Chương 55: Retaliate

"Yahoo~" I instinctively exhaled before I could stop myself.

"So you're the one Lance sent to keep tabs on me?" I asked dully. Maria waved happily.

"Detective Maria on the case! So? How do I look?" she asked, twirling happily. The all-black outfit allowed for ease of movement, hiding much of her skin. It was fitting for an agent. I grunted; my non-answer didn't seem to dissuade Maria at all.

"After my performance, I got invited into this group by Lance himself! Can you believe it?! I was so excited! It's a special brand of Ace units! The pay is great, the benefits are amazing, and I'm basically free to continue my journey... with just the chance of a call in between!" she gushed.

"Congratulations," I said dully. She looked nonplussed by my overwhelming enthusiasm.

"C'mon, Mr. Grump! Aren't you happy to see a familiar face?! Champion Lance could have just as easily sent someone else you didn't like!" Maria preened. I stared at her.

"Who said I liked you?"

"You're willing to give me advice! I think that has to count for something!" Her enthusiasm was nauseating.

"Whatever. I don't need your help or anything, so just keep an eye on me or whatever. That's your job, right?" I drawled, turning on a dime. Her smile disappeared.

"I can help too, you know? I've got my own fair share of issues with Team Rocket." I stared at her frowning face and inclined my head at the reminder.

"Do what you want so long as it doesn't interfere with me." It made sense that she'd have issues with Team Rocket. All things considered, there could have been worse choices than Maria. Not that I cared who my partner was. She nodded.

"So where to?" I was already releasing Ares.

"Two stops. The first is Five Island."

"Five...? Is that one of the Sevii Islands or the Orange Islands?" she questioned.

"Its official name is Chrono Island. It's a Sevii Island." She nodded, some spark of recognition.

"Ah! I'm still studying those! Mandatory for G-Men. I gotta learn about all the little areas. Lotta work, I tell ya!" I mounted Ares, ignoring the girl summoning her Talonflame.

"Quite the chatty one this human is."

"Let's see how long that lasts."

"So they have a hidden base here?" Maria muttered, leaning over Talonflame to inspect the meadow. Silver said nothing. He just held out a Luxury Ball and returned Ares, leaving him airborne. It took Maria a split second to realize the fact that nothing was supporting Silver at the moment, and they were really high up. Her heart clenched in terror, and she unleashed a deafening scream as he began plummeting to the ground at speeds that would guarantee he'd be a stain once he landed.

"G-Go catch him, Talonflame!" she urged, but her worries were unnecessary. As Silver casually plummeted to his death, he suddenly vanished... only to reappear on the ground seconds later as if he hadn't just been falling. He idly dusted nothing off himself, craning his head left and right while performing some stretches.

"What...?" Maria whispered in disbelief. She watched Silver stroll forward like he hadn't just scared the life out of her and descended to the ground.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Silver commented idly. There wasn't a hair out of place... not even from the winds that should no doubt have been battering him from his short fall. She shot him a stunned look.

"But... what did you just do?" she asked in horror. Was Silver a psychic? Maria knew some trainers were capable of emitting psychic abilities, such as Sabrina... but she didn't know Silver was one. But the way he vanished was surreal. That didn't look like a normal teleport. It looked like he was phasing in and out of existence... She rushed the child.

"Why would you do something like that?! You scared me to death! I thought you were dead!" He turned to face her while approaching the wall of the warehouse, resulting in a backwards gait.

"I don't think you're stupid, so I assume you brought pokemon who specialize in capture, right? I'd recommend staying out here in case any stragglers make it through. Leave Talonflame in the air." As he finished his sentence, he walked through the wall, vanishing before she could get a peep out. Maria stared at the spot Silver was at with a stunned expression. That was not something psychics could do. What had... just what had happened to him? A disguise might be necessary.

After all, not every mission was going to be raiding a warehouse. Some Rockets actually thought they could try to slowly integrate themselves into society. Not a chance. I wouldn't let a single one escape. Then again, I didn't particularly care about fully masking myself. As I grew more renowned, my pokemon would be more recognizable. Anonymity would be increasingly difficult to conceal, which was why it would be ideal to wrap this up as quickly as possible.

"Allow me," Giratina offered. I hummed in acceptance, watching as a golden mask materialized on my face. It only covered the bottom half of my face, the edge sharp. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and nodded. With just the bottom half covered, it showed off the red of my eyes fairly easily. With my windswept hair as well, it did a good enough job masking me.

"This is just your mask," I observed. It looked like Giratina had just taken its crown in Origin Form and used it as a mask for my face with some adjustments.

"You also changed the red lines of my coat to gold."

"Indeed. I rather like how it all looks on you." I snorted quietly and accepted it. Giratina was actually pretty funny. Did my capturing of Kyurem bother it that badly? Well, at least Giratina's domain allowed it to easily do stuff like this. It might be useful in the future. Gaia appeared silently, a determined look on her face. She leaned into my touch before focusing on the task at hand.

"Aroma: Lethargic," I murmured. She nodded, filling the air with a calming fragrance. No one had noticed us yet, so they'd be slow to understand what was happening to them. I contemplated cloaking myself with Loki, but discarded it. Let them know I'm here and then deploy stealth tactics if necessary... to scare them even more. It would be faster this way. There was nothing they could do about it anyway. This wouldn't be like the Game Corner. It didn't take me long to encounter the first group.

It was four rockets, all looking like they had seen better days. The air around them was tense, though it must have been harsher than before because Gaia's aroma looked like it had already begun to take effect. Each one looked sluggish, eyes drooping ever so slightly for reasons they likely classified as just boredom. Of course, it went away quickly as they noticed me standing at the end of the hall. They jolted, clearly caught off guard by the sight of an unknown entity in their base.

"Who the hell?!" they panicked, reaching for their Poke Balls. I watched them dully release their team, beckoning Gaia forward before holding out another ball and revealing Oberon. I watched them go pale at the sight of my Ursaring before the group of Rockets fumbled to release their members. A Golbat, Arbok, even a Houndour and Hypno.

"Wow, you guys are a cut above," I praised calmly, gazing at the four pokemon growling at our group. I suppose it made sense that the stronger ones would have been the ones to survive and make it to Five Island. I should expect every grunt in here to be stronger than average.

"Who are you?!" one of the grunts, the owner of the Hypno, questioned. If he noticed how sickly his psychic looked, he didn't acknowledge it, probably just chalking it up to whatever sick drugs they had filled it with.

"No one important," I replied coolly. With nothing more than a hand gesture, Gaia and Oberon burst into action. A hellish amount of vines burst from Gaia, rushing towards the four pokemon there. The Houndour attempted to burn the approaching vines, only to howl in surprise as the ground underneath it shuddered, sending the fire-type tumbling. A vine easily snatched it up, before dragging it into the unforgiving fist of Oberon, who clasped a hand around its head and slammed the dog to the ground.

My enemies flinched backwards at the force of the crushing maneuver. The Golbat was hastily attempting to dodge the insistent vines. The crowded hall killed much of its maneuverability, and before long, Gaia's ruthless vines latched onto it. She had not only been focused on chasing down the Golbat. No, the Hypno was very quickly hating its life as it tried to shuffle away from the bombardment of grass-type attacks with quick bursts of psychic attacks.

It tried to cut through the litany of vines, but its luck soon ran out due to the column of grass, courtesy of the Grass Pledge. Gaia was a machine. The first misstep from the Hypno prompted her to focus all her attention on it. Her vines converged fully around the psychic, glowing with the effects of Giga Drain and sapping the psychic of all its energy. It struggled feebly in her grip, not that any of us could see. She paid no attention to the Arbok slithering towards her for good reason.

The moment it lunged at her, fangs gleaming with poison, a freight train crashed into its side. Oberon flattened the Arbok to the wall with a brutal shoulder tackle before hoisting the limp snake by its tail. With far too much ease, my Ursaring utilized the Arbok like his own weapon and slapped the distracted Golbat out of the air, the smacking noise reverberating throughout the entire hall. Gaia took the chance to release the Hypno.

It looked like it had lost several pounds, cheekbones showing due to the effects of Giga Drain. The psychic swayed before its pendulum clattered to the ground, and it collapsed. I hummed, gauging the pale Rockets. By now, I'm sure the commotion had been heard... Alright then. Before they could even think to run, Gaia lashed out and captured the rockets, draining them lightly and immediately knocking them unconscious.

"Well done," I praised quietly, returning Oberon before releasing Loki to accompany Gaia. We were quickly shrouded as a thud of footsteps signaled the arrival of reinforcements. There were 5 of them, each with 3-4 pokeballs each... while they probably weren't that strong, the numbers would be annoying.

"What happened here?!" A grunt shouted, spotting their unconscious allies.

"Were we figured out?" Another hissed. None noticed the invisible Gaia's aroma filling the air, the group sagging ever so slightly before they registered that something was wrong.

"H-Hey, I'm kinda tired," someone stated nervously. That seemed to tip the others off, but before they could even grab their Poke Balls, Gaia lunged. All 5 grunts were captured in a heartbeat, vines wrapping around their mouths. The precaution was unnecessary, though, as Gaia's aroma sapped them of all their energy. Eventually, they sagged, all knocked unconscious. I smiled, raking a hand through Gaia and Loki.

"It's been a while since we've infiltrated a place like this, huh? Kinda brings back memories. Maybe we should do this more," I mused. Loki and Gaia rolled their eyes at my words, heedless of the dropped bodies around us.

"Let's keep going. We won't let a single one escape," I murmured. Maria realized something was amiss when no one made it through the entrance. She frowned slightly and, against her better judgement, decided to enter the warehouse. As a precaution, she left her Slowking and Leavanny out with orders to capture any stragglers, and had Talonflame hold vantage above. She took a deep breath and entered the Rocket base. The first thing she noticed was the wave of lethargy that hit her.

She exhaled against her will, shoulders sagging slightly.

"This isn't natural," she muttered to herself, grabbing another ball and releasing her Gengar. It hissed nervously, prompting Maria to shoot it a worried look.

"What's the matter?" she asked Gengar gently. Her ghost pointed ahead, terror wafting off of it in waves. Maria had a sinking feeling that it wasn't Team Rocket that terrified Gengar.

"Hm," I mused, carelessly tossing a blue gem up and down. A rocket groaned for a split second before my foot connected with his head, knocking him unconscious. I idly leaned away from the lunging hands of the grown adult with no real sense of urgency, watching as Achlys hissed furiously, punching the man square in his midsection. The force folded him, and he wheezed, falling to his knees. A pokemon's strength was never to be understated, especially as a human.

I spared him no mind beyond spraying an antidote his way. A Raticate lunged high at Achlys, but her eyes narrowed, and she ducked underneath before retaliating with a crushing blow on the rat's prone belly. It wheezed from the Rock Smash before a sickly purple fist connected next. It teetered about before a flaming missile smashed into it. Ifrit hissed, searing the drugged pokemon with a brutal hug until its struggles ceased.

Achlys shot him a slightly disgruntled look, probably annoyed that he interfered, but Ifrit paid it no mind, dashing off to support Apollo, who was unleashing fiery hell on a persistent Crustle. It trudged through the Flamethrower, only to hiss as a Smoke Screen connected with its eye. From the sleeve of my coat, a piece of string shot out, tripping the stumbling Crustle and forcing it on its back. I heard Arachne chitter in excitement, and felt a glimmer of amusement enter my eyes.

The struggles of the Crustle ceased as Metagross mercilessly pressed a claw down on it, cracks appearing all over its tough shell in an instant. It squealed in distress, falling unconscious soon after. Behind my behemoth were a litter of unconscious bodies, pokemon and humans alike. The little babies protested at my machine, but Metagross ignored them, having gained a year of practice doing the same to my team. Really, he was an annoying bastard.

Team Rocket hadn't been as active on the Sevii Islands as their counterparts, likely because the manner of their defeat had been far more brutal. After all, Giovanni disbanding Team Rocket by himself without really informing anyone was a lot different than a Legendary nuking your main base while a majority of your members were there. For the most part, the people here had no plans. They were just trying to survive. Good. That meant they had nothing beyond that.

Get them while they're scrambling and unable to think straight. I patted Oberon with a tiny hum as he stood vigilant next to me. We idly watched as Achlys curiously nudged an unconscious body before she turned to Ifrit to discuss her dislike of interference in her matches. I heard a roar before a body went flying through the entrance. The Mightyena bounced rapidly on the floor, unconscious long before entering.

The reason why soon revealed itself as a Baxcalibur lumbered into the room, a struggling rocket held carelessly between its claws. It gazed at me in clear recognition before locking eyes with Oberon soon after. There was definitely a competitive spark there, but that could wait for another time. I didn't react much to the footsteps accompanying the Baxcalibur, just craning my head slightly to see Maria warily stepping over an unconscious Rocket's body.

"I thought you would have entered sooner," I mused. Her coy smile was gone, replaced by something far more tentative. She shot a glance at the string of bodies once more before taking a deep breath.

"I entered pretty soon. Just encountered a couple of stragglers trying to run away from you," she said eventually. I nodded.

"There aren't that many left, just that lone scientist over there trying to hide." A squeak of terror rang out at that, courtesy of the terrified scientist who had thought he had a great hiding spot. I watched as he leapt up and attempted to bolt, running straight towards Maria and Baxcalibur after deeming them less of a threat than me. A Gengar popped up, poised to defend its trainer, but I just held out my hand, a line of string firing that latched around the criminal's waist.

Arachne jumped eagerly as I gripped the String Shot, yanking the scientist backwards to me. He let out a shout of distress as he met my gaze, shuddering in horror at the combination of my golden mask and red eyes.

"So, any Executives show up lately?" I asked easily.

"N-No! None that I know of!" he blurted out. Light flashed off the gleaming blue gem easily.

"Oh yeah? So you just wanted to hunt this gem down for no reason? Yeah, like I believe you grunts are capable of individual thought," I drawled.

"What Executive showed up here? Tell me now before I get violent," I demanded easily. To stress my point, I grabbed one of his fingers, smiling underneath my mask. He shivered violently as I applied a bit of pressure.

"A blue-haired man! I didn't get his name, but he had a Houndoom with him. He told us to gather as many Rockets as we could, while searching some of the area for anything of value!" Archer... expected. Ariana wasn't the type to value reviving Team Rocket. Her safety came first. But Archer would care. He'd care enough to take up the leadership position in hopes of bringing Team Rocket back to its glory days.

"Where did he go?" I asked stonily. He was the highest priority target. If I left Archer alone, he'd do everything in his power to revive Team Rocket and motivate Giovanni to come back. I would not let that happen under any circumstances.

"I-I don't know, honest! He disappeared as quickly as he showed up! I couldn't tell you where he went." I hummed.

"And there was no one with him?" I asked coolly.

"N-No... but I did hear him muttering about finding others!" I nodded, gazing at the Sapphire curiously. Now that I remember correctly... I stood up rigidly, slamming my foot against the scientist's nose in the same movement.

"This is the part where you do your job, yeah? Report to Lance while calling for someone to clean this mess up?" I asked the disturbed Maria. She nodded shakily, already reaching for her Pokegear to call reinforcements.

"While you do that, I have a stop to make... then we have another mission," I muttered, waving two fingers and vanishing. I picked up the pristine Ruby with a hum, nodding to myself and ignoring the scalding heat of Mt. Ember. It had taken a bit to find, but I did remember that there had been a pretty good Ruby located in the mountains. Good to know the battle between Moltres and Mewtwo hadn't destroyed it.

"Perfect..." I muttered, pocketing it easily. Speaking of which... I felt a slight pressure bore down on me as Moltres laid eyes on me from wherever it was before it was hastily ripped away, likely out of shock. I didn't pay any attention to the legend. There was nothing I needed from the originals. Moltres was right a long time ago; they didn't have the jurisdiction to deal with me, and they were no longer enough to help me do what I needed to do. Not that I would want their help.

Job done, I vanished almost as soon as I had arrived. Maria gazed at the spot where the boy who had saved her just stood. There was an uneasy expression on her face, and she nervously bit her lip.

"It's fine. You saw what he did to Team Rocket on the S. S Anne. Of course, he'd show no mercy to them," she whispered to herself. She tried to convince herself that it was fine, but the manner in which everything was done didn't sit well with her. Being ruthless to Team Rocket was all fine and well, but this was just unsettling. Not to mention that mask of his... and were his eyes red?

"It's fine," she muttered, taking a deep breath. There was still one more mission, he said. She would call reinforcements and have them deal with this. Everything was fine. Maria stared at the unassuming house with a confused expression.

"This is where our mission is?" she asked, uncertainty creeping through her. Silver smiled, not that she could see it.

"Not every mission is going to be glamorous. I imagine a lot will be as boring as this one," he noted. Maria had a sinking feeling that this was only going to be boring for him. She did not like this feeling at all, so she watched in trepidation as he knocked on the door. Why would he knock if there was an alleged Rocket in here? A rock fell into her stomach at seeing a woman answer the door.

There was a confused look on the civilian's face as she locked eyes with Silver, whose eyes just curled up to show that he was smiling underneath the mask.

"Hello, Mrs. Thompson, I don't mean to interrupt, but is Mr. Thompson here?" Silver greeted politely. Maria's eyes widened in horror. Wait, don't tell her...

"Um... you are?" Mrs. Thompson questioned. Silver looked nonplussed by her suspicion.

"I'm an independent detective currently under contract with the Indigo League. I have urgent news regarding your husband. Is he here?" The woman shook her head, seeming to sense the urgency in Silver's tone.

"No, he isn't here, but please come in! He should be here any minute now!" Silver hummed.

"That would be nice." Maria's eyes flew open in horror.

"One second, ma'am. I need to talk to my partner quickly!" She snatched Silver and dragged him away.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed.

"Catching a Rocket, of course. I told you this was going to be a boring mission," he drawled.

"No, not that! Do we really have to do this in front of that nice lady?!" Maria asked. She was visibly distressed at the idea of what was about to happen. No one deserved to be witness to that... Silver blinked.

"What's the point in lying to her? She deserves to know the truth." He shot her a pointed look.

"Would you prefer being lied to about your boyfriend being the scum of the world?" She didn't have an answer to that.

"Well, I guess ignorance really is bliss for some people." Silver shrugged her arm away and headed towards the building.

"Going home and trying to enjoy your life after all the horrible crimes you committed... how absurd. Like you deserve a life of peace after everything you've done," he muttered darkly. This was not the boy she had battled at the League. What on earth had happened to Silver? Was this really... necessary? It was hard to tell that this guy was part of Team Rocket. Mr. Thompson cleaned himself up well. Unfortunately for him, my father was the leader of his organization and very thorough in what he did.

He had information on everyone who had been part of Team Rocket, something I had managed to take full advantage of after Domino had returned my bag. I kinda wish I had a Porygon. Woulda made that a whole lot easier. That was why I needed access to the League Database. It was easier to explain that than to explain that I had stolen confidential information from Team Rocket. Also easier to line up information to see if it matched. My eyes flashed as I heard his wife say, "Honey, someone wanted to speak to you!"

With my black outfit, gold mask matching the gold linings on it, it didn't take a genius to realize I was bad news. He took one look at Maria and me and went stiff. I idly stroked the dozing Achlys.

"Mr. Thompson, a pleasure to meet you," I greeted, watching a bead of sweat form.

"Who are you?" He demanded warily, taking a step back.

"A detective," was all I said, watching him go pale.

"Let's not waste any time. Could we just cut to the chase and you confess?" I asked honestly.

"I-I don't know what you mean," he stammered.

"Honey?" Mrs. Thompson asked in concern, causing him to freeze up.

"Do you really want to sit here and keep lying to your nice wife? Do you think she deserves that?" I leaned my cheek against a fist with a bored look. Maria nervously wrung her hands.

"Lying to me? What are you talking about...?" Her concern was evident. I honestly felt a little bad. Such a nice lady had gotten caught up with the wrong dude.

"Your husband is a member of Team Rocket," I stated flatly. The silence was deafening. Shock transformed into denial, which transformed into anger that was directed at me...

"You can't just walk in here and make up something so absurd! My husband? A member of those savages? He is not a murderer!" she shouted at me. I waved her off.

"Ask him yourself." She reluctantly tore her gaze off of me, only to be met with the wide-eyed, guilty look of her husband.

"Honey...?" she said quietly. The former rocket snapped back to attention.

"You're throwing out baseless accusations..." he said unconvincingly, trying to hide the stammer in his voice.

"Is that so?" I hummed, turning towards her once more.

"Have you recently found yourself questioning things that don't add up? Maybe things like why your husband goes missing for days? Or how can he suddenly afford such expensive gifts? Maybe he mentioned getting a raise at work?" I questioned. Her eyes widened at my question, doubt making its way to her face.

"This isn't necessary," Maria interjected. There was a wild look of concern in her eyes as she stood frozen on the sidelines. I ignored her.

"Your husband has actually been unemployed for months. I imagine he hasn't told you that, did he?" I revealed, pulling up a file.

"Is that true?" Mrs. Thompson asked quietly, realization settling in. I imagine the inconsistent nights, the vague answers on his profession, the little things that didn't make sense to her were suddenly coming back to her. Little doubts that I knew she had in the back of her mind, rearing its ugly head. I promptly handed over her husband's file. I paid no mind to her clenching it, wrinkling it from the force.

"He has a pokeball in his jacket pocket, too. Did you know he owned one?" Silence.

"Empty your pockets. Show your wife that I'm a no-good liar. Show her that there isn't a drugged pokemon in your pocket right now." He made no move to empty his pockets, despite the three sets of eyes on him. The man just trembled before reaching his breaking point.

"We needed the money! How else could we live?! I lost my job... I couldn't find a new one! It was supposed to be fast, but... but..."

"You got addicted to the amount of money you were making," I drawled, shaking my head.

"No, you can't be... This entire time, we've been using blood money? From innocents that you killed?" Mrs. Thompson asked quietly. He shook his head rapidly.

"I never... I never killed anyone! You know I wouldn't do that!" he pleaded.

"I thought you'd never join a band of criminals like Team Rocket!" she cried, tears falling from her eyes.

"My husband is a criminal. A monster! All those nights being terrified of Team Rocket, and I was lying in the same bed as one! While I was spilling my concerns to you, you just treated me like a fool!" The former Rocket backed away in horror.

"That's not..." I watched as Maria slowly went over to the heartbroken woman, putting a hand on the sobbing wife's shoulder. My gaze hardened as she cried in despair.

"You didn't care about the people who died, or went missing, or the pokemon who got drugged to oblivion. You don't care that you had a loving wife who would never approve of what you did. No, to you, the money made it all worth it."

"Utterly disgusting." I scoffed, pushing myself up.

"I don't think this needs to be said, but you're going to prison for a very long time. Don't resist, else what little dignity you have left will get beaten out of you in front of your wife..." I hummed.

"... Or I guess, ex-wife." He fell to his knees in despair.

"Why... why me? I'm just a grunt... what did I do to you?" he asked in defeat.

"Nothing." My response caused his head to shoot up in disbelief. The shock on his face genuinely confused me. I blinked at him.

"Why are you so confused? Do you think you're special? Do you think you're anything more than a waste of space?" He looked appalled at my words, horrified at my total disregard for him as a human. This guy was a random, a no-name grunt who could blend in with a faceless crowd. To me, he was no different than the random grunts I ran over at Five Island. Regardless of that...

"Did you think that being a grunt absolved you of your crimes? You thought you could just seamlessly slot back into society after all those horrific jobs you did?" I glared at him with all the hatred I could muster.

"You're right. You're just a no-good, useless grunt who doesn't deserve my attention, but I won't even let you escape, not after all the harm you caused. None of you are escaping as long as I'm breathing," I swore, watching him seize up at my venomous stare. The former rocket shook as his base instincts kicked in. He backed away once before turning around and trying to make a run for it... only to run into my 400-pound Ursaring. Oberon sneered down at him, eyes blistering with the same rage as mine.

He bared his dreadfully sharp teeth, banishing any ideas of escape.

"A-Ah..." the grunt gasped, taking a step back and reaching for his pokeball, only for him to reach at nothing. I easily accepted the ball from Achlys, rolling the shrunken device in my palm. Then, I smashed my foot into the back of his leg, not reacting at all to the way it bent awkwardly. I ignored the distressed scream of his wife and his own anguished wail, simply shaking my head with a listless expression.

"They never listen to the first warning, then treat me like the villain when I act on my threat," I tutted, reaching into my bag. I fished out a napkin and handed it to the shell-shocked Maria, turning towards the tear-streaked woman in the process.

"I'm sorry you married a piece of shit, ma'am. If it's any consolation, you could do much better." With that, I departed from the house, raking a hand through Achlys' fur, while Oberon's heavy footsteps followed.

"Well?" Lance asked knowingly.

"It's horrible. I feel so... I feel so bad!" Maria blurted out, shuddering at the heartbroken look on that poor woman's face.

"I had to hold and reassure a lady for who knows how long because of something I did. I know he was a Rocket, but I feel horrible for her! And Silver just... I don't know what happened to him, but he didn't care at all! He broke that man's leg in front of her! I know he betrayed her, but she still loved him!" Lance frowned and put up a hand.

"I understand. Sometimes, you'll have difficult missions that'll make you feel bad, but that's part of the job. You might never like it, but you'll get used to it. Still... I'll have to talk to him about excessive force." Maria nodded shakily.

"Now, onto the more urgent matters. You said something was wrong with him?" he asked slowly. She released an unnerved breath.

"He's always been an asshole, but it felt like he was playing it up for his own amusement. I could tell by his actions that he was a surprisingly sweet kid. But now? Now I can't even tell if I'm looking at the same person! Is he even human?! I thought he was falling to his death, and then he just vanished and appeared on the ground. His eyes were red the entire time, too!" Lance listened to her with both brows raised.

"Wait, what do you mean? Vanished? Red eyes?"

"He didn't have a pokemon out. He was falling to his death, disappeared, and then reappeared on the ground... then he walked through a wall!" Evidently, something was going on with Silver that Lance had no clue about. Alright, Lance would definitely be playing a more active part with all of Colors. The Champion sighed. No wonder Lorelei was retiring. Watching those kids felt like a full-time job. Did she know?

"Probably not the first couple of missions you were expecting," he said dryly, resisting the urge to hold his head.

"If you want, I can assign someone else to Silver. He's clearly going for the jugular, and that might lead to more uncomfortable scenarios." Maria rubbed the back of her hair furiously, a nervous expression on the Kalosian's face.

"No, I think I'll stick around. Maybe a familiar face can help him?" she said optimistically. Lance didn't share that optimism. That was why he was paying close attention to Silver. He couldn't really afford optimism right now.

"Alright, keep up the good work. Busting that warehouse was a huge victory for us. It had a lot of decently powerful pokemon in there." She smiled shakily.

"I just called reinforcements and dealt with stray bodies. Silver is the one who did all the work..." she mumbled.

"Don't downplay your efforts. You did a good job," Lance reassured, placing a hand against her hair and ruffling it.

"Now go get some rest. You'll be called when there's another mission." She nodded in determination.

"Yes, sir, Champion Lance!" Lance watched her go with a sigh.

"One problem after another," he mused. Almost as if the world itself was testing his patience. His door opened soon after. His secretary rushed in, all jitters and nerves, to the point where she forgot basic duties. Lance would let it slide. He wasn't much of a stiff.

"Sir, we have a visitor!" she announced. Lance glanced up.

"Who is it?" The secretary smiled shakily. She radiated the nervous energy of someone who had encountered something they were not supposed to encounter. For some reason, Lance felt a headache forming. It was a strikingly familiar sensation. He hoped he didn't get used to it.

"You're the last person I ever expected to call me for help," I said idly, leaning against my seat with a bored expression. Blue shuffled awkwardly, carefully avoiding eye contact. He was tense, as if he were preparing himself for a fight. But why would he call me over for a fight? That would be a little weird.

"Believe me, it's a little strange on my half too," Blue muttered. I rested a fist against my cheek, raking a hand against Achlys with the other. She mewled happily, accepting some of my fries with a curious glint. I didn't miss the fascinated look Blue shot my strange Sneasel, the curiosity in his eyes clear. Unfortunately for him, I didn't care about making small talk about my adorable little poison type. I wasn't quite that old yet.

"Well, what does Blue Oak want with little ol me?" I questioned, grabbing another handful of fries for myself. At her pleading gaze, which she attempted to hide behind her own dignity, I gave Achlys another handful. The youngest Oak sighed.

"You can punch me or whatever... I deserve it."

"Anyone I punch deserves it because they made me expend the effort to do it... But you have to give me a reason." His brows furrowed at my slow drawl.

"I... messed up. Bad," Blue revealed honestly.

"What? Piss off the wrong gang? Got a target on your head? Need me to kill someone?" I questioned casually. He flinched backwards.

"Well... I definitely did piss off the wrong gang. I'm here because of Green." I tensed up immediately. Why was it that everyone kept coming to me for Green? My brows furrowed in annoyance because this wasn't my duty. It wasn't my job to protect her anymore. I had already failed, so leave it to someone more qualified. Blue didn't seem to notice my annoyance.

"After our battle at the League, I snapped. I wanted to apologize, but Green crushed me, and I said... not great things to her," Blue admitted.

"She understandably got fed up with me and wants nothing to do with me anymore, but... I never wanted it to end like this." Was this guy serious? Could he really not get his head out of his own ass for one second? I glared at him.

"So you want me to fix your issues? You fucked it up and think you deserve her forgiveness?" Utterly ridiculous. He told me he was going to apologize to her. Was this really his way of apologizing? Continuing to act the same way, and then falling back on me to clear things up? Blue shook his head rapidly.

"No, I don't want you to do that. I know I messed up, and I just don't wanna mess up anymore when I apologize. Is there... something I should do?" he asked slowly. It looked like he was puking the words out. Blue evidently wasn't used to asking for help.

"I'm willing to try as hard as I need to because I've been a dick to Green for who knows how long. It's fine if she never forgives me... but I still wanna try," Blue said earnestly. I stared at him for a long while.

"I think you're a little too late. Green's gone," I replied bluntly. Blue jolted at that.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"She's gone. Went off to do her own thing. You're not the only one she wants nothing to do with," I informed him. He raised a brow high in confusion.

"Green... left?" he trailed off in disbelief.

"That doesn't make any sense. She'd never want to be far from you."

"Well, things changed," I said harshly, growing tired of this conversation.

"I can't help you with Green. I'll just make things worse." Blue seemed to be racking his brain. His blue eyes glinted with that intelligent spark that he tried so hard not to claim.

"She didn't seem all there at the League... there was baggage there... and it revolved around you," he muttered, crossing his arms. He sighed.

"I get it now. The battle on that island stuck with her, and you almost beat her again." Let it be known that Blue really was a genius, alright. He understood things very quickly.

"She's punishing herself, I take it?" Blue informed me with a shake of his head. I didn't bother answering that question. Blue sighed.

"Green's always been an overreactor. She's always willing to help, but ignores her own problems in the process... then it piles up, and she explodes," he revealed. He stared at me with a contemplative expression.

"Something tells me you're the same way."... My eyes widened minutely before narrowing. I didn't need a fucking 13-year-old to deep dive my issues.

"Whatever. I can't help you with Green, even if I wanted to. I'd just do more damage. You're on your own... so are we done here?" Blue sighed.

"Yeah, we're done. Thanks for showing up," he said. I nodded stiffly.

"When Green decides to show up, I'll tell her you want to talk. Despite how stupid you are, you were being honest about trying to make amends." The Oak stared at me.

"I think you mean if she decides to show up," he retorted, turning to walk off.... If?

"If she wants to stay away, then so be it," I said coldly, stamping down anything I might have felt. Blue suddenly paused. The Oak seemed to be visibly struggling with a decision, but it seems like his pride finally got beaten enough.

"Would you and your gang be... opposed to training with me?" he finally grit out. I tilted my head at him.

"Sure, we meet up at Olivine weekly to train. Green's not there, so you won't be insufferable," I agreed. He jolted in confusion, regarding me with a stunned expression.

"You don't have a problem?" he asked slowly. I rolled my eyes.

"Nah. Crys has been insisting that you'd be a good addition to the gang, and Gold realized you were also pretty chill when Green or Ash aren't involved since we were roommates," I informed him. Blue twitched violently, a wild look on his face. He whirled towards me with wide eyes and shook his head rapidly.

"Nope! No way! I'm not joining! I just wanna train with you guys because you were the best trainers at the League!" he insisted. He pointed at me.

"It's just training! I will not be a member! You can't make me!" Without further prompting, he released his Alakazam, and they vanished.

"What a drama queen. He won't stand a chance against Crys and Gold," I exhaled. With the addition of Sapphire, and the soon-to-be inclusion of Yvonne... Blue was more fucked than he realized. Crystal was surprisingly pushy when she wanted to be, and despite being the biggest denier of us ever meeting more members, she was the most excited to expand. Sometimes I felt like she really wanted our gang to rule the world. Don't tell her I said this, but that girl had a real sadistic side to her that she denied.

I had a feeling she'd be the first one to become a Champion in our group. Gold was a little too carefree, while Green was a little too uncontainable, and I was utterly unwilling to be responsible for an entire region. Heh, great. Crystal couldn't say no to any of us, so if she became Champion, that region would practically be ours.

"Hey, Bill," I greeted casually, watching him jump in mild amusement.

"Oh, Silver! Fancy meeting you here... wait, how did you get in here? Did I leave my door unlocked again?" Bill asked in concern.

"You're one of the smartest men alive. You should be more careful. A lot of people actually have an issue with leaving their doors unlocked," I advised, leaning against a wall. I hadn't known his door was unlocked... but a quick glance showed that it was. For someone so rich, Bill's home to the north of Cerulean was rather humble. Books were strewn all about, various machines littering the house... it looked more like a house of a budding inventor getting his foot in the business, not someone of Bill's status.

He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"So what's the occasion? I never imagined you'd visit me freely."

"You know, a lot of people say that," I mused thoughtfully, shrugging.

"I want you to make a website for me. It'll be advanced, with streaming, donation, and subscription capabilities, along with the ability to upload videos if you want. We'll improve it as we go on, but that should be the base package." Bill looked interested.

"Streaming capabilities... kind of like the Conferences?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, except you'll be able to stream from any device that can handle it. Something you can broadcast all over the world." He pondered my request.

"Okay, what for?"

"I'm going to turn Gold and Crystal into streamers." As I explained my plan to begin the process of taking over the world, not that he knew that was our end goal, Bill's eyes glittered in excitement.

"Sounds fun! I guess you came to me because I can handle something that complicated?"

"Yup. I want it smooth, easy on the eyes, with a nice interface. Even though you're filthy rich, you have a good touch of reality. I trust that you can handle it," I said honestly. He nodded with an embarrassed blush.

"Aw shucks, you're making me blush! I'll see what I can do. I've been meaning to improve global connections around the world and whatnot. This could be a great place to start. Something that can smoothly stream on all corners of the planet... that'll need some firepower." I nodded, reaching into my bag and pulling out a Sapphire and a Ruby.

"You think you can make it work with these?" I asked. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. His eyes bugged out of his head.

"An authentic Ruby and Sapphire? Where did you get your hands on them?!"

"The Sevii Islands. I was doing a mission over there and stumbled across it. I don't need them; you can have 'em." I recalled that Bill actually used these, and since what I wanted from Bill had something to do with networking... I thought, why not? Acquiring the Sapphire had reminded me of it, and it would have a new purpose... considering there probably wasn't a heavy need to improve connections between Hoenn and Kanto in this universe. Or maybe there was, and I had just solved the problem before it became one.

"H-How much are you selling them for?! I'm willing to pay a lot!" he asked. I shot him a flat look, which prompted him to flush in embarrassment.

"I should be the one paying you... So take these. If having them makes the process of making my site easier, I'll consider it a worthy trade." Bill nodded eagerly.

"Will do! I'll get started right away! Might take me a bit, but I'll update you and ask for feedback."

"Sure," I nodded.

"Oh, one thing. What are you gonna call this site?" Bill wondered. I blinked in contemplation, mulling the question over before shrugging.

"MewTube. Add a light and dark mode. Light will be purple and gray themed, dark will be black and gold," I said blandly.

"Mew Tube..." he muttered.

"I like it! A website where anyone can create anything! It sounds like tales of the ancient Mew! I think it'll be a smash hit and a name like that'll get people interested! Some people might call it blasphemy, though." I rolled my eyes.

"It's fine. Mew is like my parent or something. I'm sure they'll approve if I ask." Not to mention Mewtwo, who the website was actually named after, was my brother. Bill laughed.

"You've got a weird sense of humor, Silver!"

"So I've been told," I replied dryly, pulling out a sheet of paper. I sat at his desk for a while and scribbled something on the sheet of paper before showing it to him.

"Use this as the Logo and then put MewTube next to it like this." On the paper, Mew's utterly adorable face beamed at us. I had the feeling Mew's face would be a better draw than Mewtwo's because, well, Mewtwo wasn't the cutest pokemon around. Bill blinked owlishly.

"Silver... besides the fact that you draw really well, this has the potential to be very blasphemous. Assuming how Mew looks might rub people the wrong way." I mulled that over.

"Okay, for the one and only time I stream, I'll get Mew's approval," I drawled. Bill laughed nervously.

"Seriously, you have such strange humor. Alright, I'll still do it." I snorted before my Pokegear rang. I grabbed the device in some confusion, glancing at the message. Flying Master: Come to the Plateau asap. I cocked my head. You: K"I've gotta go. We can discuss more later, and you have my number," I told Bill, pocketing my device.

"Sure thing! I'll keep ya updated!" Bill assured with a friendly grin, accepting the paper out of my hand. I inclined my head, turning on a dime and departing the house.

"Ares," I called out, satisfied to see that she hadn't flown very far. Much to my concern, it looked like she had boredly decided to hunt food, and considering we were in Cerulean, that was probably a Magikarp in her mouth. I rolled my eyes at the fat ass. She could have easily just asked me for something.

"To Indigo," I murmured, mounting her effortlessly. She nodded curiously, taking off in an instant at blistering speeds.

"Oh, hey, Domino!" Crystal greeted kindly, a genuine smile on her face. Domino lit up, smiling tentatively at Crystal. Her smile vanished in a flash at the suspicious gaze of Gold.

"You're the girl who was with the Rockets?" Gold observed. She fidgeted at his molten eyes, nodding hastily.

"Y-Yes... but I'm no longer part of them!" Gold mulled that over.

"We're cool?" he asked Crystal. She nodded with a small smile.

"Silver and Janine traumatized her enough. We're cool." Domino let out a sigh of relief as Gold's intense gaze vanished in an instant. He had a cocky grin on his face, nodding his head at her.

"Nice to meetcha, Domino. I'm Gold, the coolest one in our gang," he bragged. She smiled shakily at him, remembering his very aggressive team well. As a whole, Gold's members were among the most intimidating in Colors.

"What are you doing here?" Crystal asked curiously. Domino shrugged.

"I'm just hanging around, I guess? I've helped the League out the best I could, and I'm still on a probation period, so it's been a little boring." Crystal nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm sure they'll let you go eventually! What'll you do after?"

"Maybe find a job with them. They seemed very impressed with what I could do," she mumbled. The former rocket shook her head.

"Well, what about you guys? I haven't heard much from you in a while..." she admitted. Crystal laughed slightly.

"We've been a little lowkey, while taking advantage of our sudden fame in the background. It's offseason, so now is the perfect time to do a little more than just training!" Domino looked interested.

"Really?" She didn't expect them to do something like that, but Colors was very strange.

"Silver and I have been... strategically moving. We've been getting quite a bit done, and all the while, this lazy bum soaks up all our hard work," she said, poking the peaceful Gold's head.

"I'm the voice that makes sure you two workaholics don't overexert yourself!" he assured, putting up a peace sign. Crystal twitched at his total lack of urgency before sighing.

"Well, you aren't wrong about that. With what we're doing, that assistant Silver was talking about sounds more and more necessary." Gold perked up.

"Seriously? Damn, you guys work fast! We already need an assistant for the gang?!" She nodded.

"We're gonna have a joint account for Colors, along with our own separate ones... Silver and I have been working hard, and we have a lot of sponsorships. Lorelei's been helping too." Gold grinned.

"Hell yeah! You two are awesome!" he praised, causing Crystal to blush in embarrassment. Domino froze.

"Did you say you needed an assistant?" she asked suddenly. Crystal glanced at her.

"Mhm! Truth be told, all of us are a little too selfish to manage this on our own! Trainer mentality and all that. We'd rather focus on improving our pokemon and ourselves while delegating the work to someone else," she admitted. To hear even Crystal admit to being shamelessly selfish would have been a shock to Domino, but there was one thing coursing through her brain.

"Colors need an assistant. Colors... need an assistant. Silver needs an assistant!" The former Rocket thought. Old habits die hard. As someone who had been raised with the sole purpose of eventually being useful to Silver, the future heir, the purposeless Domino latched onto the new lifeline like a starving animal because it aligned so well with what she had always wanted to do. It did not help that Colors were shaping up to be their own Team with grandiose dreams. Domino never stood a chance.

"When do I start?" Domino asked expectantly. Gold and Crystal blinked.

"Huh?"

"You need an assistant, right? I can do it!" she said confidently.

"You want to be the gang's assistant?" Crystal asked slowly. She was a little surprised to see Domino look so confident. Domino nodded enthusiastically, a glimmer of her former self appearing.

"I've got practice, and I'm a really fast learner! With me as your assistant, you'll never have to worry! I'll put in the best effort needed to make sure you all take over the world! Not to mention, I've got plenty of other abilities that can be an asset to you!" she assured. Crystal looked a little doubtful, but Gold just hummed and nodded.

"Sure, I like it," he agreed.

"You do?" Crystal asked in surprise.

"Sure! Think about how much better we'll look if everyone in our group is around the same age. She's new, but so are we! It's a perfect time to experiment, and she already has a team! Besides, we'd have to find someone trustworthy, and that's impossible with Silv. We'd spend years looking for an assistant," he reasoned.

"I raised the same concerns," Crystal muttered thoughtfully. Gold pointed at the stunned Domino.

"She was Silver's partner, wasn't she? That means to some degree, she can keep up with him. I think to be in our group, you gotta be able to handle Silv and his temper, and she seems capable enough."

"Y-You trust me?" Domino asked, stunned. He shot her a lopsided grin.

"Course. Crys said we're good, so we're good! You don't think we should?" he questioned with a tilted head. Gold was a gem. Domino decided that she liked him. Domino shook her head rapidly.

"No, trust me! I won't let you guys down! I'll become an assistant worthy of Colors!" Crystal sighed fondly; typical Gold and his carefree nature.

"Alright, I agree. We'll have to train her up a little because she's a bit weak, but she did seem very versatile," Crystal muttered, cupping her chin. Domino winced at the reminder. For how nice she was, Crystal truly did not mince her words. She didn't think she'd ever come close to any of the monster rookies, but it made sense that she should at least defend herself. Domino constantly heard whispers about them, so she could only imagine the words being said elsewhere Crystal hummed thoughtfully.

"Are you sure Silver will be fine with this?"

"Eh, we have 2 out of 3 of the votes if he isn't. Silv might complain a bit, but you know how he is. It would be stranger if he didn't complain, and besides, if he wasn't cool with it, she'd be in prison," Gold waved her off.

"I'm going to have to deal with it," Crystal said flatly.

"He's nicer to you, anyway! I don't know when it happened, but you became strangely good at dealing with that drama queen!" Gold cackled. Domino smiled nervously. Part of her was excited to be assimilated into this group in any way, but she was still more than a little terrified of Silver. Well, Silver had said he wouldn't hold any grudges. He, more than anyone, should know how useful she was. I was surprised to see my gang here when I showed up.

I figured I was being called because Lance wanted to talk to me about my methods for capturing Rockets. Maria almost certainly told him what I was doing. If that was the reason he had called me, was it really necessary to call Gold and Crystal as well? They probably could convince me to take it easy if they asked... so it was a good play.

"Oh so Lance called all of us?" Crystal greeted, pulling me into a hug that I easily returned. She was conversing with a nervous Domino, whom I simply nodded at. She nodded back, opening her mouth before shutting it. I shot the nervous girl a strange look, but ignored it to focus on Crystal's question.

"Yeah. I wonder why?" I mused. Gold shrugged, high-fiving me effortlessly.

"Maybe he wants to try recruiting the three of us again. Or he has a top secret mission for us! Considering the Johto Circuit hasn't started yet, we kinda don't have much to do," he pointed out. I snorted in agreement.

"It is a little boring," I conceded.

"I heard Ash was at the Orange Islands! Maybe we should drop by? They have their own circuit," Crystal mused. I rolled my eyes.

"I heard their circuit is goofy, and it's going to seep into Johto's circuit starting too." Gold mulled that over.

"Let's schedule at least one trip. It could be fun!" I waved them off.

"Yeah, yeah."

"We'll talk more later, Domino! I'll talk to Lance!" Crystal told her with a smile. Domino nodded eagerly before seizing up as I shot her another look. What the hell was that about? Eh, I didn't care. The three of us easily fell in line, strolling to Lance's office in unison. Despite never having practiced it once, we always managed to look like a finely tuned unit. Crystal was in the middle to prevent Gold and me from potentially killing each other. It was our most common formation for obvious reasons.

As we approached Lance's room, Gold audaciously pushed open the door with a, "Yo, Champ! What's up—" He promptly choked on his words, prompting Crystal and me to glance at what could have caused that. I shut my eyes and let out the most annoyed groan of all time, ignoring the astonished look on both Crystal and Gold's faces. Cynthia Shirona stared at our group with a bright smile before her gaze honed in on me at the sound of my groan.

Her gray eyes clashed with my silver for a moment, the champion's gaze searching for something before she snapped out of her reverie.

"Colors! It's nice to meet you all in the flesh! You've made quite the name for yourselves, so I felt like I had to come here!" she greeted cheerfully, holding a bag. Gold and Crystal said nothing, blankly processing that yes, they were staring at Cynthia Shirona, the champion of the Sinnoh Region. I glared at her with my resting bitch face. Cynthia blinked.

"I brought gifts?" she offered. She even held the bag up as proof. Lance had a distinctively amused look on his face, watching this take place while raking a hand through that adorable Dratini of his. It wiggled happily before disentangling from its trainer and slithering towards me. Cynthia's smile slowly faded as the only action we took... was me crouching to snag the Dratini. After a moment of silence, she reached into the bag and pulled out something that looked suspiciously like an autograph.

I turned on a dime and stomped away, stroking the Dratini the entire time.

"I don't have time for this stupid shit. Who the fuck even asked for an autograph?" I huffed. Gold and Crystal snapped out of their daze, gazing at my retreating form... before wisely following after me. Crystal stopped midway, turned around, and bowed politely.

"Sorry, we need to process this a little more," she said. Then she ran to catch up to us. Cynthia stared a little dumbly at the spot the trio had just been at. Lance snorted.

"I told you it wouldn't be that easy." Traitorous little Dratini... how could he betray Lance so easily?

"Was it something I said?" she asked in confusion. The Champion of Kanto and Johto shook his head.

"There was never anything you could have said to make Silver warm up to you... He's my most unruly kid and needs prolonged exposure. As for Gold and Crystal... they're a lot easier, but I think those three are more than a little fed up with certain events, and honestly, I can't blame them." Cynthia pursed her lips.

"Hm... I like them! Most people don't have such a strange reaction to seeing me! I'm gonna go catch up to them and get to know them more!" she said frankly, rushing out of the room before Lance could say a word. He watched her go with a sigh.

"Just make sure not to mention Green."

"Noted!"

"Seems like the world is already shifting from their actions. I should have expected Cynth to be the first one to show up," he said to himself. Not much grabbed her attention for long outside of her passions, but once it did, she would chase it without a second thought. That woman was an unstoppable force towards anything that interested her. He'd have even called her the most selfish of the champions if Steven Stone didn't exist. Lance was sure he'd retire soon just to explore his passions further.

He should probably expect other important figures to show up.

"Here's to hoping Johto doesn't become a disaster, too," he exhaled.

"Cynthia Shirona wanted to see us," Crystal stated idly. The three of us continued to walk at a matching pace.

"It's cool, but seriously... The Johto Circuit hasn't even started yet. Can we at least get like a badge first or something?" Gold mumbled. Crystal hummed.

"Do we wanna speak to her? I imagine it has to do with our performance." I grunted.

"I'm not interested."

"I'm kinda interested," Crystal said.

"I'm interested," Gold added. I cocked my head.

"That's 2/3 then. We'll do it at another time... but I've got important things to tell you guys before that," I explained easily. They both shot me a curious look, nodding... which reminded me of something.

"By the way, we have a new member of the gang." The two jolted.

"Seriously?!" Crystal asked in excitement. I nodded.

"Her name is Yvonne or Y." The two looked eager at that before they registered the name.

"Hold on..." Gold trailed off.

"Yvonne? Y? Wait... what's her last name?" Crystal asked slowly.

"Gabena." They looked puzzled. I could see the gears running in their heads before Crystal's eyes shot open in horror.

"Wait, don't tell me... does she have Y-shaped pupils?!" she hissed quietly.

"It's a long story. One that I'll explain when we're not here." I raked a hand through my hair at the thought of the girl branded by Yveltal.

"Alright, if her eyes match her name, I guess she's one of us now," Gold shrugged helplessly.

"We're expanding so quickly! I didn't think we'd be growing so fast!" Crystal gushed. I was about to speak up to agree before a figure suddenly appeared from the corner. Right before I could crash into them, I deftly shoved them out of my way, saving myself and sending them to the ground with a tiny, "oof." Hm... that oof sounded familiar. I blinked slowly, meeting blazing reddish-purple eyes. Sabrina scowled balefully at me, rubbing her back as she slowly floated upwards.

She rubbed her back absentmindedly, something that seemed to worsen her mood. Hm, wonder why she was in a bad mood.

"Freak," I greeted.

"Abomination," she hissed. Gold and Crystal groaned.

"Hey, Sabrina, what are you doing here?" Crystal asked before the two of us could fly into hate-filled arguments. Sabrina huffed, nodding in respect to my two companions.

"Yeah, why haven't you crawled back into your dark hole in Saffron?" I snarked. There went the respect. She glared at me with far more expressive features. Hell, I'd even say she looked human now.

"If you must know... due to my ignited passion in battles, thanks to a certain creature, I've decided that the path of a Gym Leader is no longer enough to satisfy me." A sinking feeling hit me at that.

"Wait a fucking second." Concern filled me in a flash because this wasn't supposed to happen... at all. Sabrina's glare was gone, replaced by a vindictive sneer.

"Correct. I will be formally replacing Lorelei as a member of the Elite 4. With the freedom allowed, you should expect quite a few visits from me. You are my student after all," she promised. I twitched violently.

"You can't be serious. There's no way you chose to become an Elite 4 member... just so you can have more free time to ambush me," I said slowly. Did I seriously do this? Sabrina doesn't become a member of the Elite 4 in any timeline ever. In fact, she retires from battling and decides to crawl into a hole in Unova instead. You're telling me... this fucking freak had abandoned the gym solely because of me?! Sabrina's smirk was as victorious as it was smug.

"You are the one who transformed me into this demented version of myself. You and I both know that there is a way." Oh my god, I did. I had made a psychic lose her fucking mind. Cynthia Shirona was here. Sabrina was part of the Elite 4. Everyone was a fucking freak, and it revolved around me. I'm convinced I was in hell.

"You won't stay stronger than me for long. When the time comes, I'm going to make your life hell," I promised. Sabrina smiled. If she were anyone else, I'd even say it was a little adorable.

"I have been living in hell for the better part of a year. You must come up with something more threatening than that. I look forward to when your strength is enough to match mine. I find close battles far more enjoyable." I glared at her.

"Your funeral." Crystal sighed.

"Some things never change. Congratulations on becoming a member of the Elite 4, Sabrina!" she congratulated. Sabrina smiled.

"Thank you, Trainer Crystal."

"What's happening to your gym, then?" Gold questioned.

"A fellow psychic of mine by the name of Will has been offered the position. He has accepted, so I will train him to better prepare him for the role," she replied.

"Oh, is this the same Will who won the Silver League?" Crystal chimed in.

"Indeed. He has shown promise. I imagine if I didn't accept the position of Elite 4, they would train him for the role," Sabrina answered.

"Do you have a voodoo doll of me?" I asked casually, framing the question as normal.

"Yes," Sabrina replied immediately. She had been answering in such quick succession that she didn't realize what mine was. Her eyes flew open in realization, and she glared at me in hatred.

"You foul, underhanded creature!" she hissed, hand twitching.

"You freakish, stalking, fucking psychic!" I barked, poking her midsection harshly.

"Um... am I interrupting something?" Cynthia asked, peeking from the corner we had just turned from.

"Fuck off!" I snarled at the champion. I grabbed Gold and Crystal and began stomping away from this nightmare.

"Is now a bad time to tell you that Domino is our assistant?" Crystal chimed in. I froze, shooting her a look of disbelief.

"When the fuck did this happen?! Why is all this shit happening at once?!" I hissed.

"Before you showed up. Gold's the one who hired her!" she replied hastily.

"WE AGREED THAT YOU'D TAKE THE HEAT!" Gold gaped.

"We never actually agreed!" Crystal retorted. I rubbed my thumb and index fingers against my head and just accepted it.

"Would you stop following us?!" I barked at the smiling Cynthia. The Champion of Sinnoh mulled it over.

"Aw, but I came all the way over from Sinnoh to meet you guys! A little chat would be nice! I'd even be willing to train with you all," she said resolutely. Evidently, the curse was affecting her without her knowing.

"This is why you should have allowed me to erase her. Now look, drawn to you even in an entirely different region. Some things are inevitable." I pinched my nose.

"I don't suppose erasing her is still on the cards?" I asked sarcastically.

"Only if you are willing to do it yourself. I will give you all the power necessary to fulfill it." Freak. Crystal stepped up once more.

"Champion Cynthia Shirona. Nice to meet you. We're not quite in the mood to talk with you right now, so could you ambush us at a later time? The three of us have already agreed that we'd be interested in talking to you."

"Deal," Cynthia agreed pleasantly.

"I'll go chat with Lance in the meantime, but let's meet later over some ice cream! I'd really love to get to know this new generation of trainers more. You all really impressed me during the League!" I did not miss the quick glance she shot me, but I ignored it for my own sake. Crystal smiled.

"Of course! We'd like that! We're big fans... we're just a little burnt out! Maybe come visit us tomorrow?" Cynthia's smile turned far more sympathetic.

"I understand. Please, don't even think of me as Champion Cynthia if it helps ease your minds a little. I'm just here as a curious soul."

"We'll try," Crystal nodded, beckoning us forward. As we walked away, the two of us turned towards Gold.

"You're too quiet. How have you not said anything around Cynthia?" Crystal asked suspiciously once we had made enough distance. I eyed him for a little longer and snorted loudly.

"I think Gold's shocked by how good-looking she is." Gold shot me an astonished look.

"YOU COULD TELL?!" Crystal's eye twitched.

"GOLD!" Cynthia watched the trio disappear with a small smile. They were rather self-aware, choosing to protect their stability. She appreciated such maturity. Unfortunately for her, it just made the Champion all the more excited to speak to them. It was rare for Cynthia to have to wait for something. Normally, she was the one so busy that others needed to wait for her.

"Word of advice, Champion Cynthia Shirona," Sabrina said seriously, sidling up to the blonde. Cynthia turned towards her curiously.

"If you know what is good for you, you should avoid that red-haired demon. He may very well be the death of you," Sabrina warned.

"You mean Trainer Silver?" Cynthia asked in surprise. Sabrina nodded with a disturbed expression.

"He has uprooted my entire life. He is a force of nature not many should trifle with. I have seen the glance you shot his way. I would strongly suggest against it." Cynthia mulled over Sabrina's warning.

"I think I'll take that risk! I can't very well ignore such a group of gems! I feel like Colors will take the world by storm very soon!" Sabrina shut her eyes with a weary sigh.

"I was afraid you'd say that. Very well, good luck, Cynthia Shirona... you may need it. You are not wrong that Team Colors will bring forth a storm unlike any we've ever seen, but it cares very little for who gets swept in it." Cynthia shot the newest Elite 4 member a confused smile. Wes leapt off his custom bike with practiced ease. He glanced around coolly before pausing at the stare searing into the back of his head. He sighed, helping the pleased Rui off the bike.

"Thanks!" she chirped happily. He grunted, gazing at all the trees with a curious expression. They had been traveling through Johto for a bit, just taking in the scenery. It was vastly different from Orre. Orre was harsh and gritty, something even the landscape highlighted. Vast deserts, rocky wastelands, little vegetation... settlements were scattered, and the isolation reflected the civilians well. Johto felt like the complete opposite. The region seemed balanced with nature, no wastelands in sight.

There were so many trees that it threw him for a loop. The air was tranquil and clean rather than charged and dusty. But most of all were the pokemon. Orre did not have wild pokemon. Even Wes had needed to import his two Eevees from another region. The rest had been... yeah. In Johto, pokemon were everywhere. No matter where Wes looked, he'd see some manner of pokemon. Whether it was the flying types, the bugs... all types of pokemon dominated the area. It was surreal.

Wes felt as if he was entering an entirely new world. He had tensed up for battle more than a few times whenever something got too close; the idea that a trainer was nearby overwhelmed his reason.

"I've never left Orre. I didn't realize the world could look so... alive," Rui awed, echoing his thoughts.

"It's beautiful! I love it already!" she gushed. Wes couldn't find himself agreeing. He had grown far too used to the harsh nature of Orre. Orre reflected him well; Wes was a perfect mirror to his region.

"C'mon! We should be close to Ecruteak City! I wonder what type of food they have? We might need to find a place to stay! Do we have any money?" Rui suddenly asked. Wes shot her a glance.

"Mayor Evice was very wealthy. He thankfully allocated all his funds to me so we don't have to worry," he drawled. Rui opened her mouth and shut it because she was sure he'd never willingly give his money over.

"Well, he deserved it... and it's not like anyone rewarded us for helping them! Yeah, I think we deserve this!" she nodded to herself. Wes smirked.

"C'mon, let's go. We've got work to do." His companion nodded eagerly.

"This is gonna be fun!"

"Someone is a little eager!" Steven grumbled in annoyance.

"Now is the perfect time to go. Our regions are currently in a lull state before the next circuit begins." Wallace clapped.

"To think we finally get to meet our friend! It's been a long time coming!" Steven had given up on trying to correct Wallace. It would only end in a headache, and he already had one from his conversation with the Nurse Joy from Forttree. The lackadaisical woman did not seem all that bothered by the fact that she had been kidnapped. Just remembering the conversation was annoying...

"Is this necessary?" Joy asked slowly, leaning against a fist. Winona smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Elena," she apologized genuinely. Steven nodded with a polite smile, Metagross standing next to him.

"I know you've already given your report, but such bizarre news couldn't help but capture my attention. After all, this is an international crisis. Our very own Nurse Joy, kidnapped from her home and sent to the Kanto region. I almost didn't believe it!" Joy sighed, leaning into her seat.

"Couldn't you have done this while I'm on shift or something?" she asked, gaze roving over all the inhabitants. Well, this was tricky. That odd colored Metagross was Champion Steven's very powerful ace. It was different from Silver's own. While Silver's Metagross was a deep shade of blue, bordering on azure, which made it stand out from other Metagross, Steven's Metagross was silver with a golden X across its face.

Some pokemon had different pigmentation for any sort of biological reason, whether it be for better survival odds or lack of something. They were just called Shiny to keep it simplistic and friendly, and to showcase that it was not an ordinary color. Joy doubted she could lie to Metagross, so she'd have to skirt around the truth. Winona rolled her eyes at Elena's complaints.

"You'll be given paid leave for 3 days for having to do this." The nurse looked distinctly pleased, beckoning towards Steven. The Champion of Hoenn looked a little surprised by the nature of this Joy. While he had met his fair share of strange nurses, most regarded him as he expected, with respect and admiration. This one looked like they simply wished to sleep. There was respect, but Steven found himself pleased that someone regarded him with a hint of normalcy. Such a thing was rare these days.

"Can you explain to us what happened on the day of your kidnapping?" Steven asked, getting straight to the point. Joy shrugged.

"I was on paid leave for personal reasons when a pokemon suddenly approached me. They told me they needed my expertise and whisked me away to some island." Steven hummed.

"Yes, I read that in the report. Nothing specific was mentioned about this pokemon, but surely there should be more?"

"I'm not allowed to talk about it. The pokemon forbade me from doing so," she replied honestly.

"Pardon?" Steven shot Winona a confused glance, to which she simply shrugged.

"It's true. Any attempt to consensually use a psychic pokemon was met with less than desirable results. Whatever it was that kidnapped her, was incredibly powerful," she explained. Most troubling. That sounded like a legendary pokemon, but why on earth was Joy kidnapped by a legendary?

"If I could tell you more, I would, but I can't," Joy said smoothly. The truth was, she actually could, but she wouldn't for obvious reasons. Mewtwo had simply offered her some assistance when she ran into the conundrum of being a Hoenn Nurse in Kanto. This was just to avoid making a mistake in front of Steven Stone's Metagross. Joy was not lying. Mewtwo had expressed that it did not want to be spoken of or sought out and Mewtwo had the means to silence her if it so pleased.

Naturally, he wouldn't, but he could, and Joy was using that to her full advantage.

"That kid better not ever doubt me," she thought tiredly.

"So you dealt with a legendary pokemon..." Steven muttered, frowning in contemplation. That didn't leave him much choice. This was now an important matter that needed to be urgently discussed with Lance. But something just wasn't adding up to Steven. Why a Nurse Joy from Hoenn? Why? Steven had a sneaking suspicion.

"Just to reiterate, you were taken by this legend. There was no one else with it?" Steven asked. Joy knew exactly what Steven was looking for in that moment. She was honestly impressed he had even thought to link the event to Silver. He must be obsessed.

"Other pokemon were there that I checked up on. They were the reason I was taken," Joy replied. Steven looked mildly frustrated.

"But why you? You are from Hoenn, and you were taken to Kanto. Why would this pokemon not take someone from Kanto?" Joy smoothly found a response. She must have been hanging around the kid and his silver tongue too much.

"Because I was on paid leave. I'm not really a social gal, so no one would really think to look for me. They'd just assume I'm enjoying my vacation," she replied easily. Winona nodded thoughtfully.

"That's true. We had no idea until the reports came in," she added. Steven's stance seemed to cool at that, but he still looked unconvinced. At the very least, it didn't seem like any of that suspicion was pointed towards Joy. Fearless she may be, but this was still Steven Stone. No one wanted to get on his bad side. Except for a psychotic brat who was now dealing with the Champion's full attention.

"Thank you for your time, Nurse Joy," Steven bowed politely.

"You've given me much to work with." Joy nodded.

"Sorry, I couldn't give more info."

"There's no need to apologize! You've given me more than enough!" He said honestly, smiling at her. This was still good information. Now, Steven had a very valid reason to visit Lance. And he was sure Trainer Silver had something to do with a Nurse Joy from Hoenn being in Kanto. He just wasn't sure what the connection was.

"Come, Metagross, we have much to discuss," Steven muttered. Metagross silently followed, finally removing its disturbing gaze from Joy. She sighed in some relief. Silver's Metagross was so much less unnerving and far more expressive than Steven's. Joy watched him go with a half-lidded expression. Obsession was a dangerous thing. Winona sighed.

"I'll fly you home, Elena. Thank you again for doing this."

"All in a day's work," she drawled to her gym leader. Maybe Silver had a point. Maybe she suffered the curse of kindness that all her relatives did. If you told her that in less than a year, she'd get kidnapped by the strongest pokemon she had ever seen because she had shown a little bit too much concern for a belligerent brat, she'd actually laugh in your face. Yet here she was, lying to her Champion because of that belligerent brat.

"You seem annoyed," Winona pointed out, urging Joy to wrap her arms around her waist as they climbed atop the Altaria.

"This is the face I make when I could be sleeping after working an all-nighter," she said bluntly. Winona giggled softly.

"3 days. Get all the sleep you need, and then we can talk about how you managed to befriend Elite 4 Karen of all people." Joy sighed audibly.

"I'm not a gossip, nor do I enjoy talking about my life. Let's not."

"Indulge me! I'll bring food and drinks for all 3 days?" she goaded.

"Since when are we friends?" Joy questioned boredly.

"Since you gave me a mountain of paperwork to handle after getting kidnapped and brought to Kanto." Joy sighed even louder. She hated that brat.

"There are many mysteries surrounding this group known as Colors. The origin of their pokemon, their prodigious level of talent... and most importantly, how they have access to Mega Evolution," Steven murmured, brows furrowed.

"Do not forget we are supposed to be offering our assistance to Kanto," Wallace added. The Champion of Hoenn shook his head.

"This is a matter of importance now. Whatever happened with Kanto has affected Hoenn, therefore we must get to the bottom of this." Wallace hummed.

"That is true..." he mulled. Steven sighed.

"We're good friends with Lance, Wallace. I will naturally bring gifts, but we do not approach him as enemies."

"Accusing one of his children of theft might give quite the opposite notion!" Wallace chimed. Steven frowned.

"Children? Lance is much too young for Trainer Silver to be his child. And none of them look alike."

"Metaphorically, Steven," Wallace sighed, shaking his head.

"It's clear as the skies when little Ludicolo is sleeping, that Lance has adopted that gaggle of children, and you know how those dragons get when their possessions are threatened." Steven looked disturbed.

"I will think of something as we head there. Perhaps an outright accusation would not be ideal." Wallace laughed freely.

"You? Think of how to approach a conversation? This is going to be quite enjoyable!"

"That Salamence..." Zinnia trailed off, staring intensely at the screen with a contemplative expression. Aster sat in her lap, nuzzling her in content. An Alpha Salamence... one wielding the Moxie ability. That was more than a little suspicious, and while Zinnia wasn't the smartest person around, that didn't mean she was incapable of critical thought. Zinnia did not know the specifics of why Dera refused to let little Bagon go, but if it had anything to do with possessing the Alpha Gene... that would explain it.

She cupped her chin thoughtfully. While not 100% sure, Zinnia was confident that this trainer, Silver, might be the same one she encountered ages ago. The trainer in red...

"Do any of those pokemon look familiar to you?" she asked Haxorus. Her dragon gazed at each one. He looked distinctly confused, but focused slightly on the Zoroark and Meganium, brows furrowing slightly. Zinnia cocked her head.

"Ah! I understand! It was rather early on, so maybe they weren't evolved yet?" she wondered, grabbing the ever-useful Pokedex that she had acquired under less than legal means.

"How about this?" she questioned, showing pre-evolved forms of his Pokémon: a Zorua, Chikorita, Feebas, Bagon, Beldum, and Teddiursa. The speed at which blood filled Haxorus' eyes made her own blood roar in triumph. He howled in fury, pointing at the first 5 with so much force she yanked her Pokedex away lest he break it. In particular, his hatred for Bagon and Feebas seemed most prevalent.

"You recognize these 5?!" she asked excitedly, a wild gleam in her eyes. Haxorus spat in fury, stamping the ground in a way that might have worried other trainers but only served to further excite Zinnia. Yes... yes! This was the boy! Haxorus recognized almost all his pokemon! To think he had so brazenly been planning on attacking the draconids with these babies! Zinnia didn't think a trainer could be any more interesting, but she felt a kinship forming with the boy who was as insane as she was.

Now, he wielded a flurry of monsters that nearly helped him conquer his league! How interesting! What was he doing in Kanto?

"To think he would motivate me to be more proactive, and abandon the region. You're toying with my emotions, Silver!" she cackled, trembling in her excitement. She had trained harder, fought harder. Hell, Zinnia had even deigned to participate in the gym challenges because of the person in red. All this to learn they had not even been traversing the same region? How infuriatingly annoying! Not only that, he had stolen her spotlight.

Her own accomplishments at the Evergrande Conference paled in comparison to all that this group named Colors achieved. They were all the talk of the world! They were not the only rookies after all. Lorekeeper was one too! Naturally, Zinnia was not as annoyed as she made it seem... but learning that one of the suspects was possibly the same boy in red that she encountered annoyed her greatly.

"Something tells me, we'll meet him one day," she grinned ferally. He had waltzed into the Draconids village, stolen the tusk of a Fraxure, and stolen Dera's prized Bagon, all without revealing a single thing about himself. Now here he was making sure the entire world knew who he was... Including Zinnia. When the day came when she met him, Zinnia would love nothing more than to test her dragons against his team of monsters. He was strong, but she was stronger.

Her Salamence, Gail, gazed at the enormous Salamence on the screen with a glint in his eyes, while Haxorus snarled furiously. He barked something to her in his tongue, but Zinnia shook her head.

"We have no time to track him down. A time will come when our paths cross, and when it does, we'll test ourselves against him! Until then, we still have a mission to complete!" Zinnia said adamantly. Haxorus snarled threateningly at her, taking a step, only to pause as Gail rumbled warningly. The Salamence's eyes immediately filled with bloodlust, staring down her most unruly pokemon. They continued to stare at each other, but Zinnia clapped with a wild grin.

"If you want to fight so badly, save it for later! I know how excited you are to meet the one who took your tusk, but we have more pressing matters!" she insisted, patting both her dragons without an ounce of fear.

"There's no need to start doubting me. I've given you your tusk back, I've made you strong, we've conquered the trainers of this region... This is only the beginning! As long as you stick with me, our paths will cross with that boy, and if they don't, then we'll seek him out. We have a name and a face after all." Something manic coursed through Zinnia. If not for her mission, she'd take the earliest flight to Kanto.

So badly did she want to test her strength against Silver, but if there was one thing Zinnia believed in, it was fate. Destiny would ensure these two encountered each other at the opportune moment, and when that time came... Even Haxorus backed away from her disturbing grin. Zinnia cackled loudly and shut the TV off.

"We finally have a name and a face. Our little side project is finally showing fruition! Those old fools at the Draconid Village didn't keep up with the news. They wouldn't know about this Salamence, and she doubted they'd even make the connection... not that they could do anything about it. Zinnia wasn't interested in Trainer Silver because he "stole" one of their possessions. Dragons chose their trainers, not the other way around. No, Zinnia was interested in Silver for her own selfish reasons.

Their collision would shake the world, this she was sure of. That's why Zinnia did not mind waiting because she knew a day would come when they truly clashed. The winner would shape the very future... And Zinnia would not lose. She returned her team and walked confidently to her destination, banging on an unassuming door with a relaxed expression that belied the clear insanity she had shown earlier. The sliding peephole opened, and a single eye looked through.

"Hi there! I heard you're recruiting?" Zinnia asked with a charming smile. There was a sharp gasp on the other side of the door.

"You're... you're Lorekeeper! What are you doing here?!" Her smile widened.

"Team Magma, was it? A team that wants to expand the lands? Color me interested!" There were two teams of interest in the Hoenn region, Team Aqua and Team Magma, both with opposite goals. Expanding the lands and expanding the water. Zinnia had been keeping an eye on them both, especially Team Magma. After all, they were the red team... and Zinnia found that she was growing a new appreciation for the color red. She wondered if it was fate that prompted her to choose this team.

"I'm sure your boss would love to speak to such a formidable trainer. I think with me, your dreams of expanding the land may come true," she said confidently. After all, no one quite wielded the information Zinnia did. Before her selfish goals came her duty, and Zinnia took her duties very seriously. As she was hastily beckoned inside, the Lorekeeper had to fight back her grin. It was time to get the ball rolling. Zinnia was going to save the world after all.

"Cyrus, sir?" Cyrus glanced up at the nervous voice of Saturn. Next to him, Jupiter shuffled slightly, a rattled expression on her face.

"Emotions are a hindrance, especially those that err on the side of negativity. There is no need to be nervous in my presence," he said calmly, gauging his two commanders with a neutral expression. Saturn saluted.

"Right, sir! We came to you because we've made a startling revelation!" Cyrus beckoned for them to continue.

"I'm sure you're aware, but there has been quite the stir in the Kanto region. The Indigo League has finished, and I admit, we were drawn in by all the whispers," Saturn explained. Jupiter nodded.

"We watched it," she said casually. Cyrus had not watched it. Such useless whispers did not affect him. Would he fault his commanders for being guided by their emotions? No, they still had a use. They would be forgiven in his new world.

"While watching it, we noticed a familiar face..." Saturn trailed off. Jupiter sighed, pinching her nose.

"It was Mars. Mars is in Kanto, and by the looks of it, she's found her family." Now Cyrus was interested.

"Family?" he questioned.

"One of the trainers of the League went by the name Silver. He and Mars appear to be twins... and he is an incredibly powerful trainer," Saturn explained with a disturbed frown.

"That's not all. By the looks of it, their mother is Elite 4 Lorelei," Jupiter chimed in. Cyrus did not frown, but his lips downturned slightly.

"A twin? Mars? How curious. I was not aware she had family..." Her lack of family was why Cyrus approached her in the first place. There were other reasons, but that was the most prominent. To hear that she had a twin brother and a mother was confusing.

"So, Elite 4 Lorelei was the one who sent us a warning then?" Cyrus mused, recalling that note. That was concerning. There was very little Cyrus could do to Elite 4 Lorelei, and even if he were to bring it up, that would simply turn the entire problem into something he did not desire it to become.

"Well, no," Jupiter said with a frown.

"I'm pretty sure it was Trainer Silver who wrote that note." Cyrus would have raised a brow if he had one.

"Trainer Silver's personality is very... abrasive. Based on what we've seen, he would gladly write that note. He also seemed overprotective of Mars, so perhaps he thought we kidnapped her?" Saturn suggested with a frown.

"Interesting." Cyrus seemed to mull something over.

"I believe it is time for you two to begin expanding your teams. You will need to train properly." The two jolted at that, unable to hide the excitement in their gazes.

"Expand, sir?" Saturn questioned. He nodded.

"A full team of 6 for both of you. Choose your members wisely and ensure they all receive the proper training. We will allocate funds and hire a scientist who may assist us. I have reason to believe our mission will not go as smoothly as we hope."

"Yes, sir!" they saluted. Perhaps their emotions had proven useful. It was impossible to glean Galactic's true intentions, so Trainer Silver likely believed they had stolen his sister. Judging by how loyal Mars had been, it was likely they believed some brainwashing may be at play. With such a scrutinizing gaze, it was likely he needed to move in a more discreet manner.

"Perhaps I am in need of another Commander," he mused. As a coordinator with the highest of platitudes, Johanna had the pleasure of seeing many things in her life. It came with the profession, creativity that bordered on insanity, which propelled them all forward to push the limits of that barrier. But even the most skilled of coordinator had their limits. Johanna finally believed she had found hers. Johanna Berlitz was a single mother of one.

She lived in Twinleaf Town after retiring from a rather successful career as a coordinator. Her beautiful daughter, Dawn, had just recently turned 10. Dawn was the brightest light in her life, and Johanna was immensely proud of her... But something strange was occurring. Well, strange would be a rather gross underestimation of what was going on. Now, at this point, you must be wondering what it was that had Johanna reacting in such a way. Well, it was simple!

It all started with the mother hearing a shrill shriek of, "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" in the distance, where her daughter had wandered off to. Naturally, Johanna could not believe someone would curse so violently near her daughter and immediately rushed there. That was when the situation became weird. Johanna had one child, but she was sure many would disagree, since she was currently looking at two of her children! The first was easy to identify.

Steel-blue eyes filled with warmth, navy-blue hair, and her typical girly outfit: a sweater dress and pink miniskirt. Johanna would be able to identify her little girl even if she were blind.... Which was why the second person was so concerning, because Johanna would also be able to identify this girl even if she were blind. But again, Johanna was a mother of one child. Wild blue hair, a scowl, which had lessened as they laid eyes on Johanna, and the strangest eyes she had seen!

They were a lighter shade of silvery-gray, metallic in nature. There was a primal sort of glint in those eyes, one that Johanna fidgeted under. It was like being glared at by a wild Garchomp. The outfit was completely different as well. There were no miniskirts or dresses... just a dark indigo tunic with wide sleeves, along with pants fitted for travel and ease of movement.

But the most startling detail about this person wasn't how they warily regarded everything, how they had their hand on a weapon, or how they looked at her little Dawn like an impostor. No, the most startling detail was that this stranger looked exactly like Dawn. To reiterate for the final time, mostly to try and justify this to herself, Johanna was a single mother of one. Dawn was her only child, and she was not old enough to have another daughter who looked to be a good few years older than Dawn.

"Maybe this is a Ditto?" Johanna thought optimistically. The eyes were all wrong after all!

"Mom...?" the voice whispered in disbelief, grip going slack on the weapon strapped to her waist. That single sentence banished any thought of the identity of this person in an instant. The way she had called Johanna had filled her with the same instincts a mother would always feel around their child. She even sounded like Dawn. Older, of course, voice filled with steel and grit, but that was Dawn through and through.

"Dawn...?" she called out hesitantly, staring the girl down. That seemed to snap the teen out of her reverie. Her brows furrowed, and she scowled.

"Dawn? What type of sick fucking joke is this?" she hissed, causing Johanna to flinch back. The steel in her eyes was back, body tensing up like a coiled spring ready to release.

"I put up with a lot of bullshit, but dropping me in some random as fuck place, just so I can stare at some doppelganger of myself and my mom is fucking pushing it!" she barked. Thankfully for Johanna, she removed her hand from the weapon. But much to her horror, the frantic movement revealed 6 Poke Balls that looked crafted from wood. They rested easily on the side opposite the weapon, weathered with use. For the sake of this house and their lives, Johanna desperately hoped no pokemon was released.

This girl gave off the aura of a seasoned trainer, and Johanna had no interest in seeing the monsters she wielded at the moment.

"I've had it up to here with getting dropped to clean up other people's fucking messes. If I don't start getting answers now, I'm going to lose my mind and make you regret sending me here!" she snarled. Johanna warily grasped Dawn, moving her petrified daughter behind her. The furious stranger flinched at the action, expression faltering before coming back with a vengeance. Her hand immediately reached for one of the Poke Balls—"Akari." Everyone paused. Johanna hadn't paid the third presence much mind.

It was hard to pay attention, considering she was discovering she supposedly had a daughter, a niece, or a very young long-lost sister. The final person was a young woman with vibrant red hair, styled in a side-swept manner with a cowlick that curled upwards. She was yawning slightly, some surprise on her tired features, but it had quickly smoothed over to regard her companion.

"Let's calm down, I'm sure there's an explanation for this," the redhead soothed. The one dubbed 'Akari' twitched violently.

"I already know the fucking explanation, Arezu! What I want to know is why I'm being dragged to some other place again, why the hell I was brought here, and why the hell you were brought with me!" Arezu looked utterly nonplussed at the feral girl.

"Is that any way to talk to the girl who so generously does your hair? It's a lot of work considering how it looks after your little trips in the wild." Akari unleashed a worryingly feral noise, prompting Arezu to put her hands up.

"Kidding, kidding. I get you're mad, but lashing out at these two won't solve anything. Why don't we all just take a breather and you explain what's going on, then?" Arezu asked placatingly. Akari took a deep breath, sighing to herself. She then turned towards Johanna with a slightly vulnerable expression.

"Your name... is it Johanna?" she asked softly. Johanna nodded with a soft expression. Without really thinking about it, she pulled the girl into a tight hug.

"I don't know what's going on... but I can recognize my baby anywhere, and I know when she's stressed. Whether your name is Dawn or Akari, you'll always be my little girl," she murmured. Akari shuddered at that, eyes wide in disbelief before they turned glassy. She sniffed and buried her head into Johanna's neck, shrinking into herself to match the mother's shorter height.

"Mom... I missed you so much!" Akari cried, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Shhh, there there..." she soothed. Arezu smiled, looking curiously at everything. The technology looked so advanced. This was nothing she had ever seen before! Where were they exactly? While harsh, Akari did raise a point. The two weren't super close or anything, so why was she brought along with the hero of Hisui? The redhead frowned slightly, but a weight caught her by surprise. She gazed down at the three Poke Balls on her waist and smiled, comforted by having her friends with her.

"Um... do I have a sister?" Dawn asked in confusion. Johanna diligently ran a hand through her older daughter's hair, a comforting smile on her face as the girl sank into her.

"Could you tell me what happened, sweetheart?" she asked softly. Akari sagged into her, nodding.

"Yeah... I might as well. No one from Hisui knew, but I'm tired of hiding it." Arezu raised a brow in confusion.

"My name is Akari Platinum... and I'm not from this... time," she revealed, not sounding the most sure of that. Johanna took it in stride.

"Part of me thought you might have been an ancestor of sorts... but then you mentioned that your mother's name was also Johanna?" she questioned. She beckoned to herself.

"Our family name is not Platinum. We're Johanna and Dawn Berlitz." Akari nodded.

"That makes sense. You're my mom in my timeline. You two look exactly like each other. Same hair, same eyes... You just look younger than her, and considering that your daughter is her..." she beckoned towards Dawn. Johanna felt a sneaking suspicion.

"That means... You aren't just related to Dawn here. Are you also Dawn?"

"Probably. I have a sneaking suspicion that if a test were run, we wouldn't come up as sisters... we'd come up as the same person," Akari answered, staring at the younger face of her alternate self. Dawn looked stunned.

"You're ME?!" she shouted, shooting up in surprise.

"The only difference between us is our eyes," Akari said bluntly.

"I looked exactly the same as you. Even wore the same things when I was your age." Dawn's eyes sparkled.

"Wow! Do we become a Top Coordinator? Are we super famous?" she asked in quick succession. Akari looked confused.

"I did become super famous... but coordinator? You want to be a contest star?" she asked slowly. Dawn nodded, a look of confusion on her face.

"You don't?" she asked in return.

"No. I did it as a side hobby, but I've always been focused on being a trainer," Akari explained with a frown. Contests? They were fun, sure... but contests did not have the same thrill that battles did. They didn't give her any adrenaline at all, and Akari thrived on the feeling of battling with everything on the line. The younger of the two looked aghast at that.

"But Mom's a contest star!" The older nodded.

"My mom was one too... but I wanted to be a trainer. My starter was a Piplup."

"No way, I want a Piplup too!" Dawn squealed. Arezu took the chance to speak up.

"A Piplup? Hold on... I thought your starter was that demon of a Samurott." Akari paused, turning towards Arezu and sighing.

"This isn't the first time I've been... sent to a different place. The first time was Hisui." Arezu froze.

"Hold on... you're not from some faraway land?!"

"More like the future... for both of these worlds by the looks of it," Akari sighed, slumping backwards.

"The first time I was transported by Arceus for a mission that I can only assume I've completed, considering they've sent me on another one." It was hard to miss the annoyance on her face.

"At least I get to keep my team this time," she scowled balefully. Arezu looked stunned.

"Wait... you're saying we're in some type of future?"

"For you, yeah. I assume it's the past for me because, well," Arezu beckoned towards Dawn and Johanna. Arezu frowned.

"Is that why you almost stabbed me when we first met?" she asked randomly.

"What?!" Johanna and Dawn gaped.

"I almost stabbed a lot of people, wish I did stab a couple I didn't," Akari waved her off. Akari sighed.

"I'm 15 years old, so 5 years older than her."

"Wait, hold on," Arezu put out a hand, looking overwhelmed.

"Arceus gave you a mission? Why did they bring me?"

"Beats me. I don't know what's going through their head, but the last time I was sent back, it was to stop Giratina. I can only assume I'm being sent on another mission to stop another legendary," she sighed. Was it Giratina again? This would be the third time she encountered it. Would it be in a murderous rage because it got interrupted by that browless loser Cyrus, or a murderous rage because it teamed up with that handsome reject Volo? Akari couldn't wait to find out. No really. Joy.

"Well, what will you do now?" Johanna asked in concern. Akari sighed.

"I dunno. Ideally, I'd like to figure out why I was sent here, but I don't have any hint." She didn't have a flyer either, and her pokemon were on the rarer side...

"Maybe I'll just journey through Sinnoh and catch a new team. Start as a new trainer while keeping my cards close," she muttered. She was tired of seeking out the problem. If it were so urgent, they would come find her. Johanna nodded thoughtfully.

"Why not stay with us for the time being? You already look like my daughter!" Akari's eyes widened at that before she nodded.

"Alright, I'll stay with you guys if you don't mind."

"This is great and all, but seriously, what do I have to do with this? I'm feeling a little left out," Arezu muttered.

"I don't know. In my timeline, one of my mortal enemies was related to you. You look exactly the same," Akari mentioned.

"Mortal... enemies? That's why you tried to stab me?" Arezu questioned. She nodded with no hesitation.

"Those psychopaths were trying to erase the universe, and she was the first commander I encountered. Your relative was named Mars. You're significantly better than her."

"I'm flattered?" Arezu replied, still a little confused but just vowing to go with the flow. While Akari would love nothing more than to find the members of Team Galactic and deal with them... she had learned from Hisui that she shouldn't jump to conclusions. In this world, her counterpart wanted to be a coordinator, which was already a significant change. One reason, though, and then she'd blast them wide open.

"I'll just stick with you for the time being, then," Arezu shrugged. Akari nodded stiffly.

"Sure. At least someone got dragged into this mess with me. Less lonely." She had a general idea. Just travel around Sinnoh and do research. This wasn't the past anymore. Just based on everything in the house alone, technology was far closer in line to what she was used to. Right. Research was important. Understand what was different. Understand what was the same. That's what Akari would do. A good first step was verifying the Champions. Arceus had been kind enough to give Akari and Arezu IDs.

Maybe it was important to have them in this strange world. Akari could only assume they were officially registered in some database as well, so they wouldn't have to run into the issue of never actually existing in this world.

"What the hell type of world am I in?" Akari mumbled in disbelief. She was confused. Why was she confused? Well, it certainly wasn't because of the current list of Champions. They were all recognizable faces. Her mentor, Cynthia... whom she instinctively shuddered at seeing. Akari knew something was wrong with her when her first instinct upon seeing Cynthia's picture was to attack her. That damn Volo... Steven Stone was another familiar face.

Akari had met him a handful of times, but she was rather fond of the former champion of Hoenn. He had given her his villa after all. They had battled whenever she stumbled upon him, his loss to Brendan not dulling his skills at all. Lance Wataru was another... but it was upon searching up Lance that things got weird for Akari. Upon looking at the details of Lance, Akari stumbled upon something called the Indigo League.

Further research showed that it was styled like the World Tournaments of Unova, but every region had them. Trainers with 8 badges could join, and they would all fight it out for a chance to gain access to battling the Elite 4. That was weird. Akari didn't have anything like this. Once you had 8 badges, you could battle the Elite 4 so long as you successfully traversed Victory Road. But apparently that was not a thing here. All trainers were required to battle in this tournament.

Akari decided to watch the Indigo League. It was there that she saw the shock of her life.

"Gold?!" she gaped. Arezu raised a brow.

"You know him?"

"Know him? He's like one of my biggest rivals!" she exclaimed with wide eyes. Champion Ethan Gold. He had started his journey a little earlier than Akari did. The two had shared a laugh when they realized the Red Gyarados he had captured had been what spurred her and Barry to start their own journey. In fact, they had actually been about to meet in Alola before unforeseen circumstances had placed Akari in an entirely different time period with almost nothing to her name.

"He looks so young," she murmured, gazing at the cocky grin on his face. He looked functionally the same as the Gold she knew, but his features seemed sharper, more arrogant, expression a little harsher... which was concerning, considering the Gold of her timeline had been 14 like her, while this one looked no older than 12. But most striking of all were his blazing golden eyes, a sharp contrast to his gray from her world. They stood out like the sun...

Unfortunately, Akari could not focus on such details for long because of his Typhlosion. That was a Hisuian-Typhlosion. Akari would know what one was because she was just in Hisui. Why did Gold have one?! Her timeline's Gold had a ferocious Typhlosion, but it was just a normal one. Not only that, he had a Hisuian-Braviary as well. This didn't make any sense. Nothing on this Gold's team matched the Gold she knew. There was no Togekiss, no shiny Gyarados, no Umbreon, no Sudowoodo, no Hitmontop. Nothing.

What the fuck? Akari's confusion didn't end there. This world. Everything about this place was so strange. The Pokemon were using more than 4 moves; they were combining techniques... they looked stronger. It was just all so ridiculous, and the strangest part of it all was that levels didn't seem to exist. What...? How did they measure the strength of their pokemon? Gold was part of a gang. Colors, they called themselves. She didn't recognize anyone besides him in that group.

She did not know a Green nor did she know a Crystal... The closest thing to a Crystal was the girl Gold was always with, Lyra. She did not even know why he was in Kanto for his first year. Gold was from Johto. Nothing made sense. Even though Gold looked so young here, this was the age he had trumped over Lance to become Champion.

Even worse, it seemed like Lance had suffered no defeat whatsoever, which shouldn't be true because when Akari was 10, the whole world had been discussing both of Lance's defeats to— To Champion Red and Blue. Blue Oak was easy to find. He went by the name Gary in this world, but that was him, okay. His eyes were blue... his team was different, but that was him. But Blue never defeated Lance. Blue was the same age as Gold, when he should have been older. Blue was not a gym leader...

She frantically searched for any battles that Lance had. The first thing she noted was that he was dizzyingly stronger than the Lance she knew. Akari didn't think she could beat this version of Lance because this version of Lance was a monster. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that none of his battles were against Red. In fact, there was nothing that suggested Red existed. Champion Red, the most legendary trainer of all time... there was nothing about him.

No undefeated reign, no rivalry between himself and Blue... no escapades about singlehandedly crushing Team Rocket. Nothing. The other trainers from Pallet Town were the Green girl, who was part of Gold's gang, and a random boy by the name of Ash Ketchum. Was Ash Ketchum supposed to be Red? He had the trusty Pikachu... and he had all three of the Kanto starters with a Snorlax. That had to be it. Their teams were an almost perfect match, besides some strange pokemon named Annihilape... so this was Red?

Was it really, though? Many trainers tried to copy Red... how did she know this was not one of those? Because Red did not exist in this world. That's why. How could he copy someone who did not exist? Ash Ketchum's Pikachu even had the same grit as Red's chubby little one. That unnatural strength that the little rat should not normally wield. Where the hell was she? At least Gold looked like her Gold. Ash looked nothing like Red. He didn't even have his signature red eyes. Was there anyone else she could recognize?

Wait a second. Silver... that name sounded familiar... Ah! That was Gold's best friend! She remembered him vaguely. He was polite, if a little standoffish. He always had a look on his face that suggested he had no interest in being here, and Gold had likely dragged him along to force him to socialize. Beyond that, Akari didn't remember much about him. He was a good trainer, but nowhere near the level of a trainer like her or Gold...

Which made it all the more shocking to see that the entirety of the tournament seemed to revolve around him. He beat Gold. The battle was close, but he beat him. That wasn't supposed to happen... Huh? His team against Gold was just as strange. Unlike Gold, who at least had the Typhlosion, Silver didn't have a single matching pokemon. No Magnezone, no Weavile, no Gengar, no Crobat, no Alakazam, no Feraligatr... He had a Meganium?!

"This makes no fucking sense!" Akari groaned, slamming her head against the desk. If she recalled correctly, Silver had stolen a pokemon. Maybe in this world, he just stole a different one?

"He kinda looks like me," Arezu said offhandedly, leaning forward with a fascinated gaze at the battles taking place. For Akari, who found this all confusing, Arezu must have thought this was an entirely new world.

"Not in the mood for your jokes," Akari exhaled, pinching her nose. If she had a flyer, she could just go visit Gold right away and maybe get some more answers, like what he was doing in Kanto first... but she figured that probably wouldn't be the best idea. She was in a world that looked so much like her own, but everyone was still a stranger. Everything was different. As much as she wanted to hope otherwise, this was not her world.

She couldn't afford to recklessly charge ahead because she'd just be prone to making a mistake. Trusting someone who looked like her mentor had burned her. Don't jump to conclusions from appearance alone. For all she knew, this version of Gold, who looked so much ruder than her own, was a villain in the making. Arezu sighed at the glum look on Akari's face.

"You need to go to sleep. We'll figure this out tomorrow, and I, for one, am tired because of this interdimensional, time travel nonsense."

"I still don't have a clue why I was brought here, and I'm half convinced I'll figure it out if I stick with you, so we'll travel through the region as you suggested. You can catch a new team in the meantime, and then you can eventually seek out this Gold person." Arezu placed a hand on her shoulder with a small smile.

"You did all of Hisui a favor. Why don't you take a break until whatever disaster you have to deal with makes itself known?" Akari stared at her before sighing, leaning into the touch slightly.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm tired of being led around the region with a stick. I'll do things my way, and my way is waiting for it to come to me."

"That's the spirit! You're the one who taught me not to tackle everything alone, so I'll tell you to chill out," Arezu said. Akari smiled. Her vacation at Alola had been interrupted... maybe it was time to catch up on lost time.

"Yeah, alright. I'm going to sleep now." Before she shut off the pc, she took one last look at it.

"Huh... he actually does look like you," she mused.

"Right?" Arezu laughed, not dwelling on the thought too much. Both had pale skin, the same shade of red hair... You could convince Akari that they were actually related.

"You both even have that stupid little cowlick. Mars had one too."

"Watch it on my cowlick. I cut your hair," Arezu warned, deathly serious. With her scowl like this, she looked way too much like Mars. Akari opened and shut her mouth. Seems like even Arezu could get upset about something. Bizarre.

"Do you have any idea what you're asking me to do?"

"I didn't realize your reputation was so fragile. Can you do it or can you not?" Hunter J pressed a fist against her cheek.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you. You think I don't know the sorry state your team is in? Can you even afford this because I assure you, this bounty will not be cheap." Archer scowled at her.

"If I didn't have the means, I would not be here." J's shaded lens flashed underneath the dim light, gazing at him with an inscrutable expression.

"You'll pay me everything in advance, then I'll deal with the target."

"Half before the job, half after," Archer said coldly. She rolled her eyes underneath the shade." Dear client of mine. You are asking me to hunt a person who, by all intents and purposes, is untouchable. You understand who his mother is, correct? I'm many things, but capable of battling an Elite 4 member is not one of them," she said. Archer resisted the urge to correct the notion that Lorelei was not his mother, staring sternly at her.

"I don't trust a Pokemon Hunter, not even one with your reputation. You'll get your half in advance, the half after, and you're free to do whatever you want with his pokemon. I'm sure you saw some of them." J mulled it over.

"You know what? Sure, why not? We have a deal, but you'll let me handle things my way, and if the situation seems unfavorable, you can forego paying me the second half, and I'll stop my hunt."

"Deal." Archer did not care. In the first place, Archer was not expecting her to succeed. That demon of a brat had singlehandedly brought Team Rocket to its knees. What was this silly little Pokemon Hunter going to do? No, Archer just needed a distraction, and Hunter J was the perfect one. Something to sufficiently keep that petty boy's attention because Silver would retaliate with a vengeance against her, no matter if she escaped. Then, Archer could focus on reviving Team Rocket.

"We have a deal, Hunter J." J scoffed.

"Of course, dear client." With that, Archer departed. J grasped the picture in her hand and stared at it. Trainer Silver... the standout of the Indigo League. He had a plethora of rare pokemon that would normally excite J because they'd fetch a pretty penny, but the boy was the son of an Elite 4 member. Getting in their way would never bode well for her. Not only that, he was part of a gaggle of trainers that all seemed formidable. Individually? She did not doubt her chances of success, but as a group?

J did not make a name in this industry by being stupid. But money was money. She had a target now, so she'd hunt him down... and regardless, she wasn't going to commit to the idea like that idiot Rocket thought. If things got bad, she'd leave. Self-preservation was the most important skill to have after all.

"Looks like we've got a new hunt." I hummed to myself, idly raking a hand through the hair of my lazy twin. She rested her head on my lap as she scrolled through her pokegear, the rest of her body lying flat on the couch.

"Aren't you supposed to be embarrassed by physical affection?" I asked boredly.

"I've gotten used to the fact that we're twins, so I'm okay with it," she replied. I thought that over.

"It's because of Aunt, isn't it?" She snorted.

"Yeah, you got me. I never thought Elite 4 Lorelei would be one of the most affectionate people on the planet," she laughed. I nodded sagely.

"It's pretty amazing how her image is a straight-up lie." Mars snorted.

"Must run in the family. You're the same." I twitched at her.

"Can you shut up?" She cackled, expression sobering up slightly.

"Hey, do you think that Galactic knows I'm here by now?" It was a good question. I mulled it over and nodded.

"In particular, I made a pretty huge splash at the League, so they probably saw me a lot on TV. There's a good chance they saw you, too." My twin's expression was conflicted.

"I want to believe they're not as bad as you said. But I've known you long enough to know you wouldn't lie like that. I really want to believe... but if they aren't, then I'm going to be strong enough to crush them for lying to me." I let her come to her conclusions without saying much.

"What if Jupiter and Saturn don't know either?" Mars asked suddenly. I raised a brow.

"That depends. What do you want to do?"

"Well... Jupiter's a bitch and Saturn's a dweeb, but they're still my friends. If we find out that Cyrus is really going to do this, I'll try to convince them!" she said in determination. I nodded thoughtfully.

"It's easier to convince people you're stronger than. They'll never listen to just words, so crush them first," I advised.

"Got it!" she decided, slamming a fist against her palm with a grin. I shot her a genuine smile. It hadn't been that long, but Mars had grown on me way too fast.

"You're coming to our next trip to Olivine since you're part of the gang. She doesn't qualify... but I guess Lyra can come too. I want you both to be strong." I had boldly claimed my twin on live television, and I wasn't stupid enough to think I had no enemies. There was a real chance someone would target Mars to get me. If that happened, I don't think they'd appreciate the end result very much. Mars nodded thoughtfully, which reminded me of something.

"By the way, there's a new member of our gang named Yvonne. I need you to do her hair. It's a monstrosity." Her eyes glinted. I was happy that she genuinely seemed to enjoy her hobby of cutting hair. She could be the gang's official stylist at this rate.

"I never say no to a challenge!"

"Alright then, new challenge: Fixing your sleep schedule," I decided. Mars gained a horrified expression.

"I'm working on it! I don't need your help!" she complained. I rolled my eyes.

"Lazy bum. We're fixing it," I said, heedless of her insistence. We did not fix it. Mars fell asleep in my room at some point, and I was just a little too weak to wake her up, so I just shrugged helplessly and fell asleep, too. Damn cute tech.