I stand in the middle of our campsite on the outskirts of Undella Town, watching my companions set up camp. Touya, who is pitching a tent with Iris, jokingly asks me:
"Well? Are you gonna do something, or are you just gonna stand there and watch us do all the work?"
"Yeah, Touko," Iris whines, "Help out!"
"I am gonna help out," I insist. "Shauntal and I are going into Undella."
"What? Do you have a suicide wish?" Touya angrily cries.
"Touya, it's fine. Shauntal and I will only be fifteen minutes." I assure him.
"Why are you even going?" Iris inquires.
"We need to get something for phase two of the rebellion." I answer.
"And what exactly was phase one again?" Touya raises an eyebrow.
"Shut up! Sneaking into a town is totally rebellious."
"Yeah. I feel like such a criminal." Touya snarks, but his face softens as he says the next part. "Just be careful, okay?"
"Okay," I agree with a small smile. My stomach feels full of butterflies, which I attribute to nervousness, as I refuse to deal with the other possible cause right now. "Shauntal! Let's go!"
"Coming!" She calls.
Shauntal and I tiptoe through the dark and quiet streets of Undella, looking for a villa with something we need.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I ask her.
"Yep," she replies.
"And the people won't turn us in to Team Plasma?"
"No."
"You're 100% sure?"
"95," Shauntal corrects me, and makes a sharp left, knocking on one of the houses before I have time to bolt. "This is it."
The door swings open, and a woman in her mid thirties opens the door. She's alone, pudgy, and I'm thinking that we could take her if it comes down to that, when she pulls Shauntal into a tight hug.
"Shauntal? It's been ages. How are you?" the woman bubbles.
"Can't breathe!" Shauntal gasps out, and the older woman lets go.
"Oh, sorry," she apologizes, then stares at me. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Touko," Shauntal introduces me. "Touko, meet Ayumi."
"Oh, I know you from the wanted posters," she grins. "Two criminals in one day. Boy, this is exciting!" I stare at her in disbelief until she waves us in. "Well don't just stand there. Come in."
"Thanks," I smile at her.
"So how have you been?" Ayumi asks.
"Fine," Shauntal answers grimly. "But I need to cash in on some of those favors you owe me."
Soon, Shauntal and I are pushing a heavy machine through the street, doing grunt work. Grunt work. Get it? I'm hilarious. Peering into dark windows, the two of us find an empty seeming villa, and I pull out a bobbypin.
"This should take a second." I say before inserting the wire into the lock.
It takes more than a second. In fact, it takes ten minutes. Apparently the movies lied to you about how easy it is to pick locks, or I'm missing out on something.
"Definitely a second," Shauntal grins, picking up on my thoughts.
"Shut up," I roll my eyes, and punch her jokingly. "Go get the others, and bring them here. I have some serious work to do." Shauntal departs, and I flip the lights on, puling out a manual. "Well, I'd better get cracking." I say to myself.
I crack my knuckles, and begin to read. Even working as I go, it takes half an our just to set up the wiring. I'll need another our to actually figure out how to use this thing. As I begin to read the instructions, the door bursts open, and Shauntal enters with the rest of our group.
"Wow. Classy." Is Chili's remark.
"We're really staying here?" Iris asks, her brown eyes widening with amazement.
"Super nice." Skyla agrees.
Thats when Touya notices the oversized piece of machinery that is occupying a large portion of the corner.
"What's that?" He asks.
"Something." I reply vaguely.
"Where'd you get it?" He asks again.
"Somewhere." I answer, trying to focus on the manual.
Touya stops asking questions and gets the message for about five minutes until he asks,
"So, we're crashing here tonight?"
"Yup," I reply. Touya opens his mouth to ask another question, and I cut him off by saying: "I'll take first watch.
"Cool."
Everyone crashes out on the plush furniture, draping sleeping bags over their bodies for warmth, while I flick on my pocket flashlight to read the manual. It's all about dials and radio frequencies, transmitters, knobs, and airways. Ugh! Too much information. Maybe I should have payed more attention in school instead of assuming I wouldn't need to know this in real life. Though I don't remember "Jacking Broadcasts 101" being in the class options.
After my two hour shift is done, I wake Brycen for his shift, and I continuereading in my sleeping bag. But I feel my eyes drooping, and know I won't remember anything from this point on until the morning. Deciding that I should go to sleep and finish the last chapter later, I roll over on the couch and fall asleep.
I have a nightmare that night. I dream about the day Team Plasma took my parents. I hear their shouts of protest, feel the slap, and remember the look on my mother's face before she was hauled off. Fuck. I don't even know my parents the same exact way Iris doesn't know hers. But at least I got more time with them. Though two years isn't that much of a difference at that age. What ever happens, I'm gonna make Team Plasma pay. For both of us. The dream takes over my mind again, but this time, I feel strong hands shaking me awake. I wake up and look into the face of Touya.
"What time is it?" I ask groggily.
"Six-thirty." He responds
I sit up. That's good enough for me to be awake. Besides the broadcast starts at seven-thirty, and I'm not done reading. I speed read the last chapter, which isn't that important –just a bunch of warning and warranties– then go over to the machine and connect the last two wires. This baby is ready to roll. At seven, everyone is promptly woken up, and all they can talk about is the machine.
"Where'd you get it?" Iris asks me, turning on the cute little ten year old charm.
Shantaul answers for me, saying, "I know someone who owes me a few small favors."
The look on Touya's face says that he wants to ask Shantaul's definition of "small favor," but decides against it. Seven-fifteen! Better hurry.
"Brycen, do you have the flip camera I gave you?" I ask
"Yeah, I have it right here." Brycen says, pulling it out of a pocket in his poncho.
"Great." I catch it as he tosses it to me.
I pull out the correct long, black cable from god knows where, and plug the flip into it. Ten minutes left. I sift through some cables until I find the orange plug, and I drag it to the wall. I turn the dials to the Plasma Channel station and frequency. Five minutes.
"What's it do?" Skyla blurts out, asking the question no one has dared to ask yet.
I brush some cables off the start switch. Seven-twenty-nine.
"Turn the TV on to the news channel." I tell a grinning Shauntal, who obeys.
"Here's to hoping." I say, and I flick the "on" switch.
The machine whirrs to life just as Ghetsis' robotic voice begins to speak.
"Greeting citizens of Unova. I am your Sage Ghetsis. We have no updates on the rebellion, but I promise, we have it all under control-" Ghetsis' voice begins, but is cut off by squiggly lines. I turn the dials on my machine, amping up the power.
As I do, the TV broadcasts a picture of Iris and her Haxorus fighting a grunt. Her Pokemon is mid attack, and the picture looks really cool. Suddenly Ghestis is speaking again.
"As I was saying, I promise you we have it all under con-"
Ghestis is cut off again, this time by Chili, torching an enemy and his Pokemon. I can practically feel the frustration of Team Plasma as they try to regain control of the airways. I poke my head outside, and see the people who have gathered in the square for the mandatory update in the town center gasping as the images flicker across the big screen. The pictures and Ghestis' image flash across the screen indistinguishably quickly. I amp up the power. We take control of the TV with a picture of a grunt slapping Skyla, who is handcuffed. We switch to the next picture of me freeing Skyla, and her waving to the camera. We see Shauntal beating the crap out of a grunt with her Chandelure. I amp the power up as high as I can, and we dominate the airway for the remaining fifteen minutes of the broadcast. As the broadcast ends, I hand control over to Ghestis who has just enough time to shout,
"People of Unova, this has been Ghestis," before his time is up, and the screen goes black.
I toss a blanket over the machine, and move a chair in-front of it to obscure it from view. I turn to my shocked members and say,
"That, my friends, is what that machine does. Now pack up. We're moving camp!"