Their train pulled into Manehattan Central Station a couple hours later. "Okay girls. Cadence said our reservation is at the Grand Mareiott hotel. Does anypony know where that is?" Twilight had never been to Manehattan before, and had forgotten to get a map.
"My business has taken me to the city on a few occasions before." Rarity answered. "I am at least a bit familiar with the area. It's rather close to Bridleway."
Twilight re-read her instructions. "Cadence said our job is at the building of Silph Co. Do you know where that is?"
Rarity shrugged. "Unfortunately, no. The life of a fashionista doesn't bring a mare to a science company too frequently."
Twilight grimaced. "Then we'll have to get directions." Cadence had specifically told them not to speak of their job to anypony, but surely only asking for directions couldn't hurt. She'd just ask the concierge at the hotel.
Rarity led the group down the bustling streets of Manehattan, pointing out theaters, fashion retailers, upscale pokémon boutiques, and more. "I'll have to make a day sometime for Gardevoir and I." She mused.
The hotel was located just a couple blocks from the upscale theaters that made up Bridleway. The interior was enough to put them all, even Rarity, into awe. The lobby defined grandeur, with large chandeliers, lavish carpets, and even a fountain with twin statues of Latias and Latios in it. "Welcome to the Grand Mareiott Hotel." The handsomely dressed stallion at the desk smiled. "Do you have a reservation?"
"Yes, I believe it's for 'Sparkle'." Twilight answered.
The stallion looked over his guest book, scanning the pages for the name. He was preparing to inform Twilight that the name was not in the book when his absentmindedly scanned the bottom of the ledger- the suite usually reserved for royalty. "Y-you're here on royal business?" He stammered.
"That's right." Twilight smiled. "We're here to-" She stopped herself after Rainbow nudged her in the ribs. "We're here to pick up a pokémon for Princess Cadence from the shelter."
The stallion gave her a key. "My apologies milady. I hadn't taken you for envoys from the Princess."
"We aren't, well not exactly." Twilight explained with a good-natured laugh. "Just doing a favor for an old friend."
Their room was located all the way on the hotel's twentieth floor, with a commanding view of the city. Twilight could see for miles, off to city park from one window, and could see the bustling streets of Bridleway from the other. She placed her backpack down on one of the beds and looked to the clock on the wall. It read 3:30. She winced. That left her just thirty minutes to get to Silph Co. and retrieve the Master Ball. "Girls, we need to go, now!" She said in a panic. Everypony quickly made themselves ready, and after locking the door, they darted into the elevator to get back to the ground floor.
Twilight winced again. She still had no idea where the building was located. While Cadence had warned her not to mention it to anypony, she knew she would need to ask for directions in order to find her way there. Silph Co. sells things, right? Surely they'd think I was just shopping. No harm in asking, right? She approached the desk uneasily, and rang the bell for an attendant.
The pony that came out was different than the stallion who checked them in. "Hello, may I help you?" Asked the orange mare with a cordial grin.
"Yes, can you please tell us where to find the Silph Co. building?" Twilight asked, trying trying desperately hard not to sound nervous.
With an exaggerated nod, she pulled a map out from a drawer in the desk. "Of course. You'll make a left out of the hotel, and continue until you find Coltfield Avenue. Make a right onto Trottingham and you'll be there."
"Thank you so much!" Twilight took the map and galloped out the door, with her friends in tow. Manehattan traffic was notoriously bad around this hour, and she did not want to risk missing the drop.
The mare at the desk smiled wickedly as the six left. She causally sauntered into the back, where the real attendant was tied up and gagged in a corner. She pulled off the hat of her hotel uniform, allowing a huge orange mane to puff out. "Thank you for your help." She taunted, walking out back and removing the rest of the red uniform to unveil the Team Umbra black beneath it.
There was a radio transceiver tucked into her uniform. "Aria." She spoke into it, "The targets are en route to your position. Are you and Sonata in position?"
"Affirmative." Came the response. There was dead silence for a minute until Adagio heard a loud thump followed by the sound of Sonata's whining. "I said no pretzels until we have the goods."
"Aww…" She moaned.
"Listen to me, you idiots." Adagio growled, "If you mess this up, the boss will make sure this is the last mission we ever live to see. As Admins of Team Umbra, we're the best qualified to do this job. Now, remember-"
"-Take the goods to the hideout, we know." Aria finished. "We've been over the plan. Just leave it to me."
"Don't fail me." Adagio rasped before finally silencing the radio. She darted off into the shadows, eager to make her way back to their hidden base in the city. Hopefully she would be have good news to deliver to the boss.
* * *
Let's hope that bellhop's directions were right. Twilight thought as she raced through the streets of Manehattan. She and her friends were cutting it close on time, and each delay caused by crossing signals made her anxiety build up even more.
Finally, the imposing tower of Silph Co. came into view in the distance. They would make it, if with minutes to spare. Twilight quickened her pace in an effort to make sure she would be in front of the building with a couple minutes to spare.
She came to a halt on the sidewalk in front of the building just as the clock on the corner struck 3:58. She allowed herself an exhausted sigh and composed herself to await the delivery. The package would be passed on quickly, and stowed into Twilight's bag. The Master Ball wouldn't leave Twilight's side until they were safely in Canterlot the following morning, where it would be swapped for a bright shiny new pokédex. After she had the ball, she would be free to do whatever until the following day, which would probably mean dinner and a museum before going to bed.
At precisely four, an inconspicuous pony came walking out of the building, clutching a box. He looked Twilight's way, and with a subtle nod came walking her way. They avoided direct eye contact, but as he passed her he bumped into her, stealthily transferring the box into her hooves as he continued down the path. Oh, he's good. Twilight smiled.
Her friends had spread out around the street to avoid drawing attention. She could see Rarity and Fluttershy looking in storefronts, and Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow all in line at a pretzel cart. Twilight shrugged and went to join them, preparing to store the box away in her bag.
"Staaaaaaaaaaaaar," Screamed a huge bird pokémon as it swooped down and snatched her box. Twilight turned in terror to see a massive Staraptor clutching the box containing the Master Ball in its talons. It carried the box across the avenue, towards two mares, one with a pastel blue coat and the other a light violet. The bluish mare, who had one long ponytail, stuck her tongue out at the six before being yanked off by the other, dropping her pretzel as she was pulled.
"Girls, we have to follow them!" Twilight cried. They took off after the mares, who had recalled their avian pokémon and took off down the street.
Rainbow Dash wasn't going to let them get away. "Follow 'em Pidgeotto!" She shouted. Pidgeotto took to the sky in pursuit of the thieves. Twilight and company followed on the ground, trying to keep up with their quarry and Pidgeotto. They quickly lost sight of the two thieves, but they kept their eyes trained on Pidgeotto, hoping Dash's partner would not lead them astray.
Pidgeotto eventually stopped flying, descending to meet the group in an alley behind a large casino. "This where they went Pidgeotto?" Rainbow asked, panting.
Pidgeotto nodded, gesturing a wing towards a loose grate on the edge of the building.
Rainbow smiled. "Good work girl." She rustled her feathers with a gentle hoof, and she and Twilight stepped forward to inspect the metal grille on the wall. With a gentle push it opened, allowing them to peer inside. The interior was pitch dark, but Twilight trusted in Pidgeotto's sharp eyes. With an apprehensive sigh, she lowered herself into the darkness. She needed to retrieve the Master Ball at any cost.
Rainbow and Applejack followed suit, and the others followed behind. They drop put them six or so feet beneath the grate, into what appeared to be the casino's crawlspace. "You think those guys were with Team Umbra Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to keep her voice down to a whisper.
"I know it." Twilight answered back. She had no idea how they had caught wind of the Master Ball, but that didn't matter anymore. She had to get that Master Ball back, otherwise Team Umbra could cause unfathomable disaster with whatever legendary pokémon they chose to use it on.
The crawlspace seemed to go on forever, only exacerbated by the darkness that shrouded the area. This time, Applejack dared not use Flaafy for light, for fear of being spotted and captured. They groped their way around in the dark, until finally Pinkie's hoof found a door.
They pushed it open with great caution, trying to keep the old hinges from squeaking. They found themselves in the basement of the casino. Amid several unused poker and roulette tables, crates of chips and palettes of new decks of cards, were Team Umbra banners. They had officially entered the nefarious organization's hideout.
A voice from off to the left sent all of them scurrying for a hiding spot, beneath one of the unused tables, the top of which was covered in empty cans and the remains of tacos. The two thieves came in, joined by another, who Twilight recognized as the bellhop who had given them directions in the hotel. Each of them wore a sleek black Team Umbra uniform, but the blue scarves affixed around their necks denoted them as Admins.
"Good work girls." The phony bellhop smiled. "The boss will be delighted once he has this in his hooves."
The violet one, who had commanded the Staraptor who had stolen the box, replied with a bitter edge in her voice. "Yeah, just don't forget to mention who stole it."
"We can all tell him." The first one groaned. "Look, let's just wait with the ball while we wait for our ride, okay?" The other two murmured their agreement, and they all walked off to protect their ill-gotten gains.
Twilight pulled her friends in for a huddle. "Okay girls, we need to get that ball back." She said with an edge of urgency in her voice. "Normally I would suggest we battle them, but if we lose we could be in a world of trouble."
"What if we use that battle as a distraction?" Rarity offered. "If we were to get them preoccupied with a battle, somepony else could use the distraction to get the ball back."
"Rarity, you're brilliant!" Twilight said with a smile. "So who's going to fight them?"
Rainbow Dash proudly raised a hoof. "I volunteer!" She declared.
"Me too." Applejack added firmly.
Twilight smiled. "Couldn't ask for better trainers at my side. Fluttershy, think you could grab the ball?"
Fluttershy's pupils shrunk to the size on pinpricks. "M-m-me?" She stammered. "I-I couldn't…"
"C'mon Fluttershy, think how many pokémon they could hurt with that there Master Ball!" Applejack reminded.
"Besides, nopony is as quiet as you. I bet they wouldn't even notice you until we were gone!" Pinkie gleefully added.
"Oh alright…" She finally conceded. "For the poor innocent pokémon. I wouldn't want Team Umbra to use Groudon to dry up the oceans and leave all the poor water pokémon without a home…"
Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack each prepared their pokémon. Fluttershy stuck to the shadows behind them while Rarity and Pinkie made sure their escape route remained clear. For their plan to work they would need to distract all three of them with a battle at the same time. Twilight was nervous. She had never experienced a triple battle before. She steeled herself and reminded herself winning wasn't the goal. We just have to keep them distracted long enough for Fluttershy to grab the Master Ball. So long as they could get all of the Umbra Admins to fight, they would be able to pull off their plan.
Twilight walked into the room, trying to muster up her courage, where all three stood surrounding a broken card table with the master ball sitting on it. A bank of computers stood in the corner, casting a light glow, but most of the light came from the large strip lights along the ceiling. Twilight steeled herself. She tried to channel her anger at Team Umbra, and her burning desire to accomplish the job Cadence gave her turned into a rock hard exterior. "You have something of mine." She said with a snarl. "Give it back."
"Or what?" The violet mare jeered. "Is somepony gonna go crying to the professor?"
Twilight held out her pokéball towards the three admins. "I am a pokémon trainer, and I challenge you to a battle."
"Fine." The leader sighed. "Sonata, take care of this."
The blue mare was getting up when Twilight spoke again."No. We challenge you to a triple battle."
"Fine." The leader said disinterestedly. "But if we win, those pokémon of yours are ours." Her snake-like eyes scanned the room. "Say, weren't there more of you twerps?"
Twilight swallowed. "None of them are trainers." She bluffed. "It wasn't safe for them to come here."
"Won't be much safer for you." The violet mare growled.
"Oh hush Aria." The leader cooed. "Fine then. I, Commander Adagio Dazzle of Team Umbra, accept your challenge. Aria, Sonata, let's put the hurt on these poor fillies."
"With pleasure!" The two cheered.
Both sides squared off on opposite sides of the room. The space was rather confined, and a battle here would be a hectic affair. Each of the commanders held their own pokéball. All at once, they released their pokémon.
"Come forth, Flareon!" Adagio yelled.
"Let's mess 'em up Jolteon!" Aria growled.
"Vaporeon, let's go!" Sonata smiled. The three evolutions of Eevee stood in a line, glaring at their opponents. Twilight was tempted to play their game and meet them with Espeon, but she opted to stick with her plan.
"C'mon, Ivysaur!" She yelled.
Rainbow Dash tossed her pokéball. "Slowpoke, I choose you!"
"Let's get 'em Phanpy!" Applejack yelled. Six pokémon now lined the room. Fluttershy would have to find an opening to sneak through, not only avoiding Adagio and her partners' sight, but also the attacks of six different pokémon.
* * *
Fluttershy had hidden herself in a cardboard box, which she could use to inch her way toward the unguarded Master Ball without being spotted. She could even use the slit in the side as a small viewport to watch where she was going. However, avoiding all six of the combatants and the eyes of the three Umbra Admins would not be easy, especially considering that both her sides were blind spots. Fluttershy had managed to scoot her way to the corner of the room when the fighting started. Then things became difficult.
Although she couldn't see the entire battle from within her box, Fluttershy was at least able to guess what was going on by listening to the voices of her friends and their foes. Although getting hit by any of the pokémon could be disastrous, Flareon was the most dangerous. A single hit from an errant fire attack would leave her without cover, and even assuming she didn't get burnt, her cover would most likely be blown and their only chance to retrieve the Master Ball would be lost. For the pokémon. She thought. Letting Team Umbra get their hooves on a legendary pokémon put the lives of every single poor wild pokémon in Equestria in danger. The thought of a baby Pancham drowning in a flood or sucked into another world was all the motivation she needed to keep herself sliding along.
"Flareon, use fire spin." Adagio ordered. Fluttershy let out a nervous yip. Sound suggested Flareon was right near her, and a hit from that move would light the box on fire with her in it.
The sound of Applejack's voice came as a relief. "Not today! Hit 'em with Rollout!" Fluttershy heard a smack, followed by a pained yelp.
"Hey, no fair! Use bubblebeam!" Sonata said off to the right.
"Razor leaf!" Twilight shouted. Ivysaur began throwing its bladed leaves, some of which struck Fluttershy's box.
Careful Twilight… A few cuts had formed in the box, but no pieces had been entirely cut off. Fluttershy crept forward, her goal coming ever closer to her.
"Thunderbolt, come on!" Aria roared. The bright flash of light gave Fluttershy just enough light to see the purple glint of the Master Ball out from the small hole she used as a window. Checking once more to make sure her opponents were still preoccupied with the battle, Fluttershy reached out from under the box. Her eyes made contact with Twilight's who slowly reached for her pokéballs while Fluttershy reached for the Master Ball. Just… a little… further…
Her hoof made contact with the smooth lid of the Master Ball. "Got it!" She yelled with delight. All at once, Team Umbra stopped battling and their eyes shot to her.
"Where the heck did you come from?" Aria demanded.
"Shut up and get the ball!" Adagio roared. "Don't let them get away!"
Fluttershy dashed to Twilight, who had recalled Ivysaur but was ready with another pokémon. "Helioptile, use flash!" Helioptile sprung out and emitted a blinding burst of light. While Team Umbra was blinded by the light, Twilight put Helioptile away, took the Master Ball, and the six mares made a beeline for the exit. By the time the three Admins had regained their bearings, their foes and the Master Ball were long gone.
"Just great!" Aria shouted. "What are we supposed to tell the boss now? I was all ready to get that promotion."
"And you'll still get it." Adagio reassured. "We may not have the Master Ball for him, but we do have something almost as good."
"What do you mean?" Sonata asked, confused. "They got away, and there's no pokéball that could replace it. Unless of course you're saying we just paint a regular pokéball like a Master Ball and pretend it’s the real one and hope he doesn't notice-"
Adagio cut her off. "What I mean is I made sure even if we lost it, we'd still have something to show for it." She led her two companions to the table it had been sitting on. "I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky they didn't notice the scanner I put under the table. Even if we don't have the real thing, I was able to at least create a copy of the plans to build another one." Adagio produced a small computer from beneath the table to show off her work. Sure enough, the program had finished and the complete readout of the Master Ball's plans were available.
"Clever." Aria smiled. "Now how do we make our own? We'll never get our hooves on the stuff to make them."
Adagio's eyes scanned the printout. "Let me see… The analysis shows two things we need to make the Master Ball. Those would be… purple apricorns from Griffonstone and some specialized hardware parts." She looked over the schematics, which included a three dimensional rendering of their prize. "Which can only be obtained from the Chrysalis Lab in Hive Omega."
"What do we do Dagi?" Sonata asked.
"Radio the boss." She said grimly. "There's more work to be done."