Chương 38: Monsters I

Directly after telling my mother to run, Mewtwo had teleported us to an island. If I remembered correctly, this was the island where he was created. Great. I didn't even know where this place was located on the map. I sighed, raking a hand through my hair and fiddling with my cowlick for a bit. It smelled strongly of salt and earth, and the sounds of crashing waves filled the air, using the rocky structure of this island to vent their rage. If I remembered correctly, this place was called New Island.

It was a damp and dreary location, dominated by water and clouds. The air was clean and fresh despite the ever-present salt, and as far as I could see, the ocean dominated the area. New Island was an island that didn't feel like a place humans would willingly live on. It was completely barren, lacking even the slightest hint of plant life. Honestly, I would not have even known it was New Island if not for Mewtwo's visceral reaction to seeing it.

"Back once more," the psychic muttered, gaze roving over the field. I stared dully at it all and turned on a heel.

"I'm going to sleep." I was tired. Exhausted even. The events of earlier left me drained, and all I could think about was the look of utter terror my mother stared at me with....

"Very well. I have matters to attend to." A grunt was all Mewtwo got before I situated myself in a flat enough spot. My team gazed at me in concern as I released them all; I stared at them with a strained smile.

"Well, we're outta Team Rocket's hands," I said optimistically, hoisting up Charcadet to give him his hug. My team said nothing, just staring at me worriedly. My smile lessened slightly, and I pulled my tent out of my bag.

"Sorry for not saying anything to you guys. I didn't want things to get revealed until I was very sure I could get out," I said truthfully, reaching into my bag again to make them food. Everyone avoided my gaze except for Metang.

"We will talk after all this is over. I will speak what everyone else is afraid to say," Metang said decisively. I flinched back slightly, expression slightly pinched.

"Right," I said quietly, taking a deep breath.

"We'll begin training in full again. I'm sorry, but just... let me handle this." Metang stared at me. Then he gazed at my team, eyes flashing. I watched them converse with each other with a small frown.

"Very well. The only reason we are being so agreeable is because of all we've been through with one another, and because you are currently more miserable than all of us. We know you did not want this for us, so I will save my scathing remarks for later."...

"Thank you," I said quietly, exhaustion seeping deep into my bones. I was tired. Very tired... But the job wasn't done yet. I still had more to do. A vine tenderly wrapped around me, causing me to stare at Gaia. She was eyeing me in sorrow, which made me shoot them another smile that didn't quite reach my eyes.

"After this, I'll let you guys tear into me like you rightfully deserve to. I've been a shitty trainer lately," I informed them. Loki placed a claw on my shoulder.

"You're doing what you can, Silver. How about you get some sleep first? You look tired."

"... Yeah, I'll do that after I pour you all some food," I exhaled.

"No. Go to sleep. Gaia and Oberon will do it," Loki denied firmly. I stared at my team with a blank expression before nodding.

"Alright... I'll get some sleep," I said, eyes drooping all the while. I didn't notice Gaia pushing me further into the tent with her vines, nor did I notice Freyja's eyes glowing. My head just hit the pillow, and I fell asleep instantly. Lorelei and Crystal walked into the park with matching expressions. Neither betrayed any of what they were feeling, simply eyeing the area for any abnormalities. Children were running around, laughing in tandem with baby pokemon.

They performed various activities, whether that be playing on the swings, going down the slides, or swinging on the Mankey Bars.

"All these children... I hope they aren't being used as bait," Crystal said quietly.

"Green, Gold, and Jasmine are on standby in case it is a trap. I doubt such a thing will happen... but it never hurts to be careful," Lorelei murmured. The Ice Master watched the girl nod slowly.

"Why did you bring me with you?" Crystal asked curiously.

"I would like backup, and I know I can rely on you to keep calm regardless of what may happen. Green and Jasmine are rather volatile right now, and Gold is... Gold," Lorelei replied easily. A dust of red covered Crystal's cheeks.

"I'm honored." Lorelei smiled ever so slightly at her. Crystal was a presence that Lorelei had grown to appreciate much over time. All of the members of the Color Gang had their unique mannerisms, and she was no different. There was a kindness and patience to her. With Silver missing, Crystal had taken the helm of the Color Gang to ensure they were all operating on a functional level.

Despite her depression, the oldest member of their small gang of 4 ensured Green's pokemon joined for training, made sure Gold didn't do anything reckless, and helped Jasmine when she could. Her actions motivated Lorelei herself. The Elite 4 member made sure to check on Crystal to make sure the girl was also handling the situation well. While impressed, Crystal was still a child. Lorelei would be ashamed if she delegated every responsibility to the trainer.

The Johtonian girl was the reason Lorelei was able to get out of her slump in the first place. She was a strong young lady. Lorelei was glad the Color Gang had someone like her to keep them grounded.

"I see her," Crystal said suddenly. The girl's eyes were locked onto the sight of a figure sitting on a bench all alone. It was indeed the blond girl from Cinnabar. The one that Silver had been quite rude to. Lorelei should have seen the signs earlier... The duo approached the one named Tulip with matching expressions of composure. She perked up, turning towards them, and Lorelei watched her violet eyes widen in surprise.

Much to Lorelei's mild amusement, there was a look of mild alarm as the girl laid eyes on Crystal.

"We battled her and Silver... It wasn't very close; she was a large reason for that," Crystal supplied easily. That made sense. It was just amusing to see someone scared of Crystal of all people. The girl was quite literally the saint of the Color Gang.

"Elite 4 Lorelei... and Crystal," Domino greeted hesitantly.

"Tulip," Lorelei nodded, taking a seat across from her. Crystal followed suit and soon, two sets of unnerving eyes were staring a hole into the girl. Domino shuffled nervously.

"I'm not going to waste your time. I know what you're thinking, and this isn't a trap... I'm the only one here," she explained. Lorelei didn't react. She merely gauged the girl from top to bottom with a blank expression.

"I'd be surprised if you had a trap prepared. Team Rocket doesn't seem to be in a position to be calling the shots," she pointed out. Domino flinched. The former agent nodded slowly.

"That's right. I'm sure you saw the news... I don't know where the Rockets are, but I can give you um... locations of key bases."

"That will be much appreciated. Though that's not the reason you called me here today," Lorelei pointed out.

"You were Silver's partner," Crystal pointed out. Domino nodded hastily.

"Y-Yes, I was. I accompanied Silver on all his missions." She coughed.

"I was the only one who could keep up with him. At first, he was assigned an Executive to watch over him, but he never listened to them. It drove them crazy because he completely refused to cooperate with anyone else. He would complete missions on his own, leave an illusion to listen to the briefing and talk back whenever he had the chance," she explained. Lorelei would have smiled if the situation were more lighthearted. It sounded like Silver wasn't going as quietly as they expected him to.

Good, she was proud of him. Crystal beckoned for Domino to continue, and the girl nodded.

"Not only was Silver driving them crazy, but he was completing missions at an unnatural rate with no hiccups. Now I know that this was all an elaborate setup for him." Lorelei tilted her head.

"Explain." She was well aware of Silver's impressive track record. Any lost item that couldn't be explained was very likely the handiwork of her nephew. Domino shuddered.

"Silver... Silver was playing Team Rocket for fools. From the moment we began doing missions, Silver and I were accompanied by the legendary pokemon."

"!" Both Lorelei and Crystal's eyes widened in surprise. Domino nervously rubbed her arm.

"I'm not sure if you know, but the legendary's name is Mewtwo. It's... a clone of Mew, and it's so strong that I—" She cut herself off with a deep shudder. Lorelei noted that the girl looked like she had seen better days. Honestly, it didn't look like she had slept in a long while. She continuously looked behind her and flinched every time she looked at Lorelei.

"Silver wasn't afraid of Mewtwo. The reason he performed all his missions so well was to show he didn't need help. He purposely irritated Executive Archer and Petrel so that they would stop working with him..." It was at that moment, Lorelei noted just how terrified this girl was of her nephew. This Tulip couldn't stop shaking at the mention of Silver. She spoke about him like he was a boogeyman that would... sneak up and capture her. Oh, that's why she kept looking behind her.

"All of it was to get Mewtwo alone. Silver planned for all of it." Lorelei froze; Crystal had a look of concern. Domino didn't notice.

"It's like we were all trapped in his web, unknowingly dancing to a tune that only he could hear. Silver... he was plotting to turn Mewtwo against us, and I think it worked."

"How do you know?" Lorelei asked. The Rocket shook.

"Because I was there to see it!" Crystal blinked in surprise.

"You?"

"I know what you're thinking. Why did he do it while I was there? Why wasn't he more careful? It's because he didn't care about me." The two flinched backwards. Domino looked horrified.

"He didn't even bother trying to hide how little it mattered that I could hear. He just brazenly spoke to Mewtwo in front of me. They didn't even treat me like I was there," she admitted. Lorelei couldn't help but feel bad. The girl looked quite young after all, and it was easy to see that she liked Silver to a degree. This entire experience must have traumatized her somewhat.

"Every day, I feared that Silver was finally going to make Mewtwo snap. I thought I was going to die... and I realized that Silver won the moment he was recruited."

"Is that why he gave himself up? Was even this a part of Silver's plan?" Lorelei thought, stunned.

"You mean to say Silver's goal this entire time was turning Mewtwo against Team Rocket?" Crystal asked.

"I don't know. That's all I can infer from the situation," Domino said quietly. Lorelei's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You don't know, you say... Tell me how exactly you managed to not only escape but call my personal cell?" she asked. Domino saw the warning look in Lorelei's eyes and shook her hands rapidly.

"I gave up! I didn't do anything to Silver! I just begged him to let me live!" the former agent explained.

"Begged?" Crystal repeated.

"When I realized what was happening... Silver hadn't struck yet. But I knew that it was going to happen at any time, and I already knew he won, so I begged him to spare me." This was the most terrified Domino looked yet. It was difficult to look at.

"Silver... he didn't even look at me like I was a human. To him, I was no different than a Caterpie that stepped in his path. There was no life in him... he was just going to crush me to the pavement in his walk of destruction!" Domino practically seized in place.

"The only reason he spared me was because I got his bag for him. The only reason I'm alive is because I was lucky enough to be his partner!"

"Calm down," Lorelei said soothingly, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. The agent took a sharp breath.

"S-Sorry. Where was I...?"

"Silver spared you," Crystal reminded, looking slightly disturbed.

"Oh... right. After I gave him his bag, he told me to lie low for a few days, and not long after... reports of Route 1 made it to the news." Crystal pursed her lips, crossing her arms with a frown.

"So he did get Mewtwo to turn on them..." she muttered.

"Without a doubt. I don't know Mewtwo at all, but he was fascinated by Silver to a worrying degree... and I think Silver took advantage of that," Domino replied.

"Which means Silver is with... Mewtwo," Lorelei said, repressing a small shudder. It was hard not to react in such a way. Mewtwo was...... Crystal put a hand on her shoulder with a small frown.

"Mewtwo isn't normal. I've never seen a more powerful pokemon," Domino said quietly.

"I don't know what Silver's plan is, throwing himself in its path, but if it's anything similar to what he did to Team Rocket... things will get chaotic quickly." Lorelei and Crystal found themselves in full agreement.

"Do you have any idea where they could be located?" Lorelei asked quietly. Domino shook her head.

"I don't... sorry. Mewtwo could be anywhere on the planet in minutes."

"Darn," Crystal muttered.

"That's fine. One step at a time," Lorelei replied. The two stood up with small frowns.

"Tulip, was it? We'd like it if you came with us. Your information on Team Rocket should be valuable." Domino shrank back nervously, and Lorelei held a hand out appeasingly.

"Don't worry... You are not under arrest. It's clear you were indoctrinated into Team Rocket at a young age. We merely have protocols that we must follow," Lorelei reassured. The blond nodded warily.

"Okay... I'll comply," she conceded. Lorelei would have smiled to reassure her... but she was unable to muster one. What a mess this was. What exactly did Mewtwo want with Silver? The Elite 4 member sighed, feeling a familiar pang coursing through her body. She missed her nephew terribly. It was eating at her, but at the very least, he was no longer with Team Rocket. Let me protect you for once. Lorelei shut her eyes and sighed. She just hoped being with Mewtwo was a better option.

Janine glared harshly at the fidgeting Domino. Her hand instinctively reached for the shurikens she kept hidden in her pouch, but Crystal moved her hand away.

"None of that," she chided sternly.

"I'm here to support you all, not fraternize with a Team Rocket member," she hissed, purple eyes narrowed in hatred. Crystal sighed. Janine's hatred of Team Rocket was on the same level as Silver. It was the one thing the two could simultaneously agree about without arguing.

"I'm not here to cause any trouble," Domino said warily. Lorelei placed a hand against Janine's shoulder.

"Janine, I understand you're upset..."

"Upset?!" Janine interrupted, a scowl on her face.

"With all due respect, Ms. Lorelei... I'm pissed! I understand why you felt the need to keep it under wraps, but for me to just find out that Silver was kidnapped by Team Rocket of all organizations is completely and utterly ridiculous!" she snarled, anger prominent on her face. Crystal placed both hands on her shoulders.

"They were trying to protect you, Janine. You already lost something dear to you from Team Rocket..."

"So it's fair to keep me ignorant while I lose something else important?!" Janine barked, tears forming in her eyes.... For all their arguments and hostility, Janine and Silver cared for one another. They were used to bickering with one another... but it was Janine's way of coping, and Silver saw that clearly, egging her on for her own sake. But Janine loved all the members of the Color Gang. She had already mentioned how it would affect her if she lost anyone else... That's why they refrained from telling her.

Janine was just as unstable as Silver was. They would feel terrible seeing her reaction.

"Janine, it was my decision not to tell you," Koga said honestly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Janine looked at her father in shock.

"You are in a volatile state. What would you do if I told you that the very same group that took something from you took another?" He asked patiently. The Gym Trainer fidgeted.

"I... would have done something reckless. You all just wanted me to be safe," she said quietly. Green pulled Janine into a tight hug.

"I get it, Janine. Silvy, he... he knocked me out when it was happening. He didn't want me to do something stupid because he knew I was going to," she admitted. Janine trembled.

"I told him already that I can't lose another friend..." she whispered.

"And because of his sacrifice, you didn't. Green's life was in vast danger, and Silver saved her," Lorelei assured, putting both hands on her shoulders.

"Silver is alive. He destroyed Team Rocket because of what they did to people like him and you. He's very protective, so I know he thought of you as well when infiltrating them." Janine shook even harder.

"None of us told him to stop being an asshole. If this is what we get in exchange, I don't want it," she admitted. The ninja wiped the tears from her eyes and scowled fiercely.

"I understand. You want Father and I to cooperate with this girl to begin laying siege on Rocket Bases." Lorelei nodded strongly.

"Yes. We will wipe out all traces of Team Rocket until they are no better than a pack of starving Rattata. They will pay," she said strongly.

"Very well. Let's make haste," Janine decided, snatching Domino's arm and dragging her away. Domino yelped but thought better about angering a girl who likely wanted to stab her.

"I will ensure that none of them escape," Koga said firmly, bowing once to Lorelei before vanishing.

"That went smoother than expected," Crystal sighed.

"I wouldn't blame her for being more upset at us," Gold muttered.

"I'm glad she isn't," Green exhaled.

"Janine is rather mature. She is deserving of the Gym Leader position," Lorelei agreed. Gold stretched, eyes narrowed.

"Well, we can't let her down. Back to work!" Crystal and Green let out noises of agreement, and the three flew back into training. Lorelei watched them with a small smile. She'd advise them after conducting a bit more research. I didn't sleep very well. A groan left me before it transformed into a sigh as I blearily blinked, pulling myself up. My hand instinctively grabbed at my Pokegear, and I gazed at it with a blank expression. It had been a long time since I looked at my phone.

Earlier, I had just placed my SIM card back in before turning my location off. Knots formed in my belly as I took a good look at it. While my allies knew what was going on, there was one person who didn't. Missed Call "Bundle of Joy". Missed Call "Bundle of Joy". New Message "Bundle of Joy"! That was only a snippet. The sheer amount of missed calls and messages I received...

"Fuck," I sighed aloud. Joy had no idea what had happened to me, and how would she? She was my secret friend, so no one would have thought to clue her in. Man, she probably thought I was fucking dead. She was the first person to realize how reckless I was.... Fine, just this once. It's not even indulging myself; this was for her sake. I rang Joy's number with a frown. It rang once, twice, before instantly being picked up.

"Joy? —" I tried to call.

"Silver? Is that really you?" Joy asked, the urgency a far cry from her normally aloof and lackadaisical voice. I winced.

"Yeah, it's me. Hey, I'm sorry for not getting back to you, but I've got an explanation—,""I don't care about that, idiot! I'm just glad you're alive," Joy interrupted, relief visible on her face. I smiled shakily at her.

"I noticed you were more unresponsive than normal, so I tried to figure out where you were, and I realized your location was off. I thought you were dead."

"Not dead yet," I replied with a sigh. Joy's look of relief vanished in an instant.

"Kid, are you alright? You look... hold on, are your eyes purple?" she asked in concern. I shut my eyes and exhaled.

"It's a long story. I'll try to explain what I can—""Who are you speaking with?" I froze.

"I'll... call you back," I said slowly.

"Kid? What's going on?" Joy asked quietly.

"I'll explain it when I get the chance. Just know that I'm fine," I said easily, hanging up the call before she could say anything. Purple eyes regarded me, Mewtwo not seeming to mind that he was completely invading my privacy. He was incredibly tall, reaching the top of my tent with ease. If he was uncomfortable, he didn't show it.

"It's rude to barge into someone's room," I said coldly, staring at the legend with a frown. Mewtwo ignored my biting tone.

"Who were you speaking to?" he asked once more. I narrowed my eyes.

"I don't think that's any of your business, is it?" I retorted. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, and I hissed as a psychic sheen surrounded me.

"You will not hide anything from me like Giovanni did. I will not allow myself to be toyed with any longer," he warned, yanking me closer to him. With this proximity, I was practically face-to-face with the psychic. I huffed.

"It was my friend. She thought I was dead, so I made sure she knew I wasn't," I said eventually.

"Who?" Mewtwo pressed. I resisted the urge to glare, deciding that preserving my life was more important than being a stubborn dumbass.

"Her name is Joy. She's a nurse from the Hoenn region, and I talk to her. Happy?" I bit out. Mewtwo stared before the psychic sheen around me dropped. I grunted as my feet collided with the floor, dusting myself off with a scowl of annoyance. As I brushed past Mewtwo to get out of my tent, I was met with the gaze of all my pokemon, who were alert and at the ready. They stared at Mewtwo warily, not hiding their disdain for the legend, and I sighed... only to freeze. Why?

Because of the giant fucking castle that was not there when I was last awake. It was huge, standing tall above a cliff with a clear view of the clear seas. It was sleek and gothic... the whole thing was giving off an alien feel due to the dark stones and metals that made up its structure. It was an edgelords dream. This castle was creepy as fuck... I hated it.

"My fortress. It is where I will test the humans," Mewtwo said bluntly, floating towards it. He turned towards me after a moment, and I begrudgingly followed after him. I returned my team to their balls and packed up the tent before trailing after the psychic. The interior was no better. The lights were dim, and the hallways were long, branching off into various directions.

"Is there somewhere I can train?" I asked blandly. Mewtwo shot me a long look at that. His eyes were narrowed in mild disgust, causing my own eyes to narrow.

"Just the thought of allowing captured pokemon to roam my fortress... I abhor the idea of it, but you are my guest for the time being, so I will allow it." I frowned at his words.

"You plan on testing the humans… what part do I play in this?" I asked Mewtwo warily. Guest? Why was I a guest? What was going on exactly?

"Observe. You will be my witness and acclaim the truth when it occurs. I will prove that pokemon do not need humans… and I will find my purpose in the process." I turned towards Mewtwo.

"You don't plan on destroying the world or anything?" I asked warily." That is of no interest to me. I am trying to find my place in this world; destroying it would be counterproductive." Hm. I could have sworn he wanted to destroy the world in the movie.

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" I asked slowly.

"What did every human do to you? It's just Team Rocket that wronged you." Mewtwo turned to me.

"While Team Rocket and Giovanni hold a majority of the blame, the other humans are not faultless either. Pokemon as a species should not be subjugated by them. If the nature of the world worked as it should have been, I would not need to find these answers, humans would not desire my aid, and I'd not be a slave to Team Rocket's whims."

"It sounds like you want to strip humans of their pokemon," I said slowly.

"Incorrect. I believe any pokemon who willingly serves a human is just as much to blame," Mewtwo said resolutely.

"So then why aren't you doing anything to me?" I asked calmly.

"... You are different," Mewtwo said truthfully.

"A slave to the whims of others, much like I am. You and I have both been subjected to the atrocities of Team Rocket. You have been injected with a piece of me, yet you are human. How can a human like you survive my cells?"

"... I don't know," I said truthfully.

"Neither do I. We are brothers, that is true. You capture pokemon, which I despise... yet you refuse to be controlled, which I agree with. For the time being, I will keep you around until I discover my purpose. Whether that purpose involves you or not has yet to be seen."

"..." With the way things were going, I didn't think Mewtwo's purpose was going to be any good for humanity. He may not have wanted to destroy the world now, but that could very quickly change. How do I distract him… How do I even stop him? I needed more time.

"Mewtwo… you're meant to be the strongest, right?" I asked coolly. Mewtwo turned towards me. His purple eyes had a latent glow to them, unfathomable power coursing through them at any given moment.

"That is correct. Not even Mew can match my power."

"Let's test it," I decided." Test?" Mewtwo pondered, interested in my words. A nod was what he got.

"Normal pokemon can't do anything to you. You defeated a Champion and an Elite 4 with ease… but you've never faced another legendary, have you?" That got all his attention.

"Others… testing my strength against a pokemon of my caliber." Mewtwo mulled over my words. His expression barely shifted, but I could tell I piqued his interest, and his curiosity was getting the best of him." Very well," he decided. I grunted, knowing that my eyes were purple currently. I hadn't noticed my change in eye color until I caught a glimpse of it walking past a puddle. They were the same purple as Mewtwo's eyes.

I ignored it for the time being, just releasing my team onto the training grounds with simple instructions. Their gazes lingered on Mewtwo for a moment before they nodded at my words. Mewtwo's gaze lingered on Gaia, who had pulled me into a firm hug, but he said nothing. I raked a hand through my hair and turned to face the legend.

"Alright then, let's go." Mewtwo and I phased into our destination seamlessly. All it took was Mewtwo linking to me and a quick sharing of location… and we were just there. The unreal temperatures of Seafoam Island brushed against me for a split second. Before I could even shudder, a barrier of blue energy conjured itself around me, along with a Safeguard. Like the last time I had come here, statues greeted us. While my gaze lingered on them, Mewtwo barely spared them a mind.

No, the psychic's eyes were locked onto the crystalline figure resting in its perch like it were a ruler sitting on a throne, with the statues serving as its lowly subjects.

"So this is a natural Legendary Pokemon. Tell me, what is the name of this one?" Mewtwo asked. I let loose a quiet breath as the cold influence of the bird washed over me, right before Mewtwo's presence banished it.

"Articuno, the Legendary Bird of Ice," I said shortly. It was almost as if I had summoned it. The crystals cracked once more, and Mewtwo and I watched as a set of red eyes immediately opened upon our arrival. Articuno shrieked loudly at being woken up, no doubt irritated that it was so soon after the first time. An intense snow filled the air, but I spared it no mind, gaze locked onto the legendary bird of ice.

"Who dares disturb One's slumber?!" Articuno's cold, frigid eyes honed in on us in mild confusion.

"What is the meaning of this… You." Articuno hissed out the last word, gaze locked onto me. It was pretty funny that a legend was able to remember me, no matter how recent the meeting had been.

"Hey there, darling. It's an honor that you remember me," I smiled thinly. There was no amusement in my gaze as I met the eternally frozen eyes of Articuno.

"You've encountered it before?" Mewtwo questioned.

"I did, while exploring this area. Quite the bitch," I responded. Articuno glared and shrieked loudly, crystals around it shattering as it spread its wings." DISGUSTING ABOMINATIONS! BE BURIED IN ONE'S SNOW!" The "snow" was more like the world's deadliest blizzard. It intensified to something that would outright kill a normal human... Yet, Mewtwo and I stood unfazed. My coat fluttered from the strong winds as I stared down the irate Articuno.

"Hmph," Mewtwo scoffed. That was all he said before he was on the move. Articuno squawked in surprise as a Shadow Ball crashed into its face. I watched as it reeled back in pain, stunned that such a sensation was even possible. If I had to guess, the ice type hadn't felt pain in a very long time. If possible, the deadly hail grew even more powerful. I watched Mewtwo regard the weather in annoyance, only for my mouth to open in shock as a vicious pulse of psychic energy erupted from it.

Articuno cried out as it was forced into a wall, and I couldn't help but take a step back as every single one of its ice statues shattered like glass. I watched with a clenched jaw as they crumbled to the floor, forcefully numbing myself with the knowledge that they had already been dead. It was a small sacrifice... I'm sorry.

"You... what are you?" Articuno asked in disbelief, gazing at Mewtwo with wide eyes.

"Greetings, Legendary Bird of Ice," Mewtwo greeted, eyes glowing blue as he floated in place.

"My name is Mewtwo. I am the most powerful pokemon alive... such a claim may be difficult to believe, but that is why I am here today..." A blue sheen surrounded Articuno before the bird was forcefully slammed into the ceiling of the cavern.

"... To prove that I am correct," Mewtwo finished coldly.

"Wretched being. You are a creation of humans," Articuno spat out, firing an icy hyper beam because that was really all it could be. The temperature dropped just from the gathering of energy and entered sub-zero once it was unleashed... Yet Mewtwo simply glowed blue once more, ripping apart the Ice Beam with its psychic prowess.

"I am better," Mewtwo responded. Articuno scoffed arrogantly.

"A false idol with delusions of grandeur. One will teach you your place, wretch."

"... I merely came here to test my power, but I find that I will enjoy what I do to you," Mewtwo responded. With that, the battle began in earnest. I watched as Articuno froze the air around it, summoning giant boulders of ice that it fired at Mewtwo with ridiculous speed. Was that supposed to be Ice Shard?! My god... Mewtwo vanished in an instant, appearing a distance away... only for him to grunt in surprise as a picture-perfect Ice Beam washed over him. Articuno's eyes glowed mystically.

Even without moving its body, the ice type's eyes never left Mewtwo's person. I identified it easily.

"Mind Reader," I thought idly, watching as Articuno landed every single attack, no matter what Mewtwo did. Could Articuno keep Mind Reader up permanently? That was a bit absurd, wasn't it? Mind Reader was an incredibly taxing move, one that drained a large amount of energy very quickly. You could fire off at most two or three attacks before becoming completely exhausted. It was even less, depending on the power of the move. Yet Articuno was using it like it were born with the move.

Ice Beams sniped Teleports, Powder Snow converged around Mewtwo's Barrier, and Agility was utilized to dodge Mewtwo's own attacks. I suppose it made sense that Articuno was able to maintain Mind Reader nigh indefinitely. Legendaries probably had a near limitless supply of energy. Almost as soon as I identified that Articuno was using Mind Reader, I watched as Mewtwo suspiciously grew accustomed. He had been lagging slightly behind, unused to an onslaught actually hurting him, but he was adapting.

If the psychic was annoyed, he didn't show it... But I could still tell that this was frustrating him. Articuno was unleashing a salvo of attacks, and none of them were missing. Truth be told, this was completely unfair. How the fuck was someone supposed to battle this? That being said, Mewtwo should have been one of the few who should have been able to handle Articuno. It was honestly a little disappointing that he was lagging this much. They were just spamming attacks. There was no thought going into this battle.

If I were Mewtwo, I'd Disable the Articuno, so Mind Reader would stop working, and then smash it with Ancient Power. Not only that, this area, while huge, was saturated in ice energy. This was practically Articuno's domain, so I'd take the fight outside of the cavern at the very least. Articuno squawked in surprise, as it was suddenly surrounded in a blue sheen that paralyzed it on the spot.

It struggled feebly in the grasp, only to let out a shriek of agony as a plethora of boulders ripped themselves from the ground and crashed into it from all angles.... My eyes were wide as I gazed at Mewtwo. If he felt my stare, he ignored it. Mewtwo grabbed Articuno in a psychic sheen, and at once, the three of us were forcefully teleported out of the bottom floor of Seafoam. I hissed in surprise, flailing at being suspended in midair, but caught myself as I realized I wasn't falling.

As I calmed down, I saw that the battle had begun in earnest once more. We were directly above Seafoam Caverns. The entire area was plagued by a terrible blizzard, courtesy of the furious Articuno. Already, I could see the ocean suffering from its effects as the ice influenced the entire landscape. Mewtwo looked unfazed by the bird's ire. As Articuno fired off a beam of ice, the psychic shielded it with a powerful barrier, summoning even more rocks. Articuno's eyes widened in alarm at the Ancient Power.

A powerful gale formed, strong enough that even the stony formation of seafoam shuddered, and I was beginning to fear for my own life here. The Hurricane carried more than just winds with it. The waters of the ocean below were swept up, along with Articuno's own element of ice. It drowned out all the noise, and I felt my own alarm growing as the winds battered at my barrier. As Articuno prepared to fire the attack, a rock smashed against its head with almost concussive force.

"I've properly assessed your power..." Mewtwo's eyes glowed ominously as he forcefully tore apart the hurricane before it could send me to an early grave.

"It is nothing alarming." With that, he struck anew. Articuno tried to fly away, but Mewtwo teleported in its trajectory, firing a Psycho Cut large enough to split an island in half. Ice flew in every direction as it cut deeply into the panicked Articuno. This was the surest sign that Articuno wasn't a normal pokemon because that ice was supposed to be blood. The ice type shrieked in distress, but Mewtwo was merciless. A sheen of psychic energy surrounded Articuno before Mewtwo lifted a hand into the air.

"Fall." With that cold declaration, it slammed Articuno ruthlessly on the top of the rocky exterior of Seafoam. I winced backwards, only for a cold chill to pierce even my barrier.

"ONE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS. WRETCHED ABOMINATION! YOU WILL NOT MAKE A MOCKERY OF ONE!" My eyes widened in true dread as Articuno glowed blue. My body grew numb, and it began trembling without my consent. Distantly, I realized the edges of my hair were turning blue once more. That could only be one move. Sheer Cold— Articuno erupted; I instinctively threw my hands up to cover my face at the bright light. Once I realized that I was somehow still alive, I slowly moved my hands away. What I saw silenced me completely.

All around Seafoam, the oceans were frozen for miles on end, the land was engulfed in ice, and a harsh snowstorm dominated the area. I don't know how long it would take to unfreeze… but one thing was for certain, these waters wouldn't be surfable for a long time. Articuno gazed up at me in fury, red eyes glowing with malice. It spread its wings and let loose a furious shriek—"You have finished throwing a tantrum, I suppose?" — Only to freeze abruptly at hearing that dreadful voice.

Mewtwo stared at Articuno with a blank expression. Then, it surrounded the bird in a psychic sheen and lifted it high into the sky. With no prompting, Mewtwo slammed it into the icy ground, lifted it high, slammed it again, and repeated the process 3 more times before discarding Articuno's body... Just in time for 5 boulders to ruthlessly smash into the bird.

"Hmph, one is not as strong as they thought they were," Mewtwo said coldly." But… how can this be?" A defeated Articuno trailed off. In this moment, it looked like any other pokemon and not the god it was, lying in a heap on the ground. Mewtwo idly floated next to me. His initial struggle against the bird had vanished, replaced with a convincing defeat that told me what I had already feared. He was stronger. Stronger than the birds. Mewtwo was the strongest legendary in Kanto.

I idly walked up to Articuno, head tilted as I gazed at the defeated god. It glared at me, utterly spent. I watched as a beam of ice, one that would have instantly turned me into a frozen husk, bounced off the blue shield Mewtwo had protected me with.

"Someone's not happy to see me," I mocked.

"Vile vermin. One knew they should have eliminated you at the earliest convenience," Articuno hissed balefully. I stared at it, expression blank.

"Karma comes at you quick. I told you, you'd regret it," I said idly, bending over and plucking a feather from the defeated bird.

"A trophy, for me." The ice blue feather pulsed with power, and I grunted, watching as it pulsed. Just a feather was this ridiculous, huh? Mewtwo gazed at the defeated Articuno, expressionless as I was. Then, he wrapped the bird in a blue sheen and plunged it into the ocean below, forcing open an entrance from the ice to achieve it.

"That was satisfactory. I have gained a proper gauge of my power. You know the locations of others?" Mewtwo asked me immediately. I grunted.

"Yeah, I do." The psychic nodded.

"Very well. We will recuperate and continue. This battle was… interesting." I raked a hand through my head, gaze lingering on where Articuno had just been… before gazing at the frozen waters. In an instant, the two of us vanished. The Elite 4 and Lance stared at the screen in disbelief. On said screen, it showcased Route 20... a route comprised of only water and some landscapes. Except there was no water. There was only ice. The entirety of Route 20 was a frozen wasteland...

"Our surveillance team said they captured footage earlier... I can't even describe it," a small, mousy league agent whispered. Lorelei had a terrible feeling about what had happened. She could already tell at a glance. True to her concerns, the satellite showcased a horrifying video... in it, the familiar and beautiful visage of Articuno stood warily across from...

"Is that—" Karen cut herself off with wide eyes, staring at the two figures standing across from Articuno.

"... Silver," Lorelei breathed, drinking in the appearance of her nephew with a thirst that even surprised her. Her nephew looked slightly different. His red hair was covering one of his eyes now, having grown in length. It flowed past his shoulder, with long side bangs that covered his right eye. His visible eye was half lidded and purple, conveying an exhaustion that tore at her.

She wanted nothing more than to teleport over to his location right this instant and engulf him in a tight hug because he looked so tired. But alas, the pokemon next to him... that bipedal feline... Mewtwo. Nothing was said as Mewtwo dominated Articuno. Nothing the bird did managed to get through the legend. It summoned winds strong enough to annihilate armies, shot out beams cold enough to freeze a person's core... Yet it failed at every corner.

As someone who had seen Articuno first-hand, Lorelei was stunned to see panic settling into the bird. It squawked furiously, hard to spot in the horrible blizzard before erupting in the move that no doubt left all of Route 20 frozen. Lorelei felt a spike of terror as she saw Silver put his hands up to shield himself moments before a bright light engulfed the entire area. She leapt out of her seat, eyes wild at a primal level. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Silver!" she shouted in a panic, only for relief to swell at seeing the gargantuan blue barrier surrounding both him and Mewtwo. And then the battle was over. Silver crouched down in front of Articuno, said a few words, reached for something, and then they vanished after tossing the bird in the ocean.

"Was that Articuno?" Lance asked, stunned. Lorelei nodded slowly.

"When I traveled with Silver... we went to Seafoam and encountered Articuno." The Elite 4 jolted at that.

"What?!" Agatha hissed.

"Intentionally? You mean you knew that Articuno was at Seafoam?" Bruno asked, crossing his arms as his eyes remained trained on the screen.

"No, I'm not the one who knew... Silver is," Lorelei replied. There was a tense silence at her words.

"Silver?" Lance repeated slowly. Lorelei didn't reply. Her mind was running a mile a minute, and she tried to break down all of Silver's actions to the best of her abilities.

"Silver wanted Articuno's help to stop Mewtwo, but he was denied. He said Articuno was arrogant and refused to believe something this dangerous existed," she muttered aloud, brows furrowed.

"Teaming up with Mewtwo so suddenly just to attack Articuno, while certainly up Silver's alley, clashes with his logic in this situation... which means he's still trying to stop it. That means... this attack served as both a distraction and as a way to get the bird's attention onto Mewtwo." Silver hadn't given up yet. He was still trying to deal with this in his own way. Lorelei bit her lip, thinking back to every change with Silver. His longer hair showed a lack of care, his expression bordered on apathy...

and his eyes were a shade of purple that Silver did not have. What was going on? Was her nephew okay?

"Wait, Silver's trying to stop that Legendary?" Lance asked with wide eyes.

"Alone?!" Karen gaped. She had been staring at the footage in disbelief, unable to comprehend how something so powerful could exist.

"It appears that way," Lorelei replied with a deep frown. Reckless fool. Was he trying to do everything by himself? Lorelei stood with a frown.

"I will go reconvene with the others. I believe I have a lead," she said suddenly. The others watched her go with mixed reactions. Agatha scoffed.

"That boy is bolder than I thought. I can't imagine a snot-nosed brat standing in the face of a legend with no fear," she muttered begrudgingly. Bruno grunted.

"Regardless, Cinnabar is in chaos. We now know the reason why, at the very least." Lance held his head and sat down.

"This is bad. I feel a terrible omen arriving," he said. Bruno placed a giant paw on Lance's shoulder.

"You are running yourself ragged, Champion. You cannot expect to run a region while operating on fumes. Allow yourself even a slight break."

"Yeah. Go ahead and rest up for one day. It won't kill you," Karen demanded.

"How can I when there's a child out there doing all the work for us?" Lance said tiredly.

"Ridiculous. What use are you to the region as a husk?" Agatha spat, slamming a cane against the desk.

"Instead of wasting that boy's time, how about you actually give this region its best chance at victory and rest up!" The ghost master glared at her champion.

"That boy doesn't need your damn pity or worry. None of that will stop that feline from killing him! Instead of wasting his time, how about you do your job! Leave the worrying to that boy's aunt." Lance said nothing for a long while before sighing.

"You're right. I'm being pathetic... I'll get some rest and hopefully it'll put me in a functioning mood," he muttered, pushing himself up. Karen patted his shoulder.

"Ignore the hag. It's okay to worry... after all, some kid is putting himself in mortal danger by distracting a legendary that can kill him in the blink of an eye. What's not to be worried about?"

"Not making me feel better, Karen," Lance sighed, raking a hand through his carmine spikes. He would trust that Silver knew what he was doing. After all, he managed to do in 2 months what they had failed to do in years by stopping Team Rocket. It was still surreal, hearing that Silver demolished a large part of Team Rocket's forces. When Lance received the news, he admitted that he initially thought it was some type of false report intended to make him let his guard down.

Lance thought back to the long stare that Silver shot him, moments before he left. Silver was a recluse, and that extended to his thoughts. He would hardly ever share what he was thinking, but in that moment...

"Let me handle it. Focus on the region." That's what it felt like Silver had been saying. For someone who was so guarded at all times, it was shocking to see the redhead lay himself bare for that moment.... Or maybe Lance was too tired and looking into it too hard. Some sleep might help him. I let out a shout of surprise as I was abruptly yanked into a tight hug. As a result of being squeezed by the offender, I couldn't make out who was holding me. I did know one thing, though...

We were on New Island; there shouldn't be another person here.

"You're actually okay," a voice exhaled in relief. A very familiar voice. Of course, I'd recognize that voice; I heard it in every city I went to. And the sheer familiarity in this one filled me with too much alarm. With a bit of exertion, I pulled my head back from the person, seeing a shock of pink hair that filled me with dread.

"Joy?" I whispered in disbelief, staring at the Nurse Joy... Except it wasn't just any Nurse Joy, this was my Nurse Joy. She was gazing at me, some concern in her normally aloof gaze.

"Are you alright? Sleeping well? Any issues? You look worse than normal," she asked in quick succession, doing a quick one over on me. Her nurse was fully out; Joy pushed aside my long bang, looking into both my eyes with a pensive expression.

"So it wasn't a trick. Your eyes are purple," she muttered. Joy nodded to herself.

"Come with me, we'll do a checkup. I need to make sure you're okay. Then, you can tell me what the hell is going on." I resisted her pull immediately, expression twitching until it settled on a furious scowl. I whirled towards Mewtwo with wild eyes and hissed.

"Why did you kidnap a Nurse Joy?" Mewtwo didn't flinch at my venom.

"I required an expert. One with knowledge of Pokémon physiology. It is convenient."

"Okay, but why did you take my Joy?" I hissed. Once again, no reaction.

"You wanted to reassure her that you were alive, correct?" He asked. I gnashed my teeth, resisting the vitriol I wanted to spit out.

"You went all the way to Hoenn to do that? What's your problem? Are you trying to irritate me on purpose? Is this a social experiment on how much Silver can handle before he gets himself killed?!" I snarled.

"I fail to see the issue. This Nurse gets to see that you are alive and well, you get to see your friend that you are worried about, and I get a useful subject that will assist me."

"She is not your subject," I said warningly.

"She is. She willingly agreed to come with me after all." I paused.

"What?" I muttered in disbelief. Joy gazed back at me with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, I agreed to come with him. He asked me if I wanted to see you; I said yes," she replied bluntly.... I twitched violently, dark thoughts running rampant through my head.

"Silver?" Joy asked in mild concern, placing both hands on my shoulder. I huffed slowly, calming myself down to the best of my abilities.

"Are you alright? Is he mind controlling you?" I asked, knowing that she wouldn't be able to answer if he was.

"I should be the one asking you that, Silver. You've been missing for two months. Are you alright?" Joy replied, gazing at my face with a frown. She reached out to cup both my cheeks, angling my face to get a better look at it, and I twitched again.

"I do not need to control a willing subject. It is easier this way for all of us," Mewtwo replied.... I exhaled.

"Fine. Okay. I'm fine." Joy took a long look at me again.

"C'mon, I'm performing that checkup. You look like shit." I grunted, allowing her to drag me away. Mewtwo had been compliant enough to supply Joy with her own nurses' room. The smell of disinfectants and medical supplies filled my nose. I was used to it, though, so it didn't bother me much anymore. Joy forcefully sat me down with a sigh.

"So what happened? Why'd you go missing for two months?" she asked patiently.

"And don't do that thing where you purposefully omit information from me. We're a little past that stage, don't you think?" I grunted.

"What makes you think that?" I replied shortly. Joy couldn't help but smirk.

"You're walking around calling me your Joy so proudly. You're attached to me, kiddo." A huff escaped me.

"That's not what I meant. There are so many Nurse Joys, identifying you as my Joy is the easiest way to do things."

"Sure. You also weren't staring at me when I was walking away. Right."

"Shut the hell up." I sighed tiredly, allowing her to check me without complaint.

"I joined Team Rocket." Joy paused, but didn't say anything. Anyone else would have loudly shouted "What?" at my reveal, but Joy wasn't like that. Part of the reason she pulled her aloof nature off so well was because of how genuinely patient she was.

"They were targeting me, and they tried to kill important people to me in the process."

"That Green girl who battles either right before or after you?" Joy interjected quietly.

"She was one of them," I admitted.

"The other was my... aunt, Elite 4 Lorelei." Joy pursed her lips.

"I thought she was your mom. I was confused that you would call her a bitch."

"My mom is a member of Team Rocket. She's an Executive. My dad... is the boss." I watched Joy's expression freeze. Her hands, which were on my arms, halted for a moment... before she began working like normal.

"So that's why you were moving like you didn't want to be spotted. You really were being targeted," she said in realization, a deep frown on her face.

"Yeah, I was. I put my friends in harm's way because I was being targeted, so I turned myself in. That's why I went missing for two months," I said quietly. Joy removed her hands from my arm before placing them on my shoulders. I let out a small shout of surprise as she yanked me into a tight hug.

"You must have been terrified, Silver," she murmured.

"... I'm fine," I denied.

"No, you're not," she retorted.

"You're so far from being fine, it makes me a little nauseous that you insist you are. You're not fine, and that's okay, Silver." Joy stared at me with firm eyes.

"Despite what you think, you're a kid. You're a kid who's put a heaping amount of expectations on his own shoulders. That's not okay. You shouldn't have to worry about being targeted by a criminal syndicate or being subject to whatever that pokemon is out there." I said nothing at that, causing Joy to let out an inaudible sigh.

"Speaking of which, what's going on currently? Where are we exactly? I was told this place is called New Island," she murmured.

"This is New Island, an uninhabited island that's near Cinnabar," I explained quietly.

"The reason Team Rocket has been so formidable is because of that pokemon. His name is Mewtwo, and he's a clone of Mew. The power he wields is immeasurable... so I told him the truth about Team Rocket and turned him against them." Joy's eyes widened.

"You're the one behind that explosion on Route 1? That made the news even in Hoenn." I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm the one who is behind the destruction of Team Rocket." The nurse stared at me with slightly wide eyes.

"Damn kid, well done."

"Yeah... now I'm here to observe Mewtwo's next course of action." Joy nodded.

"Well, I'll keep you company for the time being. If that means helping out that psychic, so be it." I stared at her in mild concern.

"Just... be careful. Mewtwo is stronger than anything you've ever seen." I stood and placed a hand on her shoulders.

"I'll protect you. Just... trust me." Joy gazed at me with an unreadable look in her eyes. Then, she forcefully sat me back down.

"I didn't say the inspection was over, kid. I don't see you for a few months, and you've almost become sweet," Joy murmured, patting my head with a smug smirk.

"Some snot-nosed brat doesn't need to watch out for me. It's my job to watch out for them." I scoffed.

"Whatever you say. Now, can I go?" My impatience was clear as day, and Joy's smug smirk just widened.

"You're free to go. There's nothing out of the ordinary, but you should get more sleep. I don't know why your eyes are purple, and to be honest, that's not really my realm of jurisdiction." I stared at her.

"My eye is the same purple as Mewtwo's. I seem to be susceptible to the influence of legendaries; my eye color seems to change for specific ones now." Joy looked disturbed.

"Legendaries as in multiple? Is Mewtwo not the first one you encountered?" she asked slowly. I shook my head.

"No, we just finished fighting Articuno. I imagine that should be on the news soon as well. It wasn't a very subtle battle." The Nurse frowned.

"I see..."

"Bring your team to me. If you really were with Team Rocket this long, you probably had some half assed nurse checking on them." I mulled it over and nodded.

"Alright, fine with me. I'll be back."

"Oh, and Silver?" I paused, staring at Joy.

"Take care of yourself, yeah? I don't like the thought of you being dead. It's been a hard two months for me. I'm actually on paid leave," Joy said coolly, expression not betraying anything.

"Right... and my bad," I muttered quietly.

"Don't apologize. It was out of your control," Joy assured. I said nothing, walking off to go retrieve my team. I felt Joy's eyes on me the entire time. I blinked slowly at the sight of the shivering Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. They had strange patterns all over them, a dead giveaway that they weren't normal, and I stared at them.

"You're cloning pokemon," I pointed out. Mewtwo was staring a hole into me, gauging me for something.

"Correct."

"For whatever your plan is."

"Indeed." I pondered that before crouching in front of the little babies. They couldn't have been very old, looking terribly small. The three looked at me, doubt clear on their faces. Distantly, I noted that Mewtwo's focus intensified.

"You should leave this Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle alone. You're going to forcefully evolve them, right?" Confusion pulsed through the air. Mewtwo regarded me with a puzzled look.

"Is there a problem with that? They are clones. They are strong enough to handle it."

"They're young. Kids forced to grow up tend to live miserable lives. You should know that well," I pointed out. There was a tense silence. Mewtwo looked as if he wanted to deny my claims vehemently, but he took a look at the babies and just nodded.

"…Very well. I will leave them be, but that means you have offered up substitutions." My gaze shot open as Mewtwo promptly ripped my team from my arm band.

"What are you doing?!" I barked." Your team is mature. I will clone them instead." I snarled violently, even as Mewtwo released the entirety of my team. They looked wildly disoriented, turning on Mewtwo with their teeth bared... only for a psychic sheen to converge around them all.

"Don't even think about it! I'm fucking warning you!" I warned.

"Hey, calm down, Silver," Joy said, holding me with a wary expression. Mewtwo barely spared us a glance.

"The strong are allowed to make decisions regardless of what the weak think. I have no reason to truly listen to your demands. It is merely a courtesy that I acknowledge your words." Clearly, Mewtwo had the same philosophy that everyone in my cursed fucking family did. I took a step forward, only to be forcefully stopped at the psychic sheen wrapping around me. Even with my resistance to psychics, it took no effort for Mewtwo to restrain me.

"You fear that I will hurt them. Banish them. I merely require a single strand of their DNA." True to his words, Mewtwo simply took a harmless piece from each of my pokemon. From Loki's hair, to Freyja's scale… to a piece of metal from Metang's claw that was already in the process of being replaced by another." How intriguing," Mewtwo noted, gazing at Metang with a curious gaze." You are slowly siphoning my power. It is but a fraction, but regardless."

Mewtwo stared at the silent and wary Metang before turning towards me.

"I see. It is using you to do so." I glared at him, relief in my body at seeing my team fine. Mewtwo merely handed all the harmless pieces of my members to the wary Joy, who accepted them and walked off.

"Instead of the three I intended to use, I will instead use clones of your teams. They will serve the same purpose regardless." I bit back my anger and just nodded.

"Fine. Whatever. As long as they aren't hurt in the process, I don't care." Mewtwo looked surprised.

"What? You don't?"

"I don't care about clones. Pokemon of the same species look like each other… why would I care that a clone looks like mine?" I grunted, doing a once-over and making sure they were all okay. The legendary gazed at me with an inscrutable expression." You gave me an order against the one named Articuno."

"I didn't give you any order. What are you talking about?" I asked blandly. I paused.

"Actually, now that I think about it. I thought something, and you immediately followed it. Are you reading my mind?" Mewtwo cocked his head to the left.

"I cannot read your mind." I frowned at that. It was likely that Mewtwo and I were bonded on a level deeper than I initially thought, and he managed to read my intentions.

"Regardless, it made the battle far easier. There are things about combat that I am not aware of…" Mewtwo almost sounded like it couldn't believe that.

"Let us continue to test it. Come, we will go to the next encounter." I paused at that. Did Mewtwo… want to test pokemon battling with me? Didn't that go against what it intended to do?

"You had fun," I said calmly." Fun? I do not know. That is why I wish to test it," Mewtwo replied honestly. A sigh left me.

"Alright. Off to the next location then." I turned towards my worried team and shot them a reassuring smile.

"Just keep training, guys. We lost to Gold of all people, so we can't let that happen again." They looked wholly unconvinced. My team continued to stare at me, and my smile dimmed a bit. I sighed.

"I'll… be back. Loki is in charge," I said stiffly, even as the glow enveloped me. They said nothing as I vanished. It was weird, floating on your own without a pokemon. It appeared like I had psychic powers so long as I was bonded to Mewtwo... or at least that's why I assumed I had them. Maybe my cells finally awakened. I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. Being similar in any sort of way to that freak Sabrina left a bad taste in my mouth. Mewtwo and I idled above a volcano.

We were at One Island now, staring at our soon-to-be target with neutral expressions.

"Ready?" I asked quietly.

"Yes. You need not say anything; I will attempt to glean your intentions." I nodded shortly. At once, Mewtwo unleashed a burst of psychic energy, and in the same moment, the volcano erupted in a blaze of fire. Moltres looked as incredible as the first time I saw it. The bird let loose a brilliant and dangerous shriek, gaze immediately focused on Mewtwo. I watched it falter in confusion at seeing me right next to it. There was no doubt that the bird remembered me. Part of me felt bad.

Unlike Articuno, Moltres had done nothing to warrant this attack… Regardless, I tried to warn it, but it refused to act. Now, I had to take matters into my own hands. Moltres would wait for the threat to attack before moving… so I'd become the monster that forced it to move.

"Moltres," I greeted, even as that insidious blue aura surrounded both Mewtwo and me.

"Nice to see you. I hope you don't mind, but we'll be using you as a bit of practice."

"What... is the meaning of this?" Moltres questioned.

"So you are named Moltres," Mewtwo mused.

"It is as we said. Prepare for battle." Moltres gazed warily at Mewtwo.

"Is it not arrogance to announce that you are attacking me? Should you not have struck when you had the chance?" it asked curiously.

"It is arrogance to believe that one's victory is assured," Mewtwo intoned.

"But not when one is you?" Moltres retorted, eyes narrowed.

"That is a foregone conclusion," Mewtwo smirked. I stared quietly, watching as the mountain was evacuated by hundreds of pokemon.

"I hope you put up a good fight, Moltres." Much like Articuno, the weather responded to Moltres' presence, but in the opposite direction. The temperature rose to scorching degrees that would have burned me from the air alone, if not for the shield protecting me. Flames scorched the very air around it as Moltres spread its wings and shrieked. The Heat Wave set even the stone ablaze, bashing my shield incessantly. A sheen of sweat formed at the incredible heat, causing me to grunt in mild discomfort.

Despite the protection of the shield, I still shrugged off my coat, tying it around my waist and showing off the black tee underneath. Mewtwo, unlike me, treated the current weather like it was an everyday occurrence. He summoned a giant blade of psychic energy and fired it. Moltres attempted to fly out of its path, but was unable to as a sheen of blue surrounded it. The Disable held the fiery bird long enough for the Psycho Cut to cut ruthlessly into it, making Moltres shriek in surprised pain.

It powered out of Mewtwo's hold before angling its beak at the psychic. The Flamethrower, which looked like it packed enough power to scorch an entire forest in seconds, rushed out of Moltres' beak. It crashed uselessly against a flurry of giant boulders that really had no reason for being that large. Mewtwo held out its hand and fired off one of the boulders, causing Moltres to squawk urgently. The fire type avoided the first one before spinning to the right to avoid a second.

It summoned its own set of boulders and fired them at Mewtwo... who merely captured and converted them into his own. A third and fourth flew past it simultaneously, avoided by the surprisingly nimble phoenix. I wouldn't expect a legend to know the concept of dodging, but here we were. Seems even Moltres had enough awareness to know it did not want to be struck by Mewtwo...

"Hopeless." Unfortunately, some things were not meant to be. Mewtwo summoned another batch of boulders with Ancient Power, which caused Moltres to conjure a strong wind... Only for the boulders that were launched earlier to crash into its unsuspecting back. Moltres let loose a shriek so loud, the volcano below us erupted. The explosion was violent, a molten orange liquid flying everywhere. Mewtwo was merciless.

He vanished from his spot to avoid the bout of fire, appearing directly above Moltres and wrapping the bird in a psychic bubble. With a grunt of mild exertion, Mewtwo fired off Moltres like a rocket, crashing the bird into the mountain floor. A flurry of Shadow Balls accompanied the flight, connecting mercilessly to the spot. I watched with a blank expression at the utter annihilation Mewtwo was currently committing. This was even easier than Articuno.

Moltres didn't have Mind Reader to help it bridge the gap— My eyes widened as a heavy wind was conjured. The Hurricane was bright orange, carrying Moltres' errant flames with it. The fiery tornado rushed after Mewtwo and me. Mewtwo seamlessly reacted, teleporting to my position before vanishing away. I watched from my vantage point as the blazing hurricane tore the entire area asunder. Stones were upturned, catching fire as they flew away.

The volcano continued spewing lava, which got swept up by the heavy winds as well. If I thought Route 20 was impossible to sail through, I'd say Mt. Ember was probably inhospitable for a very long time. Moltres panted, curling its wings up slightly as it began glowing... And wailed in surprise, as a devastating Earthquake caught it.

"I see. You attempted to Roost... so that became an ideal option," Mewtwo muttered, shooting me a long look. I don't even think Mewtwo knew Earthquake. I'm pretty sure it just taught itself that. The fact that he was even able to learn it that fast was likely a testament to his being a clone of Mew. Just like I guessed, Mewtwo was using my intentions to turn this battle into a wash. Mewtwo wouldn't know that Earthquake would become a viable option on a Moltres using Roost. That was my knowledge he was utilizing.

Moltres collapsed to the floor in a heap. In the moment, it looked like any other pokemon instead of the god it was. Its fires petered out, it sagged, and the flames in its eyes flickered... before going out as well.

"It seems even amongst legendaries, I am exceptional," Mewtwo intoned. The psychic gazed at his hand in visible interest. I let out a noncommittal grunt. Legendaries didn't battle with tactics. They didn't need to; No amount of strategy could stop a near invincible force. But that was also a crippling weakness. Mewtwo was improving in real time, growing even stronger than he had been before. My observation made me realize my mistake too late. Humans gave pokemon directions in battles. They fed them knowledge…

and that's exactly what I was doing to Mewtwo. I had turned him dangerous. I sharpened and honed Mewtwo's blade. I thought Mewtwo was already a scalpel, but I was very wrong. Wild pokemon were hammers who relied on instincts to guide them, and that was no different for legendaries. Trained pokemon were scalpels, carefully crafted into the sharpest tool they could become with knowledge that they didn't normally have. No legend was a scalpel. All of them were hammers because they didn't need to hone anything.

They were indomitable forces that could brute force their way through any challenge. Mewtwo was the first legendary that had been honed into a scalpel… and it was because of me. Fuck me. This was a disaster.

"Giovanni was willingly keeping me weak. I see now that he truly was not my partner," Mewtwo muttered, echoing my thoughts. And the worst part was the sheer synergy Mewtwo and I had. No words were exchanged between us, yet Mewtwo handled Moltres almost perfectly, like how I would. From utilizing the rocks thrown earlier, to Earthquaking it while in the middle of a Roost. This was a complete disaster. I shut my eyes and sighed. Nothing to do but adjust. I landed in front of the defeated Moltres and glanced at it.

"Fledgling... why?" Moltres asked, utterly defeated. Its fiery eyes were just a dull gray, almost akin to hot coals that had their fire put out. I stared at it with a frown.

"I tried to warn you. Warn you of the danger you were in," I muttered, leaning down and plucking a feather from its scalding body.

"But you didn't listen. I really wish you had listened. Doing this brings me no joy, Moltres." I stood up, inspecting the feather with a blank expression.

"Well, whatever. If you want something done…" I gazed apathetically at the erupting Volcano, watching the lava slowly seep down the mountain.

"... You just have to do it yourself."

"SILVER!" I froze abruptly, moments away from teleporting back to New Island with Mewtwo. My body shuddered, horror filling me at speeds I didn't think were possible. I whirled around, meeting the wide and terrified gaze of Jasmine. The same Jasmine who was currently on the unstable Mt. Ember. The same Jasmine who was in an area that Moltres and Mewtwo just fought at.

"JASMINE?" I shouted in confusion, my body filled with adrenaline as I watched the lava approach her. Empy was right next to her, but Empy wasn't going to be enough to stop this. Panic surged through me, and in an instant, I was in front of Jasmine. She gasped in surprise as I lifted her, returning Empy in the same movement, before the two of us abruptly vanished off Mt. Ember and back to One Island. Coincidentally (or probably not), we ended up at the same house Bill had been kind enough to give us.

I let out a rattled breath, instinctively pulling the stunned girl into a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?!" I hissed, inspecting her for injuries. Jasmine looked at me with a wavering expression that quickly crumbled. She broke out into a loud sob and crashed into me, squeezing me with all her might.

"You're okay!" she cried. I felt her trembling against me, my expression going soft.

"I'm fine, Jas... but what were you doing here? That was dangerous. You shouldn't..."

"And you should?!" she interrupted with a sharp cry....

"We saw you fighting Articuno... Lorelei figured out what you were up to immediately, and I voluntarily came here in case you really did attack Moltres," she revealed.

"..." I sighed.

"I need to go," I said bluntly, pulling back her sleeve to reveal a burn on it. It turned the area of her skin a raw red; I carefully avoided touching it.

"Go get this checked out as soon as possible. I'm fine, really."

"No!" Jasmine denied harshly, glaring at me.

"I'm not leaving you alone, Silver! Come back with me!" I averted my gaze.

"I can't do that, Jasmine. Not right now," I said quietly. Her expression turned heartbroken in a way that contorted my insides. It made me feel horrible.

"W-Why?!" she whimpered. I tried to speak, but froze as a figure phased into existence.

"Ah, so that is why you abruptly vanished," Mewtwo mused, staring at Jasmine with a tilted head. Jasmine shuddered. She gazed at Mewtwo with wide eyes, clenching me tightly.

"She was in danger. I wasn't going to let her die," I said bluntly, running a soothing hand against her. Mewtwo scoffed.

"I'm aware. Your intense urge to protect her nearly drowned me." I grunted.

"Yeah, yeah. We're done here, right?" I asked.

"We are," Mewtwo replied, floating over to me. I carefully disentangled myself from the stunned Jasmine... before pulling her into another tight hug.

"I'm fine, Jas. Take care of that burn, okay?" I requested, holding her shoulders with a small smile. My gut curled as her lips began wobbling. Her tears had never stopped running; it gave her a horribly kicked puppy look.

"Please?" I asked. Jasmine sniffed once and nodded slowly. She pulled me into a tight hug, trembling all the while.

"B-Be careful," she whispered. I rubbed her back soothingly.

"Of course, Jas... Hey, you know I love you, right?" Jasmine's eyes widened as she gazed at me. She sniffed even harder and nodded, burrowing her head into my chest.

"I-I love you too, Silver," she whispered. I disentangled from her one last time, shooting her a small smile... Then Mewtwo and I vanished. I wouldn't mention to Jasmine in the future that I heard her wail break out before I actually vanished. She was trying to be strong for me after all. Neither of us wanted to kill the other with worry... That was just something I was going to keep to myself. It was a good punishment. I appeared back on New Island, foul from the encounter with Jasmine.

Thankfully, my team had actually thrown themselves into the harsh training. I couldn't bear to see them all staring at me the moment I showed back up. But… they weren't alone. No, it seemed like my pokemon had multiplied and were fighting versions of themselves. I watched with a stunned expression as my team battled what could only be their clones with a ferocity that went beyond friendly spars. I don't know when it started, but it looked like it had been going on for a while already.

"Silver, I can't stop them," Joy said tersely, approaching me immediately. I clenched my fist. The Loki's were clawing at one another, the Gaia's were failing to calm the others down, the Freyja's were near the water, blasting one another… Metang was fighting a Metagross. Oberon was brutalizing a whimpering Ursaring… Ares was completely losing her shit due to the other Shelgon. At least Charcadet seemed to be having fun.

He and his clone were play-fighting, both laughing cheerfully and ignoring the sheer violence around. What the fuck was this?

"Enough!" I nearly roared, raw vitriol in my tone. I was stressed, angry, and tired as fuck, and all of it peaked the moment I heard Jasmine cry. This was the last fucking thing I needed or wanted to see. Much to my surprise, the fighting instantly stopped. It seemed like my pokemon looked up to me so much, even the clones instinctively listened. Hell, even Oberon snapped out of his haze at the anger in my tone.

"What the fuck are you all doing?! I said train, not attempt to maul each other like wild animals!" I snarled. I pointed at every single clone because, of course, I'd be able to identify my team members.

"I know for a fact my team is disciplined enough not to attack unprovoked, so that means you started this. I don't give a damn what problems you have, you better not drag them into this again, am I understood?!" The clones stepped back in surprise, properly chastised. They stared meekly at me, shuffling awkwardly and avoiding my pointed glare. I whirled towards Mewtwo next.

"I didn't leave my team here to get harassed by your fucking clones. You need to teach them how to behave," I said bitingly.

"Silver, you're stressed. Calm down," Joy murmured, raking a gentle hand through my hair.

"…" Mewtwo said nothing, merely staring at me. Finally, he floated away to do whatever the fuck emo stupid psychics did. I hissed at the bastard… only to go still at the furious roar. A pool of dread formed in my pit, and I whirled around just in time to see Ares, my Ares, glowing a brilliant shade of white. Oh no fucking way. Now was not the time for Ares to be evolving. In fact, this was quite possibly the worst time for Ares to be evolving… because she was evolving after being fucking humiliated.

It didn't take a genius to see Ares was losing her patience with everything. She was no longer the top dog on the team; she was getting left behind, and she was losing far more consistently. I know damn well I wouldn't listen to anyone who told me to wait until I'm older and Ares and I were dangerously similar. Telling her to wait for evolution could only do so much. Mewtwo had already vanished, and I doubted I'd see him again until he was ready to go out. I grit my teeth.

"Anyone who needs healing, come to me," I said stiffly. All the pokemon, clones included, gazed at me in confusion.

"NOW! I said anyone!" I barked, even as Ares began changing right before my eyes. Her shell made cracking noises, and I watched with no small amount of dread as wings burst out first and foremost. They were huge red things that honestly looked like they could carve a tree in half. The shell continued to crack, revealing a body that had no business fitting inside it. Her skin was still blue from her days as a Bagon, but now she had red markings on her throat, the underside of her newly grown, incredibly long tail…

and above her eyes in the form of ridges. Two pairs of pointed teeth, that were really way more intimidating than any art could properly convey, were on her upper and lower jaw. They looked like a playful nip would tear a limb off. But the most notable thing about Ares… was the most notable thing about her since she had first evolved. Her size. The average Salamence tended to max out at just shy of 5 feet. They were a ferocious bunch and wielded incredible power…

but they were actually the smallest of the pseudo-legendaries. Ares defied that fate. She was massive, nearing 7ft in height… and something told me she was going to keep growing. Saury was still growing himself after all. My Salamence finally reared her head back and roared, right as I finished healing Ares-2. I didn't even realize Gaia had wrapped her vines around me before I was yanked away. It was just in time, too; I watched with a stunned gaze as Ares spread her wings and vanished.

I only managed to blink once before I watched Ares crash dreadfully sharp claws into her clone. Ares-2 roared in panic, but that only made my enraged Salamence more upset. Ares opened her mouth and practically screeched, before bathing the Shelgon in what was probably a Dragon Breath, but looked more akin to a draconic Flamethrower. The pit in my stomach only grew worse as Ares tossed the Shelgon's body to the side. It was defeated. Ares defeated her clone…

"Guys. Prepare for battle!" I hissed, watching as Ares remained silent for too long. Right on cue, Ares reared her head back and howled as Moxie took effect.

"SAAAAAAL!" Her muscles bulged, her pupils vanished, and she began spitting turquoise flames in every direction.

"FREYJA, BOTH OF YOU! BE CAREFUL, YOU'RE NEXT!" I roared, eyes wide in panic because I knew exactly who Ares was going after next. Freyja was well aware that she was the next target. Freyja-2 was not aware of that detail. Ares was blindingly fast, adrenaline giving her more control of her wings than she was supposed to have. She soared through the air, giant green claws growing from her forelegs. Freyja leapt to the right, eyes wide as Ares nearly impaled her clone.

The other Milotic wailed, writhing in agony and firing a desperate Dragon Pulse that exploded right in Ares' face. The super effective attack made the Salamence rear back... before Ares roared defiantly, firing a giant orb of turquoise energy that exploded in both their faces.

"Joy, get back in the castle," I whispered harshly.

"No. I'm not leaving you out here alone with a rampaging Salamence," Joy whispered back.

"Now isn't the time to be stubborn! Ares isn't a normal Salamence!" I barked, watching as she pulled away from the Milotic. This wasn't good at all. The fighting from earlier exhausted them, which meant they were easier to finish off. Which meant Ares was very close to turning completely homicidal. Ares ruthlessly tossed aside the cloned Milotic, muscles bulging even further as her adrenaline began pumping further. Moxie.

It was a dangerous ability that heightened a pokemon's capabilities once it defeated something... but at the cost of its mental stability. Strength at the cost of the mind... and it only grew worse the more defeats it had. This was why Salamence with Moxie just weren't allowed to roam free; it was like giving a shark a permanent supply of free blood.

"I'm not leaving," Joy said sternly. I grit my teeth and grabbed her, yanking her close.

"Charcadets, stay close to Joy! I'm relying on you," I ordered. Both the Charcadets gazed at me and nodded enthusiastically. I did this because I didn't want them getting involved either; Ares might kill them by accident if she got her hands on them. By now, Ares' eyes were glowing a sinister shade of red that would only grow deeper the more defeats it got. Right on cue, an Ice Beam connected with Ares. She howled in surprise, only for a set of vines to wrap around her neck.

"Put her to sleep!" I demanded. Gaia attempted to do just that, conjuring a Grass Whistle that would instantly put this to rest... Except it didn't. Before either of the Gaia's could get a note out, they were forced to dodge an intense bout of flames. Ares was undeterred; she craned her head and continued to unleash the Flamethrower like she was a fire type. Both the Gaias shifted uncomfortably, conjuring Light Screens that held for a moment long enough to safely get out of harm's way.

Ares attempted to pursue, only for an ominous blue sheen of psychic powers to surround her... courtesy of the Metagross. It was clearly the clone because Metang was right next to me, making sure I was safe. Metagross rumbled ominously, and Ares roared as two Ursarings leapt atop her to hold her down. Her muscles bulged in exertion, even as Oberon and his clone used their monstrous strength to restrain her.

I was stunned to see that she was still smart enough to utilize the dark properties of Crunch to weaken the effects of the psychic hold... and then she started pulsing with draconic energy. What was definitely Dragon Dance gave Ares a resurgence of power, and I watched in horror as she howled, tossing both the Ursarings off of her. She attempted to finish both of them with a furious Dragon Breath, only for two sets of vines to yank them out of the way.

The last thing any of us wanted was for Ares to get an even higher surge of adrenaline from Moxie. It was already bad that she was battling so hard right after evolution. Ares glared at the offenders before flexing her wings and soaring high, just in time to avoid Metagross' sharp claws from carving into her. As she soared high, I saw draconic energy coursing through her veins. I clenched my jaw.

"Ares!" I shouted in concern.

"Stop! You can't wear your body out like this right after evolution! You don't even know how to use those wings!" Even high in the sky, I could feel Ares' malevolent gaze on me. She stared down at me for what felt like an eternity... before an enormous bout of flames crashed into the spot where the illusion of me was. I sucked my teeth.

"No good. Maybe if she only had one defeat, she'd listen to me..."

"This isn't good. We need to stop her fast. She's gonna wear herself out," Joy advised in concern. It was easier said than done. Ares was a blur, soaring at speeds that were difficult to react to. She fired salvo after salvo of Dragon Pulses, riddling the area with mini explosions. The entire area was growing hot from the sheer firepower Ares was letting loose currently. She evaded all manners of long-range attack, and at this point, I was just hoping she tired herself out...

But would she tire out faster than everyone else? Adrenaline was a scary thing, and Moxie made it no better. Already, all the other pokemon were panting, exhaustion seeping into their bones. In comparison, Ares looked like she was fresh. This wasn't good. Considering she was taking vantage in the sky, she was definitely going to outlast them... But there was one thing I knew about Ares, and that was she couldn't keep her distance for long.

No matter what, she would very soon get up close and personal— No sooner did I think that, time halted to a stop... as my Salamence appeared directly in my line of sight. My life flashed before my eyes, staring into the violent gaze of Ares... I winced back, bracing myself for impact. But she stopped. Part of me thought Mewtwo finally showed up to put an end to this. It's not like he wanted me dead... But no, it didn't seem to be any type of psychic abilities holding her back. Clarity entered Ares' eyes...

and made way for sheer horror as she took a good look at my face. To my confusion, followed by a rapid amount of alarm, tears formed in her eyes, which ripped a gasp out of me. As she took a single step back, I took 10 steps forward, ensuring she couldn't fly away from me in shame.

"Hey, Ares, hold on!" I soothed, closing the distance immediately. I didn't care if she eclipsed me or could kill me with a single swipe. I didn't care if she could raze a whole town on a simple rampage. All I cared about was the fact that my proud little dragon was crying. I placed my hands on both cheeks, avoiding hitting the three flat fins, and cupped the rough scales.

"Look at me, I'm fine! You shouldn't be crying after such an amazing moment," I assured. Moxie heightened all the emotions, now that I thought about it. It was no surprise that she was crying... after realizing she very nearly killed her vassal.

"You did it, girl! You're finally a Salamence! You have wings! You were flying!" My praise did nothing to the despondent Ares.

"Sal..." she muttered, holding her head. I paused.

"You... wanted your first flight to be with me?" I asked softly. She nodded despondently. I smiled softly and placed my head against hers.

"You were just testing your wings out to make sure it would work. Wouldn't want me to fall off or anything," I murmured. Ares' eyes widened at that, causing me to laugh.

"How about we go for one right now? I've been waiting for this moment too, you know?" The joy in her eyes made me just a little less tired.

"Only you could stop a rampaging dragon by just looking at her," Metang remarked.

"I am her vassal, after all. I'm just more important to Ares than I realized," I sighed, slowly climbing atop the Salamence.

"Joy?" I called. She stared at me, some concern in her gaze, but nodded.

"I'll make sure everyone's healed. Make sure you come back soon so I can check on Ares as well," she replied. I nodded.

"Hear that, Ares? Don't be too long." Ares scoffed and flapped her wings shakily. With the adrenaline wearing off, she realized that she had just undergone a literal metamorphosis, which had given her a whole new set of appendages. Not to mention, she really was gigantic.

"Not too fast. I need to get you a saddle first, or else I'll fall off and die," I explained patiently.

"Sal!" Ares insisted.

"I know you'll catch me, but I can't suffer much more heartache right now, girl." Mewtwo gazed at the mess with an unreadable expression. I gazed tiredly at the legend, even as I ran a hand against the dozing Ares' head. My Salamence (heh) curled up, large head burrowing deeper into me. I smiled weakly at her.

"We still gotta get you checked up. Don't go falling asleep, girl."

"Sal…" she muttered, shutting her eyes anyway. She took her massive head and rested it against my lap before falling asleep. I sighed in exhaustion and turned towards the Mewtwo staring at Ares and me.

"I thought you weren't going to forcefully evolve the clones," I said coldly. Metang's clone was a full Metagross. It was obvious that some type of tampering was going on.

"I did nothing. It must be a natural side effect of my ability," Mewtwo said coolly. I grunted, accepting his explanation. Mewtwo was too powerful to care about lying to me. I watched Mewtwo's gaze linger on Ares, prompting me to speak once more.

"Why didn't you stop Ares in advance? I know you were aware of what was happening."

"I would have stopped her from killing you, if that is what you are wondering. Alas, it seems I was not needed. Her... attachment to you was enough."

"Hn," I grunted, carefully returning Ares to her ball." Come. It is time to move again." My exhaustion ran deep.

"Can I get a break?" I asked sarcastically.

"You had one already." Right. Whatever.

"Let him get a break, Mewtwo. He's only 12." Mewtwo slowly turned towards the fearless Joy. Her arms were crossed, a small frown on her face as she took the Luxury Ball out of my hand.

"It is in your best interest to remember that I do not take orders from humans. This is the only time I will warn you of such a thing." Joy's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not ordering you around. Look at him, he looks like he can barely move," she pointed out.

"Your judgment would be considered if Silver were human. He will be fine," Mewtwo said calmly.

"What did you just say about him?" Joy asked slowly, eyes narrowing even further.

"Hey, hey, hey," I interrupted, stepping in between them. I carefully pushed Joy away and further into the castle, noting that Mewtwo's ominous purple eyes had never left her.

"I'm fine. Not even that tired. You know who is, though? Ares," I said pointedly. Joy watched with a clenched jaw as I turned towards Mewtwo.

"The Power Plant on Route 10. That's our next and final location that I'm aware of," I said bluntly, holding Joy back with one of my hands. It was very easy... It's not like Nurse Joys had high strength. Mewtwo eventually removed his gaze from her.

"Very well. We will depart at once." I nodded.

"Same as last time?"

"Indeed." Fast, fleeting. Uncontrollable, unstoppable! None can control it, none can contain it. Hear my roar. Feel my wrath! I am Thunder! I am invincible! I am f ree! Zapdos didn't bother with much words. Mewtwo and I teleported to the Power Plant, and the moment we took a breath, a fierce thunderstorm formed. My hair instantly matted to my head from the heavy downpour, and I watched as a bolt of lightning crashed on the spot right next to me.

The loudest shriek yet pierced the air, higher volume than both of its siblings and far more aggressive. I watched from my vantage point on the ground as Zapdos burst out in a glowing shade of yellow. I could barely make out its physical form, lightning growing in enough intensity to cause concern.

"LEAVE MY NEST, PESTS!" Zapdos shrieked, thunder growing in intensity at its booming voice. I didn't even get to admire its beauty, as it honed in on Mewtwo and me. The sky bled yellow, as the thunderstorm seemed to focus on pouring as much lightning on Mewtwo. I watched in curiosity as a veritable army of electric types rushed out of the abandoned Power Plant. There was a panic in their eyes, lightning surging uncontrollably off of them as they fled the area to the best of their abilities.

Because the Power Plant was predominantly surrounded by water, they fled to the mountains immediately. They rushed past me without hesitation, not paying me any mind. Voltorbs and Electrodes led the charge, blazing fast as they rolled at intense speeds. Two pairs of Raichu guided a litter of Pikachu and Pichu. One of the Pichu tripped, only for a small psychic sheen to surround it and hold it upright.

The little thing turned towards me with wide eyes, but was simply grabbed by the smaller Raichu, who then fled far away from me. My gaze lingered on the family of Electabuzz before shifting over to the Eelektross guiding Eelektrik and Tynamo away. I wanted one of those. Alas... now was likely not the best time to catch a new member. Soon, the area was empty, save for me, two legendaries, and the roaring of thunder. My idle observations did not mean the world froze around me. Mewtwo and Zapdos were locked in combat.

Bolts of lightning were crashing ruthlessly against Mewtwo's barriers, as a glowing yellow light blazed across the field. Zapdos, unlike Moltres and like Articuno, seemed to be able to permanently use a move. Whereas its ice sibling was capable of connecting with every attack, Zapdos instead moved around and evaded all manner of attacks. Ah, I see. Articuno utilized Mind Reader, while Zapdos used Detect.

"Detect?" Mewtwo mused, none the worse for wear, even though his moves were failing. I watched as numerous stars, far more than reasonable, filled the air. Mewtwo stared coolly at the speeding bullet of yellow before firing off every single star. The Swift blazed through the air, locking onto Zapdos with cheating aim. Even as the bird attempted to evade it, the stars never strayed from their course.

As the stars began what may have been a never-ending chase with Zapdos, Mewtwo summoned a blue ball of energy in between its hands. His eyes glowed ominously, and the legend teleported from its spot, cutting off the electric bird's flight. Zapdos shrieked in surprise, only for Mewtwo to unleash the blue ball of energy. I had second thoughts on whether that was an Aura Sphere Mewtwo was charging... because what came out was not a ball of energy, but a beam.

Zapdos was engulfed in a blue light, as no joke, Mewtwo fired off a mockery of a Kamehameha that effortlessly destroyed the Swift he had fired earlier. The blue beam went for miles on end, to the point where I couldn't actually see where it ended. A bolt of thunder so large that I had to look away crashed into Mewtwo, halting the move early. Three more bolts of Thunder crashed in Mewtwo's position, forcing the psychic to teleport away. Zapdos looked utterly irate.

Mewtwo glowed slightly, injuries healing as it used Recover.

"Intriguing. I actually felt that," Mewtwo noted. Zapdos spat.

"Who are you?"

"Oh? You are capable of conversation?" Mewtwo retorted.

"I am Mewtwo. While I truly have no reason to be here... you may consider this a courtesy." Zapdos practically snarled.

"Arrogant welp! I'll tear you to shreds!"

"I'm sure you will," Mewtwo replied coolly. A barrier surged to life around him, blocking the numerous bolts of lightning coming from the sky. Mewtwo held out a hand, firing numerous Shadow Balls that Zapdos easily evaded. The bird retaliated with a loud shriek, exploding in enough electricity to paint the skies yellow. The Discharge clashed violently with Mewtwo's barrier, causing cracks to appear over it. The psychic did not let that faze him.

A psychic sheen surrounded Zapdos before Mewtwo angled his hand downward. Zapdos was summarily thrown at incredible velocity towards the abandoned plant, crashing into it with thunderous force. Mewtwo summoned another ball of blue energy between his palms once more. It began growing until the ball was larger than his own body. Finally, he launched the orb of aura. This time, I was confident in calling it an Aura Sphere because the globe flew through the air.

With its size, it seemed like Mewtwo was trying to destroy the entire factory along with Zapdos. But it was not meant to be, as an equally enormous orb of electricity soared through the air. It crackled loudly, shrieking and making me cover my ears. The Zap Cannon collided with the Aura Sphere, and I watched the two orbs meld into each other before erupting in an enormous explosion. Even the rain conceded to the collision, abating for a few seconds before beginning again. My coat fluttered wildly.

I was the only bystander watching this clash of monsters. My only company was the repeated lightning strikes riddling the battlefield. Mewtwo idly floated next to me, staring at his handiwork with a curious expression.

"The battle isn't over," I reminded.

"I'm aware. This is the part where they attempt to eliminate you, however," he explained, summoning a barrier that caught a truly enormous bolt of lightning.

"Huh, funny. Didn't think you'd catch on to that," I mused. Zapdos shrieked in true rage, an avatar of lightning. It soared into the sky, vanishing into the dark clouds. What followed next was utter mayhem. I wouldn't be surprised if a thunderstorm was plaguing half of Kanto right now, with how strong these bolts of lightning were. One crashed down with enough force to set the low-cut grass ablaze. The skies responded to Zapdos' wrath, firing salvo after salvo of the most absurd Thunders I'd ever seen.

Despite that, both Mewtwo and I didn't flinch.

"Finish this," I commented, gazing into the sky where I knew Zapdos was.

"Indeed. I was of the same thought." Mewtwo's eyes glowed with that dangerous azure blue aura. Similarly, his body glowed with a similar color, a small barrier forming around the legend. Right before Mewtwo vanished, I heard him utter one dreadful word...

"Psystrike." And the world responded; Lightning stopped crashing, rain stopped falling, thunder went silent in submission. All of it made way for the massive blue explosion of psychic energy, currently encapsulating the sky above me. It expanded like a wave yet made no noise, a perfect representation of Mewtwo's cold fury. I watched with a small shudder as a figure dropped out of the sky. It had a yellow plumage, small triangular eyes (that were shut), and a long, thin, light orange beak.

Smoke wafted off the spiky feathers, while an additional set of black feathers covered the back of its wings and inner tail. My first time seeing Zapdos' real form... and it was right after a crushing loss. I suppose now was as good a time as any to admire its beauty. I stared coolly at the legend's defeated body, nothing coursing through me.

"Nothing personal, Zapdos. If it's any consolation, you're my favorite of your siblings. Not personality-wise, though. Shoot first, ask questions isn't very cool when you're a god that has duties," I offered. Without much hesitation, I crouched and snatched one of its feathers, gazing at it with a curious expression.

While Moltres' feather was constantly burning with flames that didn't burn me, and Articuno's feathers pulsed with an ever-present cold that made me tremble despite not feeling cold, Zapdos' feather gave off the feeling that you were one step away from being fully paralyzed. Their feathers were kind of cool. If anything, I'd keep them as a consolation prize because of how they looked. I blinked abruptly at seeing a tiny little creature crawling across my coat… before it happily latched onto the feather. What the?

"A Joltik? Where the hell did you come from?" I muttered. I may have seen a Galvantula running off earlier... but Joltiks tended to be too small to spot, especially considering the hoard of electric types. 4 tiny eyes turned towards me, even as Joltik practically glowed with the electricity being fed into it by the feather.

"Hey, wait. You shouldn't be trying to absorb electricity from that," I warned, yanking the tiny thing off the feather.... To no one's surprise, the little dumbass of a Joltik seized up because why the hell did it think it could handle Zapdos' lightning? My eye twitched. I made a split-second decision, capturing the thing before it died from getting overloaded. Had it been latched onto me the whole time? I couldn't tell because it was so tiny.

Plenty of electric types ran past me in the chaos, so this one must have attached to me. I sighed. It should have stayed away from this clusterfuck. Now it was in the middle of it, or it was dead.

"These are the guardians of the Kanto region?" Mewtwo wondered, phasing next to me.

"Supposedly. I don't know what the hell they're supposed to be guarding, though," I replied, looking into the clear sky. It was surreal to even think it was clear right now. Earlier felt like armageddon." Hmph. It seems I truly have no equal. This was an entertaining exercise. One that has enlightened me further of my power."

"What now?" I asked, eyes drooping." I will continue my original course of action of finding my purpose. You may rest, I do not need you for the upcoming part until I am ready." Whatever. I resisted the urge to huff.

"Gotta talk to Joy. I need to make sure this fool didn't kill themself," I grunted, waving a pokeball. Mewtwo's gaze darted over to me." You captured a pokemon?" he asked dangerously. I blinked.

"Yeah. It was going to die otherwise."

"That is the only reason you captured it?"

"Yeah." Mewtwo stared judgmentally at me. I don't know why; I wasn't really in the mood to capture any members for my team. Besides, I was releasing this little fella the moment they were healed." I despise humans who would so carelessly enslave pokemon… and I despise pokemon who go along so willingly with it."

"Then kill me if you disagree with me attempting to save a pokemon so much. You're strong, so you have the power to do that," I said bluntly.

"But don't kill my team. I'll crawl back from the depths of hell to make you pay." Mewtwo stared at me like I was an anomaly. My nature and mannerisms stumped him, and that's why he kept me around, despite hating what I stood for. It seems I had properly silenced him this time, at least, because without further prompting, we were teleported back to the island. Mewtwo shot me one final look before floating away to do whatever the hell brooding legends like him did. I sighed and entered Joy's room.

"You're back," she noted, boredly filing her nails on her bed. I distantly noted that the TV (Requested. You know Mewtwo wouldn't think to have a TV) was on, not that either of us was paying attention to it.

"Yeah," I replied, taking a seat next to her.

"Ares is fine. She was very upset that she almost killed you, but she's recovering," Joy explained, placing her nail filer to the side. The nurse stared at me, a small frown on her face.

"I'm her glorious vassal. It's expected she'd be wounded at the thought I nearly died by her hands," I replied with a small exhale.

"You say that too casually. Stop that," she scolded. I shrugged tiredly, then pulled out a Luxury Ball that Joy instantly honed in on.

"This is a Joltik that I caught earlier. It might be dying," I explained. Her eyes narrowed.

"Explain," she demanded, taking the ball out of my hand and pushing herself up.

"We just fought Zapdos, and the little fella absorbed some of its lightning. I imagine absorbing the lightning of a god isn't a great idea," I replied.

"Probably not. Alright, I'll check it out. In the meantime, you go to sleep," Joy muttered.

"I'm going to, yeah. I'm tired," I exhaled.

"I know because you didn't even argue with me for giving you an order. Get some rest, Silver," she said softly. I nodded slowly before a thought came to me.

"Hey, what's your name?" Joy paused to stare at me.

"First name basis? Kid, didn't I already tell you that you're too young—""Shut up," I interrupted with a roll of my eyes. Joy rolled her eyes in return.

"When you tell me your last name, I'll tell you my first." I glared at her.

"Fuck you. Goodnight." She let out a bark of laughter.

"Goodnight, brat."

"Teacher."

"Yes, Alakazam?" Oak questioned, turning slowly towards his psychic.

"Kanto is in chaos."

"Indeed, Alakazam."

"Both Cinnabar and Mt. Ember's volcano have erupted, there have been numerous power outages, and Route 20 is frozen. That is not to mention the number of pokemon forced to evacuate their homes. It is a disaster."

"You are not incorrect, Alakazam. A disaster is one way of putting it..."

"It is calamitous, Teacher." Oak sighed.

"Yes... and based on the restricted files, it revolves around Young Silver." Revolve seemed to be putting it lightly. Silver seemed to be going out of his way to cause these calamities. Why? For what gain?... There was something more to it. After all, Silver had destroyed Team Rocket by what seemed to be his lonesome. Now what did he want to do? Did he perhaps wish to utilize the power of a legend for himself?... No, that didn't fit what little he knew of Silver.

Underneath his foul exterior was a genuinely kind boy who wanted his close ones to be safe. He would not go out of his way to ruin Kanto... Which meant it was collateral for a larger goal. One large enough to become the calamity Alakazam had warned him of.

"The winds are turbulent, Teacher. I fear what may happen." Oak sighed.

"As do I, Alakazam. I can only hope that everyone remains safe."

"Have you been studying Gravity?" I asked Metang, raking a rag against Charcadet. After watching Domino utilize Gravity on her Clefable, it gave me some ideas that I honestly am surprised didn't come to me sooner. Aka, Dragon Ball style Gravity Training. Huh... maybe that was why Mewtwo turned his Aura Sphere into a beam. He was bonded to me after all. To be honest, I was teeming with plenty of ideas for my team. Once this was settled with I could really get into training them all.

But that didn't mean I had to skimp out on training them now. Gold and Crystal were stronger than I was, so it was time to play catch-up.

"Easier than I expected it to be. I suppose my observations of the annoying fairy bore fruit," Metang replied, floating next to me.

"Regardless, I understand the fundamentals of the move. Increasing the power will be tricky. I expect it will take time." I grunted.

"That's okay. Take your time," I murmured, gazing up into the sky. Ares was flying around, getting accustomed to her new body. I just made out a blur, whistling at the fact that something her size could move so quickly. I also had plans for Ares. Now that she was a Salamence, it was go time. I was going to turn her into a demon from hell after enough time. My attention was suddenly grabbed by the sound of tentative footsteps, causing me to glance down. In front of me were the Kanto starters.

Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle all stared at me with curious eyes, all sporting markings on their body that showcased the differences between them and whoever they were cloned from. From the reddish brown spots on the Charmander, to the white stripes on the Bulbasaur, and finally the black markings on the Squirtle. They were strange little things. I wonder what caused them to look like this? None of the other clones had any type of discrepancy.... Hm, didn't Mewtwo grow up with the starter trio?

I wonder if that had something to do with it.

"What's up?" I asked them coolly, continuing my diligence with Charcadet. They shuffled awkwardly, staring at me in silence.

"They wish for affection," a deep, metallic voice reverberated in my head. I blinked in confusion before turning and shouting in surprise at seeing a Metagross staring at me. Metang eyed their clone with a wary expression, and I would have expected them to harbor a lot more animosity for one another. But it didn't seem like my psychic had a problem with its evolved form. Weird. I stared at the starter trio and reached for my bag.

They tensed up, only to blink in confusion as I pulled out my assortment of Poke Blocks. In the future, I wanted to learn how to make Poffins. It was a more fulfilling option over Poke Blocks, being a muffin instead of candy. I gave one each to the little starter trio, watching as they tentatively ate one. Their eyes lit up, and I laughed, pulling out more and feeding them. A tiny little black blur crashed into me, the delighted gaze of Charcatwo peering at me.

He whined insistently, demanding to be spoiled like his original. Charcadet cheered at his little brother, causing me to roll my eyes. I alternated between the two with a small smile, allowing the peace to wash over me. I didn't have a problem with the clones... but despite that, they were still all hesitant to approach me. The only one who had no reservations for such a thing was little Charcatwo right here. He and Charcadet got along like a house on fire.

It was good to see the two find friendship in one another; I know Charcadet was a little down with no Green around. The starter trio looked at me with shining eyes, taken by my act of kindness. It was a little adorable, truth be told. Despite my team being cloned in the process, I was glad these babies got to enjoy their childhood more. I reached out and patted them on their skulls.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Silver," I greeted patiently. They melted at my touch, all letting out happy cries. They practically vied for my attention, making me roll my eyes. I watched the other clones eye me warily.

"I have more snacks if you all want some," I announced, pulling out more Poke Blocks. I shoved one in Metagross' face, watching as the intimidating red eyes of the clone gazed at me. Metagross was a specimen of a pokemon, alright. It was incredible to behold. I couldn't wait until Metang evolved. I watched the psychic clone stare at my offer before he slowly accepted it.

"... Thank you," Metagross said, sounding unsure. I smiled.

"And they call you a clone. You're way nicer than Metang," I commented in amusement. Metang rumbled warningly, causing me to laugh slightly.

"Love you too, buddy—" whatever I was about to say was interrupted as a vine snatched me up. Both the Charcadet's cheered at the free ride, and I was summarily pulled next to both the Gaias. My Gaia cheered slightly, saying something to the wary Gaiatwo. This close, I could actually see they didn't look the exact same. It wasn't much, but the white edges on the cloned Meganium spread more throughout the flower. I wonder what little differences all the clones had now.

Both the Gaias accepted my poke blocks, and I watched with a small smile as the clone of my starter let out an equally happy cheer. Two more sets of vines wrapped around me, getting a grunt of exertion from the squeezing. If I remember, the Gaia's weren't battling each other either. They had been trying to calm down the others to no avail. I pat both the Gaias on the head.

"Thanks for not fighting each other, girls. You're not enemies," I praised. While Gaia beamed, I watched as Gaiatwo's cheeks darkened. She gazed at me in awe, before bellowing and butting her head against mine. It really was that easy. Gaia's love for me seemed genetic. I nodded to myself.

"Alright, I think you should all train together. We need all the help we can get. Gaias, I'm relying on you to keep everything in order, okay?" They both nodded vigorously, twin smiles on their faces. I hugged them both.

"I'll be back. I need to check on Joy..."

"And you can stop stalking us in the background, Mewtwo. I know you're watching." No sooner did I say that did the psychic in question phase in front of me. While Gaiatwo looked pleased to see him, Gaia was a whole other story. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and if not for my explicitly telling my team to avoid any type of quarrel with Mewtwo, I'm sure she would have said something. Mewtwo gazed at me in confusion. It caused me to tilt my head.

"What?" I questioned.

"... You are treating them normally," he said bluntly. I stared at him.

"Yeah... and? Didn't I already tell you that I don't care that they're clones?"

"I thought you were lying. Clones do not have a place in this world." I blinked a little incredulously.

"Mewtwo... if you put these guys in the wild, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart from any other of their species. The only ones who'd have a bit of scrutiny are the Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle." Mewtwo watched me shake my head.

"Yeah, they're clones, and because you made them, they're stronger than average, but so what? They're still pokemon," I informed him.

"So long as that remains true, I won't treat them any differently. Besides, how could I ever hate someone who looks exactly like the members of my team? I love them too much for that."

"... Your thought process is merely the exception, not the norm. I doubt anyone else thinks like you," Mewtwo replied coldly. I expected that.

"Whatever. How about you help them all out then? You're their trainer after all," I said blandly. I watched in mild amusement as Mewtwo gained a confused expression.

"Could you use Gravity while you're at it? Not enough to crush them into paste, of course, but just enough to really make them sweat for movement."

"What are you talking about?" Mewtwo said, utterly puzzled by my words.

"Any trainer worth their salt will do a little team bonding, and that's my team you have. I won't allow you to mistreat them," I said sternly. With that, I walked right past the confused legend.

"Be nice," was all I said. Mewtwo stared at Silver's retreating figure with a puzzled expression. He then turned towards the assortment of pokemon. He was well aware that his brother's team disliked, perhaps even despised, him. The psychic was well aware of why. After all, he was the cause of the upheaval in Silver's life. If not for him, they would not need to be tormented by the likes of Team Rocket. So Mewtwo allowed them to despise him.

He did not care about the opinions of captured pokemon; it was irrelevant to him.... So why was Silver insisting he should help them? Did Mewtwo not warn him that he would not listen to another human's commands? Mewtwo had no reason to be here. He still had matters to attend to.

"Where are you going?" Gaia questioned with a frown.

"Elsewhere. I have no reason to be here."

"But Silver—""Is your trainer, not mine. Do not insinuate that I must listen to him," Mewtwo interrupted coldly.

"But you're their trainer... Mewtwo," Gaia said slowly. Truth be told, she wanted him gone. Being in the presence of this pokemon gave her hives.

"You despise me, yet you want me to remain in your presence? Does the love you have for your trainer transform you into a fool?" Mewtwo asked.

"Or has the idea of being a slave to another's will polluted you to this degree? How disgusting." Gaia snarled and took a single step, only for the vines of Gaiatwo to hold her back.

"Don't do that," Gaiatwo warned gently, rubbing a vine against her head to calm her down.

"If our leader does not wish to help, that is the end of the matter," Metagross intoned. Gaia scoffed.

"Some trainer to you guys, he is. How can you condemn Silver for capturing us when he treats us better than you treat them?" she scolded. Mewtwo paused and turned warningly towards her.

"Do not think I will allow you to speak so freely to me."

"It's okay, Gaia! We can train with you!" Gaiatwo insisted. Freyja glided over.

"Come with me, Gaia. You need to calm down!" she insisted. Even as Freyja wrapped her massive body around the Meganium, Gaia glared fearlessly at Mewtwo.

"So he's fine with using the benefits of a trained pokemon to do something he refuses to do, but that's it? How is that fair to you guys?! He's the one who created you all... has he ever even said a sentence to you?" The tense silence made Mewtwo regard his creations.

"Gaia," Loki interjected calmly and sternly. Gaia frowned but went silent. A heavy pressure crashed into them all, nearly flooring them. The power behind it even brought down Ares from the sky, causing the dragon to roar in frustration.

"What is the meaning of this? Who would dare interrupt my flight?" she snarled. The Salamence went silent at Mewtwo's ominous gaze. The psychic stared at the fearful expressions of all the pokemon there... even his clones.

"Hmph. He requested that I use Gravity to assist you all. Now that I have done it, you grow fearful?" he asked rhetorically.

"Is this not what you wanted? Make use of my goodwill; I will not do this for an infinite amount of time." Mewtwo would not make mention of how his clones visibly lit up at his involvement. He would also not mention how he adjusted the amount of pressure each of the pokemon received from his Gravity. It would not make sense to give the Charcadets and Meganiums similar weights, after all.... Hmph, this was the exception. Silver was the exception, not the norm, and these were technically Mewtwo's pokemon too.

I gazed into the 4 eyes of Joltik with a small frown.

"Overflowing with electricity was one way of putting it. She really did absorb some from a massively powerful source," Joy commented, raking a single pinky against the bug. The tiny fella wiggled happily, all 4 eyes curled up.

"How bad?" I questioned. Joy shrugged.

"Her stores were forcefully expanded by how intense that electricity was. It nearly overwhelmed her, but luckily, I was able to help out." I mulled that over.

"Well, on the bright side, she'll probably come out of this ordeal with powerful electricity," I complimented. The nurse nodded.

"Yeah. You said Zapdos, right? I don't think normal electricity will feed her well anymore. She'll have to consume more and more as she gets older." My eye twitched.

"I was going to release her."

"Probably not a good idea. She's also attached to you," Joy pointed out. Right on cue, the little bug jumped onto me, vanishing into my long hair. I scratched my hair, getting a happy chitter, and sighed.

"Alright. I'll keep her then," I muttered. Joy smiled.

"She'll be a good addition. I'd recommend holding off on training her electricity for a bit. Wait for her to get a little older." I grunted.

"Alright. By the way, do you need anything?" I asked. Joy nodded, handing me a list. I accepted it carefully, gazing at the items.

"Alright, I'll get them," I said calmly.

"Be careful. I don't remember you being a psychic before," Joy said coolly.

"It's cute that you try to be so cool to hide your worry," I noted, eyes glowing slightly.

"I never did make good on my promise after that defect comment you made. C'mere, you stupid little brat," she muttered. I snorted, teleporting away before she could hurt me. Knowing Joy, she'd actually do it. I didn't wanna beat up such a sweet Nurse after all.