Chương 54: Recruit

"Yo, Champion." Lance glanced up in surprise, meeting the cool gaze of Silver of all people.

"Silver? What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise, gauging the redhead.

"People don't normally stroll into the Champion's chambers. Did you even set up an appointment?" Silver shot him a look that made Lance feel stupid, as if questioning the legalities of how he entered this place was something that didn't need discussion. Knowing the most rambunctious of his kids... yeah, that tracked.

"Right..." Lance trailed off, resisting the urge to hold his head in exhaustion. Silver, Gold, and Clair were the only people who would barge into his chambers without letting him get ready or anything. Clair at least had the decency to knock when she wasn't riled up. Gold and Silver would barge in no matter what. Silver never even visited. That's why this was such a surprise to him.

"I'm here to discuss," Silver said seriously, leaning against his wall. He watched curiously as Lance's little Dratini slid up to him, reaching out and snatching the little curious fella up. The Dratini trilled happily in his grasp, wrapping around his arm in glee and purring as Silver raked a hand across its head. Lance straightened up slightly at Silver's tone.

The Champion raised a brow before racking his head at any notable information that had recently struck— Oh, right, Silver had captured the Rocket Executive not too long ago. Lance's expression hardened slightly, and he gauged the boy with a severe expression.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked slowly, testing the waters slightly. Silver hummed.

"I want access to your Advanced League Database. You probably already know, but I'm going to be hunting down Team Rocket, and that'll be helpful for me." Lance's brow shot up.

"Silver, I heard you captured Executive Petrel... and I'd like to thank you for that, but asking for free access to our League Database isn't something I can easily give you, you know that, right? Only the highest of League officials can access that, and you aren't even part of us," he stressed. Lance owed Silver a lot. The kid had saved his region for Mew's sake, all while allowing Lance to protect the image of Kanto.

There wasn't much Lance could do to ever repay Silver, but he wasn't sure giving him access to so many people was the right answer. The League Databases that Silver spoke of weren't just for Kanto. It was for every League under the Pokemon League. Very few people were allowed to see that. It was a privilege granted to only the Champion, Elite 4, and Gym Leaders... something Giovanni must have taken great joy in using. Naturally, there were exceptions... but was Silver really one of those exceptions?

Silver cocked his head.

"Don't treat me like an idiot, Lance. I know you're actually not that opposed to giving me access. There's something else holding you back..." Lance closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, yellow eyes staring firmly at his fellow redhead.

"Silver, I think everyone's aware that Green left and that can't have had a good effect on you. To be blunt, I don't know where your head is at right now." Silver's expression shifted for a moment; the teenager actually looked annoyed.

"Green this, Green that. I'm getting sick of it. You're telling me a single person is stopping you from getting rid of the team that damn near brought your region to its heels?" Lance watched with a frown as Silver's eyes flashed.

"Start thinking like a Champion. You can't spare enough resources to hunt down Team Rocket earnestly because they're so scattered, and I found an Executive in a quarter of the time it took any of your people to," he said bluntly and coldly.

"Just leave it to me and allocate your resources to the things that need more help. Kanto is in ruins, so you help the region while I clean the messes. All I need is access to the League Databases." Silver stared at him with a knowing gaze.

"I don't want or need credit for anything. You know that more than anyone that I'm fine sticking to the shadows. No one knows I'm the reason Kanto is safe after all... so continue to be the light the region needs, while I work in the dark to clean up the messes that need to be cleaned." It was hard to ignore his words. Silver was right. He singlehandedly stopped Kanto from being destroyed, and now he was offering to finish the job.

Lance would be a fool to just ignore him because, as much as he loved the kid, Silver was just too useful.

"What do you need the Databases for?" Lance asked warily. Silver hummed.

"While kidnapped by Giovanni, I managed to get hold of a very interesting file. I had Metagross memorize it, and if I can use your database, I can have an easier time locating Rockets trying to phase back into society," he answered. Lance stared at him in surprise.

"You plan on capturing all of them?" he asked slowly.

"Yes. Since I'm the only one with access to those who were part of Team Rocket, naturally, I can capture all of them trying to hide. But I need to be able to find them, and that's where your database comes in," he reasoned. Lance frowned. As much as he wanted to deny it, Silver was right. He found an Executive in record time... and he was uniquely suited to hunt Team Rocket down, seeing as he had been a part of their group for so long.

"I won't let a single one get away, not even a grunt," Silver said simply, seeming to read his mind. It lined up well. Silver wasn't the type to use the database for many nefarious things because, quite frankly, Silver did not care much about civilians. He outright ignored them, so he wouldn't use it to learn things he could not. Lance frowned thoughtfully.

"Alright... I'll leave Team Rocket to you and give you access..." Silver looked satisfied at that.

"Under one condition." His face shifted again, this time to slight frustration. Lance leaned into his seat.

"I have a secret group of agents called the G-Men. They go around the regions for me, doing more covert missions. To accept, you'll work with at least one of them for your mission. Not only that, for the period of this mission, you'll report to me." While the Champion side of Lance jumped at the opportunity to have Silver's aid, he wasn't only a champion. He cared for Silver's well-being, and sending him on a one-man crusade sounded disastrous. He would need to keep an eye on the kid, lest he do something reckless.

Silver eyed him for a long while.

"That's more than one condition... but one person. Anymore, and they'll spend their mission looking for me," he said bluntly.

"And the reporting to me?" Lance questioned.

"Sure. Consider it an alliance. Once I'm finished, though, the deal is off." Lance leaned back, satisfied.

"Alright then. I'll give you access... just take care of yourself, alright? I trust that you'll use that database responsibly. And I'm not letting you work for free. You'll be getting compensated." Silver nodded stiffly. The Champion watched him go with a frown. Concerning. That was the best word he could use to describe Silver, but Lance knew that any attempt at getting Silver to stop would just push him away, and he had done that already by lying to him.

And right now, the last thing you wanted was for Silver to play keep away. If he decided enough was enough and just went missing, it would be a tall task to find him. It was best to let him do as he pleased with stipulations in place. Keeping a close eye on him was important. Make sure he doesn't do anything... Concerning. Lance had already dealt with Silver's anger by keeping a distance. This time, he'd play a stronger hand.

"Oh, and Champion?" Silver suddenly said at the entrance.

"Yeah?" Lance mused.

"The name of your group fucking sucks." Silver shut the door, missing Lance's astonished look.

"Maybe he's not all the way gone," the champion sighed.

"Did you truly need access to the Database?" Giratina questioned.

"No, but I need to point to something for proof, and naturally, I have ulterior motives for this," I said easily, staring at my Pokegear. While I had indeed stolen that information from Giovanni, I didn't have Metagross memorize it. I just didn't want to share it. It was tucked neatly in a USB I owned and uploaded to my Pokedex.

"Hoh? Ulterior Motives?" I smiled thinly, eyes flashing red.

"We have trips to make."

"Hey." Colress resisted the urge to jump, jerking in a way that made his papers scatter in every direction. The student turned, coming face-to-face with...

"A child?" he asked in confusion. Well, considering they were shrouded... it was difficult to make out if they were actually a child or just incredibly short. The child tilted their head, red eyes gazing at him with a dispassion that intrigued him. It was the only part of the person he could see... every other part was wrapped up in a black coat adorned with gold. It was like looking at a cultist.

"Pleasure to meet you, Colress," they greeted blandly from underneath their hoodie. There were multiple reasons this person had Colress on edge. For one, they knew his name. Secondly, they had quite the unnerving set of eyes. But most importantly...

"How... did you get in my home?" Colress asked slowly.

"I let myself in," he said conversationally, taking a seat as if he had been invited inside. Colress was half convinced that this was an attempt on his life. However, he could not fathom who he managed to irritate to be deemed worthy of assassination.

"You don't have to look at me like I'm going to kill you. I'm here for other reasons." Colress nodded, evidently unsure of that statement.

"What could those reasons be?" he questioned curiously. The mysterious person did not answer him right away. They seemed to inspect his living space with a slow turning head, gaze never lingering.

"You're heads and shoulders above your peers academically." Colress looked surprised by the suddenness of the statement. It took him a few seconds to register, but he eventually nodded.

"Not a wholly inaccurate observation. My mind is one that has been praised on more than one occasion," Colress agreed.

"Not only that, your ambitions aren't ones you can compare to theirs either," the figure pointed out. Colress paused.

"What makes you think that?" Those red eyes peered at him.

"Scientists are funny people. They have a boundless amount of curiosity, to the point where they're even willing to discard their morals to achieve their goals. Does that sound familiar?" Colress said nothing. Suddenly, the idea that he was being assassinated surged once more. He gazed cautiously at the entity before him, wondering how he could possibly navigate this strange situation.

"That... does sound like something I would do," he admitted honestly.

"I know. I'm here to recruit you before you discard those morals and force me to do something I don't want to." Colress regarded him in confusion.

"What... do you mean?"

"In the future, you'll graduate and pursue your goals. You'll try multiple methods to see which one works best for you, heedless of whose allegiance you have. All that matters to you is results, right?" A gloved hand waved slowly through the air.

"Pursue your curiosity while working under me. I want to use your intelligence for my own gain before you get nabbed by someone you shouldn't be working with," he drawled.

"And if I refuse?" Colress wondered, quite interested in the prospect of this mysterious person.

"For now? Nothing. But eventually, we'll cross paths on the opposing side, and I'll remember that you refused my warning. The assassination attempt you think is happening right now will be the least of your worries," they said assuredly. Colress frowned in contemplation.

"Why me? Evidently, you've done your research on me, but what made you decide that I was a worthy target? I'm still a student after all."

"I need someone whose ambition matches mine. There are things I want you to create for me, and I can't have someone who doubts me every step of the way. You seem like the type to step up to every challenge, right? The type who looks at a difficult puzzle and decides to solve it for fun."

"I see..." he trailed off, mulling the words in his head. It surprised him slightly how heavily he considered the words. There was something rather charming about them. This boy had gleaned Colress' true desires rather easily, and instead of stifling them, desired for it to be on his side. Colress rather respected it. Ensuring a threat does not become a threat to your goals was admirable.

"I'm intrigued by your proposition," he admitted.

"I knew you'd be; you scientists are freaks." Colress adjusted his glasses slightly.

"Naturally, I have my doubts. How can I be so sure our ambitions are truly aligned?" The mysterious figure gave off the impression that they were smiling. Scientists really were freaks. I didn't expect Colress to willingly follow me after I broke into his complex, but I wasn't complaining. Colress was probably the least antagonistic villain you'd encounter in any playthrough. The supposed "Leader" of Team Neo Plasma, his passion was finding the best way to draw out the strength of pokemon.

Of course, I didn't give a fuck about any of that. All I cared about was his brain. Colress was exceptional even amongst geniuses, and he was pleasant the entire time, even while leading a villain team. He did not even agree with Team Plasma. Whatsoever. They just gave him the resources he required. All he cared about was whether you had the means to fund his research. Eventually, that would send him to Team Plasma. Thankfully, he was from Unova.

I couldn't imagine what Team Rocket could accomplish with him on their side. He was an asset, one that I was not going to let run free. Unfortunately for Colress, I knew what his future held: it would eventually oppose me. Not a chance. So it was time to start early on making Colors exceptional. They wanted those warp panels after all. Besides, there was another reason I was in Unova. I eyed Colress as a wild Excadrill hissed at us warningly.

It glared at me, looking for any sign of weakness, but when I simply stared back, one hand on a Luxury Ball, it backed off. Well, up until it heard the derisive snort that came from my mouth. The wild pokemon turned with blood in its eyes, lunging at me with full intent on skewering me... Or it would have, if not for my ever-trusty Zoroark. Loki, while still invisible, carved through the Excadrill with a snicker before mowing it over with a precise Flamethrower.

Colress flinched in surprise at the very sudden defeat of the Excadrill, by what looked to be unseen forces. He eyed me warily.

"Are you a cultist of sorts?" he asked slowly.

"If that's what helps you rationalize this the most," was my response. Colress wasn't the cool and ever-collected version of himself he'd eventually become. Right now, he was still a student, but soon, he'd become a very dangerous person. As he explored his curiosities further, he'd develop into an unparalleled genius devoted to his goals in a way that made anyone a potential ally. You could tell that he was a natural when it came to composure. For a college student, he sure was taking to all of this rather well.

"It's getting rather cold," he mentioned. I grunted, not acknowledging that I was also cold as hell. I just continued strolling deeper into the cave with a purpose, not paying any mind to any pokemon in our vicinity. The only thing that gave me pause was the Absol staring at me like I heralded the apocalypse. Dramatic. At some point, as we went deeper, pokemon stopped showing up. In fact, it seemed like they were shying away from wherever it was I was headed.

I saw the Absol one last time before it sprinted away from me and my destination.

"Not one for words, are you?" Colress asked in mild amusement.

"We're here," I replied, marching into a dark entrance with Colress not far behind. Colress blew out a cold breath as the temperature noticeably dropped even further.

"Where is here...?" he asked slowly, unable to hide the shiver. I smiled thinly, blowing out a cold breath of my own.

"You wanted proof, didn't you?" I asked quietly. Colress opened his mouth to speak, only to freeze as a gnawing pressure suddenly pressed down on us. A forceful gasp was ripped out of him, gusts of visible air escaping his mouth.

"I'd recommend staying here," I exhaled, pushing forward despite the crippling cold. Calling this temperature cold honestly seemed to be a disservice. Warmth had been completely stripped from the air, a chilling freeze intruding and overtaking it. Even breathing through my nose seemed to produce gusts of chilling air.

Whereas Articuno seemed to flaunt its control of ice over you with an arrogance befitting the smug piece of shit, this ice was effortlessly draining, as if it were done as an afterthought and with no malicious thoughts behind. That made it all the more terrifying. This cold bit at you passively, reducing a person to nothing far faster than what was normal. I genuinely thought I'd never be as cold as I had been when meeting the Legendary Bird of Ice... but I was proven wrong.

I ignored it all: the tightening of muscles, the creaking of joints, the way my mind seemed to dull slightly, and especially the all-consuming apathy that ate away at me. No, my eyes were locked on two faintly glowing orbs of yellow. There was no rage at its slumber being disturbed, no curiosity at who could encounter it... Just absence. Absence of all things. Emptiness... My cold breath began crystallizing as a low, hollow sound filled the freezing cavern, ancient and empty.

The full form of the pokemon finally revealed itself, and I took the time to admire it in full. Kyurem, the Boundary Pokemon. If Articuno were an ice type because it represented the element as a whole, then Kyurem was an ice type because it represented the complete emptiness of life. When all life ceased to exist... I imagine the world would look similar to how Kyurem felt. Kyurem had always been a fairly creepy-looking pokemon, but in person, it was rather terrifying.

Its uneven wings, the emotionless yellow gaze... and that horrifying face. It was the scariest pokemon I had encountered yet, at least appearance-wise... And it was staring at me. It was difficult to tell, but Kyurem was gazing right at me.

"Hey there, Empty Dragon," I greeted casually. Kyurem did not make a sound. Despite staring at me, the pokemon was strangely still, almost as if it were still slumbering. God, it was creepy. Seeing that it had no interest in speaking to me, I decided to continue.

"My name's Silver, and I'll get straight to the point... I want to capture you," I said bluntly, showcasing the Master Ball I had stolen so long ago.

"What do you think you're doing?" Giratina suddenly asked. I cocked my head to the right.

"No need to be jealous. I'm allowed to set up contingencies, aren't I?" I asked. So Giratina wasn't happy about this. Oh well. They'd have to deal with it.

"I'm not interested in using you, if you're wondering. I just want to make sure no one else uses you. If you accept, I promise you that one day, I will be the one to fill you with either truth or ideals," I explained. Finally, finally... Kyurem reacted. The cold began biting even worse as the legend regarded me. It was unfathomable how I had been to so many different cold places, but this was somehow the worst.

"You are shrouded in the aura of the banished one." I inclined my head.

"Correct."

"You regard me as the Empty Dragon, then promise to fill me with truth or ideals... Your knowledge is exceptional."

"I consider it a curse, but for you it might be a blessing," I answered honestly. Kyurem gazed apathetically at me.

"What do you expect from me?"

"Nothing, as I said. Ideally, I just capture you, and that's that, but if you want something more, I'll acquiesce," I replied. The ice dragon said nothing for a while. Then, it lumbered towards me with speeds I would classify as slow, but were anything but. It was enormous. One thing I had learned is that the Pokedex grossly underestimated the size of some pokemon. Kyurem was a giant, and this was accounting for the fact that it was perpetually hunched over.

"You are aware that you cannot complete me. That is why you said truth or ideal."

"As far as I'm aware, that's the most we can do. Just one of them will be enough to stabilize you... But you might have to wait a few years," I said honestly.

"Time is a concept the humans place value into. I have waited long enough; I do not care if I have to wait longer." This close, I could feel my very insides freezing. Kyurem looked even more terrifying with such proximity.

"I accept." I raised a brow.

"That easily?" I questioned.

"I do not care. If that is what you wish to do and it requires me, so be it," it said apathetically, voice draining my energy. Ah... so that's why Ghetsis had so easily managed to acquire Kyurem. The legend just didn't give a fuck about anything. I nodded my head shortly.

"As long as you work with me, I'll help you be a little less empty."

"Very well. However, I have a request." I stared curiously at it.

"You've shown that you can handle the influence of a higher being. I will use you to feel again." I mulled that over.

"Okay. Just don't try to influence me too much. You'll make the banished one upset."

"Understood." Quick as a flash, one of the tendrils on its wing snaked out before gently poking me. I inhaled sharply as the cold seemed to converge over my body for a moment before it vanished. I collapsed onto a knee for a split second, gasping harshly as the cold threatened to consume me. Cold. So cold. There were no thoughts, no feelings... Nothingness. Emptiness... the absence of energy. The day will come when one fills me with meaning. Yes...

on that day, a hero will arrive to give me purpose, much like long ago.

"Hah..." I shook my head and stood up. A shiver rocked my body violently, prompting me to try and gather heat in anyway possible. I was tempted to release one of the Charcas at this rate. Fuck, that felt... overwhelming. Maybe Kyurem had wrongly assumed that Ghetsis was the hero who would save it. In a way, it was right. Without Ghetsis in the original timeline... Kyurem would still be a husk.

"I see, so this is what it means to feel," Kyurem rumbled contemplatively, staring at me.

"I believe your claims."

"You didn't before?"

"I did not care enough to think on the matter, Hero. You may capture and take me with you. I have no interest in conflict, so do not expect me to fight for you unless your life is in jeopardy. I simply wish to enjoy these new sensations and wait for the day when you fulfill your promise."

"Fine by me. I don't wanna use legends anyway... and I'm no hero," I grunted. With little fanfare, I tapped the Master Ball against Kyurem's face, watching as the Legend got sucked into it. Part of me wondered if Master Balls would actually work on the legends of this world, but for the time being, it seemed good enough. I grasped the Master Ball, shuddering at the unnatural cold seeping from it. It felt like an ice block in my palm, even piercing through my gloves.

"I'll leave you on my Aunt's island. It should be cold enough for you. She'll be happy; technically, I've caught an ice type," I drawled. I strolled easily past the stunned Colress, eyeing the student.

"Ambitious enough?" I asked. There was a flash in his eyes, a genuine gleam of excitement entering.

"I think we'll get along," Colress smiled.

"Good. I won't bother you since you're still a student and all... but consider us partners. I want you to research making Warp Panels region-wide. We're gonna be making bases that will utilize them," I ordered immediately.

"Eventually, I'll have more than enough resources to fund you, but it's a work in progress." Colress adjusted his glasses, keeping pace with me.

"I'm a patient person. So long as you're ready by the time I finish my studies. But I must ask, why Warp Panels?" he wondered. I eyed him. For the time being, I had his loyalty. So long as I kept his interest, it would remain that way. And if I couldn't maintain it? Well, I'd just deal with him when he eventually strayed onto the wrong road.

"Just something my gang wants really badly. We're gonna take over the world after all."

"Do you truly need the empty husk?" I leaned against a tree, analyzing the Master Ball idly while I allowed Apollo to cuddle me with the other arm. Kyurem had quickly stamped its presence onto the ball. It felt like I was holding a glacier, weight included.

"Do I? That's debatable. But it sure does make my life easier if I do," I replied boredly.

"Hm. I suppose." I could tell Giratina wasn't pleased, but I didn't particularly care. Kyurem wasn't a pokemon that did much, but it was still very important. Which made it perfect for me to use this Master Ball on. Other Legends had purposes, ones that I had no interest in interfering with, but Kyurem had no purpose but to wait. Why should I leave it lying around? I had no interest in giving Ghetsis a free legendary. Now, Kyurem was loyal to me.

As I stored the Master Ball, I took the time to focus on the three children running around. Well, children might have given a different image than what they actually were. After all, they only looked like they were a year or two younger than me, much like Sapphire. At the lead of the three was a boy with medium-length, brown hair. He wore a black t-shirt along with baggy pants... and despite his cheerful demeanor, he had a set of all-consuming black eyes.

They were void of any sort of light, giving the kid a pretty creepy look. He should be grateful he was good-looking. Black's eyes were definitely up there with our gang, matching Crystal's and mine in how uncanny they were. Despite that, he looked cheerful enough, laughing and playing with who could only be Cheren and Bianca. Curiously enough, I noted that a Darumaka was running next to him. I hummed quietly at that before turning to leave... only to stop at seeing movement from the corner of my eyes.

I turned again, watching as a 4th figure walked up to them... It was a girl with the same brown, messy hair as Black. I might have even confused them for siblings if not for the way Black was staring at her, rushing forward with visible concern. My confusion as to why he would be concerned was quickly made clear as I heard them speak.

"Why didn't you call for me, Hilda?" Black said aloud. Hilda huffed, beckoning towards a small Gothita next to her.

"I can see just fine with Gothita here... besides, you act like I'm completely blind! Don't be such a mom, Hilbert!" He immediately recoiled as if physically struck.

"D-Don't call me by that name." Cheren and Bianca laughed at his plight. Hold on a second... was Hilda partially blind? Hm... well, I would hope that her eye color being white didn't have anything to do with that, but who am I kidding? She was totally partially blind because she was White. I snorted to myself. Well, I verified their existence. The most surprising things here had been Hilda's condition and their ages.

I didn't expect them to be this old, but it made sense considering Unova's starting age to be a trainer was 16. My gaze lingered on them for a moment before I banished the idea of speaking to them further. When the time came for their journey to begin, I would invite them into our gang if they wanted, but for now? I wouldn't drag a bunch of kids whom I couldn't protect into our circle... Sapphire was unavoidable, but I could dodge the Unova Gang freely. Especially considering who I had just captured.

I could not allow myself to grow close to new people. It would just be a hindrance right now. I'd need to be stronger. Hm. I wonder which of the two was the hero who would awaken the Black or White orb. It could only be one of them. After all, the other hero was N. Should I visit N?... No. I wasn't interested in speaking to a puppet. Talking to him would achieve nothing, and I hated wasting my time. A time would come when we met. He was a hero after all.

As quickly as I had arrived in Unova, I vanished, heedless of the violent shiver that crawled down the spine of the white-eyed girl named Hilda.

"Did you guys feel that?" Hilda asked, eyes shooting open. The pale irises turned towards a seemingly random direction, and she clutched Gothita tightly, both seeing something that no one else could.

"Feel what?" Hilbert questioned immediately, he and Darumaka standing alert for whatever that threat could be. Hilda opened her mouth, only to shut it as an uneasy feeling coursed through her. She stared intently at one spot, noting that there was nothing there but the trees of Nuvema.

"For a minute I felt like we were being watched by... by a monster," she said slowly. The air turned tense at that.

"A-A monster?" Bianca squeaked, hiding behind Hilbert as he stared in the direction that Hilda had been staring at. Cheren stiffened.

"You've always had really good instincts... maybe we should head back and warn someone of any wild pokemon?" he muttered. Hilda shook her head.

"It's gone now... and I don't think it's coming back. I just... I've never felt something like it." She could not even put into words what that oppressive sensation was. It felt daunting... Gothita whimpered in terror, clutching Hilda's leg and prompting her to scoop up the psychic. She soothed her through their bond.

"Let's head back inside. We'll let Professor Juniper know and see what she has to say," Hilbert declared. The group of 12-year-olds all nodded in unison. Hilda let out a rattled breath, letting Hilbert guide her back inside. Whatever that was, there was nothing good behind it. There was nothing I wanted to do in Kalos besides verify the existence of their characters. There was no legend I wanted to visit, no person to recruit; I would be in and out. Visiting Malva or Lysandre was useless as well.

Unfortunately, assassination was off the table because of a promise I made. So here I was in Vaniville Town, strolling through without a care in the world. I was disguised because apparently, my name had spread rather far from my battle with Green, so it was better to err on the side of caution. Even the supposed "Beginner Town" of Kalos reeked of money. Kalos was a region where money spoke first. It was probably the closest equivalent to my previous world.

If you did have money, it was probably an incredible region, but without it? I imagine you'd be hard-pressed to even become a trainer. Funny how that works—"W-Woah! Watch out!" I inclined my body effortlessly, dodging the person speeding into me from behind. I could have caught them, but I just allowed the idiot to tumble to the floor, staring dispassionately through my shades... Well, up until I got a good look at the person.

"Sorry about that! I'm never normally clumsy!" he apologized, as if he had hit me. He pulled himself up easily, not seeming to mind that his expensive outfit got dirty from his trip on the ground. I grunted, gauging him from head to toe. At a glance, he didn't seem all that impressive. Blue jacket, red cap, sunglasses... I would have dismissed him as some rich, pretty boy. But like I've learned with every protagonist in this world, it was the eyes that mattered, and this kid had the most bizarre eyes yet.

It wasn't even close. Slate-gray eyes stared at me with an innate kindness... but what stood out the most about them was that they looked like they had been goddamn branded. Two crosses, thick and blue in nature, ran through his pupils, making out the letter X because what else could it be. There was nothing normal about this. I didn't think X would actually have branded eyes.

"Ah, how interesting. Life has claimed this child. He is filled with their essence." That caused me to pause in genuine surprise. Why on earth did Xerneas brand a human? I understood that he was a protagonist, but wasn't this just a bit much?

"Oh, these?" he grinned good-naturedly, pointing at his eyes.

"Weird, right? I've had these since I was born! I dunno what they're for, but Ma says they're probably the reason I'm so lucky!" He held out a hand.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Calem X Xander," he introduced, holding out his hand.

"X and Xander? Really dipping into the X, huh?" I said boredly, capturing his hand to be polite. X looked to be the same age as me. Interesting...

"Blame my parents! Superstitious and all that!" Calem laughed.

"The X stands for Xavier! They really didn't let up!" I snorted. That was rich.

"Calem! How did you end up over here?!" a feminine voice shouted. A gaggle of footsteps followed, and I craned my head.

"Popular, huh?" I mused, watching as a group of kids approached.

"I wouldn't say that... I just have awesome friends!" he exclaimed cheerfully, turning towards them.

"Hey guys! I don't... actually know how I ended up here! I just felt like taking a different route, and then I almost crashed into this guy!" Calem informed them sheepishly. A brown-haired girl, who almost certainly had a crush on this guy, immediately stepped up to him.

"Oh no, your outfit is dirty, too? Did you fall?" she asked in concern. He rubbed the back of his hat.

"I'm fine, Shauna. Better that than colliding with someone." Shauna continued fussing over him, something that I immediately lost interest in.

"Um... I'm sorry about Calem. He's not normally clumsy!" a voice apologized. I blinked, turning to be met face to face with Serena, because who else could it be? Blonde hair, pretty face, with a red hat and similar shades to Calem. But interestingly enough... her eyes were normal. Bright blue orbs stared at me as the bowing girl pulled her head up.

"He didn't crash into me, so I don't care," I drawled. For a minute, Serena's brows furrowed. She stared at me for a long while before shaking her head.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Serena," she introduced instead, holding out her hand. I eyed it for a second before grabbing it.

"A pleasure. Friends with X here, I take it?" I asked, not deigning to introduce myself. Serena looked a little offended that I so brazenly called Calem what might have been something offensive in hindsight. She nodded a little tightly, eyeing me warily.

"Yeah! These are Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor!" Serena pointed at each one of her friends. I nodded more out of politeness than anything close to care.

"Charmed. It's always nice to see a group of tight-knit friends," I lied boredly.

"Now if you'll excuse me... I had somewhere to be before this entire thing." I inclined my head at that. I got the information I needed. I was done here. Calem heard that and jolted, rounding on me with a curious eye.

"Fun talk, man! Are you visiting?" he questioned, standing in the middle of his group of friends. It was easy to see that he was the 'leader' of their gang, which probably explained why all of them were looking for him. He had a natural aura that seemed to capture people in his orbit. How much of that had to do with being chosen by Xerneas? I don't know. I'm not sure what being chosen by Xerneas entailed... but that couldn't be good in the long run for the people around him.

Legendaries were more than just forces of nature in this world. They were Gods. Even Xerneas could have unforeseen effects on you. Fairies were tricky after all. Interesting. So Calem was the Protagonist of Kalos... and they weren't really hiding how important he was in your face. After all, his counterpart didn't wield the same eyes he did. Effortlessly popular, cheerful personality... and he was somehow drawn to me. Judging by his words, we didn't happen to have a chance encounter. Ah right.

He had asked me a question.

"Yeah, just strolling through. I'm a wandering spirit of sorts," I said vaguely, turning on a heel and walking away from the group. He looked a little bummed out by that, but I paid it little mind.

"Fun talk. Maybe we'll meet again, X," I drawled.

"Please stop calling him that! It's offensive!" Serena requested. I cocked my head to the left.

"Oh yeah?" She nodded.

"Yes, it is! Just because his eyes look like that doesn't mean you can just call him X." Calem put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's cool, Serena. I don't mind! Besides, I don't think he's being offensive about it," he laughed. Serena looked a little doubtful.

"If you say so..." Calem hummed.

"X, huh?" he mused before I watched a Carbink float up to him. I rolled my eyes and turned away.

"I'll be taking my leave now."

"C'mon, Calem, our breaks are almost over! We gotta go back to class!" Shauna urged, dragging him away.

"Huh, wait! I wanted to speak to him a little longer!" Calem protested... only to turn and see no one there.

"Maybe it's best if we leave it be," Serena said nervously. I stared at their group with a tilted head, stroking Loki's hair easily. Both Calem and Serena seemed rather aware, unlike their friends. I hadn't even paid attention to two of them. Tierno and Trevor, was it? Randoms. Hardly worth my— I hissed to myself. Thinking like that was a no-go. Even the random people had a purpose. I just couldn't afford to give them attention because I was a person who'd have a target on his back.

Calem was the only one worth paying attention to, so when the time came, I'd let him become strong. Unlike Sapphire, it seemed like Serena wasn't anything special in this world; she could stick with Ash. Alright then, I was done here—"I know you." I paused at that. Some surprise coursed through me at the fact that someone had found me, even with my desire to stay hidden, and I turned to face the lethargic voice. What I saw left me stunned. What the fuck...? Didn't I just meet Serena?

Who the hell was this lookalike? They both had the same pretty features, but it seemed like Serena actually tried to maintain her appearance, while this person had long given up. Same long hair, but whereas Serena had neat hair, this person's was messy and unkempt. The honey blond hair freely reached her hips, no hat in sight. Unlike Serena, who wore a polished red skirt along with a black shirt, this person looked like they were dressed in their pajamas, the all-blue attire haphazardly placed on.

But most alarming of all... was their eyes. Two black eyes stared at me... thick red lines crossing through the pupil to perfectly form the letter Y. Ah. So that's why Serena wasn't very special... because she was pulling identity fraud. Evidently, I found X's actual counterpart because why the fuck did both Yveltal and Xerneas brand humans?!

"Yet I am the one banished. Both Life and Death are unwise to brand humans in such a manner," Giratina said, amusement evident in their voice.

"You are?" I questioned slowly, racking my head with all this new info. Giratina had basically chosen me, and as a result, Psychics and Ghosts could hardly stand my presence unless they were subjected to prolonged exposure. I now knew that was because of the distortion seeping off me, and even then Giratina had been very careful. What the fuck did that mean for someone who was leaking Life and Death energy? Something told me Yveltal and Xerneas weren't as diligent.

Serena's clone stared at me with an expressionless face. To my slight concern, her eyes had a vaguely predatory glint to them that I had an inkling wasn't often there.

"Yvonne. Yvonne Gabena," she eventually introduced, never removing her gaze from me. Yvonne. Y. Oh, okay.

"You have a clone?" I questioned. She cocked her head.

"A little sister. Serena. She's 12. I'm 13." Then she pointed at me.

"You're Silver. I watched you battle your friends."

"You looked like you were having fun. I'm jealous of you." She didn't sound very jealous. Her voice was perfectly flat, no tone whatsoever in any sentence she had said. I raised a brow. So she watched our battles, huh? That made sense. That was probably why Serena almost recognized me.

"What? You don't have any friends?" I asked slowly. Yvonne nodded idly. I got the sense that she wasn't all there. She seemed rather disassociated.

"I'm cursed. It's better if no one is around me," she said honestly. My suspicions were confirmed in that, of course, nothing good came from being the Champion of certain pokemon. Yvonne got the short end of the stick. By being the champion of Yveltal... I imagine nothing good came from that, unlike Calem, who seemed to have everything going for him.

"Cursed?" I prodded. She said nothing for a while, just continuing to stare at me with a half-lidded expression. As our conversation progressed, I did notice that her eyes seemed to spark with more and more life. When was the last time she had a prolonged conversation with someone?

"Bad things happen to people around me," she said flatly. She gestured lazily.

"People get sick, they start seeing things... they get worse. All of it is because of me." I hummed, leaning against a wall.

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because I killed Dad."... Yvonne did not wait for me to respond.

"We never knew it was because of me... but Dad got sick one day. No one knows what happened, but he never got any better, no matter what the doctors did. Mom didn't want Serena or me to see what was happening to him."

"Near the end, he started seeing things... hearing things. He kept talking about a cocoon... And then one day, while I was sleeping, he got out of bed and came to my room." Those branded eyes stared lifelessly at me.

"He stood over me, ranting about how I hatched out of the cocoon in his dreams with big demonic wings. To him, that meant I cursed him, and if he ever wanted to be healed... if the world was ever to be saved, I needed to die." Ouch. Yvonne's gaze took a curious glint.

"It was strange... He was bedridden for years, but he seemed so healthy when he decided I needed to die." Her delivery of that sentence didn't sound nearly as depressing as it should have been. I wonder when the light in her eyes had been snuffed. Was it directly after she killed her dad?

"Right before he could do anything, he died where he was standing. One second, he was energetic; the next, he shuddered. I didn't see what happened because I was covering my face, but I heard him choke up before he collapsed on the floor. All I remember thinking was "I don't want to die," and then he died instead." Well damn. That would probably fuck any kid up. While I did not expect such unexpected lore... it was very informational.

"After dad died, we moved here. None of the kids really like me because they think I cursed them, but I know what happens when they're really cursed, so I shut myself in my room. No one bothers me anymore except for Mom giving me food. Serena tries, but I don't want to hurt her, so I tell her to stay away." I mulled that over. The kids' thinking she was cursed was likely because with only Calem in this town, they must have all been exceptionally... lively, I guess.

Probably brimming with life, but that wasn't healthy for them in the long run. Being exposed to a legend was never good, no matter how it appeared on paper. My best guess was that these two balanced each other out without knowing, which meant Yvonne was isolating herself for no reason. Fascinating. But that didn't explain why Yvonne's dad was her only victim. By the looks of it, he got it the worst, but her mom was still fine.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"When's your birthday?" I asked thoughtfully. It wasn't lost on me that Yvonne was older than I was.

"April 4th." By quite a few months too.

"You believe me," Yvonne pointed out.

"Yeah, I do. Why are your mom and sister fine?" I replied. Yvonne shrugged.

"Mom was out a lot. She's famous, but sometimes bad things happen to her. She got an injury that forced her to retire from Rhyhorn Racing. Serena got sick for a bit, but she was sent to Kanto for a trip. When I realized I was the one hurting her, she stopped getting sick. Bad stuff stopped happening to Mom, too." I accepted it.

"You're very forthcoming with information. We just met." She peered at me with more and more expression on her face.

"Something told me to leave the house today, and then I found you. Being around you feels... different. I like it," was her simple response. Different? That gleam in her eyes suggested something a little more than what she said. She was looking at me in a strangely familiar way.

"My turn for questions," Yvonne said firmly, not allowing me to dwell on the thoughts more. I raised a brow.

"Sure, I'll answer you a little."

"What are you doing in Kalos? You were in Kanto before. Are you traveling in this region?" she asked immediately.

"I'm just visiting. I have no interest in staying here longer than I have to," I said dispassionately.

"I see," she muttered. I should leave. I hadn't even meant to be identified...

"You looked like you were having so much fun during the Indigo League. What happened to you?" Yvonne asked curiously, tilting her head.

"The ghosts of my past keep coming back," I said vaguely. I imagined that to any onlooker, this might have been the most disturbing conversation to witness. The two of us had equally blank expressions, faces not really betraying anything. Even if you couldn't really see mine, the tone was more than enough... and the words exchanged weren't helping. In the first place, I was a little too forthcoming with information. I imagine whatever weird forces had drawn both her and Calem to me were affecting me as well.

"They are the chosen of Death after all." Ah... I get it. Yveltal's ability was Dark Aura.

"Was your dad a psychic?" I asked curiously. Yvonne shrugged.

"Maybe? He had a Meowstic." I sighed. It was no wonder the look in her eyes was familiar. This was the same gleam Karen had in her eyes when she mentioned hunting me. In the same way, I exuded something that hampered Ghosts and Psychics... Yvonne was similar. Hers was just a little more brutal, hands-on, and universal. I think her dad could attest to that. Mine was capable of being brutal, but I was well aware of it, and I hadn't wanted to hurt anyone... something Yvonne had probably discovered a little too late.

I could only imagine what I'd do to the majority of the population if Giratina's essence were freely radiating off of me. While I could leave Calem alone, since his life seemed to be going well... I couldn't in good conscience do the same to Yvonne. I really wanted to, but I imagine my gang would be disappointed if they found out I left a girl cursed by the god of death alone.

"You stay in your room all day?" I asked. She nodded.

"I have a bath in my room, and my mom leaves my food outside my door. She used to try to get me to come out... but she gave up." I pursed my lips.

"Alright, come with me," I said. She stared.

"... Okay." She didn't even question me. Leaving this girl alone was a recipe for disaster. She had no friends, her mother seemed to accept that she was better off being alone, and she was the chosen of the pokemon of Death. Red herring was probably too kind a word to describe Yvonne. They were setting this girl up to destroy Kalos. I resisted the urge to sigh as Yvonne curiously stepped up to me. I took one look at her and huffed. She genuinely looked like a train wreck. This was the epitome of shut-in.

"You can't just walk around in your pajamas," I scolded, reaching into my bag and pulling out one of my black coats. I handed it to the girl and said, "At least put this on." She nodded. I only had a moment to turn my head before she shamelessly removed her pajama top and replaced it with my coat. Great. She also had no social cues whatsoever. At least with Green, we had long gotten used to each other because we were travel companions. It was either get used to it or be in permanently uncomfortable situations.

Why did I always find the fuck ups? Was it because I was one too?

"I'm done," Yvonne said, tilting her head at me. She idly handed me her discarded top, and I sneered, grabbing and placing it in my bag until she was ready to get it back. I turned to her, only to blink.

"You're not wearing any shoes."

"I was in a rush," she said lethargically. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, shadows licking at my feet. I grabbed her, and in an instant, we both vanished.

"Hey, Joy." Joy jumped slightly, bored gaze shooting open at the familiar voice. She glanced up from her computer, surprise evident on her face at the sight of Silver standing across from her. And he wasn't alone. Her eyes honed in on the girl who looked like she belonged better in the jungle than anywhere with a population. Her hair was unbelievably messy, her eyes had bags underneath, and she was hunched over, staring listlessly at her with an expression that matched Silvers.

The most glaring detail about this girl's appearance was the two bright red Ys in her eyes. They stood out more than anything on this girl, and it wasn't particularly close. Pulsing under the bright lights of the Pokemon Center, Joy could only wonder what the hell her story was. Both were highly unnerving. Silver had plenty of reasons to look like that, which Joy would be finding out soon, but why on earth was there a girl who decided she wanted to take a page out of his book? Joy already felt a headache forming.

This wasn't Silver being hilariously petty after a loss... no, something serious had happened to him.

"Come with me," she said briskly, turning on a dime and heading to the back of the Center. She didn't wait to gauge Silver's expression, knowing it wouldn't have changed, and resisted the urge to sigh. It was just one thing after another.

"Check the girl first," Silver requested, tugging the complacent girl along. She side-eyed both the children and huffed.

"I can never have a peaceful shift when you're involved," she grunted. Silver smiled thinly.

"I missed you, too." The brat was lucky she loved him.

"Well?" Joy glanced at me curiously.

"Where did you find this girl?" she asked slowly.

"Kalos," I drawled. She raised a brow.

"What the hell were you doing in Kalos?"

"Exploring the world a bit. Wanted to see how it was in comparison to Kanto," I said conversationally. Joy caught onto my words immediately. She furrowed her brows, turning towards Yvonne.

"And you found this girl?" she asked slowly.

"More like she found me," I muttered. Joy raised a brow at that, turning towards the docile Yvonne.

"I just felt drawn to where he was, and then I followed it," Yvonne answered with a slow shrug.

"How did your inspection go. Weird, right?" Joy frowned.

"That's one way of putting it. You probably realize already, but pokemon influence their trainers just as trainers influence their pokemon. It's something that time only enhances. Trainers, especially Specialists, tend to have some properties of the type of pokemon they train." She pointed at the idle Yvonne.

"This girl doesn't own a single pokemon... but she has almost all the properties of a dark-type specialist... and it's abnormal," she stressed.

"How abnormal?" I prodded.

"We both know Karen. She's one of the most well-known Dark Specialists in the world. This girl is close to that, and she radiates an aura similar to yours," she explained. I mulled that over.

"See? I'm cursed. The nurse in Kalos said something similar," Yvonne said easily.

"Cursed?" Joy muttered to herself, shooting me a look.

"I'll explain later." She nodded in acceptance.

"Beyond that... you aren't eating enough, you aren't sleeping enough, and you aren't properly caring for yourself. When was the last time you saw sunlight?"

"Before today? I don't know... I don't go to classes anymore," Yvonne muttered. Joy stared Yvonne down, making the girl shuffle slightly. I imagine having to deal with me had made her quite good at reining in other people.

"I hope none of these traits of yours are visible next time I do a checkup. I've got one brat to worry about. I do not need another," she stressed. Yvonne nodded slowly.

"I'll try to take better care of myself."

"Good... we can start with getting you new clothes," Joy said bluntly, eyeing the girl wearing my coat, her pajama pants, and some sandals I lent her.

"I'm not homeless," Yvonne said tonelessly.

"Consider it a revamp. From now on, you won't be doing whatever the hell you were doing before. I can't believe they let you rot in these conditions," Joy muttered. I nodded in agreement. I'd probably be speaking to her mom. This was a little egregious, regardless of what she did. Yvonne gazed at the two of us, a spark of curiosity entering her gaze. Eventually, she nodded.

"Okay, I'll go shopping with you two." Joy looked surprised before sighing.

"Yeah, yeah..." she muttered. Then the nurse turned towards me.

"Now it's your turn..." she grunted, far more forceful with me.

"What happened?" Joy asked immediately. The only nurse I liked sat me down in the patient's seat, staring intently at me for anything. I'm sure I'd normally be annoyed that so many people were concerned about me, but I wasn't stupid. I could tell I was acting in a concerning manner, and that was just how they showed they were worried for me. I was rather touched that so many people cared for me. So no, I wouldn't really take offense to it.

"I've got a mission I need to do now... so I'm focusing," I replied simply. Joy stared at me before pinching her nose.

"You're both staying the night. Go to my house and let me finish my shift." I blinked at her.

"Sure. Give me your key." She stared flatly at me.

"Just do that teleport thing. I'm not gonna wake you up to let me in." I snorted. Only Joy would consent to my breaking into her house.

"Alright. C'mon, Yvonne," I grunted. Yvonne looked mildly surprised.

"I'm staying, too?" she asked.

"That's why I said both. We still need to get you clothes," Joy sighed tiredly.

"There goes my daytime sleep." I listened to her drawl and rolled my eyes.

"No one told you to be so caring. The curse of all Joys," I said dryly.

"Get out before I stab you with a needle." Yvonne and I both vanished, appearing in Joy's humble home. I exhaled. I wasn't that tired, probably because it had been daytime in Unova and Kalos, but traveling to that many different regions, with their different time zones, was disorienting.

"Are we friends?" I turned towards Yvonne, brow raised at the strange question. She was gazing at me with those creepy eyes of hers, the Y's pulsing even in the darkness. I seriously could not believe that to explain their eyes matching their names, they made a girl partially blind and branded two kids.

"No," I answered honestly. I was in no mood to make new friends because, quite frankly, I was a shit one to have. What a traumatized girl, who the Legendary Pokemon of Death also branded, needed was not me but someone gentler. Like that Calem guy, I imagine he'd be friends with her, no issue.

"Ah," she said. I frowned slightly as her expressionless face turned a little downcast. This is what I meant. The first change in expression this girl makes is sadness because of me. I scratched my head and sighed.

"Technically speaking, you qualify for our gang. I've got no interest in being your friend, but I'm sure Crystal and Gold would accept you with open arms," I said placatingly. Her eyes sparked in interest.

"Your... gang? Colors?" she asked slowly. I nodded.

"Why?" I pointed at my eyes.

"Your name is Yvonne, and your pupils form the letter Y. The qualifications to join our gang are that your eyes match your name."

"Oh... that's the first time these eyes were useful," she said, pondering the revelation. Eventually, she nodded.

"Why don't you want to be friends?" Yvonne asked.

"Why do you want to be friends?" I asked in return. She cocked her head.

"Well... you remind me of me, and I like being around you. You make me feel energized."

"You sure don't look it," I drawled. I'm pretty sure the only reason she was "energized," as she put it, was due to how her aura was clashing with mine. If I were any weaker, I imagine being around her would make me sick.

"You're the only one who treats me normally. You're famous; you were the most popular trainer at the Indigo League, you have friends and people cheering for you, but you're here, trying to help me," Yvonne pointed out.

"I never asked to be cursed. I didn't ask for these eyes... but being around you makes me a little happy that I have them."... I gazed stonily at the girl before sighing.

"Do you have a Pokegear or anything?" Yvonne's brow furrowed.

"What is that?" she asked slowly.

"A device that lets you talk to others," I explained. Her gaze sparked in recognition.

"Oh, like the Holo Caster. Is that what you guys use?" I flashed my Pokegear, showing her the device.

"We don't use that in Kalos... our device is a little more advanced. We use the Holo Caster from the Lysandre Labs." My gaze darkened.

"You aren't using a Holo Caster. I'll buy you a Pokegear tomorrow." She lit up, nodding a little more excitedly.

"Okay, I'll get a Pokegear. Why do I need one?"

"When you go back to Kalos, you don't expect me to visit you whenever, right? We'll need to exchange numbers," I sighed. For the first time since meeting her, Yvonne actually smiled. It was a tiny thing, hard to spot in the dark of the night... but it was there.

"Now go to sleep. Joy is a force of nature that only I can resist," I said frankly. She nodded, a smile still on her face.

"Right. Goodnight, Silver." I grunted.

"Go to sleep, Y."

"Y..." Yvonne muttered, smiling to herself.

"I like it," she said.

"Did you even sleep?" Joy asked, removing her low heels as she entered her home. I glanced at her.

"I tend to wake up early. I made breakfast." The nurse gazed at the assortment of food, eyes going wide with a little bit of horror.

"Just what the hell happened to you?" she asked in genuine concern. I sighed. Telling this story was getting a little exhausting. Joy took a bite of her bacon with a frown.

"So you're gonna clean up Team Rocket?" she questioned, storing the information I told her into that nifty little folder she kept of me. She mulled that over.

"Silver, you're not in the right headspace to hunt them down," she pointed out. I shrugged.

"Maybe, but I can worry about that after they're dealt with." Joy pinched her nose.

"I get it, Silver. Trust me, I do. I was there with you when Mewtwo went on that rampage... I understand that Team Rocket took so much from you, but you're so emotionally volatile right now. This is dangerous." I remained silent for a long while.

"Do you really get it, Joy?" I asked honestly, staring at her. The steel in my eyes caught her by surprise, but I didn't let her get a word out.

"Team Rocket took everything from me from the moment I was born. They even took my life. I'm alive by pure happenstance." Joy jolted.

"What...?"

"Giratina saved my life. Without them, I'd be dead. Team Rocket almost killed me... and they succeeded in killing thousands of people. If I don't stamp them out now, they'll come back, and they'll kill even more before dying again. I'm going to make sure they don't kill anyone ever again." My voice was even and straight, no hesitation in there. There was only a firm resolve, the look causing Joy to concede.

"Fine... fine. I don't like it, but I'll have to trust that you know what you're doing," she sighed.

"Don't worry. I know what you want. I'll check up on you, and you can make sure I haven't lost it," I assured. Her grunt of acceptance sounded too much like mine. It brought a genuine smile to my face.

"That girl." Joy changed the topic immediately.

"She's been branded by a legend from birth," I said easily, ensuring that Yvonne wasn't nearby to hear this. Joy looked disturbed.

"So she's like you? Do you know which Legend it was?" she questioned.

"Yveltal, the Legendary Pokemon of Death," I explained.

"Hm," Joy pursed her lips.

"I imagine being branded by a pokemon known as 'Death' isn't a very good thing and probably plays a big part in why she's the way she is."

"Yeah. Everyone from her town, including her, thinks she's cursed. No one talks to her."

"Figures," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"Silver, be nice to that girl, will you? She likes you, and if she really has no friends, you can do good for her." I scoffed disbelievingly.

"Me? Do good for her? Let's be serious, Joy." Her frown turned far more severe. I imagine I was about to hear more things about how it wasn't my fault someone died. Luckily for me, Yvonne showed up and interrupted our conversation. She just stood at the entrance to the kitchen, prompting Joy and me to stare at her.

"Good... morning?" Yvonne greeted awkwardly, staring blankly at us. I ignored both her and Joy's pointed glance.

"Come eat," Joy commanded, shooting my full plate a glare as well. I sighed and began digging into my plate, watching as Yvonne sat directly next to me. I once again ignored Joy's pointed glance.

"What were you guys talking about?" Yvonne asked.

"Where we're going shopping," Joy said smoothly, eyeing the girl for a second.

"We're thinking of taking a walk to Lilycove. It has a nice department store, so we can get you an entire new wardrobe."

"Walk? Why would we walk there?" I asked.

"When was the last time you walked somewhere and not teleport? We will not have you building a reliance on that," she replied bluntly. I huffed.

"I have Ares. We could just fly."

"You want to take a flight in the city governed by the flying type leader? With your gigantic ass Salamence? Winona has been hounding me since she got reports that I was kidnapped. Who would have thought she's such a worrywart? Imagine if she sees me with you?" Joy sighed tiredly.

"Shut up before I give you another distinguishable trait between you and your clones," I retorted. Joy smirked.

"There's that bite I missed. You'd better not lose it." I rolled my eyes.

"Let's just get this over with."

"Did you make this, Silver?" Yvonne asked suddenly, having polished her plate clean. I nodded. Yvonne smiled for the second time since I met her.

"It was really good. Thank you." Joy's pointed stare looked more like a glare now. I still ignored it.

"Are you even used to taking long walks?" I asked both Joy and Yvonne rudely.

"No," they both replied, lagging behind me by quite a distance. Neither looked suited for long travel at all, which was incredible because we hadn't even walked that far yet, and there was a sheen of sweat on Joy's face, while Yvonne was outright panting. I exhaled. Leave it to me to travel to a whole different city with a nurse and a shut-in. Worst of all, Joy had forbidden me from releasing any of my pokemon so Gaia couldn't even carry them along.

The only one out was Loki, stealthily following us through the route.

"What? The uber athletic brat doesn't like the pace we set?" Joy mocked, dressed in casual attire.

"Not even a little. You're both slow," I said blandly. I had to make sure I never walked too far from them because they were both largely defenseless, but as a result, we were going at a pace that I wasn't the fondest of.

"Slow down a little in life, brat. Enjoy the sights," Joy offered, shoving her hands in her pockets. Enjoy the sights... Well, I suppose it was true that the last time I traveled through Route 120 and 121, I didn't really stop to take in the scenery beyond that detour to Registeel. As I decided to 'enjoy' the sights, I was immediately made aware of a set of red eyes staring at my group as if we had committed a cardinal sin. Ah, right, that's why I didn't stop to enjoy the sights.

There was always something hounding me. Though this felt familiar. I blinked.

"Absol? Are you the one I encountered all those months ago?" It hesitantly walked out at my call. The Absol nodded at my words, confirming that it was the one I met during my first stint in Hoenn.

"Don't scare it away this time," I grunted.

"Ah, you remember that."

"I never did thank you for being willing to answer my questions despite being afraid," I said earnestly, bowing shortly to the dark type. I reached into my bag before pulling out some snacks. Absol looked surprised. It cautiously walked up, sniffed the Poffin, then took a bite. Its eyes lit up before the pokemon quickly devoured the offered snack.

"You know her?" Joy asked with a raised brow. I nodded before pausing at hearing Joy give the pokemon a gender.

"You too?"

"She started visiting me before the stuff on New Island. I guess she was trying to warn me. She still visits on occasion, but it's been a while," Joy explained, reaching down and scratching the Absol behind the ear. She purred in content at the touch, leaning into it. All things considered, this was the strangest Absol I've met yet, and I met a lot of Absol.

"An Absol?" The Absol seized up at the curious voice of Yvonne. She gazed at the blank-faced girl, the two locking eyes with each other. The two walked up to each other, and Yvonne tentatively reached out a hand. My eyes narrowed. Shouldn't Absol be afraid of Yvonne like it was with me? We were both walking disasters after all... No, Absol definitely did look afraid, but there was something else there... Shock? No... that looked like awe. Maybe it was drawn to that aura of hers. Interesting...

I was expecting Absol to sprint away, but she looked as enraptured as she did terrified.

"... I like you," Yvonne said matter-of-factly to the dark type. She continued raking a hand against the white fur and watched the Absol sigh.

"Catch her then," I grunted. Yvonne and Absol both gazed at me in surprise, but I wasn't keen on saying anything else. The blonde opened her mouth as if to say something to me, only to shut it and turn towards Absol instead.

"Do you want to be my friend?" she asked. Absol cocked her head. She seemed to mull it over, but eventually nodded in acceptance. Evidently, this Absol was a bit of a masochist, but I probably could have deduced that from our first meeting.

"Can I have a Poke Ball?" Yvonne asked me. I grunted, tossing one to her and watching as she fumbled to catch it. She stared at it for a while before her eyes met mine again.

"Can I have the one you use?" she asked this time. I ignored the knowing gaze searing into the back of my head and handed her a Luxury Ball. She smiled at me before turning to Absol. After fumbling with the ball a bit, which required me to step in and teach her how to use it, Yvonne eventually pressed it against Absol's head. The ball hardly shook, just accepting the capture immediately, and I found myself once again thinking that this was the strangest Absol ever.

I've never seen a pokemon throw itself at something dangerous so often. You would think it'd do everything in its power to avoid Yvonne and me, but maybe its desire to help trumped its fear. I shrugged. Well, not my problem.

"You're paying?" I asked in some surprise. Joy shot me an annoyed look.

"Why did you say that like I don't have money?" I stayed suspiciously quiet. She rolled her eyes.

"Nurses make good money. Happens when you're necessary for the most popular profession in the world. I'm just frugal." I hummed.

"I made a lot of money from the League, you know? I can pay for this," I offered. The League was not cheap whatsoever, and winning the biggest event of the year raked in a lot of money. I wouldn't really need to think about supplies and stuff for a while unless I decided to start spending massive amounts of money on building bases or something. Huh, what a coincidence. Good thing I was sponsored by Silph now.

"It's cool, brat. Besides, recently I've made a rather massive influx of cash." My brow raised before it hit me.

"Oh, did Lorekeeper end up winning?" I questioned. Joy smirked.

"Yeah, she did, and I got quite the pretty penny from it. Imagine my surprise at seeing how stacked the odds were against her. I was surprised, considering the gym battles she had, but I don't think she has many fans. She's arrogant like you are."

"Yeah?" I questioned. She nodded.

"She battled that Flannery girl in the finals. It was a shutout. Her Haxorus was a highlight. She even has a Salamence like you. That beast was even stronger than the Haxorus. All brawn, no brains, too." I found myself nodding at that before I paused. Wait a fucking second. A Haxorus?... Oh no fucking way. Did Zemya capture that shitty ass Fraxure?

"What about those twins you mentioned?" I asked, storing that information away. If Zemya had that Haxorus, we were probably destined to be enemies. I think we would both assault each other at a glance, and I wasn't talking about me attacking the terrorist.

"They fought each other in the Top 8... then Tate went on to battle Lorekeeper in the Top 4 and lost. Good battle. Those psychic kids are a problem," she noted. I contemplated that.

"How was it compared to Indigo?"

"... Cocky brat. I don't think any League compared to Indigo this year... or ever, really. Four monster rookies showing up and dominating the performance has never been seen, not to mention how close all your battles were," Joy replied honestly. I snorted quietly.

"That's just the beginning. We'll start terrorizing the whole world soon enough," I assured.

"I don't doubt it. Little brats like you dream too big," Joy sighed, expression turning into a thoughtful one.

"I couldn't help but notice that Green girl was using a familiar technique. It reminded me of something I saw on New Island." Joy's words were about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

"Yeah, they're the same thing. My stint at the island was what inspired her to seek it out herself," I explained. Joy mulled it over.

"You'll tell me about it later?"

"Of course." She looked satisfied by that.

"I thought I should mention that I had a talk with Champion Steven Stone," she said offhandedly. Steven Stone?

"I take it reports of your kidnapping reached him?" She nodded.

"Troublesome. It doesn't paint a good image when you suddenly ask for paid leave, and then a few days later, you get kidnapped." Joy shrugged helplessly. I hummed thoughtfully.

"Steven Stone visited you himself... I imagine it was for me. This seems like something Winona could handle on her own." That was mildly troublesome. I had no frame of reference for what Steven was up to. I doubt he'd take the fact that one of his Beldum was stolen lying down... but questioning Joy about me? Hm... maybe he was more obsessed than I thought. Joy huffed.

"I made no mention of you, even though I'm sure that's what he wanted to hear. For some reason, he's convinced that you and I are connected, and a Nurse Joy from Hoenn getting kidnapped and transported to Kanto is random, you know? But I very well can't tell them I got kidnapped because I'm your favorite Joy," she mused. My eye twitched.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Karen has the most insufferable smirk on her face whenever she mentions that," I hissed.

"Am I wrong? Even while kidnapped, you still made sure to call me and let me know you're alive. I'm touched, really," Joy said with a smug smile.

"Next time I'll just let you think I'm dead then," I retorted. She let out a chuckle. If it were any other Nurse Joy, I'd call it a giggle, but Joy was way too uncouth for that.

"What disturbing thoughts are you thinking of me?" Joy asked seriously, a scowl on her face. I shrugged.

"The fact that you still refuse to disclose your first name to me." Joy rolled her eyes.

"It's Elena. Elena Joy," she drawled. Elena, huh? I cupped my chin at that.

"That's way too girly a name for a brute like you. I'm gonna keep calling you Joy," I said honestly. Her eye twitched, and she reached to choke me out, hissing as I mockingly moved away from her.

"Having to deal with a demon brat with no sleep. What did I do to deserve this?" Joy sighed.

"Care too much, Elena," I retorted. She shook her head in exasperation.

"So? Will you help the girl out?" she asked. I frowned.

"Help her how? I'm no good at that. I'll have her meet my gang eventually." Joy rolled her eyes.

"You underestimate the value of being noticed by a person for the first time. All her life, she's been called a curse, and then you show up and treat her normally. Stuff like that sticks. As a nurse, the best way for her to get better... is you," she said honestly. Joy really was too nice for her own good. Of course, she was looking out for the girl until the end.

"I got everything I wanted." We paused at that, turning towards Yvonne and inspecting her. She was in a comfortable, fancy red dress that was lined with black. It stopped below her waist, with black thigh-highs and black boots to complete the outfit. In her gloved arms, there were various more outfits... all primarily red or black....

"No hat?" I tried.

"You don't wear one. I won't wear one either." At Joy's pointed glare, I finally conceded and shot her a brisk nod.

"I'll do what I can," I mouthed simply. Joy looked satisfied by that.

"You don't want more colors?" I asked slowly.

"No," Yvonne said bluntly. I sighed, just handing her a black and red Pokegear.

"Something told me you'd like this color. Good to see I was right," I said dryly. She smiled, accepting the device easily.

"Did you put your number in?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Good."

"And you?" Yvonne asked Joy next. Joy looked at her in surprise before snorting and snatching the device.

"I always get stuck with the troublesome kids," she grumbled, handing the Pokegear back. Yvonne looked as pleased as her expression allowed it, which wasn't a lot.

"Thank you, Silver and Joy. I... appreciate it," she said eventually. I grunted, only for Joy to slap my back with no force.

"No problem," I replied.

"Just make sure you don't make me regret spending this money on you," Joy waved her off.

"I won't," Yvonne said firmly. Joy stood up with a yawn.

"Alright, brats, take this stuff to checkout while I go get more clothes for you." Yvonne's brows furrowed.

"More?" she asked in confusion. Joy stared flatly at her.

"You're not only wearing two colors, and I don't trust you to pick out something good." The nurse shook her head, while Yvonne nodded in acceptance.

"Two brats allergic to multiple colors, and I get stuck with them. Hurry and go to checkout so I can finally get some rest. Who decided it was a good idea to walk to Lilycove anyway?" she drawled. I twitched, shooting her a deathly look. Joy let out an annoyingly smug chuckle at my stare. With our trip done, Yvonne and I left Joy to get some well-deserved rest, promising we would visit for monthly checkups. When we arrived in Kalos, it was the dark of night.

"I'm expecting you to start being an active member of society now," I explained firmly.

"You will be going to school again, you will be going outside because your Absol needs it, you will take care of yourself, got it?" Yvonne nodded with a smile.

"Okay... but you'll visit to make sure I'm doing that, right? And then you'll introduce me to the rest of your friends?" she asked expectantly.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I said boredly, remembering Joy's words. This was exactly why I had avoided the Unova group. It was to avoid situations like this... but unfortunately for me, both Calem and Yvonne had unknowingly and knowingly sought me out. At the very least, only Yvonne had been smart enough to figure out who I am. But I would have preferred it if Calem had been the one to do so. I could have just left him alone. He was already plenty happy.

I thought about talking to her mom right now, but I just couldn't be bothered. I'd do it at a later time.

"Oh... but what about my curse?" Yvonne asked.

"You'll be fine. If you really don't want to hurt anyone, you won't hurt them, just like with Serena. I'll try to help you get a better grasp on it, but for now, intention matters," I explained easily. She nodded.

"Okay." I was already turning away; I needed to go visit Lorelei.

"Silver... thank you." I paused before snorting, vanishing without saying a word. Yvonne watched Silver disappear, adjusting her bags slightly. She eventually turned towards her house before entering, pausing at seeing a familiar figure standing there.

"Yvonne?! Is that you?!" Grace practically shouted, scooping her daughter up in concern. Tears of relief were in her eyes as she engulfed her oldest child.

"Mom?" Yvonne hadn't seen her mom in ages. Despite being so close in proximity at all times of the day, it felt like a barrier was separating them.

"Where have you been?! I looked everywhere for you! I thought you finally ran away!" Grace cried. Yvonne shot her mother a strange look.

"No, I didn't. I just made a friend," she said bluntly.

"And you've been missing for this long because of that friend?!" Yvonne nodded.

"I'm going to start going to school again." Grace froze in disbelief at that.

"You... are?" Then she noted her daughter's attire. The fancy red dress lined with black was certainly not something Grace remembered ever buying her... not to mention the bags that suggested she had even more clothes. Where exactly had her daughter gone? Grace did not like buying Yvonne anything red or black because it looked far too compatible with her... eyes. Yvonne nodded.

"I caught a pokemon, too. I'm going out tomorrow to buy her food," she said matter-of-factly. With that, Yvonne disentangled from her mother and headed straight to her room. Grace blinked in confusion.

"Where did you even go?" she asked.

"I was with a friend. They... treated me normally and told me to start living my life, so I'll do that," Yvonne said finally, disappearing into her room.

"Goodnight." Grace watched her go with a stunned expression. The red dress fluttered right before vanishing behind her. What on earth had happened to her daughter in such a short span? She bit her lip. Well, at the very least, it seemed like this mysterious person had a positive effect on her. Small victories. If Grace could see any glimpse of her oldest daughter more, she'd take it.

"Everyone's figuring out your tricks, Loki," I mused, raking a hand through his hair.

"If they show that they can resist Taunt, then we'll hit them with something else." Loki looked curiously at my smile.

"Snatch will go hand in hand with Taunt. If they're going to buff themselves, you'll steal it. How does that sound?" He mulled it over, smile widening.

"I like it."

"Good, but that's not all." My first pokemon looked at me curiously.

"I was thinking about how to push you to the next level, when I realized the key was your Illusions." Loki cocked his head.

"Let me explain..." I muttered.

"Of every member of the team, your ability is woven into your style more intricately than anyone else. Not only that, Illusion is ridiculous, and we've only really been focusing on one aspect of it," I explained, holding up a finger.

"Visual has been our primary focus. While we use the other senses, vision is always the most dominant." I smiled slightly.

"I want to change that. I want your illusions to swap primary focuses on a dime. Hearing, smelling, touch... hell, even taste. We're going to fine-tune your illusions so that we don't rely solely on visual perception." Loki looked on in awe at that.

"We're going to crack your illusions and break them down until we can understand it more. Taunt will be the least of their worries when they can't even properly hear their trainer." Imagine making a pokemon feel false pain, or hearing a command that never actually came out. Illusion was bizarre, almost like limited reality-bending. I wanted to delve into all of it. With enough work, I wonder if we could make them even semi-solid. I bet we could... whether with psychic or dark energies.

The possibilities were endless. I wasn't done with the visual aspect as well. Tricking opponents with different members of my party was fun, but what if Loki and I utilized his ability to shroud the opponent in total darkness so that they couldn't see through? How would they deal with fighting blind? Illusion's ability to affect the terrain to the degree it did, to the point where it could fool all things, including cameras, suggested that they were a little more.

Illusion's ability to give Loki the ability to talk perfectly showed me that Illusion was utterly bizarre in nature. It sounded like its own move. And I'd explore it all.

"There's more I want from you," I said bluntly. Loki looked fascinated, nodding his head at me.

"Night Daze is your signature attack. Only the Zoroark Line can utilize it as far as I know... so we'll be adding variations of it that no other pokemon can use." The giant dome of energy was good, but it was wasteful. There were other applications to explore. Instead of a circular dome, we could transform it into a pillar to reach pesky foes above.

The reason I wanted to explore this move in particular was that Night Daze had a unique mechanic that injected pokemon with a bit of its lingering energy to worsen their vision. It would be very useful, but for now, we'd work on condensing it. All the force of a shockwave, in a little form. Holding it until the right moment to unleash havoc.

"On it," Loki decided, smiling at me. I ruffled his hair.

"There's a lot of work we have to do. I want to teach you Substitute and have you shroud it in an illusion. Throat Chop to render certain pokemon useless and enhance your close combat... the possibilities are endless, Loki."

"We'll reach all of them," he said firmly, nuzzling me happily.

"Snatch won't be that easy to learn. It's one of those strange moves with a bunch of properties that mean its dark typing is kinda just a placebo. But we'll figure it out. For now, focus on manipulating Night Daze's shape, and then we'll focus on the others," I assured. With that, I departed from Loki and approached my starter.

"Gaia," I greeted, rubbing her neck with a hand.

"You did great, girl, better than I could have ever hoped for... but we didn't account for that mega, huh?" I mused. She exhaled, nodding at my words. There was that grumpy look in her eyes, the same one I always adopted when I lost, but like me, she was just thinking about her inevitable revenge.

"That's my girl," I praised gently.

"Mega Venusaur has the ability Thick Fat, which means our goals of using Fire and Ice to wreck that busted bastard are difficult," I explained, reaching into my bag.

"Which leaves us with two more options... Psychic and Flying." Gaia looked at the glowing Meteorite with wide eyes, along with the handful of berries she'd need. The berries that resonated with flying type were Lum, Grepa, Coba, and Lansat. Naturally, I was not giving Gaia any Lum Berries to waste. Are you crazy? Those were incredibly useful for their diet. Lansat was quite useful too. Reports showed that they tended to give boosts at critical danger.

Grepa and Coba were diverse options for making food, so I was more willing to part with them.

"We aren't going to stop training your control over Fire, and I know we've barely scratched the surface of the technique, but I'm showing you the next best option for Saury. Flying type is our best bet at getting him, and we're gonna use this to do it. With proper usage, we can cut down those vines, blow him off his feet... hell, we might even get you to start flying." She cocked her head curiously at the Orb, but I saw stars appear in her eyes at the mention of flying.

A long time ago, I had mentioned that Gaia would try to fly if I told her she couldn't. Well, seems like that was actually a possibility now.

"This object is very relevant to the Ruler of the Sky, Rayquaza. Just touching it makes me breathless, like I'm flying way up there," I explained easily, gazing into the sky.

"I want you to use this as a bit of a crutch to get a feeling for that sensation. I'm hoping that by digging around, you'll get a feel for flying-type moves... but for now, I want you to just keep it close to you. We aren't even close to mastering your ultimate technique, but maybe understanding another type will give you the means to combine them," I muttered. For the moment, Natural Gift was proving most difficult to incorporate into Gaia's newest technique.

Weather Ball and Nature Power had been far easier, which was the reason she was able to fling about Flamethrowers and Hydro Pumps. Gaia was utilizing the absorbing nature of Weather Ball with the properties of Nature Power to gain access to the weather. Nature Power was normally limited to the terrain around, but it was surprisingly easy to draw from the weather... which made sense. Natural Gift was an entirely different beast, however.

We had the individual move down pat, but the more complicated aspects of it eluded us. It was a work in progress that we were slowly but surely inching towards. The air was all around us. My hopes were that flying techniques would be as easy to grasp as fire and water in their respective weathers... and utilizing this meteor could be the answer to that. Maybe having Ares use Tailwind could help Gaia better grasp it?

I actually wanted to test the stone with Ares as well, considering her typing was both Flying and Dragon. I just didn't know how she'd react with the Meteorite because, well, this rock was looking less like a rock and more like a Mega Stone, much like it eventually did in the Hoenn games. The conditions for it to transform in such a way were lost to me. I had no idea what I had done to initiate metamorphosis in this stone. It could be anything.

Maybe my stint with Mewtwo caused it to end up in this form, but it had been transforming since way back at Fuchsia. For now, I'd be cautious... but Gaia should be fine to handle it. Gaia nodded with sparkling eyes. She gingerly grabbed the Meteorite from me, staring reverently at it.

"Be very careful, Gaia. We know what legendaries are capable of, and this stone is important to one of the stronger ones, even stronger than Mewtwo," I stressed. Gaia tensed at that, nodding seriously and satisfying me.

"There's more. We're going to start learning Grassy Terrain, too. We'll be enhancing your grass-type moves; Solar Beam is good, but we can't rely on the sun to get it working fast. Without the sun, I want to make smaller versions that are quicker to fire. It's a great ranged option."

"Finally, it's time we start utilizing Overgrow in its full. By transforming you into a tank, it's hard to get your ability to activate. I want to find a way to activate it earlier so you can have it for the whole battle." Gaia looked enraptured at all I wanted. She nodded eagerly, a smile on her face. She bellowed and headbutted me gently, getting a small smile out of me.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg. Again, be careful with that meteorite. It belongs to a legend after all, but I trust you more than anyone else to be cautious," I warned. Gaia cheered happily, holding the pristine Meteorite like it were her baby. It was honestly a little fascinating how the stone had gone from that jagged, deformed rock into what may as well have been a pseudo Mega Stone. Would I question why it had changed so much? No.

I may as well get full use out of Rayquaza's stone if I was going to be hogging it from the villain teams. After Gaia finished her business with it, I'd try using it with Ares next. A melodious croon greeted me the moment I turned in the direction of my third pokemon. Freyja looked elated merely at the idea that I was walking up to her. The moment I reached lunging distance, she tackled me, wrapping around me and nuzzling my cheek. I stroked her face easily, relaxing in her grip.

"Your close combat capabilities have improved by leaps and bounds, Freyja... but we can get better." She nodded in agreement, a fire in her eyes.

"There are a couple of things we need to work on. One, I was a big fan of how you used Twister defensively. We need to make that a normal part of your arsenal," I murmured. Using Twister as a shield had been genius. It had the potential to be one of Freyja's most vital moves, especially after using Scale Shot.

"I know you haven't had much luck, but we'll have to start learning those Fairy techniques," I murmured, watching her expression wrinkle at the mere word.

"I know, I know," I soothed, patting her.

"But once we get one down, we'll get 'em all. We'll start small by having you learn Disarming Voice." She sighed greatly, saying something along the lines of, "You're lucky that I love you." I smiled.

"Marvel Scale is useful, but only when we get hit with the right condition. I'm going to teach you Refresh to get rid of the pesky ones... and if we decide to keep the less annoying ones, I think Facade will be great for you." That was mostly in regard to Paralysis and Harsh Poison, but there were situations where it would be better for Freyja to be healthy. There were a lot of things I wanted to teach Freyja. Her immortality technique, more dragon techniques...

with her control, I'm sure she could fire something she normally couldn't. But most importantly, I wanted her to learn Hydro Cannon and Water Pledge. But that was for the future. For now, we needed to get her used to using Fairy techniques. Freyja had shown the most aptitude for learning moves she normally couldn't. I would continue to use that.

"We'll get started right away, okay?" I murmured. She cried out happily, releasing me as slowly as possible. I let her, mostly because spoiling my team came with the job description. She finally released me after who knows how long, with a promise that I would come back to spoil her more. Unfortunately, Gaia overheard that, and I promised her as well that I'd dedicate some time to her. The things they forced me to do. I calmly strolled to Metagross.

"If it isn't my abstainer," I drawled, placing a hand against his cool head.

"Without abstaining, the outcome of the votes could be even. Considering it came down to our final choice, I believe I made the right decision," Metagross drawled in return. I huffed.

"You say that, but I think you just didn't want to make Gaia sad. I know what your decision was going to be. You believe in efficiently handling things, and taking them out quickly would be our best decision."

"No comment." I sat atop him easily.

"We need to utilize Stealth Rock more. You aren't normally my first option in a battle, which is why I haven't used it as often, but we'll figure something out," I informed my steel type. Metagross rumbled in agreement.

"We have an answer to ground types, so I'm thinking of ways to counter your fire weakness, and they revolve around Gravity," I grunted.

"Oh?" Metagross' eyes flashed before he rumbled.

"You want me to increase the strength of gravity to snuff out air, weakening the flames as they travel," Metagross identified immediately. I smirked.

"Exactly. We have a good foundation for you. As my swiss army knife, you should be able to calmly handle any type of opponent. I want a bit more coverage and Stone Edge as well. My battle with Green also made me very interested in Psych Up, so maybe that, too?" Metagross mulled it over.

"Very well. I approve of this direction. I have grown fond of Gravity to the point where I wish to further develop it regardless of your desires. Stone Edge will be useful as well. I already have Rock Tomb." I nodded at that.

"It's Post-League. Did you want that nickname?" I asked suddenly. Metagross eyed me.

"After we finish hunting Team Rocket—""You're so full of shit." My eye twitched harshly.

"How long have you decided to troll me? You don't actually want a nickname." I felt a pulse of amusement that confirmed my thoughts.

"When I was a Beldum and a Metang, I had vowed to allow you to nickname me when I reached my final form. That hadn't changed until recently. I'm simply far too used to being called Metagross. I do not desire a nickname anymore." I sighed. Well, one of my pokemon was bound to deny the chance at having a nickname; it made sense that it was Metagross, especially considering its dream had been to become a Metagross. There goes my dreams of naming him Odin or Atlas.

"Do not be so dramatic. At the very least, you caught on quickly," Metagross reassured. I scoffed.

"Asshole. Work on increasing your psychic strength. Expend it all until you have no more and try to push even beyond that... but don't push too hard," I advised.

"Understood." With that, I marched away from my rudest pokemon. As I approached Ares, I thought about what I should say to her.

"So, how does it feel to be my strongest pokemon?" I asked her, running a hand against her tough scales and leaning against my giant Salamence. She shot me a glare, huffing in genuine anger.

"Yeah, I figured. As the most dangerous member of my team, you have a giant target on your back, and the League showcased that perfectly. Every single trainer we battled in the Top 8 had a strategy for you. Moreso than my other pokemon," I explained.

"Sal," she growled in disappointment.

"It's not your fault. You're still young, Ares, and I was too busy focusing on Moxie. You haven't even been a Salamence for that long, so you're still growing. Because of the amount of damage you can do, people will always regard you with more worry than anyone else on my team. It's our job to make sure that no matter how they prepare, it won't matter, something I failed at." Her eyes lit up at that, and she snarled in disagreement, refusing to let me take sole blame.

It brought a smile to my face that she was so loyal.

"All of our flying moves are still unrefined. It's expected, considering you've just gained the flying type, but we'll master them. I want you to be unstoppable, so we'll learn moves that work well with Aerial Ace. Iron Head and Iron Tail will help you deal with three of your weaknesses, and if we combine them with Tailwind or Aerial Ace, you'll be really strong." Ares nodded, a violent gleam in her eyes.

"Not only that, but we need survivability. Roost is a move you need to learn. With it, you'll be able to keep fighting for extended periods of time." I hummed.

"Control is something that you need more of, and I think the best motivator would be by trying to work with your dragon moves. Missile Strike is good, but I want to turn Dragon Breath into a threat." Just like with Freyja's Water Pulse, I wanted Ares to condense Dragon Breath to make it a piercing shot. My girl was someone who would love to get close and personal, but I couldn't deny that a Salamence at a distance was its own formidable threat. Ares listened to my instructions with a challenging look.

She roared and immediately threw herself into her training, taking off into the sky. I watched her go with a small smile. She had been very targeted at the Conference. Ares was the type you had to bring a specific counter for, or else she would run rampant on your team. It was my job to make sure no counter worked on her. I had been so focused on keeping Moxie in check that I had missed it, but we learn from our mistakes, and now, Ares was going to go on a rampage.

"You alright, Little Man?" I asked the focused Oberon, who had already thrown himself into training. He stopped what he was doing and turned towards me, eyes lighting up. Calling him Little Man was just my thing at this point because Oberon towered over me these days. He was a giant... but the expectant look on his face as I patted his head dissuaded that. Hard to imagine my little bear had been the one leading the charge on hunting Team Rocket. He was growing up.

"We're going to keep things simple: Rest, Sleep Talk, Snore... and Facade especially. You and Ares are both berserkers. I need to amend that," I explained. Oberon nodded with an eager look. By teaching him Facade, Oberon would hit you with enough force to wake you up in my old world. He had Guts and the boost. It was something I wanted to teach him for a while, but I was just afraid that he would actually kill something if he hit a pokemon with a Guts-empowered Facade.

But Oberon was getting better and better at reining in his anger. It would never be perfect, but he was getting there.

"We'll steadily work on expanding your coverage. Shadow Claw is next to deal with pesky ghosts." Oberon roared in agreement, prompting me to smile.

"I'm proud of you, Oberon. You're growing up in your own way... and I know you wanna get rid of Team Rocket, but don't let that distract you, alright?" He snarled with no heat, tapping my chest with little force, yet pushing me back regardless. His eyes were filled with determination, his desire to stamp out Team Rocket as high as mine. I ruffled his fur one last time before regarding the babiest members of my team, who were all latched onto me in some regard.

Arachne was probably dancing in my hair, Achlys was latched around my neck, and the Charca twins were on my shoulder.

"You four... It's time to catch you up to the rest of the team," I decided, staring at them all. I exhaled, focusing on Apollo first.

"Well, the plan was to give you to Green, but things have changed, so you'll be sticking with me," I informed the clone. Apollo's eyes curled up. He nodded eagerly, hugging the ecstatic Ifrit.

"You two will continue to train what makes you stronger. You're limited until evolution, but that's okay. You both have different exercises you can use."

"For now, Apollo, you'll up your firepower. Increasing your output is key; then we'll focus on controlling what you have. You have access to the stronger fire techniques, so I want you to go near Freyja and keep firing until you're exhausted... and then fire some more. This will increase not only the power behind your attacks, but also how much you can shoot it for." Apollo beamed at me and saluted.

"For you, Ifrit, we'll do a bit of the opposite. Control your flames first, so you can use them to enhance your close combat. Every hit will be laced with flames... so I need you to condense and compile them until you're carrying little explosions, yeah? Alternate between Will-O-Wisp and your actual fire for different effects. You go next to Freyja, too. Don't want you guys burning down Lorelei's backyard..."

"Unlike Apollo here, you have a ghost technique, too. Get a proper feel for Night Shade and Astonish. You'll have better control over your secondary typing, but Apollo will have better control over fire. You should both make the most of your own advantages," I explained patiently. It would be rather fun to see them when they were both evolved. Apollo mostly won now, but the tides might shift when they were a Ceruledge and an Armarouge, respectively. Ifrit nodded just as eagerly.

The two dashed off to do just that, joy evident in both their stances. I got the strangest feeling that Apollo didn't want to be separated from me. I would have thought they'd love to be with Green, but maybe not.

"We're still figuring out things with you, Achlys, but it's fine. We'll learn Hone Claws and Agility while working through more fighting and poison moves." The good thing about types like poison and fighting is that the moves weren't so complicated. The application was all that mattered. Sure, there were some standouts, but I'm sure Achlys could learn something like Close Combat. It would just take time.

"Your speed is key here, so I want you to try and hit Toxic whenever you can. We'll be running circles around poisoned enemies, draining them of the will to battle," I explained.

"For fighting moves, we'll try to learn Low Kick and see if we can branch off into Low Sweep. Basic kicking moves. For punching, Brick Break should be something worth trying. You're very good at lacing your hits with poison, so if you can add the packed power of a fighting type to that, each hit will be crushing while seeping them in toxins." Achlys bowed in acceptance. Her expression was collected, but she was a little too adorable for that, so I broke her composure by rubbing a hand against her thin fur.

She yowled in surprise before leaning into my touch, purring happily.

"Last, but certainly not least... the one who needs the most work," I sighed, holding out my finger and watching as Arachne crawled down my arm to reach me. Her eyes were curled up to signify her happiness, prompting me to sigh once more.

"You still aren't able to use your electric-type attacks in full, but we'll start getting you used to it. For the time being, we're going to strengthen your silk. A controlled style of battle, where you fill the field with your webs and limit all movements while you run free." Sticky Web, String Shot, and Electroweb. Those were the moves I wanted to expand on while teaching Arachne her arsenal. Like a spider, the battlefield would be her web, where she freely got to decide who moved.

Unfortunately, she could not learn Sticky Web until she evolved, and she couldn't use electricity either, so it was a work in progress. Arachne wiggled happily.

"You're my weakest pokemon, but don't worry. This isn't the first time I've had to deal with an abnormally weak pokemon, so we'll make it work." She danced atop my palm, prompting me to reach out with a single finger to scrub her head.

"You didn't understand a word I said, did you?" I questioned. She chittered in joy.

"Why didn't you tell me you were training?" Mars yawned, carrying her Glameow with her while Sneasel dutifully followed. I glanced at her, reaching out and affectionately raking a hand through her hair. I ignored her yelp of embarrassment that eventually just transformed into my twin leaning into me.

"You still haven't fixed your sleep schedule?" I questioned.

"I'm working on it," she groused. I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon then. My weaker pokemon will enjoy the practice." She smiled eagerly.

"Let's go then! I'm crushing every other Rookie this year!" she vowed.

"Yeah, you will. I'll make sure of it," I assured. Anyone whose life was intertwined with mine needed to be strong. Even if they were weak... they no longer had a choice.

"Aunt, I left a pokemon on the island." I watched my Aunt jolt at that. She turned to face me with confused eyes and said, "Did you? But your limit should be lifted."

"They preferred isolation. I won't really be using it, so I figure leaving it there is fine." For some reason, Lorelei grasped her head. I watched her take a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

"Would you mind showing me what pokemon you captured?" she asked suddenly, instinctively pulling me into a hug because she was prone to use me like a stress doll when stressed. I blinked slowly.

"Yeah, sure." Lorelei knew immediately that Silver had done something ridiculous when she shivered. Yes, Lorelei, the Champion of a cloned Articuno, shivered. The thought immediately worsened the headache that she had spontaneously received. The second clue that had hinted at her nephew doing something utterly insane was the massive dome of ice in the most isolated part of her island. It stuck out like a sore thumb, practically screaming at Lorelei to notice it.

The third thing that clued Lorelei in was Artitwono shrieking in annoyance upon her arrival.

"What is the meaning of this, Uncle named Silver?!" Silver stared at her.

"I made an alliance with a strong pokemon."

"Define strong," Lorelei hissed.

"Legendary strong. I guess technically speaking, it's the strongest legend of its type?" Silver mused. Lorelei opened her mouth, only to shut it as a wave of apathy washed over her, carried by an even worse chill. She mechanically turned her head towards the ice dome, watching as a... something lumbered out. It looked horrifying. Lorelei had no idea what she was staring at, but she was unable to repress the shudder that crawled down her spine, and this time it wasn't due to the cold.

"What is that?" Lorelei thought in horror.

"Lorelei, this is Kyurem. The Empty Dragon. It's an ice-type waiting for a trainer to help it achieve its goal. I've decided to be that trainer," Silver said coolly.

"Kyurem," Lorelei said slowly, racking her brain. Nothing. Nothing at all. Lorelei, the Master of Ice types, had never heard of a Kyurem. Kyurem stared at Artitwono for a moment, those disturbing yellow eyes making the clone shift uncomfortably. If Lorelei had to guess, the gap in their strength was likely enormous, judging by how her friend was acting. Then, the legend turned to Silver and Lorelei.

Lorelei went stiff at that eerie gaze, the legendary unleashed a haunting rumble that gave her goosebumps before Silver inclined its head.

"She's good. There's no one I trust more than her," Silver reassured. Lorelei would have felt flattered, but the raw pressure emitting from this Empty Dragon banished any such feelings. Thankfully, said pressure around the two lessened, and Kyurem lumbered back into the dome it had created, body vanishing. Both Lorelei and Artitwono let out a collective sigh.

"I told it that you're friendly. If you're ever curious, you can check it out. Kyurem won't hurt you," Silver assured. Lorelei gaped at her nephew.

"Could you... Tell me about this Kyurem?" Silver nodded.

"As mentioned before, Kyurem is the Empty Dragon. Some legends say it's an alien, but a more prominent one is that it is the remains of an extremely powerful dragon who split into two." Despite her general disbelief, Lorelei was utterly fascinated by the tale.

"You mean to say this legend is only... the remains? Two other dragons theoretically wield more power than it?" He nodded.

"Absolutely. The two other dragons took a majority of the strength, splitting it between them. Kyurem was left with nothing and filled itself with ice to stabilize itself. Kinda sad if you think about it," he noted. Lorelei was curious.

"Why Kyurem, then? Why not the other two?" Silver smiled thinly.

"I'm not the hero the other two will acknowledge. That role belongs to someone else. Kyurem is my... insurance." Lorelei did not like the sound of that.

"Where did you find Kyurem?"

"Unova." Unova. That was why Lorelei didn't know. Unova was on the other side of the world. The... other... side... of... the... world...

"What do you think being grounded means?" she asked slowly. Silver cocked his head in confusion.

"Mandatory trips back home?"

"That is not at all what it means! It means you aren't allowed to do the things you normally do!" she shouted.

"You traveled to Unova, captured a legendary... and worst of all, the first ice type you capture is something you don't even plan on using!" Her nephew froze, eyes wide in horror.

"Is that actually what you're most upset about?" Silver asked in disbelief.

"You're toying with my emotions, Silver! You're doing this on purpose, but I can't prove it!" she insisted.

"It's genuinely just a coincidence, I promise. I love you too much to torture you like this," Silver assured, placing his hands on her shoulders. Lorelei did not believe him for a second. She just glared petulantly at her nephew, who held up his hands in surrender.

"I'll look into potential ice types. Promise? Metagross said I need a ground type so I can look for a Mamoswine eventually. But I seriously have too many pokemon right now," he placated. He even tried to pull her into a hug, but her harsh glare never lessened. For once, it seemed like Silver had actually realized she was being played like a fool right now... which was why Lorelei refused to believe him! She was sick of it! Lorelei had allowed his lies to work for too long.

Knowing him, he'd find an ice-type, capture it, and it would morph into a different type the moment he showed it to her. She would not stand for this! Her son would have an ice-type damnit!

"Yvonne?!" Serena called out in shock. Yvonne's dull gaze softened slightly at the sight of her little sister.

"Serena," she greeted, adjusting her red dress. They looked practically identical. You could confuse them for twins, but Serena looked a little healthier than Yvonne did, courtesy of her far more stable diet. Yvonne didn't eat very much. Silver had said if she ever wanted any hope of being a trainer, she'd need some "meat on her bones".

"What... what are you doing out here?" Serena asked, staring at her older sister in surprise.

"Breakfast then school," Yvonne murmured. She marched towards the kitchen and grabbed a bowl that she had recently bought. She poured some Poke Kibble into it, smiling to herself as she stroked a hand against her Luxury Ball. She liked the Luxury Ball. She was going to make sure her entire team had them.

"You're going to school?!"

"Mhm," she nodded. If she didn't go to school, Silver would probably be mad at her, and Joy would definitely be mad at her. Joy scared Yvonne. She did not want to upset the gruff nurse. Hm, she was likely very behind on her studies; she hoped he could help tutor her.

"I like your clothes!" Serena said eventually, smiling at her sister. Yvonne paused before a small smile formed on her face.

"Thank you. I like it too." Then she fished out a Luxury Ball and released an Absol, wiping the smile off of Serena's face.

"YOU HAVE A POKEMON?!" she shrieked loudly, watching the pokemon begin consuming the kibble without a care in the world. Absol started at her shout, turning towards her with searching eyes before the dark-type's eyes widened at the startling similarities between Yvonne and her little sister. Their mother rushed into the kitchen right after Serena's shout, locking eyes with the Absol and shuddering at the eerie red eyes that matched her daughter's mark.

"This is Misery," Yvonne introduced, raking a hand through the white fur of her first pokemon. Misery nodded kindly to the two before turning to her plate of food. Grace opened and shut her mouth.

"An Absol?" she asked weakly. Her daughter's first companion... was the pokemon that could detect disasters? Was this some twisted joke?

"Sweetheart, who is your first friend?" Grace asked slowly, concern rolling off her in waves. Yvonne cocked her head.

"They said they're gonna talk to you soon. Until then, I don't think I'll reveal it," she said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Grace said, utterly aghast by her daughter's manners. Yvonne wasn't the most social of Vivillon, but to speak to her own mother like this?! Her oldest daughter abruptly stood up, patting Absol once more before returning her.

"I'm going now. See you after school." Yvonne moved with no sense of urgency, her casual gait carrying her through the house. She lazily grabbed a single apple before pausing... and grabbing a second one.

"Gotta eat better," she muttered, departing from the house. Grace watched her go. On one hand, she wanted to have a serious talk with her daughter, but on the other... this was the first time she had seen her doing something productive in years. She didn't want to jeopardize that. Worst of all, the ease with which her daughter had disappeared worried her. Yvonne didn't seem to understand the terror that Grace had felt when she vanished.

Despite everything that had happened, she still loved her daughter dearly, and it would break her heart if she lost one of them. Grace bit her lip.

"Serena, please keep watch of your sister." Serena nodded with a frown.

"Mom, there was a guy we met the day Yvonne disappeared. He was talking to Calem... I wonder if he had something to do with her changes?"

"That would make sense. Oh, I don't know..." Grace sighed, holding her head. Serena turned to her mother.

"Don't worry! Vonnie looks happy, so I'll make sure it stays that way!" She pulled her youngest into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Serena." You: Can you help me study? Silver: No. You: Why? Silver: Not a tutor. Go bug someone else. You: I don't have anyone else to bother. No one likes me. Silver: If I introduce you to my gang, you can ask Crystal. She's a genius. You: But I want it to be you. Silver: Well then fuck off. Ask me again when I'm not tired so I can say no with more enthusiasm. Goodnight, Y. Ah, right. He was on the other side of the world. Yvonne smiled at the screen, only to pause at hearing a voice shout, "Yo, Serena!

Nice dress!" She cocked her head before shrugging and continuing her gait. This continued for a few more seconds before she heard a rapid set of footsteps behind her.

"Hey, wait up! Don't just blow me off!" the voice called out in mock offense. Calem stopped in front of her, smile on his face... that was quickly wiped away as he got a good look at her. His eyes shot open, and he gaped.

"No way! Is that you, Yvonne?!" he shouted.

"Mhm," she commented, sidestepping him and continuing her path. She idly bit into her apple, humming at the taste. If she were lucky, she'd get to meet the entirety of Colors soon. That group looked like they were having so much fun. Could she be part of that? Could she have fun? Yvonne hoped so. She never had a friend, much less a group of them. She wanted to be friends with Crystal, Gold, and Green too... and Silver, of course.

She ignored Calem's call, sending Silver a simple goodnight before continuing her way to school. Calem blinked. He had never once been blown off before like that. He watched Yvonne walk away with a confused frown.

"What's the matter with Serena?" Trevor asked in concern.

"Not Serena. That was Yvonne," he muttered. Shauna blinked, expression a little fearful.

"Serena's cursed sister?" Calem frowned at her.

"That's rude, Shauna. She didn't do anything to deserve being called cursed." Shauna had a stunned expression on her face, never expecting to be scolded by Calem of all people... who had turned back to look at the lethargic Yvonne. Why was Yvonne suddenly roaming the town? They hadn't seen her in years. A lot of people found it hard to believe Serena even had a sister.

"I wonder," Calem mused thoughtfully.

"Hey, Y!" he suddenly called. Yvonne paused immediately. Then she turned to face him with a hauntingly cold expression.

"Don't call me that ever again," she demanded coldly. Her strange eyes bored into them, causing the group to shift uncomfortably. Her Y-shaped iris seemed to pulse even in the morning sun. She saw them shudder, which seemed to satisfy her, and continued her gait to school, biting into her apple once more. Calem was the only one without a disturbed expression. He just thoughtfully watched her go.

"I think she met that guy that I met too... but how? Was he here for her?" He suddenly had so many questions. This was kind of interesting! Alright, he had a new goal in mind. Befriend Yvonne and figure out stuff about that mysterious person. It sounded fun! He hadn't wanted his conversation to end with him in the first place. Maybe this way, he'd be able to kill two Fletchling with one Carbink!

"Seems like we got a new goal, eh?" he asked Lucky, his Carbink. They floated happily next to him, prompting his smile to widen. You: What does it mean when I randomly shiver? Silver: A psychopath has laid their gaze on you. You: Ah. Should I care about cursing them? Silver: idc, but if they look stupid and have orange hair, you let me know immediately. You: Okay... What does idc mean? Silver: I'm seriously trying to fucking sleep. Could you stop texting me? It means I don't care. You: Sorry, Goodnight again.

Silver: I felt the shiver, too, by the way. Good luck. Yvonne hummed thoughtfully. Her trip to school had taught her that Serena was very, very popular. Many people had attempted to stop and greet her, mistaking her for her sister. Of course, once they got a look at her eyes, they quickly realized the truth. The reactions afterwards were more in line; people gave her a wide berth, whispers erupted, a couple of fearful glances shot her way... Yvonne didn't mind.

It was much better than getting confused for her sister. She was beginning to get into the habit of finding the good in these eyes ever since they proved they could be useful. For one, people left her alone. Two, she was able to sit wherever she wanted without being bothered... Three, no one bothered her. Not even the teachers. The look on her math teacher's face when they had made eye contact had been fun. It was even more fun to watch him carefully avoid the general area where she sat.

On the downside, she was rather behind on her studies, and she doubted anyone would be willing to catch her up. She had a goal in mind. Finish her studies, become a trainer, and become a trainer worthy of being part of Colors. Yvonne had never felt motivated to do anything, so now that she finally did, she would tackle that goal with 100% certainty. Becoming the best in this school was a good start. She nodded to herself, feeling a gaze on the back of her head.

The blonde lazily glanced back, ignoring the way the students behind her flinched, and locking eyes with the only other person who had eyes similar to hers. Once upon a time, she had questioned it, but the thought had been very fleeting, and she no longer cared. She spared Calem no more than a few seconds before turning back. Annoying. She didn't like him one bit. Calling her Y like that... The nerve. Becoming the best in this school might wipe that stupid smile off his face. He was the #1 student after all.

Calem the prodigy. He was everything she was not, her opposite in every way. While she didn't care, she didn't like that he randomly started paying attention to her. How fake and artificial. Yes, Yvonne could not stand Calem. Yvonne added that to her goal. Humiliate Calem. It was a worthy goal, one that she hoped Silver would approve of. She had seen his interviews; she was sure he would.

"Hey, Yvonne, wanna hang out with us?" Yvonne paused, turning towards Calem with a tilted head. He was smiling at her, ignoring the incredulous looks his friends, barring Serena, were shooting him.

"No," she said flatly. Misery appeared from her ball with a tiny yawn, leaning into Yvonne's touch with a purr.

"We're gonna go exercise on Route 1. We need to improve," she murmured. Misery nodded, which brought a slight smile to her face, and she stood straight. The most concerning aspect of Yvonne, as Nurse Joy stressed, was her physical condition. She needed to get her health up, else those two would grill her. Thankfully, Misery was quite a bit stronger than the pokemon that frequented this area, so she could work without being bothered.

"You have an Absol?!" Calem asked in awe, eyes wide. His voice attracted the gaze of Misery, who glanced over at him with a focused gaze. She cocked her head and, much to Yvonne's displeasure, approached the boy. She ignored his friends leaning away from the dark pokemon and crouched down.

"Hey there!" he greeted cheerfully. Misery growled questioningly. She stared at Calem and then turned her head towards Yvonne, repeatedly gazing at the two with wide eyes.

"When did you catch her?" he asked, raking a hand through her fur.

"Yesterday," she drawled, beckoning with her hand.

"C'mon, Misery," she called while turning on a dime. Misery backed away from Calem with a polite nod, turned, and crossed the distance with a single bound, dutifully following her to Route 1.

"I'll see you at dinner, Serena. Tell mom I'll be eating," Yvonne said, strolling away. Serena jumped.

"O-Okay! See you at dinner, Yvonne!" she waved. Calem watched Yvonne and Misery depart.

"What a cool pokemon she caught. How did she even get a Poke Ball?" he mused, patting Lucky with a smile. It must have been because of that guy who called him X. Did Yvonne end up speaking to him, too? Ah, lucky! If Calem hadn't been distracted, he'd have continued talking to him!

"It doesn't seem like she wants to be friends," Shauna remarked, trying to hide how relieved she was by that detail. She gazed at Yvonne's retreating form with a frown.

"I'd probably be a little suspicious too, if someone suddenly wanted to talk to me!" Calem mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Serena gazed at Calem.

"You want to be friends with Yvonne? Why?" she asked defensively. Calem shrugged.

"I think it'd be great if she had a friend! I never thought it was cool that she's considered a curse or whatever..." he answered honestly. It was a little silly, truth be told. He and Yvonne had pretty similar eyes, but he wasn't treated at all like she was. Calem had hoped they could bond over their strange eyes, but she didn't seem very receptive to the idea. Well, he'd keep trying!

"If you say so..." Shauna trailed off. Serena frowned thoughtfully. Both her sister and Calem had been acting strange ever since that mysterious figure had arrived in their town. Yvonne hadn't left the house in years, and Calem had a manic gleam in his eyes that suggested he had a goal to work towards... And she was sure it revolved around that person. But who was that person? Serena was sure she had heard that voice before. Maybe not as toneless, but she had heard it before.

But where— Serena's eyes suddenly widened at the memory of an enormous Salamence flattening a Pikachu to the floor. The same Salamence that had wreaked utter havoc on an old friend of hers. Wait a minute. That stranger wasn't just a stranger. That stranger was... that stranger was Trainer Silver! He was the boy who had thrashed Ash Ketchum during the Indigo League! What was he doing in Kalos?! Did Yvonne know who he was? Serena knew that Calem didn't... There was a frown of concern on her face.

She didn't like Silver. He had beaten Ash, and the fight really wasn't that close. It left a sour taste in her mouth because Ash had been doing so well. Not only that, he was foul-tempered and a showoff. Yvonne shouldn't be hanging around someone like that! Serena took a deep breath. She would try to talk to her sister. Silver was bad news. Her sister did not need any more of that.