Chương 11: The Flying Master II

You know, when the receptionist mentioned that there was a battle going on right now… I ignored it because I didn't really care what that lady had to say. I should not have ignored it.

"Daisy, Violet, Lily… what's this I'm hearing about you three prioritizing water performances over gym battles?" Lance asked without any hesitation the moment he caught sight of them. The battle reached a momentary lull at the commanding voice of Lance and I saw the three lookalikes with different hair colors and styles, freeze completely in genuine horror. Funnily enough, none of them were battling. No… the one battling was —"Champion Lance?!" Misty shouted in surprise, eyes going wide at the Dragon Master.

She turned away completely from the battle and gazed at the calm champion with a look of blatant awe. Yeah… Misty. Misty was the one battling and you wouldn't believe who the hell her opponent was —"CHAMPION LANCE?!" Ash Ketchum shouted in awe, eyes bugging out of his head as both he and his Pidgeotto glanced back. Yeah… Ash. What a shock. No really, I'm so shocked. Brock was here too, sitting in the crowd as a spectator.

His mouth was opened in shock and he simply stared at the giant of a man with the same awe as Misty.

"Ash?!" Green shouted, eyes widening as a grin split her face.

"What are you doing here still?!"

"Green?!" Ash shouted back, taking his full attention off the battle to stare at his childhood friend. Green began waving ecstatically at her friend.

"How are you?! I heard you woke up late! How did you end up doing that?!" Ash scratched his head.

"I broke my alarm falling asleep but that's okay! I got Pikachu here and I wouldn't want it any other way!" he laughed. The Pikachu on his shoulder didn't look any different from Surges, though it certainly seemed to have way more confidence than the other rodent.

"So Pikachu is your starter?" Green said in awe, gazing at the adorable rat with wide eyes.

"He's so cute! Nice job Ash!"

"As much as I'd love to let friends catch up. That's going to have to wait for a moment," Lance interrupted a little coldly, causing the whole area to go silent.

"I asked a question you three," he said once more, crossing his arms as he gazed stonily at the gym leaders. The blonde one stepped forward ("Daisy," Green whispered to me) and nervously glanced at the Champion.

"U-Um Champion Lance!" She greeted as she plastered a smile on her face that didn't do a damn thing to convey how nervous she was.

"What are you… doing here?" she cringed. Lance was utterly unimpressed. I liked to think that I was rubbing off on him a little but maybe that was my ego talking.

"I was here because I was interested in watching a battle, up until I found out the next earliest scheduling is a week from now because of your performances," he said bluntly. The sisters withered at that, realizing how royally fucked they were. Misty gained a look of delight. Lance shook his head in disappointment.

"I've known about your performances and I've never once dissuaded them. Hell I even encourage them because hobbies are a good thing to have! But forsaking your duties as Gym Leaders is unacceptable and if I had known sooner, you'd have expected an even quicker trip from me."

"We understand but..." the blue haired one ("Violet," Green whispered again) stammered.

"But?" Lance raised a brow, making her go completely silent.

"But what? This trainer right here —," he pointed a finger at me "—Has to wait an entire week to battle you, for what reason? Because of your shows? There is no other trainer lined up to battle you but he has to wait a week. I thought you were balancing both, not blatantly favoring one over the another." Damn… I feel kinda bad for unintentionally sicking Lance on these guys.... No the hell I didn't. This was entertaining and funny as all hell.

I must have been the only one not uncomfortable by this brutal interrogation… well besides the delighted Misty. The Champion shook his head in disappointment.

"When you were all given the Gym, I made sure to ask if you wanted it and no one had any complaints, but your actions say another story. You're not motivated, you're becoming lazy and you prefer shows over being actual Gym Leaders. If you don't want the position, you should have just told me. I'd have found a suitable replacement," he chastised, those piercing yellow eyes of his looking utterly disappointed.

The Gym Leaders, who hadn't even gotten a word in, looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here and at their silence, Lance just shook his head.

"In that case, we'll shut down the Cerulean Gym until we find a suitable replacement for you. As of now, it's not a suitable gym for the Indigo League," he decided with a shake of his head. Even I blinked at that. Damn, that was… kinda ruthless of him actually. Guess this is what being Champion was all about. Having to make the hard decisions for the sake of your region... Lance didn't look even a little phased by what he just said, expression stone cold since he started this whole thing.

I had been underestimating him a bit before, but now I could properly see Champion Lance in the flesh... I was impressed. I didn't expect him to be so cutthroat.

"Wait!" The pink haired one (Green was too stunned to tell me her name).

"This isn't necessary, Champion Lance!"

"Yeah!" Violet nodded, a look of shock on her face.

"We understand that we haven't been… up to par but shutting us down is too harsh, isn't it?!" Lance sighed and shook his head.

"I sympathize with you guys… I really do. I let you get away with a lot of things because I understand what you went through, but this isn't a game. The Indigo League doesn't have a need for Gym Leaders who aren't taking their job seriously. You are this cities first line of defense before reinforcements can help… and I don't really know if you're reliable enough for that." They flinched back at his harsh assessment and Lance let loose another sigh.

"I hate having to do this, but it doesn't really seem like I have a choice —,""Wait!" Lance paused at that and gazed at Misty curiously, not expecting to be interrupted. His piercing yellow eyes burned into her and the girl flinched for a second, before steeling herself.

"I know they've been disappointing… believe me, I've been disappointed with them too for years now," Misty began with a nervous expression.

"But please, give them once more chance!"

"Why should I give them one more chance, Misty?" Lance asked curiously.

"Because despite everything, my sisters love Cerulean City and they love this Gym!" She said without hesitation.

"I know they haven't been showing it in recent times but they just needed a wake up call and you gave it to them!" The water type trainer bowed low.

"Please, give them another chance until I'm old enough to properly inherit the gym. I'm 12 right now so it's only two more years! I want to travel the world a bit and become more experienced but I will come back and become the Gym Leader! I'll gather a team of Water types, I'll take the all the tests necessary and I'll amass the strongest team possible. Please just give them a chance until then!" she pleaded. I snorted rather loudly and ignored the scalding look Jasmine and Green shot me in this serious moment.

What?! How the hell did these guys think 14 was a suitable age to become the primary defender of an entire city?! If Misty heard it (she definitely did), she ignored my snort and remained rooted in her bow. Lance gazed at her and then gazed at the Sensational Sisters once more. The three were looking at Misty in shock, never expecting the little sister they picked on to, be the one to step up for them.

I even saw some tears forming from them, as they realized their little sister was growing up right before their eyes.

"I think they learned their lesson," I shrugged truthfully, throwing in my two cents. All eyes turned on me at that, properly registering my presence for the first time and I sneered at them.

"They're a talented bunch but lack the motivation to improve. Sound familiar to you?" I asked Lance curiously. He frowned at that and nodded slowly, remembering his cousin well.

"Some people just need the right kind of shock to be motivated. You three realized how badly you fucked up right?" I asked the Gym Leaders this time. They nodded without hesitation.

"We definitely do!" Daisy exclaimed, bowing lowly.

"We're sorry for disappointing the league!" Violet bowed.

"It won't happen again Champion Lance!" The pink haired one ("Lily" Green finally told me) bowed as well.

"Just keep a close eye on them," I shrugged.

"If they fuck up again, fire them. Consider this probation." Lance mulled over my words but I doubt he needed them. For all his bluntness and intensity, the Champion was a kind person.

"... I'd be a failure of a Champion if I snuffed out someone's renewed fire," he said eventually, harsh expression vanishing in favor of a small smile.

"Don't let this happen again you three. Like I said, I have no problem with the shows you put on but don't neglect your duties as Gym Leader. Find a proper balance, that's all I ask." You could see the tension drain out of their bodies at that.

"Yes sir!" They shouted in unison, relief on their face. Misty let out a sigh of relief at that.

"Thank you Champion Lance!" Lance shook his head and gazed kindly at her.

"I should be thanking you Misty. If you didn't speak up, I would have actually shut this gym down for the time being, but you made me change my mind."

"I look forward to the day you decide to try for Gym Leader, you'll be a fine one." Misty turned beet red at that, unable to believe she was being praised by Champion Lance of all people! She could die on the spot!

"I'm surprised you helped someone Silver," Green pointed out in awe. I grunted, feeling all eyes land on me.

"She has a point," Lance agreed, glancing at me in amusement.

"This is unlike you. I would have thought you'd enjoyed this."

"He was. I was watching him," Jasmine chimed in.

"Silver enjoyed every second of their discomfort, he's quite the sadist I realize… which is why I'm surprised he stood up for them."

"I did it so they could owe me a favor," I said bluntly.

"I want a match. Right now." Green laughed and rubbed her hair.

"Yeah that sounds just like you. I can't even say I'm surprised." I shrugged at that.

"You wanna battle?" Misty asked, causing me to gauge her properly for the first time. Orange hair, shorts and suspenders. She looked exactly like the one in the anime instead of the games who wore a bathing suit… and her age was likely younger as well, considering she was 12 and solo gym leader Misty looked like a young teen/adult. Brock looked the same in all media and he looked exactly like his dad too. He was probably a fair bit younger but even then, he looked the same age as Jasmine.

As for Ash, the only real difference was that he looked a tad older, probably in part to being 12 instead of 10.

"Yeah," I said bluntly.

"I'd rather not waste anytime and there's 4 of you, so I want to get this battle done with and not wait a goddamn week like you were planning on making me."" He's so petty," Jasmine sighed. Misty looked taken aback by my attitude but recovered quickly and nodded.

"Alright! I'll battle you then after I wrap things up with Ash! You said your name was Silver, right?"

"I never once introduced myself but yeah, I'm Silver. I have two badges," I said blandly.

"Why do you always have to be so difficult?! You could have just said yes!" Green rounded on me incredulously. I sneered at her.

"It's almost like you've been finding reasons to argue with me lately. Why don't you mind your own damn business?"

"This is the third time today alone you've two started an argument with each other!" Jasmine interrupted us firmly.

"Don't you get tired?"

"Nope."

"Nuh uh!"

"... Unbelievable," The Gym Leader sighed.

"Who's that you're arguing with Green?" Ash asked in confusion, squinting at me with a scrutinizing gaze. If only this dumbass knew just who I was. I had 0 intention of ever telling him we were half brothers.

"Oh this is my friend, Silvy!" Green introduced with a wide grin.

"We're traveling together! He's a really good trainer! Too bad he can't beat me!" A scowl replaced my features and I rounded on her this time.

"You know what, we haven't had a battle in a while. Maybe it's time Saury learns what losing is."

"Oh are you gonna use one of Lance's pokemon to do it?!" Green retorted smugly.

"Don't be so proud because you're a two Pokemon army. Let's run a full 5v5 and see how it works out for you when Vee and Saury have to deal with my whole team," I barked. Now it was Green's turn to glare.

"You're on! Let's see then! And you speak like Lapee won't pull her weight either!" Brock sighed in disbelief. Another Misty and Ash? Just what was his luck?

"Save your battle for later! You still have your gym battle!" Misty barked at the two arguing.

"Shut the fuck up! Don't tell me what to do!" Silver barked, glaring at her.

"Don't yell at her like that! You're such an ass!" Green barked in her defense.

"Ridiculous," Jasmine sighed tiredly, just making her way to the spectators seat. Misty and Ash's match had already been wrapping up when I arrived. It had been Starmie vs Pidgeotto and despite my grievances against him, Ash was surprisingly beating her comfortably. He was a creative battler, using on the fly strategies once he figured out something, such as Starmie's red gem being its weakness. Didn't Team Rocket attack at this point? What was the deal with that? I don't care actually.

No the only thing I cared about, was planting my foot directly in Brock's stomach for having the gall to flirt with my little sister in front of me! Brock let out a wheeze as the belligerent redhead kicked him in the gut with no remorse in his body.

"Don't flirt with Jasmine again," I demanded harshly, standing directly in front of my blushing and stammering best friend.

"N-Noted," Brock wheezed.

"Y-You didn't have to do that, Silver," Jasmine muttered bashfully, sitting closer to me.

"I wanted to," I said bluntly, gazing at my black sneakers with a curious eye. No marks. Good.

"I'm sorry about him… even though you're a pervert, you didn't deserve to be kicked in the stomach by him. Silvy hits hard," Green apologized with a bow to Brock.

"Don't just assault people… no matter how deserving," Lance chastised me.

"His stomach wanted to meet my foot. I'm too nice to deny him the chance." The sisters sweat at that.

"You're twisted," Violet pointed out with an amused smile.

"Of course he is! This is the guy who fought Surge for his first gym badge and he won!" Daisy explained with wide eyes.

"Really?!" Lily shouted in surprise, gazing at me in visible interest. I groaned. Was that really spreading around? Seriously, I didn't even do it to make a statement. I just happened to be in Vermilion City first before every other.

"Am I the only trainer with no badges that defeated Surge?" I asked with a frown.

"The only new trainer," Lance corrected.

"Surge doesn't get battled first often and this year especially, he's been going hard on every trainer and right now, he's one of the hardest leaders to get a badge from."

"You didn't fight his 0 badge team either!" Jasmine exclaimed proudly.

"I'd expect Lt. Surge to use that team against a third or fourth badge team!" I pursed my lips at that. So my training had turned me into roughly a trainer worth 3 or 4 badges. That sounded about right…

"Starmie is unable to battle! As a result Gym Leader Misty is out of usable Pokemon, the winner of this match is Ash Ketchum!" Oh, seems like Ash's battle was done. Huh, he actually won… Not bad at all.

"Nice job Ash!" Green beamed, clapping happily for her friend. Ash laughed happily as Pidgeotto flew over to his side with a victorious shriek.

"Nice job, Pidgeotto! I knew you could do it!" He praised happily, ruffling the bird's feathers.

"I guess you really aren't all talk, Ash," Misty sighed with a smile, making her way over to her traveling companion.

"That was my team you beat, not the ones given by the Gym!" I watched my half brother rub the back of his hat with, unimpressed mostly by his performance. The match wasn't bad. I don't know why he didn't use that Pikachu of his, but the Pidgeotto wasn't weak at all, targeting Starmie's red gem with good gusts. Not bad, he was certainly better than the average trainer I ran into but he wasn't nearly as impressive as Green or Blue had been.

After handing Ash the Cascade Badge, Misty turned towards me with a small smile.

"Alright, that battle got me pumped up so I'll definitely fight you next, Silver! Just give me some time to prepare for it," she said confidently. I inclined my head.

"Sure." Daisy suddenly got up and excused herself, heading to Misty's location with some haste. Ash took the time to head into the stands near us and I watched him approach with a frown on my face. It was hard to imagine we were brothers. He was slightly tan while I was rather pale, his eyes were a warm honey brown that contrasted my cold silver eyes and his hair was pitch black while mine was a bright shade of red. We were complete opposites, personality and all. Ash looked more related to Gold than me.

The both of us seemed to have inherited different aspects of Giovanni (his black hair, my silver hues), but funnily enough we seemed to take after our mothers more.

"That was great Ash! You have a really impressive Pidgeotto!" Green praised, running up and hugging her friend.

"It's been so long since I saw you! How have you been?!" Ash beamed and easily returned the hug.

"It really has! My journey's been really crazy so far but super fun too!" Green nodded eagerly.

"I've been having a lot of fun but Ash… if this is only your second badge you might struggle against me! I'm still the best battler in Pallet!"

"Not for long!" Ash said challengingly. I watched the two biggest trouble magnets of Kanto interact with each other and nearly sighed aloud. What a disaster Kanto was about to be.

"You're pretty at ease," Brock suddenly said to me, snapping me out of my musings. I blinked at him.

"Yeah, I am. What about it?" The former gym leader gazed at me with a curious (I think) gaze and I returned it. The most notable thing about Brock (to me) was that on his waist, were 6 pokeballs. They were polished with care and I honed in on them.

"Is that your team?" I asked rhetorically, pointing at the balls with a fascinated gaze. Last I checked, Brock didn't have a full team in the anime. All he had was that Onix... But then again, Brock was qualified to be a Gym Leader so didn't that mean he had an original team? Wait a minute... didn't that mean Ash was traveling with a complete powerhouse?

"Yeah," Brock nodded kindly.

"They're a bit too big to release right now but I have an Onix, Golem, Aerodactyl, Kabutops, Armaldo and Tyranitar," he informed me. My mouth opened in shock. What the fuck?! Brock was a goddamn monster! I had no idea he'd be this strong! A Tyranitar?! This dude was ridiculous!

"Surprised huh?" Brock grinned kindly.

"Everyone thinks Pewter is the easiest gym and they're right, but that doesn't mean I'm the weakest Gym Leader!"

"Though, Jasmine over there is still stronger than me. I've never once beat her in a battle," he explained. Jasmine blushed at that and scratched her head.

"I'm just a very good trainer but that doesn't mean you can't beat me!" she said kindly. I snorted and pat her head.

"Don't be so modest Jas. Just admit that you can kick his ass black and blue."

"N-No! I'll let you handle that..." she mumbled. Lily gazed at Jasmine and I's interactions with blatant curiosity.

"I like... didn't expect you to have a friend, Jasmine... you never really speak to anyone during our meetings," the pink haired sister pointed out. Jasmine flushed a bit.

"S-Silver is my best friend... I just really enjoy talking to him." Violet gazed at me, looking impressed before gazing at Jasmine once more.

"Well, now that you're accepting friends, I like totally think we should be friends too!"

"Totally!" Lily beamed, pulling out her Pokegear. Jasmine looked shocked at that sisters insistence and gazed helplessly at me.

"I think she could use more friends," I nodded in agreement, handing them her pokegear so they could exchange numbers.

"W-When did you get my Pokegear?!" Jasmine balked in disbelief, patting her body and seeing that it was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm not answering that question. Not relevant enough." Lance chuckled.

"You're a twisted person, Silver."

"The most twisted," Green nodded in agreement. I smirked smugly and handed the resigned Jasmine her Pokegear back.

"I like you!" Lily said to me.

"Thanks for saving our gym!" I grunted noncommittally and shrugged.

"Don't thank me. Thank your sister. I added my two cents for my own gain." The pink haired sister nodded.

"But it was still cool of you! If you're friends with Jasmine, you're probably a really cool person," she added. I gazed strangely at her.

"Jasmine's a gumball. Anyone could be her friend if they just approached her."

"But she probably approached you, right?" Lily pressed. That was true...

"Whatever," I shrugged.

"I don't know how I ended up being her only friend for so long. Jasmine's awesome." Jasmine went beet red at that and ducked behind me, ignoring the fact that we were practically the same height and burrowing into my jacket.

"S-Stop embarrassing me, Silver," she whispered pleadingly.

"Do you want me to be the only one who knows how awesome you are?" I asked in amusement.

"Yes." I actually barked out a laugh at that and just allowed her to burrow into me.

"I missed you Jas. You need to visit me more." Green joined me in laughter.

"She's so cute! How does an angel like Jasmine end up only having a monster like you as her friend?!"

"Two monsters. You're her friend too."

"I'd like to be Jasmine's friend too!" Violet grinned.

"Ditto!" Lily agreed. Jasmine looked like she was going to combust on the spot at how many people were friends with her now. She thought it was just going to be Silver for the longest but then Whitney approached her and now the sisters wanted to be her friend too... Maybe Silver's effect on her happiness was more noticeable then she thought. She was getting a lot more fans as well... I smiled proudly at how popular Jasmine was becoming, before turning towards the amused Brock again.

I was still shocked that his team was so strong to be fair!

"Your Flint's kid, right?" I suddenly asked him.

"I battled him a few days back."

"You battled my old man just a few days ago and you're already here?!" Brock asked in surprise.

"Uh huh!" Green turned to our conversation and nodded.

"Silver's not the type to waste anytime! We're headed to Vermilion right after too!"

"And you're a planning bunch too," Brock muttered, looking impressed.

"You could learn a thing or two from them, Ash," he suggested with a small smile. Naturally, Ash didn't take that too kindly.

"W-What?! So he does a little planning! Big deal!" Ash exclaimed, crossing his arms indignantly.

"How many badges does he have?!"

"3 soon," I answered smoothly.

"All in the span of a month. Aren't you still at two?"" Why is he like this with all my friends?!" Green thought in disbelief, holding her head as she saw the impending argument a mile away.

"You aren't half bad, but you're way too cocky for your current skill level," I snorted, standing up as I saw Misty walk out of the backroom she and Daisy went into.

"Oh yeah?! How about we battle then?!" Ash scowled, rounding on me with a fierce glare. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I wonder if I'd ever reveal that we were brothers. Probably not. Clearly Ash's mom (Deli?) didn't push me out so he'd wanna know who our dad was and I'm not revealing my relations to Giovanni, to people who didn't already know. Considering not even the league seemed aware of my exact relations with him, I might have been a secret child. Good. Better for me.

"Did you say something? I zoned you out on instinct," I asked Ash, my bored silver eyes gazing through him.

"Actually... never mind, I don't care. You can just watch my battle."

"Why you!" Ash growled. I ignored him and walked off to take my place on the field. Green put a hand to her head.

"I'm sorry about him… he's a piece of work." Lance let out a barking laugh.

"You get used to it rather quick." Jasmine nodded in agreement.

"I won't lie… I'm pretty eager to see Silver actually battle in person!" Violet and Lily couldn't help but be surprised that both Lance and Jasmine were actively showing interest in a trainer. They met Jasmine a few times during official Indigo meetings and the introvert was polite and professional, always keeping to herself and never really speaking to anyone. Recently during meetings, they noticed that she was particularly glued to her Pokegear... Now they knew why she was on it so much...

she was messaging her new friend! As for Lance… well it was Champion Lance of all people! He didn't just drop by and give random kids a visit, that would reek of favoritism! Not to mention, this Silver fellow was also traveling with Green, the battling prodigy with all eyes on her! She was the most promising trainer of this generation and now she was traveling with someone who beat Surge with no badges? Who was Silver? Jasmine was his best friend, he beat Surge with no badges... he was sponsored by Viridian...

I hummed a tune from my old world, lyrics long forgotten as I stood across from Misty and gazed at the field. The platform was a large square and all around it, water rested idly. It didn't dominate the field but a Water type would certainly have a good time here. How unlucky, Freyja probably wouldn't do too good against other Water Types just yet.

"This is an official gym battle of the Cerulean City Gym between the challenger, Silver of Viridian City and the Gym Leader, Misty! Each side is allowed 2 pokemon and only the challenger is allowed to swap. The match will be decided when both Pokemon of one side are unable to continue!" I raised a brow at that.

"Two this time huh? Finally switching it up a bit," I mused, palming my first ball without hesitation.

"I was warned about you! I know how good you are!" Misty grinned challengingly.

"They aren't apart of my personal team, but they may as well be! You're in for a battle!" I smirked at that.

"Good, I don't take joy in steam rolling in battles. Not as fun." Misty grabbed one of the Pokeballs at her waist and without hesitation, launched it out onto the field.

"Come on out, Golduck!" She shouted. A flash of light revealed the blue duck in question and I raised a brow.

"What's up with you Gym Leaders and sending out these strong pokemon?" I asked in amusement, palming my ball of choice and launching it.

"Gaia," was all I said, releasing her from the ball. Gaia announced her arrival with a cheerful beam towards me and I smiled back, before we both focused on our opponent. Golduck wasn't quite what I was expecting to face up against, considering it was a fully evolved pokemon, but this was fine. Clearly the Gym Leaders wanted to actually test my skill level… all because I beat Surge first… when that was revealed, that might have been what brought Giovanni to my location.

If I knew I'd get this kinda attention I just would have ran to Pewter first. This wasn't even on me, this was just bad luck for optimizing my time as soon as I landed in Kanto. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"The contestants are set! Golduck vs Bayleef! Begin!" Ah well, I did need to get as strong as possible. I needed to teach my dumbass dad a lesson.

"Razor Leaf," I said immediately.

"Aqua Jet!" Misty shouted. A watery aura surrounded Golduck and the litany of sharp leaves sailed harmlessly past the speeding duck.

"Reflect," I said coolly, noticing the water type rushing Bayleef.

"Catch it after." Misty's eyes widened at that.

"Turn right! Into the water!" Much to my annoyance, Golduck's momentum was not enough to carry it into the Reflect and the duck turned on a dime, rocketing for the water and avoiding the lashing vines. Gaia and I sucked our teeth in annoyance at the same time.

"Poison Powder in the water, widespread," I ordered, trying to find where Golduck could be hiding and failing. Poison Powder did a good job in restricting a bit of the areas where Golduck could freely swim but it wasn't yet strong enough to fully pollute and poison the water type. We could make their domain just a little more uncomfortable to live in... restricting movement was another big factor of my style with Gaia.

"Confusion!" Misty shouted, not willing to let Gaia freely spread those purple clouds into the water. Diluting the water would limit her by too much to be comfortable. Golduck burst out the water directly behind Gaia, eyes flashing purple. Gaia let out an uncomfortable noise as the concussive psychic energy hit her but held on long enough to immediately lash out with Vine Whip, grabbing the Golduck before it could dive back in the water.

"Without an order?!" Misty thought in shock, caught off guard by the Bayleef weathering the confusion so well.

"Slam it," I grunted, eyes narrowed as I processed everything this battle had offered so far. Gaia was way ahead of me and she began ragdolling Golduck like he weren't a living creature. She repeatedly slammed him onto the hard ground with ruthless intentions, a sadistic gleam in her eyes that reflected mine. Fun fact, Gaia was my most ruthless battler. It was something Ares and her bonded over.

"Golduck, use Screech!" Misty demanded. Gaia let loose a pained groan as Golduck let out an ear splitting screech and instinctively dropped it to the ground.

"Water Pulse!" I let out an aggravated grunt as the water slammed directly into Gaia's head.

"Razor Leaf!" I barked. Much to my surprise, Gaia did not follow my order. No instead, she began swaying and I watched in shock as her vines began lashing out in every single direction, even hitting herself in the process." She's confused? Seriously?!" I snarled.

"Gaia! Listen to my voice!" Misty was not going to make it that easy for me.

"Golduck Aqua Jet into Zen Headbutt!" Golduck followed Misty's orders to a tee and surged forward at high speeds with that watery aura once more. The duck slammed into Gaia before headbutting her with concussive psychic energy. That just made my severely confused Bayleef begin throwing an even greater fuss as she was launched back. Vine's were being thrown everywhere, Razor Leaves were getting shot out indiscriminately and Gaia was dangerously close to running into the pool.

"Gaia!" I barked loudly.

"Stay still, now!" I demanded with authority. My voice pierced directly through her foggy mind and Gaia stood still.

"Relax," I said slowly.

"Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly now." Gaia slowly but surely followed my orders and at the same time, I gauged Misty and Golduck. Her rampage didn't only hurt herself, I saw a few cuts on Golduck's frame as he warily watched the mad Bayleef. He was somewhat tending to his wounds, which was why they hadn't pushed their advantage yet. Good. Gaia listened to my voice, breathing in and out slowly, following my lead and calming down. Finally, she blinked and turned towards me with clarity in her eyes.

"Better?" I said with a small smirk.

"Bay!" Gaia announced, glaring fiercely at the Golduck.

"Alright, let's settle this," I decided.

"He managed to break her out of confusion so easily," Misty thought in surprise, pursing her lips.

"Golduck, in the water!" Gaia and I watched the Golduck flee and I rolled my eyes.

"Synthesis," I said with an infuriating smirk. Gaia's eyes glinted maliciously as well as she began activating Synthesis. Misty's eyes widened in horror at that.

"Don't let her finish, Golduck! Water Pulse!" Gotcha. No one ever wanted to let Gaia heal. Why would they? She was extremely annoying to battle. As Golduck jumped out of the water to attack the steadily healing Bayleef, Gaia suddenly stopped channeling Synthesis and lashed out with her vines. Misty's eyes widened at that.

"Disable! Stop those vines!" Golduck wasn't quick enough to avoid one of the vines slapping brutally into him, but he was able to prevent it from wrapping around by applying a quick Disable. The Disable completely froze the vines in a blue sheen and try as she might, Gaia no longer had any control over them and they uselessly dangled about. Golduck took the opportunity to pepper Gaia with more Water Pulses, discarding the idea of getting in the water once more.

"Light Screen." A pink sheen formed in front of Gaia, weathering the Water Pulses and Misty grit her teeth.

"You're insanely annoying!" Misty scowled.

"I get that a lot," I replied easily. Gaia snarled in annoyance and launched Razor Leaf after Razor Leaf at the Golduck using Aqua Jet to avoid them.

"Ice Beam!" Misty shouted aggressively, unwilling to let me overtake the battle. My eyes widened as Golduck turned on a dime and shout out an ice blue beam of energy. Light Screen did an admirable job at protecting her but Gaia still let out a shriek of pain as Ice Beam connected with her midsection. She growled furiously and her assault renewed, shooting a flurry of Razor Leaves with even more murder in her eyes.

"Gaia," I said calmly, making her go still.

"You're wasting energy." She stopped and gazed back at me and nodded slowly.

"How good are you with that new move?" I asked her contemplatively. Golduck had taken quite a bit of hits in the exchange but the most decisive hit had been at the start of the match… The agile duck was quick and annoying to catch and at this rate, Gaia would be wasting resources in her attempt to hit it. Gaia nodded after some contemplation and I nodded in satisfaction. No point wasting anytime.

"Magical Leaf," I ordered with a small smirk. Misty's eyes widened in horror.

"Aqua Jet! Get away!" Magical Leaf, much like Shockwave and Swift, had strange tracking properties that allowed the move to almost always hit its target. Though, this move was partially psychic in nature unlike Shockwaves weird locking on to a pokemon's natural bio-electricity. After realizing Gaia had learned Reflect, I tasked her with learning both Light Screen and Magical Leaf. Light Screen had been fairly easy to get down but applying the psychic nature to Razor Leaf had been very tricky.

As Gaia shot out those glowing leaves, I realized that she had been putting way more work into the move than I realized. She must have been tired of all these fast pokemon. Loki really left a sour taste in her mouth. Golduck desperately tried to escape from the Magical Leaves chasing him down. He cloaked himself in Aqua Jet and rocketed away but the leaves were relentless. I watched with cold and calculated eyes as the leaves inched closer and closer to the wavering duck.

"Golduck go into the water!" Misty shouted urgently. Golduck heard the order and beelined for the water in hopes of getting away from the leaves —"Reflect." —Only to run headfirst into a wall. Everyone winced at the sickening noise of Golduck running directly into the Reflect, right before the Magical Leaf met its mark. The array of leaves ruthlessly began cutting into the concussed duck without a shred of mercy. Gaia and I watched coolly as Golduck let out a pitiful whine, before it collapsed onto the floor.

I felt a little bad at seeing the blood seeping from the Golduck, but it would be fine. Pokemon were made of ridiculously tough stuff. When Green learned that I was actively looking to use Reflect offensively and I found out how, she called me a sick and twisted person and I honestly agreed with her. I don't think anyone used Reflect offensively but they hadn't met me! Misty watched the whole thing dumbly, not able to process the events that just happened.

"Golduck is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Bayleef!"

"Tired?" I said idly, gazing at Gaia with a knowing gaze.

"Bay!" She shook her head in denial and I rolled my eyes.

"Liar," I muttered.

"You used a lot of techniques, not to mention Reflect and Light Screen are super draining and you got hit with an Ice Beam. You won your match so I'll return you for now." Gaia pouted at me but conceded. Even if she wasn't tired, I would have done that. There was someone I owed a battle.

"Using Reflect as an offensive option," Lance mused with an impressed eye.

"Gaia's real scary," Green nodded sagely. She could beat all of Green's pokemon barring Saury.

"She's just as violent as he is," Jasmine noted with a small smile. Gaia was a sweetheart most of the time but clearly she was a different beast in battle.

"Annoying too," Green added.

"Beating her can feel so impossible sometimes!" Ash gazed at Silver's battle with slightly wide eyes. He was fighting a stronger pokemon and winning quite comfortably! Green was traveling with a pretty impressive guy! Ash really wanted to battle him! Misty recovered quickly and gazed at Silver with searching eyes. He looked as composed and collected since the match began. Those cold, almost cruel, eyes staring at his Bayleef with none of that ice as he controlled her with a calmness unbefitting of a new trainer...

Daisy wasn't kidding, he really was good. Misty really wanted to beat this guy! She had no intention of making this battle easy for Silver! She was here to really win! The girl was extremely pumped after the events and she was especially giddy because Daisy had apologized for everything they had done to her! She would make the Gym proud by winning this battle!

"Starmie! I choose you!" she announced, sending out her final Pokemon. She watched Silver gauge her water type with searching eyes, mulling something over (not that she could actually tell) before coming to a decision. He held out a pokeball and much to her surprise, her opponent returned the Bayleef to the ball. What…?

"Loki, let's wrap this up," I said, releasing him from the ball. You know, I just realized that I should start utilizing Loki's illusions like how the video game does. Masking him as one of my other pokemon was a great idea. Definitely something I'd have to start taking advantage of. I'd discuss it with him after winning this battle.

"Woah, what's that?!" Ash called in confusion, bringing out his Pokedex to scan it.

"A Zorua," Lance replied easily.

"It's a pokemon that's native to Unova. Incredibly rare to find as well."

"Unova…" Ash said in wonder, gazing at the Zorua with a fascinated gaze. I ignored all the noise and gazed at Loki with a serious expression.

"Ready, Loki?" I asked.

"Zor!" Loki barked.

"Starmie vs Zorua! Begin!"

"Why did you swap out?" Misty asked me, looking a tad offended by my decision.

"Redemption. Don't think too hard about it," I said easily. I failed to utilize Zorua to his fullest and we lost to Surge because of it. I was just as upset with that loss as he was. This was merely redemption for us. Losing was not an option. Misty frowned.

"Starmie, use Water Pulse."

"Agility." Zorua wasted no time dipping into Agility and began blurring across the field, avoiding the Water Pulse in the process.

"Pursuit." Much to my displeasure, Pursuit didn't hit its target because Starmie spun straight into the water and away from Loki. Expected.

"On your guard. Hone claws." My eyes narrowed as Loki began sharpening his claws, all while Starmie remained hidden underwater. Finally, Starmie burst out of the water, back onto the platform behind Loki, red gem flashing.

"Water Pulse!" Misty shouted once more. Starmie's attempt to use Water Pulse, failed completely, leaving both the starfish and Misty stunned. Unfortunately, Loki and I were well ahead of them.

"Snarl." The word didn't even leave my mouth and Loki was on the move, opening his maw and shooting forth purple rings. It crashed into Starmie with no remorse and I watched the gem that was its core, begin flickering slightly.

"Starmie!" Misty shouted in concern and confusion. Why did Water Pulse fail? What was happening?

"Power Gem!" She tried. To her further confusion, Starmie used the move just fine. Their gym began glowing and a pinkish red beam shot out with precise aim towards Zorua. The fox yipped and hastily dodged the attack but Misty was relentless.

"Try using Water Pulse one more time!" To her surprise, it actually worked. Starmie shot out a perfect Water Pulse that Zorua deftly dodged." Torment!" Misty thought in realization, scowling at the unfazed redhead. That's why it wasn't working! What a crafty play by the Zorua and Silver! If she remembered correctly, Torment punished a pokemon who attempted to use the same move in succession… A genius move to use if you didn't announce it… Silver was really smart but Misty had him figured out!

"Starmie, Rapid Spin! Catch that Zorua!" Misty demanded with a confident grin. Starmie took no time to follow her command and it began spinning rapidly, rocketing towards the Zorua with a single-minded focus. Loki could only watch with wide eyes as the star sped towards it with deadly precision… Only to fly directly through it.

"Pursuit." Misty watched with slack jaws as Starmie flew directly threw the Zorua's body… while another Zorua emerged from wherever it was hiding to slam into her pokemon with dark energy. Fighting Bayleef had given her the gist… but it was Zorua here that solidified it. Silver was really annoying. The force of the Pursuit sent Starmie flying backwards and the red gem began flickering even more, as alien noises left the Starmie. I watched with calculated eyes, as Starmie slowly got back into a standing position.

Starmies weren't capable of taking a lot of hits, especially super effective ones but it was still a fully evolved pokemon and they were ridiculously fast as well.

"Starmie, use swift!" Misty growled. Seriously, did every fucking pokemon have a tracking move? This was insane but fortunately, Loki and I began preparing countermeasures.

"Snarl, widespread," I said with a stern frown.

"In the water!" Starmie immediately beelined it for the waters, but they weren't the main target for the Snarl. After seeing how effective Loki's Snarl was against Vee's Swift, I decided to expand on it a bit more so that even after Loki learned stronger ranged options, he would find a use for this one… So we worked on increasing the width of the attack to turn it into a neutralizer of sorts. It was working quite well. Every star of the Swift was destroyed by Loki's attack and we both nodded in approval.

Effective, we would keep working on that. There was a silent lull of battle but I wasn't too stressed. Starmies could learn Recover to make battles really annoying but that's why it had a Taunt on it. Judging by Misty's furrowed brows, she was slowly realizing that too. She was smarter than I gave her credit for, she spotted out the Torment as well. But I underestimated how desperate a person would get when they were slowly getting pushed into a corner.

"Starmie let's wrap this up quickly! Use Surf!" My eyes widened in disbelief.

"Fucking what did she just say?!" I didn't mishear. No, to my and Loki's horror, a gigantic tidal wave began forming from the pool that, at this size, would cover the entire platform. What the hell… Surf was not a move I should have been expecting on my third gym badge! Surf was not a move my poor little Zorua should be forced to face in a field that was already favored to water types! Bullshit that's what this was.

"Loki! Run to the opposite edge and charge an Extrasensory! Try to blow a hole through the wave and weather as much as you can!" I barked in some concern. As the wave began crashing towards the field, Loki turned on a dime, dipped into Agility and ran for his life. I grit my teeth in annoyance but at the very least, he wasn't on the middle of the platform to take that Surf. Loki sensed that he wouldn't make it to the edge on time and he turned on a heel, eyes already glowing with psychic energy.

The wave of Surf was gigantic. This move was ridiculous and Loki was still standing up to it with pure determination. He opened his mouth and shot out the biggest Extrasensory he could muster, trying to tear some of the wave apart but it really was too big and I could only watch in horror as it eventually engulfed him.

"Loki!" I couldn't help but shout in concern, as the water on the platform vanished as quickly as it came. My eyes narrowed in fury at seeing Loki's prone body lying there and I clenched my fist. Oh that fucking Starmie better count its blessings. Once Gaia got her hands on it, there would be hell to pay and no amount of Surfs, were saving it — My dark thoughts were interrupted, as I watched Loki slowly but surely pull himself up.

His fur that I just brushed up today was a soaked mess, he was visibly exhausted and he clearly didn't have much left in the tank… But he was still moving. Misty couldn't keep the surprise off her face, at seeing Zorua up and standing after taking that Surf. That little baby should have been down and out! How was he…

"Loki are you sure you're good to keep going?" I asked with narrowed eyes, watching his legs shake unsteadily. I already had one hand on the pokeball but to my surprise, Loki glared at me in denial.

"…" I inclined my head.

"Alright then. We'll win this, you and I."

"Zor!" Loki panted in agreement. Misty frowned but shook her head. Starmie wasn't in great condition and they couldn't use Recover either so they needed to wrap this up quickly.

"Water Pulse!" Starmie shot out the pulse of water but Loki had already dipped back into Agility, dashing across the field much slower than normal but still fast enough to avoid the Water Pulse.

"Swift!"

"Snarl!" The stars met the dark energy, causing an explosion to take place that shrouded our vision momentarily. Misty growled to herself as the Swift got neutralized once more. Ranged options wouldn't work while Starmie was tired and Zorua had Agility up… that meant she needed to match that speed.

"Rapid Spin! Catch that Zorua!" Misty demanded. Starmie whirred in affirmation and rocketed off, chasing the speeding Loki with deadly intent. I watched with narrowed eyes as it quickly gained on him and soon, a high speed chase ensued between the two. My finger twitched a bit as I watched the chase happening and I couldn't keep the nervous expression of my face as Starmie got closer and closer to the lagging Loki. It would only be a matter of time before he —"Loki!"

I shouted out in concern, seconds before the momentous force of Rapid Spin hit its target.

"Get him Starmie!" Misty shouted victoriously. My look of concern vanished, replaced instead by a victorious grin that Misty never saw. Starmie finally closed the distance fully and crashed right through Loki's body. Wait… through? Misty's eyes widened in horror as the Zorua dissipated out of view. What… but when did that…? I grinned, a hint of sadism in that crooked smirk of mine, as Starmie stopped in confusion, reality hitting it far too slowly.

"Finish it off!" I shouted with a wild look in my surging silver eyes. As if materializing from nothing, Loki burst out from invisibility, a crimson aura surrounding his body as his eyes began lighting up blue. My eyes widened in interest at that and I watched with an open mouth as Loki raised both his paws in the air, before slamming them onto the platform. A small crimson dome formed as soon as his paws connected to the ground and I grinned wildly as it consumed Starmie.

It was a mesmerizing sight, pink and crimson forming a force field of energy that hid both Loki and Starmie and I looked at it in some awe. Finally, the dome settled and vanished, leaving just Loki and an unconscious Starmie on the field, red gem no longer glowing.

"Starmie is unable to battle! As a result, the winners of this match are Zorua and Silver!" No sooner did those words come out, did Zorua tiredly collapse on the floor with a relieved exhale. I grinned fondly at that and jogged over to his location, minding the wet platform so I didn't slip.

"Well done, Loki," I said, hoisting him up and tucking him into my frame. Even if he was soaked with water… it was a small price to pay for how proud I was of him.

"I had no idea you had Night Daze down pat," I said in awe, patting his matted fur down.

"Zor zor rua," Loki said tiredly, snuggling into me without preamble.

"Oh it just clicked? You learned it in the heat of battle?" I mused.

"Rua," he nodded. I let out a snort and chuckled, further ruining my outfit by tucking him into his spot on the inside of my jacket. Night Daze was the move we wanted to work on next. It was the Zorua lines signature move and it required a lot of energy to use, which was why I was so surprised Loki managed to actually learn it. It must have taken every dredge of his energy to bust that out but just the fact that he actually used it…

he might not be able to use it as anything but a last resort for now but his signature move would be unstoppable in due time.

"You really are impressive," I said fondly.

"When did you trick me?" Loki and I blinked at that and turned towards Misty, who was holding the tear dropped Cascade Badge.

"You mean on the last play?" I asked knowingly. Misty nodded, gazing at me with an awed and humbled expression.

"We overwhelmed you with a ton of information and conditioned you," I said simply, thinking back to the play that helped us win.

"We realized that you were aware of Torment taking effect, considering you stopped trying to use the same moves in succession. The thought that you can't mess up like that or we'd take advantage was your primary concern, right?" Misty wanted to say no but Silver read her like a book so she just nodded meekly.

"Not only that, you tried to use Recover but failed because of Taunt," I pointed out.

"So it really was Taunt," Misty thought.

"With all that in place, you were eager to finish the match as quick as possible and I took that into account. With everything you were accounting for and your haste to finish the battle, you forgot about the Illusion we used in the beginning of battle." I ruffled Loki's fur with a content smile.

"Since Swift was the only way to break our cover, the moment you used it, I had Loki set up an illusion and we baited you into turning the fight close ranged. It left you open for a Pursuit to the back but Loki used Night Daze instead." That's when we struck. It was like a game of chess, building up plays until the climax. Loki used everything in his repertoire to defeat a much stronger pokemon that he normally wouldn't be able to beat.

When there were so many things to think about, you naturally began prioritizing which was most important and to Misty, Illusion was the least important of all the details she had. We used that to our full advantage for one big tricky play.

"Genius." That's the only thought Misty had, as her fellow redhead explained the match from his point of view. He was… way smarter than she would have thought. The foresight to set up all those plays and have it pay off like that was just…

"I was just dancing in your palms near the end there. You're a terrifying trainer," she said with an incredulous smile, handing the badge over to him. I smirked and accepted it, inspecting the badge with a curious eye. It was a teardrop, smooth to the touch and that was about it. Looked better than Pewter, worse than Vermilion.

"Here, from me as well," Misty spoke up once more, handing a disc over to me.

"It's the TM for Scald. I'm not sure if you have any water types but you can use that on them!" My eyes widened in interest at that. Scald? Seriously? I accepted it and gazed at it with a calculating glint. One of my favorite water moves to use… yes, Freyja could use this just fine. It was perfect and I'm quite sure she could even learn it right now. Hey wait a minute, that old bastard Flint didn't give me a TM. Oh well, not like I had any rock types. Stupid old fart. Dumbass old man. Shitty father #2.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" I grunted as Green leapt atop of me, hugging both Loki and I with crushing force. My urge to throw her off me vanished only (That was all!) because Jasmine joined the group hug and I let out a tired sigh and just returned it.

"You're so impressive Silver!" Jasmine gushed, eyes lit up in joy at watching the battle.

"That battle was so good! Watching the way you handled that was incredible!"

"He's so smart!" Green said, joy on her features just at the chance to witness battle. She was a real junkie.

"Don't praise me, praise Gaia and Loki. I already know how awesome I am," I said easily.

"That confidence is warranted," Lance praised, walking up to the group hug and ruffling my hair. He was lucky I was tangled up or I would have assaulted him… though judging by his small smirk, he was well aware of that detail.

"You did good. I doubt I'd ever even consider making an intelligent move like that back when I was a rookie! I'm quite the brute forcer," the champion admitted shamelessly.

"Back then? Don't try and fool me, I know for a fact you don't use intelligence now," I retorted smugly.

"It's true. Champion Lance is all brute force," Jasmine nodded in agreement. Lance's mouth opened a bit in surprise at that.

"Whose side are you on, Jasmine? I'm still your Champion you know!"

"Stop trying to fling your authority around. Do it to anyone but Jasmine. She's always gonna be on my side because she's my best friend," I informed him coolly.

"I'm kind of jealous of how overprotective he is of you," Green whispered to Jasmine.

"He calls me little sister, I think he actually means it. I don't know why… I'm 4 years older than him!" Jasmine whispered back, half distressed half flattered. It was nice knowing someone was so willing to stand up for her but could he not refer to her as little sister all the time! Green smiled mischievously.

"But I kinda see where he's coming from. You're so adorable that it gives off little sister vibes!" She exclaimed. Jasmine turned beet red at that.

"N-Not you too!" she whined in defeat.

"See, everyone else sees it too," I chimed in. Green and Jasmine balked in horror.

"Y-You were listening?!" They asked in disbelief. I blinked in my own bit of disbelief.

"You guys are right next to me. In what fucking world would I have not heard that?!" I retorted incredulously. Right… in this fucking world, where everyone was an idiot. I sighed at the genuinely appalled looks on Jasmine and Green's face. Idiots. All of them.

"You two are leaving?" Jasmine nodded sadly, unable to resist pulling both me and Green into a hug. It said something that she was able to initiate those now. Green and I were pretty merciless when it came to bringing her out of her shell.

"We stayed a bit longer because we really wanted to watch your Gym Battle and I'm glad I did! But I have to head back to Johto now and take up my duties at the Gym!" I nodded at that, frowning a bit.

"I'm glad you visited actually. I wasn't kidding when I said I appreciated our friendship way more over time," I said truthfully. Jasmine didn't even try to hide how happy that made her and I watched the girl actually light up in joy. It was odd to see it in real life but it warmed my heart a bit to know someone was this happy to see me.

"I'm so glad! You're my best friend you know? I'm glad you think the same," she beamed, some tears brimming in her eyes. I rolled my eyes and pat her head.

"I hope you have a lot of vacation hours. When I come to Johto, I'm kidnapping you and we'll travel a bit," I said. Jasmine began laughing at that… before it died down at the fact that I was not laughing with her.

"Oh… you're serious," she said, blanching in horror at my serious expression.

"…Of course I am. Green will help me," I said in amusement. Green shot Jasmine a thumbs up, making our friend sweat even further.

"I'll turn a blind eye to it!" Lance assured with a wide grin, ruffling both Green and I on the head.

"Silver, Green… It was nice meeting you both. I haven't felt this relaxed in a while and you two make the hard work I put in the League worth it." Green beamed and happily hugged Lance.

"We're happy to have met you too, Lance! I had so much fun getting to know you and it's so awesome that we're friends now!"

"What she said but a lot less worshipy," I muttered.

"Don't forget to send me those tips." Lance let out an amused chuckle and beckoned Jasmine over.

"If you two ever need anything, within reason, don't be afraid to shoot me a message! Or if you just want to talk, that's fine too. It's better than talking to those boring officials." I snorted.

"Sure. I'll spice up your boring life like I did Jasmine's."

"Silver!" Jasmine complained. I shrugged.

"You just began making other friends and still come to me, so I'll run with that." She pouted.

"You're just terrible to me sometimes." I smiled and nodded to the two.

"Get back to your duties. Try not to be too bored while Green and I are becoming strong. We'll give you the challenge you're looking for eventually." Lance was… cool. Our time traveling together showed me a perspective of him that probably only existed in headcanon so to see who he was… wasn't terrible. God, maybe Fraxure should have killed me instead of humbling me like this. Green beamed and nodded.

"You bet. I'm gonna become the strongest trainer in the world so don't be too upset when we battle and I win," she grinned.

"I look forward to it!" Lance said genuinely, grinning wildly as he released Siegfried from his ball.

"I'll be keeping watch of all of you so try your best!" He turned towards Ash and his group, much to their surprise.

"That goes for you all as well! I believe that any trainer, so long as they try their best, can become the best! You all have promising futures and I hope you can tap into that potential," he finished with a large grin. Ash's eyes turned into stars and he nodded vigorously.

"I wanna become a Pokemon Master and I will do it! Nothing's gonna stop me!"

"That's the type of conviction that carries the best far! I wish you luck on your journey too, Ash Ketchum. And as for you Misty, when you choose to become the Cerulean Gym Leader, I know you'll put your all into it. I'm looking forward to it." Lance had that voice. The one where you had to listen to it and believe what he was saying… No wonder he was Champion. I would never say it out loud, but Lance really was cool.

"Now, I have to head out. I need to make sure that Karen doesn't take the chance to cause mayhem," he sighed, climbing atop his Dragonite with practiced ease. The Champion held out a hand and pulled Jasmine up as well.

"I hope to see you guys again soon!" Jasmine waved politely.

"Bye Jasmine! Bye Lance! Don't be strangers!" Green waved ecstatically.

"See ya Jas. Invest in a Teleporter and visit us whenever you want," I offered them with a small smile myself. Jasmine's eyes widened.

"That's a great idea! I know Bronzy can't learn it but..." Lance and I snorted at the same time, before Siegfried took off into the air. In the blink of an eye, the massive Dragonite was gone and I whistled at its speed. Damn, Siegfried was fast as hell.

"I will never know how you and Jasmine became best friends," Green said idly, fondly watching the spot they were just at.

"I think I know why you were traveling alone. No one wanted to be friends with you," I replied idly.

"Dick move, Silvy. Dick move," Green said fondly, still looking at the sky. I snorted.

"We need to get to the Center to heal, then we can get your new bike." Green's eyes lit up.

"I forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me!"

"Uh huh." Movement in the corner of my eye, caused me to turn my head and I watched as Ash himself began approaching us.

"That was a great match! I didn't think Misty was that impressive and you managed to beat her too!" Ash said truthfully. I idly scratched the dozing Loki behind his ear and stared at Ash.

"It was a good battle," I said eventually, deciding not to needlessly antagonize him any further. I wanted this conversation to be over with truth be told. It left a real sour taste in my mouth knowing that this guy was my half brother. Whatever. No point getting upset about it. I'd probably encounter this guy a lot so being amicable was probably the smarter choice…

"You're about to ask me for a battle and I'm going to say no. To be frank, you won't win and I don't see the point in doing this when I have other things to do… but if you manage to beat the Vermilion Gym, ask me again and I'll say yes."... Or not.

"What's your problem?! I was trying to be nice you know!" Ash exploded, glaring at me like the rash 12 (wasn't he my younger brother? My birthday was in December... when was his?) year old he was. I didn't even look phased.

"My problem is that I hate easy victories because my opponent is too weak. You're one of Leaf's close friends and I get rude when I win so let's just save us both that."

"Besides, I wanna get Loki and Gaia healed and a battle will just hold me up," I shrugged, turning on a dime.

"No way! One on one then!" Ash demanded stubbornly, glaring at me with those large eyes of his. I paused and calmly pondered the question.

"Why not just battle Green? She's your rival isn't she?" I said civilly, giving him one final out.

"I'll battle Green eventually! I wanna battle you! You're not the hotshot you think you are!" Ash said firmly. Pikachu nodded as well, a competitive fire in his eyes.... I sighed and beckoned towards the Center.

"You Pallet trainers are all so obsessed with me. You should be glad you aren't as annoying as the Oak boy, but it isn't by much."

"Fine. There's a battlefield over at the Pokemon Center. Let me heal my team and we can battle. But just remember I gave you a chance to bow out," I warned, walking silently to the Center. Maybe a little sibling rivalry was needed in life. Hey maybe Ash and I weren't actually even brothers and all of this was just me jumping to wild conclusions!...... Yeah right who am I kidding? Green sighed and followed after him. At least Ash hadn't done anything to really annoy Silver!

It shouldn't be as bad as with Mason or Blue! I stood across from Ash, both of us on opposite sides of the battlefield, as I palmed a Pokeball with a serene expression. Loki and Gaia were currently being treated and since I had downtime to wait for them, that meant it was time to put my needlessly cocky little brother in his place.

"One on one," I reminded.

"Yeah I know!" Ash returned, as Pikachu leapt off his shoulder onto the field. I sighed in disappointment. I wanted to use Freyja to really drive in the point but I guess not.

"Metang," I said coolly, throwing out the ball and releasing my Metang. I would have used Ares, but I didn't want him to think type disadvantage had anything to do with what was about to happen.

"Woah, what's that?!" Ash said, unable to keep the curiosity off his face.

"A Metang," I said blandly, gazing at the Pikachu with a contemplative expression. Eventually I shrugged and gazed at Brock, who was acting as referee, and nodded my head.

"I'm good to go."

"This is what you have me facing?" Metang mused.

"Make it fast if you're so unsatisfied. Ares will be mad if I make her only battle of the day someone weak," I retorted.

"We're ready!" Ash grinned eagerly, Pikachu mimicking his action.

"Alright, begin!" Brock shouted.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. I said nothing as Metang wrapped itself in the sheen of Iron Defense.

"Confusion," I instructed. Thunderbolt crashed into Metang, who barely flinched at the attack, before their eyes began glowing with the purple sheen of psychic energy.

"Pika?!" Pikachu shouted in shock, as the Confusion wrapped around it. The rodent attempted to struggle but it cried out as it was brutally slammed to the floor.

"Pikachu! Are you alright?!" Ash yelled in concern.

"You're not focused," I said coldly.

"Zen Headbutt." Metang rumbled and charged, psychic sheen covering its own body now.

"Pikachu! Get out of there with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered hastily. A white sheen covered Pikachu and he hastily dashed to the side, avoiding the speeding Metang with urgency —"Bullet Punch." —Only for Metang to effortlessly turn to the side at devastating speeds, blurring forward and landing a punch directly on the diminutive Pikachu's midsection. Even I winced in sympathy, as the poor Pikachu practically folded under the fist that was the size of the creature.

My Metang may have been smaller than the average one, but that was still much larger than a Pikachu.

"P-Pika?!" Pikachu said in disbelief. For a second, all was still... before the pain and gravity made itself known. Pikachu flew away from Metang's fist as tremendous speeds, eventually tumbling on the floor and rolling until he stopped directly in front of Ash. The stunned boy couldn't even properly compute what had happened, just staring blankly at Pikachu.

"It's unconscious." The cold voice of Silver snapped him out of his daze and he frantically reached out for Pikachu, distraught clear on his features.

"Pikachu! Are you alright?!" Ash said in horror, unable to believe how quickly he had been defeated. Two moves... Pikachu had gotten hit with two moves and it was over... What...?

"Seriously?" I thought dispassionately. I wasn't even mad. This was just disappointing.

"Are you actually serious about being a trainer?" I asked him genuinely, approaching the boy cradling his Pikachu.

"I wouldn't even consider this a battle. This was just Metang and I picking on you." Ash looked up at me, distraught on his features that only served to further irritate me.

"You talk so big. You act so cocky... you scream that you'll be the best trainer alive... and then I face you... and this is the result. Not to mention you woke up late on the most important day of your life. Is this all some joke to you?!" I scowled. Ash flinched back.

"Even after I told you what was going to happen, you proudly stood there and wasted my time. You think being creative is going to get you out of every situation? All that creativity is nothing in front of overwhelming power and you lack power," I sneered, shaking my head.

"Best trainer in the world... yeah right, you aren't even close to being the best trainer in Pallet. You're closer to that Jason's level than Blue and you shouldn't even think about touching Green." That was even more disappointing then I thought. What good was having ingenuity in battles, when a stronger foe just ended the fight easily?

"You're a joke, Ash Ketchum. You're just a dumbass who doesn't know what he's doing, but thinks he does." I just didn't get how we were even half brothers. He was so... he was so damn weak. You're telling me I was related to this guy? This was just even more insult to injury. I was related to some guy who cruised on sheer luck. He should be glad Giovanni was interested in me over him, he wouldn't have lasted a second in my shoes. I shook my head and turned away from my depressed half brother.

"I thought Jason and Blue were disappointing but you... you're definitely the worst offender. At least Jason knows what he's lacking and at least Blue has some talent... but you? You're hopeless but you don't know that you are." The worst part about Ash... it was that he did have the talent. I could see it in his battle with Misty. But he just had no ounce of interest in tapping into it. That might have been the most disappointing thing of it all.

"Whatever. What you choose to do during your journey is really not any of my fucking business. So long as you're satisfied, I guess that's really all that matters. Just do me a favor and never challenge me to a battle again. I might assault you if we get a repeat of this," I said truthfully, walking away from him with a shake of my head.

"You seem even more disappointed then I am," Metang mused.

"Because I am, Metang. That fight shouldn't have been that easy." How was the world relying on a guy like him? It just fastened my resolve to solve all these issues on my own because I just couldn't ever leave my life in the hands of someone like Ash Ketchum. What a wreck. There really was no one worth relying on. Just great. My father was useless, my mother was useless and my brother was useless with flair. How disappointing. Green paused at seeing the slight disappointment on Silver's face and frowned too.

She guessed she could see why he was disappointed. He didn't even break a sweat in that battle.

"Heal, bike, eat then go?" she asked quietly.

"Heal, bike, eat then go." That was all he said before he head back into the Center, Metang dutifully following him. It was getting increasingly easier for her to understand Silver. Before Green could catch up to Silver, she turned towards Ash and crouched in front of him.

"I know you don't want to hear this right now... and I'm sorry for him but Silver's got a point Ash. You gotta train up more. Don't you want to beat Blue in a battle?" Green asked him gently, frowning sadly at seeing tears of frustration in Ash's eyes.

"I think instead of being demoralized by what he said, you should use it as fuel. I bet more than ever, you want to beat him right?" Ash nodded slowly, just cradling Pikachu against him.

"Then train up to beat him! Silver's not going to stop training and neither am I! You need to use everything to your advantage as well, Ash!" she encouraged, giving her childhood friend a warm hug before standing up.

"No more feeling bad for yourself, alright?! I want to see how much you've improved in the future and when that happens, we'll battle! Now I have to go! We're in a bit of a rush," Green smiled, waving at the group and walking off to catch up to her friend. Ash stared at the two with a frown, humbled in a way he had never been subjected to before.

"Don't feel too down, Ash. Silver is just insanely talented," Misty sighed, gazing at the back of Silver as he walked off. She wanted to beat him in a battle eventually. He was really strong and Misty found the idea of facing him in the future… exciting! But his words... he was really quite cruel when he wanted to be. Made sense considering how amusing he found Lance grilling them to be.

"Your win against me was legit but you did fight two much weaker Pokemon then what I fought Silver with. You've gotta improve more before challenging him to a battle. He has 3 badges for a reason!" she encouraged, putting a hand on the despondent boys shoulder. Pikachu was not weak by any means but Silver had made it look like a newborn... that Metang of his was no joke at all... Seems he did have more to his style then just trickery. Brock nodded in agreement and helped the boy up.

"If you put your mind to it, you'll get much better in no time. You're a talented kid and I think Silver sees that too, which is why he was so disappointed. Getting a third badge of your own is a good benchmark for your progress if you train up!"

"We can train together!" Misty encouraged.

"And Brock's a really strong trainer too. I'm sure he can give us pointers!" Ash's frown vanished at that, replaced by fierce determination. He clutched Pikachu to himself tighter and gazed at the spot of where his, unbeknownst to him, brother had just been.

"Next time, I'll give him the battle of his life," he swore to himself. Green and I wrapped up our business in Cerulean very swiftly and the end result, was her owning a brand new shiny green bike.

"Yes! Now we can both use our bikes to make it to Vermilion in record time!" Green cheered with a mouthful of sandwich.

"Swallow first idiot," I chided, chewing into my own sandwich as I gazed at the extensive recipes Jasmine sent both Green and I through message. She had to have been semi professional because what the hell was this? These meals were way too impressive and not simple at all like she said they'd be. Since when was Jasmine so impressive with everything besides making friends?... Guess when you spent most of your time alone, you learned a lot of miscellaneous tricks. My best friend was a real prodigy.

"So we're headed to Vermilion right? No more Gym stops? Saffron is pretty close by," Green mentioned curiously. I glanced at the time and mulled over it, before nodding.

"We'll skip Saffron for now. We can focus on training and battling each other in the meantime," I decided. She grinned eagerly at that and nodded.

"Okay! I wanted to battle Sabrina later on anyways! She's one of the toughest gym leaders in both Johto and Kanto!"

"Good. We can ignore her for now," I nodded. Sabrina was a psychic wasn't she? I wonder how she'd react if she tried to peer into my head. Judging by how much psychics hated me, probably not good. For her own sake, I hoped she didn't try to do that. She was just a human after all.

"What are they feeding you kids these days?!" Gold grinned eagerly, accepting the badge out of Lt. Surge's hand with a look of excitement. That match had been dreadfully difficult. Larvitaro wasn't fast but Raichu just didn't have a move that was capable of taking him out! That didn't mean it didn't still pack a punch. He and Crystal would be heading to the Pokemon Center as soon as they were done here because she had been in an even more difficult war!

Crys didn't have any pokemon with an inherent advantage over electric types so she had to pull out all the stops at having a chance to win with Misteree. But she did because Crys was awesome and she was just as good of a battler as he was. He hadn't been worried (he had been so worried) for her at all!

"Now that I've given you both the Thunder Badge, here, a gift from me," Surge boomed, grinning as he handed the positively tiny (in comparison to him) children the tickets to the S. S Anne.

"What's this?" Crystal asked curiously, accepting the ticket and smiling at the exhausted Misdreavus to her right.

"Tickets to the S. S Anne. They're reserved for trainers who manage to defeat me!" Surge explained. Gold's eyes lit up at that.

"Sounds fun!" He and Crys really needed to relax. They had been mowing through Kanto at a fairly swift pace so a bit of downtime wouldn't kill anyone. Crys was in agreement. Their hunt for that red haired boy hadn't really bore fruit and admittedly, a vacation sounded nice so they'd enjoy this boat ride.

"Alright! The S. S Anne huh? That's bound to be fun," Gold grinned eagerly. As Lance landed back in Indigo (Jasmine had been teleported back to Johto), he was not even remotely surprised to see Lorelei there to greet him.

"Where have you been?" She asked immediately, not quite glaring at him but definitely displeased.

"Hello to you too," Lance greeted wryly, walking into the building with her hot on his heel.

"Not only did you disappear without a word, you brought Gym Leader Jasmine with you. Are you going to explain yourself, Lance?" Lorelei asked firmly, pushing her glasses up slightly at the rapid movement of following after Lance's long legs. Mew, was it annoying trailing the too tall man. Karen popped her head out at that in visible interest.

"Is the great Champion Lance in trouble? I wanna see this," she said, smirking wildly at that and strutting out the room she was lazing about in. A Weavile trailed behind her, just as eager as his trainer to see Lorelei tear into the champion of Indigo.

"We were visiting someone," Lance said truthfully, not willing to go into too much detail. Lorelei's eyes narrowed at the vague answer. Who on earth would Champion Lance and Jasmine wish to visit that warranted him being tight lipped about it?

"Lorelei, you mentioned having an older sister, right?" Lance asked suddenly, stopping in his gait to turn towards her. The Ice Master blinked at the sudden question and gazed warily at him.

"Yes… we haven't spoken in years though and I don't actually know where she is at the moment." Lance pursed his lips at that and nodded, those yellow eyes digging into her in a way that made her slightly uncomfortable.

"We were visiting someone named Silver. He's the reason Jasmine's been coming out of her shell lately and I wanted to meet the person who she called her best friend. It was an eventful trip." The Champion began walking away at that, offering her a single wave.

"You should look into him. You might be interested." Lorelei bit back the groan of frustration at the abrupt end to the conversation and let Lance walk off, watching as the tail end of his cape vanished into his room. If he wanted to discuss something with her, he would in their first conversation. To him, that was truly the end of the conversation despite Lorelei clearly wanting to know more.

That's the type of person Lance was so if he didn't tell her more, that was likely it for now until she dug into his inquiries and eventually approached him again. Karen shrugged.

"Boring. Can you two stop talking in code? It's so annoying. Why am I the only normal one here?" the youngest Elite 4 member sighed, making her way back into her room with the disappointed Weavile. Maybe she'd also look into that Silver trainer. Not like she had anything better to do. Lorelei ignored Karen and pursed her lips.

"Silver…" Why would she be interested in a trainer? Lance knew she expressed very little interest in them normally so what was so special about this one? The answer to that question was practically shot through Lorelei with a shotgun, as she gazed at the profile of the trainer Lance was so interested in. Silver, no last name, from Viridian City.

His parents were unknown but his sponsor was allegedly Giovanni (figuring this out required digging through restricted files since normal files simply said he was sponsored by Viridian), one of the only Gym Leaders who never sponsored anyone. All of that, while impressive, wasn't anything new she had seen. Silver was clearly an exceptional trainer who was steadily climbing up the ranks with quite the team he had amassed. He wasn't an ice type specialist so Lorelei really had no reason to be interested in him...

But despite that, Lorelei was left gaping at her screen, because of how Silver looked. Red hair designed peculiarly, pale skin with a picture of him scowling… He looked exactly like Ariana. The resemblance was downright uncanny down to even having similar styled hair. Lorelei had to wipe her own glasses just to make sure she wasn't seeing things but the picture was still there, of that scowling redhead that looked far too much like her older sister. …

"What the hell is this?" Lorelei actually cursed in confusion, soaking in all of Silver's appearance. Did she… have a nephew?... Now she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight was she? Lorelei cursed Lance for suddenly springing this onto her.