"What's it say?" I asked Robert as the three of us strolled down the sidewalk to the Nacrene Museum. It was the morning after the festival and the murder. While most of the stands and tents had been taken down, the area where the man had died was under strict police supervision. As we passed, I could see Officer Jenny ordering her officers while several Growlithes and Herdiers sniffed around the area. From here I could still see the blood staining the street.

Robert enlarged his screen as he read the news article. "Says here the guy's name was Carlos Herz. It says he was a lawyer. But that's all it says. Just that the investigation is still ongoing." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You know why she would kill him?"

Last night when we had gotten back to our room in the Pokemon Center, I told them what I had seen. This had clearly been the doing of the Executioners. I had only seen Spirit and her Sceptile there, but if they were there, then Spicy and Sage weren't far behind.

"I don't know," I shook my head. "But whatever they're doing, it's because it's a job. Someone hired them to kill that man."

"So we should figure out why exactly he had to die," Alex put in. "If he's a lawyer, there should be good information about him on the web."

"I'll get on that," Robert said. "That is, if Zeno doesn't mind if I don't watch his battle."

"Go right ahead," I shrugged as we turned and began walking up the Museum steps. "It shouldn't prove to be too difficu-!"

CRASH

The large front doors of the Museum slammed open and thick gray smoke poured out, quickly engulfing us.

"What's-" Alex coughed. "The big idea!?"

I couldn't see much, but I saw the shadows of several people run by me. I jerked to one side as one of them glanced my shoulder. Catching myself before I hit my head, I tumbled back down the steps where the smoke was thinner. I ran onto the street to see the backs of several figures rushing down the street towards Pinwheel Forest in the distance. I heard Officer Jenny yell and the group had to swerve to avoid the police, narrowly dropping whatever they were holding as a group. The police and their Pokemon went to give chase, but a combined attack from an Unfezant, Liepard, and Palpitoad forced them to retreat.

"Are they-!" Robert coughed as he and Alex joined me on the street.

"Team Plasma," I nodded, watching as their robes disappeared behind the corner at the end of the road.

"Dang it!" Lenora cried out as she stormed out of the Museum, eyes narrowed. "Where'd they go!?"

Alex pointed. "Looks like they went towards Pinwheel Forest."

"To think they'd attack the Museum while two Gym Leaders were there," Burgh came down the steps, waving the smoke away. "I'll head after them. The police are busy enough as it is with their investigation."

Lenora nodded, then caught sight of the three of us. "I'm sorry, but the gym battle will have to wait."

"That's fine," I assured her. "Actually, if you don't mind, we can help you out with finding Team Plasma. We have experience with people like them."

Lenora grinned. "That'd be a big help indeed."

Burgh motioned for us to follow him. "Then let's get that dragon skull back." He then called to the police as we ran by. "We'll handle them!"

"They stole the Dragonite skull?" Robert asked as we ran to keep up with Burgh's long strides. "Why?"

"They yelled that they were claiming the skull in the name of Pokemon liberation."

Alex groaned. "How does a skull have anything to do with Pokemon liberation?"

"Beats me," I said as we left Nacrene City behind us and turned the corner. Ahead of us lay the towering forest. The road continued into the forest, unimpeded by the trees. "What matters is that they're finally showing their true colors to the whole region."

Once we entered the shelter of the trees, the temperature dropped dramatically. The trees on both sides of the road blocked the sky with their expansive canopy.

We followed the road until it turned and kept going beyond what we could see.

"This might be the first forest I've been in that actually has a proper road that leads straight out both ways," Alex commented.

"Unova is a bit more industrialized in certain areas compared to other regions," Robert said, shrugging. "Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you. Personally, I feel it takes the fun out of travelling."

"But it does provide us insight," Burgh narrowed his eyes. He pointed towards the left where a trail led off the road and further into the forest. "If we can't see Team Plasma on this straight road, that would mean they decided to try and lose us in the forest."

"Is there an exit for the trail?" I asked, but Robert had already pulled out his map.

"Yeah, there's one just after a bridge further up," he pointed forwards. "They'll either just hunker down in the woods or try and escape from one of the trail exits."

"Then I'll take the road," I decided, unclipping a pokeball. "Arcaneis' speed will ensure we get there before Plasma."

"I'll go with you," Alex offered.

"Then we get the woods," Burgh smiled at Robert.

Robert walked over to the trail and examined the ground. "Footprints. Ground's still a little mushy from the storm, so tracking should be a cinch."

Burgh let out a Whirlipede. He knelt, rubbing his hand on the Bug type's head. "Help us track the footprints. After all, the forest is a Bug's territory." Whirlipede spun his body in excitement and set off. Burgh took off after him in a sprint.

"Ah!" Robert cried, realizing he was being left behind. He hurried off with a backwards wave. "Stay safe! Keep in contact with the Xtransceivers!"

"Arcaneis," I opened the pokeball and he landed on the road. Shaking himself, he greeted me with a giant lick up the front of my whole body.

I made a face, shaking the slobber from my hands. "Thanks, bud."

Alex laughed as I wiped away as much as I could. I rubbed the Fire type's snout. "Mind letting me up. We got some villains to catch, as usual."

Arcaneis huffed and hunkered down for me. Despite doing so, I had to grab onto his fur and pull myself up. I swung a leg over and held out a hand to Alex. "Need a lift?"

She batted it away playfully and held up her own pokeball. "Nah, I got my own ride." She released Ninetales and climbed onto her back.

"Let's go," I leaned into Arcaneis' fur and patted his cheek. He shook himself and took off at a run. Ninetales bounded after us, but soon she was lagging behind. When he was just an Arcanine, he and Ninetales would have kept about the same pace as one another. But now Arcaneis was way faster than her.

I was about to tell him to slow down, but he had already started doing so on his own. Soon Ninetales was running right alongside us. Alex and I exchanged nods before we refocused our attention on the road. The trees went by in a blur and not long later did twin bridges come into view. Both were thin, so Alex and Ninetales ran onto the left one while Arcaneis and I took the left one. Once we were over, I began scanning the left part of the tree line.

"Stop!" I shouted and Arcaneis slid to a halt, stray sparks from his paws sizzling out as they hit the pavement. Alex had already slid off Ninetales before I reached the trailhead.

"Any footprints?" Alex asked, bending next to me.

I shook my head, examining the mud. "Doesn't look like it. Which means," I raised my head to stare down the trail and into the deep, lush forest. "That they're still in there somewhere."

The deeper they went the forest got darker. The trees grew more wild and had darker nettles. The trail became more muddy to the point where Burgh returned Whirlipede because the Bug type had rolled himself into a particularly muddy spot.

"Uck," Robert pulled his foot from the ground with a gross squelching sound. "This is seriously slowing us down."

Burgh, who was ahead of him, laughed. "Well, all that means is that Team Plasma should be having a rough time like we are."

"Hm..." Robert stared at the ground as he walked. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He clicked open his pokeball and Scolipede sprang out. She bent her head to nuzzle Robert affectionately.

"Ah!" Burgh hurried over as fast as he could through the mud. "What a beautiful Pokemon! Why, last I saw her in-person, she was still just a Venipede!"

Scolipede turned her head away from Burgh, causing his face to drop.

"Sorry," Robert patted Scolipede's side while giving the gym leader a weak smile. "I guess she's still sore from losing to your Leavanny." He looked up at his Pokemon's head. "Hey, mind letting us ride on your back. We need to catch up to some bad guys." Scolipede glanced at Burgh.

"Yes yes," Robert said. "Both of us. Pretty please?" Robert stuck out his lower lip. Scolipede shook her head, growled, then lowered the upper half of her body onto the muddy earth. "All aboard!" Robert shouted as he swung his legs over her back. Burgh climbed on behind him, which Scolipede took as the signal to go. Using all of her legs, she began scuttling along the trail.

The mud proved to be no obstacle to her, her pace barely even slowing on turns. Robert kept his eyes on the trail in order to make sure they were still following the footprints.

"Duck!" Burgh warned and Robert barely had time to glanced up before he realized Scolipede had veered from the path and was heading for a hollowed out log that was leaning against the side of a small cliff. He pressed his body against Scolipede's as she entered the wooden tunnel, climbing upwards. Robert heard scrambling noises and he saw shapes disappear through holes in the log to escape Scolipede. Then they were out and on top of the raised land.

Robert glanced around and spotted the footprints again. "What a smart girl!" Robert praised his Pokemon, rubbing her head between her large horns. "Now let's see if we can find them from here." He slid off her back and gazed around. This bit of raised land wasn't tall enough to give a good bird's eye view, but it allowed him to better see through the trees. There also only seemed to be 2 ways off; the log they came up on and another log to Robert's left that led back down to the forest floor.

"They must have came up here away from the main trail to throw off any pursuers." Burgh laughed. "Well, you can't fool a Bug Pokemon in their own territory!"

Robert peered into the forest beyond the second log. What looked to be a rough trail led away for a bit. Lifting his gaze, he combed through the branches. He stopped, spying what looked to be a clearing a bit away.

"There," he pointed it out to Burgh. "A clearing. They could be there if they haven't already left"

"There's no other way to get to Skyarrow Bridge without following some trail back to the main road," Burgh said, unclipping a pokeball. "Unless they have another way to get out of the woods, that's their best bet at escaping. So be prepared to fight if necessary."

"Roger roger," Robert said, hurling himself into the log feetfirst.

"Hey, someone's coming," Alex said, rising to her feet. Ninetale's ears perked as she rose next to her trainer. Arcaneis huffed, electricity sparking along his fur.

I relaxed as the figure came into view. He wore hiking boots, an open jacket, a gray hat, and black glasses. He didn't look that old, yet he walked with a cane. A Deino walked beside him, snapping his jaws every couple of seconds.

He's blind, I realized.

"Sir," Alex said as the man stepped off the trail, causing him to stop and Deino to whirl his head in Alex's direction. "Did you happen to see, erm, I mean, uh..." I watched her face grow red.

The man chuckled. "It's quite alright, miss. What did you want to ask?"

Alex let out a silent breath. "Did you happen to hear anyone suspicious while you were walking on the trail?"

"Hm..." the man settled both hands on his cane. "Now, let me see. Or perhaps not." He chuckled at his own joke. "I may have. I did hear some voices a not long ago talking about train tracks. Perhaps they were talking about the abandoned railway system. Does that help?"

"Yes, thank you so much," Alex said.

"Then good day to you two," the man tipped his hat and began walking past us in the direction of Nacrene City. Alex sidestepped the Deino as it snapped at her heels when he passed by her.

"Abandoned railway?" Alex asked me as I began rifling through my backpack.

"Here," I pulled out a map of Unova and spread it on the ground. I found Nacrene City and put a finger down at the bottom of it where something was marked. "Here are the old tracks."

Alex squatted down next to me. "I remember pointing them out when we arrived there. But Robert said they weren't in use anymore."

I traced the old tracks along the map and soon found my finger crossing into Pinwheel Forest along its southern border. The old rails seemed to run along the coast on a cliff all the way to Skyarrow Bridge.

"They stop here," I said, pausing my finger next to the bridge. "They could extend further on maybe..."

"So they're going to some old tracks," Alex spoke aloud. "If they had something that could ride the tracks, and if the tracks aren't broken up, then-"

"It would make for a perfect escape route," I finished, standing and folding the map up. "Call Robert. He may be on their trail already, but we should still let him know."

"They're not here?" Robert slid off Scolipede before she stood up. She glanced around the clearing, but there weren't any visible threats.

"Their footprints definitely led here," Burgh frowned, walking slowly as he examined the area. "And there's footprints here, all meshed together. They must've taken a break to discuss their next plan of action."

"There might be footprints leading away," Robert said, already scanning the edges of the clearing. "It will help in-

BUZZ

Robert glanced at his wrist where his Xtransceiver was currently vibrating. He held it up to his face and slid open the second screen. Alex's face appeared in the main screen while Robert's own face showed up in the secondary one.

"What?" Robert asked, then realized that the forest background on Alex's screen was moving pretty fast. "Wait, where are you going?"

"South," she answered. "We met a blind hiker who said he saw Team Plasma-"

"Saw?" Robert interrupted.

"Heard, saw, same difference," Alex said. "The point is, we're pretty sure Team Plasma is heading for the abandoned rails near the coast."

"But why there?" Burgh wondered, having come up to Robert's side to hear what was going on.

"They might have a getaway cart or something!" Robert realized with a jolt. "Of course! It would be out of the way as well, so no one would think to look there."

"Well, yeah, so me and Zeno are heading there as fast as we can on our Pokemon," Alex said. "Try not to be late." The connection cut and Robert hurriedly pulled out his digital map. He focused on his and Burgh's position. "The tracks will be... that way!"

He pointed and Scolipede immediately went flat on the ground and scurried over.

"No time to waste then!" Burgh climbed onto her back with Robert close behind.

"Giddy-up!" Robert bellowed and Scolipede burst back into the undergrowth.

"Sorry!" I yelled as Arcaneis scattered several Cottonees into the wind.

"Uh, Zeno," Alex said, sounding slightly panicked. "You might want to take a look behind us."

I looked back, then immediately turned right back around. "Just ignore it."

"Faster girl, faster," Alex urged Ninetales as she bent her body lower into her Pokemon's fur.

Our mad dash through the forest seemed to have picked up some unwanted attention. From my quick glance back, I saw dozens of Pokemon chasing after us. Vigoroths and Pansages swinging from the branches and vines, Beedrills and Yanmegas flying, and some very pissed off looking Swadloons. All of them were chasing after us.

"Woah!" I shouted as high velocity powered seeds zoomed by my head. "They're shooting at us!"

"Quick Attack!" Alex commanded Ninetales and she put on a burst of speed, pulling ahead of us.

"That's one way to do it," I said as Arcaneis increased his speed to catch up. "I just hope we're going in the right direction."

"Does the ground dip up ahead?" Burgh asked. He had sat up while Scolipede scuttled along the forest floor.

"Is it a hill?" Robert asked.

"Looks like it."

"Scolipede," Robert grinned wildly. "Increase speed!"

"Hurry it up!" The blonde grunt ordered as he climbed onto the handcar. The other three grunts hefted the skull onto it with a loud clang.

They were on a thin stretch of plains. On one side was Pinwheel Forest and the other the sea at the bottom of a steep cliff. Waves crashed into the side below while in the distance they could see Skyarrow Bridge, and beyond that the edge of Castelia City. From here they looked tiny.

"Get on," the grunt said. "We need to hurry or else-"

Their Liepard suddenly whipped her head around to stare at Pinwheel Forest. The grunt glanced from his Pokemon to the trees. "What is it girl?"

"Hey, what's that sound?" A redheaded grunt asked, turning so she faced the forest. A flock of Tranquills shot from the forest and into the skies as the trees shook in two separate locations.

All the grunts stopped to look as the trees began to shake more violently. Then, a half a mile away, two Pokemon burst through the trees. What looked to be a Ninetales and bigger Arcanine ran for them, each with a rider. Then a multitude of Pokemon burst from Pinwheel Forest from behind the riders, giving chase.

"We need to get moving!" The lead grunt cried out, already pumping the lever to get the handcar going. Then just up the hill from them a Scolipede burst from the treeline, carrying with her a blonde teen and a man with wavy brown hair.

Without hesitation the grunts piled onto the handcar alongside their Pokemon with Unfezant being forced to fly above because the car was too full.

"Can you hold off the Pokemon behind us!?" I asked Alex, forced to yell because of our speed.

She replied with a nod, already unclipping a pokeball with one hand while keeping the other one tightly gripping Ninetale's fur. I leaned against Arcaneis' fur and yelled, "Extreme Speed!"

I felt his body tense, then relax as his strides became longer and the world began to blur. I shut my eyes and once I felt the world begin to slow down, opened them. We were already gaining up with the handcar on its left, Robert, Burgh, and Scolipede on its right side.

"We'd like to have that Dragonite Skull back thank you very much!" Robert shouted to them.

"NEVER!" A male grunt yelled. "Unfezant, use Air Cutter on Scolipede!"

"Palpitoad, Bubble Beam that Arcanine thing!" The female grunt shouted, pointing a shaky finger at me and Arcaneis.

"Liepard!" The male grunt who was pumping the handcar pointed to the ground. "Dark Pulse us out of here!"

As both Scolipede and Arcaneis swerved to avoid the attacks, Liepard blasted the ground with Dark Pulse, accelerating the car.

"Speed up," I urged Arcaneis and he easily kept pace with Team Plasma. Robert and Scolipede however began to lag behind.

"Hand it over or-!" I started shouting, but two of the grunts hefted the Dragonite skull.

"Did you call this a Dragonite skull!?" The woman yelled.

"Uh..." I blinked. "Yeah!?"

Both grunts exchanged a look, both seemed to groan, then they tossed the skull off the handcar.

"Grab it!" I shouted and Arcaneis immediately turned and shot forwards, grasping the skull in his mouth. He skidded along the ground, driving deep grooves into the earth. I sighed, then looked back to the escaping Team Plasma, already having picked up enough speed to begin growing smaller and smaller.

"Is it broken!?" Robert asked as Scolipede slowed to a halt and he leaped off with Burgh.

I slid off Arcaneis as he lowered his mouth to the ground, depositing a still intact, yet incredibly slobbery, Dragonite skull.

"Why'd they throw it?" Robert asked, red in the face from the wind. "You'd think after all the trouble they went through they would do everything to keep it."

"It's funny," I laughed, shaking my head as I slid to the ground to catch my breath. Having the wind pushing against you at several miles an hour really took it out of you. "When they realized it was a Dragonite skull, they looked displeased. Perhaps they thought it was something else?"

"Perhaps," Burgh said, joining me on the ground. "The question is, what did they think it was and why did they want it so badly and for what purpose?"

"That's three questions," Robert pointed out as he landed on the ground with a huff. "If you don't mind, I'mma rest right here until we need to take the skull back. Say," he looked around. "Where's Alex?"

"Thank you for getting the skull back," Lenora thanked the four of us. Dusk had fallen by the time we'd gotten back to Nacrene Museum. Turns out Arcaneis could carry 4 people and a skull all the while maintaining a fairly good speed. We were now in the entrance hall, where I could see smashed cases, a tattered rug, and the skeleton of the Dragonite in a heap.

Lenora looked at me now. "I'm afraid I will have to cancel any gym battles for a while. I need to focus on fixing the museum and its exhibits."

"That's alright," I said, but inside I was annoyed. Not at Lenora, but at Team Plasma.

"Ah, but don't forget about me," Burgh bent low into a bow, keeping the pose. "I am but a humble gym leader as well." He flashed his brilliant whites. "Make your way to Castelia City and I'll be happy to give you a badge should you win against me."

"Sounds like a plan."

"For now," Alex tugged on my shirt sleeve. She looked tired. After having to hold off an entire horde of Pokemon with only her Pokemon, she was the one who looked most exhausted. "Can we please just head back to the Pokemon Center?"

"Alright alright," I held back a laugh as I let her lean against me as we headed out of the museum with Robert in tow.

"It's just one exciting day after another with us, eh?" Robert said as we strolled down the lit streets.

"Tell me about it," Alex groaned into my shoulder.

I kept silent, busy thinking about Team Plasma and what their goal might be. With Team Radiance it was to bring more light into this world. Team Skull just wanted to mess around with the order of things. Aether was just following the whims of a mad woman. Team Flare wanted to achieve a new world of peace. And the Cult wanted to bring about chaos.

So then, I wondered. Just what does Team Plasma have to gain from stealing what they believed to be a dragon skull that wasn't a Dragonite skull?

"We have failed."

All four grunts kneeled in front of the holographic projection of the robed Sage.

"And how did you fail?" He asked, his cold sneer making them freeze up.

"L-Lord Ghetsis!" The lead grunt kept his head bowed and fist planted in the ground. He didn't dare look up. "We were being chased by several trainers and Burgh of the Castelia Gym. B-but we discovered the skull was from a Dragonite. It has no relation-"

"I!" Ghetsis roared, silencing the grunt. "I will decide what has no relation to what we seek!" Then he grew calm, stroking his chin. "If it indeed has nothing to do with the Dragons of Truth and Ideals, then it would be best to move away from the Museum and resume our searches elsewhere. You four will wait for further instructions." And with that his image disappeared.