Chương 42: Cooldown

"So you wish to be a trainer, Mars?" Lorelei questioned curiously. Mars nodded after a moment.

"I do." My aunt looked contemplative.

"And you have no sponsor as well..."

"Very well. I'd gladly sponsor you... under one condition, of course." I glanced up from my team at that, turning towards Lorelei in slight confusion.

"I'll sponsor you if I can become Silver's sponsor as well," Lorelei said bluntly. A pulse of confusion radiated from me before my eyes widened in realization. Oh, right, Giovanni was my previous sponsor...

"You could have just asked me, instead of using Mars to get your way," I pointed out, shaking my head in exasperation.

"I meant to bring it up with you... But with this revelation, I did not want you to say something ridiculous like "you already have a sponsee, what do you need me for?" because you truly do not like receiving much external help." My eye twitched at her words.

"You're full of shit, Aunt. Even if I refuse, you'll accept Mars. You can't fool me," I grunted. Lorelei coughed at being caught.

"... Language."

"I don't appreciate being used like this," Mars said flatly. I snorted.

"I accept. It would be better for you to be my sponsor than anyone else... or no one. This way, you can stop bugging me about wanting to do things for me," I said truthfully. Lorelei looked pleased.

"Excellent. I'll have the paperwork ready after the League for both of you. In the meantime, Mars, why not show me your current team?" My aunt turned towards me.

"You mentioned needing more slots as well, Silver? At this rate, it may be apt for us to remove the limit for the entire Color Gang... I'm sure it would be accepted considering all you've done for Kanto." She sighed at my short chuckle.

"What did you even catch for you to need another increase? I wouldn't have expected that, considering your recent capture of Arachne." I raked a hand through my hair, getting a happy chitter out of Arachne in question.

"... About that," I muttered, grabbing my Luxury Ball and releasing my newest capture. As the shape settled, I watched Lorelei's eyes widen in recognition. It was actually damn impressive that she recognized a Sneasel's silhouette. Of course, the excitement turned to confusion as the figure fully took form.

"... What in the world?" Lorelei said dumbly, gazing at my Sneasel with a stunned expression. Her gaze shifted to the sight of Mars revealing her own Sneasel. Lorelei's confusion only grew worse, her bewildered red eyes shifting back and forth. My Sneasel tentatively walked over to me. I noticed that she carefully kept her claws away from me and, upon closer inspection, saw that they were laced with what had to be poison. A contemplative expression made its way to my face at that.

"This is a variation of Sneasel. I don't know much myself... but I don't think they're Dark and Ice types," I mused. My aunt looked helplessly confused. She opened her mouth, shut it, furrowed her brows, opened her mouth again... and then shut it. Finally, she sighed.

"You're beginning to annoy me with your staunch refusal to capture an ice type, Silver. To go as far as to catch a normally ice-type pokemon... one who I claimed would be perfect for you by the way, in an entirely other typing is testing my patience," she said flatly. I winced.

"Okay, bad look I know... but I really didn't expect this."

"You caught a Sneasel that isn't an ice type. Do you understand how absurd that sounds to say?" Okay, from a point of view, I could definitely see how my aunt would think I'm very much fucking with her right now.

"Note to self... catch an ice type," Mars muttered to herself. Lorelei huffed in annoyance. My aunt genuinely seemed more disgruntled by the fact that I warped Sneasel's typing away from Ice. Was she not concerned that I had a completely different Sneasel than what was normal...? What did I do to her?

"I've never seen a Sneasel of that nature," she said eventually, crouching in front of both the Sneasel with curious eyes.

"I think they're poison type," I observed, holding up my Sneasel's arms to show the slight sheen of poison on the claws. Sneasel just accepted it, eating a snack that I had given her. She was relatively calm, quiet, and clearly pleased by my attention.

"Fascinating. It seems to be a completely different type altogether," Lorelei muttered, pulling her Pokedex out. She scanned the Sneasel, not seeming too surprised to hear the automated voice bug out. We listened to the Dex say Sneasel... before it completely spazzed out, eventually dying and going silent once more.

"Guess another trip to Oak is in the works," I muttered, crossing my arms. We couldn't even figure out what moves she had. Guess we were doing this the old-fashioned way. My team was currently going hard at training. I had plans for each of them that would further my odds of winning the league. I even had plans that extended past the league. The sky was the limit for my team, but we needed to take it slow and not rush things. For now, though... I guess we needed to figure out what was going on with Sneasel here.

"Come back quickly. I will take the time with Mars to figure out her next course of action," Lorelei requested. I rolled my eyes. It was evident she still missed me.

"Yes, ma'am." Thankfully, Indigo was close to Pallet.

"I need a new Pokegear. Silver broke my old one... he also offered to buy me a Poketch," Mars explained. Lorelei nodded easily.

"Likely so no one can track you. Very well, let's head out to buy them." I listened to them bond with a small smile.

"Ares! Let's go on a trip!" I shouted, hoisting up Sneasel and getting a surprised yowl out of her. She hastily wrapped her claws around my neck, avoiding touching me with them, and I smiled at her thoughtfulness. I gazed at my team.

"Once I come back, we're shifting into overdrive, okay?" My team roared in affirmation, throwing themselves back into it. Ares landed next to me with a thud, roaring happily at the fact that I once again needed her.

"Tell me what you find out!" Mars demanded.

"Yeah, yeah," I retorted. As I clambered atop my dragon, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Actually, Ares... before we go to Pallet, let's make a trip to Lavender Town," I murmured. She didn't question my request, something I loved about Ares. She just flexed her red wings and took to the skies. Flying with Ares was always a treat... but I imagine you'd have to be an adrenaline junkie to really enjoy it. She loved to go fast, testing the limits of what I could handle and slowly getting me accustomed to higher speeds.

It was as awe-inspiring as it was freakish that Ares became a genius at the concept of flying. It was like she donned a science outfit only for flight. Sneasel was sleeping, arms curled around my waist. She snored quietly, not at all phased by the tremendous speeds Ares flew at. I rolled my eyes in amusement and patted the speeding Ares on the neck, prompting her to slow down questioningly.

"Hey girl, I think now's as good a time as any to make the skies your domain." Ares looked like she had won the lottery at my statement.

"I know you love your dragon moves, but you have enough for now, so they'll take a backseat, alright?" I informed her, smiling as she listened while flying. My Salamence roared in agreement.

"We're going to dip into the flying aspect of your typing. Most Salamence hardly focus on that, simply using their wings to augment their destructive power..." I pat her easily.

"You won't be like them. The first move we'll be learning is going to be a pivotal part of your entire style now. It's called Tailwind." Tailwind was the most immediate move I wanted Ares to learn, which was funny because not many thought to teach a Salamence such a move... But it yielded three clear advantages for her. One: The easiest to deduce was that Tailwind increased Ares' speed to an almost dreadful amount.

Not only that, the sheer speed would increase her power; Ares was throwing around a lot of weight with her size. Two: This move would benefit my entire team. Ares was not much of a team player, but this would change that by an awesome amount. Team Battles would be far easier, too. Three: Tailwind was the manipulation of wind. It required finesse and control that Salamence did not typically have. By mastering this move, Ares's control over the atmosphere around her would increase drastically.

Most Salamence just used their flying typing as a way to enhance their dragon typing. That's what a lot of dual typings tended to do; the Metagross line used their psychic abilities to augment their dreadful physical prowess granted to them by their steel type. I rejected that. Both Ares and Metagross would be masters of both their typings. Ares dreamed of flying, and she achieved that. But that wasn't enough. I would make her a master of the skies, and honing Tailwind was key to that.

"After we learn Tailwind, there's another move I want you to get started on... Hurricane," I muttered. Hurricane and Tailwind... two moves that would go hand in hand; Tailwind for utility, Hurricane for power; both for complete control. It was two ends of the spectrum. In the middle of that spectrum, Ares would find the means to invent new ways to utilize them. A more concentrated hurricane, not as overpowering... a stronger Tailwind that could make you faster for shorter periods of time.

My goals for Ares were grand. I hoped to have her learn Roost soon, too. The only thing worse than a rampaging Salamence was a rampaging Salamence that refused to stay down.

"You'll need to master Focus Energy like never before. I want it active at practically all times until it's second nature. That's the key to controlling yourself... and don't forget your other moves too. We'll be training everything," I murmured gently. Ares howled in excitement. While she wasn't as eager to learn Tailwind, Hurricane had caused her to switch her tune. Was it reckless to get her started on such big-hitter flying-type moves so early? Maybe.

But Ares was a girl with lofty dreams and welcomed the challenge. They would both probably be usable at best by the time the League came around. Would it be anywhere close to its full potential? Probably not, but that was fine. I mulled something over before grabbing my Pokegear. You: Lemme use your Salamence for help. Flying Master: Sure. Just Salamence? You: Yeah. That should be all I need. Ares could use the experience. Flying Master: Gotcha. Flying Master has sent an attachment.

I snorted at the absolute dork that was Lance, simply liking the picture of his Dratini curled around his arm, sleeping happily. It was admittedly cute as hell. While I wasn't the most eager to use someone else to learn, I wasn't under any illusions about thinking I could beat the rest of my gang after the two-plus months they spent at Indigo training. I would utilize all the help I could... regretfully. But if it were for my team, I'd do it. Lavender was as quiet and oppressive as always.

I made sure to land outside of the town, sighing to myself as I returned Sneasel to her ball. I didn't really wanna be here... but there was something I felt like I should do. Almost as soon as I entered the city proper, I was halted by a blue-haired woman.

"Stop right there! State your... wait, I know you," Officer Jenny muttered in realization. I raised a brow.

"Do you?" I questioned dully. She snorted.

"Course I do. You're that Silver fella... the one who's related to Elite 4 Lorelei."

"Sounds about right," I muttered.

"You're a bit of a hot topic for us officers. How do you manage to consistently thwart Team Rocket? First the S. S. Anne and then Saffron?" she asked curiously. A shrug was all she got from me.

"It's a talent, I guess," I drawled, marching past her. Predictably, she followed after me.

"What're you doing around these parts?" Jenny pressed, more so out of curiosity than genuine interrogation. I imagine being related to Lorelei gave me a lot of leeway. While annoying that everyone identified me by my relation to my aunt, I would take advantage of the benefits.

"I heard some disturbing news. Does the name Fuji ring a bell?" I questioned. Her expression hardened slightly.

"He had a heart attack in the middle of his home... at his age, it's expected, but it's still tragic news altogether," she replied. I nodded in agreement.

"I met him before. He taught me how to care for troubled pokemon... which is why I'm here. How are the pokemon he cared for holding up?" Jenny grimaced.

"Not good. They're sad is the best way of putting it... he meant a lot to them." I exhaled slowly.

"Do you have any plans for where to send them?" I questioned. The blue-haired cop shook her head.

"We're still in the process of figuring it out. The ghosts of this place have been restless, which is why we're here." I mulled the words over.

"If they accept, I can send them to a good home." She looked interested.

"Is that so?" I nodded.

"A woman in Pallet Town. She's a lovely lady who'll take good care of them," I responded.

"Pallet Town..." Jenny muttered, nodding to herself.

"Right. If they accept, I'll send them her way. Less struggle to find a suitable home for them if you already have an idea." I nodded.

"Her name is Delia Ketchum. I'd advise getting into talks with her. She'll gladly accept them." Honestly, I think they'd sooner kill me than accept my words. Delia would be good for them.

"I'll give her a heads up in advance," I informed her, letting loose a sharp whistle right after. Jenny looked as if she were about to say something, but shrieked instead at the thunderous noise of Ares slamming down next to me.

"What the fu—," Jenny cut herself off abruptly, staring at my Salamence with horrified eyes. I smiled in mild amusement.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" I questioned, mounting Ares and getting comfortable. She purred in content, which sounded like a bone-chilling rumble instead of a purr, and flexed her wings. No longer in the mood for words, I waved once, and Ares took off. There was nothing for me to offer to Fuji. My condolences went out to him, and if it were up to me, I'd have stopped Mewtwo from killing him... but I wasn't going to kill myself in worry for his fate. Fuji's past caught up to him. You couldn't run away from it...

only face it. I would know; I ran until I had no choice.

"Silver! Back so soon?!" Delia beamed, yanking me into a tight hug. I accepted it warily, watching as Ares shot off to find Oak's Dragonite.

"Where is your son?" I asked bluntly. Delia waved me off.

"Ashy is off preparing for the League! I talked to him about what happened... but can't you two just try to get along? You're brothers, you know?" she asked quietly. I scoffed at the pathetic puppy dog look in her eyes.

"Whatever you say, Delia. I'll continue to act like me, and we'll see how that goes."

"You won't push him away if he tries?" she asked.

"... No, I won't," I sighed, feeling the way she happily squeezed me.

"Is that Silver I hear?!" A familiar voice called out. Delia nodded cheerfully, dragging me into the household.

"I'm not planning on staying long. I have training to get to," I said slowly.

"One day won't kill you! A little break is key!" Delia insisted.

"I need to talk to Oak too," I retorted.

"Later!" I sighed tiredly at her neediness. Delia's adoration for me was still something I would never get used to. She would try her absolute hardest to involve herself in my life.

"By the way. I told an Officer Jenny you'd be a great caretaker for some stray pokemon. Expect a call later," I said. Delia looked curiously at me, still dragging —I was letting her; she was very weak— me through the house.

"Okay! I'll accept them, of course!" I nodded before accepting the other person's affections... Or, well, people.

"Silver!" Maple greeted cheerfully, yanking me into a hug.

"How are you?" Solari smiled happily, joining the group hug. I rubbed my forehead with my thumb and index finger.

"You wasted no time becoming friends, huh?" I asked, glancing through a window to see Yellow, Sun, and Moon playing with one another. I smiled slightly at seeing the three with their respective starters. Yellow and Moon both seemed content to follow Sun's lead, chatting happily with one another as the three starters dutifully followed their familiars.

"We have a lot in common!" Maple giggled. Solari and Delia both nodded in agreement. I could see it honestly. Those three were unnaturally cheerful, and they were the mothers of the protagonists. Huh, I wonder how Gold and Crystal's moms were like. I wonder if they'd join this group of single mothers. I'd probably make it happen; they wanted to meet me.

"I figured you'd get along. You're all happy-go-lucky idiots," I nodded. While Delia happily accepted my words, Solari shook her head in amusement, and Maple immediately reached over and tugged my cheek.

"Don't go calling us idiots, mister!" she scolded, puffing her cheeks out to signify her annoyance.

"My bad," I said, utterly insincere. Maple's eye twitched slightly before she gasped at something.

"Oh, Silvy! We saw the home you gave to Solari! It's huge!" Solari nodded readily.

"They visited me in the middle of the moving process and helped!"

"That lazy boy Venusaur complained the whole time!" Maple muttered. Delia was nodding right next to her.

"We spent maybe the whole day cleaning and preparing! In the meantime, we got to know each other and realized we have a lot in common!" I was content to let the mothers talk. This was good for them. They had their own reasons for not engaging in much socialization, so bonding with others who shared similar interests was pleasant to hear.

"I'll come talk to you all another time. I have something urgent to talk to Oak about," I informed them. They snapped to attention at that and nodded.

"Oh, have some tea before you go!" Maple placed a cup of tea in my hand.

"And cookies! We made some for the children!" Solari grabbed some cookies, put them in a ziplock bag, and handed them over to me.

"Ah, that won't be enough to fill him up! Those trainers sure do eat a lot! Here, take a plate!" Delia grabbed a plate of pasta and handed it to me after wrapping it up. I stared dumbly at the mothers... before accepting that this was probably how things were going to be. Hopefully, the other members of my gang were also dragged into this. I didn't like being the sole receiver of these freakishly overbearing mothers. Lorelei was enough, thank you very much.

I sighed, gazing at the professor's lab with a small frown. There was no Jasmine or Green to distract me this time... so I was going at it alone.

"I am always watching, if that lessens your concerns."... That actually did. Slightly emboldened by the legend's claims, I pushed open the door and walked through.

"Ah, Young Silver! Part of me wondered if you were about to run off! You had been standing out there for the better part of 5 minutes!" Professor Oak greeted kindly. I grunted, opening my mouth to greet him... Before the words died on my lips as I realized he had company. I mostly ignored Daisy pulling me in a hug of relief. I just patted her on the back while taking in the appearance of the two new individuals. The first was an old man. He had blue eyes, and his spiky hair, sideburns, and mustache were all white.

He had a brown lab coat on, a light blue vest over a white shirt, dark pants, and brown shoes. The second was a middle-aged man who had short brown hair and gray eyes. He wore a pair of glasses, had a white lab coat, brown pants, and shoes. Hm... I may have chosen a bad time to show up. After all, I was currently staring off with Professor Rowan... and Elm. Hm... Oak clasped my shoulder with a gentle hand, smiling at me.

"Silver, these are my good friends, Professor Rowan and Professor Elm! Elm is the premier professor of the Johto Region! He is also the sponsor of Gold and Crystal. Rowan is the professor of Sinnoh! He is here to help me solve the dilemma with little Explotaro!" he introduced.

"Pleasure," I said bluntly, nodding my head. Rowan nodded in return, while Elm nervously waved.

"I've heard many things about you," Rowan greeted.

"Mostly unpleasant, I imagine," I drawled. Rowan snorted in mild amusement.

"Thank you for watching over Gold and Crystal!" Elm bowed hastily. I waved him off.

"We're watching over each other. It's a balanced effort."

"Daisy, the moms invited you over. They said you need to get out more," I informed her. Daisy blinked.

"Oh, alright! I'll go now then... and I do go out. I'm just on a break to watch the League," she muttered, dusting herself off to go meet them. I watched her go before pulling a ball from my belt.

"I caught a new pokemon that you might be interested in seeing, Oak," I said bluntly.

"Straight to the point as always!" Oak chuckled, nodding eagerly at my words.

"If you've gone out of your way to visit me, then this must be quite the capture!" I nodded my head, promptly releasing Sneasel from the ball. She yawned, prompting me to hoist her up with a roll of my eyes. She lazily wrapped her arms around my neck, much like Oberon used to do when he was a Teddiursa.

"My word!" Rowan exclaimed, eyes shooting wide in curiosity.

"I echo the same sentiments! A variation of Sneasel, too?!" Oak gasped.

"Incredible! I've never seen such a thing!" Elm gasped. I nodded at them.

"I need some tests run on her to make sure she's fit and healthy. I also don't know anything about her beyond being a poison type." Rowan's expression shifted slightly.

"A ghost-type Typhlosion and a poison-type Sneasel? It's as I suspected," he murmured. I watched as the professor reached into his bag, pulling out an aged book. A look of curiosity donned my face because the book looked pretty ancient.

"If I'm truly correct, both this Gold's Typhlosion and Sneasel's origin lies in a very ancient Sinnoh called Hisui," Rowan explained.

"Hisui," I muttered to myself, feeling the slight pulse run through my body at those words.

"How did you find such a thing, if I may ask?" Rowan questioned, peering at my Sneasel in blatant fascination. I grunted.

"She and her brother were being attacked by a pack of Weavile. I managed to jump in before they could land a lethal blow... then I realized she probably wouldn't survive for long and captured her." The professors all nodded at my words.

"You mentioned another Sneasel? Where is that one?" Elm asked curiously.

"Caught by my cousin," I answered dryly. They all looked disappointed. If not for the fact that I knew they were good people, I'd have taken that as my cue to get my Sneasel the fuck away from them. Fortunately for them, I was trying to better myself.

"Can we talk while you perform that checkup? I've got training to get back to," I informed them. Oak nodded cheerfully.

"Of course! We wouldn't want to hold you up while you prepare for the League! Right this way!"

"Hey, Elm... I heard you got attacked. Good to see you're doing well," I said calmly. Elm jumped at my words. The professor turned towards me with an anxious expression.

"Ah, thank you, but I heard you had an even tougher time than I did!" I snorted.

"Something like that. I'm better now, though." Elm nodded thoughtfully.

"I heard you own the most spoiled Meganium on the planet! That's what Gold told me at least." I placed a cheek against my fist.

"Gaia is one of the many queens of my team. Unfortunately, she lets it get to her head a lot of the time. Fortunately, she's the glue that holds the team together." Elm smiled at that.

"Chikorita is a pokemon that goes unappreciated by many. It's a nice change of pace to see someone treat her so well. Already, I can see some opinions changing on their line."

"Anyone who underestimates Gaia has to deal with both of us. She's helped me too much for me to let any disrespect slide," I said truthfully.

"That... sounds quite scary. I've seen brief footage of Gaia, and I would not want to get on her bad side," he admitted warily.

"Smart man." Elm chuckled.

"I would love to have you visit Newbark when you get the chance!" Newbark Town...

"Maybe sometime after the League. Gold and Crystal want me to meet their moms," I decided.

"We'd be happy to have you!" I snorted in acceptance. There was no way I'd ever officially out myself as the thief... but it didn't take a genius to know that I was the most likely suspect... So I'd confirm it without confirming it. That way, even if Elm kind of took offense to what I did, I didn't actually confess. Though it didn't really look like he was offended. In fact, he seemed rather proud of Gaia. Huh...

"Young Silver! Rowan and I have finished researching little Sneasel here. You were correct in your assumption that she was a Poison Type... but upon further look, I have reason to believe she is a Fighting type as well!" Oak informed me. I raised a brow at that, opening my arms and letting Sneasel climb me. A fighting type, too? Interesting... I could work with this. Sneasel still looked as nimble and fast as its dark counterpart, so I was already running with ideas.

Rowan approached me with my Pokedex, handing it over promptly.

"There you are. I've updated your Pokedex with some info on this version of Sneasel. According to ancient texts, they are not as cruel as the Sneasel we know of today, nor do they travel in packs. On the off chance that this happens again, we'll work to send a global update to the rest of the Pokedex out there." I pursed my lips at that. I think I understood why they were getting hunted down by Weavile.

This Sneasel from Hisui must have been a dreadful opponent for them, boasting a type that was four times effective against it. Coupled with a crippling poison that may as well have meant death in the wilds... I flicked open my Pokedex, scanning my newest capture. I was kind of impressed that they somehow managed to upload the data from paper to the pokedex so quickly, but I wasn't a nerd, so I wouldn't think too hard on it. Gold would probably appreciate this in the future whenever they upgrade his Dex.

Hopefully, he got his global update before the League. Sneasel: Female Ability: Pickpocket Moves: Scratch, Leer, Rock Smash, Taunt, Quick Attack, Quick Guard, Counter, Metal Claw Hm. Seemed like Sneasel was primarily a fighting type. She didn't even have a poison-type move yet. Alas, I already thought of a name for her. Her ability was Pickpocket, huh? She was practically made for me, but that ability wasn't the most useful in battles, much like Oberon with Pickup. Well, it wouldn't be useful in sanctioned battles.

Who woulda thought that Lorelei was right, Sneasel is the perfect pokemon for me! A poison type with the speed, dexterity, and power of a Sneasel and Weavile... No, with even more power by virtue of being a fighting type. I could see it now... Loki was my assassin; his job was to trick his opponents into letting their guards down and then deal a devastating hit to take them out. Sneasel was lining up to be similar... but I could put a little spin on it.

An incredibly fast assassin who controlled the pace of the battle by whittling you down with a slow, creeping poison. Expending energy to catch something that could not be caught easily, all while your system slowly but surely failed you. It sounded dreadful to face and combine that with Sneasel's fighting type? So even if you did manage to catch her, she'd still put up one hell of a fight.

"Hey girl, how would you like it if we called you Achlys?" I murmured, raking a hand against her head easily. Achlys, the personification of the misery and sorrow that accompanied death. The death fog that clouded your eyes... A tad overdramatic, since I wasn't keen on raising a murderer, but you get the point. Her victories would be fast or slow, but they would wholly depend on her whims.

"Death" would be hers to decide. Sneasel mewled happily at my patting, just nodding in acceptance at what I said. She promptly sank into my grasp a little more, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Achlys it is." I wasn't planning on catching another pokemon at all for a long time. I was considering another member after the League, but both Arachne and Achlys, hah, Double A, threw a strong wrench into that plan. Well, I guess it's not like I had a set limit on pokemon I wanted to catch. I just didn't want to split my attention too much. I'd help Arachne and Achlys, but right now, my main members need the most help. I very much doubt I'd be using these two during the league. I nodded in satisfaction.

"Thanks for the help, Professors," I said easily, standing abruptly.

"We should be thanking you! Twice in one year, we are seeing pokemon lost to time! Why, I feel invigorated just discovering something new!" Oak chuckled. I snorted.

"Things around me are always strange. If I encounter something else like this, I'll come to you," I promised.

"You make an old man happy, Silver! I'm honored. Don't forget that my offer is still on the table," the professor of Kanto exclaimed.

"If you are ever in Sinnoh, do feel free to visit. I will stay here for a little longer to discuss the findings of this book. I have a feeling some of it may be useful," Rowan muttered.

"I will also extend my invitations! I'd love to meet the members of your team," Elm said kindly. I nodded.

"Sure. That can all wait for later. I'm going to train my team." Achlys was returned to her ball, and I held up a hand to wave.

"Make sure to tell the moms I left by the way. You can deal with their outrage," I said blandly. Without waiting for a reply, I whistled sharply, pleased to see Ares answering my call far faster.

"We're gonna be flying a lot, girl. Good way to build our familiarity and your stamina too," I murmured. She roared in agreement, taking off through the sky. I was going to be using her a lot... but I don't really think she minded at all.

"What a strange young man. I would have expected him to act a little differently," Rowan remarked. Oak shook his head in mild amusement.

"Young Silver is unfazed by the fame of people. The only use we can provide to him is anything that may help his team. Considering his goal is to win the Indigo League, his focus lies solely on accomplishing that. Unfortunately, our curiosity will have to wait because he is not interested in indulging us at the moment." Elm laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"While not outright admitting to it, he did seem to apologize in his own way for what happened at Newbark." Rowan's eyes widened.

"He is the one who attacked you?!" Oak nodded.

"It is very likely... though, based on what I know, I'm sure that it was an accident now."

"I agree!" Elm nodded.

"Despite not having any signs pointing towards his doing it, he still felt the need to confront me and make sure I was fine. Based on his history, I believe it was an attack brought on by panic."

"Almost certainly. A way to survive Team Rocket's clutches... a goal he seems to have accomplished quite well after so long," Oak agreed. The professor of Johto chuckled.

"I truly can't be upset with him for taking Chiko— Gaia with him. I believe he was the perfect trainer for her, and I'd hate to separate them." Rowan stroked his mustache.

"Most interesting. It appears that there is information you two have neglected to inform me of. I do hope you will rectify this mistake."

"Of course, my old friend. Kanto is finally settling down, but it has been quite the journey," Oak assured.

"I do not have to be in Sinnoh for some time," Rowan assured.

"I'll be in Kanto until the League ends... considering my trainers will be participating here instead." If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Elm sobered up slightly.

"Professor Oak—""Samuel is fine, Elm. You are not a student anymore," Oak chided. Elm coughed nervously.

"We are all students in our own ways... but you're right, Samuel. Why haven't you informed the children of the news yet?" Oak's expression turned serious in an instant.

"They have gone through a difficult ordeal. It would be remiss of me to tell them such terrible news while they prepare for the Indigo League. They may be trainers, but they are still young." The Professor sighed.

"I will inform them in time... but Young Green and Silver especially are in a volatile state. There is no telling what may happen if I tell them."

"I take it someone is no longer with us," Rowan observed, shutting his eyes and letting out a quiet breath.

"Samuel raises a good point. Matters of such magnitude need to be broken gently to children. Timing is important, and in times like now, it would do more harm than good." There was a curious little boy who constantly visited him back at Sandgem. An earnest and bright child who absorbed information like a sponge. Rowan could not imagine breaking such terrible news to a boy of his age... and he imagined Oak felt similar to his sponsors as well. Elm nodded slowly.

"That makes sense... I just worry if it takes too long, then..."

"I am still discussing arrangements. Once everything is settled, most likely after the League, I will inform them," Oak assured. This was a delicate matter. It needed to be handled with care. One mistake, and things could very quickly spiral out of control. They had already dealt with one catastrophe. Let them be children after such trials. As I arrived back at Indigo, I got off Ares with a pat on her head, throwing three snacks in her mouth that she happily gobbled up.

"Get started on your moves, girl. Remember, keep Focus Energy channeled the entire time. We're mastering it until it's second nature," I murmured. She growled in agreement, taking off into the skies without hesitation. I watched her go with a small smile, only to pause at the sound of footsteps. They were very quiet, prompting me to turn my head. A shock of silver-blue hair greeted me, and I raised a brow.

"Good senses," Karen greeted, Weavile and Loki next to her.

"I'm trained after all," I retorted. My eyes began roving over the eager Weavile, who was inspecting me from all angles with an excited smile on its face. It was nauseating how fast it was, practically flitting across the floor without a sound.

"She's excited. All my pokemon are really when it comes to you... except for Absol. Absol's terrified of you, which makes sense now," Karen said thoughtfully. That was obviously because of Giratina's distortion. It was the same reason dark types attacked me so often in Hoenn.... Which reminded me of something.

"Loki." Loki stiffened at my tone, turning towards me with curious eyes.

"Have you been holding yourself back because of me?" I asked, remembering Metagross' words. My first pokemon nodded his head, seeing no reason to hide the information any longer. That would explain his sometimes violent outbursts, particularly against the Rockets. I had to wonder just how much Loki was holding himself back, because he was easily one of my calmest pokemon at all times. I pursed my lips and raked a hand through his hair.

"As long as you don't go on a murder spree, you can let loose, Loki. It's my job as your trainer to work with this, not around it." Working around the issue wasn't a solution. We needed to tackle it head-on and see what we were working with. Loki looked slightly surprised by my words, but eventually snorted and nodded.

"It's not really that bad. I'm not gonna become a maniac like Ares or uncontrollable like Oberon. I just... have a heightened sense of bloodlust," he said thoughtfully.

"You're a Dark-type. That's par for the course," I waved him off. Clapping brought my attention back to Karen.

"I'm annoyed that you're ignoring me, but I love a trainer that can acknowledge Dark-types for what they are!" she smiled. The Elite 4 member chuckled with a shake of her head.

"Most trainers can't handle dark pokemon. They always try to turn them into something they aren't, and that's why there aren't many dark masters out there. You can't force them to be gentle creatures. They're predators and tricksters; most trainers are too afraid to lean into that aspect of them." Karen shook her head.

"I say release the dark type if that's the case. They're no good in the hands of most people," she shrugged. I nodded in agreement.

"If you refuse to utilize a pokemon to its fullest potential, you aren't meant to be its trainer. That's all there is to it."

"Heh, I knew you'd make a good Dark-type trainer. It's a shame you're a generalist," Karen shrugged helplessly. I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you here? Don't tell me you're still hung up on me rejecting your offer to dance." She snorted.

"Nah, I'm good. I'm here for your Zoroark. I wanted to see him... but now that I know he's got his issues, I'm here to offer my help. I agree that you shouldn't contain a dark type, but there's still a time and place for everything."

"Loki knows that," I retorted calmly.

"I know that," Loki agreed, taking my form. Karen rubbed her head.

"I already got the shock of my life seeing a female version of you, don't tell me your Zoroark transforms into you, too." She sighed.

"Troublesome kid. You need a lot of help to combat your friends, right? We helped them out whenever we had the chance, so I'm extending the same grace to you... especially considering none of them even had a dark type until Gold got his Tyranitar," she muttered, put out by that detail.

"All of you helped? Even the ghost lady?" I asked with a raised brow. Karen coughed in amusement.

"More like their ghosts would just disappear and conveniently come back. She never admitted to helping them... but they mysteriously got a lot stronger. Did you have something to do with that ghost-type Typhlosion?"

"Maybe," I replied blandly.

"Figured. Hey, did you know Articuno tried to kill you, but it took one look at you and flew off?" Karen pointed out suspiciously.

"Are you a Dark Master or a Psychic one? You're asking way too many fucking questions," I replied. She laughed easily, flicking a strand of her long hair behind her shoulder.

"Anyway, I'll help Loki out," she decided. My eye twitched.

"I never said yes." Karen waved me off.

"Relax. My payment will be getting to learn about Zoroark. You know how rare these things are?" she asked, dragging the compliant Loki away.

"Tell Joy I said hi and that I haven't forgotten what she's done to me," were Karen's parting words. I pinched my nose, turning to face the mountain of muscle that silently watched our exchange.

"Fighting man. What do you want?" I asked bluntly.

"Silver. My name is Bruno, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you," he nodded in respect.

"Elite 4 Bruno," I muttered, gazing at the man. This was unreal. How could some people even get this tall? And where the hell was his shirt? This dude was as built as Surge was, leading me to believe that they had to have been workout buddies or something.

"The reason I'm here is to formally thank you for the efforts you have put into saving our region," Bruno explained. I huffed.

"Think nothing of it." Bruno smirked slightly.

"A confident young man who struggles with praise. Very well, I understand. I will keep this conversation short, but if you ever require any form of assistance, I will be glad to help. Whether that be for yourself, or any fighting pokemon you may happen to catch." I eyed him curiously.

"That would be nice. I recently captured a fighting type, one that I don't know much about. Your help may be appreciated," I said begrudgingly. The Elite 4 member placed a gigantic palm on my head, managing to not make me buckle somehow, unlike that stupid fucking flying master who I'm sure was doing it on purpose now.

"There is no shame in asking for help, Silver. Your desire to shape your own path is admirable, but we do not seek to divert your way... simply help with building it," Bruno remarked. With that, he lumbered away. For such a big guy, his steps were quiet as well. I heard Janine mention that he had superhuman strength... enough to even wrestle actual pokemon. I wonder what the deal with that was. Maybe Aura? Every human had Aura in them... so I suppose a Fighting Master would better know how to utilize it.

That was likely the side effect of hanging around fighting types for so long. That was kind of cool. Hm... help with building it, huh?

"Gaia, with me! We have a trip to make," I decided, watching my Meganium perk up. I was more proud than I'd like to admit to see Ares land at my position faster than Gaia did. She was like an overeager puppy, one who just wanted to fly with me at every given opportunity. It was a good thing this still constituted as training. The most important thing right now was making sure Ares was accustomed to flying until it was second nature.

Gaia bound up to me questioningly, melting in bliss as I raked a hand against her neck.

"Let's go pay someone a visit," I murmured, placing her in her ball. I sent a quick text to Lorelei to let her know I was off again. She was likely busy helping Mars get situated, so I'd leave them be because I wasn't very interested in partaking in that. This was good for both of them; it let them spend some time together to get more familiar. I'd spend more time with my family when I was satisfied with training.

"Yo." Erika shrieked loudly at my lazy greeting, jumping up before falling flat on her butt. She turned towards me with wide eyes, hand on her chest as she panted harshly. She glared at me, taking in greedy gulps of air that contrasted the regal air she tended to have. I simply let her catch herself, patting the Meganium that bounded up to me in recognition. He bellowed happily as I placed a snack in his mouth.

"How... did you get in here?" she asked slowly.

"I let myself in," I drawled.

"You're... so... rotten," Erika said eventually. She slowly attempted to pull herself up, only to squeal as I abruptly grabbed and set her straight. She blushed in mortification.

"You are completely unbelievable, Silver! Don't just grab someone like that!"

"Better than me taking a picture of you flat on your butt with a look of terror on your face. I'd have done that if you were the Freak," I muttered, vowing to end up in a situation where Sabrina had a look of terror on her face so I could snap a picture.

"Who is..." Erika trailed off and just coughed lightly, choosing to preserve her mental health.

"Hello, Silver! How are you?"

"I'm doing better," I answered her measured question honestly. Her expression softened at my words, and she reached over to pat me on the head.

"I'm happy to hear that," she said earnestly. I grunted.

"Thanks, but that's behind me for now. I came here to talk to you because you know about the technique Frenzy Plant, right?" Erika's eyes widened.

"You've heard about it?" I nodded.

"I had Gaia learn Grass Pledge from a woman earlier, and since she's a Meganium now, I think getting her Frenzy Plant would help a lot with raw power." The Gym Leader had stars in her eyes.

"You know of Grass Pledge, too?! Wow, you're a real admirer of the grass type! I'd be happy to teach you Frenzy Plant!" I was pleased by that, releasing Gaia from the ball and allowing her to get comfortable.

"That's not all I have to ask," I said suddenly, making Erika pause. She tilted her head at me, curiosity shining in her gaze.

"There's another move I'd like to learn from you... If you don't mind," I added as an afterthought.

"Oh, what is it?! Solar Beam? Grassy Terrain?! Petal Dance?! My Meganium is particularly good at Petal Dance, he's trained to hardly get confused!" Erika exclaimed cheerfully. I shook my head, only to pause slightly.

"Grassy Terrain sounds useful, actually. I'll have to put a bookmark on that. As for the other two, I'll learn those at a later time." Grassy Terrain would be a great move for her. Gaia would be a literal tank. Able to dish and absorb tons of damage... but that wasn't all I wanted from her.

"The move I want to learn is Weather Ball," I revealed. Erika's eyes widened in interest.

"Weather Ball? I don't mean to sound rude by asking so bluntly, but what do you want to do with Weather Ball?" she asked. I waved off her politeness.

"You're gonna teach me Frenzy Plant, so I don't mind explaining. You see, a lot of people bash and underrate the Meganium line." I frowned at that, idly feeding a content Gaia a snack.

"One of the reasons for that is how limited their movepool seems to be," I murmured. Erika nodded in agreement.

"Some people want easy answers, refusing to put in the work to utilize a Meganium."

"Even with the knowledge that pokemon with a pure single typing tend to have more powerful usages of that type than a dual-type pokemon," I added. That's one of the reasons I thought Crystal would end up being so scary in the future. Most of her team was single typing, except for Airee the Dragonite. Crystal had a real talent for maximizing the potential of any pokemon she captured. At her peak, her team would wield their powers without much equal. Gaia was the same.

Being a pure grass-type would give her very powerful control over the element, more so than most of the starters. Even with that knowledge, I wanted more. I wanted Gaia to be the best of her brethren, and I wanted her to be the best amongst her starters.

"Weather Ball is the final of three moves that I want Gaia to learn right now. The other two are Nature Power and Natural Gift." Erika's confusion only lasted a second.

"All moves that change types depending on certain circumstances." I smirked.

"The key move here is Natural Gift. Nature Power and Weather Ball are moves that will help me master it." Now her confusion remained long enough for me to realize she wasn't going to make the connection. I couldn't say I blamed her... because it hit me on a whim too.

"Natural Gift? But why?" she muttered in fascination.

"Natural Gift draws upon the essence of a berry to use it as an attack. Nature Power and Weather Ball draw upon the terrain and weather to fire off different attack types." Gaia and Erika both listened in fascination.

"I want Gaia to master them, to understand the inner workings of all moves so that she can draw on the essence of the world itself. She's uniquely suited for it, being a Meganium. I want her to take Natural Gift to the next level, where she isn't using the stored energy of a berry..."

"... But the stored energy of the world," Erika whispered in disbelief. The Gym Leader truly looked stunned by what I said.

"That's crazy! Insanity! It's genius!" Erika's eyes looked like literal stars. The Gym Leader looked as if she had been injected with a high dosage of caffeine, with how hard she was shaking in place.

"You plan on having her understand Nature Power and Weather Ball at a fundamental level, so that it can augment her understanding of the nature of the world! Then, you'll have her use the properties of Natural Gift to draw upon that instead of berries! If such a thing manages to work..."

"... She'll be able to fling any type of move around with ease." My own eyes probably gleamed in equal levels of excitement. This would be Gaia's long-term quest. By understanding all three of these moves, Gaia would become a goddess amongst her kind. Unstoppable by every metric. Hell, understanding how the world around her worked would help with more than just that, like potentially drawing more power from Synthesis or molding the type of attack she fired with those 3 moves. Gaia bellowed in awe.

I'm sure she didn't understand all of it, but she was a smart girl, so she understood the gist of it. Aka... I was trying to turn her into an actual monster. She looked at me with the same stars as Erika, practically salivating at my words.

"I think... I'll have to pay more attention to your journeys," Erika said honestly. I chuckled.

"So, can you help? We're still figuring out Nature Power and Natural Gift, too," I added.

"I'd be a fool to deny! I happen to have the TM for Weather Ball! Not only that, I'll gladly help refine Nature Power and Natural Gift as well! My Vileplume has both!" Erika beamed.

"Oh, just thinking about it is getting me excited! You're currently located at Indigo, yes?"

"How do you know that?" I asked warily.

"You're kind of the talk of all the gym leaders!" I frowned.

"Is that so?" I muttered. She nodded happily.

"No one has ever managed to irritate Gym Leader Sabrina at all until you! I'm not surprised, honestly; I've met you and I think you could annoy a Slowbro." I twitched.

"You're coming with me to Indigo?" She nodded.

"I'll come early. All the Gym Leaders go there to prepare for the League! Good scouting opportunities!" Erika abruptly squealed as I hoisted her up. Without any hesitation, I threw the short woman over my shoulder in the most demeaning way possible. Seriously, she was the same height as Green.

"Put me down, you belligerent brat!" she shouted, struggling harshly in my grasp.

"Be careful insulting someone who's already made fun of your height," I warned.

"Agh! I take it back, I'm not helping you! You're a demon!" she exclaimed in a panic.

"No takebacks. C'mon, we're gonna go fly on Ares. Remember her? She was the Shelgon that dominated your team." Erika panicked even more.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" That distressed shout was directed to her team. Her Venusaur opened an eye and yawned, gazing at us tiredly. Tangrowth didn't even wake up, basking in the sunlight while a Bellossom lazed on top of it.

"They're as lazy as you are. I'm impressed," I remarked. I guess I should return her team as well...

"I hate you. I hate you so much," Erika sulked. I was abruptly pulled into a tight hug that would have made me complain, if not for the trembling that accompanied it. My gaze softened.

"I guess you missed me, huh? Doesn't this go against your agenda?" I questioned quietly.

"Shut up. Just let me be relieved that you're alive," Janine whispered, tears of relief in her eyes that refused to fall. I exhaled, running a hand against her back in a soothing manner.

"I'm still alive, Janine. They won't get rid of me that easily," I assured, tightening my hug ever so slightly. The simple action wrung out a weak sob from Janine, and she clutched me.

"They didn't tell me you were with Team Rocket until the Legend had you," she admitted.

"To protect you, right?" I asked knowingly. Janine sniffed.

"They said I'd do something rash if I found out... I can't disagree with that," she told me.

"I get it. We're both the most reckless, and I'd do the same thing if it were any of you," I said knowingly.

"Of course... what was it you called us? The Crashout Duo? I find myself agreeing with that more and more," she murmured. I chuckled at her words.

"It's good to see you, Janine. I missed you," I said honestly. She buried her face in my hair for a split second before backing away.

"I missed you too... for now, I'll be nice until it's time for the League so I can root against you and Gold." I let out a barking laugh.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Father and I have been hunting down Rockets. We made countless more arrests by raiding their secret bases," she explained to me. I nodded at that, only to pause.

"Wait, how'd you know where their secret bases were?" I questioned with a contemplative frown. Janine was about to reply before both our gazes snapped towards the near inaudible footsteps. Domino fidgeted in place, averting her gaze from the piercing stares of both Janine and me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked frostily, eyes flashing with... not quite murderous intent, but something dangerous still.

"I ask myself that every day I wake up and see her face," Janine practically hissed.

"U-Um..." Domino stammered, taking a step back. Let it be known that Janine and I were very much crashouts... especially when it came to Team Rocket. We could take all our vitriol towards each other and angle it towards them... with no regard for the outcome, so long as we took them out. Green spent many nights shooting down any plan we made on our trip to Saffron. It was especially funny considering how much the two of us prized stealth.

We continued to glare at her, letting an awkward silence fill the air that only really affected one person here.

"Janine."

"Silver." At once, both Janine and my gaze shifted, turning towards Koga and Lorelei, respectively. Both the normally neutral adults looked exasperated. We scoffed in unison, even as our respective caretakers put their hands on our shoulders.

"Explain yourself. What the hell is she doing here?" I pressed Lorelei.

"I knew he wouldn't be upset if I embedded her with shurikens," Janine muttered darkly to herself. Lorelei sighed.

"Domino here has been vital in sharing information with us. She's been very compliant while we looked for you." I stared flatly.

"You found me. Get rid of her."

"I second this," Janine agreed.

"Janine," Koga scolded. Domino was slowly backing away from us. The fear in her eyes was obvious... and they were directed towards me. I pursed my lips at that. Right... our last meeting probably wasn't the best for her mental health, was it? Lorelei crouched in front of me.

"Be a little more considerate, Silver. She's only a year older than you, and you were both indoctrinated within Team Rocket. She's attempting to turn over a new leaf... I think we should let her," she whispered. I scowled.

"Bah, you show a little bit of pity and get this out of it." My aunt smiled.

"You did a good thing, sparing this girl, Silver. She's been very valuable as an informant for us." I rolled my eyes.

"She's good at that, I guess." Janine sighed.

"I will admit, she has been vital in helping us. She's also capable of keeping up."

"She could keep up with me after all," I muttered.

"Won't you children be a little more compliant?" Lorelei asked gently.

"No." Janine and I said that in unison. I promptly turned away.

"Hey Janine, I caught a poison type. Wanna see it?" Both Janine and Koga perked up.

"You caught a poison type? I recall that you were only mostly interested in capturing a Scolipede, Dragalge, or Toxtricity," she murmured.

"It's none of those. C'mon, I have to be somewhere, so follow me." She nodded curiously, following after me easily.

"Silver."

"Janine." We paused and groaned loudly in unison.

"Domino, come with us," I said flatly.

"Please," Janine grit out. Domino looked like a deer in headlights. There was a panic in her eyes as she gazed at the two of us, probably realizing that Janine and I were the most unforgiving members of my little gang. I imagine she did not want to be left alone with us.

"Come on," I said bluntly, making her jump. She skittered towards us hastily, causing me to glare nastily at Lorelei. She smiled innocently in return, making me twitch in annoyance.

"I'd like to see what poison-type you've managed to capture at a later date. Janine is a fine teacher, but perhaps I could offer my input as well," Koga bowed. I turned towards him and offered a short bow as well.

"That would be very useful, Ninja Man. I don't really know how to navigate with this pokemon, so I'd appreciate any assistance." Janine looked stunned.

"Who are you?" she demanded, only to let out a cry of outrage as I flicked her head in annoyance. She hissed at me warningly.

"Be grateful I just got you back, or I'd give you a black eye," she whispered to me.

"You must really like it when we're matching, Ninja Girl. I'll give you one too," I hissed right back.

"Stop calling me ninja girl! And don't call my father ninja man! What's wrong with you?!"

"It's good to see that they get along so well," Lorelei smiled, pushing Domino forward. Koga shook his head.

"It is an unorthodox relationship, but one that I cannot complain about because Janine loves them unconditionally." Domino nervously trailed after the two of us. Janine and Domino's mouths opened as they saw the resident of the room I rudely barged into.

"Can you not be a fucking dick for once and knock next time?!" Mars snarled, having jumped high at my rude intrusion. Glameow popped an eye open, only to shut it at seeing who it was.

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked boredly, catching the pillow thrown at me. Mars looked geared to pounce at me, but her attention was grabbed by the two people accompanying me. Her expression immediately turned wary.

"Don't tell me you barged in here to show off your girlfriends or something," she said in disbelief. Janine and I gagged at the same time.

"Never say that again," I warned, getting a cocky smirk from her.

"T-There's two of you?" Janine asked weakly. There was a look of despair on her face that actually kind of offended me... and her knees even gave out, causing her to collapse on the floor. God, I hated Janine so much.

"T-There's two of you?" Domino whispered in terror. Mars gazed incredulously at them.

"What have you done to so many people that they look so horrified at the sight of someone who looks like you?"

"Be charmingly true to myself," I said blandly.

"You're full of shit, but I believe you," Mars retorted, crossing her arms. Janine shot up hopefully.

"Wait, she seems to have some type of animosity for you. Is there hope for her?" she asked quietly. The ninja girl let out a cry of annoyance as I raked a knuckle against her head.

"Stop that, you arrogant asshole!" she snarled, butting a head against mine. I snarled right back.

"Don't think your ninja tricks can save you from getting your ass kicked."

"Stop. Being. So. Offensive!" she hissed.

"Whoa, hold on! Don't fight in my room! I just got it!" Mars complained, pushing between us fearlessly.

"Are you gonna introduce us or what?" she asked pointedly. She let out an annoyed cry as I flicked her. I smugly ignored her scalding glare, just pointing a mocking hand towards Janine.

"Mars, this is Janine. She's an honorary member of my gang who refuses to acknowledge that she's an honorary member of my gang." Janine twitched in annoyance.

"Nice to meet you... Mars. I'm Janine, next in line to inherit the Fuchsia Gym," she greeted, holding out her hand. Mars captured her hand easily.

"Gym Leader, huh? Silver sure knows a lot of people." Janine shook her head.

"Would you believe me if I told you his status as Elite 4 Lorelei's nephew plays no part in it?" My twin mulled it over.

"Nah, I believe it. He didn't tell me who she was until I met her." I snorted in amusement.

"Mars is my cousin... or twin or clone. We're still figuring it out," I shrugged.

"I'm older by 6 months," she said smugly. Janine looked on in wonder.

"I'll be calling you twins. You look the same as one another."

"I know, it's weird as fuck," Mars and I said in unison. Mars peered at the final one in the room.

"Who's the girl who looks afraid of her own shadow? She hasn't said a word."

"A parasite who I can't seem to get away from," I said dully.

"What he said," Janine agreed readily.

"A better answer would be nice," Mars said flatly. Domino flinched at our icy glares.

"I'm... Domino. Silver and I were part of Team Rocket together before he... single-handedly destroyed them and let me escape," she introduced slowly, avoiding my gaze.

"Ah," Mars said in realization, eyes widening. Eventually, my fellow redhead shrugged.

"Well, if you're here now, you can't be all that bad. Ease up on her, would ya? This is making me feel awkward," she said bluntly. I scoffed.

"Whatever." Mars rolled her eyes.

"You're the one who spared her. Besides, I could have been a criminal too, but you spared me. We're not that different."

"You haven't committed any crimes yet."

"You have, but Aunt still loves you and you still loooove me," she mocked. I sucked my teeth.

"Rotten little pipsqueak," I muttered.

"I'm older than you... And we're the same height. Now stop being so difficult and own up to the fact that you willingly spared her," she pointed out, utterly unimpressed.

"Bah, whatever," I waved her off. Janine looked on in awe.

"Another person capable of talking him down? Wonderful. I thought only Green and Crystal possessed the skill," she muttered to herself. My eye twitched harshly.

"Would you shut up for once, Janine!" I finally barked.

"Make me!" she bit back.

"You're a ninja, your whole job is to be quiet!"

"STOP BEING SO OFFENSIVE!" Without any hesitation, we lunged at each other. It was only a matter of time, really. Janine and I riled each other up to blows more than the rest of the gang. It was pretty impressive.

"I told you guys not to fight in my room!" Mars hissed, geared to join our brawl. She only stopped because of Domino moving to her side.

"Um... Thank you for defending me. I don't think I deserve it, but I appreciate it," she muttered. Mars stared at her for a moment.

"My little brother puts up a tough front, but he's a nice person underneath it all. I don't really know who you are, but he strikes me as the type to go all in on something once he's committed to the idea, including destroying an evil organization. If he spared you, you can't be all that bad." Domino shuffled nervously.

"You think so?"

"Nope, I don't even know you," Mars shrugged. The former agent laughed anxiously.

"That's... fair. I guess I've got no choice but to try to get better," she said in determination. Mars snorted.

"Whatever makes you feel better." In an instant, her expression contorted into one of fury.

"I TOLD YOU IDIOTS NOT TO FIGHT IN MY ROOM!"

"She definitely has Silver's temper," Domino muttered, watching my cousin leap into the fray.

"I forgot that you mentioned having a poison type," Janine coughed. I grunted.

"We got a little sidetracked." Mars scowled balefully.

"Tell me what you learned and then get out of my room."

"No." Her scowl deepened.

"Get off my bed then!"

"No." I was lying leisurely on Mars' bed, arms behind the back of my head as Glameow dozed atop my chest. My twin was sitting next to me, cross-legged, as I prepared to inform her of what I learned about Sneasel. Turns out, when you get in a fight with multiple people, the more antagonistic you are... the more likely you are to get targeted. Who woulda thought. I basically got jumped... and it wouldn't have even been as bad if Janine wasn't such a formidable fighter. Not to worry.

Janine would get caught alone by me eventually, and I could terrorize Mars whenever I wanted now. I pulled myself up, holding out a Luxury Ball that captured Janine's attention. Without much prompting, I released Achlys from her ball. She mewled quietly, blinking at seeing her fellow Sneasel next to her. They both nodded to each other, tapping their claws against one another and leaving it at that.

I would have thought they'd be happier to see one another, but Rowan did mention that they didn't have a pack mentality like normal Sneasel did. Hm, maybe that's why they died out. Unfortunately for them, our modern-day Sneasel just happened to be a smarter pokemon who maximized their chances of survival in the wilds. At least these two probably saw it necessary to team up...

"What?!" Janine actually shouted with wide eyes. Her mouth was slack, inspecting both the Sneasel in disbelief.

"They're a variation of Sneasel. Kind of like how Alola has their variations... but this one is a form lost to time," I explained to her.

"W-Wow," Domino stammered.

"Did you figure anything out?" Mars asked me, easily patting him on his head. I nodded.

"They're still Sneasel, but instead of being Dark and Ice type, they are Fighting and Poison," I explained, flicking open a pokedex and promptly scanning the male Sneasel owned by Mars. She leaned over in interest — Mars didn't own a Pokedex yet — reading the results of the scan. Sneasel: Male Ability: Keen Eye Moves: Scratch, Leer, Rock Smash, Taunt, Quick Attack, Quick Guard, Counter, Metal Claw"Same as mine, besides gender and ability," I murmured in interest.

"Sweet. I need one of these. Aunt got me the Pokegear and Poketch recently. I felt bad because I wanted to use your money, not hers," Mars murmured, showing off the all-red devices.

"You'll get a Pokedex eventually. Make sure you use it any chance you get... they're strong... and I'll get you a belated birthday present if you wanna use my money so bad," I replied. Actually, didn't the current Sneasel also have these same abilities? Keen Eye and Pickpocket? Huh, wait a minute... wasn't Pickpocket its hidden ability? Interesting. I guess that meant we'd have Pressure and Pickpocket, respectively, when they became Weavile. Mars kinda won with her Sneasel...

while not nearly on the level of a legendary, Pressure was still a great ability to have that would allow Weaviles to control the pace of a battle by slowing the opposition down.

"Incredible! Silver, this is a big deal! I don't know if a Sneasel like this is even recorded!" Janine awed, gazing at both of them with awe. I groaned.

"I know. I'm kind of annoyed, really. I'll be getting even more attention from this when I eventually use her." Janine laughed softly.

"Of course you're annoyed. I'm glad you haven't changed much..." Her expression was a little dissatisfied; Janine leaned over and pushed my bang away from my face.

"... You need to cut this. It makes you look more somber than you already are." I grunted.

"I'm busy. I'll deal with it later." Mars looked over.

"Just let me do it. I'm pretty good at hairdressing," she revealed.

"You have a kit?" I asked curiously. She nodded, causing me to purse my lips.

"Mind doing it outside? I wanna watch my team train," I murmured, standing with Sneasel. Mars nodded.

"I should start training too!" Janine suddenly remembered something.

"I've received new pokemon as well, Silver," she informed me. We made eye contact for a while before I nodded with a small smirk.

"Perfect, Sneasel having two little baby poison types to train with will be useful."

"I'm excited! I thought it'd be a long time before you caught a poison type!" Janine gushed, trailing after me easily.

"All you gym leaders are freaks for your type. It's disturbing."

"I'm not even a gym leader yet!" Joltik: Female Ability: Compound Eyes Moves: Absorb, String Shot, Spider Web, Electro Web, Thunder Wave I raked a little finger against Arachne's body, getting a happy wiggle out of my very tiny bug.

"We're not allowed to use electric techniques for a long time, girl... so we'll focus on your bug side and these webs of yours, okay?" There was no chance Arachne got all that, but I'd just have Metagross explain it to her. She was very attached to my behemoth. Something about big spider. My current plan for Arachne would lean into the control aspect. Since we were leaning into her bug side at the moment, I would take advantage of those webs of hers to dominate the field.

I was already running with plenty of ideas for my Joltik, and they'd only get more dangerous the moment we began to implement her electricity.

"Have you had a Joltik this entire time?" Mars asked in disbelief.

"She likes to hide in my hair. She crawled all over your body when you first met my team," I mentioned, watching the red strands fall past my face.

"T-That was her?! Dude, I freaked out!" Mars hissed, raking a hand through my hair and admiring the handiwork. I laughed in amusement, getting an annoyed scoff out of her.

"I'm done, what do you think?" A mirror was placed in my hand, causing me to inspect it curiously. The first thing I noticed was that my crimson hair was a lot wilder than it used to be before this entire Rocket debacle happened. Previously, it looked a bit more like my counterpart in the video games, except for my very annoying bangs, but after my vacation with Team Rocket, it had grown quite a bit, resembling how I would have looked in the manga.

Seems like even with the photo reference, Mars preferred my manga look. It was still pretty long, the bottom part wielding the signature spiky look that contrasted the smoothness of the top of my hair, though there was a natural looseness to it, strands falling a little out of place. It was still parted to the point where my eye could be covered without much thought, but for the most part, both were visible.

"You're actually good," I mused, raking a hand through it easily.

"Course I am! You actually look good," Mars puffed up.

"We're twins. If you insult how I look, you're insulting how you look. Why do you think I called you a dashing young lady when we first met?" I retorted. She opened and shut her mouth.

"Narcissistic bastard," my twin muttered. I huffed in amusement as she tested my hair.

"Your hair is naturally pretty unkempt, so I leaned into that. It looks good long... I might grow mine out too," she mused, testing her shorter hair out.

"Using me to find out how you'd look is shameless," I snorted in amusement, flicking my cursed cowlick. Mars shrugged.

"May as well take advantage of the fact we look so alike. Though your hair has a spikier tint to it at the bottom..."

"You'd look less like a dweeb for sure," I noted.

"Don't insult a person who has so much control over your hair," my twin warned. I held up my hands in slight surrender. I didn't expect her to be so good at cutting hair.

"What's your price?" I asked. The silence stretched long enough for me to turn and face Mars. She was looking at me as if I were stupid. Evidently, she was realizing that I was not joking —why would I be? — because she slowly said, "I'm not gonna charge you for that. Are you serious?" I shrugged.

"You seem like you charge."

"Not... family," she mumbled so quietly I almost didn't hear it. I just chuckled. Mars was pretty adorable.

"Wow, you're good at cutting hair, Mars!" Janine smiled, inspecting me with a nod of approval. Mars colored slightly at the earnest praise.

"I can do more than cut. I'm good at all that stuff," she admitted. Janine looked thoughtful.

"Maybe one day I'll have you help me. Silver makes fun of me all the time..."

"I think Crystal's hair is dumber," I offered.

"That doesn't make me feel better! Stop being so judgmental to us all the time!" she hissed. I shrugged, turning my gaze towards where Achlys was playing with Sneasel, a Mareanie, and a Skorupi. The final two were for Janine. Strong captures that would evolve into solid threats for her team... especially that damned Mareanie. Janine sobered slightly at my gaze, Nidoqueen curled near her.

"My final capture is... difficult. He isn't very content to listen."

"Is that so?" I asked curiously, mulling something over.

"Alright, send him out." Janine looked curious but acquiesced. She grabbed a ball and promptly released the Gengar. I idly noticed Nidoqueen's gaze sharpen into something dangerous. She didn't even look at me like that, and Nidoqueen hated me as much as I disliked her. It hissed balefully but made no move to strike anyone. From what I understood, Agatha got her hands on it, so it was as good as pacified... as much as a ghost could be. You could never truly tame a ghost.

They were always waiting for an opportunity, unless they liked you, of course. A trainer who caught a ghost against its will was in a lot more danger than they thought... they just didn't know it. Gengar said something in its tongue, only to go completely still. Slowly but surely, it turned to face me, and I stared back at him.

"Stop being so troublesome. Your trainer abandoned you, and someone wants to give you a chance. Better than being a stress doll for Agatha's ghosts, don't you think?" I questioned coolly. The ghost shuddered something fierce. It held my gaze for a second too long before promptly lunging at Janine and returning itself to the ball.

"W-Wha," Domino stammered. I didn't even notice she was still here... I huffed.

"I don't think he'll give you much trouble anymore. If it does... I'll deal with it." Janine and I had a stare-off, causing me to smirk.

"It's been quiet as we prepare, but I do plan on explaining everything to the Gang. We'll invite you, of course, since you're an honorary member, but you have to stay in the chat next time," I drawled.

"Stop calling me an honorary member! I am not affiliated with your demonic Color Gang, and I refuse to stay in a chat where you and Gold just bully me!" she insisted.

"Sure. Won't you stay for Crystal? In my eyes, she's the leader," I drawled.

"Crystal is clearly the second in command. You're the leader, and that's why you're all so cursed!" she hissed.

"We'll add you later. Don't leave this time," I warned, ignoring everything she was saying. She twitched, taking a deep breath to compose herself. Evidently, she failed epically.

"Get me away from you. I'm going to be taking both your Sneasels if you don't mind?" I nodded.

"Go ahead. You were my teacher before, so I trust you." Mars nodded as well.

"I'll come with. I wanna get started on training too." Janine nodded, looking pleased.

"A poison-type variation of Sneasel... I'm so jealous of you. That is quite possibly the perfect pokemon for me," she muttered. I could see why she'd say that. As a ninja, a Sneasel was the dream pokemon. For Janine, who was a poison-type specialist ninja, a poison-type Sneasel was a golden fit for her. Oh well. Maybe in the future, Achlys will have an egg for me to give away. Guess I knew who was getting first dibs. As they walked off, I was made aware of the fact that I was left alone with... Domino. Ugh.

I continued raking a finger against the ecstatic Arachne, watching as she wiggled with enough speed to be worrying. I haven't seen her absorb any lightning since she last consumed the feather... which was a while ago, but considering it was Zapdos sustaining her, I guess it made sense. Joy recommended letting her mature in power a lot more before we even considered using electricity. As far as I was concerned, Arachne was a pure bug type right now.

We would try to use it in small increments, but it was fine either way. I wanted Arachne to have extreme control over her webs regardless. They were the most flexible part of her kit, and I'd take full advantage of that while we had such limitations.

"Um, Silver?" I paused in my musings to regard Domino. She nervously shuffled in place, pointedly avoiding eye contact with me before steeling herself.

"I just wanted to thank you again for sparing me... especially when you warned me already what you were going to do long before you did it," she said, bowing her head.

"..." I stared at her, expression inscrutable.

"You should thank yourself for managing to look so pathetic while begging. If I didn't see the snot and tears running down your face, I would have let you go down with them." Domino colored slightly at my blunt words. I ignored it.

"You're not as stupid as I thought you were. You seized the opportunity I gave you from sparing your life and managed to avoid the fate the rest of your buddies will face." My expression turned thoughtful.

"What will you do now?" I asked suddenly. Domino looked slightly confused.

"Um... I will continue to assist the League in searching for Rocket Bases while under probation. Afterwards, maybe I'll officially sign up to join them? They seemed impressed by my reconnaissance skills." I nodded.

"I won't hold a grudge against you anymore, since that's what my Aunt would want. But do me a favor... if you hear anything about any Executive, let me know." Domino shuddered, likely because of the look on my face.

"You're gonna go after them?" There was a glint in my eyes.

"Of course. They no longer have the advantage without Mewtwo. I hope they watch the League because I'll be making my statement there," I swore. She shuddered even harsher this time, eyes wide.

"Right! I'll tell you anything I find out! I'm done trying to go against you." I stared at her salute before scoffing.

"Good. Seems like as long as your life's on the line, you're very smart." I pat her shoulder.

"If you ever even think about betraying me, I'll make you regret it, okay? My Aunt won't save you next time, so stay on the right side. I don't appreciate constant stupidity." She nodded hastily.

"Yes, sir!" Sir? Ah, she was still with the mentality that she was my #2. Oh well, I didn't care anymore.

"Right, we're good then. I'll talk to Janine so she'll ease off on you, too," I muttered, brushing past her.

"T-Thank you again!"

"Don't mention it. Just work hard to redeem yourself. It's not that easy," I said in amusement. I watched with narrowed eyes as Charcadet and Charcatwo faced off with one another. The match was going as I expected. Charcatwo was simply stronger than his brother in terms of firepower due to his fire-type moves packing more of a punch... The two tended to play-fight often, with Charcatwo coming out on top all the time. Charcadet shot an Incinerate out, the beam of fire connecting with Charcatwo's own.

A mini-explosion occurred, and Charcatwo rushed through, flames at the end of his hands. They spiraled outward, looking to trap Charcadet, who dashed out of the way with a Flame Charge. His eyes were narrowed coldly, a sharp contrast to the calm and collected gaze of Charcatwo. That was another difference between them. Charcatwo —all of the clones, really, except for Metatwo and Lokitwo— was a little more collected, and that reflected in battle.

Charcadet was excitable out of battle, but turned into a machine in them. It reminded me of Green, combined with my utterly ruthless tendencies. Charcatwo was a tad different. He also had my ruthless mind, but he was a little kinder with his tactics. That would normally be enough to win him the match handily, but it seemed like Charcadet had different plans today. Charcatwo didn't look phased by his Fire Spin missing, simply conjuring another one.

His eyes were lasered on Charcadet, intent on finishing this quickly... Only for the clone to let out a shout of surprise as white smoke filled the arena. It blinded him temporarily, leaving him vulnerable to a black-purple energy beam. The Night Shade connected solidly with Charcatwo, sending him stumbling backwards. Charcadet burst through the smoke, causing a smile to appear on my face. Charcatwo was far better at using his flames than Charcadet, so Charcadet decided to bring the fight to close range.

Not to mention... he definitely remembered Charactwo's reaction to distortion. Quite cheap of him! I smiled knowingly as Charcadet let out a battle cry and tackled Charcatwo to the floor. The clone attempted to raise a hand in defense, but Charcadet batted it to the side with enough fluidity that I know it was a trained move, retaliating with a single punch to the dome of Charcatwo's head.

"That's game," I called, clapping once and making the two disengage. Charcadet's eyes glinted, and he cheered excitedly, leaping in every direction at his victory. Charcatwo huffed, eyes curled up into a small smile, which showed that he did have his stark differences from Charcadet. After all, my original was an extremely sore loser who hated losing in any capacity. I opened up my arm to catch Charcadet, snorting at the cheering going off in my head.

"Papa, I did it! I finally won!" he beamed. I chuckled.

"You did well, Charcadet. Seems like you switched up your tactics," I noted. Charcadet nodded.

"I can't beat little brother in a head-to-head. His flames are stronger than mine... so I trained a bit with Oby to get stronger up close!" Oh? He was training with Oberon? My expression was thoughtful at that. I adjusted, placing Charcadet in one hand, while putting Charcatwo in the other. They both let out happy cries before staring at me with matching expressions.

"Papa, we've made up our mind!" Charcatwo decided. I raised a brow.

"On?" I questioned. Imagine my surprise when I realized the Charcas were calling me Papa. It took a lot of adjusting to get used to, but I was getting there.

"I wanna be Ceruledge and little brother can be Armarogue!" Charcadet explained. I pursed my lips at that and nodded in acceptance. That didn't surprise me very much. I had an inkling from the moment we entered Turnback Cave what would happen. Charcatwo didn't have a good reaction to the powerful ghost energy, while Charcadet was the opposite.

"Are you both sure? Is this what you both want? If either of you doesn't want it, I'm sure I can give you both the evolutions you want, regardless of if you wanna be the same one," I told them curiously. They nodded in unison.

"We talked about it! I know I wanted to be Armarogue at first... but I think I'd fit better as Ceruledge, and I like it more anyway. I really like getting close!" Charcadet explained.

"Yeah! I think I prefer fighting from a distance. I have stronger flames too!" Charcatwo beamed. This was seriously too fucking cute. Two little guys just beaming up at me with an expectant look in their eyes. I could see that they were set in their ways, and nodded my head.

"How about I give you both nicknames then? Calling you Charcadet and Charcatwo is getting stressful," I admitted. They both cheered in agreement, causing my mouth to quirk.

"Well, I had one of these stored for whichever form you picked... but since there are two of you, then I think I'll use them both," I decided.

"For you, Charcatwo... I'll name you Apollo. A personification of the sun, with devastating ranged attacks. Perfect for Armarogue," I nodded in satisfaction. Charcatwo cheered at the name, nodding happily in agreement.

"Me next! Me next!" Charcadet demanded eagerly. I smiled.

"For Ceruledge, I'll name you Ifrit. A wicked fire spirit known for its strength, cunning, and ties to... distortion," I said, changing underworld to distortion because I did not feel like explaining that.

"It's perfect for you. You like? -""What would you nickname me?" Giratina mused.

"Hades, probably. The ruler of the underworld, one of the strongest to exist as well... and in comparison to his ridiculous brothers, he's far more chill than people give him credit for," I replied honestly.

"Hm, I see. I would approve."

"Ifrit," Charcadet tested, before letting out a truly excited cheer. He leapt out of my arms happily and ran in circles.

"That's so kickass! My name is so cool! I'm Ifrit!" he laughed.

"And I'm Apollo!" Charcatwo cheered. The two began running in circles, their eyes curled up to signify how happy this whole thing made them.

"My name's cooler!" Ifrit exclaimed.

"Nuh uh! My name's way cooler!" Apollo denied. The two playfully butt heads.

"LOKIII WHOSE NAME IS COOLER?!" they both shouted, rushing off to go find who they both thought was my coolest pokemon. I couldn't blame them. Loki was pretty damn cool.

"An opinion I do not share," Metagross rumbled. I huffed in amusement.

"There are a lot of grudge matches I have to set up for after the League. Ares and Freyja, you and Loki..."

"I bear no grudge."

"And I'm the nicest person on the planet. Let's not lie, Metagross," I mused, patting his head easily. He rumbled once.

"Have you managed to strengthen gravity?" I questioned.

"While not as adept as the psychic calamity, I have gained sufficient control over it, enough to benefit our entire team."

"Good, because once you master it... I want you to reverse its effects," I decided. Metagross turned those intimidating red eyes to me.

"Oh? Anti Gravity? I am intrigued... but do you even know how to train me in such a thing?"

"Nope. I'm not a nerd... but you have Magnet Rise already, and Mewtwo managed to reverse it using my mind. Would that help?" I asked. My steel behemoth looked utterly unimpressed. I shot him a thumbs-up.

"I will conduct research and inform you of what I have found."

"You're the best. I want you to learn Meteor Mash too... not to mention the Elemental Punches, besides Fire Punch," I muttered.

"Lofty goals. You do not normally give any of us this many moves in succession."

"You can balance and prioritize well. You're going to be my problem solver. Once you learn the elemental punches, I want you to understand the properties of those elements, and we're going to give you ranged elemental options forcefully," I murmured. Metagross stared at me.

"Your mind is an enigma."

"Do you hate it?" I asked with a knowing grin.

"Reluctantly, it is the opposite." I chuckled aloud, not flinching as my Pokedex flew out of my pocket.

"So you're completely on board with me. Perfect. There's another interesting move I recently learned about. It's called Psychic Fangs, and apparently it breaks stuff like Light Screen and Reflect."

"Hmph. I will prioritize Meteor Mash and Psychic Fangs, while further strengthening my Gravity. At best, I will give myself a base understanding of applying the elements to my body, but I will postpone them. This is the most optimal decision in the short time we have."

"Perfect. You've been a great help with my priorities with the team already. You're kind of cheating," I praised.

"This cheating is what you willingly sought out. We are merely reaping the benefits now. There is a reason my line is so sought after."

"Sassy and cocky now, too. I really hit the jackpot," I sighed.

"You have fulfilled your end of the bargain and given me what I desired. It's only right that I reward you with the prize you claimed." I smiled.

"You ain't mad that I stole you anymore?"

"Quite the opposite. Now that I have reached this stage, it is everything I imagined and more. I only have thanks that you were bold enough to claim me as your own... for I would never know such sensations otherwise," Metagross replied honestly. My mouth opened and closed at that. Anyone looking at me would have been violently attacked because of their false claims that there was a slight tinge of red on my cheeks. Metagross stared at me, his emotionless visage a far cry from the voice inside my head.

"You did this on purpose," I accused weakly.

"You are correct. I revel in seeing you embarrassed," Metagross admitted shamelessly. Without any hesitation, my steel behemoth angled my Pokedex at me, a flash accompanying it right after that signified that this stupid little psychic of mine had just taken a picture of me.

"Shall I show this to the twin who is not as demonic? I'm sure she requires more sufficient fuel against a formidable foe. Or perhaps the not-mother? She may love to print this."

"You demonic little shit!" I hissed, lunging at him with murder in my eyes. My efforts to grab the Pokedex were wholly unsuccessful; Metagross just rumbled in amusement all the while.

"A consequence of being bonded through all my evolutions, I imagine." My eye twitched harshly as all my efforts failed.

"Ah, perhaps the psychic human would appreciate it." Oh hell no.

"Giratina! We can't let my stupid little psychic give that picture away!" I hissed.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Take my Pokedex and give it back to me!"

"... Are you serious?" Giratina asked, perplexed.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?!" I snarled. Metagross suddenly stopped moving.

"You are aware I can hear you, correct?" My psychic informed me in some disbelief. I immediately snatched the Pokedex out of the air with a victorious grin.

"Yeah, I do! Ares, come quick! Let's go on a flight!" I shouted, rushing away from Metagross like my life depended on it. Ares perked up, cheering happily with fire and all as I clambered atop her.

"This is not over, Blight. Quickly delete the pictures and give me back the device. I have research to conduct." I laughed genuinely, doing just that before tossing the Pokedex off the airborne Ares. I watched as it was caught in midair before Metagross floated away with a final scoff.

"Clever boy. I had thought you were being serious for a moment."

"..."

"You weren't being serious, were you, Little Renegade?" I stayed suspiciously quiet.

"The other gym leaders are coming, right?" I asked Lorelei randomly. She turned towards me and nodded.

"Yes, from Kanto and Johto. The Silver Cup will officially begin two weeks after Indigo." I nodded thoughtfully, prompting Lorelei to continue.

"Though Gym Leader Blaine will not be attending."... Hm? Blaine?

"Why?" I asked curiously, tilting my head at that. Lorelei frowned.

"Right, you probably don't know. Cinnabar Volcano erupted during your battle with Articuno... it was utterly disastrous, and Blaine was unfortunately caught in the crossfire after helping his citizens evacuate. He's still alive, but he has grievous wounds. Half his body has been burned." I paused at that, frowning thoughtfully. So half his body got burned by the volcano erupting? I remember hearing about it, the volcano erupting, but I had no idea Blaine was caught by it.

"Blaine experimented on me," I said bluntly. My aunt froze.

"Pardon? What did you just say?" she asked quietly. I turned to her.

"The one who injected me with Mewtwo's cells was Blaine. He took a commission from Team Rocket to create a clone of Mew and accepted it." Lorelei shuddered at that, eyes blazing in an instant.

"He did what to you? Gym Leader Blaine?! You're certain?!"

"Green and I spoke to him after you left," I admitted. Her red hair jostled in surprise before Lorelei went still.

"The reason I didn't tell you was that I wanted to get back at him myself. Since I was the one he wronged, I wanted to show him in real time the mistake he made by becoming stronger than he could ever imagine; by showing him that the little experiment had grown into an anomaly they could no longer control," I admitted, eyes flashing with restrained fury. My aunt stared at my malicious gaze with a small frown.

"After that, I was going to find him, dismantle him in battle, and then I'd get my revenge after what he did to me. He deserved it after all. Some guilt doesn't get in the way of the shit I went through..." Lorelei exhaled at my quiet voice.

"What made you decide to reveal this?" she asked. I smiled thinly.

"I want to start telling you everything, and that just slipped my mind... besides, getting half his body burned by lava because of me can't feel good, so whatever you do, whatever." My aunt stared.

"So if I don't turn him in?"

"I'd still get my revenge. I'm not going to kill him or anything, that's too much for me. But... I'm not mature enough to let someone who wronged me get away scot-free. I'm telling you this so that you can spare him from whatever plans I have," I said honestly. Lorelei took a deep breath.

"And if I turn him in, will you be upset with me?" she asked quietly. I mulled it over.

"No. I can't be mad at you... Because your reason for turning him in would be for the sake of my mental health. Isn't that right?" I replied.

"Blaine wronged me, and as payback, I took half his body by directing Mewtwo to Articuno. Now, I'll leave the rest of his fate in your hands." Lorelei sighed softly.

"You are... an enigma, Silver. To be so self-aware of your own state... It's jarring. You are well aware how fragile your state is, but you acknowledge that you are not mature enough to make the right decision, which is why you left it in my hands." My aunt put her hands on my shoulder.

"Revenge, grudges... such negative feelings won't be good for you while you are recovering. You are... in a perilous state, Silver, one that you are very aware of. I cannot in good faith risk having you spiral even harder." She raked a hand through my hair gently.

"You have taken half of his body from him, something that not even the most advanced of technology can easily return. Take solace in the fact that you are still standing, while Blaine is not. For now, leave him to me because I won't have you turn into the monster you think you are." I nodded, ignoring the fact that she called me out on the monster thing.

"That's fine with me. One less problem off my back... and I'm trying to be a more positive influence to Mars," I admitted. Lorelei smiled softly.

"Go wake up your sister, please. We need to get started on fixing her sleep schedule." I was tempted to send Apollo off to do it... But then I remembered that Mars jumped me with Janine. I pushed myself up, eyes flashing maliciously as I marched to her location. I missed the way Lorelei's smile immediately vanished, now that I was no longer looking at her. I also missed the way her features darkened into a protective rage. What was probably the most alarming thing that I missed was what she said.

"You just let me deal with him," she swore.