The sun rose high on Haven Academy as the day began. The halls were quiet, and nothing short of the scribbles of pencils could be heard in the classrooms. May tapped Tiffany's hand and held out a piece of paper. She took it into her own and unfolded it.

I found something. Let's look into it tonight.

-Lukas

She looked back at her team and nodded to them all. The bell rang and all the students got up and shuffled out of the classroom. Before they met in their dorm, the members of Team PLTM enjoyed a bit of the freedom that they had earned back.

Lukas slid the door open and found May with a controller in her hand and Platina sitting on the floor with her. Tiffany was sitting on her bed and staring at the TV with the other two. The sound of bones cracking and guttural yells filled the room.

"Don't you guys have anything productive to do?" Lukas asked as he sat on his bed.

"We are being productive." May called out over the game.

"Yeah? In what way?" Lukas entertained the idea.

"Well, I thought I should get into the head of the Mafia; figure out how they think..." She explained.

"And?"

"So I went out and bought Mafia Zero today." May finished.

"Turns out the Mafia really likes karaoke..." Tiffany added quietly.

"You guys aren't taking this seriously enough." He sighed.

"Ugh, we are taking this with the perfect amount of seriousness." May snapped. The character she was playing as screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

"Gah! You messed me up!" May flung her arm into the air.

"Platina," Lukas began, "did you get what I told you to?" Tina chuckled to herself.

"Of course I did," she announced as she whipped out a small stack of old newspapers, "and with the elaborate ruse I devised, I'm sure they don't suspect a thing!"

"Elaborate ruse?" Tiffany tilted her head in a curious manner.

"Oh, umm...the details don't matter much…" She stuttered as she thought of what occurred that day.

"C-can I use your newspaper archives?" Platina asked nervously while trying to avoid eye contact.

"Oh? May I ask why?" Professor Luna asked as she turned back to the student. Platina froze up.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of." She whined to herself.

"Um...because…" She struggled for an excuse. "Oh! Because I have a project to do. In, uh...Remnant History!"

Professor Luna peered at her in suspicion.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Platina thought to herself. "I'm such an idiot! You are literally talking to the Remnant History teacher, Platina!"

"Platina, I didn't assign any projects." The Professor said in a low tone as she shook her head.

"Oh, did I say Remnant History? I meant...Grimm Studies! Grimm Studies…" Professor Luna's gaze constricted Tina's entire body like a viper.

"This is the worst... she definitely doesn't believe me, right?" Platina used her Semblance to read the mind of her Professor.

"She's acting strange..." She was thinking.

"I'm so dead." Platina thought before continuing her attempt at deception.

"Anyway, what's important is that I got them." Tina declared as she tossed the papers to Lukas, although instead of staying together, the papers dispersed mid-air and shuffled themselves onto the ground. Platina became paralyzed on the floor out of embarrassment.

"That is absolutely right," Lukas sighed as he started gathering the papers.

"What do we need some old newspapers for anyway?" May asked as she set the controller down.

"There's something I saw in here once that might be the lead we need to find out more about Yokai," he explained, "and, by extension, Coal and his plans."

"Wait, for real? You read the paper?" May laughed. Lukas ignored her.

Once he was finished collecting the papers, Lukas began flipping through the pages. He stopped at a page and laid it down at the foot of his bed. The rest of his team gathered around. The article was about the arrest of a man on charges of assault and battery.

"This guy's name is Yoshio Kaite. When he was arrested, everyone thought he was your everyday low-life thug of Mistral, but look here:"

Lukas pointed to the mugshot posted on the page. The man was tall, brooding, and had long, messy brown hair and a goatee. His muscular form seemed to stretch his prison uniform. Lukas' finger rested on a tattoo creeping from his back onto his neck.

"I learned that Yokai members have ornamental tattoos on their backs as a sign of authority." He continued. "He's sitting in Mistral Upper Prison right now. Maybe we can talk to him and get some hints as to what Coal's and Lazurite's plans are."

"Is it safe to assume he'd know anything?" Tiffany tilted her head.

"It's worth the try." May chimed in. "It's kinda the only lead we got, right?"

"Right." Lukas nodded. "Meanwhile-"

"Meanwhile one of us should go to the docks to see if we can gather up any leftover evidence." Platina cut in.

"Was that you being smart, or you reading my mind?" Lukas asked.

"Yes." Platina nodded. Lukas shook his head in response.

"I'll set up a nest in the city and lay low. I can keep an eye on everything from above, and if I see or hear anything I can let everyone else know." Tiffany suggested.

"I can go to the docks. With my Semblance, I can get info from the people there without getting too close." Platina pointed out.

"Then I'll go to the prison." Lukas concluded. "May, you can come with me in case things get out of hand."

"Is Reese coming with?" May turned her head to Platina.

"Yeah, I messaged her earlier, she said we should meet her in her dorm."

"I don't really think we'll need her." Lukas muttered.

"If I get caught, she can get me out of there faster than I can on my own. She and I work well together, trust me." Platina replied.

"Alright, she can go with you, then. She'll be your getaway driver." Lukas sighed. He gathered up the papers and glanced around at his team.

"Is that everything?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah, it should be." Lukas replied as he stood up. "Can't do much without more information."

The rest of the team got up and started gathering their things. Once they were all situated, they gathered at their door.

"Guys...something weird is happening." May murmured to the group. The other three gazed at her expectantly. "We actually have a half-decent plan for this."

It wasn't long before Team PLTM was standing outside Team ABRN's door, being greeted by their leader.

"Reese isn't going with you tonight." Arslan stated flatly with her arms crossed.

The girls of Team PLTM stared blankly at her for a moment.

"Wait, what? Why not, Arslan?" Platina asked, taken aback.

"Yeah, what gives?" May demanded.

"Look, you guys can do whatever you want - I don't care - but if Reese is caught with the rest of you guys doing something stupid again it could fall on me or the rest of my team." She explained.

"I mean, yeah, but-" Platina began, but was cut off.

"Listen, I need time to decide whether this is something I want my team wrapped up in." Arslan asserted.

Platina stared past Arslan at her friend sitting on her bed, cross-armed. Reese glanced over to Nadir and Bolin, who were both looking away, then she glanced towards Platina. She tapped her head and lipped the words "Read my mind." Platina narrowed her gaze and created a Telepathy link with Reese.

"Just wait up for me, okay? I'll sneak out when they fall asleep." She told Tina through her thoughts.

Arslan gazed at Platina for a moment and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, I'm just trying to protect my team. I don't need Reese getting expelled or anything. I know it's important to Lukas, but I hope you understand."

Lukas crossed his arms and leaned against the far wall of the hallway. "Frankly, I don't care whether she comes or not. It was more of a concern of hers." He finished as he nodded towards Platina.

Tina took a step back and relaxed her stance. "Yeah, I think I get it. We won't bug you about it."

"Thanks Platina," Arslan sighed, "definitely let us know how things went in the morning, though. I'm worried about you guys too."

Platina nodded as Arslan slid her door shut. She let out a sigh and ruffled her hair into a mess.

"Will you be fine without her?" May asked as the group walked away.

"Well, actually, I read her mind; she said she's gonna sneak out and meet up with us." Platina answered.

"That's...good?" Tiffany replied. "Won't Arslan be upset if she finds out?"

"'If' is the keyword. It'll all be good!" May assured.

"Well, we should head out in two hours. It'll be dark enough then." Lukas suggested.

"Right." The girls all said in unison as they continued down the hall.

Lukas and May walked under a cloud-blanketed sky towards the gated stone complex tucked into the mountain the city of Mistral rested on. Escorted by two police officers, the duo approached the entrance of the prison. The gate opened for them as they approached, and a pair of guards let them inside the visitation center.

"If you'll wait here just a moment; we're getting the prisoner ready." An officer said.

Lukas and May sat in a row of seats and observed the room around them. While mostly empty, there were a few more individuals waiting to visit other prisoners. A set of vending machines caught May's wandering eye.

"Jackpot." May got up and wandered over to the machines. Lukas slowly followed her.

"This is the worst place ever to indulge yourself, you know?" He judged as he watched her shove Lien into the slot.

"Don't care - didn't ask. Have you ever had these onion ring chips? They're the best thing ever!" She replied as she retrieved a small yellow bag from the slot.

"We're not gonna be here very long. Besides, I want this guy to take us at least a little bit seriously." He explained.

"You know, just cause you said something, I think I'll buy a few more." She retorted as she forked over more Lien.

Lukas sighed and placed his arms on his hips. May rose with her arms full of snacks and a smile full of joy. The two of them sat back down in their seats.

"So, what are we even asking this guy anyway?" May asked as she opened one of her bags.

"It's what I'm asking." Lukas corrected. "I want to do the talking; you're extra muscle in case this goes south."

"Well, that's fine by me, I guess." She agreed as she began snacking. "It'd be a lot easier if I had my axe, though."

"Yeah, well there was no way they were gonna let us bring weapons with us, so..." Lukas retorted.

The barred gate leading into one of the hallways opened and a prison guard poked his head through; scanning the room until his gaze met with Lukas. He marched up to the two of them and placed his hands on his belt.

"The prisoner is ready for you. If you'll follow me." He said.

The two of them got up and began following the guard. He lead them through the gate and down a mute, gray hallway. The low roof and narrow path gave uneasy feelings of claustrophobia to the pair. They made a few turns and moved deeper into the building before coming across a thick steel door.

"The prisoner's waiting in here," The guard said as he took out a laminated security tag and held it up to a sensor on the wall, "you have one hour."

There was a loud beep and the lock on the door was unlatched. The guard opened the door and patiently waited for the two to enter. Lukas and May shifted into the room slowly. Just beyond a plain metal desk came into view the form of the man they saw in the paper. Handcuffed to the table, his sharp eyes stared at the pair through his messy hair. The door shut behind them and the two slowly took their seats at the table. The heavy silence was broken by the Yokai member.

"I've never met you two before. What can I do for ya?" He asked.

Lukas took a deep breath before replying. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Kaite. I have some questions that I'm hoping you can answer."

"Nice to see some God damned manners for a change. I hope I can help you." Yoshio replied with an unsettling, closed smile.

"Let me be direct, if I may." Lukas began. "We know that you're a member of Yokai. She and I are Huntsmen looking for an individual that is working with the organization."

"Well, you've got some balls being that direct." He laughed.

"The business I have with him is personal. If possible, I'd like to not make enemies of Yokai." Lukas explained.

"Speak for yourself, but I wanna kick that blue guy's - ow!" May was cut off by Lukas kicking her under the table. She returned the favor by slugging him in the arm, which he ignored.

"So I suppose my first question is this;" Lukas continued, "have you heard of a man named Coal Augite?"

"Right...I have. It happens that I was working with him, up until my incarceration." He revealed. Lukas brought his hand to his chin.

"Is Coal a member of Yokai, then?" He asked.

"No, nothing like that...but he is important to Yokai's current operation." He explained. "If you're on his ass, it's gonna be damn hard to not make enemies of us."

"Your current operation, huh? I was wondering about that too. Why is the organization collecting so many weapons and ammunition?" Lukas questioned.

Yoshio's eyes narrowed at that line of questioning. "Don't go thinking I'm gonna answer every little question you have." He warned. "That's not for civilians to know. All I'll say is that we're trying to maintain our power in Mistral."

The two students exchanged worried glances before continuing. Lukas prepared to ask another question, but stopped when he heard a loud buzzing behind him. The heavy sound of the door opening grated through the room. Glancing back, the two saw one of the prison guards entering the room.

"I thought we had an hour?" Lukas commented.

The officer ignored him and scurried around the table and approached the handcuffed prisoner. He bent over and whispered something in his ear before standing up straight once more.

"Thank you." Yoshio said quietly.

The guard walked past Lukas and May as he headed back for the door. The Yokai member quickly brought the attention back to him.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have some questions for the two of you." He spoke up. Lukas gave him a quizzical look.

"Sorry, but I wasn't finished." Lukas replied. Yoshio raised a solitary finger up.

"My first question is this; if you didn't want to make enemies of Yokai," he paused for a moment; his expression darkening, "then why did you?" He finished.

"What do you-" Lukas' retort was cut short by the blast of the guard's revolver shattering the quiet of the room.

Platina paced back and forth in the alley as she anxiously awaited the arrival of Reese. Her scroll began ringing, and she raised up to see it was Tiffany. She answered the call and raised the scroll to her ear.

"Hey, is Reese with you yet?" Tiffany asked.

"No," Tina sighed, "I don't know where she is. I'm gonna message her in a second."

"Okay, let me know once she gets there." Tiffany replied.

"Yeah, of course."

"Oh, and listen, even from up here, my view of the port isn't great." Tiffany explained. "If anything happens, call me right away."

"All right, I will." Platina affirmed and ended the call. Just then, she heard the signature mechanical whir of Reese's hoverboard. She glanced into the open to see Reese hurrying down the street.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Reese apologized as she sunk into the ally with Tina.

"What kept you?" She asked.

"Well, tonight I learned that Nadir talks in his sleep. I totally thought he was going to wake up if I wasn't careful." She explained. "Nobody saw me though; the whole team's still out."

"Good." Tina nodded as she messaged Tiffany confirmation of Reese being there.

"So, what's the plan with us?" Reese asked.

"I'm gonna do a little sneaking and using my Semblance on whoever's around to gather info. I just need you close by in case I get spotted or something. I'll call you if something happens." She explained.

"Alright, good luck then." Reese nodded. Platina turned to leave, but stopped as Reese called out to her again.

"Hey," she held her hand out for a fist bump, "looks like the Delinquent Duo's back in action."

Tina smiled reminiscently, "It's been way too long." She said as she touched knuckles with Reese, then she broke away from her and quietly crossed the street.

Unlike the last time she was here, the gated entrance was shut and locked. She took Platinum Eclipse and threw the chain over the wall. Using it as a grappling hook, she scaled the brick and hopped into the port.

She slinked behind a metallic crate and peered further inward of the area. No signs of life immediately caught her attention, so she carefully moved inward using the various shipping units as cover. She investigated the upper area of the port further and realized that nobody was there.

"Weird..." Platina thought to herself.

She approached the railing that overlooked the rest of the area and scanned below. Still, no signs of anyone caught her attention. Platina used her kusarigama to quietly lower herself to the lowest part of the port. Her feet gently settled on the ground and she contracted Platinum Eclipse together again. She nervously looked around and still didn't see anyone nearby, so she scuttled a little closer to the river.

"I don't get it," She thought to herself, "why isn't there anyone here? Police? Detectives? Guards? My part of the plan doesn't work if there's no one around."

She noticed two boats secured to the dock in the river, both of which were about 12 feet long and had massive fans affixed to the back of them.

"These gotta belong to someone. Do boats have license plates, like cars?" She wondered.

She carefully moved closer to the airboats and examined them. The backs were barren, but looked like they had a slot where a license plate would belong. Glancing at either side of the boats, she didn't see any identifying markings either.

"These can't just be lying around. This must mean someone's-" Her thought was cut short when she heard a metallic creak just off to her right.

A shadow was cast from a new light in the area, and faint voices apparated with it. Out in the open, Platina quickly searched for a place to hide. She spotted a wooden crate with its lid pried off that was pressed against a larger shipping unit. She quickly dashed over and dove inside. Sitting down in the crate, she shut the lid over her. The voices slowly came within earshot of her as multiple footsteps approached.

"Once again, I apologize for my men and the clean-up." A familiar voice said.

"Not at all, Mr. Lazurite! I'm just doing my duty." Another voice replied.

"Lazurite's here?!" Platina thought to herself, her inner voice in a panic.

"Please, officer, take this as a token of my gratitude." Lazurite continued. There was a faint crinkle of paper.

"I couldn't possibly!" The voice dejected.

"I heard that your son is sick. If nothing else, take this for his sake." Lazurite affirmed.

"It all makes sense now!" Platina realized. "There aren't any guards or police here because they're all on Yokai's payroll!"

"Thank you very much!" The officer took the envelope.

"I have to tell the others." Tina pulled out her scroll and tried to call Reese. Almost immediately, however, the call failed and Tina noticed her scroll strangely indicated that she had no service.

"No service? That shouldn't even be possible this close to the CCT Tower!" She froze in utter bewilderment for a moment. She tried to call Tiffany to no avail.

"You'd better head on home and get some good rest now." Lazurite said. The officer promptly left the area.

"So then," Lazurite continued, "what are our next steps, Coal?"

Platina's nerves ticked when she heard the name. Slowly, she tucked her scroll back into her pocket. For now, all she could do was listen.

"Now is the time for motion." Lukas' brother began. "The City of Vale is the next destination for you and your men. The marina there will harbor your ship nicely."

"I see. What will you do?" Lazurite asked.

"For the time being, my movements are unseen, even by you." Coal dismissed the question. "Once things are set in motion, I'll send you all the information you'll need for what comes next."

"Jackpot." Tina smirked. She began to open her mind to his thoughts, and managed to create a Telepathy link between herself and Coal.

"The flash drive you'll receive will be invaluable to our plan. I know that you will keep it safe." Coal thought to himself; his inner monologue being projected into Platina's mind.

"That's all that I will leave you with for now." Coal stated. There was a thud and a sudden splash of water. Platina knew from her Semblance that he had hopped onto one of the boats.

"Lazurite, I need you to wait here for just a moment longer. You'll be given a signal once it's okay for you to take your leave." Coal finished.

The two exchanged no more words as the engine of the airboat fired up. As he sped off down the river, the sound of the engine grew faint and eventually died off. The pier was silent for a few passing moments.

Platina quietly opened her scroll again, but it still showed that she oddly couldn't contact anyone. She tightened her grip around it in frustration for a moment, until a sudden jolt tipped the box she was hiding in slightly. It leaned back and began moving like it was being carried on a dolly.

"What's going on?" She started questioning. Fear gripped her heart as she wondered why it was being moved, and to where.

Suddenly, the box was shoved on its side, and Platina was flung out of her hiding spot and onto the ground. Towering above her stood Lazurite. He gazed down at her in a menacing light while keeping a tight grip on his naginata.

"I knew one of you would show your face." He muttered.

Platina scuttled back in a panic and placed a hand on Platinum Eclipse. The soft footsteps coming from behind rounded her, and another figure entered her vision. A slightly taller girl wearing dark clothing revealed herself. A black scarf hid the lower half of her face, and under her pierced eyebrows were deep purple eyes that found perches onto Platina.

"Allow me to introduce you to Obsidian." Lazurite began. "The two of you should be around the same age, so you might get along."

A wall of ice formed behind the two Huntsmen as Lukas quickly crouched down and activated his Dust bracer; blocking the shot that came from the guard's firearm. Two more blasts harmlessly ricocheted off the pair's cover as the guard behind them fired off more rounds. Lukas and May glared at Yoshio as they ducked behind the ice wall. The criminal looked daggers at them with bitter eyes.

"Those incompetent assholes let you smuggle Dust in here?!" He growled.

Standing up, he strained his muscles as he pulled against his handcuffs. With a flex of his muscles, the chain shattered and he was freed from the table. Lukas jumped out from his cover and used Chase to teleport to the guard's side in the hallway. He took hold of his firearm hand and swept his legs out from under him. As he fell, Lukas grabbed his head and slammed it into the concrete floor; knocking him unconscious. He reached down and grabbed the security tag from the guard's body, then picked up his revolver.

"May, we have to leave, now!" He shouted back into the room.

May jumped up from her crouched position and quickly lit her fist ablaze; striking Yoshio in the chest and sending him back into his chair. She then quickly turned and ran out of the room. The two students then began to sprint down the hall.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" May panted.

"Obviously!" Lukas shot back.

"Also, what the hell? You didn't tell me you had Dust!"

"Yeah, that's because you would have let it slip."

"Like hell! Nice job 'doing the talking' by the way!" She jabbed at him.

"He knew about us." He replied, "Call the others, they might be in trouble too."

The two of them turned left and continued down another hallway on their path to escape. May pulled out her scroll, tapped on Tiffany's name, and held the device to her ear. Just a short moment later, she stopped running and gave a worried look to Lukas.

"It says it's unable to connect. This place is like a damn cave!" She growled. "Let's hurry."

The two continued forward and took the next right into the final hallway before the exit. They dashed forward before stopping in unison. Ahead of them, they saw no door, only continuing hallways, and at their feet lay an unconscious prison guard. An ominous steel door lay open to their right.

"What? We went the right way, didn't we?" May asked, confused.

Lukas raised the revolver up as he turned into the room. Through the sights, he saw the Yokai member he had been questioning moments before sitting at the same table. May stepped up beside him and balled her fist. Yoshio raised two fingers up as he leaned back in his chair.

"Second question; do you know why I'm really here?" He asked. He waited a short moment, then continued, "I don't mind telling you. I'm only here to delay you with my Semblance. The halls around this room have become a maze; take a wrong turn, and you'll end up back here. If you can navigate the maze and escape, you're free to go."

"Same thing'll happen if we kick your ass, right?" May snarled as she smashed her fist into her palm. A wisp of flame plumed from the impact.

"Maybe," he agreed, "but do you have that time? Because I'm not so sure the girl at the docks with Lazurite does."

Location Notes #3 Upper Mistral Port; Connected to the river that runs down the mountain that the City of Mistral is built on, this port brings countless supplies and commodities into the city. The river then flows back into Lake Matsu, which allows ships to deliver goods to towns like Higanbana. Most things brought in are bought and sold in the Upper Levels, and what little is left trickles down to Mistral Below.