Chapter 4: Child soldier

Late afternoon

Train station

Anville Town

The small train deposited them in the middle of a bustling hub. Trains came in and out at strictly regulated intervals and Blue gave her surroundings a sweep. This place was situated far away from mainland Unova and she decided on this course after she overheard Steven was will be changing ships and sailing all the way to Castelia city. Although, she too wanted to disembark there since it would be much easier to travel and find hotels and information, she decided not to risk it. Besides, it would be a huge, huge problem if he accidentally spied Ruby. Norman and Steven are very good friends and if the gym leader had an inkling of what his son was really up to...Let's just say she will be missing one outstanding agent from her group. Heels clacking on the floor, Blue and her little team made their way to the next platform in order to catch another train, this one will take them straight to their destination: Aspertia town. Tomorrow she will need to go to the Pokemon academy and teach there. The thought excited her immensely, if she wasn't in this line of work, maybe she'll become a teacher...Or an actress. Right, actress definitely sounds better.

Platina was not used to this, carrying her own luggage that is. Back home, the servants and pokemon did everything for her and once she entered the organization, Blue outright refused to get any attendant for her, citing that a spy did their own work since there is always a high chance the individual could be stranded and without anyone willing to help. Thus she had to do everything herself. Back at base, her two best friends, Diamond and Pearl would often help, but in the field. She was alone. Ruby was not that sort of gentleman who would reach out a hand and with a charming smile ask her if she needed assistance with her luggage. In fact, Sapphire often had to do things for him. Struggling a bit, she managed to elegantly haul her designer trolley case onto a new train bound for their destination. This vehicle had more passengers than the last and Platina felt slightly uncomfortable. Her senior had vacated his seat for her and now he was standing, gripping one of the overhead railings for support. In the crowd, he stood out like a sore thumb and she was aware of several females around his age casting appreciative glances at him and giggling. If Sapphire was here...She'd poke their eyes out.

Subconsciously, he reached upwards and rearranged his bangs. To the teenage girls watching him, it looked downright cool and handsome, not to him though. It was irritating. His superior had told him to put his hat away and now he felt subconscious. He briefly wandered if he should get out a bandanna and tie it around his forehead, but no, it was hot in the train and if he wound a piece of cloth around his head he will start sweating, which was not cool for his image. He really wished the girls would stop gawking at him, he was not the flirting type and besides, they were not beautiful, did they not have any fashion sense? Who on earth wears a skirt of that color anyway? He found his eyes gazing at the offender and the girl he looked at nearly dropped to the floor from shock. Trying to disguise his awkward manner, he gave them a tiny smile and all three twittered obnoxiously and turned around.

Good, now they won't discover his horrible disfigurement.

Early morning the next day

Aspertia city

Pokemon Academy

Lack-2 caught a glimpse of her before she entered the premises and he could not believe his eyes. Ms. Blue was gorgeous! He wanted to loiter at the gate but Hugh, the stupid Quilfish, had dragged him inside when the bell rang. In class, he redirected his attention to Whi-2 and several of his admirers as he charmed them to kingdom come and back. Only the brunette was very uninterested and after a short while, she left and joined Hugh who was poring over his books in a zealous manner. When the homeroom teacher, Cheren walked in, the budding trainers all scrambled to their seats and after greeting, they sat down in a uniform manner.

"As promised, here is your temporary teacher, Ms. Blue" and she walked in with a dazzling smile on her face. Whipping out a notebook and pen Lack-2 sat up straighter and Hugh imparted a disgusted look at him.

"She is our teacher for Dialga's sake" he hissed, is there anyone you don't hit on?

"Yeah, I would never dream of going out with a Quilfish like you" he flippantly stated back.

"Do you need a burn heal Hugh" the girl sitting next to him held up an orange colored spray bottle.

"Shut up!" he angrily spat in return.

Blue entered the classroom wearing a pinstriped suit which she thought was both suitable for her position and awe inspiringly formal. Her long hair was pulled into a bun and she wore glasses, at of Ruby's insistence. As soon as she stood in front and introduced herself, her eyes zoomed in on the targets and she was slightly peeved at how the male target was gaping at her. As part of her introduction, and winning over fellow students, she disclosed her hobbies and interest and watched with mild disturbance as the young trainer took note of every single word escaping her mouth. A mischievous gleam filled her eyes.

"You seem rather attentive to my words, what is your name?"

"Lack-2" he coolly stated.

'Reminds me or Ruby...and Gold' she thought.

"Lack-2, nice name" she beamed and he smiled back "have you already gotten a Pokedex from Professor Juniper?"

His confident smirk faltered for a while.

Bingo, first step to dealing with targets, cut them down to size.

"No ma'am, but I'll soon get one. I'm the best trainer in the class." He proudly stated. Next to him, Hugh saw red. He wanted to speak out as well but this new teacher was probably smitten by Lack-2's self-confidence and assurance. Due to his fidgeting, Blue's eyes wandered over.

"You look pretty capable yourself, what is your name?"

Spirits rising at the unexpected praise he said:

"Hugh, my dream is to become the Unova Pokemon champion."

There was a certain solemnity underlying his words. Unlike Lack-2 he seemed much more deep, simmering. Blue was sure he would turn out to be something wonderful one day. His somber and slightly impatient gaze indicated this. Flashing him a gentle grin, she diverted her attention to the female target. The girl was looking at her with an enraptured gaze and as soon as their eyes met, she flushed, pulled her visor and forced herself to stop gaping. Not deterred by her actions, Blue made her way to Whi-2's desk and asked the shy girl to introduce herself. After learning that the girl's hobby, favorite flower and food, she moved off to the other students pausing at each of their desks and taking time to get to know them personally. Before the morning session was over, the entire class had warmed up to her and several of the girls had started asking her personal questions. Ms. Blue answered them all, she encouraged them to be open with her since she will be staying for a few months only.

"She is good" peering through binoculars from the roof of a nearby house, Ruby commented in his mike. Both he and Platina were scouting the school from different angles, he was sure the aristocrat chose a comfortable spot. Lying on concrete was painful not to mention his clothes were getting ruined. "Did you see the targets Platina?"

"Yes, the flirtatious boy and the shy girl. The boy reminds me of senior Gold" her voice was scratchy through his earpiece. Irritated by his circumstances he shifted in his place and started complaining bitterly:

"Platina, I want to shift my position, I swear I'm getting fried on this asphalt. Do you know how hot it is? My skin is breaking out in hives and sweat is pouring in my eyes. Yuck, I need a shower, what would my pokemon think of me when the see me in such an ugly state?" he blathered and his companion pulled her ear piece out and set it down next to her "they won't recognize me as their trainer. I need a shower, ugh Blue, why did she force us to keep a watch on the school like this? I could've sneaked in and fixed hidden cameras and Emerald would've been able to take care of the school's security system. Or better yet, we should've disguised ourselves as transfer students and take part in class! Are you listening to me Platina?"

Once his rant died down, she delicately picked up the device and fixed it in her ear. Platinum Berlitz was lucky, she walked to a nearby store and politely asked them to borrow her chair, the owners complied with her request and she dragged the seat to a nearby secluded place surrounded by foliage and sat there. Fixing her binoculars to her eyes, she had a splendid view of the classroom. "Senior Ruby...You cannot shift positions in the middle of an operation. If Blue issues us emergency orders, she will be unaware of your new place and thus unable to direct you accordingly. Please bear with it, besides it is almost time for recess." She heard him grumble on the other side and a small smile appeared on her face.

Her co-workers were such colorful characters.

Back in class, the temporary teacher had already begun giving a preliminary lesson on trading Pokemon.

"A trade or Link" she spoke, pleasant voice washing over the attentive learners "is a process in which a Pokemon Trainer sends one of his or her Pokemon to another Trainer in exchange for one of the other Trainer's Pokemon. This process was at first thought of as a way to deepen bonds with fellow trainers and pokemon however, after some research, we have found out that trading Pokemon can sometimes cause them to evolve into higher forms. This new method is now known as Pokemon evolution via trading. Now as with the criteria of trading, the trainer receiving the pokemon should be able to handle his new friend. If the pokemon dislikes the new trainer, there is a small chance they will not evolve, also if the pokemon does not listen to its new trainer due to being over leveled, it might not also step up into evolution. The entire process might seem a bit confusing and intimidating, but if you will get used to it. In the next lesson I'll teach you about-"

"Are you dating anyone Ms. Blue?"

The neophyte lecturer was writing notes on the board, at his question, she involuntarily pressed a bit too hard on the chalk and it broke into pieces. Curbing the desire to throw one of these pieces at Lack-2's forehead and knocking him out, she slowly turned, adjusted her glasses and looked at him inquisitively.

"Excuse me?"

"Are you dating anyone?" he repeated his question with an innocent smile "like Green Oak? You are friends with him right? Mr. Cheren told us. Or maybe the Champion of Kanto? What is he like?"

The con-artist almost gagged. Her dating Green? She'd have a better experience and chance with a giant rock. And Red, sure he might at times look like model...But gross, he's sleeping habits and one track mind was pretty disgusting.

The bell tolled and saved her from answering his embarrassing questions.

With a sigh, Blue dumped the armful of books on her space. The little cubicle was decorated with a few yellow flowers and a welcome note. Smiling to herself she read the note and tucked it away in her bag, as a souvenir for when she leaves this place two or three days later. Checking her wristwatch, she fished her mobile phone from her bag, dialed a number and waited.

"I HATE THIS JOB!" Ruby's voice exploded from the other end and she pulled the phone away from her ear, cringing from the loud volume. It was a relief that the staffroom was deserted or else, things might've been really complicated and weird to explain.

"Where are you two?" she asked in an even tone.

"Eating ice-cream at a store Ms. Blue" a voice delicately chimed "please excuse senior Ruby's outburst, he is angry because his shirt has been soiled. You will receive an earful of complaints when you get back, so please be prepared."

"...I understand"

Stuffing the phone back in her bag, she uttered a slight moan and put her head down on her desk.

After school was over, she noticed the brat was still tailing her. His arms were folded behind his head and with a wide zany smile plastered on his face, Lack-2 followed her. Although it was flattering to be admired, this was becoming downright vexing.

"Do you need something Lack-2?"

You are being rather annoying, her mind supplied.

"Uh...No, not really" he shuffled "I think you are a wonderful teacher Ms." saying this spun around on his heel and ran off.

"..."

Evening

Aspertia City

Hotel

"So the boy's name is Lack-2. Despite his character, he is an excellent battler and stands heads above everyone else. His statistics are outstanding for a person his age" sitting together on the floor, the two members listened to their leader as she debriefed them about their targets "in fact, the only other person whose stats mirror his is Gold...So we can be sure he is a bit of prodigy. Anyway, the girl's name is Whi-2 and she is rather timid, her skills too are very good. I noticed that she does not call attention to herself and she does things in a discrete manner. Still, she is a sweet kid."

"Are you done?" the male's voice was strained.

"Not yet Ruby, patience, there is another trainer whom I'm very interested in. His name is Hugh; I wish we could recruit him as well. I have a feeling he will be an exceptional addition to our organization."

"Red and Green already decreed that we may not recruit more than two members...It will call attention to us" the female underling pointed out in a rational manner.

"I know..."

"Are you done?"

"Yes Ruby...Is this going to take long?"

The ruby eyed teenager exploded.

"My clothes are ruined!" he relayed in a high pitched voice "and I looked like monster before I showered! Zuzu didn't even recognize me, that is how filthy I was. Why did you force us to go on such a mundane mission? Emerald was on site and he was willing to offer help! I suffered thanks to yo-"

"Oh for Articuno's sake be quiet" she hissed "I was sitting in the class and because of one thirteen year old brat hitting on me I thought my disguise was going to break apart! Do you know how much tension and stress I was under? You think acting is for the weak willed? Next time let's switch roles and see how you fare bett-"

With a beep, Blue's pokemon gear began buzzing; fishing it out from her bag she answered it. The little screen showed Green's impassive face.

"Is everything proceeding smoothly?" he queried as all three of them crowded around.

"Yes" Blue nodded "Is there a problem? You rarely call during our missions."

"You have another mission, I'm already sure you know Steven Stone is in Unova" at this Ruby's face paled a few shades and Green smirked in understanding "he is currently in possession of the Dark stone and..."

"Please don't tell me we have to steal it from him" shrilled the black haired trainer "he is a monster, the undefeated champion of Hoenn! There is a reason why they call him that!"

On screen, the spiky haired commander smiled evilly.

"You have to steal the Dark stone from him and quickly, he will be leaving Unova by tomorrow since he is done collecting all the information he needs. We found this information a few hours ago thanks to Emerald. Also one of the four top bosses is in Unova with him. Intelligence tells us that he too will be leaving with Steven, so be very careful. This person is ruthless...Red stop touching my hair!"

In the course of his conversation, his best friend and Black had squeezed themselves inside the video message. Black was waving at them and he held up the light stone whilst Red and Green were engaging in friendly banter.

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Blue felt all the energy draining from her arms.

"...All your missions should be completed by tomorrow night. I want you back in Kanto by late afternoon the day after tomorrow." Saying this he stepped back and ended the video call, the last thing the trio saw was Red waving at them enthusiastically.

"Monster" Ruby groaned "Green Oak and Red are monsters, this is impossible!"

"No it's not" Platina cut in "we did a lot in the past and we can do more in the future. Please cheer up senior. If we analyze our tasks, we will be able to complete them in a timely manner."

Blue smiled at her maturity.

"First, we cannot drag our leader into this so it is up to us to steal the stone." The heiress took a laptop out of her bag and began working on it "we know our target is in Castelia city, he is staying in one of the hotels and we need to find out which one. Thereafter it is a matter of sneaking in his room, waiting for the right time and stealing the stone and all the information that comes with it. Ms. Blue, your thoughts?"

The leader was lying face down on her bed, her words muffled by the pillow.

"Good strategy, I'll leave you two on your own devices, just get the stone and make sure Steven does not recognize Ruby. You will need disguises."

Night

Castelia city

Five star Hotel lobby.

The curtain of hair before his eyes was making vision difficult; nevertheless whatever he saw was breathtakingly beautiful. Emerald tiles underfoot and in the center of the lobby was a giant fountain. It depicted a Milotic spewing water from its mouth, despite it being made out of glass, the fixture was painstakingly painted with a fine attention to detail. Forgetting why he came here, the teenager moved towards the fountain and gazed at it admiringly. It was simply stunning.

"There is a guest in one of the rooms named Steven Stone" Platina informed him and he turned around and blushed. She had dressed herself up in a cream colored form fitting dress and Blue had tied her hair up in an elegant up do. They were posing as a couple and next to her, in his ridiculous wig, Ruby felt foolish. She linked her arm through his and together they made their way upstairs. He found his heart pounding as his junior dragged him all the way to Steven's room and politely knocked on the door.

"He's so gonna recognize me!"

"Hush, we are going to find out."

The door opened to reveal a smartly dressed man, without skipping a beat, Platina entered into a conversation and Ruby felt his legs go slack, Steven's eyes had glanced at him several times but they registered bewilderment.

Of course, who in their sane mind would walk around with hair covering their face?

"So, the diamond is not for sale?" Platina's frosty tones broke his thoughts; she was doing a perfect job.

"No Ms., it is for research...And may I ask who the individual next to you is?" The taller male next to this young woman looked a bit familiar.

"Oh..." her voice did a 180 degree and became deceivingly warm "he is my boyfriend" to emphasize her point, she leaned on to him akin to a giddy girl in love.

"Seeing you do that was pretty disgusting" the duo had infiltrated a vacant store room and were rearranging their disguises. The fashionista pulled his offending wig and discarded it in a bin. "I'm not wearing this thing ever again." Pulling out a tube of gel, he located a polished surface, stood before it and began applying it to his hair, pulling it into stiff spikes, once done; he retrieved a black strip of cloth and wound it around his head similar to a bandanna. Lastly, pulled out a little round badge and pinned it to his bandanna, after scrutinizing his new appearance, he have a little whoop of glee.

"I look perfect!"

"Yes you do" his co-conspirator droned emotionlessly, "now how are we supposed to get into his room? The first attempt did not work."

"Simple," Ruby smirked "Steven Stone is in dire need of room service."

"Please!" he pleaded "I'm homeless and in need of a job, can't you at least allow me to work here for one night?" He tugged at the cloth decorating his forehead in a helpless manner.

The staff manager blushed, for someone who claimed to be homeless, he certainly was well dressed...And good looking.

"I understand your predicament but you see we don't have a vacant sl-"

"I can take out the trash" he persisted, far away Platina winced at the tone coming through the earphones, she thought her senior was doing a splendid job, before long, the manager would gave in under his wailing and besides, if he could get his way with Sapphire, he could do the same with anyone.

Half an hour later a stylish hotel attendant brought her drink, casting a wary glance around the area he spoke in a hushed whisper:

"I'll go pester him with something and see if I can enter his room. Stay outside" she nodded "when I tell you, break in from his window...and don't look at me like that, how else are we supposed to steal it from him?"

The aristocrat mutely nodded and left the hotel. Checking his reflecting on a silver tray, Ruby sneaked into the kitchens, stole a delicious looking cake and set it on the cart he was pushing along as part of his job. As he made his way to Steven's room he paused in front of the door.

The hallway was deserted.

Rummaging in his pockets, he brought out several small vials and boxes. Locating a little box with greenish powder he opened it and contemplated.

"Sleep powder...If he does find something fishy with this cake...Nah, I won't do it." Stuffing the vials back he rang the doorbell and almost instantly the dreaded police agent was at the door.

"Yes?"

"Special service sir" Ruby piped in a cheerful tone and pointed at the cake "for your patronage"

"I didn't order any cake"

The black haired teenager's eyebrow twitched.

"Well yes, I just said it was a special service, we are doing this as part of our hotel anniversary which is taking place the day after tomorrow. To show appreciation, we are handing out free cakes." He beamed and lied through his teeth, it must have been pretty convincing because Steven smiled genially and let him in. As soon as he walked through, his eyes began to scan the room. Like every other hotel room, there was a bed, fancy decorations, a little closet, Steven's cheap and unfashionable luggage case and off to one corner...A cube made out of black glass.

It looked horribly out of place. Putting the cake down on a table and bowing to him, he took noted of the black cube's location as Steven shut the door behind him; Ruby put some distance between him and the champion and called his co-worker.

"Listen" he began and laid out plans for an ambush. On the other side Platina confirmed his words and her eyes grew wider with each passing second...She always knew Ruby was a bit flamboyant but this...this was beyond ridiculous. Although, to give him credit, the plan was almost foolproof, she only wished Silver were here because, who else was better to steal an ancient artifact than a Phantom thief? Sighing, she extracted a square piece of paper out and stared at it.

It showed a cluster of dark blue stars.

A/N: Thanks to Jack54311, fluffandrows57 and FluffyCanaries for reviewing and/or following my story. It always makes my day (POWER). And now, I present to you another chapter, please enjoy!

Oh yes, for those who are curious, Blaec Iustise means Black Justice in Old English, nice title no?

Anyway, don't be shy to leave a review or constructive criticism, they are all appreciated.