The world around me was a field of green and white. Snow crunched loudly under my boots, contrasting with the stark silence the forest presented. Every part of me that wasn't covered had long since gone numb. We had been walking for so long that the snow-covered pine trees all looked the same at this point. A small breeze slipped under my gloves and I shivered.

"Rosa, stop messing with your gloves!" Nate hissed to me.

"Sorry! They just don't fit right," I responded, pulling the slightly oversized pair of black gloves further up my arms for what felt like the tenth time. What was I saying? Nothing about this outfit fit right, even with the readjustments I had Slinky and Charlotte make to it. But at the same time it wasn't exactly made for me in the first place.

"How do you think I feel?" Nate sighed. He had been unfortunate enough to get the uniform of a person that was nearly a foot taller than him. Saying that the uniform had to be modified was an understatement.

"Both of you, be quiet," N said. We shut our mouths and continued walking. As I was hit with yet another gust of wind, I wished that I could still wear my coat.

After N left us behind in the alley, we heard a scuffle going on out in the street. A few minutes later, N returned with three Neo Plasma uniforms he'd "borrowed" and the knowledge of where the organization was hiding out. He put it that, "A little Pidgey told me," and to his credit, there was a Pidgey perched on his shoulder. That same Pidgey was still with us, occasionally chirping random trills that N translated as directions. These directions led us to the outskirts of Lacunosa Town. From what N had told us as of now, we were going to find Neo Plasma's base.

We eventually came upon a rocky slope that cut through the forest like a Hyper Beam. It was like a naturally formed wall, the only entrance being a gaping maw of a hole. Many pairs of footprints, both human and Pokemon, could be seen leading in and out of the hole.

"Thank you, my friend. You may leave now if you wish," N said to the Pidgey. The little Flying-type chirped and took flight, disappearing into the forest. "Here we are. This is the Giant Chasm's entrance," N said, staring into the darkness that lay beyond the cave's opening. "Stay close to me, don't look afraid, and for Arceus' sake, don't remove your masks or say a word. And as a final precaution," Midnus and Luna's eyes flashed green, "try not to make contact with anything living," N finished.

I knew what they had done, they had cast illusions onto us. I noticed that Nate's normally wild brown hair had become straight and smooth with blond highlights. I also saw that his eyes had turned bright green. He actually looked like a different person. If it weren't for the subtle facial details his mask didn't cover, I wouldn't have recognized him. He looked at me and said, "You look weird with black hair and brown eyes, sis."

"Well, you don't exactly look too normal yourself," I replied.

N cleared his throat and we turned to face him. He had cast an illusion for himself, and it seemed like Midnus and Luna had their own disguises. Where Midnus once stood now hovered a Vanillish and Luna had become a Manetric. Seeing Luna made me think of Hilbert's Manetric, Lucy. "Are you two ready to go?" N asked.

"As ready as someone that's about to enter an evil team's stronghold can be," Nate answered.

"Ditto," I said.

"Okay then. Our first order of business is to find Hilbert and the rest of your friends. That way if things go wrong and we get found out, Neo Team Plasma won't be able to use them as leverage against us. Once we find them, we need to track down where they're keeping the Legendries or the Splicers, either one will work. Remember what I told you, and let's get going."

The moment we entered the cave, I was instantly on edge. Two Neo Plasma grunts stood inside on guard and they gazed at us suspiciously.

"State your numbers," one of them said.

"No. 42, No. 38, and No. 44," N said curtly. "Returning from the mission in Opelucid."

The second grunt squinted, and I felt his gaze sweeping up and down me, no doubt examining me. "State your mission," he said to me, not at all convinced of N's lie.

"Search out and obtain Reshiram," I answered as confidently as I could. I had no idea whether I was right or not, I could only wait with bated breath and a hammering heart, praying that I didn't already screw things up. The grunt who had asked me tilted his head, looking pensive. He then, to my utter relief, exchanged a nod with his cohort.

"Fine, you may continue. Lord Ghetsis wants those who participated in the Opelucid mission to head to the Great Cavern for an assembly."

"Does it have to do with the prisoners that were brought in?" Nate asked suddenly. I was shocked at how reckless he was in asking that question. The first grunt's eyes briefly widened by the slightest before he shook his head. My own eyes widened when I realized that he probably knew something.

He knows something about Hugh and the others, can you find out? I asked Bow.

I'm on it, she replied before going silent. West tunnels, first and second alcoves, ice seals. That's all I could get, she said a moment later.

"That's information you don't need to know," the grunt said. N nodded and tried ushering us into the tunnel ahead. However, the grunts blocked our path again.

"Hold up for a moment, we need to do a bag check," the first said.

"Excuse me?" N questioned, his voice dripping with hostility.

"Lord Ghetsis ordered that all who enter the base need to have their belongings searched. Weren't you three at the meeting?"

"Sorry, it just slipped my mind. Bag checks are important, wouldn't want anything... important going unseen." N then reluctantly told us to hand over our packs and we watched as the grunts rifled through them. I prayed that they wouldn't find the Splicer but knew that it would be impossible for them to miss. It was only a matter of time. The inevitable soon occurred and one grunt pulled the remaining DNA Splicer from my bag.

"You have the second Splicer?! Why didn't you tell us?" the first grunt demanded. He gave all of us a look that made me feel like a young child whose terrible secret had been found out. It was funny, considering that he was a member of a group who actually did bad things on a regular basis.

"W-we were going to deliver it straight to Ghet... Lord Ghetsis himself," N stumbled over his words, almost forgetting to call the Neo Plasma leader by his "real" title. "We can still do that if you don't mind," he said in a way that was much faster than how he usually talked. He seemed to be almost panicking, and he wasn't the only one.

"Nonsense! You don't have to do that." The grunt who held the Splicer tossed it to the second. "Take that to Lord Ghetsis right away!" The second grunt nodded sharply and vanished into the darkness of the cave. "The assembly will be commencing shortly, you three should be on your way," the first said, stepping away from us.

"Yes... we will," N said, sounding defeated. He pushed us ahead of him, and we entered the cave system. Once we were far away enough to be out of earshot, he turned to us with a look of fury visible on his mostly-hidden face.

"I can't believe that just happened! In one fell swoop, we lost the one remaining thing keeping Team Plasma from continuing their plan. We haven't even found the others and our own plan is already in pieces!"

"No it isn't! We can still salvage it," Nate answered. "Who cares anyways? We got past!"

"Guys, I know where the others are!" I interrupted the two impatiently. They immediately stopped bickering and waited for me to continue. "West tunnels, first and second alcoves, ice seals," I repeated Bow's words.

"Did Bow tell you that?" Nate asked. I nodded in response.

"I... I thought I heard a Pokémon speaking. Since you understood it, I'm guessing this 'Bow' is a Psychic-type?" N questioned. Like a switch being flicked, his previously angered state was replaced with the eerie calm he had most of the time.

What is this, Twenty Questions? I wondered. "Yes, she is. Now what are we waiting for? We know where they are! We need to search the west tunnels."

         ~*~*~*~

For a place called the Giant Chasm, there was way more cave than chasm. There seemed to be nothing but the endlessly twisting tunnels and the darkness that hid whatever was ahead. As we made our way through the maze-like cave system, it was unnervingly quiet. We only passed a few grunts, and they didn't even bat an eye at us. It felt really strange to be walking around Neo Plasma grunts and not have them attack us. Either the caves were really this expansive, or there weren't as many grunts left alive that I thought there were.

We soon arrived a singular tunnel that stretched straight back into the blackness. Smaller tunnels branched off from the original, mirroring a hallway with many doors, except that unlike a hallway, this one was akin to a freezer. It was like Kyurem itself had been in this section of the cave.

"Do you think those were what Bow meant by 'ice seals?'" Nate asked, pointing farther down the tunnel. I followed his gaze and saw two blue-white walls of ice somewhat sunk into two of the farthest alcoves. White mist plumed from them and I figured those were the cause of the tunnel's chill. We approached them and quickly figured out that we couldn't break them with our hands alone.

"Okay, Plan B," I said, removing a Poké Ball from the belt that had come with the uniform. "Suki, come out." My Mienfoo emerged from the ball and began shivering the moment she set foot on the ground. "I know it's ice, but I need you to use Drain Punch on these walls. Can you do that for me?" Suki nodded firmly despite the cold and brought her clenched fist back, smashing it against the first ice wall with all of her might. Deep cracks spread from the impact but it didn't break. I told her to do it again and this time, her attack shattered the wall, sending huge chunks of ice flying everywhere. I shielded my face just in time to feel a shard strike my right arm which was covering my eyes.

"Nice job, Rosa!" Nate said with what I could guess was a smile.

"That was certainly impressive..." N muttered quietly. "Are you two okay? Were you hit by any of those shards?"

"Well, yes. We're fine though," I answered.

"Those voices... Nate? Rosa? Is that you?" Someone called from the depths of the tunnel Suki had unsealed. There was no mistaking who the voice belonged to.

"Yeah, it's us!" I called back. I heard rapidly approaching footsteps and saw Hugh emerge from the gloom. He didn't look right. His eyes were red and bloodshot and his face was streaked with mostly dried rivulets. It looked like he had been... crying? When he saw us, he froze and took a step back.

"Wait a second, who are you guys?" Hugh asked.

Oh, right! Our illusions. I pulled my mask down and nudged Nate's arm in a way that told him to do the same. Not only would Hugh recognize our faces, but the contact also dropped our illusions. "Now do you know who we are?" I asked.

"It really is you guys! I can't believe it!" Hugh then looked confused. "Why are you wearing Neo Plasma uniforms?"

"It's a long story," Nate said, shaking his head. "Are the others in there with you?"

Hugh nodded. "Hilbert and Bianca are, at least. I don't know what happened to Drayden."

"Hilbert's with you?!" N asked. Midnus and Luna exchanged excited looks.

"I'm sorry, who the heck are you?" Hugh asked warily, crossing his arms.

"I apologize for not introducing myself. My name is N."

"You're named after a letter? O-kay then." I could tell that Hugh thought N was a weirdo. I quickly explained that N was friends with Hilbert and Hugh accepted the explanation reluctantly. N moved past Hugh and progressed deeper into the tunnel.

"What happened to you guys?" Nate asked once N left.

"Isn't it obvious? The Triad happened," Hugh answered. "They knocked us out and sealed us in this cave. I'm glad you got here when you did. Hilbert's been... kind of a mess." He then muttered something else to himself. While I couldn't hear most of it, I caught the words, "So have I."

I remembered that Hilbert had mentioned that he was claustrophobic and wondered how he was holding up. "Is he okay?" I asked.

"See for yourself. It's not like it can get any more crowded in here," Hugh replied sarcastically.

"Your sense of humor is truly astounding," I sighed, pushing past him.

The small tunnel continued for a few more feet before opening up into a rounded "room" of sorts. The roof was only a foot or so above my head, making the already small cavern seem smaller than it really was. N stood with Midnus and Luna near the cavern entrance, all three staring at Hilbert and Bianca who were on the cave's far side. Hilbert was sitting with his back against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them tightly. From what I could see, his face was whiter than a sheet and his glassy eyes seemed to be staring at nothing. Bianca was kneeling beside him, trying desperately to get his attention.

"He's been like that for quite a while now," Hugh said, noticing my staring. "He freaked out the moment he regained conciousness and once he realized that he couldn't even stand upright without hitting the ceiling, let alone leave here, he just sunk to the floor and hasn't moved since. He would've made himself pass out again if Bianca didn't manage to stop him from hyperventilating."

"We haven't seen each other in over two years, and this is how you are when we reunite. Though if it weren't for these events, I'm sure we wouldn't have ever met again," I heard N say in a melancholy tone. Luna barked something and N nodded in response. A second later, all three of their illusions faded.

   Bianca saw this happen and said emotionlessly, "It's you.." She trailed off after uttering those words.

"Hello, Bianca. Do you think that I could help you there? Perhaps I could get him to respond," N offered gently. Bianca nodded and moved away from Hilbert, standing up as she did so. N removed both his mask and hat and kneeled down in front of Hilbert. "Hilbert? Do you remember me? It's me, Natural."

Natural? Was that N's real name? While it still sounded like an odd name, it sounded more normal than "N."

"Come on, Hilbert. Please answer me. Luna and Midnus are here too, we're all here." N again tried to coax his friend, trying to get him to respond. When he didn't get an answer, he kept trying.

"He hasn't responded to a thing I've said. He doesn't even seem to notice that anyone's there," Bianca said. N ignored her and kept talking. He seemed reluctant to give up, even when he continued to get nothing but silence from Hilbert.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Hilbert reacted to N's words. He looked up to meet N's gaze, his eyes struggling to focus on the person that was right in front of him."... Natural?" he muttered confusedly. He blinked a few times, the cloudiness leaving his gaze. It was like he was coming out of a trance, one that was self-induced. His eyes then widened and he let out a gasp of shock. "Natural, it's really you!"

N smiled. "It's nice to see you again, my friend."

"This can't be real! I'm dreaming, aren't I?" Hilbert said, unsure.

"Do you think this is a dream?" N asked. Hilbert furiously shook his head and practically threw himself at N, embracing him.

"I've looked for you for two years! Following reports of strangely strong fires or rumors of someone that spoke with Pokémon... I chased every lead possible, and I could never find you!" Hilbert said.

"I never wanted you to find me. I told you that I wanted to traverse this world with no one but my partners. Why did you come after me?" N asked, sounding surprised.

"Because I never wanted you to leave in the first place! Because I missed you! Because you're my best friend! How many more reasons do you want me to list?!" I was shocked to see that Hilbert was beginning to cry. It reminded me all too much of when he and Bianca reunited in Lentimas Town.

"You honestly cared about me that much?"

"Cared? Cared?! I still care about you, you idiot!" Hilbert sobbed, not caring that he was crying. "Why would I search the entire world for you if I didn't care?"

N looked as if he was about to say something, but he took it back at the last second. He closed his eyes and sighed, as if contemplating his next response. Instead of talking right away, he returned Hilbert's embrace. He then said somewhat shakily, "I'm... I'm sorry, Hilbert."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The song used for this chapter was arranged and posted on YouTube by GlitchxCity. All credit goes to her for her amazing remix.