Chương 46: Brotherly Bonding

"To Top 16!" A faintly amused noise escaped me as I listened to Gold's cheers with a small smile.

"We haven't even made Top 8 yet. Is this really cause for celebration?" I asked curiously, taking an idle sip of my Persim Berry Soda. Gold laughed loudly, nearly spilling his Cheri Berry flavored soda.

"Of course! This is the perfect time because once Top 8 hits, none of us are friends anymore until we crown a winner!" he said cockily.

"As rambunctious as he is, Gold's right. Better now than Top 8. Wouldn't want to ruin the celebration with tension," Crystal agreed, sipping her Pecha Berry flavored soda.

"I get it! This is the best time for us to celebrate, since it's the latest part of the tournament where none of us will meet!" Green beamed, taking a heavy gulp out of her Sitrus Berry flavored soda. I nodded in agreement.

"Just to be clear, no hard feelings if any of us battle?"

"Of course not! A battle has to have a winner and a loser! Besides, we've battled each other so much now, I think we're past that stage!" Crystal said firmly.

"You're normally the one who would be a sore loser anyway," Gold teased. I scoffed at his words.

"Who's everyone's Top 16 opponent?"

"Some girl named Neesha," Gold snorted. My eyes narrowed.

"That's the girl who was at New Island. Has she said anything to any of you?" I questioned. Crystal's gaze darkened ever so slightly, but let up as she saw Gold and Green shake their heads.

"Alright, I'll spare her then," I muttered. Green frowned.

"Hold on... were those three trainers messing with you?" I huffed.

"Yeah, they told me to drop out of the tournament and stuff. I embarrassed one of the trainers."

"I got the other one," Crystal said coolly. Gold shivered.

"They pissed off Crys? They really fucked up this time. What's the details? Want me to stomp her in battle? I'm still kinda annoyed they dismissed us." I shrugged.

"Do what you want to her. She didn't personally offend me, so your frustration can be yours." Gold nodded thoughtfully.

"Cool. Too bad it wasn't one of the ones you fought." Crystal rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"I'm facing a trainer by the name of Otoshi," she informed us. I nodded my head, turning to the suddenly quiet Green. She noted all our gazes and removed her lips from her drink.

"I'm fighting Blue," she revealed calmly. The three of us looked surprised at that.

"Blue, huh?" I muttered, eyes narrowed in contemplation. Green shrugged.

"I'll win. Blue's never beaten me in a battle, and that won't suddenly change," she stated firmly. We nodded, satisfied by her confidence.

"What about you, Silver? Who's your opponent?" Crystal asked curiously. I exhaled.

"My opponent's Ash." They froze simultaneously at the reveal. Almost immediately, they all leaned in closer to me, eyes bursting with curiosity. It said something that I expected that; we really did have too much synergy.

"So it's true, you guys are brothers?" Gold asked curiously. I sighed.

"Yeah... we're half brothers. We have different moms, but the same dad."

"Giovanni," Green said flatly, eyes smoldering with barely restrained rage.

"Yep," I said, voice just as flat. I had no idea where Giovanni was, but I hoped he didn't get captured until I got my hands on him. I wasn't strong enough to battle him yet... but I would be soon, and then my father and I would have a long, overdue talk.

"That's crazy... I've known Ash since we were babies! I never would have thought you and him were brothers," Green muttered. Crystal nodded readily.

"You two couldn't be any more different... not to mention the whole kind of hating each other." Gold snorted.

"They have the same temper, though. Same look in their eyes when someone doubts them, too," he pointed out. Crystal stared stonily at him.

"So do you," she said flatly.

"Silv and I are brothers from another mother, is all," he drawled. I sighed.

"I've never really been interested in bonding with family members. If you couldn't tell, my main parents and I didn't have the best relationship like ever," I exhaled. My gaze met the ceiling for a bit.

"My best familial relationship was with Lorelei, and I didn't know we were related until a few months ago. Before her, I just vowed to myself that I didn't need to rely on any family member, so I was never going to reveal that Ash and I were brothers."

"Considering you didn't even want to open up to Lorelei..." Green muttered, remembering our talk in the hospital, no doubt.

"That's... terrible," Crystal said sadly.

"That fucking blows," Gold scowled. I waved it off.

"Well, it's whatever. I already told Delia I wouldn't make an effort to push him away, but that's all I'm willing to do. I'm satisfied with what I currently have... but I guess I won't say no to more," I admitted. My gang smiled at my words.

"I never would have thought the Silver we met back at Johto would end up like this," Crystal said fondly.

"Speaking of... when are you gonna apologize to Jimmy?!" Gold asked. I rolled my eyes.

"If I ever see him again, I won't apologize... but I'll let him know it's okay to be trash."

"Yeah... I expected that. It's a work in progress," Gold sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. Green pursed her lips.

"So Ms. Delia knows about Giovanni, right?" Crystal nodded.

"She has to. Ms. Delia looked terrified for you." I exhaled.

"Yeah, she knows. It's a hard topic for her, but she used to be a member of Team Rocket." They all flinched back at that, eyes wide in horror.

"W-W-What?!" my gang hissed. I nodded.

"It was an accident, but she worked for them for a period of time. Giovanni got her pregnant while my mom was still holding me. I've been helping her with her issues."

"So that's why she loves you so much," Green mused.

"I don't really get it, but that lady's been through a lot," I sighed.

"Just another thing to deal with after the tournament!" Crystal sighed as well. I snorted.

"I made sure Green and her mom are friendly, along with another lady who has twins. She needs some more friends and I'm only 12. By the way, did I mention that 3 little 6-year-olds qualify for our gang?" I said randomly. They all blinked owlishly.

"Huh?" Gold asked. I nodded.

"Sun, Moon, and Yellow. All three have eyes that match their names." Green perked up.

"Oh, I know Yellow! Her parents travel a lot, so my mom is watching her all the time!"

"A-And she has yellow eyes?" Crystal stammered in confusion.

"Yep! Kinda like Gold!" Green exclaimed.

"If you think Yellow is like Gold, wait till you see Sun," I muttered. Gold grinned.

"So Sun's eyes actually look like the sun?" he asked excitedly.

"And Moon's eyes look like the moon. I was terrified that I had a little sister for a sec," I confirmed. Maybe she was spiritually my little sister. I honestly wouldn't be very surprised. Crystal pinched her nose.

"I genuinely can't believe we're actually running into more. I thought just us existing was one in a million," she exhaled. I chuckled.

"We'll meet all of them after. I wanna meet your moms too... maybe they can be friends with the other moms." Gold cackled.

"My mom is a bit abrasive and super annoying, but you'll love her!" Crystal shook her head.

"My mom is... excitable. Even if you don't like her, she won't stop until you do. She's also very dramatic," she grumbled.

"My mom's an executive of Team Rocket," I offered.

"Silver."

"My bad. My other mom's an Elite 4 member, which automatically makes her the best one here."

"Silver."

"I've been adopted by like 4 other women... and one of them is Green's mom. I can keep this up all day."

"Silver."

"Ok, ok, I'm done." Green laughed.

"Wow, a get-together of Colors and their moms?! That's awesome! We've got our gang, so they should have theirs too!" she cheered. I chuckled.

"We also have a base in Viridian now. Solari, the mother of Sun and Moon, lives in a house that I own because it used to be Giovanni's." Their eyes widened in surprise.

"A house?!" Gold asked excitedly.

"And you're making it our base?!" Crystal asked, eyes wide.

"Like a base of operations for our gang?!" Green awed. They were seriously such fucking dorks. I rolled my eyes at them with a small smile, nodding at them.

"It's basically a mansion, honestly. Bigger than any house in Viridian. Solari doesn't even use the upstairs; still, she cleans it. That woman is a workhorse," I muttered. Funnily enough, seeing how excited they were that we had our own base, made me a little less wary of going to that place. Solari already made it visitable, but my gang made me actually look forward to it.

"A base for our gang! One day, we should buy something top secret, something only we know about, and then Colors will meet up there whenever something serious happens. It'll be so cool!" Green gushed. Gold looked completely on board with the idea.

"A base for just us! Only members of our group will know where it is!"

"... And probably the moms," Crystal muttered. We all nodded sagely. There was no denying the mothers sometimes.

"Let's just get a secret base in every region. That way, we'll always have somewhere to relax," I drawled. Crystal quirked a brow.

"And how do you propose we do that? I know you got money from Giovanni... but surely it's not that much," she pointed out. She took a step back at my smile. She took an even further step back at Gold's grin.

"You two both have unhealthy habits, and I don't agree," Crystal said sternly.

"What if I steal from criminals?" I questioned, crossing my arms with a discontented frown.

"No! That's like... holding evidence from the authorities!" she exclaimed.

"But I'm the one who's stopping them. The authorities are useless," I pointed out.

"That doesn't matter, Silver! It's the law! The law!" she stressed. Green nodded in agreement.

"Silvy is the last person you can talk rules to. He's a sicko."

"But what's wrong with gambling?! I can rake in so much cash!" Gold asked in disbelief.

"You have a problem, that's what! I can't believe Ms. Amber introduced you to gambling!" Crystal groaned.

"But it works! I don't lose! I'll get banned before losing! We'll be rich! I already missed my chance of going to the Game Corner in Celadon! C'mon!" he insisted.

"How about we find other alternatives before resorting to that," Green suggested, shaking her head in mild amusement. I shrugged.

"Gold, you'd probably be a great streamer." Gold blinked.

"A streamer?" he asked slowly. I blinked in return. Oh... right. Streaming wasn't really a thing at all in this world. Hm... Couldn't I turn Gold into a pioneer? We're already getting pretty popular, and Gold's personality in general made a lot of people pay attention to him. I nodded to myself. I could see the money now.

"Streaming is like, live recording yourself doing things to people. Battles, activities, miscellaneous stuff. You've got a personality for it," I mused. They were awed at that.

"I've never heard of it! But it sounds like another way to get very popular!" Crystal gushed. I nodded in agreement. Considering streaming wasn't really a thing in this world... that meant there wasn't much money to be made out of it. Which means I'd have to make a sales pitch to some big org— Oh, wait, I was basically a hero to Silph Co. I could get them to invest in the idea...

"You're scheming, Silvy," Green plotted. I had a small smirk on my face.

"You told me to make money legally. I'm going to turn Gold into a superstar." Gold cackled freely.

"I'm game! I can already see it! Me live recording myself annoying you!"

"Don't get killed."

"My bad."

"You're scary, Silver. See what happens when you lawfully apply yourself? I love this idea!" Crystal gushed, clapping her hands proudly. I rolled my eyes.

"You'd probably be a good streamer too, Crys. Different demographic than someone like Gold or Green. I bet the world would kill to see what Colors is doing day by day... We'd be stupid rich after some time." Oh yeah, I was totally gonna make a sales pitch to make a certain website a reality in this world. I don't know if streaming ever becomes a thing, but I was going to make it a thing, and I was going to make cash in the process. Heh.

"Me too? You think so?" Crystal asked in confusion. I laughed earnestly.

"I don't know if any of you realize. But we're becoming very famous very quickly. Once one of us wins this tournament, all types of people are going to want to see what we're up to. If we give them a way to view certain aspects of our lives without them having to do a thing?" I wonder what else I could steal from my old world and use to make a shit ton of money here. If Crystal wanted me to make money legally, I might as well go all in.

"I feel like I've just unleashed a monster," Crystal muttered.

"A monster who's gonna make us rich! Mission Secret Base in all regions is a go!" Gold cackled. Green cheered.

"It's a great idea! You think we could place warp tiles in each base?! How hard would that be?!" she wondered.

"Warp tiles are still a work in progress by Silph Co... Region-wide warping may be a little difficult," Crystal mused. It honestly sounded like we were making our own villain team. A pretty funny thought in hindsight.

"I'll start hashing out some details after the League," I decided, suddenly very invested in the idea. It sounded like a fun pastime. Alright, yeah... I could do that. I would not only make our gang dominant in the battling scene, I'd make them dominant everywhere. If we were gonna unknowingly make our own team, we may as well be the most unstoppable one.

"This is fun to think about! I'll help in any way I can!" Crystal decided, grinning eagerly at the thought. Gold and Green nodded eagerly.

"The first step is winning this League, right? Easy work!"

"This also lets other members of our gang find us! It'll be way easier this way!" Green gushed. Crystal groaned.

"You guys surely don't think that'll work right...? C'mon! That's so unlikely!" I just huffed in amusement.

"You never know... especially since I think a better requirement would be if their eyes reflect what their name is." Crystal opened her mouth, only to shut it.

"Yeah... that makes sense. It's not like my name is an actual color..." she muttered. Gold and Green mulled it over.

"Yeah, that works! If your eye reflects what your name is in some way, you qualify!" Gold decided.

"First name, last name, middle name too! Since Green's my uhm... last name," Green reminded. I nodded.

"Sounds good to me. We're all in agreement on growing Colors. Mars qualifies, by the way."

"We still don't know what that means, but we agree!" they decided. What an eventful talk. I was going to make our gang extremely rich by pioneering streaming in this world. I don't think I myself would ever stream... but Gold, Crystal, and Green would be fantastic. As for the secret bases in every region... I might have been more excited about that than they were. What a great way for me to hide myself from the masses. I should go "recruit" some scientists, too.

That one female magma admin was a scientist, wasn't she? And they claimed to be smart, so I could probably subjugate her eventually. Not to mention, Orre had technology that was unbefitting of the state of that region. There were some notable ones... but the one I was most interested in, that would be very vital for multiple reasons, was one very specific man whom I'd visit very soon... for multiple reasons.

"Silver, you're seriously terrifying me. Stop it. I'm beginning to regret giving you ideas," Crystal sighed, holding her head. I rolled my eyes in amusement.

"Alright, idiots, we'll set all that up after. For now, it's time to sleep, so get out of my room. I don't even know how you guys got the idea that my room was our normal spot." They rolled their eyes, too.

"Don't you hate talking? Why do you always say things that just prove you're being difficult?" Gold scolded.

"Yeah! You know exactly why this is the spot!" Green beamed. I twitched harshly.

"Get out!" Crystal giggled.

"I have a feeling we're gonna get in a lot of fights after the Conference."

"You're damn right! I owe Gold at least 20 deaths!" I snarled. Gold spluttered.

"Deaths?! How are you going to kill me 20 times?! Didn't you wanna make me super famous?! I still don't even know how the hell you know what this streaming is!"

"Crystal and Green are good enough! 2/3 is still a profit!" I snarled. Green fist pumped.

"As long as it's not me dying, I'm happy!"

"WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?! DON'T CONDONE MURDER!" I hummed a tune to myself, staring down at the battlefield from the very top of the stadium. It was the dark of night, the moon shining above and casting a tiny light.

"One more battle and you're in Top 8." I craned my head, watching as a figure sat next to me.

"Yo, Janine. You sure took your time speaking to me," I greeted, turning towards her. Janine scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Excuse me for trying to give you guys more space to prepare. I've been spending time with Mars since she stopped watching your battles." I scoffed right back.

"Stop corrupting my twin. I know you're putting ideas of me being a psychopath in her head."

"You aren't?" Janine asked owlishly.

"That's not the point," I retorted. She giggled quietly.

"You're all doing great. Crystal already told me you guys aren't scouting each other, and I've watched all your interviews... Only you little psychos would do that..." I chuckled.

"Winning is great... but against my gang, I just want a full-on brawl. With them, battling at our best feels even better."

"It's the rival spirit. That competitive drive is going to propel all of you further than anything else," Janine said wistfully.

"Not just us. You're getting a lot stronger, Janine. Jasmine is going to be the strongest leader in both regions... but I expect you to be the strongest in Kanto," I said firmly. Janine stared at me, smiling slightly.

"I'll do my best. You guys have turned me into a freak, one striving to become even stronger than I previously planned. Just being at the level of Koga is not enough anymore. I've demanded more training from Father, to the point where he says I'm at the level of a weaker leader." I reached over, running a hand through her spiky hair.

"Good... I'm proud of you, Janine. I'm glad you're getting better," I said earnestly. I watched Janine blink in shock before her face turned a deep shade of red visible even in the darkness.

"Don't compliment me like that! That's so weird!" she hissed, turning away from me to hide her expression.

"I'm not rooting for you just because you complimented me! Hmph!" I smiled, leaning back.

"I'm going to hunt down Team Rocket after this. When I find Petrel, do you wanna come with?" Janine jumped, turning towards me again. Her eyes were wide... then they narrowed into something dangerous.

"You don't even have to ask. I'll be right there," she hissed. I laughed again.

"Good. I'll let you know," I promised.

"What the hell are you brats doing here?" an aged voice demanded. Janine and I jumped, turning to find Agatha scowling at us.

"O-Oh! Madame Agatha!" Janine stammered formally, bowing hastily at her.

"Old lady, sup?" I greeted casually. Janine immediately gaped, turning towards me like I had committed a crime.

"Silver, now is not the time to be yourself!" Janine hissed quietly. I rolled my eyes.

"When is it ever the right time?" Agatha scoffed.

"Belligerent brat," was all she offered, turning towards Janine.

"The baby ghost," was all the Elite 4 member said. Janine jumped.

"You mean Gengar? He's doing fine... he's listening to me now, and has quickly solidified his spot as my most powerful pokemon now that he's complying," she answered. Agatha quirked a brow at that.

"That little brat is listening to you already? I expected it to cause more problems." The old woman paused for a moment, turning towards me with narrowed eyes.

"On second thought, considering the little brat boy fancies you, I imagine he had a part to play," Agatha muttered.

"Got it in one. I told her little ghost friend to stop being so difficult, is all. I guess he listened," I drawled.

"Hmph," was all Agatha said, eyeing the two of us. The ghost master simply snorted and turned away.

"This isn't the place for couples to mingle, unruly brats. If you're so eager, take it to your rooms!" she spat. Janine and I both recoiled immediately.

"E-Ew!" Janine groaned.

"Stop saying shit like that, hag. I'm not the one with relationship problems. How about you stop pretending like yours don't exist," I retorted. Agatha stared at me.

"How does a little demon like you even know something like that?" she wondered.

"You're barking up the wrong tree. You'd do well getting rid of your baggage." The ghost master snorted at my joke.

"Petulant little brat. You'd do best to focus on your own issues, like when you need to change your diaper next."

"Whatever you say," I grunted, waving her off. Janine and I watched her.

"I expected the two of you to kill each other," she admitted. I shrugged.

"Where's the fun in that?" She laughed disbelievingly.

"Of course. I'll be going first. I'm spending too much time with you if people are jumping to that conclusion." I snorted.

"Thank you. I'll go the opposite way." We both nodded in complete agreement, turning on a dime and walking off.

"Good luck, Silver. Don't lose unless it's to Crystal or Green," were Janine's parting words.

"Don't cry when I win it all," I drawled.

"It'll be very hard. I really don't want you to win," Janine sighed. God, I hated Janine. She yelped immediately as something crashed into the back of her head. Blood in her eyes, Janine whirled around... To see that I was already gone.

"I hate him so much," she snarled, stomping off.

"This is the moment you've been waiting for, Ash!" Brock encouraged. Ash nodded fiercely.

"We've been training for this moment. I'll win this!"

"I hope you don't plan on thinking you'll win by just trying your hardest, Ash," Misty pointed out with a frown. The soon-to-be gym leader shook her head.

"Don't be silly. Your opponent is Silver, and based on his battles, he's one of the favorites to win the entire tournament. You may be the #5 trainer of the Rookies, but he's #1." Ash scowled.

"So what?! You think that'll decide everything?!" Misty scowled in return.

"Stop being dense! I'm not saying you stand no chance, idiot! You need to study him! Silver doesn't care about you believing in yourself or relying on luck to win. He'll take you out as calculated as possible, making sure none of those even play a factor!" Brock nodded in agreement.

"Misty's right, Ash. You need some type of plan. It's a 4 on 4, so think about the best pokemon you can use against him." Ash frowned thoughtfully, sitting down to contemplate their words.

"Silver's playing it smart. He hasn't shown his entire team, but Silver will probably use a variation of his 6 first pokemon. Not to mention, he's been keeping his cards close," Misty pointed out. Brock nodded in agreement.

"We haven't seen 3 of his pokemon in action. Milotic, Metagross, or Salamence. I bet he's waiting to use them in the Top 8... and that's not mentioning the pokemon we have seen haven't shown everything. Make him regret not using those powerhouses by striking his blind spot." Ash mulled it over.

"Alright! I think I've got the lineup I want then." They blinked in confusion.

"You do?" The Kanto native stood.

"Yeah! I get what you guys are saying, and I'm definitely preparing for everything, but I know who I'm bringing in this battle!"

"This is between Silver and me." Brock and Misty gazed at Ash before shaking their head with small smiles.

"Alright then, we'll leave you to it," Brock said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck, Ash. No matter the result, you should be proud of yourself. Not many rookies make it to Top 16 in their first year as a trainer." Ash grinned.

"I can go even further!" Misty smiled.

"If there's one thing I admire about you, it's that unshakeable confidence. If anything, at least give Silver hell!" Hey, Silver was an incredibly annoying person to deal with! She'd like to see him knocked off his high horse once or twice! Ash nodded eagerly.

"Watch me! I'll show him that I'm no joke of a trainer!"

"Finally! The time has come for us to crush that damned red human!" Charizard snarled.

"Remind me again why we have a problem with them?" Ivysaur asked curiously. Pidgeot shrieked furiously.

"That wretched human dared to insult our trainer!" she shrieked. Wartortle tilted his head, causing his shades to drop slightly.

"Doesn't he like... do that to everyone? I've never heard him say a nice thing." Snorlax yawned.

"I don't have a problem with him." Charizard scoffed.

"I encountered him before, back at my weakest, when I was with my previous trainer. I was defeated quickly," he offered sourly, snorting out fire at the thought. Ivysaur looked surprised.

"You fought him before?" The dragon sneered.

"I was weak. Things are different now." Pikachu huffed, eyes narrowed.

"That Silver isn't someone we can underestimate. I fought him a long time ago and lost easily," he reminded them. Wartortle crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"Well, we aren't any slouches ourselves! We've gotta win this thing, and that's what we'll do!"

"Yeah!" the team decided. Pikachu turned towards the silent Annihilape.

"Annihilape, are you okay?" Upon closer inspection, Annihilape was muttering something to himself.

"Going to tear that stupid fox apart," he promised quietly, trembling as his rage steadily mounted. Pikachu stepped away from their most... rambunctious friend.

"Right... I'll leave you to that." Ivysaur huffed.

"Don't underestimate our opponent, and especially don't let your ego get in the way." The grass type shot Charizard a pointed look at that, causing the dragon to huff as well.

"I will do my part and win us this battle. I expect everyone else to do the same," he said decisively. Sparks flew from Pikachu.

"You bet we will! This was a match a long time in the making! Silver's going down!"

"Alright, guys! We've got a pretty interesting battle ahead of us, and Silver wants it done fast and easy!" Gaia announced. Loki smiled.

"For some reason, Silver thinks shenanigans will take place, so he wants to crush him thoroughly." Freyja giggled quietly.

"That sure is one way to treat a brother. Well, if that's what Silver wants, that's what he gets," she said calmly.

"Will he use Arachne?!" Arachne asked excitedly, dancing atop the stoic Metagross' head.

"No. You are ill-equipped for war, little bug. Do not concern yourself, for you will have more battles in the future," Metagross said bluntly.

"Okay, Big Spider Sibling!" Arachne cheered, not at all put out by not having battled. The bug just continued dancing on her perch. Loki laughed as Metagross let out an almost inaudible groan.

"Let's all do our best," Oberon said encouragingly, smiling at them all.

"Yeah! Kick their asses!" Ifrit cheered.

"Ifrit!" Freyja admonished immediately. Apollo laughed as Ifrit recoiled.

"This was fun! I wanna get even stronger so he can use me more!"

"I feel myself growing stronger by the day. Master is exceptional," Achlys murmured. Ares snorted quietly.

"We will do our duty and bring my vassal another victory. If he believes we need to exercise unnecessary force, that is what we will do. I expect us all to fulfill our necessary obligations." Metagross rumbled.

"That is not in doubt. It is not yet our time to be defeated. We will crush him as our trainer desires. Thoroughly if he so truly requires it." They all made various noises of agreement, and that was that.

"Big Bro!" A small smile unknowingly made its way to my face as three little missiles crashed into me.

"If it isn't Colors Jr.," I chuckled, watching as Sun, Moon, and Yellow all hugged a different part of me. The miniature members of Colors all beamed up at me. Even Moon had a smile on her face, little neutral gal she was.

"We missed you!" Sun exclaimed. Yellow and Moon both nodded in unison, readily agreeing with the most outgoing of their little trio.

"I've been busy. How about later, I'll introduce you to some friends of mine? They're almost as cool as me," I promised.

"Really?!" Yellow asked excitedly.

"Really... but that's later. For now, I have a battle to get to," I told them, pushing myself up and allowing Solari to pull me into a firm hug.

"Silver, well done so far! We've been watching your battles, and we're so proud!" she said, ever-present cheerful smile on her face. I exhaled, glancing warily back and forth.

"Is it just you?" I asked lowly. The twins' mother nodded with a knowing smile.

"Maple is watching Green's battle, and Delia went to see Ash! So yes, it's just me." I sighed in relief.

"Thank fuck for that," I muttered.

"Language," Solari scolded with no heat, squeezing my cheek ever so slightly. I ignored it, just glad that the three monster mothers weren't hounding me. Alone, they were still pretty bad, but Solari was definitely the best of the bunch to deal with. Maple was the worst because that woman wasn't right in the head. When we were alone, Delia just turned all sad and needy like a little puppy, so she was the most grabby. Solari giggled.

"If we were all here, I fear you'd get disqualified for missing your match."

"Tell me about it," I groaned, shaking my head in exasperation.

"Kids, I'll let you see Oberon later. Now let me go so I can go to my battle," I muttered. Somehow, during my talk with Solari, Moon had ended up on my back, while Sun and Yellow each claimed one of my arms. I was currently holding the three little monsters, and I felt my sympathy slightly swelling for Solari for having to deal with 2/3 of these rascals for 6 years.

"Yay! We get to see Oby!" they cheered, clambering off of me. I smiled before turning towards the Moon, who hadn't yet removed herself from my back. According to Solari, Moon was a very agreeable child, but you coulda fooled me. I always had to put in extra effort to get her to let me leave.

"You'll see me right after the match, Moon," I assured, grabbing her off my back and holding her so she was face to face with me. It was still so weird seeing someone with such a similar eye color to mine. Hell, Moon even had that whole unbothered by everything mood that I did too. Case in point, she stared at me with a cool expression, face not betraying anything.

"Promise?" she asked. Her words did, though. That promise was as childish as it was adorable. I carefully placed her down, patting her head.

"Yep, promise. We'll cheer when I win." Moon nodded, hugging my leg once before walking over to her mother. Solari smiled.

"I always find it adorable how my little Moon has attached herself to you. You two are very similar, you know? Hard time properly conveying facial expressions." I snorted.

"It's cute, so I don't mind. Eventually, they'll meet the rest of my gang and attach themselves to them because they're way more tolerable than me." The woman patted my head admonishingly.

"Give yourself more credit, Silver! You're a lovely boy!"

"Whatever you say, Solari." She sighed in exasperation.

"Go prepare for your battle, young man. I'll be rooting for you since Delia is rooting for her son!" she beamed. With one final hug, I watched Solari corral the kids and lead them to the arena stands.

"Hmph... guess it's about that time," I mused. My battle would be starting soon. Time to prepare for that... I could worry about Top 8 later. Looking past an opponent like Ash was a surefire way to get shocked. Unfortunately for Ash, I was a little too used to those types of tropes. I wasn't going to underestimate him, and I wasn't looking past him. This would be a shutout. I refused to let any anime shenanigans happen to me. If that meant stomping my little brother, so be it.

Green was practically lifted into a hug, squealing in surprise.

"My little Leafy!" Maple cried, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Mom!" Green cried back, squeezing her with all her might. The mother and daughter held one another tightly, relief rolling off them in waves.

"Oh, baby, are you okay?" Maple asked gently, raking a hand through her daughter's messy hair. Green shuddered against her, sniffing occasionally.

"I'm okay, Mom! I missed you," Green said honestly. Maple stared at her daughter in visible concern.

"Oh, Leafy, it's okay to be honest with me. Mommy won't think any less of you, okay?" she murmured. Green trembled.

"C-Can we talk about it after the League? You're right... But right now, I just want to win this whole thing. T-Then I'll talk to everyone," she reassured. The mother stared at her only daughter, the light of her life, and nodded softly. She leaned in and kissed Green's head gently.

"Win this whole thing then! Your mom is here cheering for you, so now you have a super buff!" Green nodded fiercely.

"I'll win! Watch me!"

"Of course you will! My little Leafy is my pride and joy!" Maple beamed, squeezing her daughter once more.

"C'mon, Blastoise, hang in there! Hydro Pump!" Blue shouted desperately, gazing with gritted teeth as sparks ran through his Blastoise. Blastoise strained and pulled himself up, cannons adjusting and aiming. They glowed momentarily before exploding in a watery pump that was weakened by the sun above... To little success. Vee's soaked fur didn't hold down the Espeon long enough for the Hydro Pump to meet its target.

He simply glowed and launched himself to the left, seemingly predicting the trajectory of the move long before it arrived.

"That's about enough time," Green said idly. Right on cue, Blastoise wailed, convulsing in place as an invisible force struck the water type. His eyes rolled back, body trembling slightly...

"Zap Cannon." Before the battle ended unceremoniously. The same Zap Cannon that had crippled his Blastoise unexpectedly from the start of the battle landed once more on his paralyzed frame, sending the heavy turtle flying backwards. He groaned weakly before falling limp.

"Blastoise is unable to battle, and as a result, Gary Oak has no more pokemon left for battle. The winners of this match are Espeon and Leaf Green!" Vee crooned, body fading as Green promptly returned him with a small smile.

"Unbelievable! Leaf Green made it look easy with her convincing victory over Gary Oak! There was never a chance for a comeback!"

"GREAT JOB, MY LITTLE LEAFY!" Maple squealed. Blue gritted his teeth, trembling as he returned the defeated Blastoise. Easy was an understatement. Green crushed him. It was like facing an insurmountable wall, her cool expression staring past him as she no doubt thought about what she'd be doing in the next battle.... Almost like her winning this one was a given. He clenched his fist. It didn't make any sense... Why was she so ahead of him? Why were they all so ahead of him? Nothing he did fazed her.

He had even gotten tips from Gramps that had skyrocketed his strength. But it wasn't enough. Was it because he had really only been training to the tail end compared to them having trained for the entire year? It had to be. Blue had scouted them all. This tournament wasn't difficult for him... but it looked easy for them. Blastoise, Umbreon, Alakazam, Pidgeot... all crushed by the Espeon and Lapras. They had both taken out two each...

Lapras eliminating Pidgeot and Alakazam, while Espeon had crushed Umbreon and Blastoise. Since the last time they battled, it felt like the gap between them had only grown larger. Even with Gramps' help, the distance between the two didn't get shorter? What was he missing? Why couldn't he catch up to any of them?! Why was it that every time he encountered them, they seemed to be on another level?... Whatever. Blue spat and looked up— Only to freeze at the sight of Green already walking away. What...? Was that it?

Blue scowled and marched past the reporter, beelining to the slow-moving Green. She stopped before he called out, turning towards him with a confused expression.

"Blue? What do you want?" Green asked bluntly.

"What? You have nothing to say?!" Blue retorted with a scowl, crossing his arms as he stared at her. Distantly, he realized this was not how he expected their conversation to go. He had literally told Silver that he'd talk to her after all. But Blue's ego often put his foot in his mouth.

"Just another day in the life of Green, huh? I'm not even a speck on your radar... can't even say anything after that battle?" Green's expression went flat. It made his gut curl in a way that not even his anger could distract him from.

"Is that why you chased me down?" she asked bluntly. Before Blue could say anything, Green just shook her head.

"You know what, Blue... I'm honestly sick of you." Shock stopped him at her words, anger knocked out of him at Green's blank expression.

"What have I actually done to you? What's your problem with me? Silver already talked to the Professor to help you, and you're still so angry at me..."

"Is it because you think I'm strong? Would you have preferred it if I were born weak and beneath you? Because if that's the reason..." Her expression went thunderous at the word strong for a split second before vanishing. Green shook her head.

"Whatever. I don't wanna hear what you have to say. If you focused half as much on being a proper trainer as you did on being so angry all the time, you'd have made that battle harder... How can I get stronger from that?" Shaking her head once more, Green simply marched away.

"I have friends who actually care about me, so I don't care anymore about what you think. Just stop talking to me, Gary. I don't know why I even bothered putting up with you," were her departing words. Blue watched her go with a stunned expression, guilt threatening to consume him the entire time. He fucked up. He fucked up so bad. What was he doing? He just ruined his friendship with the only person he could actually still call a friend. It was a disaster. What could he do? How could he fix this?... Silver.

Silver would know. For all his belligerence, Silver was evidently a much better friend than he was. If not the redhead, then maybe Crystal would know. But before that, Blue needed to deal with his own issues. There was some serious unpacking to do. He ignored the way his insides screamed the entire time, that horrible feeling growing more and more.

"WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE FINAL MATCH OF OUR TOP 16!" I didn't even think the crowd could get louder than what I was hearing earlier, but even the barriers weren't protecting my poor ears. As if realizing it, the sound grew less deafening. Whoever was in charge of the barriers was a very impressive pokemon because now the crowd was far more tolerable.

"In an unprecedented moment, this is the second match of the day, where both of the trainers battling for the Top 8 are rookies!"

"On the Green side, hailing from Pallet Town, rookie Ash Ketchum has fought his way to this moment! This underdog has risen above all challenges, and now he faces his biggest obstacle yet! On the Red side, we have Trainer Silver from Viridian City, who has won all of his matches without breaking a sweat! An absolute force, none are underestimating this rookie's odds!" I resisted the urge to smile as I heard the booing and the cheering.

Chants of my name filled the arena, which only prompted the boos to grow louder, which then prompted the cheers to increase. It was admittedly pretty fun, hearing the crowd fight over me. Feeling a tad cheeky, I decided to put a halting hand into the air. To my disbelief, not to mention excitement, the entire crowd hushed up. Okay, that felt good. Seems my lack of talking was paying off, because everyone wanted to hear what I had to say now.

"To all the people cheering for me, keep cheering because you'll have reason to, soon. To all the ones booing... there's always next match to try again," I reassured, smirking insufferably at them. The results were immediate. Both sides began roaring so loudly that I knew whoever was maintaining that barrier was shooting me a dirty glare.

"GET HIM ASH!"

"TEACH THAT COCKY KID A LESSON!"

"YOU GOT THIS SILVER!"

"KEEP CRUSHING THE COMPETITION!" Being a heel was pretty fun. I could tell that, despite what they were saying, the crowd still thought I was plenty entertaining. My match with Ferb was proof enough. Yeah, my streamer idea was going to be a pot of gold very soon. I could tell.

"Confident words from Trainer Silver! How will Trainer Ash respond?!"

"This will be a four-on-four battle to determine who will be advancing onto the Top 8! Trainer Ash, you will release your pokemon first!" Ash glared at me, determination rolling off him in waves.

"Silver, I'll make you regret those words you said to me! You'll respect me after this match!" With that, he tossed his Poke Ball.

"Snorlax, I choose you!" I closed my eyes for a split second, taking a deep breath as the Snorlax stamped down on the field. The large pokemon elicited loud gasps from the crowd, likely because Ash had yet to use it. Ash had utilized a large variety of pokemon for this tournament. A monster of a Kingler, an overwhelming Muk, his speedy Pidgeot... his heavy-hitting Tauros. Yes, he was someone who had used quite a bit of pokemon. It was a unique talent of his...

"Ash Ketchum, I respect you."... But I didn't care about any of that. I watched as almost all the wind was knocked out of Ash's sails. Confusion rolled off of him, my little brother thrown for a loop at my words.

"Huh?" he repeated with a stunned look. I nodded, grabbing a Luxury Ball.

"I respect what you're capable of doing. I acknowledge that I pushed you to become a competent trainer, I acknowledge your showing... and I know if I underestimate you, you'll surprise me."

"So I won't." Oberon appeared from his ball with a furious roar, staring at the Snorlax. His thick fur stood on end as my bear gauged the genuine threat that a Snorlax was. Ash's team was dangerous, and a Snorlax was nothing any sane human being would scoff at. It was a behemoth of a pokemon, dense muscles packed under what people thought was only fat. Even the weakest Snorlax was a force that demanded respect. Dealing with a rampaging Snorlax was hell on earth, equivalent to dealing with a dragon.

They were beasts with tough bodies that weathered a lot of damage.... But Oberon was also a beast. Oberon was a real monster... and I meant that in the best way.

"Both Contestants are set. Snorlax vs Ursaring... Begin!"

"Bulldoze," I said immediately.

"Defense Curl!" Ash shouted. Oberon snarled, stamping his feet on the floor and causing the ground to rumble slightly. A line careened towards Snorlax, hellbent on slowing him down, but the giant creature just curled into a ball, showing no sign that the attack affected him.

"Rollout!" Ash pressed. My brow raised in interest as Snorlax stayed in its ball shape and rolled towards Oberon at speeds that belied its size. To be honest, a pokemon Snorlax's size utilizing Rollout was genuinely an insanely terrifying sight. It was like one of those Indiana Jones traps that summoned a massive boulder that would chase you down to crush you. This wasn't like Donphan; I was not gonna force Oberon to try to catch a speeding Snorlax.

"Oberon, rocks underneath." As Snorlax continued its approach, it let out a surprised yelp as a slope formed in front of it. The modified ramp did its job, sending the Snorlax flying into the sky.

"An airborne Snorlax! I've seen it all! What a horrifying sight!" The announcer shouted. Ash's eyes were wide, but I missed the way his eyes flashed with a spark!

"Let's use this to our advantage, Snorlax! Earthquake!" My eyes shot open at that, genuine surprise on my face.

"Bulk Up now!" I barked right before pandemonium struck the battlefield. Oberon only had a moment to tense up right before Snorlax slammed down belly-first onto the ground and sent everything out of order. The ground rumbled and sent my Ursaring straight on his ass, rocks shooting up in random places as the ground crumbled underneath Snorlax's might.

"Alright! Keep it up, Snorlax! Use Rollout into Body Slam!" Ash pressed his advantage. Snorlax roared, turning into a ball once more and rocketing forward once more.

"He's using Rollout to compensate for how slow Snorlax typically are." I was genuinely impressed at that, even as Snorlax leapt into the air to crush my Ursaring underneath.

"Oberon, catch it." Yeah, I lied about that statement earlier. Heh. Ash's eyes shot open.

"What?!" he gaped. Oberon's eyes gleamed at my command, muscles still bulging from the Bulk Up. As Snorlax attempted to land on him, I watched with a wild grin as Oberon held up both his arms and caught it. The ground underneath him began to falter immediately, but despite that, he completely halted the Snorlax's momentum. The crowd gasped in unison, just as shocked to see my powerful Ursaring holding up the heavy Snorlax.

"Throw it."

"URSA!" Oberon howled, heaving Snorlax through the air and showing why he was physically my most powerful pokemon.

"Oh no, Snorlax!" Ash shouted in surprise as his Snorlax went tumbling across the ground.

"What monstrous strength by Silver's Ursaring!" The announcer said, disbelief rolling through him.

"Don't let up the pressure, Oberon. Wrestling tactics," I ordered. Snorlax had no time to relax. 400 pounds of raging bear reached him with a fury that I was carefully honing to make him a machine instead of a killer.

"Defense Curl!" Ash ordered hastily. Snorlax curled up, only for its eyes to bug as Oberon landed a vicious Brick Break to its gut. The defensive maneuver did nothing; the body bent into itself from the force. Oberon wasn't done. Snorlax were tall pokemon, the average reaching close to 7ft, but Oberon was a huge Ursaring himself, a 6'5 behemoth of a bear who had been growing and growing. He was no alpha, but Oberon was quite a bit larger than the average Ursaring.

He snatched his fellow bear's arm before judo flipping it onto its back with a furious howl. The impact of Snorlax connecting to the floor caused the ground to shake once more, ruining the battlefield further and further. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Ash bit his lip as things turned against him.

"Defense isn't working, Snorlax! We need to match it! Flail!" Oberon let out a grunt of surprise as Snorlax began swinging in every direction, practically throwing a tantrum. A stray hand caught him, Snorlax's monstrous strength sending my Ursaring flying backwards and across the floor.

"Nice! Use Rest while you have time!" I scowled.

"Don't let it! Brick Break again!"

"Snore!" Ash countered. I scowled in mild annoyance as sound waves immediately erupted from the sleeping Snorlax, pushing Oberon backwards. So Ash's Snorlax had the Rest combo. It was something I intended to teach Oberon soon, but clearly, my brother got the jump on me.

"Alright, Snorlax, use Sleep Talk!" Snorlax grumbled in his sleep; I watched with an annoyed gaze as the Snorlax raised a hand and slammed it against the ground, another Earthquake ripping through the field. Oberon hissed, his rage mounting as he was once again sent stumbling.

"Rock Tomb!" I suddenly barked. He followed my order instantly, lobbing boulder after boulder at the sleeping Snorlax. Some connected solidly with the sturdy animal, but the others began landing around it like I intended.

"Bulk up just a little more then Earthquake!" I pressed.

"Sleep Talk, Snorlax!" Ash countered. Snorlax lazily got up after the order, body glowing with the sheen of Heavy Slam, but before it could do anything, the ground underneath it shook with tremendous force. Its eyes snapped open in surprise at that, the Earthquake sending it tumbling to the ground. There was blood in my eyes.

"Hammer Arm. Wrap this up while it can't escape." Ash's eyes widened as he realized I had cut off all Snorlax's avenues for escape.

"Snorlax! Match it! Giga Impact!" Oberon roared violently, body bulging up to the point that it might be easy to confuse him for a fighting type. The floor cracked under his lunge, his arm glowing a vivid orange as fighting energy coursed through him. Snorlax took time to catch its footing, but the creature let out a similarly violent roar and lumbered straight to Oberon, orange streaks following the massive creature that eventually turned purple.

They were both slow-moving giants, but they packed a tremendous amount of strength that few pokemon would ever hope to match. They met at the same time, Oberon swinging his arm directly at the glowing Snorlax. The clash was thunderous, the two incredible moves meeting head-on and vying for dominance. It almost looked like it was going to be at a standstill for a moment before I smiled confidently.

"Wrap it up, Oberon."

"What?!" Ash shouted in return, eyes going wide as Oberon let out a furious howl. Snorlax's body began moving backwards as Oberon began to win the power struggle. His full body tackle began to falter at Oberon's powerful arm. It shattered completely as Oberon crashed the other arm into him. The Snorlax wailed, stumbling back as he lost the trade against my Ursaring. Ash didn't account for the fact that Oberon had bulked up... and no one knew just how proficient Oberon had become with Focus Energy.

His ability to channel the power within him had improved drastically; hours of meditation had accumulated into an Ursaring that made the majority of his physical attacks pack the full power behind them. Not to mention, Giga Impact was a move that very quickly left the user sapped of energy. A clash was one of the last things it wanted. It either needed to win immediately or leave the opposition just as drained. Snorlax would need time to recover, something that Oberon wouldn't give him.

My Ursaring's eyes gleamed victoriously before he raised both of his glowing hands above his head, delivering a brutal double axe handle directly onto the Snorlax. The results were devastating; I watched the sheer force crush Snorlax to the ground, leaving a massive indentation from the creature's sheer weight and size. Oberon's physical strength was the highest of my team for a reason. As a Teddiursa, he suplexed a goddamn Pangoro. You did not want to get hit by him. Especially boosted on Focus Energy like he was.

"Snorlax is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Ursaring!" the referee announced. The crowd's cheering once again pierced the barrier, prompting a small smile out of me. There was nothing like a good ol' slugfest to get the blood flowing.

"Incredible! What an exciting brawl between Silver's Ursaring and Ash's Snorlax! Those two titans threw everything at each other until Ursaring finally came out on top with a devastating Hammer Arm! How will Trainer Ash respond to this?!" Oberon panted, lumbering over to my side. Fighting a Snorlax was never easy, but he was one of the best suited for the task. Anyone else on my team would have had to whittle it down and use more stamina than I was comfortable expending. Dealing with a Snorlax was very difficult.

In the future, Achlys would be my best bet, but for now, Oberon was my ideal choice. Well, that was unless this Snorlax had Immunity... I watched with a blank expression as Ash returned his Snorlax to its ball, slight surprise on his face. It made sense. That Snorlax was a beast; not many would be able to stand against it, and I saw why Ash saved it for me. Without Oberon, I'd have to resort to using Metagross as my next best option. Truth be told. I wouldn't have used it as my first pokemon.

Snorlax was one of Ash's heaviest hitters.

"Great job, Snorlax," Ash reassured, tucking his ball away and grabbing another. I watched as he tossed the next ball out. From out of it, the familiar shape of a simian formed, shaggy hair flying in every direction as the Annihilape growled darkly.

"And there it is! Annihilape is the evolution of a pokemon we all know named Primeape! It's incredibly rare to see this pokemon outside of Paldea, but Ash Ketchum happens to have one! Incredible! How did he achieve such a thing?!" The crowd gasped in awe at the rare pokemon, gazing at Annihilape with wonder. Annihilape... another pokemon that had likely used my connection to Giratina to scam an evolution that it normally wouldn't get.

"My, it appears everyone is using me to their advantage, barring you," Giratina mused.

"You're very petty for an ancient primordial god."

"I am an ancient primordial god. Of course, I am 'petty' as you would call it. In fact, I am far worse." I ignored the legend, focusing on Ash's Annihilape.

"Tough battle, Oberon," I informed him, eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Oberon snarled in return.

"Both contestants are set! Ursaring vs Annihilape... Begin!"

"Bulk Up, Annihilape!"

"Sweet Scent." As Annihilape's body bulged, the scent of honey filled the arena. While not as powerful as Gaia's —I doubted many would have a stronger Sweet Scent than my Meganium— Oberon's Sweet Scent was good enough for him. I severely doubted it would slow down that Annihilape much at all, but something was better than nothing.

"That won't stop us! Get close and use Seismic Toss!" My eyes narrowed.

"Bulldoze! Slow it down!" The ground shuddered at the command, but if the simian noticed it certainly didn't act like it gave a fuck. It just rushed forward with a single-minded focus. Oberon's eyes narrowed. He began lobbing boulder after boulder after the Annihilape in hopes of slowing it down. No dice. Annihilape literally punched through every boulder, heading to Oberon with way too much focus for something so visibly angry.

It was faster than Oberon, wielding an impressive speed combined with devastating power. No time was wasted as Annihilape closed the distance. As it grabbed Oberon, my eyes narrowed.

"Play Rough!" I barked. Oberon snarled loudly, resisting the pull. One of his arms glowed pink right before he slugged Annihilape in the face. The fighting type would have been launched back from the force if not for how unrelenting his grip was. If anything, the punch only served to infuriate it even further.

"Close Combat!" Ash roared. What followed next was a slugfest that was over as quickly as it began. Oberon tried to overpower Annihilape, but he was at a severe disadvantage against a Fighting and Ghost type. They punched each other relentlessly, but Annihilape quickly grew tired of it and actually enlarged one of its fists before slamming it directly onto Oberon's face. Oberon's roar was cut short at the impact, his body lifting off the floor. He flew backwards, body thudding on the floor. Annihilape huffed.

No one could come out of a brawl with Oberon unscathed, but the ghost had done a good job minimizing it.

"Ursaring is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Annihilape!"

"And Ash strikes back with that Annihilape! Incredible!" Ash grinned.

"Great job, Annihilape! Let's keep it up!" Ash cheered. Annihilape rumbled ominously, staring a hole into me. I simply returned Oberon to his ball, mulling over my options before nodding my head.

"Loki," I said easily, releasing my first pokemon from the ball.

"Oh! We haven't seen this Zoroark since the beginning of the League! But what's this? Why hasn't Silver shrouded it in an illusion?!" I said nothing, watching as Annihilape honed in on my Zoroark. Mild amusement coursed through me as veins immediately littered the pokemon, waves of ghost energy actually rolling off of it. The malice was clear as day to see. After all, Primeape had literally transcended because of the rage it was feeling at facing my Zoroark.

"Both contestants are set! Annihilape vs Zoroark... Begin!"

"Shadow Ball."

"Rage Fist!" My eyes narrowed as Ash's pokemon destroyed the orb immediately with a ghostly fist. Rage Fist was a technique that grew stronger on repeated use. Annihilape used its genuine anger as fuel to power it up even further... and the move made it angrier. It was a dangerous move. One that could snowball a battle out of control if Annihilape were allowed to do as it pleased.

"Keep it cool, Loki." Loki smiled in amusement, activating Calm Mind on a dime. Almost instantly, illusions filled the field, all of my Zoroark. I watched Annihilape nearly blow a lid, as the Zoroarks began yapping in its ears. One stuck its tongue out, another mocked it, and one was just an image of Annihilape itself. Right as my opponent nearly lost its cool, a psychic sheen wrapped around the pokemon and sent it flying backwards. That did the trick.

"ANNI!" Annihilape roared, fuse lit instantly as Loki poked and prodded it.

"There it is," I mused, even as all Loki's let out an insufferable laugh.

"Don't let it get to you, Annihilape! Remember what we practiced! Use Earthquake!" Ash shouted immediately. My brow shot up at that. That was two of Ash's pokemon that had Earthquake... Well, he did have the Earth Badge. From what I understood, the Rocket Trio battled him... so why did they give him such a strong TM? Annihilape let out a furious roar, enlarged that unshackled arm, and crashed it against the ground, causing it to erupt.

Every illusion of Loki was disrupted, as my main fox let out a shout of surprise. Ash wasn't even able to give out an order before Annihilape struck. He rushed to the spot where the real Loki was at with blood in his eyes, fists glowing. A sheen of psychic energy attempted to wrap around it, but the fighting type bulldozed through it with ghostly energy. Loki hissed in annoyance, firing off an Extrasensory that stopped Annihilape.

The beam of psychic energy pushed back against the fighting type, but to my slight astonishment, Annihilape activated another Rage Fist and punched the beam out of existence.

"Dodge for your life!" I demanded. Loki's gaze sharpened right as Annihilape set upon him. He leapt backwards to avoid the clubbing blow that caved the floor where he just stood. Annihilape was relentless; the furious pokemon lunging forward with the sole intention of breaking my Zoroark. Loki's dexterity was something to admire, though. Utilizing his superior speed and Agility, he remained one step ahead the entire time... but he wasn't given much opportunity to attack because Annihilape wasn't letting up.

A wild swing to the head was ducked under, Annihilape ignoring the returning Night Slash to deliver a Low Kick that Loki just barely leapt over. His eyes widened as Annihilape attempted to end his existence with a brutal Close Combat, but at the last second, Loki activated Agility and dashed away.

"Not so fast! Stomping Tantrum!" Ash pressed. My eyes glinted as Annihilape let out a furious shout, stamping every limb on the ground and causing the arena to shake with its efforts. The ruined ground was completely decimated; it was uprooted, splinters formed everywhere, and rocks went flying. Loki wasn't able to get far enough from the attack, Annihilape's previous failure making the attack downright devastating.

It was even more effective than Earthquake, and I narrowed my eyes as the injured Loki was sent flying away.

"Now, use Cross Chop! Finish it off!" Ash roared, eyes glowing with fury.

"Night Daze!" I barked in a panic, eyes wide.

"FIGHT THROUGH IT! FINISH THIS!" I watched with wide eyes as Loki desperately summoned a Night Daze, the dome of energy not halting Annihilape's approach at all. It looked almost too easy, watching the fighting type bulldoze through the attack like it wasn't even there. The attack abruptly ended, showing Annihilape directly in front of my wide-eyed Zoroark.

"No, Loki!" I shouted.

"Alright, Annihilape! Even this up!" Annihilape roared in victory, arms crossed as it crashed into Loki... And flew right through it....

"W-What?" Ash stammered in confusion.

"U-Turn," I said blandly, the fear and surprise I was showing earlier falling off like paint. Annihilape gazed at the spot, stunned out of its anger and leaving it wide open to a sickly green ball of energy crashing into it. Loki flew back into the ball in my hand, and I pocketed it easily, holding another ball in my other hand.

"I can't believe my eyes! What did we just witness?! An Illusion?! But when?! Silver has utilized U-Turn, which means he can swap his pokemon freely!"

"The Night Daze was fake. That second of space you gave us was more than enough to set up an illusion," I supplied helpfully. Ash looked stunned, causing me to shake my head.

"You made a fatal mistake, Ketchum. In a high-stakes battle, it really only takes one to decide the victor."

"What are you talking about?!" Ash asked in confusion. I smiled idly.

"You battled with too much emotion." With that, I threw my ball forward.

"Ares, let's wrap this up." A loud silence fell over the entire stadium as I revealed my 3rd pokemon. They stared, jaws agape as even the crickets said nothing... or I guess the Kricketune? Ares basked in it all. She basked in the disbelief, the quiet, and she especially basked in the doses of fear at the idea of a Salamence coming in this size. Finally, my Salamence took a deep breath— And roared as loudly as possible.

"SAAAAALL!" The effects were immediate.

"ARES!" I heard three familiar little children squeal.

"HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT SALAMENCE!"

"IT'S HUGE!"

"ARE WE SURE HE ISN'T USING DRUGS?! THAT URSARING LOOKED A LITTLE BIGGER TOO!"

"I BET HE USES RARE CANDIES!" Immediately afterwards, the crowd lost it. A cacophony of noise suddenly filled the entire place, everyone clambering to say something above the other. I smiled as Ares absorbed all the praise. She deserved it. My dragon princess had finally gained the wings that would ascend her to the heights necessary to rule the skies.

"Ares, we're gonna finish this up," I informed her. She turned towards me, huffing out some words.

"Yes, I hear how they're praising you. Yes, you deserve it," I said, smiling at her.

"Silver has swapped to Salamence by use of move! That means Zoroark is still in the battle, but the contestants are now Annihilape vs Salamence... Begin!"

"Rock Tomb!" Ash shouted immediately, undeterred by the sight of my Salamence.

"Up. Dragon Dance." Ares flexed her wings, taking off into the sky immediately as she moved to a beat that only she could hear. The speed of the rocks was nothing to my Salamence, something she was well aware of. Annihilape snarled at the failed move, labored breaths masked by adrenaline and fury... But sometimes, that just wasn't enough.

"Tailwind; Aerial Ace." Tailwind hadn't been mastered just yet. At best, it could slightly increase her speed, but it wasn't at a level I was satisfied with at all... A glowing Ares cut through Annihilape in an instant, massive body uprooting the poor simian off its feet and sending it rocketing into the wall with a boom!... But it was good enough. There was no need to have it mastered immediately. Ares was a fucking Alpha Salamence. Aerial Ace was a move the lighter bird pokemon tended to use.

It was incredibly quick, difficult to dodge... but didn't pack a lot of power because birds tended not to weigh much. Ares did not abide by those rules. She was almost everything the birds were not, and as a result, her Aerial Ace naturally eclipsed theirs. Not even raw rage could save Annihilape. Its airborne body plummeted to the floor with a sickening thud, not even a twitch escaping it. Such was the might of Ares.

"Annihilape is unable to battle; the winner of this round is Salamence!" the ref shouted.

"Whoa! In a flash, Salamence has propelled the lead 2-1 in Silver's favor, getting him out of his slightly disadvantageous situation! What an ingenious use of U-Turn to give himself the advantage!" Ares roared victoriously at her first conquest of many, body glowing ever so slightly as Moxie took effect. She bulged up, a snarl ripping itself out of her as her instincts threatened to overwhelm her. She stamped her feet on the ground, huffing to herself and gathering her wits.

Believe it or not, the best way for me to get Ares to control herself was to point out that while she was rampaging, she couldn't properly bask in the thrill of battles for herself. It had worked wonderfully. I loved that despite having the same issues, Ares and Oberon required vastly different approaches. For one, I just needed to help calm them down, and for the other, I had to point out what they were missing out on. Granted, it wasn't that simple... but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

For Oberon, the further he was pushed, the more likely he was to go out of control. Similarly, more conquests would propel Ares to that dreadful rampage. Obviously, I wouldn't let her kill someone... but she could still do as much damage as possible. Ash returned Annihilape to the ball, properly rattled. Defeating Loki would have propelled his confidence, but the exact opposite occurred... Exactly as I intended. Now, it was time to wrap this up. Confidence was a powerful thing after all.

"Nice try, Annihilape. We'll get him next time," Ash assured, staring at my Salamence like the insurmountable titan she was.

"Next, you're going to send out Charizard." Ash froze even as Charizard burst out of the ball with a roar of fire. I stared at him with a half-lidded expression, sighing to myself.

"This is why I said it was over, by the way. Ares has never lost to a member of the Charmander line," I offered cryptically. Charizard glared furiously at Ares. If I hazarded a guess, he was recalling that ass whooping that Arestwo inflicted on him.

"Ares, seems like we have a record to keep," I told her. She howled in agreement, glaring at her opponent.

"Both contestants are set! Salamence vs Charizard... Begin!"

"Up!" we both said at the same time.

"Dragon Breath!" we said in unison. At once, both the dragons opened their mouths and unleashed a turquoise beam of energy. The unique flames met in the middle, Charizard's own quickly getting overpowered by Ares' attack. The dragon anticipated that. Charizard flew out of the way of the speeding attack, put out by his attack being overpowered so effortlessly.

"Don't give up, Charizard! Dragon Dance!" Ash shouted. I raised a brow at that, surprised that he knew Dragon Dance.

"Aerial Ace." Charizard barely finished his head bump before being forced to defend against my speeding Salamence. Ares crashed into him like a freight train, snarling directly in his face. No matter what evolution had done, nothing would change the fact that my dragon loved getting close and personal. Now she had the speed to achieve that. No more playing keep away, you cowards. If Charizard was bothered by the fact that a Salamence was looming over him, he didn't show it... Well, up until I said, "Scary Face."

Charizard faltered as Ares glared venomously at it. She was a good bit more intimidating than a Shelgon, so even without the actual ability... well, Scary Face was pretty effective. I realized something fighting Blaine's Charizard: the dragons were genuinely just pseudo-dragons; they had fairly tough scales, good affinity with the moves... and a real bad temper when their pride was tested. Spooking them was a very good way to get that temper.

Charizard reeled back at the menacing aura right before Ares forcefully snapped him out of it by headbutting his snout. If they weren't so high up, I'm sure I'd have heard a cracking noise.

"Oh no! Charizard, use Dragon Claw!" Ash shouted desperately.

"Overpower it with your own," I countered. Charizard roared furiously, something that Ares eagerly matched. The two dragons soared through the sky, constantly clashing their limbs with one another. Ares grinned ferally, loving the all-out brawl. Ash's Charizard didn't share that same sentiment. It was just not as physically dominant as Ares was, losing every trade the two engaged in.

"You won't win like that, Charizard! Smokescreen and get away!" Ash exclaimed, watching as Ares began whittling him down. Ares' grin vanished, replaced by a cough of fury as Charizard spat out an oily fog. She let out a roar of rage, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Summon a stronger wind, Ares." The Tailwind blew through, clearing up the smoke easily. Her eyes were pulsing in an anger that only amplified as a Dragon Pulse exploded in her face. I shut my eyes and sighed as Ares let out an irate howl. Charizard barely got a noise out before a full-body tackle connected. The force was so great that it sent him careening towards the floor. As he plummeted, a continuous Dragon Breath crashed into his sternum. Ares did not let up.

I told you she could keep it going for as long as she wanted. Clearly, she was being merciful today because she let up the stream earlier than I thought... but that was made clear as she fired off a single giant Dragon Pulse at the spot.

"What a brutal assault by Ares! Can this enormous Salamence be stopped?!" the announcer shouted. I said nothing, crossing my arms and staring at the smoke— A furious roar cut me off. My brow shot up high as an incredible wave of fire blew away the dust. Charizard didn't even look like it should be standing right now, but here it was to prove me wrong. Despite the bruises and gashes on its body, the dragon's eyes glowed a furious shade of red, an orange aura pulsing around its body. Blaze. Hm...

"Amazing! In an epic turn of events, Trainer Ash's Charizard has pulled itself back up! What incredible grit and resolve—""Dragon Pulse." The announcer abruptly stopped talking as Ares aimed a carefully placed Dragon Pulse directly at the enraged Charizard.

"Pride can only take you so far," I said flatly.

"What ruthless words from Trainer Silver!" Charizard teetered backward as the Dragon Pulse erupted in his face. It was genuinely a miracle that this thing was still standing, and that was why I aimed to stamp out Ash completely because of moments like this— My eyes actually widened in surprise as Charizard practically exploded in a fiery blaze. I watched as the flames careened towards Ares, who roared in surprise. She barely managed to fly past, but some of the flames tagged her anyway.

Part of me thought it was Overheat that Charizard did, until I saw burns form across her scales. Inferno then? Hm... Ares let out an annoyed snarl, firing another Dragon Pulse that sent Charizard down for good.

"Charizard is unable to battle; the winner of this round is Salamence!" The announcer looked to say something, but he jumped as Ares let out a bone-rattling shriek. Her eyes glazed over, red tint eerily similar to Charizard's own while Blaze was activated.

"O-Oh? Something seems to be happening to Trainer Silver's Salamence!" Yeah... if only he knew that something was her slipping into a murderous rage. I tilted my head.

"Ares, if you're gonna lose control... I'm going to return you and use Freyja." The effects were so immediate that they bordered on comedic. I watched the haze leave Ares' gaze as she immediately slammed down on my side, turning towards me. I watched her even ignore the burns riddling her body so she could instead glare at me. If only she knew Freyja wasn't even my last pokemon. I just baited her. Ash clenched a fist, returning Charizard to the ball.

"Great job, Charizard. We'll beat that Salamence for you," he assured. I said nothing at that, watching as he predictably gazed at his final pokemon. Pikachu gazed at Ares, leaping onto the field with no fear in its gaze. It was a real David vs Goliath moment, looking at the Pikachu standing across from my well-above-average Salamence.

"Don't underestimate it, Ares. We're finishing this up now and then getting your burns treated," I said bluntly. She growled in acceptance, gazing at the rat with a very unsettling gaze. I hoped she wasn't having any idea of eating it. Delia's face would be too unbearable to look at if I had to explain to her that my feral dragon ate her son's mouse.

"Let's do this, Pikachu!" I was impressed. Ash still looked determined... he was hellbent on winning this whole thing, something I respected. Even with all the tables turned against him, he was still trying. But I wouldn't let him make that comeback. I would make sure he didn't even get past Ares.

"Both contestants are set! Salamence vs Pikachu... begin!" Ares was too bloodthirsty to await my orders. She immediately opened her mouth and fired a Dragon Breath stream that Pikachu immediately sprinted away from. The rodent was fast, leaping behind uprooted rocks, jumping over the dangerous spots of the ground, and dodging the Dragon Breath. A flare of her burns cut Ares' stream off. She grunted at the sensation, but it wasn't the end of the world, considering how often Freyja burned her with Scald.

Still would be a pain to deal with.

"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" Ash shouted. Pikachu growled fiercely, the adorable noise doing nothing to phase us. It charged an incredible amount of electricity before firing the Thunderbolt at Ares. She immediately took flight, ignoring her burns and rising into the sky.

"Missile Strike." Pikachu and Ash shouted in equal levels of surprise as Ares began raining hell onto the already ruined battlefield.

"Quick Attack Pikachu! Keep dodging!" The battlefield was growing worse and worse to traverse, a major reason why I decided to wrap this up with Ares. It's why I was so readily telling Oberon to tear it up during his battle with Snorlax. Though Ash's pokemon adjusted to it well, Pikachu traversed the area as if it were performing parkour; I was honestly impressed by how speedy the electric mouse was. It performed admirably in its bullet-hell situation.

Sure, Ares was suffering from the burns while Pikachu was fresh, but that was still a good feat.

"Aerial Ace." Pikachu squealed in surprise as Ares suddenly appeared in front of him. She full body tackled the mouse, upheaving him with far too much ease. I wasn't sure how hard Ares hit him, but he went flying back like she had used her full force. I'm sure the sound barrier might have broken with how fast his body was traveling. I didn't pay much attention to that, though, opting to suck my teeth instead as sparks ran across her body too.

"Man, Ares, you sure are going through the gauntlet," I muttered.

"And Ares has been paralyzed! Things have suddenly taken a turn! Is there suddenly an avenue of victory for Pikachu?!" The announcer questioned, igniting the crowd's passion once more. Ares snarled, very quickly losing her temper. Her gaze honed in on the Pikachu struggling to his feet, and I kept a close eye on her, one hand on my ball in case she tried to swallow him whole.

"Can you fly up, Ares?" I questioned. She flapped once before the sparks made themselves known again. It immediately floored her, and I just knew Ares was going to lose her temper... she just couldn't quite yet because of the Thunderbolt that crashed into her, distracting her enough to prevent the furious roar from being let out.

"Keep up the assault, Pikachu! Electro Ball!" Ash shouted, eyes glinting as he seized the opportunity. Pikachu panted, eyes blazing with a surprising amount of venom for such a chubby little rat. It leapt into the air, a ball forming on its tail. The mouse spun rapidly and launched the projectile with momentum. Ares howled in annoyance, the ball making her reel back in genuine pain. She took more steps backwards than I expected her to, showing the true damage behind the move.

"Fire Blast!" I barked. While losing to a Pikachu would definitely help in teaching her not to underestimate a foe, Ares would be insufferable if she did lose. My moping little dragon was the second biggest drama queen after Gaia. Ares scowled furiously. Flames formed in her mouth, and she reared her head back— Right before the sparks stopped her in her tracks. God, Paralysis was so annoying. I didn't even know Pikachu had Static. You would think this broken ass rat would have Lightning Rod.

"THUNDER!" Ash roared. Pikachu roared too, glowing yellow. He fired a beam of electricity directly into the sky that coalesced into a bundle of lightning. Ares took a single step forward before the attack screeched. The Thunder lanced down directly onto Ares, getting an actual roar of pain out of her. Pikachu fueled as much energy into the Thunder as possible, trying to keep Ares in place, but he was forced to cut the attack short as a Dragon Pulse crashed directly into his sternum.

The ball of energy was the size of Pikachu, carrying him through the air and promptly exploding.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted in concern, one eye on his first pokemon, the other on the livid Ares. Burns littered her body, sparks periodically rolled through it, she had bruises everywhere from her battle with both Charizard and Pikachu... and she was downright pissed at the series of events taking place. She screeched in an unruly rage, turquoise flames spat out of her mouth to match her temper. Ares was a juggernaut. Not even all these injuries were enough to keep her down...

but she wouldn't last long at this rate, juggernaut or not.

"Get up, Pikachu! We can still do this!" Ash encouraged. Pikachu panted, one of his eyes shut. The little thing was way too damn resilient, not wanting to let his beloved trainer down. Adrenaline fueled it beyond a level it was normally capable of. I sucked my teeth as it got on all fours, slipping into a Quick Attack. Ares was unable to keep up as the electric mouse began speeding across the entire arena. Ash caught on quickly.

"That Salamence is on its last legs, too, Pikachu! Finish this with Wild Charge!" Pikachu was a blur, flitting across the field and gathering as much electricity as it could. Much to my slight alarm, that looked like far more electricity than a Wild Charge needed. Don't tell me... did Pikachu just learn Volt Tackle on the spot?! It seemed like the answer was yes, because Pikachu began speeding across the field, a giant ball of electricity covering his little body.

He picked up the pace, roaring his name and launching himself at the wounded Ares. It was a real David vs Goliath situation. A situation where David would muster up the necessary strength to slay a giant...

"Protect."... But I wasn't as stupid as Goliath. This wasn't a fairy tale where his grit would help him against an insurmountable foe. This was Ash going against one of my strongest pokemon. Pikachu's body crashed ruthlessly into the Protect, the eyes of the mouse going blank from the sheer impact.

"Earthquake." Pikachu's body just began to peel itself from the barrier before a giant tail smashed it onto the ground. I watched coldly as the ground began shaking from the impact. This was the surest sign that I respected Ash's capabilities. I wouldn't let this Pikachu mount any form of a comeback. Ares huffed, removing her massive tail from the Pikachu's form. She gazed at the little mouse in respect, despite that, snarling something under her breath. It said something that Pikachu was able to earn her respect.

Ares didn't just give that out to anyone, especially after a battle of all things.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, which means that Trainer Ash has no more pokemon! The winners of this match are Silver and Salamence!" All respect flew out of the window, though, as that adrenaline rush hit. There wasn't a chance Ares could handle a third dose of Moxie right now, so we wouldn't even test it. I easily returned her to the ball before releasing both her and Gaia right next to me. Ares didn't even get to let out a furious roar before Gaia gently wrapped some vines around her mouth.

A pleasant, powerful aroma wafted through the air, causing me to sag with a sigh. The rage left Ares' eyes in an instant, and she sagged against Gaia. I smiled as my queen of a starter muttered soothingly to my dragon princess.

"Hey, Ares... listen to that. They're cheering your glory," I chuckled. Ares perked up, eyes drooping as the adrenaline was ripped out of her. I watched her bask in the roaring of the incredulous crowd, a small smile on my face.

"Unbelievable! What a performance by Ares the Salamence! She refused to go down and has propelled Silver into the Top 8 with an impressive win of 4-1!" The announcer's voice was genuinely excited, just someone who enjoyed good battles.

"I can't believe my ears! This year, 4 rookies have all made it to the Top 8! That's unheard of! And what's even better, they're all a part of the same group. Is this really the year of Colors?!" I smirked, rubbing Ares' face with my own and getting an affectionate bark out of her. She licked me, rough tongue instantly turning my cheek red, and butt her head against my chest, sending me sprawling on the floor if not for Gaia keeping a firm grip around my waist.

"Well done, all of you. Just a few more matches," I murmured, returning them to their balls.

"Later on, we'll be conducting the Top 8 draw to decide the rest of the tournament!" I mulled that over. They would be conducting draws once more for Top 8. There was no knowing who my opponent was going to be until they performed the draw. That was going to be fun. I wonder who I was going to face... Would it be Maria? Those thoughts could wait for later. First, I needed healing. That was a higher priority than anything. I spared Ash a glance and made eye contact with him.

We stared at each other for a moment before I gave him a single nod. He did well. I had nothing bad to say about his performance... Only disappointments got my bad side, so I wouldn't say anything at all. Sometimes, that was for the best. No need to kick him while he's down... Delia would be upset with me. Ash watched numbly as Silver nuzzled his Salamence with a small smile on his normally scowling face.

An unconscious Pikachu was in his arms, with bruises and cuts all over the electric type that demanded an urgent trip to the Center. The most dreadful to look at was the long lash mark, courtesy of Ares' tail, that covered his entire body. But despite that, he was stuck in one spot. He replayed the battle in his head over and over again, the cheering of the crowd fueling him to figure out what went wrong. He was out of the Conference... he wanted to win it all, but Silver had beaten him without room for doubt.

"You made a fatal mistake, Ketchum. In a high-stakes battle, it really only takes one to decide the victor." Silver knew. Silver knew what he had done wrong.

"Let's give it up for the Rookie Ash Ketchum! An incredible performance by this promising young man!" Ash jolted as the crowd began cheering his name. They were giving him words of encouragement... something that surprised him.

"You'll get him next time, Ash!" someone cheered.

"Great job, kid!"

"You'll definitely win a league soon! You've got the talent!" He smiled shakily at them, waving at the polite crowd before exiting the field. Ash rushed past the surprised Brock and Misty, a single destination on his mind.

"Hey, wait up, Ash!" Misty shouted, reaching out to stop him and failing.

"Let's just follow him," Brock insisted, chasing after the boy. Delia pushed herself up, turning towards Solari in the process.

"I'm going to go see Ashy! He must not be feeling too good after that," she said. Solari nodded understandingly.

"I'll come too. It's likely Silver is headed the same way. Children," she said softly, smiling as all three leapt up to position. It was normally difficult getting the children to listen, but Silver had stressed that they should, and Moon adored him so much that she even managed to corral Sun. Yellow was a little sweetheart. She always listened.

"Did you see that, Yellow? Sis?! Oby was all roooar, and Loki was all fwish, then Ares was whoosh and CRASH!" Sun gaped, eyes gleaming wildly. He jumped around eagerly, Bulbasaur wrapping a single vine around his arm to keep him in check.

"Yeah, bro," Moon nodded, holding Squirtle's hand as they walked side by side.

"That was so cool! I wanna battle like that too!" he gushed.

"Me too, bro," Moon agreed. Yellow giggled, Charmander resting on her back.

"You're all still too young! Big brother said he'd help a little after he won!"

"I'm so excited! Let's go see him! I wanna see big bro!" Sun cheered. Solari laughed at the sight of Moon leading the charge despite Sun being the one who said that. She truly did adore Silver... it was adorable!

"Silver's growing very strong," Jesse noted nervously, eyes glued onto the battle that took place.

"Very fast," James agreed shakily. None of them imagined he'd have grown so quickly in such a short span. He and that group he called his gang... It would only be a matter of time before Silver could confidently take an executive by himself... if he couldn't already. At his rate of growth... yeah, they would not mess with him. They guessed it was time to continue terrorizing the twerp.

"Silver!" Silver paused, slowly turning towards Ash. The two brothers had a stare-off that was only interrupted by Ash's slight pants.

"You said I made a mistake... what was it?" Ash asked finally. The redhead raised a brow, slight surprise on his features. He idly glanced around before shrugging.

"I already told you, you battled with too much emotion... but I'll elaborate fully since that was a good match despite the outcome," Silver said eventually, turning on a dime and making his way to the center. Ash followed in anticipation, eyes trained on the winner of their match as dozens of thoughts ran through his head at once.

"Why did you send out Annihilape against Oberon?" Silver asked suddenly. Ash looked surprised at the sudden question.

"Because he was the best bet against him," he answered.

"Yes, exactly... but Annihilape was also your win condition. He wasn't just the best bet against Oberon. He was your best bet, period." Ash paused in disbelief.

"Annihilape was?" Silver turned towards him.

"Of course he was. You lost the moment you sent him out so early. That Annihilape was the MVP of your team." He put up four fingers.

"Oberon, Metagross, Loki, Ares. Those were the four pokemon I selected. Your Annihilape has an advantage against 3 out of 4 of my pokemon... but you didn't use him like he was your ace." Ash looked stunned as Silver pinned him with a pointed stare.

"Your team has a hierarchy, whether you want to admit it or not. It's a hierarchy formed on emotion and narratives, and it influences how you use your pokemon." A hierarchy...?

"You didn't enter the battle to win and go on to the next round. You went into that battle to get redemption for your pokemon. That's why I immediately knew three out of four of your slots." Silver placed 3 Luxury Balls on the Pokemon Center counter before beckoning for Ash to do the same.

"You wanted to get revenge for Charizard, Pikachu, and Annihilape, giving you only one slot to be flexible. In the process, you made a fatal mistake in how important you ranked your pokemon." Ash looked utterly stunned at the dissection, even as Nurse Joy delicately took Pikachu out of his hands.

"You wanted Pikachu and Charizard to get revenge on Metagross, so the idea of using them against anyone else was not feasible to you. Similarly, I knew you and Annihilape wanted to get revenge on Loki, which is why I let it exhaust itself. Your Annihilape expended all its rage and energy to try and defeat Loki... when I never wanted Loki defeated in the first place." Silver took a seat, sighing to himself about something.

"To be honest, I didn't even plan on putting Loki in the battle. He doesn't particularly excel against any of your pokemon, and I would have preferred Gaia in case you used that monstrous Kingler or the Wartortle that's about to evolve, but I knew his value would be priceless regardless."

"The reason I won is because you were too predictable. The reason you lost is because your pokemon have different values to you."

"That's... that's not true," Ash denied, head swirling at the information. Silver looked unimpressed.

"I don't play favorites. I'm well aware that anyone on my team can play the role of my ace. All the members of my team are the main characters. But you? In your eyes, your only aces are Charizard and Pikachu, when that isn't very fair to the others."

"If I had your team, I would have never sent Annihilape out so early, especially after the work your Snorlax put in. I'd only use Charizard to face off against the Meganium or Metagross, not send it to the slaughter against a Salamence. Charizard had no advantage over Ares, but you used him against a fresh one regardless. I'd have at least used Pikachu first to soften her up... not that I would have brought Pikachu into this battle regardless." Silver tilted his head.

"Once Ursaring eliminated Snorlax, I'd use Charizard to finish him off. Oberon has a range issue, something flying types can exploit, especially when he's exhausted. Under no circumstances would I have sent Annihilape out until I had no choice, because I know someone would have a counter for him." He pointed at Ash.

"You didn't respect your best pokemon like you should have. You didn't think that I was preparing to neutralize your Annihilape. You thought I was focused on Charizard and Pikachu... but I never was. I was focused on everyone but them, believe it or not." Did Ash... really play favorites?

"I knew your Annihilape was your biggest threat more than you did, so I prepared Ares for him. The moment you sent him out so early, you sealed your fate. He should have been your cornerstone for this battle, but you didn't value him enough because Charizard and Pikachu had a stronger narrative reason to face me." Silver's smirk was sardonic.

"I knew all this... To you, this was your chance at redemption against me. But to me, this was just a battle I needed to win. I didn't have that same narrative weight against you. I didn't feel obligated to use certain pokemon... but I respected you enough to save Metagross as my fourth, so you could try for that redemption if it got there." Silver stood up, staring at Ash.

"You shouldn't feel bad about this loss. If it's any consolation, this battle was the surest sign I respected what you could do; else I wouldn't have bothered using Ares against you. The mistake you made with Annihilape was bad, but it's not like you'd win even if you accounted for that. Just woulda increased your odds." With that, Silver turned on a dime and walked away, only for the redhead to instantly get swamped by three children and a mother. He exhaled in exhaustion before hoisting the kids up.

Ash was at a loss for words. He silently digested all of what Silver said, with a pensive expression on his face.

"Oh, Ashy, are you okay?" Delia asked, immediately pulling him into a tight hug. Misty and Brock sat down as well, both with apologetic looks.

"We didn't expect Silver to whip out the big guns. It sounded like he had you scouted," Brock mused, a small frown on his face.

"Yeah, he didn't underestimate you at all! I think he was afraid that you'd pull off some magic to win!" Misty exclaimed. Ash said nothing for a long while.

"I don't think magic would have helped with that match," Ash said honestly. They looked at him in confusion. Ash sighed, adjusting his hat.

"Silver had me figured out from the start. I don't think I was ever going to win," he admitted bitterly. Battling with too much emotion... Silver exploited that aspect of him completely. He knew exactly what Ash wanted out of that battle, so he prepared accordingly. Did he really value his pokemon differently? There was no doubt that Ash loved his team... but did he rely too much on Pikachu and Charizard? Ash hadn't been thinking about how his pokemon interacted with Silver's own.

He had just been thinking about getting his payback against certain ones because they deserved it. But Silver read him like a book, accounting for everything he would do. Silver used his own mind against him and turned it into a battle of strength, something in which he had a clear advantage. Was it possible that he selected the wrong pokemon for the battle? Maybe if he used Pikachu earlier and then, while Salamence was paralyzed, capitalized on the advantage with Charizard...

A delicate hand landed on his shoulder, prompting Ash to meet the soft gaze of his mother.

"I was... listening in a little," Delia admitted, thanking her previous skills for such a thing.

"Silver is abrasive... but there's a lot of wisdom in what he says. His rough personality hides the gems... and I think he was telling you to treat all your pokemon equally." Delia sighed fondly. Silver should learn to speak more honestly, and people would see that he was a sweetheart...

"There's no shame in your performance, Ashy! You did amazing for a rookie, and you'll only get better!" she encouraged, hugging him tightly.

"Yeah! Top 16 as a first-year is incredible! Most don't even make it out of the preliminaries," Brock informed him.

"Besides, Silver's one of the favorites to win this whole thing! There's no shame in losing to him!" Misty exclaimed. Ash nodded slowly.

"Yeah... you're right! I just have to get better!" he exclaimed. Delia clapped happily.

"That's the spirit! Losing feels terrible, but don't forget all you've accomplished!" The mother stood up.

"Now go tell your team how proud you are of them! They did incredibly in this tournament!" Ash nodded strongly. He wasn't the only one who lost... his team did too! It sucked... it really sucked, but he'd bounce back. This was just the beginning! I shot Solari a helpless look, just beckoning towards the door because I was a little occupied with the three little gremlins who seriously would not let me go. She giggled.

"I do love when you're around. The children are completely pacified, and they hound you instead." She received a dirty glare for her words.

"Keep it up, and you'll stop being my favorite of the three psycho moms," I hissed warningly. Solari blinked.

"I'm your favorite?" she asked, a delighted smile on her face. It said something that she wasn't even offended by being called a psycho.

"You're the least annoying." She giggled even louder, even as the door swung open, showing Green's grinning visage.

"If it isn't our final member of the Top 8!" she said teasingly before blinking owlishly at the sight greeting her. I couldn't quite blame her. Three kids were latched onto me like I was their mother. By now, Moon had taken her favorite spot on my back, tiny little arms wrapped around my neck, while I held up Sun and Yellow in both arms. Luckily for me, Green's appearance made Yellow grin widely, a flush appearing on her face.

"Green!" Yellow squealed, leaping out of my arm and into her. My companion let out a small shout of surprise at the action before grinning happily.

"Yellow!" Green squealed in return, smushing her cheek against the little girl.

"Look at you! You're so big!" Yellow cheered happily and said, "I'm 6 now! I'm becoming a big girl like you!"

"Awesome! I see you met my friend, Silver!"

"Mhm! Big Bro is the best!" Yellow cheered.

"Big bro?!" Green repeated in surprise, shooting me a stunned look. Mild amusement coursed through me, and I walked through the door and into my lodgings. I could hear an argument taking place, rolling my eyes in amusement as I identified the voices as Maple and Gold.

"These little gremlins won't leave me alone," I informed her flatly, gesturing to the Sun and Moon, who still hadn't removed themselves from my grasp. Green immediately keeled over, clutching Yellow to her black dress. She weakly rasped, "Way... too adorable." I smiled ever so slightly, exaggerating the roll of my eyes.

"C'mon, let me introduce everyone."

"How are you so good at this?!" Gold shouted incredulously. Maple let out a haughty laugh.

"You little whippersnappers lack experience! You might be crazy talented in battles, but a classy woman like me knows everything!" Solari put a hand near her mouth and said, "It's good to know that Maple is already enjoying herself!"

"That deranged woman could enjoy herself anywhere," I muttered. Maple tended to overwhelm me... a lot. Green laughed cheerfully.

"Guys! Silver's back!" I watched with an amused smile as the conversation immediately shifted, Gold and Maple getting off Collision Course, while Crystal rushed me. I idly felt Moon clutch my neck a little tighter, which didn't surprise me all that much because, despite her difficult time showing how she really felt, she was still fairly antisocial.

"You made it!" Crystal cheered.

"Took you long enough! All our matches were done in a breeze, dude. What's going on?!" Gold cackled. I scowled and said, "What are you talking about? My match didn't even take that long." My male counterpart snorted.

"Whatever you say, slowpoke—" Gold blinked owlishly, having taken note of the girl peeking over my shoulder.

"You have another sister?!" he gaped. Then, he honed in on the boy I was holding.

"I HAVE A BROTHER?!" Okay, maybe Gold and I were brothers from another mother. Crystal slapped her forehead.

"Gold, do you really not remember what Silver said before? These are our little Color companions!" she exclaimed, glowing with a pleased flush.

"Whoa! You and me have the same eyes, just like Moon and Big Bro!" Sun greeted cheerfully, hopping out of my grasp and approaching the stunned Gold. Honestly, standing this close... I could believe that Gold and Sun were brothers. They both had jet black hair that contrasted their eyes, which seemed to absorb the very energy of the sun. In contrast, Moon and I mostly had just our eyes. Though her hair was the same shade of black as Giovanni's. It was so strange.

Well, Ho-Oh and Lugia both represented the sun and moon, respectively, in the games... so these two were destined to have similarities to us, considering they were named Sun and Moon.

"This is awesome! Not even my mom has eyes this close in color to me, and they're yellow!" Gold exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. He effortlessly hoisted Sun up, getting the most outgoing of Colors Jr. to squeal excitedly.

"You must be Sun! Nice to meetcha! I'm Gold, the cooler big bro between me and Silver!" he bragged. Sun's eyes widened in awe.

"Cooler than Big Bro Silva?!"

"Silver, Sun, and no, he isn't," Moon interjected, some steel entering her voice. I huffed in amusement, patting Moon's hair to appease her.

"Everyone, this is Sun, Moon, and their mom, Solari. They're from Viridian City, and they're residing in that house I mentioned," I introduced easily. I then pointed at the Yellow hiding half her body in Green's hair.

"That's Yellow. She's also from Viridian City, but her parents tend to leave her with Maple a lot, so she's basically a Pallet resident." Maple waved cheerfully at that. Yellow's was a lot more tentative. Crystal was the first to break the silence, reaching out to grab Solari's hand with a polite smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Solari! I'm Crystal, this is Gold, and this is Green!" she greeted cheerfully. Solari gasped slightly.

"I didn't expect Silver to be so friendly with someone so polite! It's a pleasure to meet you, Crystal, Gold, and Green!" she greeted happily, a motherly grin on her face.

"I've learned so much about you all! Silver truly thinks highly of you." The mother of the twins bowed.

"I cannot wait to learn more about you. You're practically all my children now!"

"Wow, way more normal than my mom," Crystal gasped.

"Tell me about it," Gold groaned.

"She's more normal than all the moms," I said tonelessly.

"H-Hey!" Maple protested. Solari giggled.

"I'm sure both your mothers are perfectly normal!" Gold rolled his eyes.

"She'll be showing up soon for the Top 8. You can make that decision for yourself... but you'll understand eventually." Crystal laughed nervously.

"Our mothers are eccentric. It's no wonder they're so friendly with each other." I glanced over.

"Sounds like a fine addition to the mothers. I'll be sure to introduce you all." Maple reached over and tugged my cheek insistently.

"You don't even know them! Why are you already set on making us friends?!"

"It worked out with you, Delia, and Solari," I pointed out smugly. Maple's jaw flapped uselessly.

"Leafy! Listen to him! H-He's just forcing us on playdates! Stop him! That's our job! We're the ones who force you to playdate!" Green stopped messing with Yellow's hair to glance up.

"Huh? But more friends are good! Now you and Ms. Solari are great friends, and you talk to Ms. Delia a lot too, right?" she asked.

"My daughter can't see anything wrong with what Silver does... I forgot about that," Maple sighed, holding her head. Solari patted her shoulder soothingly.

"I'm sure it'll be fine! Silver is a good judge of character! Now, let's make some food for our special top 8 children!" she beamed. That did the trick; Maple shot right up with a beaming smile.

"I was planning on doing that, but since Silver wasn't here, I decided to show little Goldy here a thing or two about fighting games!"

"I let you win," Gold waved her off.

"Your complaints say otherwise, young man!" I smiled in mild amusement, taking a seat and adjusting Moon in the process so that I didn't smush her with my back. She curled against me with a contented sigh, idly clutching my coat.

"You won't go play with my gang? They're more fun than I am, you know?" I drawled, watching Gold play wrestle with the ecstatic Sun. I knew those two would get along. They practically adopted each other as big and little brother.

"..." Moon sank further into me, her silence striking me as that of a child who was upset instead of tired or thinking. A bit difficult, considering Moon wasn't the most expressive, but I wasn't the most expressive either, so it was easier to spot.

"You okay?" I mused, tilting my head at the child.

"... I still think you're the coolest." Her voice was quiet, so I barely picked it up... but I did eventually hear it, and it brought a genuine laugh out of me. Moon glanced up at me, expression flat but eyes smoldering with mild annoyance.

"Don't laugh at me, big bro," she said sternly. I gazed fondly at the adorable little gremlin and murmured, "I'm glad I'm still your favorite, Moon. Don't tell anyone, but you're my favorite of the three, too." Moon smiled ever so slightly.

"I'm telling Sun if he argues with me," she promised. I snorted before breaking out into another laugh.

"Maybe you are my little sister. I'll turn you into a worthy protege," I decided. She nodded a little more quickly than usual, her smile widening slightly. Footsteps alerted Moon to the other presence, and she looked up to see that it was the fondly smiling Crystal.

"It's nice to see a group that's not so outgoing," she admitted, taking the available seat next to me.

"Is that your personal reason for being so insistent with me? Because I'm the only semblance of sanity you can rely on in our little gang?" I asked in amusement. Crystal actually rolled her eyes.

"You're genuinely the most insane one... but yes, when the high-stakes moments are done, you're very peaceful to be around." I shrugged helplessly and said, "You signed up for it, Ms. Second in Command... you can still have the leader position if you want it."

"No thanks," Crystal denied politely.

"You guys are only doing this to piss me off. There's no real leader in this damn gang anyway!" I scowled.

"What's damn?" Moon asked quietly.

"A word you should not say around your mother... and if you do, you say that Gold taught you it," I replied automatically. Moon nodded thoughtfully.

"Please don't say that word at all, Moon," Crystal requested, sighing in exasperation at my antics. I huffed in amusement.

"This is Crystal, Moon. I think you'll like her." At my introduction, Moon stared at Crystal. Her eyes peered at the leader of our gang before coming to some conclusion in her childish mind.

"I like you, Crystal," Moon said simply, scooting off me for a split second to hug Crystal... before scampering back over to me. Crystal's eyes widened at the utterly adorable action before she giggled.

"Call me Crys. You're very well spoken for a 6-year-old," she praised.

"Thank you," Moon replied softly. With that, she seemed to tire of the conversation, tiny little head crashing against my midsection once more.

"She's very attached to you," Crystal pointed out. I shrugged.

"I don't really get it myself... but if she's most comfortable with me, I'll let it slide." A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"You mentioned your family is coming for Top 8?" Crystal blinked and said, "They are. My mom, Gold's mom, and my little sister." I mulled that over.

"How old is Lyra?"

"She turned 12 recently. She'll be starting her journey next circuit... so I'd like to keep an eye on her. It's why I wanna travel through Johto," Crystal admitted. Lyra would be starting her journey soon?

"My dweeb of a sister is also starting her journey next circuit, and she'll be going through Johto too. I think those two could travel together," I suggested. Crystal's eyes lit up at the idea.

"I love that idea! Lyra would never want to travel with me, and she'll call me overbearing... but if I show up with you, it should be fine. Mars is a great choice as well," she muttered. I eyed her.

"You and your sis got problems?" Crystal flinched slightly.

"Well... I personally don't, but I can see that Lyra does." Hm...

"Just another thing to discuss after the League." Crystal exhaled.

"We'll have enough to fill in a book at this rate. It's very concerning." I snorted.

"Tell me about it."

"Can I know?" Moon asked. I pat her head.

"When you're older." Crystal nodded sagely. Moon puffed her cheeks ever so slightly. As I put my belongings down, I tilted my head at the neat note on my bed. I need to talk to you after the League... please - Blue. Blue? What the hell did he want with me? On the note was a number, presumably his, and I just huffed. It was probably somewhat important, and I didn't hate the guy, so I'd indulge him. He had practically vanished after all, the room empty and signifying he had already left.

Alright, I'd check up on the youngest Oak later.

"We actually all made it to the Top 8!" Crystal exclaimed. Green pumped a fist while Gold smirked.

"What, did you think one of us would have gotten kicked?" he asked teasingly.

"Of course not... well, except for you! I thought your head would get too big and you'd make a mistake," Crystal fired back. Gold's eye twitched ever so slightly.

"Little demure Crystal thinks she's immune to the praise of the crowd. You're just as weak to it as all of us! It's not my fault that the crowd loves me!" Crystal's eye began twitching as well.

"Shut up, Gold! Your ego is out of control, I swear!"

"You wanna talk about my ego?! Do you even realize how you sound to people you beat in battle?!" Gold coughed once before his expression shifted into an apologetic and polite smile.

"Oh, maybe you'll do better against me next time! Keep up the work, and you might be able to lick the dirt off my white sneakers!" he mocked cheerfully. Green and I both whistled in unison at that, while Crystal spluttered.

"Jasmine does the same thing. Swears she's being nice but comes off as insanely condescending," I pointed out.

"Except Jasmine actually is that nice, and you just make it seem like she's being an ass," Green added with an amused smile.

"I-I'm nice! I'm way nicer than any of you, at least!" Crystal protested. We all awkwardly looked away from her.

"I hate you guys... genuinely," she grumbled. I put up a simple peace sign.

"Did I tell you guys that Gym Leader Clair hates me, by the way?" I suddenly mentioned. My group blinked in surprise before all of them gaped.

"What?!" Crystal hissed in surprise.

"Jasmine told me about that when she introduced me to Whitney! What exactly did you do to Clair?" Green asked incredulously. I shrugged.

"My meeting with Whitney went pretty well... but afterwards, Jasmine accidentally pushed me into Clair." My gaze darkened.

"She decided that bullying Jasmine was what she wanted to do, so all the gloves were off at that point, and I kinda implied that she had romantic feelings for Lance." While my gang's expression darkened equally at the idea of someone daring to bully our little gumball Jasmine, it immediately shifted back into horror at my final words. Gold was the only one who snickered.

"Dude... that's hilarious."

"No, it isn't!" Crystal practically shrieked, shaking her head in exasperation.

"The Wataru are very prideful, you know? She won't forget this, Silver!" I shrugged.

"Shouldn't have messed with Jasmine. All of us will eventually be stronger than her. Jasmine already is stronger than her, so we'll see how that pride works out for her." Gold snorted.

"Fine by me. If she wants to become our enemy, I'm game." We high-fived each other at that, getting Crystal to let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Having you two meet was the worst thing possible... alright, forget it. Anyone who bullies Jasmine deserves it. We'll terrorize her too!" she decided, eyes blazing.

"Hell yeah! No one messes with Jas on our watch!" Green cheered. I smiled.

"We're all in agreement then. I know Jasmine's already stronger, but I don't want the gap to be close." I knew they would all agree eventually, even Crystal. Jasmine was our little gumball, and no one was allowed to mess with her. It didn't matter if you were a gym leader, champion, or even a legend; no one messed with Jasmine.

"We need to go back to the Stadium soon. It's about that time for the Top 8 draws!" Crystal explained, standing up. Our group followed suit, all of us dusting ourselves off. The little gathering earlier hadn't lasted very long, the mothers not wanting to get in our way. I could see the look on Maple's face... she had missed her daughter badly, so I guarantee afterwards, she'd be hogging the hell outta Green. I wonder how much Gold and Crystal's mom missed them.

Based on what my best friends said, their mothers were definitely unique. I didn't bother waving back at the cheerful Maria, just nodding my head at her so that she could stop. An elbow nudged my rib ever so slightly.

"Dude, she's cute," Gold whispered, wagging his brows.

"You should talk to her," I muttered in response.

"I'm not the one getting goo-goo eyes from them. She's all yours!" Gold teased. I just rolled my eyes. Gold was as insufferable as always, making stuff up to further his agenda.

"Welcome, everyone! Are you all excited for the main event of the Indigo Plateau Conference?!" The cacophony of noise from the full stadium was something I had long grown used to. I was more impressed that the stadium was filled despite there being no battles.

"We have an unprecedented Top 8 this year! Not one, not two... and no, not even three! We have four rookies in the Top 8!"

"Colors! Colors! Colors!" The crowd chanted.

"Heh, listen to them! They love us!" Gold cackled next to me. It was almost impossible not to. Four rookies, with matching names but none were related... who all had eyes that matched their names... who all happened to be in the same year. Not only that, they were all in a tight-knit group... with equal levels of skill, along with wildly rare pokemon. This was a moment that conspiracy theorists would latch onto quickly, probably claiming we were lab-made freaks poised to take over the world. Heh, that was just me.

But I digress... Colors was a genuine one-in-a-million group. It was like lightning in a bottle, how rare an encounter a group like ours was. It's no wonder we got so popular. How could you root against a miracle?... Unless that miracle was me. A lot of people were rooting against me.

"Now, the moment we've all been waiting for! It's time to view the bracket for the Top 8! Every battle will be a thrilling 6 on 6 between the best this year has to offer!" With that declaration, all eyes were directed to that giant screen. It flashed ever so slightly, eventually stopping on the bracket we'd be following until a winner was crowned... I inspected it curiously before my eyes widened in surprise. Oh, so it was coming out swinging, huh?

The bracket read as follows: Round 1: Crystal Kotone vs Assunta Sayuri Round 2: Leaf Green vs Melissa Yo Round 3: Maria Ward vs Derek Khan Round 4: Gold Hibiki vs Silver"Well, would you look at that!" Gold grinned, eyes flashing madly as he turned towards me.

"You and me to start this off, Silver? I've been waiting for this!" My eyes flashed as well, a competitive smirk on my face. I turned to face him, something clashing between us as the realization fully hit.

"Me against the Hero, huh?" I muttered, excitement coursing through me.

"Looks like it! Let's give 'em a show they won't forget!" Gold cackled gleefully.

"What an exciting lineup of matches! The Top 8 will begin in two days, so be prepared for a thrilling set of battles!" the announcer shouted. This was it... the main event had started. It was surreal to think that Gold was just the beginning... but he would have to be if I wanted to win the whole thing. Afterwards... my eyes shifted over to the beaming Maria. She was an overwhelming favorite to win this whole thing, the crowd chanting her name over and over again. She would be next.

The #1 Trainer of this tournament... with an array of monsters that had propelled her to Top 8 just as easily as my gangs. And finally, my eyes moved over to Crystal and Green. They were on the opposite side of the bracket from Gold and I... so those two would have to clash with one another in the Top 4 to make it to the finals. But before that, they'd have to go through the #2 and #3 veterans, respectively. I didn't doubt them, though. Those two would definitely meet in the Top 4...

and then they'd have to meet me in the finals. My smirk widened ever so slightly. The reign of Colors had already started... but all of us wanted to be the one to kick it into high gear. There could only be one winner... and that was going to be me. Lance glanced up in mild confusion as someone burst through his door. There were only three people bold enough to do that... and Silver would never visit him on his own accord, while Gold normally entered with a greeting. Which left only one person.

"Clair? You look annoyed," he pointed out, gazing at his cousin with a raised brow. Clair panted.

"You'd do best to rein in your child before I do so!" she snarled. Lance blinked owlishly.

"My child? Clair, I don't have a kid. I think you would know if I had one," he said slowly.

"I don't give a damn what you refer to him as! The little redheaded brat that you fancy!" she snarled. Ah... Silver. Well, he should have expected that.

"What exactly did Silver do to you? I can take a couple of guesses, but I can't imagine you two would have much reason to talk to each other," he said, already feeling the swell of amusement. Clair looked utterly irate, face glowing a shade of red born from frustration rather than embarrassment. It had been a long time since she made a face like this... and he had to give it to Silver, the boy really was effective at what he did. Rage baiting or trolling or something like that, that's what he called it.

Lance didn't know what that meant, but it was aptly fitting.

"He made a mockery of our lineage and implied I had incestuous feelings for you!" she hissed. Lance blinked in disbelief.

"Huh?"

"It's as I said, Cousin! He has no manners or respect, and if not for Gym Leader Sabrina's interference, I would have taught him!" Lance was slowly shaking his head at her.

"Clair, I don't think you should say that."

"I'll say as I please about that damned redheaded nuisance! Why was he even in the Gym Leaders' lounge?!" she hissed. Lance opened his mouth, only to shut it as a chill brushed against him. He instinctively shivered, eyes shutting in mild annoyance. He hated the cold. Clair shivered too, hers even worse than his. She stiffened slightly before a voice made her freeze.

"Gym Leader Clair," Lorelei greeted politely, eyes boring a hole into her. Next to her, that Alolan Ninetales regally stood, eyeing Clair like she were particularly dirty.

"Please do tell me what my nephew did. I find it difficult to believe he'd imply you had incestuous feelings for Lance here for no reason. While certainly abrasive, he must generally be provoked into doing such a thing." Clair paused.

"Gym Leader Jasmine pushed him into me," she said warily. Lorelei's expression never shifted. Lance resisted the urge to slap his head.

"The whole story, please. You are omitting the part you played in this escalation... after all, Gym Leader Sabrina would never jump to Silver's defense for no reason," Lorelei pressed. Clair shuffled about.

"He... was upset that I did not accept Gym Leader Jasmine's apologies immediately. I called him arrogant when he suggested that I should do so." Lance snorted loudly, ignoring the dirty glare Clair shot him.

"You messed with Jasmine? Well, that'll do it," Lance shrugged. Lorelei shook her head as well.

"Gym Leader Jasmine would never purposefully irritate you, Clair. Why were you so adamant on not accepting her apology?"

"..." Clair said nothing, crossing her arms stubbornly. She would not mention that it had to do with the very redhead she had seemingly dismissed. Lorelei eyed her and exhaled.

"Well, I would have hoped to smooth things over, but it appears I'll allow you to handle it yourself. Good luck, you may need it." With that, Lorelei turned on a dime and strutted off, Ninetales dutifully following her. No sooner did the door close did Lance let out another snort, this time in amusement.

"I told you that Wataru's pride of yours gets in the way," he chided. Clair scowled.

"Easy for you to say, when you are the pride of the Watarus!" Lance rolled his eyes.

"There you go again. You value what our clan says too much, Clair. Now, you've gotten yourself into quite the issue." His cousin scoffed.

"I fear no child, cousin. If he attempts something, interest or not, I will put him in his place," she warned. With that, Clair departed with a dramatic flair of her cape. Lance just watched her go with a pondering expression. Clair probably didn't realize what she signed up for... but honestly, she needed this so he wouldn't warn her about the disaster that was dealing with Silver.

If even the stone-cold Sabrina could act so peculiar with him involved, his little cousin might go through a drastic character change sooner rather than later. Here's to hoping it was for the best. Clair needed a little kick in the butt to get going. Silver was a little too much in his opinion, but Wataru were a stubborn bunch. Someone as intense as him would be fine. Hm... Clair was quite a bit stronger than Silver at the moment, but weaker than Jasmine, not that she knew that detail.

Maybe Lance would help him and his gang bridge the gap. Training them all had been rather fun. He would not mind it... What he did mind, though, was Silver implying that Clair had incestuous feelings for him. He would have to talk to the belligerent redhead and tell him not to say the first thing that came to his mind.

"This is Mars, my twin." Ariana stared at the screen in horror and disbelief because, true to the words of her son, the little girl standing next to him could very well actually be his twin. But Ariana did not give birth to two children. Silver's only sibling was from the woman that bastard Giovanni had... She shook her head, instead focusing on the true dilemma of Ariana seemingly having a daughter of all things. The resemblances were astounding, especially so with Ariana's hair in such a disheveled state.

The three redheads looked disturbingly alike, now that she could not maintain her own cowlick. It was almost as messy as Silver's, the front of her hair angling downward instead of up, leaving her cowlick as a separate entity. Unlike Silver and Mars, her cursed piece of hair ran backwards, standing out even amidst her disheveled hair. She was a far cry from the polished executive, but the situation didn't really allow her to care much about her appearance. Fixing up her hair was the least of her worries.

No, what was currently her biggest worry was surviving... and trying to wrap her head around the idea that she somehow had a... daughter? It was baffling. This girl looked more like her than Silver did, and Ariana actually remembered giving birth to her son. Ariana idly held her head, sighing to herself. For the time being, she doubted anyone was after her. She could only conclude that Lorelei had a hand in why she wasn't visibly wanted, something that caused the woman to recoil.

That's how much you mattered to her. That's how much she loved you. Alone, with nothing to distract her, Ariana had no choice but to think about her actions. There was no running from it any longer... she was forced to realize that she was the problem. But that didn't quite matter anymore because her homicidal son was on the loose. Ariana didn't know how he did it, but Silver tamed Mewtwo completely and came out of this as the victor... Run.... Which meant he was coming after them soon.

Was his presence at the Indigo Conference a warning? Was this Silver's way of showing the remnants of Team Rocket that he was alive and thriving? Ariana saw it. His jump in power was downright intimidating. This was after Giovanni willingly held him back from training, so he could not grow any stronger. But the moment he got back into it, he was showing that he was one of the strongest at this tournament. Her son's prodigious talent went beyond what she thought he had.

By the time Silver was ready to hunt them, would they even stand a chance against him? Ariana shuddered, holding her head as a headache halted her train of thought. Was it truly mercy that made Silver allow her to run, or sadism? Ariana did not know, but for her own sake... she did not think it wise to encounter her son again. Her head throbbed once more, and she exhaled.

"Not how I expected to be spending my time," she sighed. At the very least, she could relax for the moment and deal with this headache. For now, no one was on her trail, and she had managed to secure a good enough hideout in isolation. Just her by her lonesome... along with the thoughts she was forced to acknowledge. Ariana sighed. Perhaps this is what Lorelei meant when she said she hoped isolation would help her reflect, because Ariana felt horrible. But it was too late for that. All that was left was to survive.

Ariana ignored the pang in her heart, thinking back to the twin visage of Silver and Mars. Bonus! Losing half your body wasn't terrible, Blaine thought to himself. It was fitting in a way; he had doomed a child's body and had lost half his own as payback. Blaine was well aware of what caused the eruption of Cinnabar. It was the very legend he had helped create... and the child he had doomed to try and control it. How funny. His island gone, gym destroyed... and body practically useless.

Well-deserved karma, if you asked him. Despite all this, Blaine could not help but note how cold it was.

"Gym Leader Blaine." He felt himself stiffen at the familiar voice of his superior.

"Elite 4 Lorelei?" he questioned cautiously. It was hard to make her out in the dark of night, but it was impossible not to feel her presence. Lorelei smiled thinly.

"How are you faring?" Blaine huffed slightly.

"Not so hot, but I'll fare with only half my body. I've been getting up there in age anyway, so it's the same thing." The Elite 4 member nodded thoughtfully.

"Tell me, Blaine... do you have any idea what I've been going through these past 3 months?" A terrible feeling swelled in Blaine's gut, unease making its way to his face at the unsettling red stare of Lorelei.

"It's more than you could ever believe," Lorelei said softly, adjusting her glasses slightly.

"My poor abused nephew was taken by Team Rocket for reasons that were never his fault; Born from a psychopath, indoctrinated since birth... and experimented on to become some type of container for a legendary being with enough power to destroy the world."

"Lorelei," Blaine said cautiously.

"Why, Blaine? What possessed you to experiment on a child? This isn't some part of your dark past... you've been a well-respected member of the League for years, and Silver is 12. You did this while you were a protector of this region!" Lorelei hissed, eyes flashing.

"We trusted you, Blaine, so why? What did Giovanni offer you that would cause you to discard your own morals? Why would you betray the very league you pledged loyalty to? Why would you experiment on my nephew?!" Blaine said nothing, shutting his eyes at the earnest question.

"It was just curiosity within my own limits. I wanted to see how far I could take a strand of Mew's DNA, and Silver was an unfortunate casualty." If possible, the temperature of the area dropped further. Blaine shuddered terribly, eyes growing wider for reasons he could not explain.

"I see," was Lorelei's simple response.

"Obviously, you are under arrest, Blaine... but beyond that, I must admit being with Silver has taught me something." Blaine felt the world freeze... literally, as a blue avian appeared next to Lorelei. Its glare might have been what fueled the room's temperature, as it was chilling. It was a cold he could feel down to his organs.

"I'm rather selfish, and I cannot let what you have done to Silver go unpunished," Lorelei finished ruthlessly. Lorelei had months of stress piled up, stress that she had placed on the sideline in order to care for both Silver and, more recently, Mars. The stress had gone away when she spoke to Silver about Mewtwo... but it had nearly peaked when he told her what Blaine had done to him.

"I heard earlier in your life... You encountered Moltres. Considering you have also created a clone of Mew, I find it only fitting to introduce you to a clone of its sibling." Artitwono let out a haunting noise, something that filled Blaine with a primal terror. It was impossible not to feel fear in this moment, even after coming to terms with his past and finding that Silver was well within his rights to get revenge. But this? This felt different.

"Are... you going to kill me?" Blaine asked eventually. Lorelei tilted her head.

"No, of course not. I'm no monster like you are, Blaine. I merely want you to suffer just as you made my nephew suffer, at least until you are thrown in prison." Blaine shut his eyes, feeling dread pooling in his stomach.

"I fear my friends won't allow that," he said quietly. Lorelei did not react to the sound of Blaine's pokemon entering the room. She simply exhaled. Artitwono was far more active. The avian turned to face them, tilting its head curiously. Blaine's array of pokemon was most impressive. Rapidash, Ninetales, Camerupt, Torkoal... and his two true monsters, Arcanine and Magmortar. They all glared fiercely at the duo of Lorelei and Articuno, unwilling to let them torment their trainer.

"It seems my team won't make it easy for you... I don't like my chances against you, but I guess I'll go down fighting. I don't fancy what you're planning on doing to me," Blaine admitted honestly. Blaine was full of regrets, enough that he had been content to let Silver get his revenge without fighting back. Admittedly, hearing the boy say he'd let him watch in real time as he grew into a genuine threat had terrified him in a new way. It was the calculated words of a psychopath.

For Silver to delay his rage to give himself self-gratification later... it spoke of a type of mentality that was even more unwell than Blaine's own because, even despite that well of anger, waiting to erupt... he was able to ignore it. That was not normal. Not at all for a child. But somehow, Lorelei was terrifying him in a way that made Blaine forget his regrets. The very last person you would ever want to enrage... was a mother, and Lorelei was furious.

"May I act, Partner Named Lorelei?"

"You may," Lorelei said shortly, adjusting her glasses. Blaine would never forget the next chain of events. The legendary avian of ice cocked its head and glowed for a split second before the world turned to ice. He watched in horror as all of his pokemon froze over. Even Magmortar, who radiated enough heat to passively melt any ice in his presence, was not spared. They had not even taken a single step... before Articuno ended the battle against his fire types.

"W-What?" Blaine stammered.

"You attempted to have my 12-year-old nephew control a legendary, even more powerful than this," Lorelei mentioned softly, staring at the sculptures with a blank expression.

"You helped create a legend that could cause the end of the world with ease. A power that even the League could not handle... and then you gave it to Team Rocket. You would doom the world to solve your curiosity. You are a foul and disgusting creature, Blaine." Blaine shivered, eyes going wide in horror as he stared at his team.

"My team... my team! They have nothing to do with this! Leave this between us!" he pleaded. Lorelei tilted her head. She had no interest in killing any of Blaine's pokemon. They likely did have nothing to do with his actions, just pokemon of a foolish man. Regardless...

"They are the ones who interfered. I had no interest in involving them." Blaine shook.

"Leave them out of this! You plan on arresting me, correct? If you don't free them... I'll tell them what you've done tonight!" he threatened. Lorelei looked unfazed by his threat to a level that only made him grow more nervous. She opened her mouth to say something—"How do you plan on doing such a thing, with my interference, Gym Leader Blaine?" —And promptly shut it. Surprise crossed her features, and she watched with wide eyes as a dreadfully familiar feline phased into the room.

"Mewtwo?!" Lorelei gasped.

"Father Named Mewtwo!" Artitwono greeted happily. Mewtwo nodded, turning towards Lorelei with a neutral expression.

"Lorelei... I have been keeping watch of this interaction. I also have my own issues with this man, so for the sake of Silver, I'd like to offer my assistance to ensure nothing complicated happens to you." Lorelei mulled it over before eventually nodding.

"I will accept this alliance for the sake of Silver," she said finally. Mewtwo nodded in satisfaction.

"I will remove the identity of who did such a thing from his mind... and I will clear all evidence." Lorelei couldn't help but note how absurd Mewtwo was. It spoke of certain things so casually. Removing selective memories? That was an impossible level of skill.... Hold on.

"Mewtwo... may you remove the identity of Blaine from his pokemon? They do not deserve to fall with him... and such a thing will be easier to prevent if they have no idea who he is," she requested. Blaine's eyes shot open in horror.

"WHAT?!" he roared. Mewtwo's expression showed that he understood exactly what she wanted. At the end of the day, Blaine was a trainer... one who had grown with his team over the many years. To be forgotten by your team was a punishment that went beyond cruel... How perfect. Blaine deserved it. He deserved the worst for daring to tamper with Silver.

"Wait!" Blaine pleaded, attempting to move but finding it impossible. He was in no condition to take a single step.

"It is already done," Mewtwo intoned, waving his hand. In an instant, all the pokemon were released from their icy prison, panting in confusion. Much to Blaine's genuine despair, they stared at him without a hint of recognition. He felt his heart twist in ways that didn't feel possible, as his friends of decades stared at him like a stranger. Nothing could have prepared him for this. His own team...? Without them, Blaine had nothing. Blaine was nothing.

Lorelei looked distinctly satisfied at the broken look in the man's eyes.

"Rest assured, Blaine, your former team will be treated well. With you scrubbed from their memories, they have no sins attached to their names." What a satisfying end. To strip a person of their team was a different kind of death in the world of Pokemon Trainers. It was the death of an identity, a purpose... It was even worse than dying, losing one's team. This was the best possible outcome Lorelei could ask for.

"Goodbye, Former Gym Leader Blaine. Authorities will be in tomorrow morning to bring you in," she said shortly, right as she was teleported out.

"Thank you, Mewtwo," she said honestly.

"There is no need to thank me. I had also intended to deal with Blaine in the future. Better me than Silver." Lorelei stared at the legend with an inscrutable gaze.

"I see... so long as you care about Silver's safety, I will have an easy time forgiving you," she said honestly. Mewtwo nodded shortly.

"That is all from me. I will take my leave now." Lorelei watched the legend go with a curious expression.

"I suppose this is the best outcome. I would feel horrible if I got my hands too dirty after telling Silver not to. I try to be a good example for him after all." Artitwono squawked in a melodious manner. It easily hoisted Lorelei, placing her on its back before taking flight to Indigo.

"You are doing a wonderful job, Partner Named Lorelei. I have gone through the liberty of inflicting him with a rather severe frostbite. Seeing as I have done so... it will likely never go away." Lorelei stared at the legend who had picked her.

"I didn't tell you to do that," she noted.

"Your kindness is partly why I find myself attracted to you... Regardless, c ertain humans do not deserve mercy, and he deserved the worst of it. He has made a slight against both Uncle and Father; he will not be forgiven." Lorelei had to remind herself that legendaries operated even differently than regular pokemon. Something as punishing as a permanent frostbite...

"Perhaps he did deserve it... But it is no longer my place to think. I wish to see my nephew and niece." Artitwono's melodious laughter resounded in her head. Lorelei watched Silver open his eyes the moment she stepped into his room. It always amazed her how light a sleeper he was, but it also saddened her because it was no doubt because of his rather militaristic upbringing. He stared blearily at her, blinking slowly.

She resisted the urge to tell him how utterly adorable he was whenever he slept or was near sleep. He'd probably ban her from resting near him if she did so... but it was true!

"Aunt?" he murmured. She nodded, effortlessly sliding into the bed.

"I missed you, I hope you don't mind," she murmured. He grunted in acceptance, just adjusting without much thought. Even as she pulled him into a tight hug, he simply angled his body into a suitable position for sleep. Silver was very agreeable when he simply wanted to go back to sleep. For instance...

"I love you, Silver," she murmured.

"Love you too, Aunt," he mumbled back without hesitation. She smiled at that before allowing his even and quiet breaths to lull her to sleep.

"You're grabby today," Silver pointed out.

"Very," Mars mumbled in embarrassment. They were on either side of Lorelei, who was leisurely raking a hand through both of their hair. While Silver accepted it, merely scrolling through his Pokedex, Mars was a lot more embarrassed, her face a shade of red at the affection. Lorelei chuckled softly.

"There are sometimes days, in which I take in all I've acquired in such a short time," she admitted honestly, staring at the children with a soft gaze.

"To exchange my less-than-stellar relationship with my parents, for two wonderful children like you both... I can't help but note how lucky I am." Much to her delight, Mars' face burned an even deeper shade of red.

"S-Stop being weird, Aunt!" she complained, ducking her head to hide the look on her face.

"I can't help it when you show me such adorable faces," Lorelei couldn't help but tease, pulling Mars into a hug. The teen groaned.

"You really are related to that demon on the left of you." Silver stared at her with a mildly stunned expression before it morphed into amusement.

"Alright, I'll get my team ready for training, and then we can spend the day together. We'll do whatever you want," he offered. Lorelei looked more than pleased.

"I've been meaning to buy more pokedolls. I tend to buy them when I am stressed, but lately I've put that hobby aside." Silver suddenly looked wary.

"Haven't you been stressed for 3 months? Just how much do you want to buy?" Lorelei's smile widened. Her nephew suddenly scooted away from her.

"Actually, I've got some more preparations to make for the League."

"No, I don't think you do. Mars, do you own any Pokedolls?" Lorelei asked. Mars scratched her head.

"No, I don't." She clapped.

"We can buy some! I attempted to get Silver into the hobby, but he was utterly uninterested. Maybe this trip will change his mind." Silver groaned loudly.

"This is why I don't do nice things."