Epilogue: Intro
"This isn't a date. Daisy says she hasn't seen you in a while, so she'd like to catch up on the way to the movies. Now come on, Daisy and Misty are waiting," Gary tried to encourage Tracey.
Tracey gulped. The lab assistant shook like a leaf, "Why do I feel like I might regret this." Gary rolled his eyes and motioned him to follow him into the Cerulean Gym, which stood majestically under the full moon.
Tracey wiped off some sweat that formed on his forehead and let out a deep breath, "Ok, here we go."
Daisy was at the counter, smiling gleefully, when she saw the boys enter. "Oh my gosh, you're here! This is perfect!"
"Hi Daisy, nice to see you too. Where's Misty?" Gary politely greeted then asked about Misty's whereabouts.
"She'll be right down," the blonde-haired girl answered him. Daisy turned her attention to Tracey, who was smiling nervously. "Hi Tracey, it's been a while," Daisy fixed her eyes on him.
"Hi, pretty- I mean, Daisy!" Tracey yelped.
Daisy giggled. "You're funny," the girl stroked her hair to the side.
"Thank you," Tracey timidly laughed. He barely managed to form sentences.
This should be fun, Daisy thought as she kept her eyes on Tracey. She wasn't into nervous boys, but she needed a good man. Tracey looked like the right candidate.
Gary sighed and chuckled under his breath. "Gary!" A voice called out his name. He turned around and saw that it was Misty, who ran up to him and hugged him. The gym leader wore her usual yellow outfit and was in high spirits.
The young Oak stared into Misty's cerulean eyes. "I hope this movie is good," Gary crossed his arms as he admired her.
The gym leader winked at him, "Me too."
Gary turned to Daisy and Tracey. He found Daisy holding Tracey by the arm, which made him sweat more. "Ready?" the brunette asked his friends.
"Like so ready!" Daisy cheered.
Misty sighed when she saw how invasive Daisy was of Tracey's personal space.
"Sorry, I'm about to pull an Ash. Race everyone there. Smell ya later!" Gary obnoxiously said as he ran off to the exit. He laughed at his friends on the way out. When Gary stepped outside, he noticed someone in a black coat observing him from a rooftop. However, he got distracted when Misty shouted at him. When he looked back, the stranger was gone. Weird, he thought.
Misty glared at him, "Wait till I get my hands on you!" In truth, she enjoyed Gary's playful side and ran after him.
"Hey, don't forget about us!" Daisy pulled on Tracey as she chased after them.
Tracey nervously followed her. "Gary, wait!" he pleaded.
Paul stared at the screen with the Pokémon Center's map of Hoenn. Unfortunately, he and Dawn had gotten lost again on their way to Verdanturf Town. "Great," Paul sighed. He swore they were on the correct route but weren't getting where they needed to be.
"Paul!" Dawn suddenly shouted his name.
The serious trainer turned to the blue-haired girl. "What, Dawn?"
"Do you always have to be so grumpy? Sheesh," Dawn rolled her eyes.
"I was trying to see how we can get to Verdanturf Town. You interrupted my thinking," Paul groaned.
Dawn crossed her arms. "For your information, someone was kind enough to give us directions. They said they'd be willing to take us too!"
Paul raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"
"Yeah, hurry up, or he might leave without us!" Dawn unexpectedly grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the Pokémon Center's exit.
Paul felt his face heat up as Dawn pulled on him. This girl, Paul rolled his eyes as he tried his hardest to suppress his blush. Luckily, Dawn was facing away. "What's their name, anyway?" Paul questioned.
"He said it's Steven Stone!" Dawn looked back with a smile and cheery blue eyes.
Drew wandered through the snow-covered forest outside of Snowpoint City with Absol. He was testing his resolve alongside his Pokémon as a form of training. "We're almost back at the campsite, Absol," Drew encouraged his Dark-type.
"Absol," Absol nodded. Fortunately, Absol's white fur coat kept it warm from the elements, and the scythe on its head was useful to cut down the wood Drew was carrying now.
Drew was grateful he had his purple jacket and green gloves to keep him warm. "Luckily, there isn't a blizzard forecasted for the next week, so we should be good. It's nice when the snow doesn't reach your knees," Drew chuckled when he petted Absol's head.
Suddenly, a strong wind rushed through the trees. "Huh?" Drew wondered where the gust came from. The coordinator turned around to find three strangers in black coats with their faces hidden under their hoods. He and Absol immediately took defensive stances. "You've got to be kidding me," Drew cursed his luck.
"Relax, we're one of the good guys," one of the strangers tried to calm Drew. He was male by the sound of his voice.
Drew frowned. "You're friends with the one that has the Lucario?"
"We consider ourselves family, but yes," one of the other strangers replied. Their voice was that of a female.
Absol clenched his teeth as he prepared for anything. Drew put his logs of wood down and crossed his arms. "Then, what are you doing here?"
The leader of the trio stepped forward. He spoke, "We're here to recruit you for something."
Drew lifted his eyebrow. "No offense, but why would I want to partake in anything you do?"
The leader crossed his arms, "Because your friends aren't out of the woods yet." Drew's eyes widened when the man answered.
The room was dark, and two figures sat across each other with a table between them. One of the men slammed his fist on the table and replied aggressively, "Our alliance has caused a split in the organization I worked so hard to build. I should have never agreed to work with a bunch of low-life criminals such as you."
The other man responded calmly, "Your failure should not be Team Rocket's or my personal burden. You're the one who wasn't discreet enough to hide our agenda from your son. Besides, being free from the white lie you told him about Pokémon liberation should make it easier to advance our plan."
Ghetsis came out of the shadows and spoke, "Yes, but now we have N as another enemy on our list. Team Plasma is experiencing discourse. Now half of the organization is siding with him."
"Then we'll just wipe him out. N was going to be a problem sooner or later. His vision doesn't align with ours. N and his Team Plasma will serve as another obstacle. Regardless, we have several Legendary Pokémon under our control that can freeze, shock, or burn him out of the way," Giovanni came out of the shadows and grinned deviously.
Ghetsis calmed down a bit. He began to talk again, "You have a point there. Another thing we should keep in mind is that we outnumber him by tenfold. The numbers of Team Rocket and my Team Plasma will dash N out of the board. It will bring us even closer to our goal." N's father stood up and made a fist.
"Remember who you are working with," an enigmatic figure said when he walked out of the shadows. His face hid under a black hood, and he wore a leather coat that almost reached his ankles.
Giovanni and Ghetsis stared at the figure quietly. The man in black spoke, "Our agenda here is only the beginning of a grander one. What happens over here will matter down the line. N is not our top concern. The larger threat is coming, so we must prepare for it."
"We haven't forgotten, but it's in your interests to keep your end of the bargain. Our organizations didn't sign up for an alliance to help you. Team Rocket is committing acts of terrorism in Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto, and Kanto just to distract the officials from your criminal activity. Due to this, Team Rocket is now the most wanted organization in all four regions." the leader of Team Rocket retorted.
Ghetsis added, "Team Plasma only set out to dominate Unova. Your plan for the world isn't what Team Plasma aimed to accomplish. Our reward should be of high value when we succeed.
The man in black laughed with amusement, "I am a man of my word. Once we execute our plans and succeed, you will get your share of the victory. However, if you fail, we agree you get nothing." Giovanni and Ghetsis hesitantly conceded. They were criminals, but they didn't think of themselves as dishonorable criminals. The mysterious third party continued speaking, "Prepare your men for their next mission, and I'll prepare mine for theirs."
The leaders of Team Rocket and Team Plasma nodded. The mysterious man nodded back, and then he turned around. He vanished like a shadow in the darkness of the room.
A man in a black coat stood on a cliff that overlooked Nuvema Town with his Lucario. It was cloudy, and the only sound was the wind whistling. "They are preparing, Lucario. I can feel it."
Lucario looked at his master and then at the town filled with innocent people.
We will stop them, master. One way or another, the Aura Pokémon assured him.
"Whatever it takes." Lucario's trainer recognized the stakes.
Do you believe they will be ready for what comes? the jackal-like Pokémon asked.
The trainer nodded. "They will have to be. Destiny comes for us all." The man pulled down his hood and revealed a face with sapphire eyes and black raven hair. He smiled confidently, "Nonetheless, I have faith in them no matter what. They represent hope."
Lucario agreed. The pair looked at Nuvema Town. Abruptly, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky with the sound of thunder. The pair disappeared from the cliff after the flash of lightning. The beginning of the end was nigh.