Chương 40: Monsters III

Giratina. The Boogeyman. Only spoken about in tales. In a world where all legendaries existed somewhere, many people hoped that this one did not. The Devil. In a world where the God of Pokemon was Arceus, it was only natural that Giratina, its ally turned traitor, who was banished to another realm for its sheer violence, was considered its antithesis. Giratina, The Renegade. The third and final member of the creation trio. The pokemon that represented antimatter.

If you asked any person in this world, who was even remotely religious, who the most terrifying pokemon of all was… Giratina would be your answer. It was universal, even for those who did not believe that Arceus was the creator. I knew it. I knew it was Giratina. From the very moment Metang explained the Foggy Fortress to me, I was set on my answer. The reason so many pokemon hated me. The reason the other legends refused to help me…

The reason the only pokemon that attacked me in Hoenn were multiple dark types and a dragon.

"You've got some explaining to do, Giratina," I said coolly, gazing at the, quite frankly, terrifying pokemon. Words couldn't explain the primal fear, gazing at a Giratina seemed to evoke… and I hadn't even seen it beyond the silhouette. Just those endless red eyes seemed to be enough, the ones that seemed to go deeper and deeper and deeper... the longer you stared. It seemed to drain all feelings of hope out of me, apathy whispering sweet nothing into my ear that I was unable to understand.

Mewtwo stood next to me, stunned and completely silent. I couldn't quite blame him... my little brother had genuinely probably never felt fear before. The only reason I was handling myself well was due to the fact that I was always afraid. For a long while, those giant red eyes gazed at me. I couldn't tell if they were getting closer or further, but I could tell that they were completely and totally locked on me.

Honestly, I was scared shitless, and besides my words (it was always my words), I was doing a poor job of hiding it. My body wouldn't stop shivering, as it impossibly tried to grasp that yes, this was actually a pokemon. I had an inkling that not many who saw Giratina kept their sanity; it wasn't something the human eye was meant to gaze upon. It was like the ancient creature was forcing me to stare at myself, dissecting me utterly to my atoms.

There was something innately wrong about it, bending the vast darkness around it in a way that felt unnatural even by the standards of a legendary. Finally, the silence abated." You mean to say that the tail end of your battle with this infant was all to meet me?" I shuddered. The voice coursed through me like ice. It was impossible to describe… but it was like every crevice of my body was being forced to listen, instead of just my ears.

"That's right. I figured that the one who did this to me wouldn't feel so good if some other legendary attempted to stake their claim on me," I said coolly. There was a brief silence." And you used the pokemon with the closest connection to you, to do so. At the peak of his power, where the connection between you would be at its strongest, you struck."

"I didn't think it would work, but you're highly territorial, aren't you? After all, the moment I took Rayquaza's meteorite, you immediately made your presence inside of me more prevalent, to the point where ghosts and psychics went from mildly disliking me, to refusing to stand within a 20 ft radius of me."

"…" Giratina continued to stare at me. Considering it was just a silhouette with glowing red eyes, and I was in an expanse of darkness, it was a miracle my fight or flight wasn't at its peak. Or maybe it was, and I was just ignoring it like I ignored most of my body's responses." Clever boy. Consider me impressed." All at once, I was granted the privilege of seeing Giratina's full form. The shade took the shape of a grey serpent, plated in black and gold. The golden spikes near the edge of its long tail...

the six golden half rings around its neck. They pulsed faintly, feeling like their own set of eyes that watched for prey. Those long, black, ghostly tendrils hanging off each of the half rings, tipped with a red spike that could be blood. It wouldn't take much to convince me they had stained over with the life liquid. They writhed against the air, almost looking like they were feeling for threats to gore through. Despite the terror it invoked… I appreciated Giratina all the same.

It was an incredible pokemon to behold. It looked like royalty, with the jagged crown that covered its mouth and pointed upward." You flatter me. Many have gazed upon this form. The few who have complimented it did not mean it. Terror was what fueled them to say that. Though you exhibit a slightly lesser degree of fear, it did not guide you to speak of such a thing. How curious, Little Renegade." I flinched back as Giratina moved without moving.

The legendary ghost was in front of me, the very space shifting in time... as if it were trying to get away from the Renegade. I would have expected to lose my sanity, this close to it... But I was holding up fine. Or maybe I was already insane? I did opt to meet Giratina after all." You are correct. The moment the connection between you and the psychic infant grew too powerful, I would have intervened and prevented it. You are mine after all.

All may try to influence you, but should they interfere with me, they will suffer the consequences."

"Luckily for the infant, you acted before it reached that point." Space shifted once more. This time, Giratina appeared next to the stunned Mewtwo. Despite being incredibly large, it strangely didn't take up a stifling amount of space.

"You have caused quite the issue with my Little Renegade, infant. Impeding him to such a degree can be seen as a slight to me." Mewtwo took a step back instinctively, unable to comprehend the eldritch horror that was Giratina.

"He was just curious, is all. You can't forget that he's even younger than I am," I reminded. Giratina's eyes moved to me without its body shifting.

"I do not care. You are mine." I shut my mouth.

"You overstepped your jurisdiction, psychic. Be grateful that you allowed me certain liberties. Heed my warning once and once only; if you attempt to overpower me again, you will perish." There was no fanfare, no inflection. Giratina didn't deliver the message with any malice behind it. I imagine that was the voice someone would use to read their newspaper. Before Mewtwo could say anything, Giratina peered at it." Begone. Your ears are no longer needed."... And like that, he was gone.

"You mentioned that Mewtwo allowed you certain liberties. Does that have to do with his cells?" I asked immediately." They are what allowed me to do what I did. If not for them, you'd have died… Though you would have eventually died with them regardless." I paused at that.

"What? What do you mean by that?" Those red eyes never left me, even as Giratina idly flew about. No matter which direction it turned in, no matter which angle, the eyes were constantly trained on me." I suppose your efforts should be rewarded. I had not expected to meet you in the flesh for some years."

"At least someone's willing to give me answers," I sighed. Giratina looked distinctly amused at that. It caught me off guard because I shouldn't have been able to tell if Giratina was feeling anything. In an instant, the serpent curled around me; I jumped high at that, eyes wide in confusion. If Giratina noticed, it did not say anything. It was now practically face-to-face with me (that was still fairly far because of Giratina's size), causing me to peer into the endless red of the ghost's eyes.

The same red that my eyes probably appeared to be." You are a human who has been injected with the cells of the Progenitor. It matters little if they were transformed to suit the infant; they are still the Progenitor's cells." I was already invested, listening to Giratina with my undivided attention.

"The ones who had attempted such a thing sentenced you to death. While adaptable, the cells of the child named Mew do not belong in a human child." I found myself agreeing with that. It was ridiculously stupid to think any human would be able to handle a legendary." By the time I took note of you, half of your body had already succumbed to the effects of the cells. You were a dead human walking, one that had very little time to live." I looked disturbed.

"How would I have died?"" They would have consumed all your human cells and transformed you into a husk with no identity. You would be no different than the creature called Ditto."... Shit. Maybe that's why Silver didn't exist in the show. Maybe there are timelines where he just straight-up dies.

"Why did you save me?" I asked in confusion." It was unintentional." I paused.

"What?" Giratina gazed at me, ancient eyes not reflecting anything.

"My intention was never to save you. You were a fortune that I merely grasped and utilized." That made a lot of sense, which was why I was surprised in the first place that Giratina did this to me. I blinked in confusion before my eyes widened.

"My other half," I said softly." Clever boy." Giratina's face grew closer without the creature moving. I found myself already getting used to the Renegade's unsettling (and terrifying) mannerisms.

"Long ago, near the peak of my power in the human dimension, I was stopped. Not by a human of that time… no, I was defeated by a Champion of The Alpha, summoned with the sole purpose of stopping me." I blinked in confusion at that. That sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn't recall." Regardless of how I feel about being defeated in such a manner… I found myself growing bored. It was then I remembered the circumstances of my loss, so I decided to attempt my own hand at it." No fucking way.

Don't tell me I was just used as a plaything for a legendary." Plaything… perhaps you were. If that is the word you wish to use, so be it," Giratina replied, reading my mind perfectly. The ghost was staring at me, those red and ancient eyes expressionless." I attempted to summon a human, just as The Alpha did. Unfortunately, I overestimated myself. I was only able to tear a piece of the other human's spirit away." I stared at the ghost with wide eyes.

"What the fuck do you mean by a piece?" I asked slowly.

"Exactly as I said. While I wished to bring the entire person, I failed and only managed to grab a fragment of them."" Seeing as a fragment cannot live on its own, I needed to find a solution. Two souls cannot inhabit one body; One soul cannot steal another's body. That goes against the nature of the world. They would be smited out of existence the moment they garnered too much attention." Giratina peered at me. I never felt so exposed to a person before." That is where you contributed.

You were the perfect vessel to accept the remnants. Not only were you already losing yourself, you had the cells of—""Mew… making it so that the fragment would perfectly adapt to me," I said flatly." Indeed. However, the fragment was not enough to save you… It filled the half of your body missing, but it would merely be consumed again by the cells. As such, I stabilized you myself, ensuring you were well equipped to survive."

"How?" I asked." You are aware of what my domain is. It was mere child's play."

"... So you used your special ability to save me. That's why I'm so damn strange."" A natural consequence. You are aware of who I am; My power is vast." I sighed.

"So why? Why did you even want to drag a person from another world in the first place? Why not just latch onto someone from here?"" Boredom." I blinked.

"Boredom? What, did you want to take over the world and decided to use me to do it?" I probably could, if you give me some time... but I uh, didn't really want to conquer the world." I have no interest in conquering the universe. I merely desired a set of eyes to act as my own personal mirror. The machinations of the Reverse World grow tiresome." I stared dumbly at the god.

"You… were going to upend someone's entire life just to sate your boredom?"

"The Alpha did so for the sole purpose of halting me instead of doing it themselves. If they did not want me to do it, they would simply send another to stop me. Seeing as they haven't, I am free to act in my own interests." That was… completely fucking ridiculous. This was why you never wanted to earn the gaze of a God, because they weren't humans. I still didn't understand why Giratina dragged a body from a different world to do this. Was it so they could have sole possession of it? I hissed.

"So my other half. He still exists in his world?"" He does indeed. He suffered from a mild coma, but he is relatively fine. Occasionally, he dreams about the journeys you have."

"You ripped half of our spirit away, though," I pointed out incredulously. Giratina looked amused.

"Such a thing does not matter in the world you originate from. Had they been from here, it would be far more dire." Seriously... I sighed.

"So you used me as your own entertainment…" How convenient that the character chosen was a prominent character like Silver—... Never mind, only a main character would even get put in such a ridiculous fucking position. I didn't put much stock on Silver being a main character, because of the existence of my more prominent and important friends… but clearly it was enough to be pulled into these shenanigans.

"I'd be more pissed… but you saved my life, so whatever. If both of us are fine… I can't be too mad." What the hell could I even do? Giratina wasn't even being malicious, and it was such a powerful pokemon that it could blink me out of existence." I simply use you to view the world through a clearer lens. You are free to do as you please. I will not interfere unless I feel as if you are being interfered with by forces beyond what you are meant to deal with."

"You say that, while making my life difficult by just existing... and by forcing me to deal with Mewtwo until the very end," I grunted.

"You seemed to have it under control." I twitched, ignoring that statement for my own good. Seems like luck really did save me from Fraxure. This was good. I figured out the answer to the most important question that had been nagging me since my entire journey started.

"Is that why I can't remember many things from my old world involving my personal life?"" The memories of who you used to be are irrelevant because you are here now. That is why you can remember other general details fine." I frowned.

"But I don't even remember anything from my Silver half."" That is not due to anything I have done. You chose to forget."... I chose to forget. Huh.... Huh.

"Well, whatever. Seeing as I've discovered who you are, there's no point hiding from me anymore. I might still have questions for you," I said gruffly." How entertaining. Despite your fear of me, you still speak so audaciously. I can feel that terror dwindling as well. You are getting accustomed to me, Little Renegade."

"I've got no choice." Giratina's body was enshrouded by darkness once more until all that remained of the silhouette was those glowing red eyes." Very well. I will adhere to your request. You are the one I have chosen after all. Continue to entertain me, Silver." The very moment Giratina said my name, I jolted awake. I unintentionally let out a heavy gasp, realizing that someone was holding my top half up.

"Silvy?" A choked voice asked. I breathed harshly, hand reaching out to clutch the person holding me. As I felt the mess of long hair, my body began to warm up immensely.

"Green?" I repeated quietly. My companion gazed at me, tears pouring down her cheeks. The moment we made eye contact, a choked sob left her.

"Your eyes are silver again!" she cried, pulling me into a tight hug. I sagged in her hold, relief swelling through me. Without any hesitation, I pulled her into the tightest hug I could muster. The simple action broke down the rest of her feeble restraints, and she sobbed loudly.

"I'm so glad you're okay," I breathed, squeezing her as all the tension left me. Green wailed, holding me like I'd disappear at any moment. She tried to speak but blubbered instead, and I just held her, letting her get it all out.

"Silver!" Crystal and Gold easily joined the hug and dropped me to the floor. I let loose a breath as they all held me.

"All of you… I'm glad you're okay," I whispered truthfully, squeezing them all to the best of my ability.

"You dumbass! Don't ever do that again! Were you really protecting us that entire time? Think about yourself for once!" Gold hissed.

"W-We thought you were—" whatever Crystal was about to say was caught on her cry, and she sobbed weakly. I shut my eyes.

"I can't leave you guys just yet. The Color Gang is totally hopeless without me."

"Yeah, we are!" Green whimpered. I grunted as a set of vines pulled our group into the sobbing Gaia's embrace. No... my entire team was crying. I exhaled all the air in my lungs as they crowded me, wheezing weakly at the tears.

"I'm still here," I soothed, raking a hand against Freyja and Oberon. I buried my head in Loki's hair and weakly accepted Ares' headbutts. I must have been more delirious than I thought because it took me a moment to realize that the clones of my team were also hogging me. I blinked owlishly.

"Metang? You evolved?!" I asked in shock, watching the two Metagross stand next to one another... A connection flared to life in my head, and I watched as the darker Metagross rumbled.

"I have been ready to evolve for quite some time. I had hoped to wait until we were free, but your connection to the legend forcefully caused it." My eyes narrowed in guilt.

"Sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to."

"It matters little. Fanfare was never important to me. What is important is that you recover because you are going to get a firm scolding from me when you are healed." I winced.

"Yes, sir... or ma'am... I never really figured that out. Kinda crazy that I'm just now thinking about it."

"You are very clearly tired. We are bonded; My gender is yours. You used to unknowingly refer to me with male pronouns regardless so I am accustomed to it." Huh, that made sense. I smiled shakily.

"I'll properly admire your form when we get the time. I'll praise you like you deserve to be praised."

"Hmph. Naturally." As they all hogged me, I instinctively looked up into the sky to see a weary Mewtwo staring at me, Mew right next to him. We made eye contact, and the legendary vanished, only to appear right in front of me. My group tensed immediately. I watched as they stood up to block me from Mewtwo's sight, all having the most heinous glares on their face. You would think Mewtwo was a regular pokemon with how quickly they were to jump to my aid.

"You've hurt him enough!" Crystal hissed protectively, grabbing and pulling me, and by extension Green (she never let me go), behind her.

"Yeah, back off! We won't let you get your hands on him again!" Gold snarled. Mewtwo looked at them. The psychic gazed at his hands and then looked back at me.

"I… merely wish to speak to him. I am done. I have acknowledged that my efforts were... misplaced. It is my loss," Mewtwo informed them. They continued glaring at him, unmoved by his words to a degree I was genuinely impressed by. They definitely got that unforgiving stance from me, alright.

"Mewtwo," I said eventually, forcing myself up and resisting the urge to cry out at the pain. Despite that, Green hastily held me up, allowing me to lean on her for support. No one knew what had transpired between the two of us. They truly had no idea why he had surrendered. I would tell them in time... I just needed to... get some sleep first. Regardless, Mewtwo was still my little brother. He was just misguided and needed a good knock on the head. Was Giratina excessive? Yeah, probably...

but my knock on the head was a Fraxure nearly eating me, so I shouldn't really be relied on to have good judgment. Now that Mewtwo was receptive, I could take a gentler approach.

"Your journey to find your purpose shouldn't be at the cost of others. Just because you're a clone, doesn't mean you have no place in this world." I huffed tiredly. I felt horrible, weakened to a degree I didn't think was possible. It felt like a tiny breeze would knock me unconscious. But despite that, I mustered up the energy to walk up to Mewtwo, staring at the seriously tall legend with a wry smirk.

"Everyone has a reason for existing. Even the clones you created. You saw how I treated the clones of my pokemon. They love me, they get along with their originals, and they love you. I'm not the only one who will treat clones properly in this world," I said truthfully. Mewtwo's eyes widened at my words.

"It's not about replacing Mew. It's about proving that Mewtwo has a place in the world beyond being a clone of the Progenitor. Your life isn't defined by what you're created as… It's defined by what you do with the life given to you. Don't be Mewtwo, creation of Team Rocket. Be Mewtwo, the legendary pokemon, who had the power to nearly bring all of Kanto to its knees... and be Mewtwo, the stupid little brother of the other idiot who's the only one willing to guide you in the proper direction," I exhaled.

The psychic looked utterly stunned.

"You... you do not hate me for what I've done to you?" he asked quietly. I weakly punched his chest.

"I think you learned your lesson in one of the worst ways possible, so no. You and I are the same, you know? Victims of Team Rocket, molded by them to be terrible people... but I was able to dig myself out of that, and I brought you with me. You're my responsibility now." Mewtwo stared down at me in shock. I would have laughed if I had the energy to do so. He was probably comparing this version of me to the psychopath that met Giratina.

"Besides, I saw how much fun you were having while being my partner. Maybe one day, we'll be able to do that again... but please don't forcefully Mega Evolve. I can barely feel my insides."

"I... am sorry. It was thoughtless of me... this entire time, I've treated you rather barbarically," Mewtwo said, eyes averted in guilt.

"We'll just call it karma for all the people I've been an asshole to. Though... if this is karma, I might have to start being nicer," I grunted, tipping over. Gold hastily caught me, pushing me up and away from Mewtwo." Well said, my child!" Mew teleported next to me and patted my head. I would have bit it if I had the energy.

"Listen to your eldest brother, little me! Life is meant to be enjoyed, and only you know the ways to enjoy it yourself! Who am I? What are we? None of that matters! Isn't the beauty of life enough? The pursuit of such answers is the joy of living!" Mew giggled. Mewtwo gazed at us.

"I see… Perhaps I should view the world that you all find so beautiful. I seemed to have judged it too harshly."

"I know the feeling," I said truthfully, gazing into the night sky.

"I didn't think I could ever trust a soul… but I'm happy that this world proved me wrong. I'm sure you'll be happy too, so long as you keep an open eye."" That is what I will do... once I find the answers I seek..."

"You can find me if you want. I know there's more you want to talk about," I chuckled (if you could even call it that), finishing his train of thought. Mewtwo looked mildly disturbed.

"Are we still bonded? How could you tell that is what I desired?" All he got was another raspy laugh from me. I watched the clones of the legendary birds appear behind Mewtwo… followed by all the other clones created and smirked.

"I guess you have to decide what you'll do with them as well. You are their leader, after all." Mewtwo looked stunned at that. He turned to face the plethora of clones, suddenly realizing what he had to do from my words.

"Good luck, my little ones!" Mew cheered. The little cat patted Mewtwo on his skull before nuzzling my cheek happily. Then, it leapt into Green's arm, exchanging a giddy hug with the girl, before tugging both Crystal and Gold's cheeks, shaking their heads affectionately. Satisfied with its plethora of affections, Mew disappeared... came back, patted the sleeping Ash's head, and the stunned Blue's hair, before vanishing this time for good.

"Why does Mew keep calling me its child?" I muttered.

"Because you are… technically?" Crystal muttered in return. Just thinking about it made me all the more tired, and I promptly collapsed.

"Bad time to mention it, but you did something weird to one of my members again," Gold informed me. I groaned.

"You have awful luck, man. Catch pokemon that don't get corrupted by me."

"Do you have a list?" Gold asked sarcastically.

"No." Gold shook his head in amusement.

"It was Wartaro. The weird thing is, he doesn't look like a Ghost type." I let out an unintelligible noise.

"We'll talk more when I'm alive."

"Oh… by the way…" I reached into my bag and pulled out three objects.

"Here. I beat his 8 badge team, and you guys would have too… so even if they don't count it, consider it won anyway," I said. I placed an Earth Badge in each of their hands.

"And... I have the TM for Earthquake. If you wanna use it while I'm dead to the world, feel free." I didn't hear the shouts of concern for my name, just allowing the comfort of sleep to take over. As Silver fell asleep, a vine gently wrapped around him, placing him atop the soft-eyed Gaia.

"I can't even begin to describe what I just witnessed. This is gonna be such a headache to write about," Karen moaned despondently. The Dark Master shook her head, walking up to the children with a small smile.

"Kids, good... no great job. You all did amazing," she praised. Gold and Crystal smiled shakily.

"We tried our best," they said slowly.

"And considering the situation, the best was better than what a lot of us could do." Karen ruffled all their heads and sighed.

"Leave the rest of the work to the adults. You kids deserve a break... though, knowing you all, you'll probably begin preparing for the League."

"No slowing down for us. We've gotta win," Gold said truthfully. Crystal nodded, though her eyes were locked on Green.

"Green?" she said quietly. Green's face was blank, thoughts running through her head that no one could glean.

"Leaf Green." She jumped, turning towards Mewtwo with wide eyes. The psychic was staring at her, gaze flickering over to the sleeping Silver.

"You performed admirably. If not for Silver, you would have handily defeated me. You are strong... I see why he admires you now." Green felt her heart stop at that simple declaration.

"Strong..." she whispered to herself.

"I'm... gonna go get started on my training. Mewtwo, could you teleport me off this island?" Green asked bluntly. Mewtwo looked confused.

"Very well?"

"Wait, you aren't gonna wait for Silver to wake up?" Gold asked, stunned.

"... Silver would be mad if we stopped everything just for him. We'll need to be at our best if we want to win the league," Green said softly, returning her team promptly.

"Well, I guess you're right..." Crystal trailed off.

"We have kind of derailed our journeys for Silver. He's probably pissed at us already for that," Gold muttered. Karen stared at Green with narrowed eyes before shaking her head.

"Leave Silver to me. You three should definitely train for the League." The 3 Color Gang members nodded stiffly, with different expressions on all three.

"Allow me, I've already pinpointed where each of you wishes to go," Mewtwo offered. While Green nodded, Gold and Crystal weren't so convinced.... But they saw the way Silver spoke to Mewtwo. If even he was willing to give the legend a chance, they could at least try.

"Tell Silver we'll see him at the league! We'll say everything we wanna say after one of us wins it!" Crystal decided.

"Yeah! He'd better get stronger or else we'll blow him away!" Gold grinned.

"..." Green said nothing. They seamlessly vanished with their team. Blue sighed strangely, gaze lingering on the sleeping Ash.

"If you're offering free teleports, I'll take one too. I don't even know why I came here. I was just a bystander," he muttered. Brothers... what the hell? Mewtwo nodded.

"Very well," he agreed, seamlessly whisking the boy away. Mewtwo's gaze turned towards Silver with a small frown... before his eyes snapped to the Nurse Joy he had taken. She took measured steps towards Silver, raking a gentle hand through his hair.

"Where have you been?" Karen asked curiously.

"I'm a nurse. It takes me longer to move places," Joy said coolly, allowing Gaia to lift her for easier access. The Dark Master peered at her, deigning not to mention the dried tear marks on her face.

"I would like to apologize to you as well, Nurse Joy," Mewtwo said bluntly. Joy turned towards the legend with a small frown.

"I wish I could say with full conscience that I forgive you... But that may take some time." Mewtwo simply nodded.

"I understand. You truly do care for Silver. Would you like me to teleport you back to Hoenn?" he questioned. Joy shook her head.

"I'll wait for the brat to wake up before going back."

"Very well." Karen took the chance to speak up.

"So what... you're really done trying to destroy the region?" she asked hesitantly. Purple eyes, no longer filled with that cold gleam, stared at her.

"I am done. Silver has shown me that there is more to this life than I initially believed. You do not have to worry about my conquering of Kanto any longer..." Mewtwo tilted his head.

"... But, that does not mean I wish to be bothered. I will kindly inform you that any attempts at gleaning my location or capturing me will be dealt with brutally." Karen shivered.

"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear." Mewtwo was practically Silver's anyway. Karen could tell when a pokemon enjoyed a trainer's presence very easily. She'd leave it up to him to keep this psychic in check.

"I will transport you trainers back to the Old Shore Wharf. I would implore you not to mention what has taken place today," Mewtwo advised. Brock and Misty nodded shakily, stunned by the turn of events. They were truthfully still reeling at the fact that Silver and Ash were brothers. That made no sense at all. Those two couldn't be any more different besides their foul personalities. Meanwhile, Fergus, Corey, and Neesha took a step back from the legend.

Palpable fear was on all their faces as they gazed at Mewtwo and the unconscious Silver.

"Do not be stubborn and claim you can make it back alone. This is equally for my sake as it is yours. I desire solitude," Mewtwo intoned, perfectly reading their minds... He would have to get out of the habit of doing that. It was an "invasion of privacy," Silver had said. Mewtwo had disregarded everything Silver had said before... he would attempt to listen now. Before they could protest, a sheen covered all the trainers, transporting them back. Mewtwo made sure the other snooping idiots went with them.

They were lucky that he had no interest in hunting Team Rocket down just yet. Karen had seen many teleports, but she couldn't help but notice how seamless and smooth Mewtwo's was. It was a mild distortion of the space around, having very little fanfare involved; most teleporters had a flash that accompanied the technique.

"You may tell your Champion that my clones and I will deal with the chaotic routes," Mewtwo informed her. The Legendary Bird Clones shrieked in agreement, prompting the originals to stare at them.

"One would rather eliminate you all here and now," Articuno sniffed.

"A futile effort; You will not win. If you attempt to retaliate against Silver, I will torment you for all of eternity," Mewtwo warned. Articuno's glacier-like eyes clashed with Mewtwo's purple.

"The battle is over, sibling. There is nothing to gain by reigniting a tempered flame," Moltres interjected.

"Weak! Here you are, accepting these false idols, molded in our image! They should be smited for daring to take One's appearance," Articuno scowled. Mewtwo stared evenly at the bird.

"You will go back to your home and sleep like you would normally do. If you so desire the urge to attack me, I will gladly make a repeat of our first encounter." Mewtwo finished his statement by beckoning towards the clone of Articuno, who sneered at the original.

"Such insolence!" Articuno howled. Zapdos scoffed.

"I grow tired of this. So long as they leave me be, I do not care. I do not share the same interests in this as you do, ice sibling." With a shriek that sounded like thunder drumming, the electric bird vanished.

"I will only stay to ensure you do nothing foolish, sibling wreathed in ice," Moltres warned. Articuno spluttered.

"One was not the only one defeated. You and the one molded in lightning would let such a shame linger?!"

"Yes. We were not the victors today. A mere human who would even go so far as to attack us is the one who saved our lives. We do not have the right to decide anything," Moltres said truthfully. Articuno's expression was baleful. They refused to bend from their previous stance... But then the bird froze. Karen, who had no idea what the hell was going on beyond Mewtwo's voice, watched the ice type gaze slowly at Silver's sleeping body. She couldn't resist the bead of sweat that formed as Articuno promptly flew away.

It seemed like quite the stubborn one... so why did it fly off? Moltres' gaze lingered on Silver as well before the bird flew off.

"Hmph," Mewtwo scoffed, watching them fly off. The psychic turned to Karen once more.

"As I said, I will deal with the chaotic areas. Do not interfere. My animosity towards humans will eventually wane, but it is not instant." Karen huffed.

"I'll let them know that you aren't gonna genocide our region, I guess. Least that's one less problem for us."

"At least you're helping. I've seen the way you interact with the pokemon when you aren't plotting. You're a lot like Silver. A good heart ruined by bad people," Joy grunted, grabbing the poke balls off Silver's arm band to return his team.

"I... see. I will keep those words in mind," Mewtwo said eventually. Without anymore fanfare, Mewtwo teleported the rest of the humans (Silver, Joy, and Karen) to Indigo. He watched them go with a blank expression before finally sagging in exhaustion. His encounter with that creature, Giratina, had sapped him of most of his energy. What a terrifying monster. Mewtwo struggled to believe they were both classified as "Legendary Pokemon". By the sounds of it, Silver had known about its existence for a very long time.

At any given point... Silver likely could have snuffed his life by utilizing Giratina, but he did not. No... for some reason, Silver was against the idea of killing him. Be Mewtwo, the stupid little brother of the other idiot who's the only one willing to guide you in the proper direction.

"I am not stupid," he grunted. Mewtwo would take his near-death experience and learn from it. He was not the strongest... but for the moment, being the strongest did not matter. Perhaps it never did. Was becoming the strongest, not him simply conforming to Giovanni's will?... Mewtwo turned to face his clones. He would need to find them a home. One where they could live in peace. Preferably an isolated area... Yes, he would do that. It was time to care for them like Silver had instructed him to do.

And that was making sure they all ended up where they needed to be. I awoke to the cold. The frigid fucking cold. The type of cold that let me know that it was unnatural and someone was messing with me— I let out a shout of surprise, as I was abruptly yanked into one of the tightest hugs I'd ever been subjected to. I would have complained about the tightness if I weren't completely stunlocked by the fact that I was being repeatedly kissed on the face.

"Silver!" Lorelei sobbed, showering me in affection. Her tears spilled freely, and I weakly squeezed her back.

"Aunt," I breathed in relief, ignoring the way my face warmed as she dove back in to pepper me some more. She must have noticed how weak my grip was because my teary aunt immediately laid me back on the bed and grabbed a glass of water. I made no complaints as she held the glass to my lips, and just greedily drank down the water offered to me, sighing in relief at the incredible sensation of drinking water with a dry throat. My head hit the pillow, eyes focused on my aunt.

She immediately parted my bang to the side, staring into my eyes (they must be back to silver) with such relief it floored me. Lorelei grasped each of my cheeks and sniffed.

"You... utterly reckless boy! Just what were you thinking? Who decided that you were old enough to make all these decisions on your own?!" I wheezed weakly.

"I just wanted to keep you safe," I replied... not meekly. I would never be meek.

"Trying to keep me safe?! Look at you! You're grounded for one… no two years!" I coughed harshly at that.

"Two years? How did you decide one year wasn't enough time?" I asked incredulously. She dragged me into another hug.

"Because you made me age 10," she murmured. My gaze softened.

"I missed you, Aunt Lorelei."

"And I you, Silver," she breathed, squeezing me tenderly. Relief coursed through her like an overwhelming wave, and I found myself effortlessly swept in by the tide. Words could not explain how relieved I was to see my aunt healthy and breathing. Seeing her tears was better than seeing a lifeless look in her eyes. Feeling her cold as hell breath was better than no breathing. I didn't even realize that I was squeezing her right back with my impossibly weak grip. She gazed at me in blatant concern.

"You've been asleep for an entire week. Your body was… is incredibly weak. Medics predicted that you'd be asleep for at least another week." I definitely felt like shit. No matter how used to it I had become… synchronizing myself with a god was something I really should not be doing.

"I'll… tell you everything. It was very chaotic," I murmured. Lorelei gazed at me in surprise.

"Truly? Everything?" I nodded.

"I… like being honest with you, and I realized what I was missing when it was finally gone. From now on, I'm going to try to be more open with you, without you pestering me. You deserve it." Lorelei choked up at my words and placed her head on my side.

"I missed you. I missed you so much." Her near whimper softened my defenses dramatically. She truly had no idea just how much I missed her. That gaping emptiness inside me was filling up quickly with her presence.

"Come on. I'm still a little tired, and I knew you were sitting at my side for a long time." I attempted to pull her onto my hospital bed, only to fail epically. I was so weak that it was becoming embarrassing. Not even my exceptional physical strength was accessible. Lorelei's worried gaze reached me, but she went along with my request. The cool body of my aunt enveloped me, and I sighed, my head falling back against the pillow.

"Where's Green?" I asked. Lorelei's expression turned slightly pinched.

"Green… wished to go train on her own. She wanted to prepare for the Pokemon League. Gold and Crystal also went their separate ways to train. They informed us to let you know that they are saving everything they want to say for afterwards... For now, train your best to defeat them." I nodded, ignoring the slight pang.

"That's good. I also need to start training… after I get my last badges, I guess," I sighed. My aunt ran a hand through my hair.

"There is no need. I was told you handed the Earth Badge to the rest of the Color Gang. We consulted with one another and, after judging the performances of you all, decided you would be officially given the eighth badge due to outside factors prohibiting you. Regardless, the gym circuit has concluded early this year." Ah. That made sense. I nodded at that, eyes drooping as the simple action nearly exhausted me.

"Alright then… let me tell you everything that happened."

"So… you joined Team Rocket to destroy them from the inside?" Lorelei asked softly. I yawned.

"No. I joined Team Rocket so that they didn't kill you," I corrected. Lorelei froze at my words, staring at me in surprise.

"But because of that, I decided that the new best way to get rid of Team Rocket was to deal with them from the inside. Since I no longer had access to explore the world freely, I needed to deal with their most powerful asset, Mewtwo," I explained to her.

"That's…" Lorelei looked lost for words. My aunt was gazing at me with wide eyes, storing all the information I gave her. I told her everything. Even every crime I committed with them.

"Silver… you seem like you had multiple plans to deal with Team Rocket? What was your initial plan?" she asked warily.

"I had a lot of them," I replied coolly, reaching for my bag and failing epically. My aunt saw the action and mercifully grabbed it for me, long limbs reaching over my body to take the single strap bag. I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the glowing meteorite.

"Before I got captured, I was going to wake up Rayquaza. I already know it's watching me a bit, so maybe it would have helped me…"

"I doubt it, though. So my next plan was to go to Johto to wake up Lugia or Ho-Oh. The birds were afraid to ally with me… but those two should have more jurisdiction." I pulled the three feathers of the birds out, showing them to Lorelei.

"Lugia has jurisdiction over the Legendary Birds. I'm sure it's strong enough to battle Mewtwo alone. I also know the two items needed to wake them up... so I was going to steal all the necessary things needed to awaken them," I admitted. That included the Kimono Girls before you asked. I doubted I needed them in this world... but contingencies and all that. Lorelei gazed at me with wide eyes.

"You know what is needed to awaken... Lugia? The fabled Guardian of the Sea, you mean?" I nodded.

"And this glowing rock has ties to... Rayquaza? If I remember correctly, that's the primary legend the Hoennians worship?" she continued. I nodded again.

"How would you have awakened Ho-oh?" Lorelei couldn't help but ask. I hummed.

"It would have been harder than awakening Lugia. Sometimes you can find it nesting on the top of the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City, but my best bet would be to somehow find the Legendary Beasts." Lorelei tilted her head.

"Legendary Beasts?"

"Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. Ho-Oh governs over them. I think Suicune would have been my best bet. They tend to rest in the Burned Tower." My aunt was gazing at me with wide eyes.

"You know so much? How?" she asked. I pursed my lips.

"I've sorta figured some stuff out. Team Rocket kind of sentenced me to death when they experimented on me, but I was saved by a Legendary. It... gave me knowledge that I wasn't supposed to have." Lorelei clenched her fist.

"I knew those experiments could not have done anything good to you. I'm just glad you're okay now... You are okay now, right?" she asked quietly. I nodded.

"As okay as whatever the hell I am can be." She sighed, raking a hand through my long hair.

"So are you able to pinpoint the location of most legendaries? Is that how you knew the location of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres?"

"I know where most tend to be. Not all, but a lot," I answered truthfully.

"Absurd…" she whispered, gazing at me.

"I had a lot of plans that I had to throw out after getting taken by Mewtwo. I don't know which plan would have even worked. Maybe all of them would have failed… but I wouldn't have stopped until I won," I said truthfully. I had to fall to my last resort in the Foggy Fortress to win… and I hadn't even known if that was a double suicide move or not. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I did not think my first-ever Mega Evolution was going to be Mewtwo.

That was actually the last thing I expected. I guess I was the mega stone? It's not like he should have one. He wasn't a natural pokemon. Lorelei sighed.

"You singlehandedly upheaved Team Rocket, Silver. That is not something that the League will ever be able to repay. Already, we have made countless arrests. Without Mewtwo to protect them, it has become child's play." I grunted.

"Did you catch any Executives?" I asked.

"Not yet. We are searching furiously for them and Giovanni." I scowled.

"After the League, I'll deal with them. Every single one." Lorelei turned a disturbed gaze towards me, but I had already shut my eyes.

"By the way. I thought you should know… but Ariana didn't know I was experimented on." My aunt froze, prompting me to pop open a single eye. She was gazing at me with a stunned expression.

"She… didn't know?" Lorelei asked quietly.

"No. Not at all by the looks of it. When I confronted her, she nearly blew her lid. She confronted Giovanni and nearly got killed for it," I informed her. Lorelei looked hopelessly lost at that. Well, I did say I'd be more honest with her.

"Because she really didn't know… and because some part of me still loves her, I let her escape. When I'm ready, though, I'll hunt her down. Next time I find her, I won't have this same level of mercy." At my simple and cold declaration, I lay back and prepared to sleep. After the Pokemon League. I would hunt them all down. Not a single rocket would escape from me. That was my resolve. I'd chase them all to the ends of the earth if I had to.

"Get some rest, Aunt. You look exhausted." Lorelei was still staring at me, but she eventually nodded.

"Right. Goodnight, Silver."

"Goodnight, Aunt." I was abruptly woken up by a figure crushing me. I wheezed tiredly, blinking in confusion at the strange noise filling the room. It only took me a moment to identify it as crying. The moment I realized, I also figured out I was being hugged.

"SILVER!" Jasmine wailed. My normally quiet friend made no effort to hide her voice. Her keening cries battered at my foggy brain repeatedly, waking me up at speeds that were concerning.

"Hey... hey!" I said hastily, reaching out with both hands to hold her. I was too weak to do what I wanted, but that definitely didn't stop me from forcing myself.

"It's me, Jas. I'm right here," I soothed to the best of my ability. I noted that her arm was still bandaged, causing my eyes to narrow in some concern. Jasmine looked up at me, those light brown eyes glistening wet. She opened her mouth and tried to say something, but another sob ripped itself out of her, causing her to lose her train of thought. My gaze softened. I just raked a hand through her soft brown hair, idly fiddling with her pigtails. Right now, the best course was to just let her get it all out.

I didn't wanna see Jasmine cry. During my time with Team Rocket and Mewtwo, all I had been hearing in my head were Jasmine and Lorelei crying. I had wanted nothing more than to see them again. All of them. They were a bright spot in my shitty life... But so long as Team Rocket existed, they would eventually come after me again. So long as Team Rocket had Mewtwo, I would keep doing more and more dangerous things to counteract them. Normally, I wouldn't have cared... but I kept making more and more friends.

My list of people to care for grew from none to too much to mention. And one of them had been about to die in front of me. I really wasn't kidding. If I had been forced to watch Lorelei die... I don't even think Giovanni was going to make it back to his base. I don't think anyone was making it out alive... except for me. And if I were the only one who made it out alive there... I couldn't guarantee the state of Kanto... no, this entire world.

With the knowledge I wielded, bringing this world to its heel would have been child's play. I was actually spoiled for options, and unlike the villain teams, I was competent enough that some child would not have been able to stop me. Waking up Kyogre and Groudon, forming the Red Chain, acquiring the Golems to awaken Regigigas...... I'm glad it didn't come to that. I did not want to be the harbinger of the apocalypse. Just my actions with Mewtwo were enough to leave a knot in my stomach.

Yeah, I was okay with not being a calamity. Ruling the world sounded like a lot of work. Eventually, Jasmine's sobs died down to little whimpers. She clutched my white coat (... who the hell changed me? who picked this color? I didn't even know I owned a white coat!) desperately, as if I'd disappear the moment she let go. Considering that had happened last time, I didn't have the heart to comment on it.

"You alright?" I murmured gently, feeling the way she shuddered against me.

"Mmm... I'm better now," she admitted quietly. I rubbed her back.

"Good. You know I hate seeing any of you cry," I murmured. Jasmine sniffed weakly.

"I'm just so glad you're okay!" she cried.

"I'm good now, and it's thanks to you. I heard you had something to do with the birds showing up?" I prodded, mostly to get her mind working. My best friend nodded.

"I um... went back to the Sevii Islands to wake Moltres up while Lorelei went to Seafoam to wake up Articuno. It didn't take much convincing for me to have Moltres go... I just showed them the after effects of the routes for you and Mewtwo's battles. Lorelei told me Articuno didn't take any convincing." Jasmine rubbed her bandaged arm.

"I remembered the warning about Zapdos, so I convinced Moltres to go get it." I nodded thoughtfully, gaze lingering on her bandaged arm. Considering Jasmine was staring at me the whole time, she saw my eyes wandering.

"Oh, I'm fine! It's healing if that's what you're wondering. Moltres actually helped speed it up!" she explained hastily. I felt relief swell at that. Jasmine was too adorable to have scars. Leave that to idiots like me.

"Thank you, Jasmine. If the birds didn't show up... it would have gone south very fast." Her tears welled up again, and she buried her head into me.

"I'm glad it didn't... I missed you so much!" I smiled softly at her, just allowing her to take in my presence. There was no need to say anything else. We could talk about the complicated stuff later. Right now, Jasmine just needed her friend. We had all the time in the world now to talk. I let out a strangled noise, which I refused to go into detail about, as I was pulled into a tight hug by a too-large figure. Once I realized who it was, my weak struggles grew stronger... or at least I like to think they did.

I was still way too weak from earlier. As a result, I just did some pathetic shaking that the figure probably didn't even register.

"Who said you could hug me, you stupid goddamn Flying Master—""I'm sorry." I stopped. Lance looked exhausted, with deep bags under his eyes that suggested he probably hadn't had proper sleep in days. But instead of sleeping, he was here, apologizing to me.

"I didn't know anything about your circumstances… and I still took advantage of you. I can't put into words how sorry I am for doing what I did, Silver. Even after all that, you still had to save my… no, you saved this whole region's ass." Lance released me, those yellow eyes of his peering into my soul. He placed his massive hands on my shoulders and squeezed down gently, though it was still strong enough to make me buckle.

"You completely fragmented Team Rocket… and you stopped a Legendary that could kill us all. I will never be able to repay you. On my name… as the head of the Wataru Clan, as Champion Lance… thank you." Hives formed on my skin, and my eyes darted in every single direction. This wasn't what I was expecting. This was the last thing I expected. What was I supposed to do here?

"I…" I trailed off, eyes wide in confusion. Where the hell was my aunt to bail me out of this? Green? Anyone? …

"If I forgive you, will you stop bowing?" I asked eventually.

"You don't have to forgive me. This isn't about me earning your forgiveness… It's about me thanking you for doing what I couldn't." …

"I didn't do it for you. I didn't do it for this region. I did it for myself… and I did it for the people who I care about," I said truthfully.

"I believe you. We were secondary to your main goals… and that makes this all the more shameful, that we had to rely so much on you. But that will never change how thankful I am for your efforts." The hives were growing even more.

"Alright, alright! I forgive you," I hissed uncomfortably. From the hug, to the bowing, to the sheer thankfulness in his voice. I was practically a fish outta water with how I should react to this.

"I don't like that you tricked me. I talked to Green, and she made me realize that you disappointed me like every other adult in my life. You were cool to me. I… actually liked you, but then I realized you used me for your own agendas." Lance winced back.

"I didn't know. I thought it was harmless. I was trying to be the hero you said I was and overstepped. I don't regret having you meet Lorelei… but the way I did it was all wrong."

"... I don't regret meeting her either. That's why I'll forgive you. Even though you disappointed me like every other adult... You introduced me to the one adult who can't," I said bluntly, leaning back into my bed. The Champion looked thankful for that.

"Are we good then?" I stared at him and sighed, a wry smile making its way to my face.

"Yeah, we're good. You can send pictures of your little Dratini again."

"Good. I missed bothering you," Lance said truthfully, planting a palm on my head. I attempted to bat it away, but my body wasn't agreeing with me, so I fell back instead.

"You're still tired. You should get some rest, but I thought I'd tell you, with the disappearance of Giovanni and considering your… relation, since he's a criminal, everything that was his, automatically goes to the next immediate person."

"But I'm listed as an orphan," I retorted calmly.

"Regardless of that, you're his only sponsor. His heir, practically. Even if you weren't his son, you'd get everything. You're even next in line to inherit the Viridian Gym." I stilled at that, brows furrowed.

"What do I get?"

"Assets, funds, and a house. It's a lot more complicated than that, but you and I both don't wanna go into detail about it," he replied, like he read it off a list already. I grunted.

"I'll give it a look, I guess… and I don't want the gym. Find another person to take over." Lance laughed tiredly.

"Make my life harder, why don't you… But I knew you'd say that. More than likely, Viridian will be shut down next circuit. In fact, Kanto will have to enter a bit of a rebuilding state."

"Yeah… but the worst of it is over," I sighed.

"It is. I haven't slept in days. I think now is a good time to catch up on it. I'll have Karen deal with it... She's very annoyed with this, by the way," Lance pointed out in amusement.

"Not letting Lorelei handle it?" I mused.

"She didn't even want me to speak to you alone. Lorelei deserves to spend some free time with you." I laughed weakly, head hitting the pillow.

"Send her in then. I'm going to sleep anyway." Lance laughed tiredly.

"Yeah. Goodnight Silver. We'll talk more later." The champion waved while exiting the room.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do at the League. Something tells me this one is going to be one to remember." I listened to that with a perked brow before huffing and going to sleep. I didn't even shift in my sleep at being manhandled into a hug. I just turned and burrowed into the person, allowing the coolness to wash over me.

"Hey." I perked up, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Joy? What are you still doing here?" Karen whistled.

"Wow, he really can identify you. You weren't kidding about that crush. No wonder he rejected my offer to dance," she mused. My eyes narrowed at seeing Joy's smirk.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked slowly. The only nurse I knew on a somewhat personal level took a seat on my bed. She brushed my long bangs to the side and placed a palm on my forehead.

"Not boiling anymore, so that's good. How's your body?" she asked.

"Like I got trampled violently," I replied blandly, unamused by her antics.

"Expected. You've been out for a week after all," she mused. Joy allowed my bang to fall back over my eye.

"You need to cut that."

"Later," I said dismissively, letting my head fall back to my pillow.

"Now answer the question. What are you still doing here?" Joy rolled her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be a little happier? I've been your personal nurse after all, making sure you're healthy and all that jazz," she replied lazily. I hissed.

"Seriously, what is giving you the idea that I'm some pervert?"

"Nothing. It's just funny to get a reaction out of you," she admitted, reaching over and pinching my cheek violently. I let out a strangled hiss, weakly thrashing in place.

"That's for calling me a defect. You're unreasonably strong for a 12-year-old, and I'm just an innocent nurse, so I'll take this rare opportunity."

"You're... so... dead," I promised weakly.

"Doubt it. I'll be back in Hoenn by the time you can move," she replied, flashing another insufferable smirk. I huffed quietly.

"You think I won't come to Hoenn just to get revenge? You underestimate me." Joy opened her mouth, only to shut it.

"I forgot you can teleport... but there's no way you can do that with no Mewtwo..." she murmured.

"Where's Lorelei? I'm snitching on you," I said bluntly. Much to my satisfaction, Joy's expression immediately turned wary.

"Don't do that. That woman is scarily protective of you. She might freeze me, and then you'll be sad that you have no one to banter with," she replied. I growled lowly.

"Fuck you, I'll recover." Karen laughed loudly.

"From meeting the strangest Nurse Joy, to meeting the strangest kid. Normally, I'd be mad that you left me to do so much work, but I'll forget it just this once." I would have sneered if I weren't so tired.

"I'm so honored that you're using me as free entertainment. Now get out, both of you." My demand was ignored utterly.

"I'll be leaving soon. I just wanted to make sure you woke up," Joy said truthfully, ruffling my hair. I attempted to bite her, but failed. Joy had a really infuriating smirk. I wanted to wipe it off her face.

"Don't think such dark thoughts about me," she chided, reaching out to pinch my cheek again.

"Can you just say what you wanted to say?!" I barked.

"Fine, fine. I'm done bothering you. It's more fun when you have the energy to retaliate," Joy admitted.

"You did good, Silver. Even though it shouldn't have been on you to solve these issues, you did it without batting an eye." My favorite nurse cupped my cheeks with both hands before pulling me into a tender hug.

"You've made me cry twice now... but I'll let it slide. If you do it a third time, I'll use my nursing skills to do things you don't want me to do," she warned. I said nothing for a moment. Then, I weakly hugged her back.

"Thanks for keeping me company, Joy. I think I would have lost my mind a little more if it wasn't for you," I said truthfully.

"Course. Dealing with self-destructive idiots is my specialty. I hope now that you've dealt with most of your issues, you'll stop being so reckless."

"I'll try. Things just seem to gravitate to me," I chuckled.

"I don't doubt it," Joy said dryly.

"This is sweet. Too sweet for you two. I barely know either of you, but I can tell," Karen mused.

"Are you just here for commentary and quips?" I hissed. Karen's response was to reach over and pinch my cheek.

"That's for blowing off my request to dance... and for not recognizing me. You hurt my ego." I writhed in annoyance, eyes glowing in malice at the amused smirk on her face.

"Hey, in the future, I'd like to chase you again. We could make a game out of it. Weavile and I had a lot of fun," Karen said excitedly, a gleam in her eyes that was distinctly predatory. I stared at her and nodded my head, opening my mouth—"LORELEI! YOUR INJURED AND HELPLESS NEPHEW IS BEING BULLIED RIGHT NOW!" —And expending the rest of my energy to call for my aunt. I fell asleep with a smug smirk on my face.

"Demon brat," Joy sighed. Karen went pale.

"I didn't think he had enough energy to call her." Lorelei crossed her arms as she walked into the room.

"Considering his state... and the fact Silver would only ever utilize me for one person, you two must have truly been bothering him. Explain yourselves." Joy pointed a single finger at Karen.

"She followed me in while I was doing a checkup. Mentioned something about wanting to chase him with her Weavile." Lorelei turned a scalding glare towards Karen immediately. Karen had to hand it to her. Joy was as big a demon as Silver. She'd be impressed if not for her outrage at being accused. She supposed only a Joy like this could put up with Lorelei's demon nephew. I gazed up at the ceiling, bored out of my mind.

I was still cooped up in my room because Lorelei was in full mother hen mode, making sure I didn't move at all. We were at Indigo Headquarters. It wasn't a place I ever expected to be at because, well, I was a criminal. But hey, the world works in funny ways. I wanted to train. Gold, Crystal, and Green were preparing for the League, so I needed to put in overtime to catch up. Thankfully, the Gravity strat was incredibly effective. I'd have to tell my gang about it once we met up again.

I craned my head weakly to the left, gazing at my bag. With a weak wave of my hand, it shakily floated over to me. Ugh. So it seemed like I still had a fraction of those psychic powers. I felt like I could draw more, but something was dampening it. Didn't take a genius to find out what that was... though maybe my distance from Mewtwo also played a part. Regardless, it did its job. I grabbed the bag and sighed. My team was off doing their own training while I recovered.

It wasn't taking a genius to find out they were avoiding me, so I needed to speak to them... I paused in confusion. Huh? What was this? In my bag, lying suspiciously with a note next to them, were 4 poke balls. I scratched my head and grabbed the note. It was written in impossibly neat letters, almost like the words were printed from a computer. It was short and simple. They require a proper home. I trust that you will find one for them. And that was it. It wasn't even signed, so I had no idea who wrote it...

Well, up until I opened the 4 Poke Balls. I blinked owlishly as I released each pokemon from the ball. At once, a Charmander, Squirtle... and Bulbasaur were released from the first three balls. I immediately identified them as clones from New Island because they were tiny little things with their unique markings. From my time linked with Mega Mewtwo... I now knew that the reason they were so uniquely designed was because Mewtwo had found bare traces of DNA from... the same starter trio he grew up with.

They cheered happily at the sight of me, causing me to reach out instinctively so I could pat them all on their heads. The fourth and final ball had—"Charcatwo?" I murmured in shock, gazing at the Charcadet with wide eyes. —Charcadet's clone. I could tell that it was him because the blue tips of his fiery hair extended further down. His fiery eyes also had that same blue tint. He cheered happily, tackling me to the bed with a giddy expression. Why did Mewtwo give me these pokemon? Find them a proper home?...

I sighed. Okay, I would do that, I guess. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle did not need me to be their trainer. I normally wouldn't mind... but they needed a good household for them, one where they had the choice to grow into what they wanted to be. As for Charcatwo? Yeah, he was a battle maniac, much like his brother. Green would be the perfect trainer for him... and since he was Charca's clone, he would love her too. I nodded in satisfaction. I had a good idea for them all then.

With that settled, I allowed them to cuddle me and reached inside.

"Could you stop hampering my psychic abilities for one second?" I requested the Foggy Fortress. Giratina didn't seem keen on allowing me to access my psychic powers. I dunno why, but I'd chalk it up to the dragon being territorial. I received no response, but I did feel the world become a whole lot clearer. For the supposed devil of the world, Giratina sure was reasonable.

"C'mon, you four. We're gonna make a short trip," I huffed, eyes glowing as I teleported to my team. They were at a training facility, and I would have huffed in mild amusement at the sight of my aunt jumping... if not for the fact that the moment I stood upright, I nearly tipped over. The same Aunt who I would have laughed at lunged to catch me, hoisting me up with concern in her eyes. The sounds of training, which had paused for a moment, continued once more... my team facing off with Lorelei's.

"Silver, you shouldn't be out of bed... and please do not use those psychic powers," Lorelei requested. I sagged in her hold.

"Needed to get to my team fast. Can barely move otherwise."

"Call me then!" she insisted.

"Ok, ok, sorry, Mom," I groused sarcastically. Whatever Lorelei was about to say abruptly died on her lips. She gazed at me with wide eyes before a small flush appeared on her cheeks. It was strangely adorable. That wasn't a word I used often for my aunt. She tended to come off too mature to use a word like adorable... unless it was about her poke dolls. Lorelei coughed.

"Did you really mean it... when you called me the coolest? Was that not some type of pun on your end?" She stepped back at my flat glare, which almost sent me tumbling again. I huffed as she hastily caught me.

"Do you really want me to say it again?" I asked bluntly. Lorelei stared at me... and nodded. Seriously, what a spoiled princess.

"I meant it, Aunt. You're the coolest person I know," I said honestly, allowing her to squeeze me with an exasperated smile. Lorelei laughed softly.

"You may find this hard to believe, but I've never been a "cool" person beyond my personality and pokemon."

"I believe it," I said bluntly, only to hiss as cool fingers grabbed at my cheek. Lorelei continued, not acknowledging me beyond the pinching.

"I find myself somewhat envious of the people who are so effortlessly cool. They have a certain charisma about them that people will gladly follow. Lance and Karen are prime examples... I think my envy stemmed from... Ariana," she admitted.

"Honestly, I even find myself envious of you. You're also cool, just like she was." I gazed at her in surprise.

"Even though you have an abrasive and off-putting personality, people still flock to you. I saw firsthand the small but powerful group of individuals you've managed to charm. I suggest keeping them all close. I wish I had a rival that could have pushed me even further," she sighed. I stared at her.

"Gold has been telling Janine to put stocks into us early for when we make it big." Lorelei smiled.

"Janine herself will become quite the problem, too. Everyone who seems to get close to the Color Gang has gone through both positive and negative changes."

"... Hey," I said flatly. She chuckled.

"I believe that we are entering a new time, one centered around this young generation of prodigies. I will be the first to put stock in you all." I smiled genuinely.

"We won't let you down. That's why I have to train... so stop forcing me to stay in bed." Lorelei had the decency to look embarrassed.

"I acknowledge that I've been overprotective, but at the very least, I've been helping your team?" she tried. She had a fascinated look.

"Imagine my surprise to see your Metagross utilizing Gravity as a training method. It's genius!" she praised. I nodded in agreement.

"I need to catch up to them. They won't be slowing down, so I have to speed up." Lorelei gazed at my conviction with a smile.

"I admit, we've been helping them all train. They were rather motivated to get you back."

"We" as in the Elite 4... I heard that Bruno wanted to meet me, but that was for another time. There were a lot of people I needed to see still. I gazed at my team.

"We need that same motivation... so could you give me a sec to talk to them?" I requested. My aunt gazed at me, a knowing look in her eyes. She placed a hand against my shoulder and nodded.

"They love you, Silver. All teams have their difficulties... so as their leader, you must navigate this properly." I exhaled.

"Yeah... I'll handle this." The atmosphere was tense. I stood by myself. Across from me, my team gazed at me. Lorelei had mercifully taken the clones and Charcatwo (she was incredibly confused by their existence), which left me by my lonesome. We were staring awkwardly at one another, no words being said... And then I stumbled over. A vine prevented me from falling flat on my face, and Gaia gently set me straight, using her appendages to keep me up.

"Thank you, girl," I said earnestly. She shot me a shaky smile, one that made me frown....

"I'm sorry," I began truthfully. I couldn't see the surprise on my team's face as I bowed my head.

"I felt guilty for dragging you all into this mess, so I vowed to fix it alone because... I didn't want anything to happen to you. I took this burden on my own cause I was scared I'd mess up otherwise." It was the truth. Not only had I dragged my close friends into Team Rocket's mess, but I dragged my team into it. They didn't deserve to be forced to work under Team Rocket, but because of me, they had no choice in the matter. The guilt made me keep them out.

It made me decide to take on this difficult path by myself.

"Truly, I find myself shocked that our trainer could be this stupid." Metan- Metagross' words caused me to wince...

"Oh, leave him alone, Metagross! You and I and all of us could feel clear as day how stressful this whole thing was to him!"... I halted in confusion because I did not recognize that voice at all. It was the voice of a girl, that was for sure... but it wasn't one I recognized. High-pitched, but not in a manner that sounded young. Moreso, just bubbly...

"But that therein is the core issue, Nature's Favorite Child. Is it not up to us to relieve him of stress? You are the second member of this colony. Since when is it acceptable for Silver to do things on his own?" My eyes widened. Wait... was that Gaia I just heard?! My gaze shot up, seeing the Meganium and the Metagross staring at one another. Gaia looked doubtful.

"Well..." she trailed off.

"Loath as I am to admit this, seeing as it pertains to my vassal, the Metal Behemoth is correct. My vassal is one who can defend himself, but not from all threats. It is our duty to ensure he is capable enough to guide us, yet how are we expected to do such a thing when he is silent?" This voice was a far cry from Gaia. It was no doubt feminine, but it was low, powerful, and refined. Vassal... was that Ares speaking? She sounded like the queen of a group of warriors! I had no idea she was actually this refined!

Was this Metagross' doing?

"The brute is... right. We'll always love Silver, but it hurts when he excludes us from things. He should trust us as much as we trust him." This voice was also deep (though a higher pitch than Ares), with a naturally soothing lilt to it. It was the kind of voice a person who was crying would want to hear. That automatically clued me in to it being Freyja speaking. The other clue was how reluctant they were to admit that Ares was right.

"I think... Silver was just scared. Team Rocket has done bad things to both of us, so if he was as scared as I was, I can understand why he acted the way he did. Fear makes you do a lot of things differently..." This quiet voice was one of the deepest I had heard yet, on the level of Metagross. They spoke as if they were never sure of what they truly wanted to say, a powerful voice tempered by a meek personality. Oberon no doubt. I was having an easy time immediately identifying my members.

"I dun like talking about this. I just wanna kick someone's ass. I wanna see Green too! I wanna see Green kick someone's ass!" That squeaky voice was definitely Charcadet, alright.

"I'll be the first to defend him in any given situation. I know why he did this, I know the cause... but you're right, Metagross. It does suck when the trainer we're supposed to be protecting ends up doing things to protect us instead. It makes me feel very bitter." I didn't even need to think twice to identify this voice. After all, it was a voice I heard as often as I heard Metagross these days. Not too high, not too low, normally carrying a hint of mischief in it...

Hearing that even Loki was affected by my decision put into perspective how hard I failed my team. The only reason we are being so agreeable is because of all we've been through with one another.

"You guys are right," I said quietly, making them pause. I realized now that they didn't know I could hear them. Metagross wasn't kidding when he said he would speak what everyone else was afraid to say. This was an extremely effective way of kicking me in the ass. I felt horrible.

"You guys are more than just my team... You've become my family," I admitted quietly.

"... And I don't want to see my family get hurt because of my actions. What would happen if I told you guys everything, and Mewtwo just read your minds? Would he kill you? Probably... Team Rocket doesn't value pokemon beyond their use. Mewtwo didn't have any respect for captured pokemon." I sighed in exhaustion.

"I was terrified. Terrified that if I slipped up even once, everything would go wrong. I thought keeping you all ignorant would keep you safe. I didn't realize that it would hurt you guys so much, keeping these things from you, but I'm stupid."

"I'm really damn stupid. Ever since Fraxure, I've been terrified of seeing you guys get hurt because of my dumb actions. It's different when the cause is my reckless actions," I admitted.

"Oh, Silver... how do you think we feel when our physically weak human is trying to do everything alone to protect us? We're your soldiers, aren't we? Have some more faith in us," Gaia said, pulling me into a reassuring hug.

"I know. I just... really can't stand the thought of losing any of you, so when Team Rocket, who's already shown they're willing to kill the people I love, show up..." Even with my goal of destroying them, it was hard for me to get rid of what Team Rocket did to me.

"We understand. Let us shoulder that burden with you. It is our job to protect you as you protect us," Metagross said, no sassiness in his voice at all. My psychic walked up to me, heavy footsteps the only noise I could hear.

"We are a colony that you are the king of. A king who fights alone will die alone. You may trust us, Silver." I was speechless, gazing at all my members.

"I don't deserve you guys," I said quietly, bowing my head once more.

"Of course not. That is why you kidnapped me," Metagross replied in amusement.

"Enough bowing, Glorious Vassal! It is unbefitting of you!" Ares hissed, forcing me upright with her long tail. I smiled softly, gauging my newest evolutions with visible pride.

"Ares... Metagross. Just look at you two," I praised, running a hand against both of them with a small grin. Ares puffed up.

"Long have I waited for such a momentous day. You have fulfilled your end of the bargain, now I will be your wings!" I smiled.

"Damn right you will, girl. You're glorious!" My Salamence roared happily. The sound was powerful enough to actually blow my coat a bit. I cupped her cheeks, glad that she lowered her head for me to inspect her, and gazed at her incredibly sharp teeth. I think if I accidentally touched it, I'd start bleeding from the cut.

"You're unleashed now, Ares. You know what that means?" I said, grinning ferally. Her expression matched mine. I imagine most people would be terrified at the sight of a grinning Salamence. You could multiply that terror by about 10, once they took in the fact that this particular Salamence was almost 7 feet tall and growing. But me? I was excited. The possibilities were endless! Few could match a Salamence in the sky.

Their strong desire for flight gave them almost unmatched prowess now that they had the means to achieve it. The hunger to remain the apex predator of the skies... Combine that with their brutal strength?

"We'll learn moves to keep your reign of the sky unbreakable," I promised.

"Yes! We will bring about a new age of destruction on our foes!" Ares promised.

"She sure speaks smart for an idiot that just wants to destroy things," Freyja muttered. Quick as a flash, my enormous Salamence closed the distance between my equally massive Milotic and herself. The two snarled at one another, causing me to shiver in excitement. A Milotic and a Salamence going at it... that sounded like a lot of fun!

"You have an unsettling look in your eyes," Metagross informed me. Metagross. I had a Metagross now...

"It has gone from unsettling to deranged." I nearly cackled aloud.

"Look at you! You're a Metagross now! You look amazing," I praised, running a hand against his cool metal head. He was a dark shade of blue, darker than his clone. That little detail sobered me up slightly.

"How do you feel?" I asked quietly. Metagross' evolution was... messy. I didn't even see it because I was dealing with my own issues, but I understood that my Mega Evolving of Mewtwo affected my bond with my psychic. The effects were obvious. Metagross tended to be turquoise, nearer in color to their previous evolution. Metagross was... a darker shade of azure.

"I am fine. Considering the initial change, I have come out of this situation feeling better than I expected," my psychic assured me.

"We'll have to test that. We're gonna do a thorough inspection, but first, do you want a nickname now?" I asked patiently. Metagross stared at me.

"No, not yet. I will take one after the Indigo League. We must be optimal; pondering and getting accustomed to a new name will interfere with that." I smirked and shook my head.

"Okay, after the League, then." I let out a shout of surprise as vines carried me into the suspicious Gaia's gaze.

"Can you understand us?!" she asked suddenly. A wheeze left me.

"Yeah, I can. I think Metagross did something," I explained to her.

"That is correct. I have linked all our minds together."

"Even Loki?" I asked in surprise, making my contemplative fox perk up.

"Miracle Eye. Quite a useful technique that allows me to even peer through the fox with secrets." I watched with narrowed eyes as Loki tensed up. He knew for a fact that I didn't miss it... But we'd talk about that later. Gaia squealed excitedly, bringing a smile to my face.

"Yeah, we can talk properly now," I chuckled, taking my gaze off the hesitant Loki.... For now. My gaze shifted ever so slightly.

"Where is our newest member? It's hard for me to keep track of them." Before anyone said anything, the squeakiest voice I'd ever heard decided to.

"I'm here! Here I am! Joltik is here!" I instinctively reached out to smack the bug crawling on my arm, only to realize during the action that it was Joltik I was attempting to squash.

"Oops! You almost hit Joltik! Not good!" Joltik chimed, zipping away from my attack. I stared a little dumbly at the tiny bug, those 4 eyes gazing up at me with energy, excitement, and probably a little mania. Oh no, please don't tell me...

"You are Joltik's friend now! Gaia says you are teacher? Yes, teacher!" I groaned. My Joltik was a crackhead. No wonder she had no reservations about the feather or the battle.

"Hey Joltik, I'm Silver, your new trainer. I caught you to save your life, but I guess we're sticking together," I greeted with a strained smile.

"There is a reason I linked us together. We have all been cursed with this creature's badgering," Metagross chimed helpfully. Yep, there was my asshole psychic I missed and loved.

"Silver? Teacher Silver? Teacher Silver!" Joltik beamed, climbing into my hair without prompting. Well, good to know she was excitable.

"Do you want a nickname?" I asked slowly. Joltik's chittering paused.

"Nickname?"

"Yeah. Instead of Joltik, the team and I would refer you by this name."

"Hmmm. Nickname! Yes, Joltik will take nickname!" she cheered. I huffed in amusement.

"Arachne." There really wasn't any thought needed for that one. Arachne was a girl who was so good at weaving that she was cursed by the God of Weaving, Athena. I was going to name her Athena at first, but this Joltik was a dumbass... and technically, she got cursed by Zapdos.

"Arachne! Arachne! Yes, Joltik's name is now Arachne! Arachne's name is Arachne! Teacher Silver is Arachne's teacher!" Someone please save me. Metagross rumbled in amusement. I held my head.

"Freyja! Ares! Stop that! We'll have a serious battle after the league, no holds barred! For now, we put all our rivalries to the side and focus on our objective of becoming the strongest!" My entire team snapped to attention at that. I was leaning heavily on Metagross, energy practically spent, but there was a fire in my eyes.

"Our rivals won't hold back. If we make a mistake, we'll lose. We're going for first place here, alright?" They all cheered in excitement.

"I'll do what I can until I'm healed, and then when I am? We're going full throttle," I explained. As my team got back into it, I reached out and grabbed Loki's arm.

"We'll talk later, yeah? I want to be fully healed," I murmured. He gazed at my hand weakly grasping him, and nodded.

"Of course. I just wanted our issues to be solved. You place a lot of burdens on yourself," Loki said eventually.

"I'm done going at it alone," I assured, eyes drooping slightly. Strong arms lifted me, causing me to look up and see Oberon. He easily carried me, making sure to avoid cutting me with his claws, and I sighed, sinking into his thick fur.

"By the way, guys, after the League..." I smiled with a predatory gleam.

"... We're going hunting." I held myself up with a walking stick, gazing at Viridian City with a blank gaze. Would you believe me if I told you that, of all the major cities, Viridian had the lowest notable trainers in recent years? In fact, the most notable trainer to hail from Viridian City in years... was me. Would you also believe me if I told you, many trainers who hailed from Viridian ended up missing or dead? There was a reason it was so shocking to hear that I was Giovanni's sponsor.

Viridian just wasn't teeming with talent. Or at least that's what Giovanni wanted you to think. It was obvious that all trainers with potential got scouted by him. Those who accepted fell into mediocrity under Team Rocket. Those who didn't? I didn't like Viridian City. Not one bit... but I couldn't keep letting Team Rocket affect me. Refusing to even go into a city because of them was unhealthy. In order to become the strongest, I needed to start getting rid of my baggage.

Only until I was free of it could I climb to the top. It had been a tall task to even get Lorelei to agree to let me out. She wanted me at Viridian less than I did. She did eventually concede… only because Viridian was so close to Indigo, which is where I was staying while I recuperated. But she demanded I keep my location on and made sure I would not protest at her stalking me. Heh, dork. A vine wrapped gently around my waist, and I was summarily pulled atop Gaia.

People shot my Meganium an interested look, not used to seeing one, and I ignored it, draping my arms weakly around her neck. I could barely even keep a grip on her. We walked through the city at a sedated pace. I lazily rested my head against Gaia's neck, eyes shut as I dozed off for a bit.

"Hey! Are you Silver?" someone shouted in excitement. I popped an eye open.

"Hm?" I muttered. It was a random guy. Nothing worth mentioning. I was way too drained to give a proper description.

"Wow! It really is! I heard you're the strongest trainer of the first year! Where have you been?! You and the Color Gang just sorta went missing!" he gushed.

"... Huh?" I mumbled.

"Nuh uh, that's Green! She's definitely the strongest of this year! Have you seen that Venusaur of hers?!" another voice, a girl this time, interjected.

"Don't overlook Gold! He's also part of the Color Gang! I heard Gold has a version of Typhlosion we've never seen! He hasn't used his Quilava since Sabrina!" a third voice shouted.

"Crystal's a dark Rapidash for sure. Have you seen her?! She maximizes the potential of all her pokemon!"

"Crystal? Are you stupid?! That Crystal has some of the most convincing gym battles of the group! You won't call her a dark Rapidash once her team fully evolves! She's playing the long game!"

"A real dark Rapidash is that Ash Ketchum guy. He's got an evolution of Primeape, a Charizard, and a Snorlax! That guy's stacked!"

"Then he's not a dark Rapidash, dumbass! Gary Oak's a real dark Rapidash! He's an Oak, and no one's even talking about him! He'll surprise you guys!"

"Yeah, but none of them are Elite 4 Lorelei's son! Trust me, this dudes Meganium is going to traumatize the competition!" I watched a little dumbly as more and more people began to recognize and swarm me. There was a small mob, nothing too serious, but as names kept getting thrown out, more and more people would recognize at least one of them. Gaia, who just knew me too well, immediately bellowed and trotted past the opening granted to her.

"Hey, Silver! Are you gonna participate in the League?!" I blinked lazily.

"Yeah, I am," I replied simply. With that, we continued our pace, Loki placing a false illusion just to hide our movement. Viridian City was large but not massive. It rested at the edge of Viridian Forest, which was far larger than the city itself, and carried a scent of pine and damp earth. It was almost rural in nature, which made it all the more surprising that Giovanni chose this place. It didn't seem grand enough for his ambitions... which might have been what he was going for.

Gaia and I eventually stopped as we reached our destination, and I stared in raw dissatisfaction at the completely massive house that technically belonged to me now. Never mind, leave it to Giovanni to have this fucking mansion as his house. How the hell was I supposed to manage this by myself? I didn't even want to live here. It was practically a mansion, standing at the edge of the forests. The stone was pristine and dark, a far contrast to the green tones of the surrounding area.

Similarly, the lawn was not allowed to grow freely, low cut, and as pristine as the house. The inside was as lifeless as the exterior. The halls were wide, the lights were dim... Chandeliers hung above, adorned with crystals. It felt more like a lair than a home. That wasn't even counting that this place looked unused. I could practically feel the weight pressing down on me. I scratched my head and sighed, shutting the door to the house before I even took a step inside.

Maybe in the future, I'd employ the help of my allies. It could be a great hangout spot. There were also a lot of rooms, so we could all have our own rooms to crash if we needed to. The more I thought about it, the more I acknowledged that this would be a great regular spot for our gang... even if we grew. Now I just needed to resist the urge to throw up every time I looked at it.

"Let's go to the outskirts up north. I don't feel like being in the city right now," I explained. I just wanted to be left alone, and while I had a house now where I could isolate myself... I really didn't wanna be in there at the moment. Gaia let out a croon and adjusted, trotting through the city with a cheerful gait. She would occasionally snake out a vine that would tickle an eager child, but I didn't have the energy to crane my head.

Eventually, we made it to the outskirts, and I sighed as the piney smell grew stronger. The giant trees gave the area a naturally darker appearance, blocking some of the sun above. It was nice. Then, I noticed something peculiar.

"Hey, kid. What are you doing there?" I asked slowly. There was a kid there. A little girl, by the looks of it. She had shoulder-length black hair, a long shirt with berries on it, and some shorts. The kid looked way too young. What exactly were they doing this far out without any supervision? By now, Gaia was right next to the girl who perked up. She looked up at me, and I froze in shock, gazing into a set of unnatural gray eyes. They almost looked silver...

Oh, please don't fucking tell me this jackass knocked some other woman up. Why on earth did this little girl have an eye color so similar to mine?

"Um… My brother is in the forest," she said quietly, missing the way I violently twitched. I shook in barely repressed rage.

"Your brother?! You have a brother?!" She nodded her head.

"We're both 6." I hissed. TWINS?!

"Where are your parents, kid?"

"Mom is at work. Our babysitter is sleeping." Fucking. No mention of a dad. I'm going to — never mind, can't say that.

"Any pokemon to watch over you?" I asked. She mulled the question over.

"Meowth does." I nodded.

"Where's the Meowth?"

"Meowth is sleeping... Meowth is our babysitter." I stared dumbly at her.

"Gaia, grab her," I said bluntly, taking a Poke Ball and releasing Oberon.

"Oberon, we're looking for a kid in the forest. Can you sniff him out? Should smell similar to this girl here." Oberon nodded, even as Gaia grabbed the little girl. She scrambled in some surprise, her neutral expression turning into one of shock, but she calmed as I grabbed her and placed her in front of me.

"Hold onto Gaia. We're gonna find your brother," I grunted.

"Okay," she said, not at all bothered by the situation. Goddamn kids. Finding the boy wasn't all that hard. He was pretty fucking loud after all, so even in the slightly dark and eerie expanse of Viridian Forest, it wasn't difficult. There's also the fact that Oberon was shaping up to be an expert tracker. His nose really could pick out anything. It was overpowered. Much like his twin, the boy had a head of black hair, but unlike her, his eyes were a striking shade of yellow-orange.

"Bro," the girl greeted calmly. He perked up.

"Sis!" he cheered, the complete and utter opposite of her. The only thing the two seemed to have in common was how they were both utterly unaffected by this ordeal. The boy darted up to us, stopping abruptly in front of Oberon with a loud noise of awe.

"Woah! A big teddy!" he gaped. Oberon shyly allowed the child to pat his bottom half, crouching slowly and hoisting him up.

"Hahaha! Weeee! This is fun!" he cheered, spreading his arms out and mimicking flight. I suddenly felt bad for whoever this kid's mother was. Gaia gently took the child out of the giddy Oberon's hand and placed him right next to his sister… Which was in front of me. I watched in mild befuddlement as the boy blabbered her ear off with a cheerful grin.

"Why didn't you follow me?!"

"We were both gonna get lost. I waited outside to tell them about you."

"Smart thinking, Sis!" I raked a hand through my hair. I get it now. This was the real karma that existed because of my horrible manners to everyone. Why did I say that? Because my potential siblings were clearly reincarnations of me and Gold. The cool and collected one with silver/gray eyes? The loud and boisterous one with yellow-orange eyes?! TWINS?! This was the least subtle shit I've ever seen! Did these kids get dragged here to prove that Janine was right in saying we were brothers in another universe?...

I was actually offended by how shameless this world was.

"Hey, mister, who are you?!" the boy asked suddenly. I glanced down.

"Silver." If the kid was bothered by my bland answer, he definitely didn't show it.

"Awesome! Nice to meetcha, Silva!" he said.

"Silver. Not Silva," I corrected.

"Silv... a," he repeated, brows furrowed.

"Silver, bro," the girl said quietly, turning those gray eyes towards me again. Unlike her brother, the girl was a picture-perfect calm. I was impressed by how collected she was, even with her brother yapping her ears off. What a strange set of twins. They couldn't have been any more opposite from each other.

"Oh goodness!" At the gasp of horror, I glanced up to see that a woman was looking at us with a hand over her mouth. She was definitely pretty enough for me to believe that my dog ass father made a move on her. The woman had a darker skin tone and long, light brown hair that she kept tied in a ponytail. The woman wore a cream blouse and a long skirt... looking as if she had just gotten off a shift.

She honestly didn't look a thing like the kids she was looking at, but I didn't doubt that this was their mother because only a mother could have that raw panic on their face. Not to mention, she was sweating quite harshly. This lady must have been searching for them for a bit.

"Mom!" the boy cheered. The woman looked horrified.

"Sun! Moon! What have I told you two about going out on your own?!"

"I was bored," Sun said bluntly. Sun? Moon? Wait, what the fuck?

"He helped us. Sun was in the forest, so I waited for someone to show up, and it was him," Moon explained, turning towards me.

"Oh... is that so?" the mother asked. She shot me a thankful glance that I tiredly waved off.

"Mom, can we play?!" Sun badgered obliviously.

"Sun," Moon chided. The woman (I could tell at a glance was simply too nice for her own good) glanced at her children with an exhausted expression. Considering she probably just got off a shift of work, I couldn't help but feel a little bad. Twins as a single mother?

"Why don't you take a break, ma'am? You can sit on that bench over there, and my pokemon will keep the kids occupied," I said softly, releasing Charcadet and Charcatwo from their balls.

"Oh no... I couldn't," she trailed off.

"You will," I said bluntly, bulldozing whatever she was about to say.

"O-Oh... okay." She flinched back in surprise at my no-nonsense tone, nodding meekly. After some second thought, I released Oberon, along with Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. At once, Sun let out an awed noise and rushed the assortment of pokemon.

"Woah, so cool! Look, Moon!" Even Moon looked excited. If there was one thing that got people going, it was pokemon. Job done, I sagged into my seat with the help of Gaia. My starter hummed a tune, sending her fragrance through the air that almost knocked me out. Sun and Moon's mother was no better. She sighed in bliss and promptly sat down next to me.

If she had any reaction to the strangely designed starter trio, she didn't say anything, just kept a vigilant eye on her children while watching Gaia rest her head against my lap.

"Thank you so much for helping my children…"

"Silver."

"... Silver! Thank you! I don't know how I can repay you! If something had happened to them... oh, I don't know what I'd do!" She bowed gratefully. I waved her off.

"Don't mention it. Pokemon are generally nice to children; they wouldn't have been in danger unless they ran into a hive of Beedrills or something. Twins must be exhausting."

"They are… Moon is a saint, but she does everything Sun does, and Sun is… hyper." Ah, so Moon was a hybrid of Crystal and me... while Sun was Gold and Green. Her poor soul.

"I can tell," I said dryly, watching as he and the Charcadets rushed back and forth, Bulbasaur eagerly following after him. Sun and Moon were the names of the Alola games. Judging by the color of their eyes... they were protagonist. Huh. I wonder if we would have to change our name from Color Gang to something else. It's not like every member that qualified would be named after a color... Our group was just a group that happened to have eyes that matched the color of our name.

My eyes were silver, Crystal's eyes were crystal blue... Sun's eyes were exactly like his namesake, bright yellow-orange. They were close to Gold's in color, but erred more on the orange side instead of the yellow. Meanwhile, Moon's eyes were the same color as the surface of the moon. They were just as unnatural as mine... just a bit more on the stony side over the metallic of mine. Maybe we'd have to upgrade the requirements. Having a similar eye color to what our name reflects? Huh...

I guess we could still be Color in that case.

"Oh, where are my manners! I'm Solari!" she introduced herself.

"Pleasure. I'm Silver," I said blandly.

"Single mother?" She laughed.

"He was excited. Then he heard I was having twins, and I haven't seen him since."

"Ouch. Is he a trainer?" I prodded. She shook her head.

"Not at all. A businessman."

"Your daughter has fascinating eyes. Reminds me of mine," I explained, moving my bang out of the way to show her both of my eyes. Solari gasped.

"Oh wow! They're really quite similar! Both Sun and Moon have such striking eyes! They don't get it from either parent, either. Their father has blue!" I hummed. Perfect. I don't think Giovanni had the humility to change his appearance for someone. He would especially not do it just to get in someone's pants. I didn't need more chaotic family members. Just gimme a break, would ya? Also, for someone who got ditched, she sure was a cheerful woman.

"You don't have any pokemon?" I asked.

"Just a Meowth… but he's quite lazy." I mulled that over.

"How open-minded are you?" I asked suddenly. Solari turned a gaze towards me in confusion. She honestly looked really young for someone with two 6-year-olds. I'd have to guess the lower 20s.

"Um… I'd say I'm fairly open-minded. Why?" she replied hesitantly. I mulled something over before taking the three Poke Balls that were dumped on me.

"Do you see the strange markings on that Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle?" I asked her. Solari nodded.

"I thought it was a little strange, but I figured it was a pokemon thing," she replied.

"They're experiments. Young ones." The mother flinched back immediately.

"Experiments...? Are they alright?" she asked softly.

"They're fine. I managed to give them a different fate, but I'm not the one they need to raise them. They need someone more loving and innocent than me," I said bluntly. Her gaze softened. She gazed at the three starters and nodded her head.

"I'd love to… only if they're willing, of course." I snorted and peered suspiciously at her.

"You seem like you're struggling. Are you even capable of caring for them?" I asked rudely. She laughed nervously.

"I can always take more hours. I truly don't mind—""No. More hours is the last thing you need. You actually need less because you look like shit," I denied, gazing at the bags under her eyes. Solari flinched back.

"You sure have quite the strong personality," she mumbled. I mulled something over. The kids seemed to love Bulbasaur and Squirtle in particular, so I'd be reluctant to separate them…

"Is your house too expensive?" I asked suddenly.

"Yes?" she repeated in confusion.

"Okay, you can just move into mine. I'll barely use it, so you can have at it. It's already being handled and everything. Just keep it clean and it's yours," I said bluntly. Problem solved. Now I didn't have to think too much about the house, and someone could actually use it. Solari gazed at me with wide eyes.

"W-What?"

"Yeah. I don't wanna deal with it right now… so you can. So long as you accept the pokemon, of course," I said bluntly.

"Aren't you being too generous?" The mother asked softly. I stood up and dusted off my coat.

"Either accept it or don't. Stop pestering me with questions," I said bluntly.

"R-Right… well, I'll have to see it first—""—B-Before deciding if I should…" Solari trailed off, gazing at the mansion with wide eyes.

"Woah!" Sun gasped in awe.

"Wow," Moon joined.

"Y-You're just allowing us to use this?" she said slowly. I nodded.

"Yeah. Just as long as you don't mind if my friends and I occasionally show up to use it as a hangout spot. Beyond that, I doubt I'll be using it much, so it may as well be used by you." The mother of two turned those wide eyes towards me.

"Of course! I'd actually love meeting more of your friends! I'm quite good at cooking too!" I nodded thoughtfully.

"Don't ask me how I own this house, by the way. I won't answer you," I said stiffly, showing her the paperwork. She gazed at the papers and trembled.

"O-Okay… we accept. Thank you, Silver," she said softly, pulling me into a tight hug. I grunted.

"Don't mention it. Just treat those pokemon well, okay?"

"We so will!" Sun beamed, holding the Bulbasaur in his tiny arms. Moon smiled slightly and hugged my leg before grabbing the Squirtle's arm. I palmed both of their heads and smiled before accepting the hugs from the grass and water type.

"Take care of each other, alright?" I murmured to them. They nodded eagerly, looking up at me with adoring eyes. Sun and Moon, huh? Funny world this was.

"Actually… I might have someone visit you on occasion. You seem like the type to not have many friends," I said coolly, crouching and patting the Charmander on the head. He didn't seem upset to see them go. In fact, he looked quite happy for them. But I bet he'd probably still miss them. So I should leave him close by.

"I can't complain even though you're really rude! Who is it?" Solari asked, wiping the tear from her eyes.

"A lady from Pallet. I'm planning on giving her this Charmander. I wouldn't want to separate them so soon… and you both probably need a friend," I said dryly. I'd probably have Maple go too. They could be the single mother squad. Lord knows they needed to do something with their lives that could shake it up a little more. Solari nodded cheerfully, handing me a Poke Gear.

"I'd be happy to!"

"Good. I'm leaving now. If you need anything, just call me... and feel free to renovate how you want to," I said blandly, punching my number in without much thought. Solari nearly nodded, only to let out a startled shriek instead, as I released Ares from her ball. My Salamence roared fiercely before she noticed me. She roared happily (only those who knew Ares well could tell; everyone else tended to grow more afraid) and flapped her wings. I smiled slightly, wincing as I made my way over to her.

"Are you okay? I've noticed that you're using a walking stick," Solari questioned, hastily helping me towards Ares despite her blatant terror at my enormous dragon. I sagged slightly against the lady, cursing myself for doing so.

"I'm fine. I was in an altercation that left me a little banged up, is all. Still recovering," I muttered, watching Ares wrap her tail around me to help me up.

"Oh, please take care of yourself!" Solari said, worry clear on her face. I grunted.

"Trust me, someone is making sure I do that. You take care of yourself, too. You'll have to start the process of moving houses after all."

"Fly me to Pallet, please." Ares roared and flapped once before taking off. Quiet little Pallet town surged with energy the moment my enormous Salamence landed on the ground. The few people who were outside screamed in surprise, turning towards me in blatant terror. I ignored them, instead focusing on the orange blur that flitted in front of us. Orange was a little generous. What was once bright orange had taken a dull amber sheen. Scars riddled the hide, every one unique but no less jagged in nature.

Wings that were small compared to its body were still large, beating slowly and lazily. The calm flap defied how fast it flew over here... and it also defied the force of the air around us. My coat flapped restlessly as I gazed in respect into the wise and calm gaze of the Dragonite. There was a kindness there, customary to a majority of the species, but it had been weathered with time, as all things were. Dragonite was here to see if it needed to shed that kindness.

"Now now, Dragonite. Let's not be so eager." Dragonite's growl was a low timber, no bite behind it as the pseudo turned to face Professor Oak.

"Young Silver! I'm glad to see you are faring well," Oak greeted, a genuine smile on his face.

"Professor Oak," I nodded weakly, preparing to disembark from Ares. Before I could even attempt to do so, she lashed out with her rough tail, wrapping it around me and placing me on the floor. Her insight was surprisingly thoughtful because she placed me close enough to her body so that when I stumbled backwards, she protected me from collapsing. Oak looked concerned.

"My, you seem like you have seen better days. How are you faring?"

"I could be better," I admitted honestly.

"So I'm told..." Oak trailed off.

"While I'd love to speak with you more, you do seem a little exhausted. Why not visit me at a later time?" he requested. I nodded thankfully.

"I'll give you the answers you're looking for when I do. It'll be an eventful talk," I promised. Oak looked pleased.

"I look forward to it... Oh, and Silver?" I grunted.

"Do take care of yourself. It has been quite tumultuous with you gone," the professor informed me.

"... Here's to hoping things will calm down. The worst of the storm has passed," I said.

"And that is thanks to you. I do hope you get to enjoy being a normal trainer in the coming days. The League is a wonderful experience." I chuckled weakly.

"Don't be too upset when I sweep your trainers. I'm aiming for the win." Oak let loose a heart laugh.

"I will watch with great interest. There is more to gain in losing, if you keep an open mind." A snort escaped me.

"Tell me about it." I rapped against the door once, too tired to bang on it. Thankfully, it opened up pretty quickly. I sighed.

"Hey—""Silver!" Delia pulled me into a tight hug, a sob of relief escaping the woman.

"I heard that you went missing… I was so worried for you!" she cried, dragging me into the household. I flailed weakly, unable to resist the pull even if I wanted to. Ares roared something, and I rasped.

"Okay, enjoy your flight," I said, watching as she flapped once and disappeared. Something told me she was going to look for that Dragonite.

"Are you okay? Hurt anywhere? Tired?" Delia asked in quick succession, sitting me down on a comfy couch.

"All of the above," I replied, sinking further into the couch like it were a nest.

"Goodness... I can't believe it," Delia whimpered, pulling me into another tight hug.

"When I heard you were captured by Team Rocket... I nearly broke down! I'm so glad you're doing better." I huffed, giving up on trying to pull myself out of the over-affectionate lady's grasp.

"It's a natural reaction. They've been a strong source of your trauma. Hearing that the first person to help you unpack that was kidnapped by that very same trauma..." I trailed off. She sniffed weakly.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine. I'm just really weak," I replied easily. She nodded, practically smothering me. Words could not explain how confused I was by Delia's treatment of me. Lorelei's at least made sense. We were related by blood. But Delia? She was basically the mistress of my father. Not to mention, I bore an almost unreasonable resemblance to the woman who threatened to have Delia killed. Both my parents did terrible things to her. Yet this woman was hopelessly attached to me. It really made no sense to me at all.

Banging on the door made me jump. I would have gotten ready for action if not for my state.

"I'll get it!" Delia insisted, making sure I stayed put. I watched the lady walk off with a confused expression, scratching my head. I didn't wanna stay here for long. I just wanted to drop off Charmander and go— A figure tackled and pulled me out of my seat, crying loudly in relief.

"Silver!" Maple sobbed happily.

"Maple, let me go!" I hissed. She really was too much like Green. Much like her daughter, I was completely ignored. I could only struggle in her hold before giving up.

"Are you okay?! Goodness, look at you! You're a mess!" she cried. I was going to answer, but froze at seeing a tiny figure moving behind Maple.

"Hm?" She felt my head crane, following it. I was staring at a little girl with wide eyes. She was blond, with a long ponytail, a black shirt, and some blue shorts. But I was focused on her bright yellow eyes.

"Oh, I was babysitting! Silver, this is Yellow! She's a sweet little girl who's 6 years old! Oh, doesn't she qualify for the Color Gang?!" she greeted. She waved shyly before squeaking in terror as my eyes focused on her.... Do I question it? No. No, I don't. Just accept that some things were meant to be.

"So you were kidnapped by a legendary pokemon?" Maple asked in concern. She was chopping carrots swiftly, brows furrowed as she turned to gaze at me.

"Mhm. I used it to destroy Team Rocket," I replied, eyes trained on the Yellow tentatively patting Charmander. There was a wide smile on her face, and I sighed. I had intended to give Charmander to Delia, but it seems like he picked his trainer... Good for him.

"That's crazy, Silver! I can't believe you'd do something so reckless!" Maple scolded. She placed the knife down, putting both hands on her hips and shooting me a glare as adorable as her daughter's. Honestly, they were extremely unintimidating.

"I did it to make sure no one died," I said honestly.

"Green's life was in danger. I dragged her into my mess, so I had to make amends for it."

"Not by putting yourself in danger!" Maple immediately replied. Delia nodded in agreement.

"What about you, Silver?!" I stared coolly at them.

"Some danger is preferable to death. If I didn't act, they'd be dead. It's as simple as that," I murmured, making sure Yellow could not hear.

"Sometimes you have to weigh your options and pick the choice that isn't as heavy. That's all I did... and it worked out." The two mothers' eyes narrowed in concern. I couldn't blame them. They were loving parents after all. But I wasn't given much choice in the matter. I just needed to adapt to get to the best solution.

"That's too mature, Silver... I don't like that you're saying that, but I understand. You trainers," Maple sighed despondently. I huffed in amusement.

"By the way. There is a lady in Viridian City I met named Solari. I think the three of you could be good friends," I suggested. The two blinked owlishly.

"You're setting us up on play dates? Who's the adult here?" Maple asked in disbelief.

"None of us, when it comes to social interactions," I said ruthlessly.

"O-Ow," Maple mumbled.

"She's a single mom with two twins. They're both 6.. and I gave them a Bulbasaur and a Squirtle. I think I'll give Yellow the Charmander, so someone has to make sure those three meet up with each other," I said. Yellow jumped at that.

"H-Huh? For me?" she stammered in confusion. I nodded.

"He likes you. You like him. Seems like a good enough pairing to me. Neither of you seems fond of battling, either." The little girl had stars in her eyes. She shot up and crashed against my midsection with a happy squeal, getting a weak chuckle out of me.

"He has two siblings. A Bulbasaur and a Squirtle. They're in Viridian right now with two kids your age, too. Maybe you three can be friends," I murmured.

"M-Maybe! I'll visit them for Charmander! I don't wanna be a battler though... I like helping people," Yellow beamed. I shrugged.

"I don't think Charmander cares. He might just want to spend time with you." Yellow gazed at the eager Charmander and nodded harshly. Maple sighed fondly.

"I suppose we'll be going to Viridian more. Little Yellow does need more friends," Maple mused. Delia nodded happily.

"It sounds fun! If Silver thinks I need a new friend, I'll listen!" I shot Delia a strange look, but just shook my head.

"Her name is Solari. She lives in a house that was given to me in Viridian." Maple and Delia blinked owlishly.

"Your... house?" I nodded, a sour expression on my face.

"I don't think the news will be revealed until after the League, but Giovanni was the boss of Team Rocket... and he was also my sponsor. Since he's on the run, everything he owns goes to me."

"Oh, we know Giovanni was the leader," Maple replied, missing the panicked look Delia shot me. I tilted my head.

"How? That shouldn't be public information."

"The Color Gang was with Indigo the entirety of the time you were missing. We visited them as much as we could," Maple explained.

"Ah..." I muttered. I shot Delia a questioning look, patting Maple on the head to distract her.

"Only a few know, I think. They didn't tell me about his relation to you," Delia mouthed. Made sense. I imagine my color allies knew, but that was fine.

"Why are you patting me?" Maple asked in confusion.

"You seem like the type of person to enjoy pats. Green does," I replied.

"... You're really rotten, Silver," she said flatly. I chuckled weakly, growing tired from my hand movement, only to pause as the door banged open. I shut my eyes tiredly as I heard someone scream, "MOM, I HAVE A BROTHER?!" Maple blinked owlishly.

"Yellow dear, I think it's time to go home for the day," she said slowly. Yellow, who had jumped 10 ft in the air at the bang, nodded. She accepted the Poke Ball from me and, with some hand guidance, I had her return Charmander after giving the little fella one last hug.

"I'm coming with you," I said immediately after finishing the hug. Like Maple, I knew it was time to get the hell outta dodge. This was certainly not a conversation I wanted to be part of. Delia looked like a deer caught in headlights. Her eyes were wide in disbelief and horror, shooting me a helpless look. Nope. No. Not a chance. She was on her own— Ash Ketchum barged into the kitchen. His eyes darted over to Delia... before locking directly onto me. Dude, you gotta be fucking kidding me.

Like of all the times for him to show up here, it was when I was visiting?

"Maple, help me get outta here," I hissed, holding her hands with no hesitation. She nodded hastily.

"This is none of our business! C'mon, Yellow!" she said, hoisting the little girl up.

"Mom! Is Silver my brother?!" Ash asked immediately. Distantly, I saw Misty and Brock at the doorway. They were both gazing at me with stunned expressions. Maple paused. She stared at me for a long while before gently releasing my hand.... I expected that. She was still gonna pay later... but I expected that. Delia looked speechless. Her eyes were wide as she nervously wrung her hands on a rag to dry her wet hands.

"Um... Ashy! Where did you hear that from?" she asked hesitantly, reaching out instantly to grab me by the hand. I glared at her in astonishment. I wasn't supposed to be here for this. I told her loud and clear that this was something they needed to deal with alone!

"A pokemon named Mewtwo! Is it true?! Am I really related to him? What's he doing here anyway?!" Ash asked, pointing an accusing finger at me. Delia's mouth opened and shut. I noticed that she was wringing her hands even faster now on that rag, even if it was already dry. If not for how weakened I was, I'd bust out of her grip and get the hell outta here, but alas... Fine. Fine! Just let me do everything, I guess.

"Well, answer!" I hissed, shooting Delia a pointed glare. She flinched back at my glare before snapping back into focus.

"Um... It's a long story, Ashy, but yes... You two are half-brothers. You share the same father," Delia said quietly. Ash looked stunned.

"So we're... half-brothers?" he said, looking dazed.

"Well, who's your dad?" Brock asked in confusion. I snarled.

"That's not something either Delia or I feel comfortable answering," I said bluntly. The nice lady would probably fold under pressure if they prodded, but they could do that when I was not here.

"Why're you answering for her?!" Ash barked, glaring at me. I sneered at him.

"What? Upset that I get along with your mom? Maybe if you were a better kid, that wouldn't be the case!"

"Why you!" Ash lunged at me, tackling me to the floor.

"Hey, you two, knock it off!" Misty barked.

"Ash! Silver!" Delia shouted in distress. If I weren't so weak, I'd have sent Ash to bed early and made my getaway— Ash interrupted my train of thought by punching me. My eye twitched violently. Without any hesitation, I surrounded Ash in a psychic sheen and blasted him away.

"Oof!" Ash hissed, pulling himself up just in time to catch a punch to the face.

"There's your receipt. I'm the older brother, by the way," I hissed, ignoring the blood dripping down my nose and taking satisfaction in the blood dripping down his.

"Hey, stop that!" Brock demanded, pulling me back with far too much ease. His body was rock solid, so my feeble struggles didn't even make him budge. I hissed.

"I'm the one who should be upset. Why the hell would I want him to be my brother?!" I barked.

"As if anyone would wanna be brothers with an asshole who only cares about himself!" Ash hissed in return. He shot up and made to lunge at me again, but Misty jumped in front of him, pushing him backwards. My scowl was baleful.

"If being an asshole who only cares about himself stops me from being as useless as you, then I'll gladly take that and make a badge out of it!"

"S-Stop! You two are brothers, you shouldn't be so hostile to each other!" Delia cried out, tears in her eyes.

"There's a reason I told you to deal with this on your own. I want no part of this!" I snarled, pushing Brock off of me with a burst of psychic energy. He shouted in surprise, stumbling backwards. I dusted myself off as regally as possible.

"Waste of my fucking time. This is why I hate speaking to people; this is why I hate helping them even more." I stomped off promptly.

"Ah, wait, Silver!" Delia shouted in distress, a panicked look on her face. All I wanted to do was give away a pokemon, and here I was with a bloody nose when I could barely defend myself. Unreal. As I pushed open the door, I froze at the sight of my aunt standing on the other side. Her face was one of shock, eyes wide in surprise. There was no doubt in my mind that she discovered that Ash and I were brothers. Delia, ever the good host, even with tears, rushed to greet the person.

"Oh, who is... it?" Delia trailed off, teary eyes widening at the sight of my aunt.

"O-Oh, Lorelei! I wasn't expecting to see you!"

"Elite 4 Lorelei?!" Brock and Misty shouted in surprise. Lorelei recovered quickly.

"May I come in?" she asked politely, looking down at Ash's mother with a small smile. Delia hastily wiped her tears and nodded.

"Of course! Please do!" she said, smiling shakily in return. Lorelei took a step, but I grabbed her arm.

"We're leaving," I said firmly. She stared at me for a long while.

"Ms. Delia, do you have any swabs of some kind? Silver is bleeding," Lorelei requested kindly.

"Oh, yes! I'm so sorry... Ash and Silver got in a bit of a fight," Delia mumbled, looking down in disappointment. Normally, I'd feel bad, but I wasn't in the mood to feel pity for people. Pity for people is what got me into this damn mess. Lorelei placed a gentle hand on my cheek, cupping it with a small smile.

"Delia seemed to have prepared quite the dinner, Silver. Why don't we stay for a bit?" she asked.

"No." My answer was short and to the point.

"Yeah, he can go!" Ash barked, wiping his own bloody nose.

"Both of you need to calm down!" Misty waved her hands frantically, glaring at the two of us.

"Silver..." Lorelei murmured, crouching down slightly to whisper in my ear.

"You came here for a reason, right? You wanted to check up on Delia here. I found it strange why she was so worried about you, but now I understand... She also knows about Giovanni, correct? It would make sense considering you and Ash are brothers." I stiffened before glancing back at her. The distraught woman's eyes were dripping with tears, and her lips wobbled.... God, she was pathetic in the same way you'd call a begging puppy pathetic.

"Fine. We're leaving after we eat, though," I said bluntly. Ash looked like he wanted to protest, but Lorelei just shot him a calm stare, silencing him on the spot.

"Fine," he grumbled. Lorelei smiled.

"Right, now let's clean you up."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Lorelei dabbed my nose gently, not even getting a flinch out of me.

"You were gone for too long, then I noticed you were not in Viridian like you told me you would be. I came to check up on you as a result." I grunted.

"I had no idea you had a brother. How long have you known?" Lorelei questioned.

"A while now. Almost as soon as I came back to Kanto." She hummed thoughtfully.

"I notice you don't have the Oak Starters with you?"

"I gave them away to three kids. They needed a better home that wasn't me." Lorelei raked a hand against my bang.

"I think you would have been a fine home for them, but I understand. They are young... so perhaps growing with other children will be necessary."

"That's what I think at least," I sighed. A comfortable silence washed over us. Lorelei just dabbed at my nose a bit more before growing satisfied with her work.

"You're tired," Lorelei said softly.

"I can barely move on my own. I've been up too long," I said truthfully.

"We'll sleep soon. Just a little longer." I snorted.

"Let's just get this farce of a dinner over with." Dinner was, as you probably expected, tense. Ash and I were seated as far away from one another as possible, Lorelei acting as extra insurance in case I felt the urge to start throwing utensils. Gaia was out too... acting as extra extra insurance.

"Megan," she instructed, holding a spoon of food for me with a vine. I rolled my eyes, accepting the offering. It was in my best interest to just ignore everyone at this table.

"So... Silver," Misty spoke up slowly. I slowly chewed my food to avoid having to speak, staring at the ginger.

"Have you been alright? We heard that you went missing." I tilted my head and swallowed, delaying my next bite from the eager vine.

"I was kidnapped by Team Rocket," I said bluntly. Misty, Brock, and Ash's eyes widened at my words.

"H-Huh?!" Misty spluttered. Lorelei, who had been quietly chatting with Delia, tensed up slightly. I watched her hand clench into a fist and reached over to unclench it.

"Yeah, for two months. They forced me to do crimes and stuff. 100% success rate," I drawled.

"Don't mention that, please," Lorelei muttered.

"Wait, hold on," Brock interjected, far more serious about the entire matter. I wasn't surprised... as a former Gym Leader, he was probably aware of how dangerous Team Rocket actually was, in comparison to Misty and Ash, who just had to deal with the trio.

"They kidnapped you? Are you okay?" he asked in concern. I mulled the question over, chewing quietly. Delia was still an amazing chef.

"I'm better now that I've destroyed them."

"THAT WAS YOU?!" Ash and Misty screeched. I placed a fist against my cheek.

"Why do you think I was with Mewtwo? I convinced him to upheave their entire organization." Brock went pale.

"Wait... that psychic was a part of Team Rocket?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. That's why I let them kidnap me. I wanted to break them from the inside," I said simply.

"Woah..." Misty trailed off.

"So that's why you were against us," Brock muttered. Ash crossed his arms.

"You punched and knocked me out," he reminded.

"You tried to punch a god. I did you a favor by knocking you out. It's better than being dead, don't you think?" I asked in return. Ash flinched back.

"Mewtwo could extinguish your life before your first step. I wasn't going to let him kill a kid, and at the rate you were going, you were going to die," I said bluntly.

"... You did it to save my life?" he asked quietly. I crossed my arms.

"Why would I want someone to die? You're way too young to die so early; You've got a full life ahead of you, even if it's filled with failure." Delia sniffed, pulling me in a grateful hug.

"Thank you, Silver. I can't imagine how much you were suffering, but you still looked out for my little Ashy." I shifted uncomfortably.

"What person would be okay watching another person die? Don't speak like I did some grand thing." I abruptly stood up.

"We're done eating, Lorelei, and even though I can't feel my eyes closing, I know they are." Lorelei laughed softly and stood with me.

"Thank you for the meal, Delia. It was delicious." Delia perked up, flushing at the earnest praise from my very famous aunt.

"I'd be happy to cook for you two again! It really won't be a bother!"

"We may take you up on that offer," Lorelei said honestly, holding me slightly so I didn't tip over.

"Don't include me with your bullshit," I groused.

"Language."

"I'm too tired to do this." Lorelei blinked owlishly.

"Oh dear, let us get you to sleep." With that, we both made preparations to escape.

"Silver..." I blinked, turning to Ash with bleary eyes.

"Thanks... for saving my life. You're not all bad," he said reluctantly.

"... You know how to throw a punch," was all I said. I stretched idly, marveling at being able to move for an extended period of time without feeling utterly spent. It wasn't as long as I'd normally like, but I'd recover fully in time.

"Little Renegade." I froze at the ominous voice. At least this time, I didn't feel all my senses going haywire. Just a little chill crawling down my spine." What, Giratina?" I retorted." I have a request, now that you are more able-bodied. If you are to accomplish it, I will grant you 3 gifts." My denial died on my lips at that. 3 gifts from a legendary of Giratina's stature? I didn't like free handouts, especially ones from a Legendary, but I was okay with doing an exchange of sorts."

I have been watching you; I know you need proper motivation. I assure you, the gifts will be well worth it." I mulled it over and nodded.

"Alright. Fine then. What do you need?" The ominous aura of Giratina washed over me, but I barely registered it." Let us take a trip to my region." I paused.

"To Sinnoh? I don't have time to go to an entirely new region. I'm not linked with Mewtwo anymore, and regardless, you refuse to let me use my abilities normally, so I can't make such a long trip—" I sighed in exhaustion as the aura around me grew stronger." I will bring you… But you will need to accomplish my mission in order for me to take you back. It will take no longer than 3 days, including your gifts."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go. I already accepted."

"Excellent. I am pleased with how agreeable you are."

"I hope this isn't some ploy by you to start taking over the universe."

"We would need to share a common goal to succeed. Neither of us wish for such a thing at the moment, and that is how it will remain... Though if you desire it, I will entertain myself once more and accompany you." So Giratina would only be interested in conquering the universe if I were interested in it. That was funny. With that, I was once again transported at the whims of a legend.