Night fell.

The skyscrapers of Twinleaf City stabbed into the sky, and the huge full moon looked down on the city, its craters clearly visible.

Lu Ye stepped out of Twinleaf City Airport. A bleak night wind swept past, and there were very few people on the streets.

“They all went home to sleep?” Ash scratched his head.

“There’s a curfew in Twinleaf City recently,” Cynthia explained. “Probably to handle the potential threat from Team Plasma.”

Alice kicked at a pebble with a soft clack. Axew’s little head peeked out from her purple twin tails as she pouted, saying, “Then Grandpa Drayden should be asleep too… we can visit him tomorrow.”

“Let’s stay in Twinleaf City for one night,” Cynthia said with a smile. “I also have a residence here.”

Lu Ye froze for a moment and looked up at the full moon, a bad feeling rising in his chest.

Could it be they’re going to attract the renovation foreman—the Unova-form renovation foreman—again?

Or… have they jumped straight into the next plotline!?

Lu Ye put that thought aside for the moment and glanced at Cynthia in her black coat, feeling a little strange.

She’s even wearing the champion outfit now;

the flags keep getting planted everywhere!

Still… Cynthia in a black coat looked dignified and elegant.

Lu Ye blurted without thinking, “That outfit suits you… very pretty.”

Cynthia lifted a faint smile and rested her hand on her chin. “How pretty?”

“As pretty as Milotic leaping from Lake Valor, scattering ripples and droplets,” Lu Ye replied, hands in his pockets.

A corner of the full moon was hidden by the skyscrapers, like a circle inserted into a fan-shaped surface. Cynthia and Lu Ye stood beneath a tower facing each other;

the moonlight gave the golden-haired beauty a silver halo.

Cynthia said nothing, smiling gently, then looked toward Ash and Alice running ahead and called, “Not that way—over there!”

Thunk thunk thunk—

At that moment.

The whir of rotors and the drone of engines sounded.

Ash skidded to a stop, dumbfounded, and craned his neck;

Pikachu, who had been sprinting, also stopped and turned back.

“Pika?”

“Pikachu, look—look… what’s that!”

Ash tilted his head back at a right angle, swallowed, and pointed toward the corner of a skyscraper.

A pale-blue, massive aerial warship’s head was gradually emerging from behind a building, followed by the wings of the hull. The rotors fanned the air downward, and finally the booster engines at the tail.

The whole of Twinleaf City dimmed as the Plasma Destroyer blocked the moon like a lunar eclipse;

the ship’s shadow was cast over Teacher Lu and Cynthia as they stared up.

Cynthia’s expression turned grave. Her gray eyes fixed on the roaring warship as her golden hair whipped in the night wind.

“Looks like… trouble again,” Cynthia said softly.

That “again” sounded so perfectly apt!

Black fringe whipped in the wind as Lu Ye looked up at the huge craft drifting across the moon, looming over the city like some colossal beast.

Thunk thunk thunk—

The rotors under the wings pushed downward, and the Plasma Destroyer hovered above Twinleaf City like a gigantic creature in the night sky!

Teacher Lu pressed his lips together, his expression odd.

I know this thing…

Team Plasma’s base ship—the Plasma Destroyer!

Darkrai rose slowly from the long shadow Lu Ye cast, stared up at the sky, and said with a complicated look, “We’re not going to… fight that ship, are we?”

At this point, there wasn’t much left to be afraid of.

“All things flying in the sky are enemies.”

Lu Ye took a deep breath, glanced sideways at Darkrai, and smiled, “Congratulations, you answered correctly.”

Thunk thunk thunk—

Under the roar of the rotors.

Darkrai’s expression was complicated.

Meloetta, perched on Teacher Lu’s shoulder, bobbed along to the rhythm: “Melo~”

Haunter craned its head back to stare at the craft.

“Gengarrr~!˚*̥(∗*⁰͈꒨⁰͈)*̥” (So big—and it can fly~!)

Lu Ye looked up at the sky.

“Tonight is bound to be another sleepless night.”

**

Twinleaf City — Interpol, Operations Command.

“Handsome Guy” leaned back in his chair in a brown coat, dozing off, when the noisy telephone ringtone jolted him awake.

“Hello? This is codename ‘Handsome Guy’—can you hear me…”

The middle-aged man wiped sweat from his brow, glanced at the surveillance feed on the big screen, sat up straight, and grinned, “Is that so… those bastards finally showed their faces!”

The monitor showed the gigantic warship, the Plasma Destroyer, so large that it took three split screens to display from bow to stern.

Officer Jenny’s voice over the phone sounded a little excited: “Also… our superior has arrived at the operation site as well.”

“Which superior?”

“Inspector Lu Ye—Teacher Lu!”

She said, “He must have anticipated their move and deliberately chose tonight to arrive in Twinleaf City to deal a heavy blow to Team Plasma!”

“I see.”

‘Handsome Guy’ chuckled. “Interpol can’t afford to lose face either… all squads, take your positions and prepare to move!”

**

Inside the Plasma Destroyer.

“Repeat the mission plan. One of the Seven Sages, Vior, will face off against Gym Leader Drayden. The target is the DNA Splicers in his possession.”

Acerola pushed up her non-reflective glasses, hands behind her back, and said indifferently, “The Dark Iron Triangle will assist Mr. Vior… the others are responsible for rescuing Ghetsis. Any objections?”

Vior narrowed his eyes, wearing the Seven Sages’ robe, and asked Acerola, “Are you sure you can control Kyurem’s power?”

Acerola smiled slightly and glanced back at the giant dragon lying with closed eyes in a sealed container.

Seven or eight tubes connected to the container. Its surface was rimed with frost, and a formalin-like fluid filled the container;

a gray-blue dragon stood submerged, its wings menacing like ice spikes.

This Kyurem was awakened from an ancient relic by Acerola’s scientific methods!

Acerola’s gaze hardened.

Today would be the moment to show the world Kyurem’s power and to demonstrate my genius scientific methods!

“The Dark Iron Triangle… take Mr. Vior and proceed,” she said, pushing up her glasses and looking calmly at the central console and a red button. For a moment her lenses reflected a flash of mania across her face before she resumed her mild, scholarly smile.

“The plan is about to commence.”

Beep beep beep—

Acerola pressed the red button.

In an instant the whole ship vibrated;

Kyurem in the container opened its crimson eyes and unleashed an icy blast.

Energy surged into the emitter;

several tubes connecting to the container exploded one after another, and the fusion continued!

“Kyurem Ice Cannon—FIRE!”

Boom!!

**

Twinleaf City streets.

A salaryman was dazedly leaving work.

Even the curfew didn’t stop him from “voluntarily” working late.

No one truly volunteers for overtime, but extra pay, however small, was welcome. His daughter’s birthday was coming up…

The man in a suit had his white shirt untucked and wandered aimlessly through the streets.

He shook his head and pictured his daughter’s adorable smile.

Suddenly his weariness felt worthwhile and a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

He paused on the street and looked up at the huge full moon.

He remembered a dream at age ten: to become a Trainer.

To set off like a fool, sometimes returning bruised and battered, sometimes sending his small earnings home to his mother…

Now, at thirty, time had flown.

The Trainer ideal had withered, but there was a new “reality” to pursue.

He stared at the moon, lost in thought, when his pupils constricted and he blurted, “A silver—A silver warship!?”

A massive ship hovered before him.

The warship hovered above the buildings, the armor at the bottom opening to reveal metallic cannon barrels.

The barrels drew together a deep-blue beam like converging fusion energy that burst with blinding light!

Boom!!

A violent gale swept through;

air flows rolled.

The man instinctively raised his briefcase to shield his head, sweat cold on his brow, but his eyes were glued to the beam.

An ice-blue beam descended from the sky and struck a landmark skyscraper in Twinleaf City, freezing it solid in an instant!

“That’s…” His voice choked.

That was the building he’d just left!

The man’s breath quickened, his legs trembled as the ice light spread, freezing surrounding buildings as well.

He had to run!

But he also felt a strange mixture of fear and beauty.

The cold front from the frozen world was piercing;

the bitter wind cut through everything.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw an old long-haired dog by the street corner.

Its fur was filthy, one eye blind, and it stood at the leading edge of the cold front, looking up blindly as the ice spread.

He thought of the little Yorkie that had grown up with his daughter, and his body trembled for no reason. He fumbled his suit pockets;

keys and wallet tumbled to the ground.

Clink—

Found it!

He looked at the shrinking Poké Ball in his palm. The memory of being a Trainer surged back like a tide.

His lips went white as he shakily threw the ball and shouted, “Pidgeotto! Use Quick Attack and smash the ice, please!”

“Pii!” The proud Pidgeotto launched in a white flash, its form overlapping with its Tranquill stages of the past.

Thud!!

Pidgeotto stumbled and crashed to the ground, but the ice cracked and splintered!

“U—?” The old long-haired dog turned its cloudy eye and glanced back at the man.

The man went weak in the knees and fell to his hands and knees with a thankful smile. “That’s great…”

“Oh, another Trainer here?”

He looked toward the end of the street.

Under the dim moonlight two masked Team Plasma members stood with mocking expressions.

Liepard and Seismitoad—two cold Pokémon—stood at their side, eyes aglow with controlled crimson light.

“Where did so many Trainers suddenly come from…?” one Plasma member sneered. “This is such a headache… thank goodness for Acerola’s tech.”

“Don’t waste words,” the other raspy voice said. “Hurry and regroup with the others.”

They turned to the kneeling man, holding control devices, grinning, “Your Pokémon look nice… they’re ours now.”

Beep beep!

A button was pressed and a blue signal emitted toward the fallen dog and Pidgeotto;

they struggled in pain.

The man froze, terror making his body tremble.

“Hey, aren’t you a Trainer?” a Plasma member mocked. “Surrender that easily? Weren’t you supposed to fight when eyes meet? This is boring.”

I’m just an ordinary salaryman with a daughter waiting for her dad to come home… please spare me.

He wanted to say that, but he fell silent and bowed his head, his heart pounding in fear. The old memories resurfaced.

But he was right—he was… he was…

The man rose slowly, gripping the Poké Ball tightly, veins standing out at his neck and hands, and shouted, “I am a Trainer!! Bring it on!!”

Clack!

The blue signals that had tortured Pidgeotto and the dog suddenly failed, and both staggered to the man’s side, eyes resolute.

The Plasma members stepped back in shock. “Acerola’s tech—failing?!”

“No.” The other member looked at the still-controlled Seismitoad. “They say a strong will can break the signal, but—whatever, everyone go in together!”

“Pidgeotto—Quick Attack!” the man commanded. “Dog—use… use Tackle!”

They lunged at Liepard and Seismitoad.

Clang!

Seismitoad’s crimson gaze grabbed Pidgeotto by the throat;

Liepard sidestepped and the blade-like swipe felled the dog.

Thud!

In an instant, the outcome was decided.

The man swallowed and looked at the stunned two Plasma members, scratching his head and smiling, “Well, I remember something else I need to do…”

“Shut up!” the Plasma member snapped in anger. “You humiliate us and think you can walk away? What kind of evil organization are we then?”

“Liepard—go crazy claw!”

A sudden laugh cut across the skirmish.

“Meowth—go crazy claw!”

“We’re already in position, meow~”

Meowth’s paws flashed with white light, and to everyone’s surprise it trotted forward toward Liepard and Seismitoad.

Swoosh—

A cold gleam flashed.

Seven or eight white lines bloomed across Liepard and it collapsed with a thud.

Seismitoad gasped and half-kneeling, was kicked down by Jessie.

The turn of events stunned the two Plasma members.

The man stared at the white-uniformed protector in front of him, the big R on its back glaring, and asked, “You… who are you…?”

Clack!

Like a beam of light piercing Twinleaf City’s darkness:

“Since you asked so earnestly,”

“we’ll be merciful and tell you.”

“To prevent the world from being destroyed, to protect world peace,”

“To oppose evil with love and truth, the cute and charming villains!”

“……”

“That’s right meow!”

“Soso~~ nashi!”

The two Plasma members’ faces stiffened.

“You three are the Rocket Trio that sent prime cadres to jail!?”

“Those guys elite? Meow?” Meowth blinked.

“You can see the difference in leadership from their talent pool,” James said, shrugging.

“Cut it out—you surrendered,” Jessie snapped, cracking her knuckles with a sneer. “Or do you want me to deliver you personally?”

The two Plasma members glanced at each other and looked over at the police unit encircling them, their expressions turning strange…

The salaryman breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the old long-haired dog licking his palm.

“You want to go home with me?” he asked.

The dog raised its cloudy eye and its gaze flickered.

“Woof…” The dog shook its head.

“I’m already old, meow. I’d just be trouble for you, so goodbye,” Meowth translated.

The man looked regretful as the dog shuffled off down the road and disappeared from view.

His household couldn’t afford extra expenses;

reality was harsh and the Trainer dream felt distant.

But, at least now…

“I won’t hesitate again!!”

He roared and sprinted toward the dog, then turned back halfway, looking sheepish as he bowed to James, “Uh—sorry… could I borrow a Poké Ball? Just one—I’ll return it, promise!”

James and Jessie exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

Meowth put its hands on its hips and arrogantly said to the captured Plasma members, “Watch and learn meow—Rocket Company is the true evil organization meow—ugh!”

Officer Jenny looked over, puzzled.

James and Jessie clapped a hand over Meowth’s mouth, waving frantically, “It means the real delivery company!”

“Soso~~ nashi!”

…

Night pressed on and much of Twinleaf City froze under crystal ice, with small-scale skirmishes breaking out everywhere.

Delivery workers who normally moved cargo suddenly wore black caps with an R emblem beneath and fought Team Plasma members.

“Muk—shrink and use Toxic, then Venoshock!”

“Zubat—use Supersonic to disorient them!”

The Plasma members frowned and shouted, “Your tactics are filthy!”

A small leader snorted, “Heh, without a soul like you, Plasma wouldn’t understand Rocket Delivery’s creed!”

“Charge together!!”

Elsewhere on the battlefield.

Officer Jenny’s Arcanine howled proudly.

“Arf!!”

Arcanine, using Heart of Justice and Surround tactics, roared up to thirteen thousand physical attack points!!

The small Plasma leader swallowed and croaked, “Hey… this is getting out of hand…”

Officer Jenny swept her green fringe away from her forehead and said icily, “Friends, if you perform well, I’ll get Teacher Lu’s autograph for you!”

At once, Jenny’s squad’s eyes flared like X-rays, their pupils glowing a predatory red—

“Nooo!!”

A howl of agony echoed over Twinleaf City.

Vior, one of the Seven Sages, was preparing to intercept Mayor Drayden and seize the DNA Splicers. He curled a cold smile at the sight.

“Looks like Team Plasma’s plan succeeded splendidly… the rest depends on my performance.”

The entire Twinleaf Gym had already been frozen.

Vior raised his eyes and looked at the white-bearded, suspender-wearing, muscular old man before the gym. “So you knew you couldn’t escape and chose to initiate the challenge yourself, Mayor Drayden?”

Drayden’s lips beneath his white beard trembled;

his brow furrowed, and he had no answer.

“Speechless, are you, Mayor Drayden?”

Vior folded his hands behind his back and squinted at Drayden’s pendant.

“Knowing that the DNA Splicers’ whereabouts were leaked, yet stubbornly remaining in Twinleaf City… your arrogance will be the main reason you fail!”

“Begin!” Vior scoffed. “Dark Iron Triangle!”

Shadows bloomed with crimson light.

The triplet assassins known as the Dark Iron Triangle had the ability to vanish into darkness like ninjutsu. They had infiltrated the Twinleaf Gym beforehand to ambush Mayor Drayden.

Drayden hesitated.

Vior was very pleased with Drayden’s flustered, helpless look, the corners of his mouth curling.

Clap!

Three masked men who had been rendered unconscious were tossed at Vior from the shadows by Darkrai.

Darkrai clapped its hands without a word and glared sideways at Vior.

Vior: “……”

Vior: ???

“Darkrai? How can Sinnoh’s nightmare deity appear here!?” Vior shrieked. “Damn—this is an illusion, right? It must be Zoroark’s illusion!”

Drayden was a humble, amiable white-bearded old man who kept fit with regular wrestling with Ursaring;

his muscles were something to behold.

Now Drayden sighed and said, “Begin, Champion Lu, Champion Cynthia!”

Lu Ye stood on top of a skyscraper, looking down. One hand in his pocket, his shirt fluttered in the wind as he cracked his knuckles.

“Sirfetch’d—Meteor Assault!!”

"Gak!! ᕙ༼°益°༽ᕗ"

At that moment.

Everyone in Twinleaf City looked up at the golden lance falling from the sky.

The blazing light streaked through the night like a meteor.

Even Kyurem’s “Frozen World” could not dim the meteor’s radiance!

“That’s a cadre Pokémon’s move meow!” Meowth blurted in astonishment.

James swallowed. “Cadres keep getting stronger… again and again…”

The man in the brown coat looked up at the spear cutting the heavens.

“It’s not Haunter, and not Blastoise,” ‘Handsome Guy’ said gravely. “That unknown Pokémon… is Teacher Lu’s real trump card!”

Under the gaze of the huge full moon, the lance shimmered and fell from the skyscraper.

“Garchomp—Dragon Rush!”

Compared to that, Garchomp’s special effect was plain and direct.

“Gah!” Garchomp surged with indigo dragon energy and dove like a jet, smashing Vior’s geometric snowflake and crushing it.

At the same time, the blazing Meteor Assault slammed into the ground with a boom, the lance embedding itself and cracking the earth, shattering with a chime and releasing a golden pillar into the sky like a Max Dragon Claw!

Everyone in Twinleaf City watched that unreachable power, mouths dry.

Is this reasonable?

Is this really reasonable!

Lu Ye looked at Sirfetch’d, his expression odd. “Missed?”

“Gah! (´థ౪థ)σ” Sirfetch’d awkwardly nodded.

“Oh well…”

Lu Ye glanced down at Weavile—knocked unconscious by the shock—and felt mixed.

“Same difference.”

Because after the miss, the energy transformed into light and dispersed everywhere;

that explained the golden pillar.

But the effect for that move was outrageously extravagant!

“No wonder it’s Sirfetch’d’s signature move…” Lu Ye thought to himself.

This round, Sirfetch’d and Garchomp both carried the offense;

Pikachu at least did half the output!

Vior stared at the sky in shock and then dropped to his knees, muttering, “Teacher Lu, Cynthia—how are they here…”

Passing by by coincidence?

Don’t be ridiculous!

Vior’s face turned pale as he ground his teeth. “It must be N who leaked the info!”

“Unfortunately, the DNA Splicers will not be given to you.”

Drayden looked up at the Plasma Destroyer in the night sky and said gravely, “There are more important things that need handling.”

“Doesn’t matter…” Vior smiled coldly, “If I want to go, you can’t stop me.”

Vior took out the Acerola Machine;

his face contorted and he crashed toward the ice surface like a cannonball.

Crack—ice shards flew. Vior collapsed unconscious, and the machine clattered to the ground.

Ash looked at his fist in bewilderment. “I didn’t even use that much force…”

Lu Ye watched from above, his pupils tightening and he swallowed.

Vior… wouldn’t end up dead from a simple ‘smart pull’ by Ash, would he?!

“Decided.”

Lu Ye’s gaze hardened. “When we deal with Kyurem, put Ash in the front lines.”

Lu Ye: “Mm, I suddenly feel much better!”

**

Bang!

Acerola slammed her fist on the console, her neck reddening, her face contorted with rage, “Failure? My entire plan failed? How is this possible!!”

The surveillance feed showed a handsome dark-haired young man.

He glanced up with an assured smile as if he’d seen through something.

Teacher Lu… is he mocking me!?

Acerola calmed and let out a deep breath.

Facing me is a professor who studies ancient scripts and a well-rounded Trainer.

“To lose so badly… is not entirely unacceptable…”

Acerola murmured to herself.

Ghetsis’s virtual projection appeared, leaning on his staff and said blandly, “More important than that is how to handle Kyurem. Without the DNA Splicers…”

“Without the DNA Splicers, use science to forcibly develop a fusion device!”

Acerola cut Ghetsis off, pushing up her glasses. “Sorry—my earlier outburst.”

“That experimental fusion device will also be… the key to Team Plasma’s rebirth!”

“Force a fusion device!?” Ghetsis gaped and shook his head. “You are a monster in the scientific field…”

“It would be my honor.”

Acerola’s non-reflective glasses flashed blue. She smiled, “Because there’s only one person in the world who can build a machine to fuse Legendary Pokémon—me, Acerola!”

“You’d better bring Kyurem… to Giant Chasm and find me.”

Ghetsis left the message awkwardly and cut the link.

Acerola looked back at the reviving Kyurem inside the container.

“Controlling a fully revived Kyurem… will be a bit difficult.”

“But… Kyurem, you possess an even greater freezing ability.”

Acerola frantically manipulated the console with a curl at the corner of her mouth.

“Use Frozen World… and freeze the entire Unova region, Kyurem!”

Hum—

Kyurem in the container opened its crimson eyes. The container cracked, but endured the frost to the limit.

Beep beep beep!!

Acerola pressed the red button.

The Plasma Destroyer’s bottom armor opened and the emitter prepared again. The deep-blue surging beam shot down!!

Drayden’s face changed. “This is bad—at this rate the surrounding cities might—”

Lu Ye frowned slightly and looked at Meloetta shivering on his shoulder. She leaned against him and whispered, “Melo…”

Pokémon can catch colds too, and Meloetta’s constitution is relatively fragile.

There are ways to deal with the cold front, but it would take time to bring the three Sinnoh dragons here.

Let Darkrai take point for now…

“Cold?” Lu Ye had already joined Cynthia’s side and took her hand, looking at her snow-pale cheeks flushed from the cold.

Cynthia shook her head and looked up at the giant warship with calm eyes. “We need to stop the cold front and the blizzard first!”

“Achoo!” Alice rubbed her arms and sneezed.

“Are you cold, Alice?” Ash asked.

“Obviously—who wears heavy clothes in summer?” Alice shot back.

Ash grinned, “I’m lightly dressed too but I’m not cold at all!”

Alice: “……”

Lu Ye: “……”

Do you know how to be polite, you idiot?

Rumble rumble—

Drayden hugged his arms and looked up, pupils contracting. “Another aerial warship?!”

Everyone looked up at the blizzard-filled sky where ice crystals fluttered.

A black-and-gold aerial warship contrasted sharply with the deep-blue Plasma Destroyer.

Lu Ye’s eyelid twitched—he recognized it.

It was Team Rocket’s flying warship!

Beside the black-and-gold ship, an orange legendary Pokémon stood out, arms folded and glaring at the raging blizzard.

Going head-to-head with Kyurem would be a stretch…

But with Landorus controlling the weather, calming the blizzard would be effortless!

The Rocket ship’s hatch opened.

Lu Ye squinted from afar.

A crewcut man in a suit stood by the hatch, the R emblem shining on his chest, the usual mocking smirk on his face.

Through the blizzard, Giovanni and Teacher Lu locked eyes, hands in pockets, both looking deadly serious.

Mentor.

Using Landorus to control the weather.

This was Giovanni’s Storm Plan in Unova!

…