No time for nonsense, Touko. For both of our sakes, behave.

"N," Rosa called, her voice uncertain as she cautiously placed the tip of her right shoe on the gangplank's rusted surface. "How did you—"

"Get on, now!" he snapped, his voice sharp as a whip.

The gangplank creaked under her weight, but Rosa hesitated only a moment longer before her feet were moving, propelled up the rickety stairs to meet her stormy-eyed friend. Christoph's footsteps followed closely behind her.

As they neared the top deck, the sounds of chaos grew louder. N turned his back to the shore, edging closer to the gangplank. In a single fluid motion, he reached for a Pokéball at his belt and tossed it into the air. Red light exploded from the ball, but Rosa didn't have time to see which Pokémon emerged before an enormous burst of flames engulfed the top deck.

An ear-piercing shriek shattered Rosa's eardrums. She stumbled, losing her footing as the metal beneath her moved off the sandy beach to rise in an upright position. Pain seared through her wrists as she landed on them, but then Christoph snatched her around the waist and hauled her back into an upright position before the ache could fully register.

From above, a sharp crack echoed, followed by a burst of orange flame that shot skyward, lighting up the chaos below. Alarmed shouts rang out, accompanied by the heavy drum of hurried footsteps.

Rosa fought to steady herself, stumbling as Christoph propelled her forward. The gangplank tilted beneath them, now angled sharply as they reached the top. With a final burst of effort, her shoes slammed against the metal deck, and they were fully aboard.

Chaos erupted around them. Plasma grunts mixed with vacant-eyed trainers and their Pokémon surged from open doorways, flooding the deck like a swarm of angry ants. They pushed forward, creating a human wall around N in an effort to trap him, cutting off any chance of escape.

But N, standing amidst the turmoil, showed no sign of fear.

From above the rafters, a raging Darmanitan fell and crushed a pair of plasma members standing directly in front of N. Flames roared from its enormous head, and with muscle-bound arms it twirled and landed a giant fist down onto a Cryogonal's back. Its screams were cut off by the dancing fire Darmanitan spewed into its glowing blue eyes.

Panic stirred Rosa to action, and she snatched the pokeball containing Zaveid from her belt. Her team was still tired from the cave, but they had no choice but to fight.

"Ghetsis is onboard somewhere," N shouted. Rosa's hands stilled. "I don't know where this ship is going, but I can't imagine the destination leads anywhere good."

"They filled this boat with brainwashed citizens! Who knows how many trainers are onboard, you can't possibly beat–"

"I am still the king of Team Plasma. I don't plan on being dethroned today. Now go."

With a sharp nod, Rosa snapped Zaveid's Pokéball back onto her belt and threw herself toward the opening that Darmanitan had created. The intense heat from the ape's flamethrower hit her face as the creature blasted into the horde of Koffing and Trubbish swarming to fill the gap.

Just as she surged forward, a gloved hand seized her wrist, but Rosa twisted violently, wrenching her arm free without sparing the young trainer glance. Her eyes were fixed solely on the doorway ahead, the only escape in the uproar.

The last time she'd been on the Plasma frigate, Colress had hauled her from one of the doors that lead down into the right hand side of the ship. What had Hugh endured being kept on the left?

After all this time, what if he was still there?

Another hand caught Rosa around the waist, but Christoph slammed his fist into the attacker's stomach and the man's grip on her slackened. Rosa shoved against him and he fell. They continued through the turmoil until enough of a gap was reached that she was able to throw herself into one of the ajar doors.

Together Rosa and Curtis slammed the door and leaned against it. The familiar scent of rust and sea foam churned her stomach, but she didn't allow her thoughts to stray back to her tiny prison cell.

Ghetsis was ahead. She wouldn't stop until she reached him.

And Hugh.

Finally, Hugh.

The room they'd entered was small, only a long hallway with a large blue rug at the end. A quick glance around told her it was empty, and Rosa sagged against the door. The opposing wall had something strange, though. A panel glowing forest green, making visible the small electric panels sitting on either side of it.

"Warp panels," Christoph explained. "Technology developed by Colress to make navigating faster. For those who know where each panel leads, that is."

"So not us."

A sly grin tugged at his lips. "Not you. I disabled the security systems and staged a rescue on this ship, remember?"

Okay, so his time as a Plasma admin had some uses. She could admit that much. "If you get me to Ghetsis, I'll consider forgiving you for that."

The teasing smile faltered. His expression grew serious, the playful lines around his eyes disappearing. "This panel leads to the second-floor basement. After you."

With that, Rose stepped fully onto the glowing panel and vanished. In an instant the world fell away, turning her senses into darkness. She tried to breathe again but found no air, her innards found their way into pockets where they didn't belong, her eyeballs were forced into the back of her head. She stretched her arms to feel something, anything, familiar. A wall, a door, the ground-

Then she was back on her feet, her lungs expanded, and she doubled over and coughed. Her eyes streamed, and she felt like she'd just been forced through a plastic straw. It was a few seconds before she realized the basement had fallen away. She was now standing in a dimly-lit room with blue panels outlining the walls and plasma crests adorning the metal floors. An electric fence buzzed behind her, and behind it, a door.

A moment later, Rosa grunted as Christoph's heavy body pinned her to the floor.

Beside them, a sharp gasp cut through the air.

"Rosa?"

Rosa's head snapped up from the floor, her gaze meeting the figure looming over them. A Plasma member, their large eyes wide with disbelief, leaned in, pushing their face too close for comfort. The pale, almost ethereal features were striking, and Rosa could tell immediately that if the black hat was removed, a cascade of vibrant red curls would tumble down, brushing the person's shoulders and framing their face.

Rosa tapped Christoph, signaling that it was okay, and then extended her hands to the Plasma member. Without hesitation, Ella yanked her into a tight hug.

"I knew it was you!" Ella exclaimed. "Lord N told me you'd be here soon."

Rosa hugged Ella back, savoring the delicate pine scent of her skin before pulling away to study her face. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you were hiding in Driftveil with Rood."

"I've been waiting for you, of course," Ella replied with a grin. "I told you if you ever needed help dealing with Ghetsis, just call me." Her smile faded into a pout. "Spying is a rotten job, though. All I hear is how horrible Lord N is and how he supposedly betrayed Team Plasma. As if they didn't betray him first!" She sniffed. "I was already onboard when the second earthquake hit, but some Plasma members are acting really strangely. We stopped in Humilau as well. The people who boarded act like they're hypnotized!"

"N's fighting off an army of those trainers by himself as we speak," Christoph interrupted. "We need to get moving."

Ella's grip on Rosa's hands tightened, and she winced.

"Right," Ella said, her eyes flashing. "This electrical panel behind us prevents anyone from reaching the upper floors of the ship. You'll need a card key to enter the password and deactivate the fence. Ghetsis's office is up there."

"Do you know where the keycard is?"

"All members of the Shadow Triad carry one," Christoph said grimly. "Our rooms are on this floor, but we'll have to navigate a maze of pipes to reach them."

"And they're guarded by Plasma members," Ella added.

Great. No sweat.

"And the password?"

"Arceus," Ella and Christoph said at the same time. She finally released her grip on Rosa, but it was only so she could hug herself. "What does that mean for us? Do you know what's going on?"

"Ghetsis is messing with things he doesn't understand," Christoph growled. He reached for a Pokéball and Espeon appeared before him, her large ears alert and the red jewel on her forehead pulsing with energy. "To my brother's rooms."