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"Let's try to beat the sunset! Race you there!" Touko called out to her companion as she began to run along the giant bridge connecting to Hiun City.

Touya smirked as he began to run after her. "Fine! But you know I'll win!"

"Whatever! Loser buys the other ice cream!"

The girl's thick brown hair swayed behind her as she ran along the Sky Arrow Bridge. However, it did not take Touya too long to catch up to her and soon overtake her. They laughed, losing their breath at almost halfway across the bridge.

"Jeez, this bridge is longer than I expected," Touko complained as she stopped and rested her hands on her knees, regaining her breath.

Touya grinned triumphantly, although he was tired as well. "Fine. I'll save you the trouble of losing this race," he teased. "I'll get the ice cream when we get there."

Touko smiled as she stood back up straight. "We can split it. But let's just walk the rest of the way there so we aren't tired."

As they walked together along the upper pedestrian part of the bridge, the sunset gave everything an orange hue; reflecting off the ocean and making it glimmer. They could see the silhouettes of the massive skyscrapers of Hiun City slowly expanding the longer they walked.

"Such a pretty sight, isn't it?" Touko asked as she smiled and looked up at him.

The light gave the girl's light blue eyes an enchanting glow and made her brown hair curls, ruffled from the race, seem even more radiant. Touya was lost in words at first, staring into her crystal blue orbs with amazement. "…Uh, yeah. Yeah, it is," he finally answered, but then quickly looked away.

They walked in silence, enjoying each other's company. Touya's heart was hammering away, and he felt the need to break what he thought was an awkward silence. He suddenly pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed, "Man! I can't wait to get there! I've always dreamed of going to the big city!"

Touko giggled at his sudden burst. "Yeah, it'll be an interesting change from our small town. I wonder what it'll be like."

"Awesome, that's what."

They both laughed and talked of stories about what they heard of the city until they were actually there. Touko looked straight up, trying to see the top of a skyscraper. Touya laughed.

"You're not gonna see the top of that thing unless you get on another skyscraper yourself."

"Put that on the To Do list, then!" she teased. "Now, how do we get to that famous ice cream parlor everyone talks about?"

Touya spotted a map on the side of the street. They examined it, using the key to find places they felt were worth seeing. Among them was a café, Central Area Park, and the dock. "Well, there's Hiun Ice on Slim Street," Touya said pointing to its spot on the map. "Heh, funny to have an ice cream vendor on a street named like that."

Touko laughed. "I know, right?"

They began to walk on the main street, constantly being pushed and bumped into by the bustling crowd. Despite it being nighttime, it did not seem to affect the city life. In fact, it seemed livelier with all the building lights and cars. Even though Slim Street was only a short distance from where they entered the city, getting through the crowd made them take quite longer than they expected.

On Slim Street, it was still pretty crowded and there was a huge mob waiting at the Hiun Ice. The two trainers sulked as they saw all the people there.

"I guess we can try and get some tomorrow or something," Touko said disappointedly.

"Sorry, Touko. Well, why don't we just go hang out at that Central Area Park? It'll be nice to relax after taking in such busy place." He put his arm around her shoulder so as to console her as they walked to the park. Luckily, the park was easy to get to since it was located in the very center of the city and thus could be entered in through any side street.

There was a big fountain in the middle and not too many people since it was dark and starting to get cold. Touya held out two coins. "Wanna make a wish?"

Touko smiled as she nodded, grabbing one of the coins and pausing for a moment, then throwing it into the water. Touya did the same.

"So, what did you wish for?" Touko asked.

Touya blushed, getting flustered. "Hey! I can't tell you, nosy! It won't come true that way!"
Touko laughed. "I know, I was just testing!"

They sat down on the fountain's edge, relaxing and enjoying the light mist from the water. After awhile, the girl shivered, rubbing her arms together for warmth. Touya took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He smiled back, feeling warm despite taking off his jacket. But after a long, perfect silence, she shivered once more. He looked at her, seeing that the jacket wasn't enough. "Come on, let's try and find that café."

As they got up, Touko took off the jacket and held it out to him. "Thanks, again."

"No, you can wear it. It's fine," he said earnestly.

"Heh, I don't know how many times I say thanks, but well, thanks." She laughed and put the jacket back on as they walked onward.

They went down a different street trying to get to the café, but ended up in a dark alleyway. It was messy, full of dumpsters and trash; certainly not the glamorous side of the city.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Touko asked, getting nervous.

"I only looked at that map once! I can't remember every street! I'm sure it's just on the other side of this. It's a shortcut."

Taking cautious steps, they walked through the narrow alley, dead quiet and afraid to take a breath. Suddenly, the dumpster started to shake and clang. Touko shrieked as a man came out and grabbed her.

"No! Let go of her!" Touya yelled.

The thug was nearly twice his size and contained over three times the muscle. He spoke in a deep voice with a smirk. "Aww, is this one yours? Well finder's keepers, kiddo."

Touya thought desperately at what he could do to rescue Touko. His Pokémon were too weak from all the battles before they got here. He could not possibly fight against him man on man either. Touko stared at him with wide and innocent eyes, scared and full of tears. "H-how much do I have to pay for her?"

The thug smirked. "Seven hundred."

"Deal." He had plenty of money from winning a lot of battles and was willing to spend all of it for her.
His hand shook as he held out the money. The thug laughed and snatched it from him, shoving the money in his jacket pocket. But instead of letting Touko go, he gave Touya a rough punch in the stomach and ran off. Touya doubled over, his breath knocked out of him. Through the pain, he heard Touko scream his name, bawling as the man took her away.

Holding his stomach in pain, Touya slowly got up and staggered in their direction. He turned a corner and saw a van screech and speed off, his jacket thrown aside in the mud. He picked it up and gripped it until his hands shook. Tears started to form as he gritted his teeth. "No…Touko…Touko!" he screamed as he ran after the van.

But the van was already out of sight. Touya ran onto the main street, looking around at all the cars, but spotted no trace of the right one. He shoved through the crowd and looked for the thug, the van, or Touko. But everyone was so busy in their normal flow so he could not spot them. He searched around every spot in the city until it was almost midnight. His legs were shaking so badly that he had to stop. He ended up at the fountain where they had shared their moment just a few hours before. His legs collapsed and he sat on the ground, hugging his knees and burying his head, sobbing. "Oh, it's hopeless…I'm sorry, Touko…so sorry…"

After awhile, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He peered up to see a man not much older than him with long, green hair and matching green eyes. He wore a trainer hat and attire, only he had a menger sponge hanging from a chain on his belt.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concerned eyes.

"No, he…he took her…" Touya sputtered.

"Ah, there is a lot of crime lately. Luckily, I have a hunch where they might have taken her. There are rumors about abductors." The man looked off into the space, seemingly enchanted by something. "I think they call themselves Team Plasma. They go after the unlucky souls who happen to venture into the darker parts of the city." He took a moment to sigh. "It's like humanity is just spiraling down to destroy itself, leaving Pokémon to their peace."

Touya stopped crying and looked up at the other attentively, confused and uneasy from his words. The other looked down at him and smiled. "Oh, but those are just the rumors. Come on, let's go find her!" He held out his hand. Touya slowly took it and was pulled up off the ground. The strange man began to run, and although Touya did not fully trust him, he had no other alternative but to follow him.

They reached the very far southern part of the city, right by the docks. The green-haired man stood in front of an ominous warehouse, smiling. "This is the last place they were caught."

Touya eyed him suspiciously. "And how do you know that?"

The other smirked. "The news. Also," he said as he held out his hand. "My name is N."

"N? What kind of a name is that?" Touya asked, gazing at the other's hand and refusing to shake it.

N laughed and put his hand down. "I get that a lot. If I were to tell people my real name, why, then I would just end up giving myself away. In truth, I want to make the world a better place. But to do it well, I can't have people knowing who I really am. Got it?"

Touya nodded. "So you'll help me get her back."

"Well," he shrugged. "It's not a guarantee, but I can try. The best lead we have is this warehouse."
N stepped forth and opened the door, revealing a dark, empty warehouse with dusty machinery. "It's dark, you should stay close," he whispered as he held to the other boy's arm.

Touya was taken aback by the gesture. "Hey, uh—"

"Shh!"

Two men stood behind a wood cutter machine, talking in low voices. N and Touya slowly crept behind the machine, listening in.

"I don't see why we have to keep her safe," a tall, well-built man complained.

The other was a younger woman, standing with her hands on her hips. "Boss orders. Said he could use her in the team. Said she shares the same passion he does or something lame like that."

"Yeah, I would sure like her to do some guard duty with me," the other said with a dreamy smile.

The girl scowled and punched him in the arm. "Well, right now you're stuck with me."

Touya sighed in relief with the knowledge of Touko's safety. His fear was replaced with a burning determination to save her from Team Plasma's recruitment. "Come on, let's jump them," he whispered sternly.

N nodded, and they both jumped out from their hiding spot. "Hey!" Touya yelled.

The two goons sprinted off, escaping through another door in the back. Touya and N followed them outside, but then saw that they have split off. "You follow the girl, and I'll go after the guy," N said before running in the other direction. Touya dashed after the girl, anger giving him a boost of speed.
It wasn't long until Touya caught up to her. He grabbed her by the arm and pinned her to the wall of the building.

"Tell me where she is!" he demanded.

The girl laughed. "Relax, she's fine. But I think you should've followed the other guy instead. Would've been taken straight to her."

Touya, enraged by her teasing, twisted her arm. She grunted in pain. "Where are they?" he screamed at her.

The girl smiled faintly. "What. N didn't tell you?"

Touya froze. His grip loosened. The Team Plasma goon took this chance to elbow him in the cheek and run off. Touya did not even feel the pain from that blow. Filled with anger, he stomped his foot on the ground. "Dammit, why…I knew I shouldn't have trusted him…why am I so stupid?"

Meanwhile, Touko still lay in the van, arms and legs bound and her mouth tied shut. Her eyes stung from tears and she struggled to even find hope. It has been too long and there was no way for Touya to find her. Her stomach churned at the very thought of what her kidnappers were going to do to her. They hadn't said one word to her as they drove, and that only made her even more uneasy.
Suddenly, the van screeched to a stop. She heard the front doors open and shut and waited for the thugs to just open the back door and do away with her.

A few silent minutes passed. She heard muffled noises but couldn't make out what was happening. The back door opened, but it was not her captor or the driver. Instead, it was another trainer with long green hair and a cube hanging from his pants. He untied her with an expressionless face. Touko rubbed her wrist since the rope had left her painful red welts. "Thank you," she said softly, still scared and shaking.

The man smiled down at her and picked up her hat from the van floor, handing it to her. "Are you alright?"

Touko slowly stepped out of the van and looked around, seeing that the two men were lying on the floor unconscious.

"Come on, this isn't a place for you to be," the young man said as he took her hand and led her to another street.

Still traumatized by how close she was to a horrible fate, she flung herself to the man, hugging him and sobbing. He held her and rubbed her back to comfort her. "Thank you," she said in a small, muffled voice. "Thank you so much."

After awhile, Touko began to calm down. She stopped crying and looked up into his light green eyes, feeling a sense of warmth and security. "How, how did you find me?"

He smiled. "Well, you see, I am a part of this secret order. We try to make the world a better place for people and Pokémon. I was searching around to see if there was any trouble, and I saw you get kidnapped."

Touko gasped as she remembered the scene and Touya. "What about the boy I was with? Where is he?"

"I'll take you to him," he said softly as he motioned for her to follow. "You know, our team thinks you and your friend would be wonderful members."

"Oh, well…it would be nice to save people from those horrible people." She walked slowly next to him. "What's your team called?"

"Plasma," he answered.

Her eyes widened. "Team Plasma? Isn't that a horrible group trying to separate Pokémon and humans?"

"That's just the media trying to give us a bad name. We want to purify the world, giving freedom and peace to both Pokémon and humans. Look at this city, this world full of crime and horrible people. Will you help us stop it?"

Touko nodded without hesitation. "I'll get my friend to join, too. We'll help you out!"

"Good," he said with a grin. "Now, one of my members has taken your friend to the docks. It's straight along this street." He began to turn to leave.

"Wait, where are you going? You didn't even tell me your name!"

He turned back with a smile. "It's N." He swiftly turned back around and began to walk off.

"Don't leave! How will we see you and the rest of the team?"

N waved his hand in the air. "Oh, don't worry about that. We'll bump into each other again."

Touko watched him until he disappeared into the darkness, already feeling alone. She turned and ran the way he told her, ending up at the docks. There, Touya was pacing on the pier.

"That girl said she would be here with N. Oh, this is hopeless, I can't keep waiting like this," Touya muttered to himself.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice call his name. He looked and saw Touko running towards him, gleaming with joy. "Touko!" he called in rejoice and ran to her, hugging her in a firm and loving grip. "How did you escape? Man, I was so worried! Are you alright?"

She smiled up at him and nodded. "Yes, thanks to N. He's a member of Team Plasma."

"What? He's the one who had you kidnapped! The Team Plasma goon who brought me here told me that he was going to bring you here in exchange for something."

"That person must have been one of the thugs. N saved me and knocked out the guys who kidnapped me! Team Plasma fights for purity and saving people in need. You should join with me!"

"Are you crazy? N is a horrible person! We're definitely not joining that group!"

Touko gripped his arms and pleaded, "Please, Touya. That group saves lives! Tell me, why would N save me if he kidnapped me?"

"He only did that to try and act like a hero and get you to join! Touko, we can't trust him!"

"Maybe you can't trust him, but I can. I'm joining and you can't stop me." She crossed her arms and glared at him.

Feeling hurt by her stare, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Touko…Look, I don't like this, but I guess I have no choice but to join too, if you're joining. If something happens, then at least I'll be there with you."

She smiled up at him and hugged him. "I knew you would join!"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, come on. It's freezing. We should rest up at the Pokémon Center."

As they walked off, N looked down at them as he sat on the top ledge of the building above them. He smirked as he watched them.

"Just as planned."