Chương 37: Dramaturgy III

"Young Silver has been kidnapped by Team Rocket?" Oak saw Gold nod grimly. The professor was sure his expression matched because the news he was being told was very unsettling. Team Rocket abducted Silver? For what reason? Oak did not like the conclusions he was coming to. Silver wanted protection from Team Rocket for a far more urgent reason.

"Green's with us over at Indigo. She... could be better," Gold explained, removing his hat to rake a hand through his spiky black hair. The Professor of Kanto crossed his arms, a frown of contemplation on his face.

"Why did they only take Silver?" he wondered.

"... It's confidential at the moment, but I'm sure you'll find out regardless. Silver negotiated with them. He gave himself up, so that Green could survive."...

"Most unsettling," Oak murmured, a disturbed expression on his face. If Silver's value to Team Rocket was vital enough, where he was able to negotiate his freedom with them to protect someone else, then that sheds light on why he was so fearless in stealing Chikorita from Elm.

"I will inform Maple of the events. She's been worried as to why Green hasn't been answering her calls," Oak explained. Gold sighed.

"It's not great. None of us are doing great. Crys and I are trying where we can but... Silver's all of our friends."

"I understand. Please try not to burn yourselves out. I will be at Indigo when I can, likely with Maple."

"Right. Take it easy, professor," Gold waved. As Gold's visage vanished, Oak stared at the blank screen. He seemed deep in thought before sighing. Quite the mess they had been dragged into.

"Teacher."

"Alakazam," Oak said calmly.

"Nothing good will come from this. You are aware of this, correct?" The professor frowned.

"Perhaps. We will have to see how the situation unfolds. It seems like even if I desired, the matter is out of my hands now." Alakazam looked... wary.

"I predict things will be hectic in the upcoming months. There will be chaos." Oak sighed.

"One step at a time, Alakazam. First, we must inform Green's mother what has happened."

"WHAT?!" Maple and Delia shrieked at the same time. Oak winced at the utter distraught in both their voices. While slightly confused as to why Delia would have such a reaction, Maple's was far more in line with what he expected. Green's mother had practically adopted Silver on their first meeting by the looks of it. Delia had apparently done the same. The woman looked completely distraught.

"Yes, it is as I said. Silver and Green were attacked by Team Rocket, and the result was Silver ending up in Team Rocket's hands. By the looks of it, Silver willingly went along with them... for Green to stay safe." Maple took a step back in horror.

"Oh no... what could they possibly want with little Silvy?" she asked in disbelief. Delia shook. The woman was pale, and she gripped her skirt with enough strength to visibly wrinkle it.

"Green is currently located at Indigo. The reason she has not called you..."

"It's because my little Leafy is depressed." Maple teared up at that, putting a hand over her heart.

"When Silver told me he'd watch over my daughter, I didn't think it would be at the cost of himself!" she cried out. The woman looked both outraged and worried.

"Oh, we have to get him back, so I can pinch his cheek and tell him to value himself!" Delia let out a rattled breath.

"Do you think... he's fine?" Oak saw her distress clear as day. He was more than a little stumped as to why she was reacting like this... but she and Silver seemed to get along, and Delia was a well-meaning woman with a big heart.

"Physically, I believe he will be fine. It is the mental aspect that I worry about," Oak answered honestly. Team Rocket was a source of trauma for Silver. That was very clear. If he were back in their grasp... There was no telling what that could do to his mental health. Based on what Alakazam had mentioned, that may even lead to the catastrophe she seemed to firmly believe in.

The fact of the matter was, they had no idea what was needed to transform Silver into this "Calamity", but Oak was sure Team Rocket would not help with that.

"Silver is a strong child, one with a lot of wisdom for his age. He'll be fine," Maple said, worry on her face despite her words. Green's mother stood up.

"Professor, take me to Indigo, please! I need to at least be there for my daughter." Oak nodded in agreement.

"I have business there myself. I would like to know just what is going on."

"Can... Can I come too?" Delia asked quietly. She was a little afraid to be alone right now and with Oak gone...

"Of course! I'm sure Green will appreciate the company," the professor smiled. She smiled in relief. Delia hoped Silver was fine. She wanted Ash to get to know his brother more. They would get him back somehow... and afterwards, Delia would tell Ash everything.

"Hello! Names?" Domino smiled in her disguise, both arms looped around one of Silver's as she leaned into him with an extra flair.

"Oh, you don't know?!" she asked, gasping in distress. As she took one hand and held it to her head, she made a hand signal.

"I think you should look again," Silver suggested, not bothering to do the same. The bouncer's gaze, which had glazed over the moment he made eye contact with the duo, shifted back to the paper.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see! Please come in!" The duo ignored the profuse bowing and allowed themselves in.

"1 hour. That's how long you have. I'll leave you if you take too long," Silver murmured.

"I'm the one with the Teleporter," she whispered haughtily, returning her invisible Raichu. Silver did not return his invisible Zoroark. Loki was always lurking, always up to something that Silver intended for him to do without verbalizing it. They were at an event in Pewter City. A ball taking place in the Pewter Museum... Giovanni, taking note of how impressive Silver's skills were, instructed the two of them to infiltrate and take anything of note.

It wasn't an important mission, more so just one to take up time. Their main goal, if possible, was to retrieve fossils. There would be plenty of wealthy people here as well, who they'd be taking from, but the fossils were what they wanted.

"I'll deal with fossils," Silver said simply. She nodded.

"I know your original bag was confiscated... but do you have anything to store them?" Silver stared at her like she were stupid, before ignoring her question. He disentangled from her and walked off into the crowd, leaving Domino by her lonesome. She sighed.

"Dick," she muttered under her breath. The agent smiled, accepting a drink and slipping easily into character.

"Wanna dance?" She watched with a small smirk as the figure she was watching stilled.

"Bit of an odd place to be doing so... So I suggest a new location..." Karen held out her hand, dressed in a fancy yellow dress that perfectly hid her Poké Balls.

"... I've been dying to meet you, Silver. Let's postpone this dance, for when you're back in your aunt's loving hands," she greeted. Silver glanced at her, red eyes half lidded. Even underneath the disguise, Karen was fairly sure this was him. Her Dark Types were raring to go after all... well, all except Absol. Absol, while being the most useful at tracking him, had been downright terrified of actually committing.

"You're... Elite 4 Karen?" He questioned, tilting his head to the right. Karen faltered only a little at that.

"You... needed to think about that?" she asked in return. Sure, she was in a damn fancy dress (just getting her into one was a tall task), but this close? Karen was pretty easy to spot. It had been difficult to avoid the curious eyes here.

"I recently found out how you look. Was talking to Green about it. Your eyes are pretty similar in color to mine," he said conversationally. The boy was standing now, turning fully to face her. That threw her for a loop.

"You didn't know how I looked?" The disbelief in her voice was clear as day. Karen wasn't arrogant by any means, but she was well aware that, as the youngest current Elite 4 member of the Kanto region, a lot of people knew who she was. The last person to even make a dent in them before her... was Lance.

"I know who you are... I just didn't know how you looked," Silver said. It wasn't lost to Karen that her first meeting with Lorelei's nephew was in the middle of him stealing fossils... and he seemed utterly at ease despite that detail. And he didn't know how she looked. Huh.

"Right... well, enough of that. Come with me," she said bluntly.

"Your aunt is worried sick about you, your best friends are crying, and you look miserable. It's about time you went home now." She had to remember to omit calling him a kid because, according to Lorelei, he hated being called that. They would talk about his striking ignorance later. There were more pressing matters at hand. Silver stared at her. His expression betrayed nothing, and he raked a hand through his black hair.

"Tell them I'm fine... and tell Green to stop being so depressed, or I'll be upset," he requested. Karen's brows furrowed, and she raked a hand through her silver hair.

"I won't be telling them any of this. You can just do it yourself." Silver exhaled.

"Karen, yeah? We'll have to postpone that dance for later. Or you can double and pass it to Gold. I'm sure he'd be happy about that," he said simply.

"What are you talking about—" Karen cut herself off, as the Silver she spoke to vanished before her very eyes. That brat... was distracting her! She rushed out of the room she was in, cursing herself for wearing a dress to fit in with the masses, and her gaze immediately honed in on the figure almost 80% out of the building.

"Clever little sneak," she muttered, releasing Weavile from his ball. That Silver was impressive. He didn't let the crowd slow him down at all, maneuvering through them with the impressive speed of a boy who practiced... Karen felt a smirk form on her face.

"After him, Weavile. We won't make it that easy!" This was almost painfully easy. The people at this ball had already had quite a bit to drink, so they could never hope to detect Domino. By now, she was almost perfectly in character. A polite smile here, a haughty laugh there, pretending to take a sip of her beverage. It was all too easy— Domino dropped the cup in her hand, watching in shock as it shattered on the ground, as Silver grabbed her mid-sprint and began dragging her through the room!

"W-What?! It hasn't even been close to an hour yet!" she hissed. She had stolen quite a good amount already, but there was far more to do! He didn't spare her a glance.

"Stop getting dragged. Run," he ordered, letting her go. Not willing to let him make any headway, Domino swiftly chased after the redhead, thanking herself for not wearing a dress that would slow her down in case of this.

"Get a Teleporter ready. An Elite 4 member is chasing us," Silver said, voice clipped. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"An Elite what?!" Domino hissed, reaching for her Alolan Raichu's ball. The panic of the crowd was secondary noise to the jamming in her heart at the news she was hearing. Silver dashed to the right, while she dashed to the left, to avoid a couple dancing. Despite completely avoiding them, that didn't stop the dancing pair from flailing about and falling to the floor. Silver's eyes narrowed as a guard stepped in front of him, before he leapt above the lunging figure.

A Machoke attempted to grab him, but missed wildly... for some reason. He landed on the shoulder of the Fighting Type before using it as a springboard to further the distance between him and their offender. Shouts rang out throughout the entire ball, but Domino was too focused on escaping to make out what they were saying. Both the Rocket agents shielded their steps by utilizing the crowd, darting in any random direction while steadily making their way to the exit. Silver made it first.

He burst through and darted left in a split second. Domino followed his lead like it was second nature, heading straight to the forests. She grabbed her ball and released Raichu without any hesitation. The psychic looked slightly disoriented, courtesy of Silver, but otherwise glanced at her for orders.

"Teleport! Get us out of here—" Domino's words died on her lips, as a figure zipped by at such speed, she hardly registered it. Her Raichu was unconscious, eyes shut from the actions of whatever the hell just attacked her. A claw rested gently on her throat, and Domino went pale, panting at the cocky grin of the Weavile.

"Hm," Silver said. He was standing on the branch of a tree, gazing at the Weavile with an unreadable expression. If he was the slightest bit bothered by the fact that a Weavile was about to gore her through, he sure had a weird way of showing it.

"Making me run in a dress is not cool. Leaving a woman talking to you behind is even ruder," Karen panted, walking into the clearing. Next to her, an enormous Houndoom let loose a harmless growl.

"You sure are relentless. Should I be flattered?" Silver asked coolly.

"You should. It's not every day someone gets hunted down by an Elite 4 member... and it's not every day I get to see a trainer with a Zoroark. I'm jealous, you know. What a rare dark type," Karen countered, a small smirk on her face. Domino squeaked in horror as the Weavile cackled its agreement.

"I'm assuming this girl is a part of Team Rocket, too? They sure like to get them young," the dark specialist muttered.

"Whatever. I'll just bring her too." Silver sighed and shook his head.

"It's not every day I outsmart an Elite 4 member either." Karen raised a brow in confusion before realizing the action took far too long. Her eyes widened in confusion, and she made to grab another ball, but the action felt too heavy. Domino panted as Weavile slumped against her, snoring happily in its sleep. Out of the illusion, Gaia and Clefable appeared. Pink practically saturated the air, making Domino feel incredibly sluggish.

The duo had utilized a combination of Grass Whistle and Gravity to subdue the Dark Specialist... all under the illusion of Loki.

"Gravity, huh?" Domino heard Silver mutter. She panted and gingerly removed herself from the Weavile, lest it accidentally carve her in half. Karen and the Houndoom were also asleep, and she heaved in relief.

"Good thinking, Silver," she said shakily, returning Raichu to his ball. Silver was already on the move.

"Let's go quickly. There's a chance that Houndoom has Early Bird. We shouldn't expect her team to idle about for much longer." She nodded, and the two dashed off. It was after they made good headway did they finally stopped to catch their breath. They were in a clearing now, far from Pewter City.

"That was scary. I thought it was over for us," she muttered. Silver grunted.

"It's not over yet." Domino jolted at that.

"What?!" Her partner said nothing, simply turning in a direction. At the same time, Clefable let out a squeal of distress as magenta flames crashed into her. Gaia conjured a wall that easily weathered the weak blast of water.

"So she had company..." Silver mused.

"Something told me... that you were going to somehow escape from her. We just prepared for that possibility." Domino watched as two trainers walked into the clearing. It didn't take her more than a few seconds to immediately identify them.

"Gold, Crystal," Silver greeted, staring at them with a spark of emotion in his gaze.

"Silver," they said in unison, gazing at their friend with determined glares.

"You aren't the type to willingly go with someone... so let's battle. I'll beat you here and take you back forcefully," Gold said bluntly. To his right, Explotaro stood straight. The lax fire type was staring at Silver in clear sorrow. Silver stared at him, avoiding the Typhlosion's stare.

"Alright then," he conceded. Crystal and Totoree stared at their respective friends.

"Silver..." she trailed off, looking at the final member of their trio with sorrow in her gaze.

"You don't look happy." Totoree growled at Gaia.

"..." Silver said nothing at that. Gaia looked away. Crystal sighed in understanding and grabbed a Quick Ball (her entire team was placed in them).

"I understand why you're doing this... but I just can't agree. We're bringing you back now! We'll figure the complicated things later!" Gold grabbed an Ultra Ball (his entire team was in Ultra Balls) and nodded in agreement.

"We'll drag you back kicking and screaming if we have to!"

"We've been training to get you back, Silver. If I have to kick your ass to do it, that's what I'll do!" Gold scowled. Silver stared at the two other starters with a small frown.

"You'll need to pull your weight here. I've got my hands full," Silver said truthfully, even as Gaia took his side. Domino gulped nervously, gazing into the cool and collected Crystal's gaze.

"Explotaro... let's win this," he said firmly.

"Totoree, we have to win," Crystal said quietly. Gaia stared silently at her two friends, sorrow in her gaze. Domino let loose a breath and released her Wigglytuff. The match started explosively.

"Flamethrower!"

"Aqua Jet!"

"Dazzling Gleam!"

"Magical Leaf." Explotaro's magenta flames surged to life as he fired off a giant wave of flames. The odd colored flamethrower rushed through the air, bulldozing both the Magical Leaf and Dazzling Gleam. Gaia winced as it slammed into her Light Screen. She instinctively stepped back, only to let out a cry of surprise as Totoree appeared in front, sped up with Aqua Jet.

"Brick Break, Totoree! Then Aqua Tail the Wigglytuff!" Crystal ordered. The Feraligatr ignored the flames of his partner and shattered the Light Screen. Not waiting to see his handiwork, he immediately coated his tail in water and rushed Wigglytuff. The fairy squealed as it practically launched across the field from the force. Totoree snarled ferally at it, only to stop as a flurry of vines wrapped around him.

Gaia immediately used Giga Drain, struggling to restrain her friend as he practically tore through her vines... but she was unable to take advantage, as a Fire Blast crashed into her side. The Meganium wailed, releasing Totoree in the process. She was sent tumbling to the ground, burns forming on her body as Explotaro gazed sullenly at her.

Three dark fireballs formed around the Typhlosion, and Gold nodded his head slowly, watching as his starter fired off that strange ghost move that they still didn't have a name for. Gaia shrieked as they connected, and she writhed in place, burns on her body magnifying and practically igniting her. Silver's jaw clenched at that.

"Synthesis, Gaia."

"Don't let her, Totoree!" Crystal shouted, gut curling in a way that made her feel infinitely worse about this entire thing.

"Thunderbolt, Wigglytuff! Help her out!" Domino shouted immediately. Totoree, who was poised to lunge and sink his fangs into Gaia, roared as a surge of lightning crashed onto his back. The maneuver caused Explotaro to gaze at the Wigglytuff, already forming new flames that would mercilessly burn the Wigglytuff.

"Gravity! Then, use Heal Pulse on Gaia!" Domino instructed swiftly.

"Sweet Scent. Slow them down even more," Silver followed up. Both Crystal and Gold's Pokémon attempted to move, but were unable to, as the Gravity around them magnified. Wigglytuff panted before she fired a gentle pulse of energy at the burned Gaia. Gaia panted as well, pulling herself up. She didn't bother thanking the Wigglytuff, merely glowing with the energy of Synthesis.

"Pressure them while they're sluggish. Giga Drain, Gaia," Silver ordered. Vines immediately lashed out and wrapped around Totoree, before Gaia began draining him as quickly as possible. That did not last long, as Explotaro once again made his presence known. Gaia immediately released her vines and trudged away from the flames, eyes locked onto the Typhlosion. Crystal and Gold shot each other a look, nodding in unison.

"Explotaro, Fire Pledge!"

"Totoree, Water Pledge!" Silver's eyes widened at that. He watched with a stunned look as both the Typhlosion and Feraligatr fired off a column of fire and water that combined with one another, launching towards Gaia and Wigglytuff with no hesitation.

"P-Protect!" Domino stammered in horror.

"Light Screen!" Silver demanded. Wigglytuff leapt in front of Gaia, before summoning a green barrier that surrounded both of them. At the same time, Gaia weakly conjured a Light Screen that was shredded like paper, as the combination technique completely bulldozed it. The Protect lasted a split second before it was summarily shattered by the Fire and Water Pledge, causing Gaia and Wigglytuff to get sent flying backwards.

Gold and Crystal did not get to enjoy the rainbow above, gazing staunchly at the struggling Gaia and nearly unconscious Wigglytuff. They had thrown their all into training for getting Silver back... including going directly to that lady to learn the Pledge moves. Domino shot Silver a concerned glance, and he stared grimly at her before nodding his head.

"Wigglytuff! Use Perish Song!" Gold and Crystal's eyes flew open before they were forced to cover their ears at the horrible sounds. Wigglytuff sang the terrible notes and at once, 4 pokemon were returned. The four trainers stared at one another before Silver released Freyja from the ball. Domino took a deep breath before releasing her Nidoqueen. Gold and Crystal clenched another Ultra and Quick Ball, respectively, before sending out their next two pokemon.

Domino paled at the spine-chilling roar that encompassed the entire battlefield... a noise that came from the Tyranitar owned by Gold. She took a further step back in horror at seeing the Dragonite right next to it. The normally friendly dragon had a frown on its face, gazing at Silver with a tender gaze.

"What the hell?" she said to herself. Silver frowned grimly.

"You need to pull your weight. There's no way, Freyja can take them both at the same time." She turned sharply towards him, eyes wide in horror.

"R-Right!" she said.

"Airee, make this fast," Crystal murmured, locking onto the Nidoqueen with no hesitation. Gold stared at the sullen Freyja and Silver, grim determination coursing through him.

"Larvitaro, don't bother trying to take over the battlefield with your Sand Stream. Remember what we practiced?" he said. The Tyranitar snarled, sand pouring out of the triangular holes of its body. Silver watched with clear recognition as the Tyranitar formed a miniature sandstorm around its body.

"They say mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery, Hero," Silver said quietly, even as Freyja surrounded herself in a miniature Rain Dance.

"You don't look very flattered, Silv," Gold replied grimly. Silver shut his eyes.

"Must have been hard to tell."

"Freyja, Scald."

"Don't let that hit you, Rock Slide!" Freyja reared back and launched a monstrous amount of boiling water. It collided with a wall of stones, causing steam and water to spray in every direction. Larvitaro hissed and punched the walls, causing the hot stones to fly towards Freyja. The monstrous strength of a Tyranitar caused the stones to shoot forward like bullets. They collided with the Milotic, who hissed immediately at the impact.

"Keep up the pressure, Larvitaro! Screech!" Freyja cried out as the Tyranitar let out an agonizingly loud howl. She recoiled, wincing backwards and Larvitaro grinned savagely. More rocks sprang around him, and Gold pointed forward.

"Stone Edge!"

"Confuse Ray." Larvitaro's Stone Edge flew in every direction, as he suddenly barked in confusion. The rock type roared, fist clenched as it lost the focus in its gaze... Only for that confusion to vanish, as Airee floated next to him, shielding them both in a white aura. Silver spared Domino a glance, seeing her scrambling with her battered and defeated Nidoqueen, before quickly coming to a decision.

"Surf." A giant wave of water crashed down onto the battlefield, courtesy of Freyja. It was quick and sudden, practically flooding the area. Gold grunted in surprise as he was caught on the edge of the wave and he was swept into it. He heard Crystal shout as well, before he was temporarily submerged. He coughed as he surfaced, eyes darting in every direction.

"If that battle drew out... I wouldn't have won. It's your victory." That was all Gold heard before the only ones left on the battlefield were him, Crystal, and their two pokemon.

"Damn it! He got away!" Gold cursed, pushing himself up. Larvitaro scowled in dissatisfaction, echoing Gold's sentiments. Dragonite held Crystal in its arms, even as the girl coughed out the rest of the water.

"He escaped," Crystal sighed, staring at the spot he had been at with a despondent expression.

"Crys... Silv barely got stronger," Gold frowned, turning towards her. She paused.

"Yeah. I don't think he's been training. Based on what I saw, I think we both would have beaten him individually."

"Not only that... even if we were equal, he would have lost... because Silver doesn't want to battle us at all. He has no will to beat us right now," Gold sighed, leaning and banging the back of his head on a tree in frustration.

"I don't like this Gold. None of this is sitting well with me," Crystal mumbled.

"Me neither," Karen said, walking into the clearing. She ignored the water and stared at the spot Silver was at.

"That kid is slippery and even though he looked completely miserable, he refused to comply and come with us." She frowned in contemplation, not upset that she had fallen for his tricks. In fact, if the situation were lighter, she would have revelled in chasing him as a game. Despite the weird energy he emitted, Karen thought he would be a great Dark Type trainer.

"C'mon, kids. We'll look for a couple more traces of him." Gold and Crystal both nodded, frowning in unison. There was just something strange about this all... What exactly was Silver doing?

"We escaped," Domino sighed in relief. She nervously watched as her Blissey tended to Wigglytuff, Gaia and Nidoqueen. Clefable stood next to her, having teleported them a safe distance away. It wasn't as far as Raichu, but it was far enough that they could take a tiny breather. With that Elite 4 girl hunting them down, it was only a matter of time before she found them again. They would need to get far fast. That Dragonite had made quick work of Nidoqueen.

If that kept up, Silver would have been facing down a 2 1 in no time. Domino shot him a thankful look.

"Good work, Silver! Those two were your friends right? They're way stronger than I expected!" Silver said nothing, gazing at the night sky with a contemplative expression.

"They were both stronger than me individually," he said... almost wistfully.

"Silver?" she asked. He shook his head and stood up.

"The night isn't done. We've still got missions to do and they're a lot further than Pewter," he instructed. Domino watched him look into the sky once again.

"Besides, we were never in any danger," Silver said idly. She only had a moment to question him, before jumping as a figure appeared in front of them. Domino would never get used to seeing Mewtwo so close and so often. It was terrifying, being so close to the pokemon wearing armor. Domino didn't understand how Silver could gaze so fearlessly at it... But then again, he was fearless in the face of everything.

"You are slightly compromised. I will bring you to the next location," Mewtwo said bluntly. Domino nodded meekly.

"R-Right! We're going to Celadon next!" Silver said nothing. He just eyed Mewtwo and grunted. Without anymore fanfare, the three vanished to the next location.

"In and out, without a trace! Seriously, we're blazing through our objectives!" Domino praised, observing her haul. The blonde crossed out this location on the list and nodded her head.

"We have one more location to hit and we'll be done for the day." His skills hadn't stagnated since leaving. If anything, Silver had gotten even better. He was practically a ghost, displaying unordinary skills in the art of stealth that Domino found envious. Her espionage skills relied more on spying and impersonation. She could convince anyone that she was someone else and then convince that same individual, that she was another person.

Silver convinced people, that they were just seeing things that they could have sworn they had placed there before. Her partner said nothing, merely tossing the bag full of valuables to the side. He didn't even pay attention to his haul, bag nearly bursting from the amount of things he took. No... instead, he just raked a hand through his hair and turned towards the third presence there.

"Why are you still here?" Silver asked Mewtwo bluntly. Domino went cold at that. Her eyes widened in horror and she gazed at her friend like he were psychotic. Archer was one thing... Mewtwo was an entirely different beast.

"Why? To assist you," Mewtwo replied calmly.

"Assist me? We didn't even need your help with an Elite 4 member chasing us. What exactly do we need you for?"

"Silver..." Domino whispered in a panic, gazing at Mewtwo with blatant terror in her eyes. Silver scoffed.

"Seriously? Does he think I need the help of a goddamn legendary for this?" he asked incredulously. A bead of sweat formed and Domino took a step back as Mewtwo turned to face them.

"I am the one who offered my assistance," the legendary informed them." He offered himself?! But why?!" Domino thought in disbelief. She had been under the assumption, that Mewtwo was sent by Giovanni, to keep an eye on the ever rebellious Silver. Was it overkill? Certainly, but it was also certainly effective. There was no chance that Silver would ever get away from Mewtwo. He had already proven multiple times, that he could get away from Archer if he so pleased. Oh...

"You offered yourself? Why? I don't need your help," Silver said scathingly, sneering at the legendary.

"Silver!" Domino hissed warningly. She attempted to tug the redhead back but he was infuriatingly strong, not budging at all. Mewtwo almost looked confused.

"You are offended that I am offering you help?"

"Course I am. As if I need a baby to babysit me," Silver scowled, grumpy expression set firmly on his face.

"... A baby? You mean to say I am a baby?" Mewtwo repeated incredulously.

"Seriously Silver! Stop that!" Domino practically shouted, feeling herself growing increasingly anxious. Much to her distress, she was being completely ignored. Both by Silver and Mewtwo.

"You sure do seem like one. I mean look at you, you're a pokemon who can't even seem to function without that armor of yours," Silver taunted.

"This armor is meant to regulate my power. Without it—""I'm nothing more than a baby who needs a diaper to control myself," Silver finished mockingly, drawling the words out. Mewtwo said nothing for a long while.

"I am no infant." Then, the armor ceased to exist. Domino hadn't blinked once, but she couldn't tell you what happened to the armor. The only sign that something had happened to it… was the glowing blue sheen surrounding the legendary pokemon. Domino had never actually seen the pokemon under the armor. It was a tall and gray creature with humanoid features, a long purple tail and a large purple underbelly. On top of its head were two short and blunted horns…

and it wielded the most unnerving set of purple eyes Domino had ever seen. Those eyes were currently locked onto Silver, who simply stared back with the most expression he had shown since rejoining them… And it was just not the right expression for what the hell he had just done. The redhead looked impressed.

"Well, are your uncontrollable powers going to flatten us here?" Silver asked with a raised brow.

"... No. I am more than capable of controlling myself," Mewtwo said, seeming confused by the prospect. Silver snorted.

"Cool. I still don't need your help though. I'm not as pathetic as my allies, who need to be bailed out by the simplest of things," he grunted.

"I see… then I will observe. You indeed require little of my help. It is a strange prospect," Mewtwo replied, gazing at Silver with glowing eyes. Silver stared back.

"That's called competence." With that, he marched away. Domino watched him go in disbelief, a cold feeling crawling down her spine, as Mewtwo followed after him. Curiosity was rolling off the creature in waves… fascinated by something.

"…" She took a shaky breath and froze as two sets of eyes focused on her.

"Hurry up," Silver said coldly. Before Domino could say anything, she was suddenly next to the redhead. It only took her a second to realize it had been Mewtwo teleporting her. …

"Would you look at that? You can control it," Silver said, feigning how proud he was.

"Naturally. It is mere child's play."

"Hmph, so you've turned from a baby into a child." Domino felt the bead of sweat drop. The cold turned into a blizzard.

"That brat is making a mockery of Indigo!" Agatha barked. Lance sighed.

"We aren't sure it's him, Agatha," he countered.

"And I love all of you shitty brats so much! I thought I was the one growing old. Has your brain not developed fully yet, boy?! It's clear as day who's doing this!" the ghost specialist snarled.

"One boy goes missing and all of a sudden, dozens upon dozens of missing reports spring up, all without a single culprit! Then, some 1st-year child manages to evade an Elite 4 member, after stealing fossils?! You'll have to put me in a pair of fucking diapers and force me to sleep in a retirement home, if you can convince me it isn't the snot nosed little demon doing all these crimes!" Karen sighed at Agatha's biting tone.

"The kid is good. He's increased his evasion maneuvers since realizing I'm on his tail. I haven't seen a glimpse of him. Just the remnants of his actions." Agatha scoffed.

"That's because you went too damn easy on the infant the one chance you had. If it were me—""Agatha," Lance said warningly.

"—I would have had Dusknoir drag him back by the scruff of his tiny neck. Little brats and their tantrums need to be taught with force," she spat, effortlessly ignoring Lance.

"You would have gotten played even worse," Karen muttered under her breath.

"What was that, dark type brat?!" Agatha sneered.

"I'm saying you and your ghosts wouldn't even be able to see the color of his hair!" she hissed.

"Bah! Uppity little shits. Results speak and you failed; Now there's a little demon terrorizing our region." Agatha scoffed and Karen bristled.

"That's quite enough you two," Lorelei interrupted, a firm frown on her face. Crystal crossed her arms.

"Let us deal with Silver, please." Gold nodded in agreement.

"We're best equipped for it. Silver isn't normal. He thinks differently," he informed them. Agatha sneered.

"What can little brats like you even do?" Crystal watched Gold twitch and decided to intervene before he did something stupid like irritate Agatha.

"The Elite 4 shouldn't be so focused on one child. Silver's our responsibility and we're just 1st years. There's no harm leaving it to us while you focus on other things," Crystal explained patiently. Lance frowned.

"You have a whole region to worry about. Don't let one boy distract you, Champion."

"Crystal, Gold, can I rely on you two to get Silver back?" he asked seriously. The two looked surprised, but Gold nodded in determination.

"Silver is our friend! Whether you allowed it or not, we were going to get him," he said strongly.

"That's right. The Color Gang's journeys are all intertwined... and we won't let one of ours suffer. Believe in us!" Crystal said. Determination oozed off her in waves, strange eyes practically glowing to reflect that. Lance stared at the two. The champion towered over them, yellow eyes glinting proudly.

"I'll leave it to you then. Lorelei, please help them the best you can." Lorelei stared at the two children, gaze soft.

"Of course. This is personal to me as well," she said softly. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Lance nodded.

"That's settled then. The rest of us will work on stabilizing the region. Team Rocket's attacks are growing more frequent, now that Giovanni has been outed. We'll need to prepare for anything," he ordered. Bruno was already off at Vermillion with Surge. They would need to play their parts as well. Karen sighed and nodded.

"It was nice while it lasted. Good luck kiddos... You were fun to work with. Don't be strangers," she smirked.

"You too, Karen!" Gold grinned.

"We look forward to a day where we work together again," Crystal agreed. The days blurred together quickly now. Mundane mission followed by mundane mission, accompanied Domino and Silver. Their track record was nearly flawless. Because they hardly failed, Giovanni sent them to more and more missions. The two hardly rested a day in base. Thievery, blackmail, breaking and entering... both Domino and Silver were tasked with missions they were suited to.

It was clear as day that Giovanni did not want Silver to have much time to himself, so he constantly kept his son busy. Before they knew it, days had become weeks... and weeks had become months. Two months to be exact... So why was it, that the longer the time passed, the more nervous Domino became?

"Tell me. How are you able to resist me?" Mewtwo questioned. Silver gazed up, unconscious bodies of the bodyguards lying beneath him, along with their pokemon.

"That's something I'm still figuring out," he replied, walking through the mansion like he owned it. Loki dutifully followed him, shrouded as usual. Mewtwo followed after. He was not sure why, but after Silver confronted him... the psychic had taken to directly following him in broad daylight, rather than looming nearby.

"Do you know what you wish to do with your life?" Silver paused and turned towards the psychic.

"No," he answered honestly.

"No?" Mewtwo repeated in surprise.

"But you are the one who claimed that it is solely your right to decide their own life. You mean to say, you have no idea what that entails?" Silver stared at the legendary, deep in thought.

"My life has already been decided for me. Thoughts of what I want to do, don't really matter anymore," he said eventually.

"I see. It is not that you do not know... you have no choice in the matter, so you do not bother to think."

"Got it in one," Silver said coolly.

"It is because you lack the strength to contend against me. How did you ever intend to do such a thing? I know you planned on it. Did all your plans fail?" Silver smiled.

"That doesn't really matter now, does it?" he asked rhetorically. Mewtwo stared at him, purple eyes flashing with enough power to flatten a city in seconds. But despite that, Silver stared fearlessly at him. He just continued his mission.

"Why did Giovanni allow you to roam the world freely?"

"Because of you." The legendary froze at that.

"Me?" Silver turned towards him once more.

"Giovanni is strong... but eventually, I would have surpassed him." The redhead jammed a finger in his direction.

"But you? There's nothing I can do to surpass you. Your power is absolute and Giovanni knows that. If he didn't have you, he'd be a lot more eager to recapture me."

"I... see," Mewtwo replied"Quite the equalizer huh? You're a great partner," Silver said, grinning sardonically. Mewtwo said nothing to that, allowing Silver to complete his mission in silence. Domino watched the entire exchange in terror.

"I-I'll side with you." Domino watched Silver raise a single brow from the comfort of his bed. Besides that, his expression was back to the infuriating neutrality... that now filled her with an incomprehensible terror.

"We're already on the same side, dumbass," Silver said calmly, turning away from her. He was alone in his room today. No pokemon in sight. Their balls were resting on that advanced belt that Silver attached to his arm under his long sleeves.

"No… not that. Whatever you're going to do, I'll join you," she said hastily. Silver tilted his head, that unnerving and empty eye (the other was covered by a bang) staring a hole into her. The madness that she had sworn was a trick, was nowhere to be seen but Domino knew now... she knew there was a true madness there. It was one that she couldn't understand... one that caused her to choke up. One that caused her to submit.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Go to sleep. It's been a long day," he said blandly. Domino shook in place. From his tone and appearance, he truly did seem to have no clue what she was talking about. But she could feel it. Feel the terrible omen coming from a mile away. The terrible omen that surrounded Silver himself. The one that he was purposely causing. Domino was so afraid, she couldn't even mention it aloud. Because if she did... h-he would hear her. That monster... that—"Please!"

Domino said, tears forming in her eyes as she stared at Silver. The redhead stared unblinkingly at her. Domino hadn't understood back when Silver was talking to her but now she did. I'm going to win by any means necessary and you seem to have some attachment to me. Considering we grew up together, I'll give you one chance to get out of dodge before shit hits the fan. If I see you on Team Rocket's side, you have no one but yourself to blame.

"P-Please, just let me join you! I'm useful! You've seen it firsthand! I can keep up with you! I have the skills! I can be an asset! I haven't told the boss anything!" she sobbed, kneeling on the floor and bowing her head until it touched the cool ground.

"I-I know I said no the first time! I know you think I'm so pathetic but please... I-I don't want to die! You were right, I'm not a dreamer... I'm just a follower but please, let me follow you instead!" There was a brief silence, before Domino hesitantly looked up. What she saw silenced her completely. Silver stared at her crying face with an utterly soulless expression. There was no anger, no sympathy, no sadness. He didn't even seem happy to see her so pathetically beg for her life.

No, his eyes were completely frigid.

"I don't know what you're talking about... and you're not even useful enough to hold back a pokemon for more than a minute. I don't need whatever help you're offering me," he said coldly. She sniffed, terror crawling down her spine at the callous and cruel words of Silver.

"If you want to be useful to me, get the hell out of my sight, #2." Domino trembled and stepped back, gaze darting to the floor. She shuddered as she realized, she was going to die. Silver was going to kill them all. S-She was going to die—"How long are they going to keep my bag for?" Silver muttered under his breath, closing his eyes to prepare for sleep. Domino paused at his final words. The girl shakily looked up, only to find that Silver was no longer staring at her. …

"Right… I'm sorry for intruding," she said, bowing her head.

"... And thank you, Silver. I'll be useful to you." Silver snorted loudly.

"Get it through your thick skull. I don't need your help."

"Oh Greeny…" Maple said quietly, embracing the desolate girl. Her daughter was a mess. The first thing she had done upon arriving, was scoop her up and hug her for who knows how long. She did not care if this was Indigo. She did not care about the Champion or Elite 4... in this moment, her daughter needed her.

"We're sorry… we saw Silver but he didn't want to come back. When he realized he was going to lose the battle, he left asap," Gold said with a frown.

"We were so close... we knew he would have escaped, but he has too many options," Crystal sighed. Green said nothing. The girl just stared at her lap, hair even more ragged than normal. Delia gazed in sorrow, raking a hand through Jasmine's hair as the gym leader trembled against her. The two were a mess. Beyond training, they had been almost completely inconsolable.

"I just can't believe it... I left only a day earlier and all this happened! If only I had been there! I could have done something!" Jasmine cried, tears spilling from her cheeks.

"Jasmine... you couldn't have possibly known," Delia murmured patiently.

"That doesn't matter! I could protect him! I could have bought time... I could have... something, anything," Jasmine whimpered, shutting her eyes as a wave of depression hit her once more. It felt like only yesterday, that the three of them had been having so much fun on the Islands... and now Silver had been gone for almost 2 months. Delia sighed despondently. She hoped both Silver and Ashy were okay. She had not seen her son in a while either.

Professor Oak had been here earlier, but he had received urgent news that caused him to retreat back to Pallet. Lorelei stared at a screen with a blank expression. On it, true to Agatha's words, various attacks were being listed. While some were obviously the work of Team Rocket, blatant in all their normal glory, others were far more pressing. Items missing, randomly unconscious bodies (never injured or killed)... no sign of break in despite that.

It was more likely to be one mischievous ghost, harassing the Kanto region... But Lorelei knew better. She knew Silver's talents in the art of stealth. Now she saw, how he was able to steal a Beldum. He didn't leave a single trace behind even once. The only time he slipped up, was when Karen had ambushed him... but that had been a one-time thing that he adjusted to. Team Rocket was… utilizing him. Was it forced? Did they hurt him if he refused? No... Silver wouldn't resist in their grasp. He was calculating...

but what exactly was his plan?

"Do you guys know why I'm so afraid that Silvy is gone?" Green suddenly asked, voice raspy from lack of use. Lorelei's eyes shifted immediately over to Green at that. It was as if the girl had read her mind... so it was natural that she'd be interested.

"It's because I'm not there," she said softly. Gold frowned.

"Green… Silver was doing you a favor. If you went with him, things would be horrible for you. I saw him... he never looked that miserable before, even at the peak of his bad manners." She shook her head harshly.

"That's not what I mean!" They all stopped as tears of distress formed in her eyes.

"Silvy is a loose cannon but without me, he doesn't care what he's aiming at!" Lorelei felt herself freeze at that.

"Loose cannon?" Crystal and Maple repeatedly softly.

"Doesn't care what he's aiming... at?" Jasmine and Delia questioned. Green looked despondent.

"Silvy is reckless, he's so reckless… but when I'm there, he becomes really careful. H-He never says it out loud but because of me, Silvy operates in a way that keeps both of us safe… so that I can be safe." Gold tilted his head, before he froze as he heard her emphasize the I.

"So wait…"

"I noticed that too. His adventures before and after Green... Silver will assess the threat of a situation but if he's alone, he'll take the odds. With Green, if it's too risky, he won't consider it," Jasmine sniffed. Maple looked horrified at that.

"When he said he was going to keep Green safe..." Green shut her eyes.

"Silvy doesn't care enough about himself and it's because of his ties to Team Rocket. To him, I'm more valuable than he is… so now that I'm not there, he has nothing holding him back." The entire room stopped at that, gazing at Green with wide eyes. She knew so much more about Silver than she let on… and she said it all so confidently.

"Silvy is going to do something crazy… and he's going to put his life on the line doing it. I saw the look in his eyes… he was at peace before he knocked me out! Silver doesn't want to but he doesn't care if he dies as long as we're safe!" she sobbed. An uncomfortable feeling coursed through the air there, everyone digesting her words with wide eyes. It hit Lorelei all at once and she gasped.

"He intends on taking Team Rocket out… and is willing to use himself as collateral to do it," Lorelei said in realization.

"No! He can't do that! I won't let him!" Jasmine wailed, shooting up in distress.

"We have to stop him!" Gold shouted, clenching his fist tightly. No wonder he didn't get stronger. No wonder Gold was capable of beating him now. No wonder he refused to look them in the eyes. He didn't want them to glean his thoughts even a little.

"We can't let Silver die! He's never even gotten to really enjoy his life! I can tell that he's happy with us and we're going to make sure he comes back!" Crystal clenched her fist, a righteous anger on her face. Lorelei pushed herself up, a fire in her eyes.

"I won't let him go. For too long has he lived in such horrible conditions… I will give him the life he deserves. I've only just now begun to see him at ease... we will not lose that," she said softly.

"I'll be damned if I let Silver go! Please, use me in any way you know! We'll get him!" Jasmine snarled, eyes narrowed in an impossibly rare anger. Green sniffed and gazed at them all, big eyes teary wobbling. They were so... they were so amazing! She wiped the tears away, a scowl replacing her sadness.

"O-Okay! We have to at least try!" she said, determination filling her at speeds that stunned her. The group nodded grimly. They would not let Silver just die like this. He didn't deserve to die. Just the fact that he thought sacrificing himself was for the greater good… Lorelei's eyes flickered over, as her screen flashed and she felt them widen in disbelief. She unintentionally let out a loud gasp and brought the attention to her.

"What's wrong, Lorelei?" Maple asked in concern, removing her hand from her heart at the determination the children exuded.

"I believe… we've run into an issue," Lorelei said softly, fearing for the worst. Silver raised a brow, as Domino placed a bag in his hand.

"I-It's your bag," she said hastily, nervously rubbing her arms. One of his piercing silver eyes bored a hole into her, practically catlike in nature. The other was covered by a red bang, having grown out since he had joined them. As such, she couldn't tell what he was thinking at all (not that she could tell before) but it was all the more unnerving having only one eye on you.

"Did they tell you to give this to me?" he questioned. Domino shook her head.

"Hm," he muttered, adjusting his all black suit.

"You could get in trouble for this, you know? Not that I care," Silver shrugged, placing his bag to the side. Domino shivered, as his Metang stared a hole into her. Those flashing red eyes betrayed nothing at all and she averted her gaze.

"Well, whatever. I won't tell the boss about this but you should consider lying low for a while. I'd consider coming back in a few days. We won't have a mission for a while." She sagged in relief at his words and nodded hastily.

"T-Thank you," she whispered.

"The hell are you thanking me for?" Silver muttered, staring strangely at her. If Domino didn't know any better, she'd truly believe Silver was oblivious. It was nerve-wrecking, how unaware he seemed to be. But she knew better. She could tell. Something big was about to happen... and she wouldn't be here to see it. What would have happened, if she hadn't been assigned to be Silver's partner?

"Get out." She jumped and nodded hastily, darting out of the room and avoiding his Persian-like gaze. Silver watched her go all the while and she felt a shiver crawl down her spine, daring to look back once more. It was a decision she instantly regretted. He gazed unblinkingly at her, almost waiting to see if she'd make a mistake so he could pounce. Domino wasn't so sure his kindness would last much longer. Ariana entered her son's room without knocking.

His eyes were already trained on her, almost like he knew she was about to enter without her doing so.

"You should knock. I'm a growing boy; you never know what you might walk into," Silver advised. He idly ran a dry rag against his Charcadet, polishing his helmet with a care that she would never apply to him. Ariana felt her eye twitch harshly at his words.

"That is not something you should be saying to your mother, boy!" she said harshly. He let out a noncommittal hum that made Ariana sigh in frustration.

"May we… talk?" she asked, taking a slow seat on his bed. Her son shot her a strange look, one that made her gut twist in a way she didn't like.

"What's there to talk about? If you're here to reprimand my manners, go take it up with the boss," he replied coolly,"No it's not about your performance! Results matter and you bring in results!" Ariana interrupted, biting back her frustration once more.

"Then why are you here?" He asked the question so bluntly, so uncaringly, that it threw her for a loop. To Silver, she truly had no other reason to be here, than to speak about Team Rocket.

"Am I not allowed to check up on my son… as a mother?"

"Since when do you care about things like that?" Silver retorted. Ariana practically stepped into that one. She should have known he wouldn't have said anything nice… but she still did so regardless.

"Is it true that you have amnesia?" she asked warily. He tilted his head, single eye staring back at her. His bang seemed to defy gravity itself, shielding his other perfectly despite the maneuver.

"Yeah, I do," he answered blandly.

"... For how long?" Ariana questioned.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I don't remember," he said dryly....

"How has it affected you?" she asked, thinking more about this question.

"It foolishly made me forget why I left Kanto in the first place so I came back into the loving embrace of my parents," he replied bluntly. Ariana resisted the urge to wince.

"It is true that we have not been the best parents but everything we do is for your benefit." He stared at her, utterly unimpressed.

"Right," he drawled. She sighed in frustration.

"Won't you even attempt to let me speak to you?" Without missing a beat, Silver replied.

"Do you think I say all of this to Dad?" Her son sighed, hugging the needy Charcadet, before returning him to his ball.

"You can stop now. You won. You took me away from your sister… so what more do you want exactly?" he grunted.

"... You think I'm here because of my sister?" she asked quietly, brows furrowed.

"Have you tricked yourself into thinking you're here for some other reason? Sure you feel bad, but you want to make a better effort, because you saw how Lorelei and I acted," he replied, brow still raised. Ariana couldn't muster a response to that, too stunned by his blunt words.

"Hmph, you somehow managed to trick yourself into thinking you don't care about her either," Silver said idly, staring at her with an uncomfortably intense gaze.

"... What do you mean?" she found herself asking because Silver was speaking as if he truly did know everything. Her son just continued staring at her, eye roving over her and looking for something.

"Back when I agreed to go with you. You took a look at Aunt and agreed with Mewtwo. You did it because she was hurt and crying," he observed.

"The moment she started to cry, you lost all the anger in your body. You probably didn't even realize that you never took your eyes off of her."

"…" Ariana said nothing and Silver snorted.

"Look at that. You bury everything under an anger fueled by your giant inferiority complex and you're taking it out on me because I get along with the source of it," he grunted.

"Even better, you're so paranoid that you refuse to see that Lorelei wants what's best for you. You just think she's going to betray you again and again." She nearly smacked him for that alone but forced herself to calm down.

"I've… been a bad mother to you. You've made that very clear… so I'm trying to be better," she gritted out. She pointedly ignored his observation of how she felt about Lorelei and focused on what was easier to talk about. Not that any of this was easy. Silver looked wholly unconvinced. She nearly roared in frustration at that.

"Right… anyways, I have a question for you," he said, swiftly changing the topic. Ariana stiffened.

"Why do you think you have the right to call yourself my mother, when you let me get experimented on?" Ariana froze.

"You… What did you just say?" she asked in confusion. What did he say? Silver glanced curiously at her.

"You didn't know?" he asked, not too surprised by that detail.

"No of course I didn't know!" Ariana shouted, looking completely and utterly stunned.

"Sit back and let you get experimented on? Who the hell would do this under my nose—" She froze in realization, going completely pale. The entire time, Silver's eyes tracked her every movement. Every shift in expression, the way a bead of sweat formed, the way she began trembling in a mixture of rage and fear... It was unnerving, the feeling of being unraveled by a gaze alone.

"So you really didn't know," he mused thoughtfully.

"I… need to go speak to Giovanni. I'll be back later. This isn't over," Ariana announced, pushing herself up slowly before marching out of the room. Silver stared at her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. What's done is done."

"I don't give a damn. There's only so much I'm willing to put up with," Ariana said ferociously, stomping out of the room. She missed the way Silver stared at her back.

"I'll be back later, huh?" I repeated, staring at the back of my mother with a blank look. I snorted.

"Well, guess I'll have to act now before she gets herself killed," I muttered. A sigh left my mouth and I slowly stood up." Hey Mewtwo. Come here. Let's talk." My thought was caught almost immediately. I could feel the presence crash against the surface of the Foggy Fortress. Do you remember way back, when I was talking to Domino in Cinnabar? I said something along the lines of only speaking to her a certain way… because I wanted to test my manipulation skills. And my manipulation skills were pretty good.

Good enough to make a loyalist doubt... and good enough to make a legendary curious. Mewtwo phased in front of me with no fanfare. The armor-less pokemon gazed down at me, purple eyes revealing none of its inner thoughts... The inner thoughts that I knew he had. I figured you out, Mewtwo. Now it was time to strike.

"What do you want, human?" Mewtwo asked calmly.

"To talk, like I said," I hummed, getting up and removing my suit. I don't know when the last time he saw Giovanni was, but judging by the fact he was still armorless and I wasn't under fire for it, it might have been a bit.

"What is your purpose, Mewtwo?" The only sign that my question threw Mewtwo off, was the longer-than-normal pause he took.

"My purpose?" I smirked.

"You don't have one do you? You don't have a goal or aspirations… What do you want to do with your life? Is it this?" Mewtwo's silence told me everything. I smiled sardonically.

"I can tell Mewtwo... You don't know your purpose in this world. You're just like me but I'm being forced, while you're being tricked."

"Tricked? What do you mean by tricked?" A chuckle escaped me.

"Do you remember our talk? Do you remember how I said the only reason I was allowed to be free, was because of you?" I questioned.

"Correct. My power is overwhelming. You never would have escaped me," Mewtwo confirmed, gazing at me in curiosity.

"Exactly. I'd never have escaped you. I've never been wary of getting away from Giovanni. Sure he's stronger than me, but it's only a matter of time before I surpass him. But you?" I pointed a pale finger at him.

"You're practically invincible... but you know something else Mewtwo?"

"... What?"

"You're young. Even younger than me," I informed him. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed.

"What does that have to do with this? I may be young, but I know far more than you ever could."

"Exactly something a child would say," I sighed, raking a hand through my hair and moving my long bang (fucking hell it was long), showing my other eye for a split second.

"You think you know a lot but you actually know very little. That's the only reason you're allied with Giovanni after all." A warning pulse, filled with some confusion.

"Watch your words, human. You are still under probation." I ignored the warning tone and capitalized on his confusion because of these damn psychics and their curiosity.

"If you found a purpose in this world and you wanted to explore it, but that purpose involved you being separated from Team Rocket, even temporarily, do you think Giovanni would let you go like he did with me?" I asked.

"..." Mewtwo didn't look too positive about the answer being yes.

"No, he wouldn't. Because you're far stronger than him. If you aren't under his thumb, you're a threat." I smiled.

"You watched our battle, right? Did you see how Giovanni slowly lost his cool when I performed far better than he expected? It's because he felt his control over me slipping. The moment he feels his control over you disappearing, what do you think will happen?"

"Control? You mean to say Giovanni is controlling me?" Mewtwo asked in surprise. It was moments like this, that reminded me that Mewtwo was still very young. He was practically an infant in this world.... Which explained why this felt easier than taking candy from a baby.

"Have you ever read Giovanni's mind?" I asked suddenly. The psychic gazed at me. It wasn't lost to me that Mewtwo could kill me without even exerting much energy and it probably was abundantly clear to Mewtwo as well… But that's why it was fascinated in me. Because despite knowing that detail, I spoke to Mewtwo like I was an equal... No, I spoke to Mewtwo like he was beneath me. He was my little brother after all.

"I have never delved deeper into Giovanni's mind. We are partners," Mewtwo replied like it were obvious. That got a laugh out of me. It was a long drawn out genuine laugh and I watched as Mewtwo's eyes narrowed in confusion." What is funny about my statement?" he demanded, outraged clearly. I rolled my eyes.

"Dearest little brother of mine—""Little? Brother?" Mewtwo repeated in surprise.

"—You know so little," I finished in amusement. The psychic watched in confusion, as I reached into my bag with an amused smile. At the same time, I released Freyja from her ball and watched as she coiled around me. My Milotic eyed Mewtwo like he was a demon, but was otherwise content to hold me. Everything I did was calculated, from the very moment I gave myself up to Team Rocket. Give up? Quit? I'd die before letting Team Rocket win and even if I did die, I'd take them down with me.

All I did, was alter my plan of action and adapt to the new situation. I didn't expect Team Rocket to attack me so suddenly but there was nothing to do but adjust. Only a fool would have a Plan A. Only a bigger fool with no experience, would flounder about when all their plans got thrown into disarray. By going along with Team Rocket willingly, without causing a fuss or kicking my feet… I'd get less suspicion thrown on me.

Sure they'd absolutely still check essentials like my Pokegear or Poketch to make sure I'm not being tracked… and sure they'd also check my body or bag but so long as I complied, they wouldn't feel the need to deep dive me thoroughly. Life was all about adapting to the curveballs thrown at you and I was constantly adapting at every step. From the very moment I became two people, I had been forced to repeatedly adjust. I was practically made for this.

Mewtwo watched as I pulled a Great Ball out of my bag, before I had Freyja spray it down with water. His eyes glowed mysteriously as the paint poured off and revealed purple underneath. I had a plethora of pokeballs. I won and stole them but the end result, was a healthy amount of the capture devices in my storage department. Masking it as a normal pokeball was too obvious. They were too unassuming and the perfect disguise as a result. It was so perfect, that it became obvious... at least to me.

Maybe I was being paranoid, because it didn't look like they had bothered to check it too much. Once again, my overt paranoia seemed unnecessary. I'm glad I had the foresight to do this, while I was with Jasmine and Green. It wouldn't do good for anyone to find out I had the Master Ball, after all.

"Why are you showing me this?" Mewtwo asked, gazing at the purple ball with a curious expression. No doubt, he was wondering why I had chosen to paint it.

"There was a mission you were purposefully excluded from a while back. A very important one," I said, watching the psychic's eyes widen slightly.

"How do you know that?"

"It's funny to me that you don't know the reason why you were left behind," I remarked. The Master Ball flashed in my hands as I waved it about.

"This is a Master Ball. A Pokeball that allegedly has a 100% capture rate and forces obedience in anything that it stores. Team Rocket was hoping to steal it from Silph Corporation in Saffron City. It was an imperative mission… that would have been child's play if you were there to stop me," I mused." It was to not build an over reliance on me." Even Mewtwo did not seem so sure about that.

"It was to keep you in the dark," I said harshly, rolling my eyes.

"There is only one thing Giovanni wanted to force the obedience of. Even you can probably tell what that was because he used you to force obedience out of me. We all know that if you choose to leave, no one can stop you. Not Giovanni, not the League... and certainly not me, though he did try that one," I mused. Mewtwo locked gazes with me immediately.

"What do you mean? That final statement. You know something," he accused.

"I know far more than you ever could," I repeated Mewtwo's words confidently, watching as he twitched in surprise. I smiled and pushed myself up, adjusting my team to my arm strap (it was pretty cool. I was keeping this) and slinging my one-strap black bag over my shoulder. I adjusted my coat (ah I missed this damn coat) and sighed. A gleam entered my eyes, as Loki materialized next to me.

Without any hesitation, I took the TM for Earthquake out of his hand and returned both him and Freyja to their respective balls.

"It's always been about controlling you, Mewtwo. And I'm going to prove it to you." Mewtwo watched as I walked past him with confident steps.

"Let's go visit our pops. I bet you'll have some very interesting revelations," I said coolly, knowing he was going to follow me. While a little bumpy, things had worked out well in my favor. To be honest, I didn't expect Domino to spot what I was doing and not tell anyone. I expected her to report me to Giovanni and prepared for that outcome... but instead, she chose to actually ally herself with me in the most pathetic way possible. Part of me was going to let her rot... but I did need my bag.

I had no idea where they put it but this underground labyrinth was hard to navigate and I had eyes on me at all times. There was also the part that seeing her prostrated like that, crying her eyes out... made me feel just a little bad. I did warn her what was going to happen after all and it seemed to finally hit her that it was very likely she was going to die. Like it or not, she was only one year older than me, indoctrinated in Team Rocket from a young age.

I decided to extend her some grace solely because she begged for her life. If she hadn't come with me on missions, if she hadn't begged... she'd just be collateral for what I planned on doing. How lucky for her. As for everyone else? I smiled.

"You experimented on Silver?!" Ariana snarled incredulously, glaring at the unfazed Giovanni.

"Mildly," Giovanni confirmed as if he were talking of the weather.

"Mildly? MILDLY?!" Ariana roared, slamming her hands on the table.

"Silver is our son, Giovanni! What possessed you to tamper with our son?!" Giovanni raised a brow.

"Everything I did was for his benefit. He is my son after all. Regardless, nothing outwardly seems to have happened from it." Ariana stared incredulously at him.

"Nothing? What do you mean nothing?! I don't give a damn that nothing came out of it. The idea itself is what I have a problem with! Why on earth would you experiment on him?!" Was that why he had changed? Was that why Silver was so different now? Is that why he didn't acknowledge her existence?

"Do you even realize that Silver has amnesia?!" She hissed. Giovanni paused.

"He does?" For once, the boss of Team Rocket looked properly thrown for a loop.

"Maybe that's a result of those "MILD" experiments you performed on him!" Ariana snarled. When could he possibly have even gotten it? Was it before or after he ran away? He hadn't shown any indication that there was something wrong with him— Ariana's eyes narrowed.

"After the mission on Silph Co. Archer told you he saw something. What was that?" she questioned. Cold gray eyes stared at her.

"His eyes were red," he said simply. She gaped at him, rage swelling at speeds she didn't know were possible.

"You said nothing happened outwardly," Ariana practically hissed.

"Until now," Giovanni agreed.

"Are you fucking KIDDING me, Giovanni?!" She snarled.

"Red eyes? Amnesia? You mean to tell me this is nothing?! This is far from nothing! What the hell have you done to my son?!" It was no wonder Giovanni suddenly wanted to capture him again. Because his fucking experiments actually ended up working!

"You are testing my patience, Executive," Giovanni said coldly, eyes narrowed. Ariana stiffened at that.

"Remember your role in Team Rocket. If you disagree with my actions, you are free to leave." Free to leave… who was Giovanni kidding? Free to leave meant free to die. Giovanni was basically threatening to kill her. It's not like he really cared about her, else he wouldn't have another brat running around that was only a few months younger than Silver. But he was supposed to care about Silver. That was his chosen son after all. He was his successor.

Yet here she was, learning that very same successor, their child had not evaded Giovanni's moral compass. Ariana didn't know how to feel about any of this. All she knew was that she was pissed.

"You're the reason Silver turned out like this," she scowled furiously.

"Ariana. That is enough. You will leave this room or else," Giovanni warned, leaning back into his seat.

"…" Ariana clenched her fist.

"And if I don't?" she asked.

"Then he'll kill you, idiot." Both of them paused at that, turning towards the door and freezing at what they were seeing. Silver was at the entrance, a small, uncharacteristic, smile on his face… And behind him, without any armor… was Mewtwo. The Psychic's gaze was honed in on Giovanni, carefully blank but a blue gaze glowing faintly.

"Silver? Mewtwo? What is the meaning of this? Where is your armor?" Giovanni asked in slight confusion.

"The armor you used to limit me?" Mewtwo asked, eyes narrowed. Ariana felt a chill crawl down her spine, as she gazed at Silver. The moment she made eye contact with her son… the woman froze completely.

"Explain yourself Giovanni. Explain to me why you intended to use your spawn to control me."

"Control Mewtwo? Is that what the experiments were for? Is he mad?!" Ariana thought in horror. Giovanni stilled at that.

"You read my mind?" he asked quietly. Mewtwo stared coldly at the man." Do not divert the subject again. You intended to use Silver to subjugate me." A small pressure filled the room, causing a bead of sweat to form on Ariana's face. Without the armor on, she saw Mewtwo's eyes narrows, she saw the way his lips curled... She saw the anger on his face and realized right then and there, what was about to happen. Worst, Silver was still smiling.

There was a victorious gleam in his eyes and Ariana began to realize that this was a part of his plan. I'm not you.

One loss won't make me give up all hope. I'm tired of being a caged prisoner. I'll fight to my last breath and if that fails, then I'll die. She should have known he wasn't going to give up this easily, that's why she had kept an eye on him, tried to be cordial with him. Tried to make sure he didn't feel like a prisoner. Ariana just never expected her son to be even more psychotic than both his parents. This was beyond the insanity of a human. Silver was... What was Silver doing?!" You…

for what reason do you have, to implement my cells inside of a human? How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?!" Mewtwo raised his voice, eyes narrowed as some of his energy leaked. The pressure doubled and Ariana fell on her knees, feeling her life flash before her eyes as Mewtwo's fury washed over them. Was Mewtwo going to take them all out? Was that what was about to happen? That was madness! This was how Team Rocket was going to meet its end? At the hands of the monsters they created?!

"You lied to me. It was never about helping me. You merely used me for your own gain! You will not get away with such an injustice. You will pay," Mewtwo hissed, raising a hand. This was how it was going to end. Ariana knew how volatile this legendary was. She had predicted this would eventually happen. Mewtwo was a pokemon with an extraordinary power, one that they'd never be able to absolutely control.

One that could and would wipe them out, when it realized Giovanni did not consider it a partner in the slightest—"Control yourself, Mewtwo." That calm order, did not come from Giovanni. Silver's eyes glinted as he turned towards Mewtwo. It seemed he was no longer content at watching the shitshow about to happen. There had been an unhinged level of amusement in his eyes as he watched everything go to hell in real time. Much to Ariana's disbelief (and terror), Mewtwo actually did control himself.

The horrible pressure dissipated but the blue sheen never left the terrible psychic.

"Hey Dad," Silver greeted, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an object. Ariana and Giovanni stilled completely, eyes going wide in unison, as Silver revealed the Master Ball in all its glory. How in the ever living hell, did Silver have the Master Ball?! They had searched his bag thoroughly! Ariana had personally searched him! There had been nothing of the sort in there! How was that even possible?!

"What did you plan on doing with the Master Ball?" Silver asked knowingly. Giovanni's jaw clenched, an almost enraged expression on his face.

"Silver, give me that ball—""Subjugate. Enslave. Imprison… Control," Mewtwo interrupted." He asked Giovanni that question on purpose… so that the thoughts would come to the forefront of his mind, even unwillingly…"

"You would spout lies about partnership and being equals… when in reality, your entire goal was to control me?! You captured me in the armor as a means to reduce my power! You meant to keep me weak until you could enslave me!" Mewtwo's baritone voice was thunderous, headaches blooming in both of their heads at the force.

"That was not my intention, Mewtwo," Giovanni said slowly, warily. For the first time in what felt like forever, there was a slight fear in Giovanni's eyes. It was evident to him that everything was spiraling to the point of no return." I will not listen to any more of your lies. You humans only care for yourself! Everything else is expendable in your eyes…" Mewtwo's eyes glowed, power building up in his body.

"Created by humans but I am not one. Made to be a pokemon, yet I am not that either. None of you have the answers I seek but I know this..." Mewtwo raised a single hand, azure energy pouring off of it in visible waves.

"... I abhor everyone and everything that brought me into this world. Begone." Ariana stepped back and she froze, as she saw Silver's eyes flit over to her.

"Don't kill them." Mewtwo paused at that. The Psychic mechanically turned towards Silver, a questioning look very clear in his eyes." They are your tormentors. They seek to control you as well. For nearly two months, they have forced you to do things you don't want to do." The psychic peered at Silver. Silver smiled thinly.

"Would killing them here be the most satisfying end to you, Mewtwo?" he asked suddenly.

"Or would it be more satisfying to force them to watch your ascension. Killing them, takes the satisfaction of really getting your revenge. It feels so much better, standing over them as a winner, don't you think?" Mewtwo said nothing. Ariana bit her lip nervously." And what of you, spawn of Giovanni? What of you, Silver? What of you, brother? Do you wish to control me?" To Ariana's utter shock, Silver snorted.

"Didn't I already tell you? I don't want your help. The only reason I'm doing this, is because I hate the fact an organization as weak as Team Rocket, is taking advantage of your exceptional abilities," he said shamelessly.

"Without you, they'd be nothing. This is just as much for me, as it is for you." Silver's expression was practically smoldering as he spewed those self-destructive words."... Such a selfish response. Very well then. I will force them to watch my next moves. I will spare them for today, so that they can see what happens in the coming days," Mewtwo decided. Giovanni turned a sharp gaze towards Silver.

"Silver you fool! Do you have any idea what you've done?!" he barked, emotions finally showing. Silver laughed.

"I warned you. I fucking warned you!" he hissed, eyes flashing in a malevolent manner. Ariana watched Giovanni go still, surprise coursing through the boss of Team Rocket. What would normally have been a delightful moment, was nothing but terrifying because both the people who rarely showed their emotion, were showing something drastically different than what they normally did. While Giovanni's surprise scared her, Silver's clear mania terrified her.

"You're the one who poked me when you didn't have to. You ignored me when I said I get to decide my own life. You arrogantly tried to tell me what I should do." His eyes glowed madly. Silver's teeth were bared and he glared at them with all the hatred he could muster. Giovanni sat there, stunned. In his arrogance, he had vastly underestimated his son and he was paying for it. Everyone did. No one took stock of how dangerous Silver already was.

They thought his danger would have shown in the future, when he had more time to grow. Silver's talents were well scouted... but Silver was 12. He wasn't supposed to be a threat right now!

Yet here he was, proving that the gravest mistake they made, was treating him like the child he was, but refused to be. Silver clenched his fist.

"But the worst thing you did, was that you tried to kill my aunt. The moment you did that, you sealed your fate."

"I used to be afraid of you, to be honest. Terrified really. I can't think about you without shivering," he admitted quietly.

"But the moment you threatened to kill her, I stopped being afraid of you. I stopped shaking in fear and started shaking in rage because who the fuck do you think you are?!"

"The S. S. Anne, Silph Co, Fuschia, the Game Corner—" Giovanni's eyes widened at that." You were the one who attacked the Game Corner?!" Silver ignored him.

"—All of those fell because of what you did to me. I'm not the same anymore. You won't keep me weak, you can't keep me weak. I won't allow you to control me anymore. You've tampered with my body, you've destroyed my mind... but this vengeance is something you'll never take away. I'm the one who will deal with it."

"Now watch closely, the next chapter is one you won't want to miss." With that final statement, a brilliant azure aura surrounded Mewtwo.

"Hmph, well said," the psychic intoned.

"This conversation has been dominated by one word..." The pressure built up steadily. Giovanni's eyes darted in every direction, but he remained rooted to his seat.

"... Control." The pressure flowed faster. Ariana fell to her knees, attempting to reach for a pokeball but failing miserably.

"Very well. Let me show you the control you promised me." Silver sneered at them, fully upright. With that simple declaration, the base erupted. Ariana groaned, blinking the stars out of her eyes, as the bright sky above greeted her. Wait… sky? Their base was underground— She shot up abruptly, grasping her chest with heaving gasps as the memories flooded her. Giovanni, experiments, Silver, Mewtwo… After Silver's speech, Mewtwo had made a declaration that they would show them control… Ariana shakily looked up....

And it was true because all around Ariana, the area was in shambles. The forests of Route 1 no longer existed, flattened by what seemed to be dozens of miles. Groans of confusion rang out, no one but two people having no idea of what had just transpired earlier. There were grunts on the ground, some unconscious, others heaving... She didn't see Archer or Petrel but they had to have been nearby, because they weren't on a mission (did Silver plan for them all to be here too?).

Their base had been forcefully uprooted and torn to shreds, pieces of metal, stone, and beams, lying everywhere. And on the top of the tallest piece, sitting slouched with his arms resting lazily on his knees… was Silver. And behind him, floating idly as if they had not just torn the area asunder while keeping them all alive in the process… was Mewtwo. Two sets of piercing purple eyes surveyed the area… before the ones belonging to her son eventually landed on her. Purple eyes…

Silver's eyes had been purple the entire time he had been speaking to her and Giovanni. They currently glowed with an unfathomable amount of power… no emotion in them as he gazed down at her. Giovanni didn't mention purple eyes. He said red. Why were Silver's eyes the same purple as Mewtwo's? D-Did that mean, his red eyes signified something else— In an instant, her son was in front of her, having Teleported to her position.

"He's become a monster. Giovanni turned our son into a monster," Ariana thought in dread. Those intimidating eyes bored into her, no emotion in them. The anger he expressed earlier was gone, just gauging her.

"You know, Lorelei told off your parents when I met them. She cut them off. Wants nothing to do with them anymore. That's how much you mattered to her. That's how much she loved you." She froze at the admittance. There was a stunned look on her face at what she was informed of.

"She defended you because your parents tried to do to me, what they were trying to do to you... and what you're trying to do to me. Control. It's always been about control," he said eerily. Ariana huffed, a tremor shooting through her as he towered over her.

"The strong control the weak, the weak have no choice but to submit... and the strong make sure the weak ones with potential, get stamped until their will shatters."

"That's not... I didn't want to do that to you!" she squeaked. Silver effortlessly ignored her.

"Despite knowing the truth deep down, Lorelei really did want the best for you... she always defended you..." An unfathomable pressure nearly crushed her.

"And you made her cry." Real venom entered Silver's eyes and Ariana cried out, feebly trying to crawl away from her terrifying son.

"You made her cry. You returned her love with scorn. You watched as she nearly died! I won't forgive you for that," Silver hissed.

"Silver... p-please wait! I didn't want her to die!" she attempted to plead, watching as he crouched closer to her. Much to Ariana's shock, he gently pulled her up and dusted her off. He tenderly grabbed her face, malice in his gaze despite the kind action.

"Despite all that... you're still my mother. You didn't know I was experimented on, that was true. You're trying in your own way... that's also true. And, you spared me so long ago, when I was helpless on a hospital bed, that's the truth," he finished.

"I still hold a disgusting longing for you that just won't go away no matter what I do. It got even worse when I saw you ready to throw your life away for me," he admitted, expression pinched. Ariana trembled from his rambling.

"I... I never wanted this for you. I didn't know." A finger pressed itself onto her lips, preventing her from saying anything else.

"I know," he whispered. Her son took a step back, coat fluttering from the simple action.

"Next time I see you, I'll have gotten rid of this love I have for you. I'll make sure of it," he said decisively.

"Clean yourself up, go find food, and make sure you aren't injured. You'll need supplies to survive so go to those other rocket bases. Do your best to survive. Become stronger. After you do all that..." Silver vanished from his spot, appearing next to the unfazed Mewtwo. He was completely facing away from her, but the redhead craned his head back to stare at her. The catlike gaze of her son, froze her on the spot, the single purple eye gazing down at her like she wasn't the one who birthed him.

"... Run," was all he mouthed to her, no sound escaping. There was no emotion in his eyes and it was the single most terrifying moment of Ariana's life... being stared at like a piece of meat to be eaten... by her own son. With that simple statement, both Silver and Mewtwo vanished from the area. Ariana rasped and pushed herself up. Despite her headache, the woman suffered no injuries… but she was still bruised in more ways than one. Run.

The redhead shakily pushed herself up and shut her eyes, before releasing Gardevoir from her ball.

"Get me out of here," she rasped, unmindful of the other bodies there. Gardevoir's eyes were wide and terrified. Her psychic looked close to a panic attack, spasms ripping through her body constantly. Her gaze was locked on the spot Mewtwo and Silver had just been at and if Ariana didn't act fast, she would faint from stress alone. She inspected the flattened terrain and began to convulse, before grabbing Ariana and teleporting away without hesitation. Run. Another shiver ripped through Ariana's spine.

"The forests of Route 1… completely destroyed and flattened… numerous Rocket Grunts captured. No signs of any Executives." Domino read the news with a blank expression. Silver saved her life. Even despite warning what was going to happen to her… and being completely right about it, he still saved her life. If Domino hadn't prostrated and begged, would she be captured or dead? She didn't know… What had become of Team Rocket? What was going to happen now?... Well, if they still existed… Domino had no doubt now.

Silver was going to hunt them all down. She had chosen the wrong side once, she very much doubted Silver was going to spare her again. She still needed to repay him for saving her life. Only the dreamers who are insane enough to risk it all, would serve as good help for me. Silver was a dreamer. One insane enough to sway a legendary to his side right under the nose of Team Rocket. One who succeeded in swaying that legendary to his side, if even temporarily. That couldn't have always been his plan…

but at some point, it did become the plan. Silver couldn't have know he was going to get captured again so soon but he adapted to the situation and caught them all with their pants down. He was willing to risk it all on a chance and he succeeded. It wasn't about dying to achieve your dreams… it was about not being afraid of the chance of dying, while doing so and Silver did just that. She shuddered. From the very moment he joined them, it had been a game of dancing in his web.

Domino could have reported him when she found out... but now she knew, that no matter what, Mewtwo was going to turn on them. Because Mewtwo was more interested in Silver than he was Giovanni. If they had caught him earlier, the same thing would have happened. That's why Domino had given up. Silver had reached a checkmate long before even she noticed. If she reported him, she'd be dead. Plain and simple. Domino shook once more. Silver was terrifying. Jesse, James and Meowth read the newspaper with slack jaws.

Some distance away, Ash was in the middle of a battle, with both Misty and Brock with him, but at the moment, they were unable to muster up the energy to terrorize them.

"U-Um... what happened?" James asked in disbelief.

"I thinks we're outta a job," Meowth said slowly.

".. What do we do now?" Jesse asked slowly. The three sat in complete silence.

"Just keep watching the twerp until we decide?" Meowth shrugged....

"Alright," they agreed, mostly because they weren't sure how to respond.

"Who could have caused this—" Jesse made to ask, before stopping herself. James looked horrified.

"Didn't Silver recently rejoin Team Rocket?"...

"That puberty is one hell of a thing, huh?" Meowth asked in confusion.

"The forests of Route 1, completely flattened… I can't believe it," Lorelei gasped in surprise. The rest of the Color Gang read the reports as well, eyes wide in horror.

"Shit," Gold said for them all. Lorelei and Crystal didn't have the heart to tell him to watch his language.

"He... destroyed Team Rocket?" Delia whispered in disbelief. The ringing of a Pokegear, caught all of their attention and Lorelei pulled hers out in mild confusion. Seeing that it was an unknown number, only further enhanced that and she hesitantly picked up.

"Hello?" she asked, putting it on speaker for all to hear.

"Hello... This is Silver's aunt, Elite 4 Lorelei, correct?" A young voice on the other line asked slowly. Lorelei's gaze sharpened.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"... For now, I go by Tulip. I have some vital information I can give you... But I just ask for protection in return." Lorelei shot the group a confused glance, only for her gaze to lock onto the pondering Green.

"I know that voice," Green mouthed, crossing her arms in confusion. She began sorting through her memories before her eyes lightened.

"I do too. We fought her and Silver. She isn't a battler, more of a support," Crystal nodded.

"The girl from Cinnabar! The one who sat next to Silver and then me!" Green finished. Because of the fact that they were saying all this silently, the voice on the other end did not hear. Lorelei's eyes widened, before narrowing in confusion.

"You have information on Silver? How can I know you're telling the truth?"

"Silver... caused the legendary pokemon that attacked you all, to turn on Team Rocket. The reason the forests of Route 1 are completely flattened, is directly because of this. I can tell you everything I know but I'd like to meet up in a more private location... just please hear me out, he saved my life so I owe him." As the girl spoke, Lorelei felt her grip on the Pokegear slacken.

"... Alright. We will meet in a secure location and I guarantee that I will hear you out. We will meet at your earliest convenience."

"Of course. I hope the information I have, can be of use." As Lorelei hung up the call, she felt a headache blooming.

"That girl is a part of Team Rocket. She called herself Tulip," Crystal said immediately, brows furrowed in concern.

"That's how Silver knew her. I should have caught that quicker!" Green cursed.

"Forget all that for a second. Did you hear what she said?" Gold hissed, eyes wide in panic. Jasmine shuddered in place.

"Silver used the legendary to destroy Team Rocket...?" Lorelei shut her eyes.

"Was this his plan all along? Is that why he was prepared to die?" An uncomfortable silence settled and Maple looked at all the trainers with furrowed brows.

"Hey! The reports said that you guys captured tons of grunts, all alive right?" she asked.

"That means he's still alive! We just have to find him now!" Gold's eyes were narrowed.

"But how? Our best bet is that he managed to get out before the Legendary attacked..."

"... And the worst is that he's with the Legendary," Crystal finished. Green had a nervous frown.

"I don't... think Silver wants us to find him," she said quietly. Everyone turned towards her and saw Green holding her Pokegear.

"Silver's location is off. Before, we couldn't track him at all because the tracking device was ripped out..." Lorelei shut her eyes.

"But now it's back in and he just manually turned the location off himself." That very likely answered the question of where Silver was. With the legendary. With Mewtwo. And he didn't want them to encounter it.

"That fool is still trying to protect us," she whispered, clenching her fist.

"For someone so damn antagonistic, Silver sure is acting heroic," Gold huffed.

"What should we do...?" Jasmine asked, nearly reduced to tears again. Crystal sighed, head falling back onto the chair she was sitting on.

"That legend is partially the reason it's been so impossible to track Silver. It's a psychic type no doubt. He could be anywhere right now..." she trailed off. His ability to travel from one side of Kanto to the other, was downright unnatural. Karen should have no doubt caught a glimpse of him even once but they suspected that whenever she got too close, Silver was teleported away.

"For now, we should try our hand with this Tulip. Perhaps she can share something vital with us," Lorelei explained.

"How do we know it's not a trap?" Gold questioned. Lorelei gazed at the screen. On it, she was given a detailed report. Hundreds of Grunts had been captured, Team Rocket activity had completely halted... they were scrambling about. It was a complete wipeout. Team Rocket was scattered now and they had no legendary to protect them. Lorelei's fear for Silver only grew worse as she saw the state of Route 1. There had been a base there, too large to be missed by league officials...

which meant it had likely been underground. And it was likely their main base as well.

"Team Rocket has more things to worry about than setting up such a feeble trap. Right now, much like this girl calling us, they're all finding ways to survive." Sparing Team Rocket… you would call me crazy for that wouldn't you? But there was a reason for it. I spared Team Rocket because of my mom. Was it because of love? Did I still hold a love for her after all this time? … That might have played a part. It might have played a very strong part. After all, my mother didn't even know I was experimented on.

Not only that, she very nearly threw her life away to Team Rocket. So yes, what I said was true. A small part of me was actually relieved that she didn't know all of this. My disappointment in her, had waned just a little... But that wasn't the sole reason I did this. The reason why I told Mewtwo to spare them, was because I alone had the right to destroy Team Rocket until nothing remained. Me? A hero? No. This was my own selfish desire. I didn't need Mewtwo's help to stop Team Rocket.

I needed Mewtwo's help to defect from them. With Mewtwo, they were invincible. Without Mewtwo, they were mortals. Mortals that I'd eventually surpass. Team Rocket was mine.

"So then Mewtwo, what will you do now?" I asked coolly, turning my location off after turning my Pokegear on. It would be best if the ones who had my location, didn't find me. Mewtwo was volatile right now and I seemed to be the only human he could tolerate. My allies would throw themselves into danger at the earliest opportunity. I couldn't let that happen.

"For now, I will find out what my purpose in life is," Mewtwo replied coolly. I turned towards him with a surprised gaze. That, actually didn't sound that bad. Finding his purpose? That was a solid plan—"But first—" And there we fucking go. I should really learn to keep my mouth shut.

"—I will test them."

"... Test them?" I asked quietly, a bad feeling pooling inside of me.

"To have such little strength... but to act as if the world is theirs to own... I will not allow it. As I find my purpose in this world, I will test the humans for theirs."

"These weak humans who would dare to enslave those stronger than them... it is time for them to pass my test." Mewtwo gazed at me, eyes glowing with an unfathomable amount of power.

"This is neither an attack nor a declaration of war. To the ones who birthed me, to the humans, I will strike back." A sigh escaped me. Fuck me. He just said strike back didn't he? Seems like the movie was going to start. While not nearly as destructive as I remember him being, Mewtwo was perhaps even stronger than what the movie portrayed him as and he was far more confused. A confused toddler with the power of a God... I suppose Team Rocket could wait then.

I had to make sure my little brother didn't destroy the world. This was the better outcome. I could probably deal with Mewtwo. He was a wildcard but he was a wildcard that performed within expectation. Yes, this was absolutely the better outcome. After all, if Lorelei had died, Team Rocket wasn't the only thing that would have disappeared. I wasn't so sure Kanto would exist anymore. Oak hung up the call, a grim frown on his face. The professor shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Why the long face, Gramps?" Blue asked, leaning against the wall of the lab. The Professor jumped, turning towards his grandson with a wary look.

"It is something personal, Gary. You will learn in due time, but now is not the time," he said quietly. The blue eyes of his grandson gazed suspiciously at him, but he shrugged and dropped it. Next to him, a Pidgeot cooed and rubbed against him.

"Whatever. What did you want? Why is Daisy here?" He asked bluntly. Oak sighed.

"To be honest, I did not expect that you would show up." Blue rolled his eyes.

"You're the one who called. I've got all the badges I need so I figure I could show up." Right... he did have all his badges. After suffering a defeat at Viridian, his grandson had quickly found two minor gyms and collected their badges. He was now waiting for the Indigo League to start, which was good.

"You are the first of your year to collect all your badges, Gary. I'm proud of you," Oak praised.

"Yeah! Good job, Blue!" Daisy smiled encouragingly. Oak felt a pang, as his grandson jolted in confusion. They had a stare-off for a while, before Gary simply scoffed.

"Whatever. Not like it's really that impressive. I got crushed at Viridian so I needed to battle two minor gyms. I bet Green is getting it just fine," he spat. It seemed like Silver was right on the nose. It was unsettling, how much he seemed to know.

"They are actually all still at 7 badges," he informed him kindly.

"Only you and young Ash have finished collecting all badges." Blue gained a puzzled look.

"The hell? That doesn't sound right," he muttered, frowning as his brain began to work. Before he could get lost in his thoughts, Oak coughed once.

"That is not why I called you here today."

"I would hope not. It'd be a massive waste of my time when I could be training instead," he sneered. He idly pulled a snack out of his bag and fed it to his Pidgeot, before returning her to the ball.

"Make it quick, Gramps. I don't have all day," Blue said bluntly.

"He truly does not want to be here. I'm very glad I managed to be told this before it was too late." Daisy was wincing as well, likely realizing the same things he was. The Professor sighed. Intimate talks like this, were not his specialty. Quite frankly, he was rather terrible at them but he had not known just how bad he was.

"Gary, I'd like to apologize to you for making you feel inadequate all these years," he said bluntly. Best to just rip the band-aid right off. His grandson blinked, a bewildered expression making its way to his face.

"We... haven't been paying much attention to you so we missed how much pressure you had," Daisy said quietly. She tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder and watched as he almost violently ripped himself away from her touch. Sharp blue eyes darted swiftly between them, trying to solve a puzzle that he imagined in his head.

"What the fucks going on here?" Blue asked warily, honestly looking as if he were moments away from bolting. Oak hated that he was the cause of such paranoia.

"I've been completely unfair to you. I had no idea, the insurmountable pressure I had placed on your shoulders. My name can be a terrible thing to carry and... I missed how much it affected you." His grandson's intelligent gaze was narrowed.

"What the hell are you—" Blue paused, eyes narrowed even further.

"That bastard Silver. He told you that didn't he?" It was moments like this, that showcased that Blue was an Oak at heart. For him to almost immediately glean that Silver played a part in this, was a testament to his intelligence.

"No, it had to have been him. He's the only one that uses my name against—" Blue cut himself off and shook his head violently.

"I don't know what he told you but I don't wanna hear it. I'm outta here." With that, Blue turned on a dime and made to escape...

"Did you know, that your parents had the same expectations as you?"... Only to pause.

"What?" he whispered, turning in surprise. Oak shut his eyes. This was not something he wanted to mention but he felt like if he didn't, his grandson would slip away for good.

"That's right. Your mother too, bore the curse of having the Oak name. She was brilliant... the smartest of her class. Your father was the only one who could ever hope to keep up with her..." Oak sighed.

"... But it was never enough for them. They were just like you, attempting to become brighter than the shadow my fame cast." Blue stood frozen, watching his grandfather shut his eyes. Daisy's eyes were shut too, tears welling in her eyes.

"They became researchers, looking for rare pokemon. Different pigmentations, species, abilities. That is where their specialities lie and they tackled it with a fervor that was admirable yet unhealthy. They wanted to make a discovery that would even put Professor Oak's findings to shame..." Oak sighed.

"Alas, their hunger to find such a rare pokemon, backfired one day. They went to Seafoam Islands almost a year after you were born, having found a lead of a rare pokemon..."

"We never found the bodies. They disappeared without a trace." Blue stared at his grandfather in shock. A multitude of emotions coursed through him all at once because he never knew that. He didn't know anything about his parents at all... Besides their occupation as researchers. They disappeared? Bodies never found?

"Yes, it's true. Silver did point out your issues. He also pointed out my colossal failure in how to help you deal with them. You carry yourself with such confidence and you've expressed no interest in being a researcher... so I thought you would avoid a fate similar to theirs." Samuel placed a tender hand atop Gary's head, expression soft.

"Please do not let my shadow envelop you, Gary. I'm already more proud of you than you can imagine."

"Listen and listen to me well, with your talents, you will become a champion-level trainer in no time. You will become a genius with few equals... but you cannot do that if you allow my shackles to chain you." Blue shuddered at that, gaze shaky at the earnest expression on his gramps' face.

"That's... I'm not insecure," he denied, attempting to be harsh but failing miserably.

"You are and it's my fault. I promise I'll do better, to make sure you don't feel that way again. The last thing I would ever want, is for a day to come when you no longer speak to Daisy or me again."... That damn bastard Silver. Who was he to butt into business that wasn't his?!... He probably didn't even mean to. It was probably just the shithead being his snide self and opening his mouth when he shouldn't.

"Alright! Just... stop with this!" he scowled, pushing his gramp's hand away. This was awkward as hell. Blue didn't need some arrogant prick to tell his issues to the world.

"When I get my hands on that bastard," he muttered. Oak turned towards his grandson.

"Oh you probably are not aware, but Silver has been... kidnapped by Team Rocket." Blue felt his body stop.

"What?!" he shouted in disbelief.

"H-HUH?!" Daisy gaped in horror. So that bastard— Silver, got kidnapped by Team Rocket? That... that wasn't good.

"Is he dead?" Blue asked hesitantly. For all his dislike of the redhead, Blue felt terrible talking about someone in such a shit situation. Silver could have been dead for all he knew!

"No, we do not think he is... dead. Silver seems to hold some form of value to them, enough that he was able to bargain his freedom for the safety of... Green," Oak said slowly, refraining from mentioning that both Lance and Lorelei were included in that deal. That was something that rightfully needed to remain a secret. Daisy sat with a sad frown.

"He gave himself up?" she asked quietly.

"Where's Green then?" Blue asked with a frown.

"She and the rest of the Color Gang... you know who they are correct?" Oak asked. He resisted the urge to scowl.

"Yeah, I met them at Saffron. Weird bunch," he muttered under his breath. Oak shook his head at his grandson's antics.

"They are all currently at Indigo. Green is very... distressed so to say and they have been planning ways to bring young Silver back." Blue scoffed.

"She's fine then and that Silver, for all his annoyance, is resilient." Daisy stared at her little brother in clear sorrow. It was clear as day to see, that he had no friends. For all his popularity and talents, Gary only had fans. His only friends had been Green and Ash and well...

"You know, the only reason Silver wanted us to mend our relationship, was because Green missed having her friend," she mentioned. He froze.

"What... really?" he asked in surprise.

"Silver has a very soft spot for her, enough where he'll even bite down his obvious dislike of someone to make sure she's happy," Daisy explained.

"If that means getting her one of her friends back, then he seems the type to complain but do it regardless," Oak agreed. Blue sat there, stunned. Silver did that... so that he and Green could be friends again? I think if you work on yourself a little more, you can even join our Color Gang!... Who the hell would wanna join those weirdos? Blue would rather be caught dead, than be seen hanging out with those dorks. Color Gang? What type of stupid ass name, even was Color Gang? Why were they even called that— Oh.

Because they were all named after colors. Huh, Blue was also named after a color. Wait, they also had matching eye colors. Huh, Blue's eyes were also blue....

"Shit," he thought in alarm.