Over a month had passed since our arrival in Unova. October had arrived, and with it colder and rainy days have become more frequent. Alex, Robert, and I were currently hanging out underneath a large pole tent. Several had been erected along Route 5, stretching from Nimbasa to just a dozen yards short of the Driftveil Drawbridge, which had remained up for the whole day. By now a crowd of people wanting to cross had gathered beneath the pole to both get out of the rain and amuse themselves by watching the performers.
"We could still always fly over," I suggested.
"Again, that's risky," Robert replied, watching the group of break-dancers dance alongside their Pokemon, which consisted of a group of Scraggy and one lead Scrafty. "It's all too common for Flying types to attack you out of nowhere even when you're just trying to cross by foot. Trying to fly over is just asking for them to sky bomb you for no reason."
"We could fight them off," Alex pointed out.
"And risk falling into the water?" Robert shook his head. "No thanks. 'specially in this weather."
I sighed, tuning out the dancers, Pokemon battlers, singers, and whatnot as I thought back to a couple days ago when we helped Jessie, James, and Meowth with the operation. Sure we drove Clarity off, but it wasn't a win. All we found out was that they were planning an attack on Castelia City. Looker was informed, but without anything else, we had nothing. Could do nothing, unless we were lucky enough to run into another one of their operations again. Or unlucky, depending how you looked at it.
With my mind wandering, I found my gaze seeing past all the performers, past the trailer parked on the side of the road, and into the treeline. Thinking about Clarity made me think about all the other organizations we've had to face. Thinking about it hard enough made you realize just how ridiculous our life was. I was starting to think there was something seriously screwing around with our lives. Couldn't we just catch a break?
The wind picked up and I shivered slightly as the rain switched directions and some made its way into the tent, hitting me in the back. There she was again. Standing just beneath a low branch, her pure, white dress unaffected by the rain. Whenever I found myself thinking too hard, she would appear without fail. A constant, silent companion. I had no idea what she wanted from me. Perhaps she was just there to be a constant reminder of what could happen if I mess up again.
"Or maybe there's something you want to tell me..." I murmured.
"Huh?" Alex stopped her clapping and turned to me. "Did you say something?"
I shook my head, ripping my gaze from the treeline. "It's nothing." Taking a breath, I said, "Robert, is there a reason why the drawbridge isn't down yet?"
He thought about that. "It's definitely odd... Hold up, I can check the Driftveil News and see if there's any news on it."
A minute later and Robert let out a "huh."
"Yes?" Alex prompted as he tucked away the Robby.
"Nothing specific," he shook his head. "Just that Clay wants it up for a undisclosed amount of time. It might not even come down today."
"I'm about ready to risk that air travel," I said, glancing out at the gray rain clouds. "I was hoping to do that gym battle today."
"If Clay wants the bridge up, he might be too busy to accept challengers," Robert pointed out. "That guy is basically the sheriff of Driftveil and pretty strict. There's no changing his mind when he's dead set on something. He purposely made me wait for my gym battle because I seemed too eager."
"Sounds like a great guy," Alex said drily.
"Oh he is," Robert assured her. "He's usually got a lot on his plate though, especially with the League trying to buy the rights to Driftveil Port."
"Why would they want to buy the port?" I asked.
"Guess they want to build some sort of Tournament place there or something," Robert answered. "Clay's refusing to budge though, and his stubbornness might win out in the end."
"Uh, guys," Alex prodded both of us in the side. "Take a look at the bridge."
I followed her gaze. At first I thought the bridge might be going down, but it remained up. Then I saw what she saw. Figures were moving slightly in the small building that housed the controls for the drawbridge. I saw a cloaked figure for the briefest of moments before disappearing into a crouch.
"Y'know," Robert said casually. "If they're gonna lower the bridge, and you two are that desperate, we could just let them continue."
Alex and I both gave him a look. He shrugged, grinning. "'Tis a joke."
Sighing and shaking my head, I stepped out into the rain with both Alex and Robert following my lead. As we got neared the building, a Liepard's head shot up from a bush nearby, letting out a yowl. Immediately, three figures revealed their heads from inside.
"Oh great," I groaned, seeing their familiar gray hoods. "Plasma."
Something sparked on their side and a fourth figure stood as the Driftveil Drawbridge began to lower. Murmurs came from the crowd behind us and they began moving forwards, gathering in front of the bridge, waiting for it to lower all the way.
When I turned back to the small building, they were no longer there, the door swinging shut.
"Where'd they go?" I spun around, but more people had begun gathering.
"If they took off their uniforms, they could easily blend in with the crowd," Alex said, but she was looking away from the crowd. "So if they're not running into the woods or back to Nimbasa, then-"
"They're in the crowd," I finished as the bridge finished lowering. "We'll cross and find them once everyone disperses. There were three people I believe."
"You guys are forgetting the obvious," Robert said, pointing towards the crowd. "And maybe they forgot as well, but Team Plasma don't like pokeballs. Where does that leave their Pokemon?"
I scanned the crowd, spotting a Dewott, Boldore, Heracross, and a few others. Some definitely looked like ones belonging to trainers, but a few looked more pampered than the rest. It took me another glance over once people began crossing the bridge, but I spotted the Liepard next to a guy with his cap pulled low and a sack over one shoulder. I saw a bit of gray fabric sticking out of the end.
"Okay, I definitely see one," I confirmed as the three of us began tailing the crowd. "Guy with the Liepard. Keep an eye on him."
"Waiting until everyone is off the bridge?" Alex asked.
I nodded. "Would be pretty bad if we started a fight on here. Too easy for people to get hurt or fall off. No, we'll wait until we get into Driftveil and wait until they separate."
I kept on hand on Arcaneis' pokeball. I wanted to take them down quickly. People who stole Pokemon and claimed to be honest liberators needed to be stopped. Once I might have believed them to be honest, that some grunts were just more extreme than others, but with Hugh's little sister's stolen Purrloin being a thing, Team Plasma was just nothing more than crooks with a twisted idea of the truth. Or at least, they were going about it the wrong way.
Soon enough we had reached the other side of the bridge on a small island just off the shore of Driftveil City. A golden sail statue sat atop a pedestal in the center of the grassy area and the crowd split into two as they went around either side. Pushing my way my through the thinning crowd, I grabbed the arm of one of the Team Plasma members. His eyes widened as he saw me and his Liepard bounded over, snarling at me. I backed up and let out Arcaneis. The crowd parted with shocked gasps and Alex and Robert hurried to my side. Three more people, two women and another guy in cloaks joined their Plasma member buddy.
"What do you want from us?" The guy I had grabbed a second ago asked, eyes narrowed.
"You know exactly what we want," I said, narrowing my own eyes. Arcaneis growled, fire running along his maw. "You claim you're freeing Pokemon, but all you're doing is stealing them from people who love them. And let's not forget that we saw you tamper with-"
"What's goin' on!?"
Startled, both I and the Plasma grunts turned to see a large man stomping over. Looking like a cross between a cowboy with that hat and a business man with the brown suit and teal tie, he radiated political intimidation. The sideburns only added to the effect. He set down the large suitcase he was carrying and straightened his tie, eyeing both me and my friends and the Plasma grunts.
"I asked what was goin' on?" He growled.
One of the grunts spoke eagerly. "These ruffians decided to harass us for no reason! Heck, they looked ready to attack!"
"Now hold on," I butted in. "Are we forgetting that you forced the bridge to lower itself?"
"Quiet!" Sideburns barked. He shook his head and looked at me. "Is it true you were going to attack these folk?"
"Only if we had to," I answered. "Did you not hear the part about how they forcefully lowered the bridge?"
"There's no proof!" One of the grunts shouted.
"Are you able to produce proof?" Sideburns asked me.
"Well, no," I said, taken aback.
Giving a sigh that sounded more like a growl, Sideburns shook his head. "Trying to take the law into your own hands and attacking without clear proof is folly." He nodded his head to the Plasma grunts. "Go on your way."
"Wait just a second-"
Sideburns slammed his foot on the ground and glared at me. "Don't forget, you three were dangerously close to breaking the law by attacking other people without probably cause. I suggest you go about your merry way. I will do my own investigation into who lowered the bridge without my say-so. In the meantime, I expect things to be civil in my town." And with that he picked up his suitcase and headed towards the drawbridge.
"See ya chump," one of the grunts hissed, loud enough only for us to hear, before the group of them set off across the small bridge to Driftveil.
I gripped both fists tightly. "Who was that just now?"
"That would be Clay," Robert said, glancing back at the Gym Leader. "He, um, probably has a lot on his plate. Successful businessmen and all that."
"What now?" Alex asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.
"We follow them," I said simply, already walking again. "We'll keep our distance and see what they're up to. And step in if need be."
Neither Alex nor Robert argued as they followed me across the bridge. Once actually in Driftveil City, I scanned the area for the Plasma grunts. The city itself was fairly large, though not like Castelia City. Like Castelia however, it was a port city, so the city itself stretched across the coastline, ending next to a forest on either ends. On the bottom of the city another bridge led out to an island, which served as the main hub for both national and international goods from all over the world. According to Robert, because Driftveil's port was so vastly important, it was the third major Unovan City in the Unovan Triangle of Wealth. First was Castelia City with its major business corporations and its vast size and population, next was Nimbasa and its Entertainment District both very successful to natives and tourists alike, and then Driftveil for its role in the international trading system.
However, as I looked around, I noticed the lack of any large buildings, like skyscrapers. Sure, maybe even Nimbasa didn't have any either, but I had expected Driftveil to look more "busy". Instead it just contained many brick roofed houses, a large marketplace in the distance that appeared to be have many of its shops outside, and just a general town vibe instead of an actual city.
"What's the deal?" I asked Robert as we headed to the marketplace. We had lost sight of the grunts, so now the best we could do was walk around and keep an eye and ear out for them. "Shouldn't Driftveil be swimming in wealth with its port being super important?"
"Well, maybe," Robert said, frowning. "The port was only added in half a decade ago, and since then Clay has been focusing on the future, not the present. His main project is Clay Tunnel, which he said will greatly improve the moving of goods across Unova and surrounding regions. Mountains and other sorts of terrain that make for travel across difficult line the western and northern borders of Unova, so Clay is doing the one thing that could improve trade; A tunnel."
"How long is this tunnel going to be?" Alex asked, surprised.
"Long. And I mean really, really," Robert held out his arms for emphasis. "Really long. Dunno which region it is, but a similar tunnel is being created to link up with Clay's Tunnel eventually. They want it to span across the entire continent, making it the shining star of the travel and trading network."
"Why not just expand upon the Shinkansen?" Alex asked. "It's pretty fast to get from Nimbasa to Anville Town, and they found a way to avoid the dangers of the mountains."
"Would be more expensive to continue that across the continent than it would to make the tunnel a success," Robert responded. "Or so Clay claims. He's a hardcore businessman, which is why a good chunk of the money being made from the port is going towards this tunnel. Actually, it might be why he's also refusing to agree to build that tournament thing in place of the Cold Storage. Would take too much time away from the tunnel, and you know as they say, time is money."
We'd entered the marketplace now, much of it being outside. Many people were shopping, so it would be tough to locate the Plasma grunts if they even were here. Of course, the blending into a crowd was a viable tactic, so scoping out this place first would be a good idea.
"We need to stock up on supplies anyway," Alex said as she glanced around at the line of stalls. "Medicine, food, maybe even some more clothes. We've started to run low."
An hour later and we'd gotten all we needed. Max Potions, Full Restores, various other healing items, warmer coats, and lots of food.
"Honestly, I'd like to gather ingredients from the environment to make our meals, but since we'll be entering mountainous terrain pretty soon, we won't be able to do much of that," Robert said forlornly, staring at the prepackaged meals he was tucking away.
"Shame," Alex shook her head. She glanced at me. "Still looking for them?"
I shook my head as we walked along the edge of the road, the sea slapping against the rocks meters away to our left. "Not quite. Robert, the only major landmarks in this city are Clay's Gym and the Cold Storage, correct?"
"Well, you're forgetting the Market and the Lighthouse, but pretty much," he answered.
I frowned. "Well, we can probably mark off the marketplace. Anything interesting with the lighthouse?"
"Just guides ships and whatnot. And no one ever really goes there. It's fully automated. No humans or Pokemon operating it."
"Which would leave the gym and the storage area," I said. "And Clay's Gym just doesn't seem like a likely target of Plasma's."
Alex slowly nodded her head. "And the Cold Storage is a major part of Unova, not just Driftveil. But... Why? Would they have any reason to go there? Their goal is the liberation of all Pokemon. What's the point of causing trouble at a port, assuming that is where they are."
"Well, we can always go scope out the area and see if they're there," I suggested. "It's already in the direction we're heading. Are visitors allowed there?"
"Oh yeah, of course," Robert nodded. "A lot of the workers there like battling with their Pokemon on their breaks. So we'll have no trouble getting in."
Sure enough, the bridge to the Cold Storage, manned by one security guard in a booth, just waved them through once they presented him their trainer's cards.
"We could've asked him if he'd seen any suspicious folk coming through," Robert said, looking back as if about to do just that.
"We don't want to risk another situation where we get told off like Clay did," I told him. "We can just look around ourselves."
By the time we'd reached the island, the temperature had noticeable dropped. Rows of stacked green shipping containers lined the island along with several warehouses that Robert explained housed many of the perishable items. The buildings were kept at freezer temperatures, which made the island naturally colder, which was what gave it the name Cold Storage.
"Hey, trainers!"
We turned to see a group of men bundled up in thick coats hanging out between two shipping containers. They waved us over and one of them asked, "Any of you up for a battle?"
Robert gave Alex and I a "told you so" look before I shook my head and said, "Maybe in a bit. We were going to look around first."
"Aw man, just like the last group," another guy groaned. He had his thick coat tied around his waist and only wore a black t-shirt on top. "And they had their Pokemon out and everything. Gave us quite the dirty looks for even suggesting a friendly battle."
"We're actually looking for them," Alex said slowly. "Any idea where they went?"
"Hm..." he regarded her for a moment. "I could tell ya, but..." He picked up his pokeball. "How about a quick battle and I'll tell you."
I gave him a deadpan stare but Robert boomed with laughter. Alex shrugged. "It'll definitely be quick," she said, smirking.
"Now that's what I like to hear," the guy said. "Name's Eddie. Nice to meet you."
"Alex. And likewise," Alex told him as we made room for them to move into a more open space closer to the bridge where there weren't so many containers around. The other workers were still eating their lunches, eagerly awaiting for the show to start.
I was rather hoping Alex would make this a quick battle, but I saw the logic behind doing this. There were so many containers on this island and several warehouses. Finding Team Plasma could take a while unless we were given directions.
"A one-on-one battle sound alright?" Eddie asked, tossing his pokeball up and down in his palm. "Break ends in just fifteen. Whole shipment of pokeballs that need to be sorted. Gonna be a right pain."
"Yeah," Alex flicked a pokeball from her belt into the air before deftly catching it. "Sounds good to me. Plus, it'll be a good time to test the fruit of our training. Come on out, Cubchoo!"
"Ah!" Eddie's eyes widened at the sight of the Chill Pokemon. "An Ice type in the Cold Storage."
Cubchoo looked back at Alex, who nodded, so he focused his gaze back on Eddie and smashed his little fists together.
"Well, looks like we're at quite a disadvantage Pansage," Eddie said, sending out the Grass type. "But let's do our best regardless! Vine Whip!"
"Icy Wind!" Alex shouted and Cubchoo threw out his arms, his dangling snot dancing as a cold wind blew past him towards Pansage, but the Grass type was faster. Two vines shot from Pansage's head, slamming into Cubchoo and knocking him back head over heels. The Grass type then flinched as the cold wind hit him and he shook himself to get over it.
Cubchoo got back on his feet, eyes narrowed in rage. Alex grinned at this. "Time to prove yourself! Get in there and use Slash!"
Cubchoo ran for Pansage, who, upon Eddie's command, crouched and his body shook. Several seeds shot from his bushy head, enlarging rapidly into giant seeds that began falling towards Cubchoo.
"Dodge them!" Alex yelled and Cubchoo threw himself forwards as one of the seeds crashed right where he had been. He rolled to one side, dodging another one, but it bounced and hit him, knocking him to the side.
"Leech Seed him!" Eddie ordered. "Bind him up!"
Pansage dug a hand into his head and produced more seeds, tossing them towards Cubchoo as he stood. They planted themselves and quickly grew, vines whipping around his feet. Cubchoo fell to his knees as they began sucking his energy and transferring it to Pansage, healing him. Cubchoo grimaced, glaring daggers at Pansage as he tightened a fist. It began to glow and I immediately recognized the intense concentration of the Ice type's expression. He was trying to use Focus Punch!
Apparently Eddie recognized it too, because he shouted, "Stop him with Fury Swipes!"
Pansage's hands glowed as small claws elongated and he rushed forwards, slashing several times across Cubchoo's chest, breaking his focus off.
Alex closed her fist. "And checkmate. Frost Breath!"
Cubchoo's eyes gleamed and he blasted a fierce cold wind of snow and sleet straight in Pansage's face from his mouth, his hanging snot whipping around wildly, but didn't break free. Pansage fell backwards, frost covering his body and twitching slightly.
"Well then," Eddie scratched the back of his head, looking quite surprised. "I know you had the type advantage and all, but quite shocking that we were defeated that quickly."
"Up high little guy." Alex knelt next to Cubchoo, holding up her hand and Cubchoo jumped, slapping her palm with his own.
"So..." I looked at Eddie questioningly.
"Yeah, deals a deal," he nodded, returning his Pansage. "Break's about to end anyway." He turned around and pointed a thick finger at the warehouse furthest to the left on the island, its top just poking above some shipping containers. "That storage facility right there. We get Ice types hanging out around this place a lot, so maybe they wanted to catch some or battle some."
"Or maybe they just wanted to test their endurance in the cold," one of his buddies joked, getting a laugh out of the rest.
"Thanks," Alex said, waving at them as we set off.
"No, thank you miss," Eddie said, already tugging his coat back up. "Best of luck!"
The inside of the building was freezing. Huge square blocks of ice were situated around the area with a mix of storage containers and frost covered cardboard boxes filling the place. There didn't seem to be any workers in here, just the occasional Vanillite passing by. As we walked, we had to do so carefully with the floor being very slippery.
I stopped, hearing voices. I held up a hand to stop my friends and put a finger to my mouth. It was hard to pinpoint the source of the voices.
"Do your thing," Robert whispered.
"His thing?" Alex asked.
"Oh right, I didn't tell you," Robert continued to whisper excitedly. "The Kage-Shinobi have a new trick up their sleeve."
I let out Greninja, hoping the sound of the pokeball opening wouldn't be heard by Plasma. Nodding, I held my breath and reached out with my mind, brushing against his consciousness. A connection and he transformed silently, his cloak spreading across the icy floor as he crouched, palm to the ground. I mirrored him, concentrating. With a start I had to open my eyes, a hand rushing to my head.
"Woah there," Alex knelt next to me. "What's going on?"
"Sorry," I shook my head, blinking rapidly as the senses I was sharing with Greninja faded. "It was just... A lot."
Greninja looked at me and placed a webbed hand on my shoulder. I took a breath and let it out, watching it float away. "It was very overwhelming. I could hear the ice crackling, feel the numbing floor, taste the bitter cold, all through Greninja's senses. It was just all too much at once."
"That's pretty insane," Alex said wide-eyed.
I rubbed my temples. "It didn't feel pleasant. Last time it didn't feel this way and I could only hear..."
"Maybe..." Robert thought for a moment. "Maybe last time because this ability is pretty new only a bit of it was available to you. Hold on... Yeah, okay, imagine a dam. A tiny hole gets made and water shoots out. But it's very minor. But soon the whole dam busts and all that held back water breaks loose."
"Guess that's logical," I said, still rubbing my temples. "But how do I not let that happen again?"
Robert frowned. "I'm still not sure how your connection with Greninja works, so I don't know."
"How about focusing on your ears?" Alex suggested.
I stared at her.
She sighed. "Maybe if you keep your attention on that one sense and try to forget the rest, you'll only hear instead of tasting, feeling, and whatnot."
"Worth a shot," I said, nodding to Greninja. Closing my eyes once more, I did as Alex said and strained my ears before reconnecting with Greninja. I felt the presence of the other senses, but I gritted my teeth, straining my ears even harder. This time I heard the shuffling of feet and voices without all the other senses getting in the way.
"Will you stop moaning blockhead? I'm trying to freeze over here if you don't mind."
"Oh shut up. When the hell is that shipment getting here?"
An impatient meow. A Liepard's.
"Yes, huddle together now, all of you," a different voice said. Older. "We will begin soon. For our Lord N we will accomplish this mission in the name of Pokemon liberation."
A chorus of agreements. The older man spoke again. "It may not rid Unova of those infernal devices for good, but it will send a message that Pokemon must be freed from the chains that bind them." A pause. "It is time. Let us go."
I reopened my eyes. "They're planning to attack a new shipment of pokeballs, I think. Something about sending a message."
"Well, not like we needed to justify us bashing their heads in," Alex said, grabbing a pokeball. "But it's nice to know we're on the side of justice here."
"Agreed," I said, returning Greninja and switching out his pokeball with another. "Oh, they're coming by the way."
I stood just as we began to hear their footsteps. They appeared into view as they turned the corner around a stack of shipping containers, freezing when they saw us. Between the grunts they only had a Liepard, Scrafty, Watchog. The older man was in the middle of the eight grunts. He wore a large light purple cloak with a beige collar clasped together in front with the Team Plasma insignia. Floating above him was a Cryogonal.
His eyes narrowed. "Move along, trainers."
"No, I don't think we will," I said as Alex let out Ninetales and Robert his Heatmor.
The grunt I recognized to be the one I had grabbed the arm of earlier stepped forwards, jaw set. "You just don't know when to give up, do you kid?" Liepard padded up beside him, growling as she crouched. "
"No, I don't," I said, letting out Arcaneis, who took in the situation in less than a second and snarled, flames licking at each corner of his maw. Grinning, I said, "Let's take them down, Arcaneis!"
