aspertia? Isn't she challenging Gyms too?" I asked, slowly walking around Alder and reaching for the gate.

Hugh shook his head, "No, it's not really her thing. She said she just wants to travel and make lots of Pokémon friends without taking the Gym Challenge." Hugh shrugged, "I guess it's not for everyone."

I shoved open the creaky gate before closing it behind me and flicking the lock closed. "Yeah, my friend Bianca was kinda that way. She found her place in the world though." I looked back up at Alder, standing inside of his yard and beaming down at us. "Well if you're really happy here and you don't have anything else you want to talk about I should probably get going too," I sighed.

Alder nodded, "Sure thing. I love it here, and you're welcome over for tea anytime. I'll call you if I get any word from Sukizo about Gyms or anything like that. Oh, and to check up on your journey too. How's that Eevee of yours?"

"She's doing great!" I answered, "She was the one who won Cheren's badge for me. She's super talented."

Alder gave me a very proud look before turning his head to the sky. "I guess if you want to make it to Virbank by dark you better get going. Seriously though, White; tea sometime."

I patted his hand on the fence and nodded, "You bet. How about after I get that Champion title back?"

"It's a deal," Alder grinned. "Well, you two kids have fun. The Floccesy Ranch is full of Pokémon and fun so you'll have a good time. I hope that friend of yours hasn't gotten lost, the back pastures of that place are like a maze," he sighed in exasperation. I could somehow guess by the look on his face that he'd gotten lost there more than once.

"Oh Arceus," Hugh sighed, "If that's true I bet she's lost." He paled, trotting in place anxiously before bursting off in a sprint down the road toward the ramshackle sign labeled 'Floccesy Ranch'.

"Alright see you later Alder," I called, turning on my heel and giving a wave over my shoulder. The large red-haired man waved back before he as well turned toward his house. It still never ceased to amaze me how much things had changed in Unova in just over two years.

I'd started out on my journey about two years ago, a newbie trainer, and only a year after that I'd become the strong trainer I was now, recognized by Zekrom as the hero and winning in my final battle against N for our truths and ideals. I'd grown up so much in that year, but in the year after I'd grown up just as much; declining the Championship and then looking for and jailing the Sages. I still had no clue of N's whereabouts but I was making it through, setting off on another journey for my last few badges and the title of Champion.

Things had been so simple in Unova when I'd first started out. Now we had many new cities and species of Pokémon, we had attractions that gathered tourists, we even had new Gyms. Team Plasma had been new when I had started out on my journey and now they were completely disbanded. Things seemed calmer than they had been, but more chaotic all at the same time.

Alder had left his position as Champion to be replaced by Iris and now here he was, in a house in the country, the only battlefield in sight being the dirt one in his front yard. Things had changed so fast for him and yet he seemed happy. I assumed it'd be the same for me. The life of a Champion would be hard to deal with at first, but I'd get used to it and grow to love it just as much as I'd always dreamed.

Hugh disappeared around a corner and I quickened my pace to a jog, shaking the thoughts from my head. It was all new and changing but ultimately it'd be for the better. I needed to focus on what was to come, not the past.

I slowed to a halt when I reached where Hugh'd turned and craned my neck to look up at a wooden sign above me. It was a large wooden arch with 'Floccesy Ranch' carved into it. I looked down past the arch and a grin broke out across my face. It was beautiful.

A green brighter than any green I'd seen before stretched out as far as the eye could see. Mareep were grazing across the acres of land along with other Pokémon, some of which I presumed belonged to the ranch and others I guessed to be wild. Hay rolls dotted the landscape as well as barns here and there which the Mareep were entering and exiting freely. Right near the entrance was a larger house that I presumed the owners of the ranch lived in, and on the porch was a Herdier, sitting with its tongue lolled out as it yawned lazily.

The dog Pokémon cocked its head at me as I passed through the archway into the lush grass of the farm but didn't make a move to bark or alert anyone I'd arrived.

My peace was short-lived however as a blisteringly loud squeal shot out from my left. My head whipped toward the sound, my eyes squinting into the distance where I spotted two people who stood out against the green. After a moment I recognized them to be Hugh and Mei. Man, that Hugh could sure run fast.

I turned on my heel and jogged toward them, wondering exactly what had happened to elicit that kind of a scream, and the closer I got, the more I figured out. Mei was dancing in place, holding a pokeball high above her head as her Oshawott danced around her feet, mimicking its master's position. Hugh was shaking his head, his chest still heaving from the run.

Mei paused when she finally saw me, a bright smile coming to life on her face as she shoved the pokeball out toward me. I came skidding to a halt in front of her and raised an eyebrow in question. "I caught my first Pokémon!" she exclaimed, bringing the ball to her face and rubbing it lovingly. "It's a Riolu. It was so cute! And Oshawott helped me catch it like a pro!"

"Osha! Oshawott!" her Oshawott squeaked, holding its tiny paw out toward me in a show of pride.

"You could've held back the scream though," Hugh ground out irritatedly. "Someone could've thought you were being attacked."

Mei smiled, stashing the pokeball into her bag before rolling her eyes. "What, someone like you? Did I scare you? Did you think I was dying?" She chuckled as Hugh glared halfheartedly at her. "You came to Flocessy Ranch too, White?" she asked. I was about to answer but she quickly held up a finger in remembrance. "Oh! You two were going to challenge a Gym, right? How did you do?"

"Well I got my badge," I said quickly, half afraid I wouldn't get my words out before she remembered something else she'd meant to say. I hadn't known Mei for long but it seemed as if she had more than her share of things to say.

Mei looked to Hugh. "And you?"

He dug around in his pocket for a second before proudly producing a shining silver Basic Badge. "Yep, got it. He wasn't much of a challenge; I hope the next Gym Leader is more difficult to beat."

Mei squealed happily and snatched the badge from his hands, much to Hugh's disapproval. I tuned out her squeals and rapid-fire praise as my mind wandered. Never in a million years had I expected anyone to say 'he wasn't much of a challenge' about Cheren. Cheren was easily one of the strongest trainers I knew; he had beaten the Elite Four for Arceus' sake! But then again he was a Gym Leader now; I just would've liked to have seen Hugh's face after a battle with Cheren using his Pokémon, not the League's.

"I thought it was lively around here!" An old and friendly voice brought me out of my thoughts. I turned around to see an old couple walking toward us, hand-in-hand as they smiled our way. "You were having a Pokémon battle, huh? Sure is nice to be young!" the man whistled, smiling to himself.

I could almost feel Mei's invigorated nod behind me. "Who are you?" Hugh asked wearily.

"Who am I?" the man asked, coming to a halt in front of us and shaking his head. "Why I'm the owner of this ranch! And this is my wife!" He gestured to the woman beside him and she lightly curtsied. There was a loud bark as the Herdier that I'd seen on the porch romped up to the couple's side, panting as it flopped down onto the cool grass at its owner's feet.

"Oh," Hugh said quickly, "Sorry."

The old man shook his head, "No need, young man. We're happy to see kids having fun in our ranch. Pokémon are things to be celebrated!" I could again nearly feel Mei's vigorous nod behind me. I was a bit surprised she wasn't choosing the path of battling as she seemed to be even more excited about Pokémon than Hugh was. "By the way," the ranch owner crowed, "You didn't happen to see a Herdier around here, did you?"

I glanced down to the dog at the man's feet. "Rather than that one?"

The man chuckled. "Oh no, I wasn't talking about this one here," he said with a broad smile, leaning down and scratching the Herdier on the head. The snoring dog barely paid any attention but seemed to mumble happily in his sleep. "Our two Herdier are always together," he explained, straightening up and cracking his back. "This is the first time one has wandered off, so I'm a little worried…" The ranch owner trailed off, his mouth turning down into a frown before he shrugged to himself.

I was just about to tell the man we'd keep an eye out for his dog when Hugh yelled out from behind me. "You're a little worried?!" he shouted. "Are you KIDDING me?!" I looked back at Hugh with surprise to see him snarling at the man, his hands clenched into fists. Just a second ago Hugh had been weary and tired from his run all the way from Aspertia but now it seemed any bit of calmness he'd had had been thrown out the window.

I gave a quick and confused look to Mei and she shook her head, placing her palm to her forehead before trying to cover her face. She almost looked embarrassed by Hugh's outburst.

"Your Pokémon might be lost forever!" Hugh continued before throwing his arms up into the air in exasperation. "Whatever! I'll look for it; Mei, White, help out!" Without another word or glance he stormed off into the ranch, Mareep running this way and that to get out of his way.

We all watched silently as he stomped off into the distance, becoming nothing more than a blue blob before he topped a hill and disappeared completely. "Why did he get so mad?" the man who owned the ranch asked slowly. "I think it's probably just playing somewhere in the ranch."

Mei sighed and shook her head. "You'll have to excuse him, he's… well let's just say he doesn't like it when Pokémon are unaccounted for." She laughed awkwardly before giving me a sympathetic look. "You better look too. If Hugh catches you slacking off he'll lecture you about the importance of keeping track of your Pokémon, and believe me, you do not want to hear that."

"O-okay?" I answered. Mei gave me a nod before jogging away; taking a path to the right of the one Hugh had taken. I gave the ranch owners a smile before trotting off as well. I'd go to the left; hopefully if we were all split up we'd find the Herdier faster and Hugh would calm down. He'd never told me that story about his sister's Purrloin and something told me it was the culprit behind his… anger toward the ranch owners. I really did have a knack for attracting weird people, didn't I?

I picked up my pace, my bag slapping against the back of my leg as I broke into a run. I searched endlessly. I looked right and left, searching for any sign of a dog Pokémon, even whistling at times. Pidove were flying, Psyduck were sitting by the pond, looking confused as ever as I sprinted past them, and every once in a while I swore I saw a Riolu peeking out of the brush. But no sign of a Herdier.

I whistled again as I sprinted toward a cluster of trees. I was pretty sure if I were to find the dog, it wouldn't be in the wide-open. Surely it'd gone somewhere more secluded or the ranch owners would've been able to find it. I had just cupped my hands to my mouth to call for it when something caught my foot and I went careening forward, letting out a surprised squeak before I went crashing to the ground.

"Ow," I muttered against the ground, sitting up slowly and dusting off my clothes. I'd been so preoccupied looking for the Herdier, that I hadn't been looking where I was going. What had I tripped over, anyway?

I looked behind me and my eyes widened. There was a big ball of dust, slowly settling from the air to reveal a rather smaller ball of dust… wait… was that a Mareep? The tiny thing bleated, dramatically rolling over and sticking its legs into the air. It's normally yellow-ish fleece was completely dirty, in a way resembling a tumbleweed as it continued to roll around, flailing melodramatically.

"Oh, hey… did I trip over you?" I asked, scooting my way over to the tiny sheep. It ceased its flailing and stilled, its legs still in the air. Man, it could win an award for its acting. "Sorry about that," I said, gently picking it up and setting it on its feet. I patted its fleece, the dust and dirt slowly but surely coming off in puffs into the air. I hadn't kicked it very hard when I'd fallen so I was sure it was alright, even if it did appear to be a baby… or maybe just a really small Mareep.

It looked up at me with beady eyes before bleating in recognition. "You okay?" I asked. It looked as if the Mareep thought over my question for a bit, and eventually decided that it wasn't going to put on another show for me. It nodded, bleating again and smiling up at me. I patted it on the head before shoving myself up and off of the ground. "Okay then. Again, sorry about that. I'll look where I'm going next time," I laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.

"Hey, White!" I looked up to see Mei running toward me. Her hair was a bit disheveled and she was panting just as hard as Hugh had been earlier. "Did you find anything?" she asked, coming to a halt in front of me and putting her hands on her knees.

"No," I answered. "Not yet, anyway. What about you?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I saw a cloud of dust over here though and thought maybe you'd had some luck." Her gaze trailed downward and to the tiny Mareep at my feet who was still a bit dusty. Her eyes widened but she decided against asking. "You seen Hugh? I think I'm ready to call it quits. We've been searching for almost an hour," she groaned.

My eyes bugged and I immediately looked to the sky. Indeed, the sun looked as if it were ready to start disappearing behind the horizon at any moment. We'd been searching for an hour, and come up with nothing. Alder was right; this place was a maze… and a big one at that. "No I haven't seen him."

Mei frowned deeply, "This is a pain," she mumbled. "He always does this. He runs off without thinking and then I'm left to clean up his messes. He's so responsible but when it comes to Pokémon he's an idiot," she snapped, placing her hands on her hips and looking around. "Well, we're in the back of the ranch, I think… with all the trees and stuff."

I nodded. We were surrounded by them. I'd headed toward them after searching in the open areas for what felt like forever, although I couldn't exactly place how long I'd been inside of the forest. The only Pokémon in sight was the tiny Mareep who was swaying back and forth idly by my feet, apparently perfectly happy to just stand and listen while we jabbered on.

Mei sighed. "I hope we're not lost."

I shook my head. "Nah, we'll be fine. If we just keep walking, we'll eventually either find our way out, or find the Herdier. And I think that dog should know the way out."

Mei gave me a nod and a smile, her spirits seemingly lifted. "You're right. Y'know, I thought Hugh was overreacting at first but honestly… Pokémon don't just wander off on their own for this long. Maybe something really did happen to it."

I couldn't argue her logic. Usually Pokémon who loved their owners or had been with them for a while –as I assumed the Herdier had- didn't wander off without letting them know, and especially not for hours on end. Maybe it'd gotten stuck somewhere; in a fence maybe.

Just then we heard a loud, "Thwarp!" We both stilled, looking back farther into the trees.

"Do you know what a Herdier sounds like, White?" Mei asked.

I nodded, shoving off of the ground and into a light jog toward the sound, Mei following quickly behind. "Yeah, that's a Herdier bark." I remembered my own Lillipup, who had then evolved into a Herdier. At first I'd been a bit annoyed by the constant barking but eventually I'd gotten used to it. And that was exactly what it'd sounded like. Looked like we'd found our missing dog.

The trees whizzed past us as we ran, the Herdier's barks becoming more and more frequent the farther in we ran. Finally, the path turned to the left and opened up into a very small clearing. I slowed to a halt, Mei right behind me as I laid eyes on the dog… and a figure next to him.

"Looks like we found him," Mei sighed in relief, sending a weary look at the man beside him. "You got it from here? I'll go try and find Hugh."

I gave her a very stiff nod and she shot off again, back in the direction we'd come from. I somehow couldn't will myself to move. That man. I knew him… no, not him but… something about him was so familiar. My heart began to pound unmercifully in my chest. No… it couldn't be.

The man snorted, his face contorting into a sly and annoyed grimace. I could see something else in his expression too. He looked a scared, yes that was it. He looked scared. Maybe he knew who I was.

I took a wobbly step toward the man, my eyes roaming up and down, taking in every inch of his uniform and the tiny blue emblem emblazoned upon it. That mark. I knew that mark. The shield with the blue P and black and white background was one emblem I would never mistake. "P-Plasma?" I whispered to myself. No, this couldn't be.

I hadn't in a million years thought I would see that mark again. Maybe in books, or when someone created a documentary about Team Plasma in the future, but definitely not now, only about a half a year since I'd successfully jailed all of the Plasma Sages.

"Who are you?" I asked in bewilderment. The man's mouth opened, no words sounding before he closed it again. "Are you a grunt?" I asked, taking another step toward him.

He didn't look like a grunt. The blue and white uniforms I had gotten used to seeing were usually the sign that someone was one of the workers for Team Plasma. But this man… this man wore all black; a tight-fitting ensemble adorning his frame. It looked like a polished uniform, one of someone who knew what they were doing. However, this man didn't exactly seem like he felt comfortable stealing a Pokémon, at least not by his now cowering posture. It was more than a little obvious he wasn't doing a good job with it either. I spotted a few scratch and bite marks up and down his arms.

The Herdier at his feet barked once, sending a ferocious growl at the man before bounding over to me, its tongue flopping out of its mouth in glee. It halted once it reached me, plopping down by my feet and rubbing its head on my knee.

If I hadn't have been so stunned by the appearance of the person in front of me, I would've petted the dog Pokémon and told it that everything was going to be alright. However, it seemed to be taking being stolen better than I was as it rubbed my leg with affection, my body still stiff and now nearly frozen in place.

What my body lacked in confidence, my mind more than made up for. The man still hadn't answered me and I found myself growing impatient, the anxiety and surprise morphing into frustration and aggravation. "Who are you?" I demanded.

The man took a deep breath, straightening the gloves on his hands before he finally spoke up, his voice shaky. "Yes, I am a Plasma grunt."

It felt like I had been slapped in the face. He was a grunt. A grunt for Team Plasma: the organization that didn't exist any longer. My eyelids flickered. There was just no way…

The grunt let out a seemingly irritated sigh. "Did you not hear?" He'd picked up on my confusion.

"Hear what?" I squeaked.

"Ghetsis and the rest of the Sages "escaped" from prison," he said, bringing his hands up and administering air quotes around the word 'escaped'.

My mind traveled back to the meeting I'd had with the Shadow Triad on the Marvelous Bridge. They'd informed me that their 'lord' had escaped. They'd told me that they didn't know where he was, or what he was planning, but that they believed he wasn't capable of causing any harm again. I had been crushed, my world turned upside-down, but after months of nothing happening, I began to believe them. Nothing was going to come of it. Ghetsis was probably off in another region by now; he wouldn't be causing any trouble again. "Y-yeah, I heard about that," I said slowly.

I had heard. I was probably the first person who heard. But I was undoubtedly the most surprised to see this, a grunt, in front of me. Not only that, but the Shadow Triad hadn't informed me that the other six Sages had escaped. They had all escaped; my hard work had been for nothing. Their team was again working, apparently. I'd believed the Shadow Triad, but as I watched the grunt in front of me glare in my direction, the Plasma badge gleaming on his suit, I knew they had been wrong.

I heard a rustling from my left and the grunt froze, his eyes flicking from me, to the Herdier, and then to the rustling sound. His eyes met with mine for an instant, my heart feeling as if it would sink into the depths of my stomach before he bolted, scrambling off into the brush and disappearing out of sight.

It was all a bit muted after that. Hugh returned with Mei and was overjoyed to see the Herdier safe and well. We all traipsed back, slowly, to the farm house near the entrance of the Floccesy Ranch, Mei telling Hugh all about the encounter all the while, including the grunt. Hugh had nearly exploded, screaming out into the evening air that he had just known that they would come back, and that he was prepared to give them everything he had.

The farm owners were very glad to have their Pokémon back and thanked us profusely for our efforts. And then we were off again. I was headed to Virbank and so were Hugh and Mei and so we all decided to travel together. It was nearly nighttime, the sinking sun illuminating our path to the entrance of the ranch just enough so that we didn't trip and fall.

I felt numb. Part of me wanted to curl up into a ball and wallow in the horrible feeling I felt. I felt like a failure. I couldn't, as a hero, even keep seven old men in jail for longer than a month; and the other part of me wanted to get angry like Hugh was, vowing that I'd destroy them once again. But I did neither, exhaustion plaguing me into a sense of sadness.

"Woah, White; watch out!" Mei's voice startled me out of my stupor just in time for my foot to once again catch, this time a little softer, and I went stumbling forward, rolling onto the ground.

I blinked, officially ridding my mind of the cloud and looking behind me. It was the same Mareep, lying in a cloud of dust with its legs again straight as a board and poking up into the air. I sighed, my mouth curving into an amused smile as I again shoved myself up and scooted over to the tiny sheep. I picked it up again, setting it onto its stubbly legs and patting its fleece to rid it of some of the dust. "Twice in one day. Man, sorry about that."

The Mareep took a little longer to decide that it was alright this time, eventually sending a quiet bleat my way. I stood up, dusting off my shirt which would definitely need a washing after the amount of tumbles I'd suffered today. "Hey, isn't that the same Mareep you were with when I caught up to you?" Mei asked. "Is it yours?"

I looked down at the teeny Mareep and nodded. "Yeah, it's the same one. I kinda tripped over it when I was running… but no, it's not mine." The sheep hobbled over to me, looking up at me with pleading eyes.

"I think it wants to come along," Mei chuckled. "It's just a little cotton ball; I don't see how a future Champion could use it… but it sure is cute!"

I frowned down at the sheep. It still annoyed me a bit when people underestimated a Pokémon's strength due to size or personality or really any other aspect. Every Pokémon had the chance to be a Champion, even a tiny speck of a sheep. I bent down, gently picking the floofy ball of Pokémon up and holding it in my arms. "I think you'd be pretty good in battle. Other Pokémon would have to have one hell of an aim to hit 'cha." I gave the sheep a grin and it bleated happily. "So, wanna come along?"

The Mareep seemed overjoyed, flailing in my arms dramatically, looking almost as if it were throwing invisible confetti all over the place. Mei let out a giggle. "Well, I guess if anyone could turn a tiny Pokémon like that into a powerful battling machine, it'd be a Unovian Hero." She shook her head and Hugh sent her a sideways glare that I swore seemed a bit offended.

I nodded down at the sheep as it settled in my arms, its legs sticking out straight like little toothpicks, pointing ahead.

The walk to Virbank was a very brief one. We only had to pass through a bit of pastureland before we could see the bright lights of the terminal up ahead. Mei continued to tease Hugh about everything from his hair's height to how he couldn't catch a Magikarp and he would bicker right back after every playful insult.

They were amusing, to me. In a way they reminded me of Cheren and I, and it was entertaining. They were two really neat trainers; definitely not the worst two I could've found. Hugh was taking the Gym Challenge and so I assumed we'd be meeting up more than once, since we'd basically be taking the same route. Although, I'd be high-tailing it to Humilau City after I challenged –and hopefully beat- Roxie.

We entered the terminal, quiet and calming music playing out into the now pitch black atmosphere as we walked inside. Hugh briefly checked the message board for any news before we all continued through and exited in Virbank.

The smell of the sea hit us all like a brick wall. Mei squealed out in happiness, dancing on ahead as Hugh told her to be careful or she'd trip and fall. The Pokémon Center was only a stone's throw away from the terminal, and despite Mei's protests, we decided to hit the hay before exploring the city further. From what I'd seen, only thanks to the light posts on the side of the street, Virbank seemed just as nice as the other new cities, cobblestone clicking beneath our feet.

Mareep was officially asleep in my arms by the time we entered the Pokémon Center. Hugh ordered a room for both him and Mei and I ordered a larger one for myself. Poor Talace hadn't gotten any time out of his ball for an entire day now. He was probably dying.

Nurse Joy smiled and handed me the key. We all headed down the back hallway and I bid both Hugh and Mei a good night at their room before traipsing back to my own. I shoved the key in the lock and pushed inside, sighing and kicking the door shut behind me.

Throughout my first journey, Pokémon Center rooms had been my home away from home. And I had to admit, I felt more comfortable inside of them than in my own bed. I really needed to visit my mom; it'd been too long.

I gently shook Mareep awake, setting it on the wooden floor and coaxing it over toward the bathroom. Once it caught my drift it eagerly hopped in the tub. I scrubbed the tiny puff of a Pokémon like my life depended on it and after a few minutes and a lot of mud, it was clean. Mareep hopped out of the tub, bleating in delight as it shook water everywhere before trotting happily back into the main room. I smiled after it for a moment before shaking my head and cleaning up.

After a quick shower of my own and changing into my pajamas, I exited the bathroom to find Mareep asleep on the couch. I rummaged around in my bag and called out Eevee before again deciding against letting Snivy out of its ball. I still didn't know how it'd react and I figured midnight wasn't a good time to find out. I snapped Talace's ball off of the necklace and called him out as well. He stretched, giving me a nod before thwomping his way into one of the two adjoining bedrooms and collapsing for the night.

I pulled out my pokedex, scanning Mareep and nodding to myself. It was male and honestly he had some pretty useful moves. Training an electric type would be fun.

I sighed, grabbing my bag and making my way over to the small desk in the corner. I pulled out the chair, slowly lowering myself into it and stuffing my pokedex back into my bag. I pulled out a few items then. My X-transceiver, N's necklace, my map of Unova, and the tiny felt bag given to me by the Shadow Triad that I'd kept out of my own sight since they'd given it to me. I hadn't wanted to think about Ghetsis, or his odd gift, but now I figured it wasn't an option.

I propped up the X-transceiver on the desk and sighed, dialing N's number. Without surprise it went to voicemail and I stared blankly into the camera for a second before finally beginning my message. "Hey N," I said quietly. "It's real late so I'm trying to stay quiet so I don't wake Talace or Eevee… or I guess Mareep now too. I caught a Mareep by the way; dramatic little thing, he should be entertaining."

I glanced off to the side. I wanted to tell N about the Plasma grunt I'd run into today. Did he know? Did he already know that his father was at it again? If not… how would he react? I wasn't sure what N's connection to Team Plasma and Unova now was. He wasn't a wanted person in Unova, but I figured that he'd still think that the residents wouldn't care for him too much. And if Team Plasma was active once again, he might think that coming back would be the worst thing he could do.

"So… I went to Floccesy Ranch today," I sighed. "Their Herdier had gone missing and when we found it… there was a Plasma grunt with it. I think he'd been trying to steal it, but hadn't done a very good job." I paused for a moment, my eyes trailing back to the camera. "Did you know Team Plasma was back, N? I knew that Ghetsis escaped… but I didn't know that he'd try again, or that the other Sages had escaped too. Did you even know that much?"

I shook my head. "No, I shouldn't assume things like that. Maybe the new Team Plasma isn't after Pokémon." I snorted to myself. I wasn't stupid. Even if I hadn't been told a damn thing about the "new" Team Plasma, only seen the uniform, I knew what they were after. They were after exactly what they'd been after the first time: separating all Pokémon from trainers, except for the members of Team Plasma. Except this time they didn't have N as an excuse, trying to "liberate" Pokémon from their trainers, claiming it was of a noble cause.

Some had gone with Team Plamsa the first time. Some had agreed with their beliefs and joined, or released their Pokémon. They had so much going for them the first time; a noble cause, N as a hero recognized by Reshiram, and hundreds after hundreds of people at their expense. But what did they have now? Everyone in Unova knew of their true motives, they didn't have N… so now all they could do was fight with brute force. I was consoled a bit, but worried all at the same time.

I reached forward, grabbing the tiny felt sack and loosening the cinch. "About six months after you left, the Shadow Triad came and told me that Ghetsis had escaped. They said he was harmless now… I believed them. I was pretty stupid, wasn't I?" I gave a wry chuckle. "They also gave me this; said it was a gift from Ghetsis to me."

I shook the Ice Gem out into my hand and turned it over, hissing and placing it onto the desk as the otherworldly cold surface again began to burn my hands. "I didn't know back then what it meant… and I don't know what it means now, but I figure I best start trying to find out."

I frowned down at the Ice Gem. I still hadn't a single clue as to what it could mean. Something told me though, that if Team Plasma really was arising again, that before long I'd have my answer.

I sighed. "I don't know, N. I don't know how I should handle it, I don't know what I should do, I don't know what I'm expected to do, and I don't even know if I should have told you. I don't want to worry you; I know you're off finding yourself."

I took a deep breath before lightly smiling to myself. "I'd asked for another journey, but I never thought that it'd play out so similarly… with Team Plasma and all. I wanted a journey, but not bad enough for them to come back," I said, laughing dryly to myself. I shrugged, shaking my head and stuffing the Ice Gem back into its bag. "I guess I shouldn't overthink things, huh?"

I placed the tiny sack back into my own bag. "I should just roll with the punches, no? Take whatever's thrown at me. I guess I should probably try and fight back against them, although I'm not sure if or when I'll see them again. I wonder how long it'll take before the public finds out; probably not too long. It'll be chaotic then, but I'm sure we can all get through it again; Unova's strong."

I quickly shook my head as my thoughts began spiraling again. "Sorry about kinda throwing all this at you at once, N. I know you'll probably be upset too. I'll just work my hardest and you'll work your hardest too, 'kay?" I nodded. "Alright N, it's late, my message is long, and I should probably go." I gave the screen a smile. "Night N. Love you."

So there it is! How was it? I'm having a sadly good time with Mareep; it's such a drama queen... or I guess... king. XD White has four Pokémon now! Only two more to go, White! XD Then the training commences.

I didn't have any bits with N or anyone else in this chapter, but there was a voicemail sorta-ish. N will be in the next chapter! Yay!

Anyway, thank you so so much for the lovely reviews you throw my way. They really do make my day every single time. I love them and you guys, so much! :D

Have a great Wednesday!

~Poke-lover88