Chương 41: Field Trip

"So what exactly do you want from me?" I questioned.

"I wish for you to retrieve an object of importance. It will allow me to view the world through your eyes better." I tilted my head.

"The Griseous Orb?" I asked."... Excellent. You already know of it, then. Do you know where it is located?" I tilted my head further.

"If I had to guess, Turnback Cave?" I felt the satisfaction radiating from Giratina and nodded.

"Isn't Turnback Cave your domain? Can't you just get it yourself and then give it to me?"

"It is not so simple. Despite my connections to that cave, I am not free to act in the mortal realm." I nodded thoughtfully.

"So we're in Sinnoh. I was kinda clued in when you called it your region," I drawled, gazing at the forest and withholding the urge to shiver." That is correct. We are close to my domain. It is not a difficult mission; the action of receiving your gifts will take longer." I sighed, raking a hand through my hair, before placing a beanie on. Similarly, I took out a mask and placed it on my face. Call me paranoid, but I could tell when some bullshit was about to happen. You: Aunt, I'm off by myself for like 3 days.

Will visit later. Ice Cold Stalker: I understand... please be careful and take frequent breaks. You: Gotcha. Ice Cold Stalker: Stay safe. I love you. You: Don't be weird, Aunt. Ice Cold Stalker:... Jasmine told me something quite fascinating about you and her meeting at One Island. You said something to her that you never once said to your precious Aunt? You: She was in distress. I wanted to make her feel better and let her know that I still cared for her. Ice Cold Stalker: So you don't care for me?

You: That's not what I meant, and you know that... Ice Cold Stalker: We can either do this the easy way, or I can be as difficult as you tend to be. You:... I love you too. Ice Cold Stalker::) You: Spoiled brat. Amusement wafted off of me, none of it my own, and I tightened my gloves, banishing the embarrassment from my body that was me.

"You will tell her about this?" Giratina mused.

"Yeah, after I'm done. Better to do it then, else she'll somehow find a way to come to Sinnoh and that'll be inconvenient for the both of us."

"We are in agreement." It was still surprising that Giratina radiated such visible amusement. The Renegade must have been very bored. I was currently located deep in the trees of the outskirts of Veilstone City. This was the city with the gym of the one fighting girl (you know I'm not going to guess her name; she wasn't even the gym leader yet). Well, it's not like I needed to enter the city. I just needed to navigate Route 214 to arrive at my destination. It was a good thing I had some information about Sinnoh.

Loved the games. Currently, it was bright and cold, causing me to stop in my trek and replace my loose coat with something far more snug (and incognito). There would have been eyes on me due to my outfit, if not for the fact that Loki was out. My first pokemon was doing a wonderful job of keeping me hidden, allowing me to ghost through the route at a brisk pace. It didn't take me long to traverse Route 214 and find the Spring Path, though it was quite difficult because of how expertly hidden the area was.

But you couldn't really hide things from me. I was a good thief for a reason, and some especially dense trees set off warning bells.

"Normally, one would not find this area so easy. It is rife with my latent energy, enough so that it disorients and misguides. The deeper you traverse, the worse it becomes."

"Interesting." I didn't feel any of what Giratina was explaining to me. To me, the Spring Path was one of the most suspicious things about the route... but being filled with Distortion would explain that well.

"How exactly did you lose against the Champion of Arceus?" I asked curiously.

"My partner was weaker than their champion, yet despite that... I could have defeated them by my lonesome... if not for the fact that my true body had yet to arrive on the mortal plane, along with the fact that they garnered the assistance of Knowledge, Willpower, and Emotion... allowing them to stall long enough where I realized partnering myself with that fool was not worth the effort."

"Oh? So if you kept it up, would you have won?"

"Naturally. I just refused to ally myself any further with that incompetent fool." I whistled. Giratina was not a fan of this person.

"Who was this Champion of Arceus?" I asked curiously.

"A human by the name of Akari Platinum." I froze at that. Platinum? Did that mean Akari was Dawn?... Later on, I'd likely have to check for the existence of the Sinnoh characters and whatnot. I needed to see what their names were at the very least, to see what I was working with.

"So Giratina, are you sure you aren't plotting anything?" I asked suspiciously. Why else would it want me to get the orb that directly empowered it? Would it use my body as a medium to take over? I doubted possession was difficult for it." Did I not tell you? I lack the interest in overtaking the universe unless it is your desire. I've already attempted it… Though with you as my partner this time, I doubt you would have the incompetence that my last one had," the legendary noted. I raised a brow at that.

"If we did plan on taking over the universe, wouldn't Arceus just stop us?" I mentioned.

"The Alpha rarely intervenes themself. They would, at most, send a champion to do the work for them. If their champion were to lose, that would be the end. In their eyes, the humans are self-sustainable, regardless of the outcome of their world." Ah, so Arceus only gave enough tools for the person to figure it out, but would very likely not solve a problem themself, even if that meant dooming the universe. That... made sense. Arceus was a god after all. The god at that.

So if Giratina and I attempted to take over the universe, so long as I defeated this Champion, I'd be the absolute winner. In theory. I still had no interest in doing that.

"Who was your last partner?" I asked, interest clear in my tone. I stopped as a gnawing pressure bore down on my shoulders, my gaze going wary immediately." A human by the name of Volo Shirona. They were the most powerful trainer of that time... but their motives left much to be desired. Their only desire was to meet the Alpha, going to any lengths to do so." Volo huh? Never heard of him. I heard about the newer games, but I never delved deep into them at all. Volo might have been a character from one of those.

Wasn't there one based on Giratina, actually? I can't remember. Was that the same one as the Arceus one? Shirona though... that name sounded familiar. Where had I heard that? Shirona... Whatever it was, Giratina did not like this Volo at all.

"You don't sound happy when mentioning him. What? He broke your heart? Used you for his own goals?" I mused, entering an utterly massive clearing that had no business being difficult to find. A warning pulse was all I got, causing me to snort.

"I will perhaps inform you of him another day. He is dead, so he is no longer relevant; you are the only human I am interested in at the current moment." I raised a brow.

"I suppose I'm honored, even if you're probably utilizing me for something... and speaking about me like we're in a relationship."

"You are aware that I am the one who fixed you, correct? Your body already belongs to me. I have no reason to lie to someone whom I can rule over if I so please."

"Huh... fair enough," I shrugged, not very bothered by their statement. If they really wanted to, Giratina could probably take my body for itself. It was like making a literal contract with the Devil.

"Indeed. But I favor you, so this contract is merely you belonging to me." A possessive Devil. Fair enough. The Sendoff Spring was a massive place, made all the more eerie by its emptiness. A large mountain shielded my eyes from seeing much, but the trees and grass were cared for at a level that was suspicious for a secret area. I released Ares and climbed atop her, getting a happy, albeit quiet, roar out of her.

"To the top. Don't be too obvious," I murmured, raking a hand against her scales. She nodded, flapping her wings and taking to the skies. Lorelei had given me a custom-made saddle ("A gift, I had it made quite a while ago") that I just needed to settle on Ares. Technology made it barely noticeable to her, all while I just needed to press a button that would extend and retract at a whim. Awesome stuff. My aunt was precious.

Ares flew at tremendous speeds, making my eyes water slightly, and made it to the top of the mountain with ease. It wasn't enough to satisfy her...

"When we get back to Kanto, we'll go on a little flight. We gotta stay low a bit," I murmured to her. She nodded happily, nearly roaring but stopping on instinct. I chuckled and rubbed her rough cheeks before returning my dragon, allowing her to nuzzle mine. I whistled because beyond the mountain, in the middle of it, was an atmospheric spring. Quiet and haunting... it gave off an eerily sacred feeling. It was almost like the world had forgotten this place— or maybe it had never been known in the first place.

The forest thinned here, revealing a secluded basin accompanied by steep cliffs. Perfectly in the middle, suspiciously so, was a pool of water that was so still, it effortlessly reflected the sky above with perfect clarity. There was a low mist that kissed the thick, untouched grass. It curled around me tantalizingly, cupping my face before drifting off in a way that gave me the sense that it had some sentience. Intriguingly enough, pale flowers bloomed where the grass thinned.

They were beautiful, swaying back and forth, even though there was no wind. I pondered it before nodding, plucking a few. They were very strange, not seeming to bend or break from my pull.

"They're saturated in distortion, eh?" I mused.

"Indeed."

"Bad for humans?"

"No. There is not nearly enough to affect a person. Especially considering you possess far more." I nodded thoughtfully. I'd take a few then.

"You know, despite your reputation, you're the most helpful legend I've encountered yet," I pointed out. There was a pregnant pause.

"... Your words are flattering. Enough that I do not have a proper response. Make haste to retrieve my orb." I snorted in amusement." I will guide you. It will be a quick adventure. Then, you will be given your rewards and can return to continue training for your league." I grunted. What the hell rewards could a Giratina give me exactly? They had to be cool." Let us move, and you will find out. I assure you, all will be interesting." Turnback Cave was daunting.

There was no sound, only enhancing the heavy and suffocating unease. You never realize how much sound is a part of your life until you make it to an area devoid of any. There wasn't much of a scent either, not even the lush scent of the greenery outside, leaked into here. The complete lack of sound was gnawing at me, so I immediately released both the Charcadets, allowing each one to sit on my shoulder. While Charcatwo shivered constantly, Charcadet looked around the area in awe.

He leapt off my shoulder to walk next to me, while his cloned brother hugged me tightly. I suppose the difference was just the creators. Charcatwo was a clone of Mewtwo, while Charcadet was mine. Probably as simple as that.

"You wanna go back in the ball?" I murmured to Charcatwo. He gazed at me before slowly shaking his head. I smiled in amusement, releasing Oberon as well so he could be my guard bear. I pat his stomach easily before humming to myself.

"You alright there?" I asked my Ursaring. He shuddered once, a glint entering his eyes as they swerved the chambers of Turnback Cave. He eventually shook his head and turned towards me, nodding with a reassuring smile. I smiled, allowing him to pull me into a tight (and careful) hug.

"Let's go this way," I decided, effortlessly ignoring the compulsion that instructed me to turn back. I turned right and walked straight through the entrance, only to blink at seeing the exact same room I was in previously.

"This domain is rife with distortion. None have ever made it to the end, as they all loop back to the beginning until they give up. With some guidance from me, you will be able to properly navigate it." My eyes were narrowed.

"Yeah. Normally, I'd brute force this, but I want to get out of here fast. Let's go quickly."

"Very well. Go straight." Giratina's guidance turned the trip into one that took about 30 minutes instead of hours. Turnback Cave was massive, the interior far larger than it had any right to be. Just going straight took 10 minutes. I can imagine how someone could be driven to insanity traversing this cave. No sound, no wind, and being sent to the beginning of the room over and over and over again. Anyone stubborn enough to remain in here wouldn't last long.

Whether that be to losing your literal mind, the heavy distortion energy, or being unfortunate enough to die. Thankfully, I wasn't any of those people. In the first place, I'd never really come here of my own volition. In the center of the final floor of the cave, there was a pedestal. I gazed at it, placing a palm on it with an inquisitive gaze." This is… That where life sparkles… That where life has faded… A place where two worlds overlap…"

I removed my hand and crouched down, grabbing the gold crystal with a contemplative expression. The moment I did so, I shouted in surprise. The orb glowed, and I felt a headache forming that vanished as quickly as it came. I instinctively looked down, blinking owlishly at the red eyes peering out of my shadow." Excellent... Well done, Little Renegade." I grunted, unfazed by what I was seeing.

"It was easy. I take it you'll have more power now?"" Indeed. I have already taken the liberty of stabilizing you. You have not noticed, but you were utterly unapproachable by the psychic and ghosts, even more so than you normally are." I perked up at that detail.

"You've made me less toxic to them?"

"Yes. You will never be normal, but you can be less noticeable."

"When you say less noticeable, you mean ghosts and psychics won't be scared shitless at the sight of me, right? Kinda like how my entire journey has been so far?" I questioned suspiciously.

"That is the level I have reduced you back to." My eye twitched.

"Why not just... make me fully normal?"

"Why would I do that? This shows who you belong to. You've managed it before, you will continue to manage it."

"... This is just because you don't want me to use those psychic powers," I grumbled in annoyance.

"You do not need them." At the very least, if my emotional sense seemed heightened, Giratina wouldn't actively block them. I didn't plan on using them much anyway.

"Perfect. Just perfect," I murmured, taking out my Pokegear... and blinking owlishly at it. My uh... Pokegear didn't look like this before. The frame had dark gold jagged edges, my formerly all black device now had a deep gray and crimson added to the mix... pulsing faintly.

"Is this one of my gifts?" I asked blandly, returning the fascinated Oberon and the Charcas. My Pokegear looked like it had been tampered with by Giratina, and I imagine that's exactly what happened.

"This is not one of your gifts. This was done on a... whim," Giratina said vaguely. I snorted.

"You sure are having your fun now that I know who you are." There was a familiar pulse of amusement.

"Let us depart now. We will head to your first gift with haste." I nodded and stood up, making my way to one of the four entrances… and blinking in surprise at seeing that I was back in the first room. The light of outside poured in, and I shook my head at the oddity of it all, before waltzing right out… And seeing a figure awaiting me." Oh my. How peculiar," Giratina remarked, sounding decidedly unamused.

"Hm," I mused, not truly surprised.

"I know I should be more concerned about how someone could have possibly managed to find this place…" Cynthia Shirona (oh fuck me. That's where I remembered the name Shirona from), the Champion of the Sinnoh region, grinned eagerly, a very unhinged spark in her eyes as she gazed at my disguised face.

"... But I just have to know, how you were able to navigate that area. You were able to navigate it, weren't you? That shouldn't be possible!" So Cynthia was related to this Volo guy? Was she also allied with Giratina? Was all of this just some setup? There was an expectant look on her face, though the Lucario next to her looked slightly ill, gazing at me. The Garchomp, though… Yeah, it just looked like it wanted to tear me apart." Did you set me up?" I asked Giratina idly.

"Time flows differently in my cave. What you thought was 30 minutes was an hour in the human realm. What felt like 30 minutes to you would be countless hours for the normal person." I huffed in some disbelief. Well, that was just fucking dandy." A minor setback; one that will not last for long. You have my orb now, granting me far more privileges in the human world." Cynthia's excited glimmer never vanished despite my eerie silence. She was gazing at me like I was a puzzle to be dissected…

something I wasn't too keen on being.

"Okay, before I take you in for a proper league interrogation, please answer a few of my questions? I promise you aren't in too much trouble. We just want to know a few things! How did you find this place? How did you know about it? How were you able to make it all the way over here without feeling a strange compulsion to go back?! Unless... are you able to ignore that compulsion?!" Cynthia cut a noticeable figure, dressed in all black, which contrasted with her long head of blonde hair.

She was as tall, maybe even taller than Lorelei. This close, I saw that she had grey eyes, similar in color to mine, with a lot less luster. Similarly to me, she also had a bang, but hers covered her left eye, while mine covered my right. Most noticeably, however, was the wide and curious smile on her face. The way her eyes gleamed with a boundless amount of inquisitiveness, trying to ingest all the information she could just from my appearance alone. See?

I knew it was a good thing that I preemptively dressed in a disguise. It's also why I returned all my pokemon before stepping out of this place. You can't fool me anymore, World. I'm onto your tricks. You will force me to interact with all manner of people, regardless of whether I want to or not. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on you... fool me dozens of times? Not happening, bastard.

As much as I'd love (no, really, looooove) to talk to Cynthia about why I was trespassing on probably forbidden grounds, I didn't love the idea of talking to Cynthia. At all. If you somehow couldn't tell (I'm very disappointed in you if so), that was sarcasm. There wasn't a single champion I was looking forward to meeting, and Cynthia was no different.

"She is a descendant of my former partner, Volo. I cannot say I am surprised she is here… after all, her family has been cursed with an obsession with me after his actions. It eventually leads them all to ruin, and she will be no different. The last to fall to such compulsion were her creators after all." I shuddered at that admittance. Cynthia's parents had attempted to search for Giratina and were met with a tragic end? Is that why she only had her grandmother?

"Do not worry, seeing as I have put you in this situation, I will intervene." I stiffened at Giratina's ominous words. I stiffened even further as a heavy and dense pressure suddenly flooded the field, flooring all but me. The area around darkened drastically, a sudden, chilling wind forming in time with the change in atmosphere. I could practically see the distortion forming, ghostly energies building up to something dreadful.

A haunting melody seemed to fill the fields, causing me to turn my head back and forth as the world came alive... And it was angry.

"H-Huh?!" Cynthia gasped in surprise, sweat forming on her face. Garchomp snarled wildly, attempting to move but failing tragically. Its eyes widened in disbelief at the thought, snarls growing almost feral as something forced it to submit. It said something that not even the ace of Cynthia was able to move. My eyes widened.

"Whatever you're about to do, can it! I'm not interested in killing this lady!" I hissed, instinctively putting my hands up in a halting motion." Hm? Very well." All at once, the pressure vanished, the wind dissipated, and the singing flowers went silent. The area returned to its pristine state, returning to its eternal stasis. It was almost unnatural how quick the shift happened, something that caused me to gaze at the fields with wide eyes.

"What... was that?" Cynthia whispered in disbelief, panting slightly. She gripped her black coat and gazed up at me in... wonder. Not even fear. Oh my god, Cynthia was a freak. Why did I always meet the freaks? There was no attempt by me to speak or explain myself. I simply leaned backwards, watching Cynthia's eyes widen in surprise as a portal formed, courtesy of Giratina's Shadow Force.

Garchomp lunged forward at speeds I could never hope to react to, but it was far too late for that, and my body disappeared before it could capture me. Heh, that was kinda cool.

"That… was that even a human? It had to be... unless it just took the shape of one? An effigy? Some vessel for a legend?" Cynthia wondered, staring at the spot the short person had been at. That wasn't a move that she had ever seen before. There wasn't even a pokemon around to do that... but the way the world came alive. The way it whispered and hissed at her in unintelligible words, sapping her of her energy by the second. The impending doom... How fascinating!

If they weren't a human, how had she been notified that someone had arrived here? Not only did someone manage to make it to this forbidden location without getting lost or turning back… it seemed like they were even able to navigate through that strange cave! Cynthia herself never made it past the second room, always ending up back at the entrance. She would have kept going as well if not for her desire to eat... and she'd always end up stunned at how much time had passed.

Her team had been vital in keeping her alive Yet this person exited the cave with a level of confidence that made it appear like they had reached their objective... What was their objective? Did it have to do with the levels of distortion in the area? After all... they had only grown worse as they seemingly prepared to attack her. Why didn't they attack her? Why did they cancel their attack? Just who was that? Cynthia shuddered in excitement, gray eyes lighting up as she grew more interested by the minute.

"Are you okay, Spiritomb?" she murmured, raking a hand against a weathered poke ball. It shuddered, going still once more.

"And you, Lucario?" she continued, gazing at her fighting type. Lucario huffed, shaking his head gently. She smiled gently, placing a hand against his head.

"How interesting. I think we found something new to research! Lucario, make sure to help me, alright?" she beamed.

"Are you sure? I believe we were saved by the grace of whoever that was. This area was going to kill us until their presence sharpened," Lucario informed her.

"So that means they aren't a bad person! After all, killing the Champion of Sinnoh would be quite the boon for any criminal! Maybe I shouldn't have led with taking them in for interrogation," she muttered. Ugh, that was the downside of being a Champion... Duty always got in the way of her interests... Would they have been more reciprocating if she had just asked questions like a friend? Probably not. They didn't seem very keen on interacting with her...

so next time she'd have to be extra polite and not threaten to take them in for interrogation. Next time? Of course, Cynthia was going to find them as an archaeologist and not the Champion. Agh! Cynthia was so curious about that person! How could they not only tolerate distortion but utilize it to such a degree?! That didn't seem possible! Ghosts were one of the most uncontrollable types that existed! They did not simply bend; they tolerated, waiting for any sign of weakness to strike!

How did they have the control to make such chaotic energies back down?! Cynthia should be dead right now, but she wasn't? She just had to know! Cynthia's curiosity was getting the better of her!

"Hey, Lucian? I'm going to be busy for a bit. You're in charge! Huh? Oh, the intruder got away, but that might be for the best; I would have died otherwise!" Cynthia ignored the shout of surprise on the other side, hanging up the call with a gleam. I huffed in mild annoyance. That was going to be annoying later down the road, I could tell." I did not imagine they'd have some type of tell. Though I suppose it is a logical outcome." I huffed, utterly unamused.

"You were going to kill her."" She will eventually perish due to my existence, regardless. The descendant of Volo is cursed with an urge to learn anything and everything about me… and that will lead to her ruin."

"You were going to speed that up by a lot, don't you think?!" I hissed." I forget that what I consider little, you humans think otherwise. The lifespan of humans is but a blink to me." I groaned and shook my head." Regardless, with her survival, the descendant of Volo will have a vested interest in you. It is only natural, seeing as you are mine. Perhaps her ruin will even be brought about by you this time. How fitting, my champion, bringing about the doom of my former partner's descendant."

"If that's the case and I can't avoid it, it'll be later on in her life. I'm not staying in Sinnoh for long anyway," I grunted, raking a hand through my hair. I wasn't very interested in killing Cynthia. Believe it or not, I did not want to needlessly murder people just for being interested in me. This world would be a whole lot bloodier in that case. She would find me eventually, that Lucario (considering she had a Lucario, she probably had powerful Aura as well) of hers would ensure that...

but it wouldn't be during this trip, that was for sure. Evading people was kind of my specialty.

"Now, where am I?" I gazed in confusion because right now, I was near a city. There was a sign nearby, and I crouched down to it.

"Eterna City? Why did you bring me here?"" Your first gift." In this city specifically? I scratched my hair in confusion, but just shrugged in acceptance. On Giratina's instructions, I entered the city and marched forward to my destination. Last I remember, there was absolutely nothing of interest in Eterna City besides the gym. It's home of the Galactic Base (who were allegedly an energy company… they better hope that front was up by the time I was ready to deal with them), and there were other interesting things like the statue of Dialga and Palkia, or the Bike Shop, I guess. But none of those would be interesting enough for Giratina to specifically mention as a gift... unless they wanted to give me the statue? Hm… maybe I was missing something? I have no idea what gift would involve climbing up the steps to this building.

I walked up the stairs of an apartment complex, confusion only running deeper, before stopping in front of a door.

"You want me to knock on this door?" I asked slowly, scratching my head once more." Yes. Remove your disguise." … I shrugged and rapped a fist against it, making sure the person knew that they were not imagining things. Afterwards, I took off my mask and beanie, glancing around to make sure no one noticed me (they didn't, Loki was here... I was just really paranoid). As the door opened, I watched the figure yawn… before both of us froze in unison. Why?

Well, because we looked like we could be fucking twins, that's why. My jaw actually dropped in shock, hundreds of thoughts running through my head at the same time. Of course, the most prevalent one was—"Giratina, you fucking rat! What type of gift is this?!" Pale skin (the same shade as mine), short (as short as me), with a pair of white and black pajamas on (pajamas? It was almost the middle of the day!)… I mean, sure, it could be a coincidence…

sure, we had the same shade of red hair, and her red eyes were the exact same shade as my mother's and my aunt's, but that could all just be a coincidence. What was not a coincidence, though, was that fucking cursed ass cowlick on the top of both of our heads. They were even styled the same, despite our different hairstyles. Nevermind. Our hairstyles were practically identical, too (even more so before I grew it out). The only difference was where my bangs parted; hers did not, and the length (my hair was longer).

They even fanned out at the end, hers smoother and shorter than my very visible spikes. With just a few small changes, we'd have the same haircut... we'd have the same haircut if comparing it to my hair when I first showed up in Johto. Considering we've never once met before, it was way too coincidental that we practically looked like the same person. Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me—"What… the fuck?"

Mars, because this was almost certainly a younger version of Team Galactic Mars, whispered in disbelief, tired gaze shooting wide open.

"Do you think you're fucking funny?!" I hissed internally." I have never once been called "funny" before… but this is mildly amusing." Clearly, Giratina had been watching me more than I initially thought because holy shit, this couldn't be real. I just mentioned not needing any more crazy siblings, so why on earth was I meeting one who I couldn't possibly deny the resemblance to?! There was no excuse in the world I could think of that would somehow make Mars not related to me. We looked exactly like Ariana.

She actually looked more like Ariana than I did. This was so fucked. I heard Loki let out a gasp of surprise that snapped me back into reality.

"My sugar momma gave me the wrong address," I lied smoothly, turning on a dime to walk away. A hand immediately grasped my own. The moment it caught me, I resisted the urge to spew vile obscenities at Giratina. That damned ghost was still radiating amusement.

"Why the hell do you look like me?!" Mars demanded, gaze incredulous.

"I'm a clone sent to kill you. Fortunately, I've had a change of heart and now I'm going to turn on my masters," I said immediately, trying to break the hold on me so I could walk off.

"Stop messing around! We even both have that stupid ass cowlick!" she barked, pointing at her cowlick. Oh my god, she even hated it like I did… while refusing to get rid of it. Mars promptly dragged me into her place and shut the door (Loki quickly slunk in), gazing at me with wide red eyes.

"Didn't anyone ever tell a dashing young lady like you not to invite random boys, especially one as good-looking as me, into their house? No matter the resemblance?" I questioned, shutting my eyes and holding my head at the ache blooming.

"I'm fucking serious! If you keep messing around, I'll hit you!" Mars snarled, red eyes narrowed. I eyed her.

"I really want to punch something right now. Is that an invitation?" I asked calmly.

"Just try me!" she barked. There was a Glameow with her. It was eyeing me warily, albeit with wide eyes, as it no doubt noticed the incredible resemblance I shared with this girl. Evidently, she wasn't much of a trainer… which made sense because Team Galactic wasn't a full-fledged villain team yet, and she was pathetic to battle even when you did meet her eventually. Mars clearly had a temper that matched mine, because she clenched her fist tightly.

I raked a hand through my bang, revealing my other silver eye momentarily (At least my eyes were silver. I recall them being red in the video games... another similarity between us). How did I never fucking once think about Mars looking just like me and my mother? She's like one of the most memorable Galactic members besides Cyrus himself. She was also the most devoted to his goals. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Now I fucking knew why.

That asshole groomed her from a young age to be a criminal.... My god, we really were related.

"What's your name?" I asked. She stopped shaking, a confused expression on her face at my sudden question.

"Mars…?" she replied. I nodded.

"How old are you?" Mars stared at me.

"13 recently. June 21," she answered.

"13 when it's December 24," I muttered. So we weren't twins… and it was likely we weren't siblings either. I think my mom would have mentioned the fact that I have an older sister. I mulled things over. I think I never thought of Mars because she was an adult in the games (and hindsight). Then again, everyone in this world seemed younger (except for the established children), so it made sense that she was also younger. Team Galactic still had a few years to make a move, and she'd be older by then...

that made sense.

"Wait, what's your name?" Mars asked in confusion. I stared at her.

"I'll tell you depending on how this conversation goes." I easily caught the fist aiming for my face, feeling amusement swell at the irritated snarl on Mars' face. Okay, we were definitely related to an eerie degree. We made the same faces and all. I watched as Mars drank a cup of coffee across from me. She was staring at me with a pensive expression, adrenaline wearing off and allowing her to properly digest the situation. I couldn't blame her.

Some random dude that looked just like her just knocked on her door, didn't introduce himself, and was now drinking a Gyararade (Gatorade, I know. Kill me)." So Giratina. Mind explaining yourself?"" You are cousins, though you may as well be siblings due to all the similarities you share." What?

"Do not question me on that matter, for even I do not know the specifics... but if a test were to be run, you would appear to be brother and sister. Naturally, I am aware that you are not." What the fuck did that even mean? We were cousins, but we may as well have been siblings. Was our genetic makeup just that similar to each other? How was that even possible? Did my Mother and Aunt have another sibling? Lorelei didn't even have a boyfriend, much less kids.

"So this is one of my gifts?"

"What better gift than to reunite family?" Okay. Giratina definitely had a sense of fucking humor. Whether that was before or after it latched onto me, had yet to be seen. Who am I kidding? I already knew the answer. I suppose this was okay. In a few years, I was going to annihilate Team Galactic, and I imagine running into another evil relative of mine after my encounter with my mother may have sent me over the edge in rage.

"You hungry?" I asked coolly. She glanced warily at me.

"I was just gonna eat at my job." I snorted and stood up.

"You have a job? When do you even start your shift?" She nodded.

"I'm an intern for the Galactic Energy Team. They gave me this room and provided me with all the provisions I need... and I tend to work evening and night." My gaze darkened slightly, even as I opened her fridge. It was filled to the brim with food, and I easily grabbed a carton of eggs, some bread, and a pack of ham.

"You're really helping yourself, huh?" Mars asked sarcastically, glaring at me. Her stomach immediately rumbled at that, and I shot her an unimpressed look.

"S-Shut up," she grumbled, blushing in embarrassment at my staring.

"All this food and you eat at your job? You're insanely wasteful," I chided with no heat.

"Shut the hell up! I don't know how to cook, so I don't bother!" she scowled. I snorted and pulled out a pan.

"I learned how to cook this year. You live alone?" She nodded.

"Occasionally, Jupiter or Saturn will visit me —they're my coworkers— but beyond that, I don't know my parents." Mars stared at me.

"Which is why I'm so confused about you." I sighed. It was obvious that at the moment, Mars had no idea she was part of an evil organization. If I remembered correctly, she also didn't even know Cyrus' true motive in erasing the world... including them. Currently, my cousin is being slowly but surely indoctrinated into Team Galactic's cause until she would blindly follow every one of their orders... and then an older version of me would encounter her to stop her from resetting the universe.

An older version of me, who was tired of having family problems. I'd be what, 16? 17? 18? And Team Galactic's goals were the most unforgivable, so there was no telling what would happen to them. Yeah, for her sake... it would probably be for the best if I didn't encounter her in the future. …

"We're probably related," I informed her.

"You don't say?" she retorted sarcastically. I scowled and flicked my fingers, causing Mars to blink in confusion. That confusion turned into a catlike yowl (from both her and Glameow), as Loki popped into existence. He snickered as she tumbled out of the seat, while I had a self-satisfied smirk.

"I've barely known you for 10 minutes... but I hate you so much," Mars rasped, gazing at my first pokemon with wide and hateful eyes. I shrugged, turning to focus on the food once more.

"A lot of people do." She panted harshly.

"You're a trainer?" she asked shortly.

"Yeah, I'm a trainer. This is Loki, my Zoroark. He's my first pokemon," I said, smiling wryly as I ran a single hand through his hair. Mars watched as I pulled back my sleeve, revealing the arm strap with my shrunken team.

"A full team," she muttered, trying to hide how impressed she was. I saw her take another look at Loki and smirked at the appreciation behind the indignation.

"I'm not from the Sinnoh region… and after I wrap up my business here, I'm leaving for a very long time. You wanna come with me?" I asked. Mars jolted at my question violently. She (I should just start calling her my twin at this point. Lord knows everyone else was) shot up in surprise, gazing at me with wide eyes. Interestingly enough, there was quite a bit of alarm in them.

"What the fuck? Why would I go with you?!" she barked in confusion. My fellow redhead stepped back as I turned to face her, doubt on her face. I shrugged, allowing the aroma of the food to relax me.

"Figured you'd wanna get to know any family member more. Being an orphan must suck." Her eyes narrowed.

"I've got Cyrus and Team Galactic." My eyes narrowed too, not that she could see it. It would be bad if I told her what my plans for Cyrus were in the future... especially now that I was aware that he sank his claws into Mars at such a young age. Their defeat was already set in stone. It would be a tragedy if Mars joined them and I had to deal with what was essentially my twin.

"You don't wanna come with your long lost cousin?" I asked curiously.

"Well, it's not that I don't just..." Mars trailed off, pursing her lips in contemplation. I huffed in mild amusement. Here I was, of all people, making a sales pitch for my cousin... but she was abrasive in an adorable way and reminded me of myself.... Shit, was I already growing attached? What did those monsters in my gang do to me?

"It's not an easy decision to make, I know... but I also just met my aunt this year, and I bet she'd love to know that I basically have a twin." Mars opened her mouth and then shut it.

"Aunt?" she asked slowly. I nodded.

"My parents are kind of criminals, so I just have my overprotective aunt. We've got a bit of family issues, but I'm sure she'd love one more member to dote on, and I'm more than willing to share her overbearing personality. It's just us two right now." Mars bit her lip, a contemplative expression on her face.

"But… what about my job here?" she asked hesitantly. I shrugged, turning to face her with a small smirk.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. You're free to make any decision you wanna make…" I placed the platter of egg sandwiches in front of her before sitting down to eat my own.

"Just letting you know that if you're bored here, you can come with me. If I can promise you one thing, it's that your life will be a lot more interesting if you accept." Mars stared at me before grabbing a sandwich. She tentatively bit into it, eyes going wide in awe as she slowly chewed.

"Whoa, it's actually good!" she gasped, wolfing down the sandwich in her hand and grabbing another. I twitched in annoyance.

"Did you think I was lying about being able to cook?"

"Duh. You don't look like you can cook for shit. You look permanently grumpy, like you're forced to eat Geodudes for breakfast and they're punching you the whole time." Mars let out a hiss of distress as I reached over to flick her on the head.

"You aren't the only one willing to fight," I warned lowly. She rubbed a hand against her forehead, glaring at me with enough intensity to set my body ablaze.

"What's your name?" she grit out. I smirked, eating my own sandwich slowly.

"Silver. I'm from the Kanto region. Born in Viridian City."

"Silver..." she tested the name on her lips. Her hesitant gaze looked slightly hopeful, no matter how she tried to hide it.

"And we're... family," she said to herself. I nodded.

"I think you're a little unlucky to have me as a family member... but we can just be unlucky together," I decided. There was more silence at that, before she eventually sighed.

"Alright, damnit. I'll go with you. I wanna get to know my family more! Our Aunt has to be a better first impression than you!" she decided, wolfing down another sandwich.

"Lemme just go pack and stuff. Don't leave!" she warned, shooting up. I smirked idly.

"Sure, sure. I'm not going anywhere. Make sure you finish your food," I said calmly.

"Don't order me around! I'm older than you, so you should listen to me!" Mars barked violently. My eye twitched just as violently. I nearly hissed at her, but just contented myself with patting the curious Glameow. It mewled in delight, stretching out atop my lap before resting there.

"You're warming up too fast to him, Glameow. Whose side are you on?" Mars asked flatly. Glameow popped an eye open, but instantly gave up any sign of resistance as I found a sweet spot for patting. Mars met my insufferable smirk with what was quickly becoming a customary glare. I chuckled.

"Oh, and by the way, I still have some things to do in Sinnoh… so we aren't leaving just yet." My cousin gazed at me suspiciously.

"How'd you even know I was in Sinnoh?" she asked. I smiled.

"I have to be sure you're actually coming with me. I can't just tell you all my secrets." Mars glared at me.

"Your name is a secret?!"

"Nah, not really. I'm actually getting fairly well known." She lunged." So are you pleased?" I huffed at Giratina.

"When you said you were going to give me gifts, I wasn't expecting a living, breathing human to be one of them."

"Better for you to love a family member than to despise them. Consider this gift a two-in-one, where your mental health is also spared." I twitched violently.

"What would have even happened if she refused to come with me?"

"You underestimate your charisma... however, if you had failed, I would simply give you another gift." I nodded thoughtfully.

"You're very generous."

"A consequence of valuing little things."

"I'm assuming you got a sense of humor from me?"" You are arrogant."" I am right." I felt more proud than I would have liked to hear silence from the legend.

"I thought I told you not to disappear!" Mars hissed, even as I appeared back in her place. I blinked.

"I suddenly remembered I wanted something real quick, so I nabbed it," I informed her, showing off a pack of pre-poffin mix and a cauldron. Mars blinked owlishly.

"Poffins? You wanna make them?" she asked in interest. I nodded.

"For my team. More fulfilling option over a quick snack like Pokeblocks. I've got a lot of berries already, so I just needed this stuff." I had been growing berries nonstop since I stole my Berry Pots at Slateport. That had been about 9 months ago... and Oberon loved picking berries too. Needless to say, I was not starving for options when it came to using up berries, which was a good thing because I might be going through them like paper soon. My hindsight was unintentionally powerful, with growing berries...

you'd understand soon. My twin nodded.

"So where to?" Mars asked, slinging a backpack (provided by Galactic, so it was state of the art) over her that was packed with everything she'd need. I took the liberty of taking everything else. It wasn't a lot since her apartment was slightly barren, but her fridge was fully loaded with food that my greedy heart couldn't let go to waste. She was wearing a white hooded jacket with a golden G on it, along with black pantyhose. Finally, she wore white sneakers.

Huh, she actually looked pretty neat out of that ridiculous galactic uniform (which was funny because her uniform was the least terrible). Before, she had been in her pajamas, but she knew how to dress up nicely.

"We're going somewhere between The Great Marsh and Lake Valor," I said with a contemplative frown. Mars raised a brow in confusion.

"That's really far from here. How long do you plan on staying in Sinnoh?"

"I plan on being out by tomorrow," I grunted, grabbing her hand. Before my cousin could say anything about my antics, she let out a shout of surprise, as Giratina once more performed its signature move. While I had no intention of using Giratina like this (I didn't want to use the power of any god. Do you think I'm stupid? I didn't even wanna use my psychic abilities either). I wouldn't say no for the time being. I needed to be in and out of Sinnoh asap, so for the time being, I'd utilize the resources given to me.

"What the hell was that?!" Mars hissed, gazing at me with wide eyes.

"Did you think I was joking when I called myself a clone of you? How do you think we look just like each other, when we're only 6 months apart?" I retorted. Mars stepped back warily, and I turned towards her.

"I actually was joking." She nearly lunged at me again, a scowl set firmly on her face.

"Is it normal for your eyes to switch between red and silver? Or is that another secret of yours?" she asked warily. I blinked.

"You're a lot smarter than I give you credit for. How'd you know I was gonna say it's a secret?" I asked, genuinely impressed.

"You already think I'm stupid?! What did I even do?!" Mars hissed.

"It's nothing you did... just a version of you from an alternate future," I said thoughtfully. I easily grabbed her arm, disarming her punch with too much ease. She yelped in surprise as I countered with a gentle flick to the head.

"I'll teach you how to throw a punch. No relative of mine can go without knowing how to defend themself," I informed her.

"I really think I made a mistake agreeing to come with you, bastard," she muttered, expression baleful. It was actually kind of funny messing with her.

"C'mon. This way," I muttered, dragging her in a seemingly random direction. Apparently, there was a location in the forests of Route 213, in between Lake Valor and the Great Marsh, that I'd find useful. What was it? No idea. Giratina just told me it would be valuable.

"So is it only you and Glameow?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Being a trainer sounds fun and boss Cyrus has encouraged me to catch more… but I never really had the time," she admitted.

"Hm. Well, if you wanna be one, just become one," I shrugged.

"It's not that easy," Mars muttered, pushing a large leaf out of the way. I glanced at her.

"What's hard about it?" I drawled. She groaned in frustration.

"A sponsor for one! Now that I've quit Galactic, I would need someone who believes I can be a trainer! Not to mention, being a trainer is seriously expensive!" she informed me. I tilted my head.

"I think you could be a trainer."

"Gee, thanks, little brother! I can't wait until you sponsor me!" she snarked. I rolled my eyes at her. This must have been how people felt talking to me.

"Don't worry, I plan on winning the League and that'll give me a lot of money… If you wanna be a trainer, I'll support you. I might be too young to sponsor you, though... but I recently got an influx of money, so I'm not starving for it or anything." Mars abruptly stopped whatever she was going to say. She stared strangely at me, and I nearly laughed aloud at seeing the red tinge of embarrassment on her cheeks.

"Who wouldn't wanna be a trainer?" she grumbled. I snorted.

"We have Aunt as well. If I put in the word, I'm sure she'd love to sponsor you... because she'd love to sponsor me." Mars looked perplexed.

"Do you really think she'll accept me, just like that?" she asked incredulously. I turned to stare at her before smiling confidently.

"I'm way worse than you, and she loves me like I'm her world. I was surprised she could love me so quickly... so you might be just as shocked." It took her some time, but Mars nodded eventually. I didn't miss the hopeful look in her eyes, prompting me to lean over and ruffle her hair.

"Hey, stop that! Didn't I already tell you I'm the older one?!" she complained, batting my hand away.

"You just make it too easy," I shrugged helplessly. She grumbled obscenities under her breath.

"Who is our aunt, anyway? What's her name?" she asked.

"Lorelei Prima Canna. Be sure to call her by her full name, she loves that," I encouraged. Mars nodded thoughtfully, brows furrowed in contemplation.

"Lorelei...? Where have I heard that before?" she muttered... before shrugging to herself. I snorted in mild amusement.

"C'mon, it shouldn't be that long a journey. Follow me."

"By the way, give me whatever device you have that allows you to communicate." Mars looked mildly confused.

"My Pokegear? Sure, why?" she asked, giving me a plain red one.

"You have anything important on it?" I asked.

"No, not really—" she cut herself off with a slack jaw as I tossed it to Loki for him to shred.

"Can't have anyone tracking us, now can we?" I muttered, gazing at the broken device with some satisfaction.

"W-Why did you just break my Pokegear?!" she barked, lunging at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I just didn't want us to be tracked, and I don't trust anything gifted to you," I explained. She scowled.

"I want the newest model. You're paying for it."

"I was gonna do that anyway. I'm not that much of a dick, and I have the most recent model too," I informed her.

"I'll even get you a Poketch." Mars nodded slowly.

"Okay, fine," she said, looking distinctly pleased. Lorelei would love her. Mars clearly had no issue using other people's money. We were at some sort of shrine located in a cave. Much like what I was quickly growing to hate about this fucking region, cold air greeted us, stale while carrying the smell of wet stone. Dust lay all over the floor, but the only footsteps were the ones courtesy of Mars and me. It was evident that no one had been in this shrine for quite a long time, as evidenced by its poor condition.

I wasn't exactly sure what Giratina wanted from me here, but I entered with a bit of hesitance. Mars trailed behind me, looking back and forth with a wary expression. The most peculiar thing about this shrine was the statues. They seemed to be a pokemon of some sort, but evidently, I couldn't make out what it was.

"Do you recognize this pokemon?" Mars asked me. I shook my head, wiping a single gloved finger on it and grunting at the amount of dust.

"Maybe some type of Rhyhorn?" I muttered. The statues were in horrible condition, weathered away by time and water. I couldn't tell what they were supposed to be, beyond some quadrupedal creature. Interestingly enough, they were lined up in rows and parallel to each other, leading up to a lone statue that I actually could kind of make out. The statue was also quadrupedal, with some type of hair around a humped back? I couldn't make out what it was because it was a carved statue…

And underneath the statue was a pedestal with a block on it. I tilted my head in confusion.

"Is this my gift?" I asked curiously.

"Indeed. Take it; you will find out its purpose in due time." I pursed my lips and nodded, grabbing the block. It didn't look very impressive, as if it were made with dried mud, but interestingly enough, it was in the best condition of anything in here. Clearly, this wasn't a normal block of mud, but what the hell did that mean for me? Ugh, whatever. Giratina was giving me the strangest gifts ever. From a living, breathing person to a block of mud that survived the tales of time.

Well, if it were anything like Mars, I'm sure it'd show its interest in due time.

"One more location," I murmured to the fascinated Mars.

"Will you tell me afterwards, just what the hell you're doing? Why did we come here? Don't tell me it was all for a piece of mud," she questioned, red eyes narrowed.

"You and Aunt will learn at the same time. I'm not a fan of speaking more than necessary unless it's to belittle someone," I murmured, grasping her hand once more and getting a startled yelp out of her. I saw her look away in embarrassment and hazarded a guess that she wasn't the most affectionate around. Heh, really did run in the family. Just like being criminals, I guess. Once again, we weren't at an exact location. We were somewhere in the forests of Route 217, and as a result, I was cold as all fucking hell.

It was made even worse, considering it was pitch dark out right now. I had arrived in Sinnoh in the early morning, and now it was nearing midnight. Well, this was definitely time-efficient. Giratina was very much being generous when they said this wouldn't take longer than 3 days. I'd be done on Day 2 after all.

"Bad with the cold?" Mars asked, an insufferable smirk on her face as she jammed her hands in her jacket pockets.

"I'll let you sleep out in this cold while I enjoy my heated-up tent," I snarled at her, a sharp shiver rocking my body. She held up her hands… before pausing.

"You're gonna share your tent with me?" she asked. I rolled my eyes.

"I already know you didn't prepare one. Unless you plan on killing me in my sleep, which will fail by the way, then yeah." Mars huffed.

"You're extremely annoying."

"I know," I replied bluntly, releasing the entirety of my team. My cousin let out a gasp of surprise at the sight of my monsters, eyes shooting open in awe.

"Holy shit!" she gaped, eyes roving over the members. My team was no better. Besides Loki and Metagross, everyone was staring at Mars with their mouths open.

"Hey there, guys. This is Mars. Mars, this is my team," I introduced calmly. Mars looked stunned.

"Whoa... your team looks strong," she said, suddenly a little meek. I smirked proudly.

"We're only getting stronger. Since you're coming with me, you'll probably get to watch my performance at the League."

"Wow," Mars muttered, only to let out a squeal as a vine wrapped around her. She was summarily yanked, Glameow jumping out of her grasp before so, into my team and came face to face with my starter. Gaia was staring at Mars with wide eyes. Her head shot back and forth, gazing at my twin and then me.

"Megan?!" she gaped.

"I agree with Nature's Favorite Child. Why are there two of you?" Metagross groaned audibly. I chuckled.

"Mars will be coming with us back to Kanto. Be nice to her," I said kindly. Mars shivered, eyes shrinking as Ares stared her down. Ares said something in her tongue then nodded in satisfaction, bounding over to me like an overly excited puppy. My cousin let out a shout of surprise as both the Charcadets leapt onto her. I snorted in amusement, allowing her to get accustomed to my members.

"They're nice, don't worry. My team loves me way too much to even think about attacking my twin," I assured, preparing to make food for us all. Mars and Glameow looked stunned by my soldiers, gazing at the monsters with wide eyes.

"Whoa, dude, is that a Milotic?" she gaped. Freyja crooned, looking utterly delighted at the sight of a double of me. She wrapped around Mars and nuzzled her cheek, getting an awed laugh out of her. I watched with a small smile as Mars grew acquainted with my team. She hugged both the Charcadets, glared at the amused Loki while reluctantly raking his hair, shrieked at the feeling of Arachne crawling up her arm... It was nice. I enjoyed the normalcy of life, so having another relative wasn't so bad.

She didn't become useless just yet, so I'd make sure it stayed that way. That meant it was up to me to ensure she became an actually competent trainer.

"Nice tent," Mars yawned, looking completely stuffed. I grunted, pulling out my Pokegear. I was just as stuffed, having made a bit more food than I anticipated. Green and I tended to eat a lot. Mars didn't eat nearly as much as either of us at the moment, though I imagine that would change as soon as she started journeying. You: Checking in on you before I go to sleep. Ice Cold Stalker: That's very thoughtful. I'm fine, Silver. I will also be sleeping very soon. You won't sleep over here?

You: Not tonight, and before you ask, I turned my location off so you didn't check up on me. Ice Cold Stalker: I do not appreciate your constant attempts to expose me. Goodnight. You: Night, Aunt. Ice Cold Stalker:... You:... Love you. Ice Cold Stalker::). I love you too. I sighed in annoyance. She was killing me here.

"Dude, what the hell? Your Pokegear is so cool!" Mars gasped. My cousin immediately invaded my personal space, gazing at my corrupted device with wide eyes.

"Custom-made," I informed her, allowing her to peek over my shoulder to stare at the messages. Mars blinked slowly.

"What the fuck? I can't read anything," she said incredulously. I blinked in return.

"Huh? I'm messaging Aunt. You can't tell?" I asked.

"Nope. Just looks like a bunch of upside-down letters," she replied in confusion.... Huh. It looked perfectly fine to me, but I wouldn't be too surprised if that wasn't the case for others. Hm...

"I get it, another question for when we're with Aunt," Mars murmured, yawning again. I nodded easily.

"You catch on quickly. For now, we'll get some sleep."

"Way ahead of you," she exhaled, head hitting the pillow. A snort left me.

"You sure are making yourself comfortable. Haven't you warmed up to me a little too fast?" I wondered, an insufferable smirk on my face. Mars sneered.

"I've got no choice! I basically threw my old life away to go with you, so I've gotta put up with you!" I chuckled, ruffling her red hair.

"Be more honest with yourself; the idea of having a brother makes you happy." She flushed, batting my hand away in annoyance.

"Your ego is way too much for being the little brother." I rolled my eyes.

"You sure are latching onto the fact that you're 6 months older than me, aren't you?" I questioned. She puffed up smugly.

"You can say whatever you want, but one thing that'll never change is that I'm older than you." I scowled.

"Take your cheap victory then; you won't get them often." Mars grinned victoriously, but her expression quickly sobered up. I tilted my head as she began fidgeting slightly.

"What's up?" I questioned curiously, knowing that Mars was a bit like me... just less subtle with her emotions.

"Could ya... tell me about our Aunt? Not for any particular reason... I just wanna know what I'm getting into," she muttered. I chuckled, forgoing teasing her for the moment because she did seem antsy. Before she could misinterpret why I was laughing (brawling in my tent wasn't the greatest... speaking from experience), I decided to speak up.

"Aunt is annoying," I began with a small smile. Mars blinked.

"Annoying?" she questioned, clearly surprised. I nodded.

"She's overbearing, overprotective, overanalyzing, and one of the biggest dorks I know," I listed.

"Do you actually hate her?" Mars asked in disbelief, a bead of sweat forming on her head.

"Not at all. She's one of the few people I can proudly say I love. She's a dork... but she's also willing to go above and beyond to show troubled kids like you and me that there's someone in the world who's willing to love us," I said confidently. Mars looked stunned by my words. She probably picked up already on how similar we were, so she must have known this wasn't something I'd say for free.

"You think she'll love me?" Mars asked quietly. I smiled. I think I know why Mars was so loyal to Team Galactic now... because she had nothing else.

"Without a doubt. You're my little sister after all," I assured, palming her hair easily. Mars' eyes lit up before she could hide it. She hit my hand again, turning away from me with a flush.

"If anything, you should be calling me your older sister, you little baby!" she hissed.

"You seem a little too happy about that," I mused knowingly.

"Shut up! Would you just go to sleep?!" Okay, this was a little fun. I preferred this outcome to having another relative as a psychotic villain. Mars stopped as I held up a hand. My eyes were narrowed, focused on the waist-deep snow ahead of us. We were currently traversing the deep forests of Route 217. The trees were caked in snow, the air constantly bit us, and every step was met with resistance. This cold was different from Seafoam's.

While not as cold as Articuno's domain, the sheer amount of snow made it almost as oppressive on the body. At the very least, I was a little more prepared for the weather this time. The cold was insufferable, but I could deal with it... For the most part. Oberon was once again out and about, while Mars and I sat easily on a floating Metagross. We had been traversing for the better part of an hour now, Giratina wanting me to "enjoy the sights" before reaching my destination or something. What a funny legend.

Regardless, the reason I held up my hand for Mars to stop was because I was seeing a lot of tracks on the floor. They were numerous, and upon deeper inspection, I saw scratch marks on the trees as well.

"We're in Weavile territory," I muttered to her. Like I expected, Mars immediately went stiff, a tinge of fear appearing on her face at the thought. If this were earlier in my journey, I'd get the hell out of here as fast as possible. Weaviles never traveled alone, so if you saw one, you were getting played like a fool who was probably already dead because the others had you surrounded with nowhere to run. While Weaviles left humans alone, that was only if you were near a settlement or town. Around here?

With just the snow? I was more surprised we weren't already being preyed upon. That probably meant the Weaviles were hunting something else. I glanced into the trees curiously, not seeing any type of shadows.

"Don't be scared, Mars. I'm strong," I reassured, patting Oberon's fur with a small smile. Oberon puffed up, grinning happily at my unwavering faith in him. She nodded hesitantly.

"We're going deeper into their territory? Is that smart?"

"My goal is over there, so I think yeah," I muttered, even as Metagross continued their leisure pace. As we traversed deeper into the forest, Oberon suddenly sniffed the air once. A dangerous look immediately made its way to his face, and he snarled. He took a step, only to pause and gaze questioningly at me.

"He detects blood," Metagross informed me. I mulled that over and nodded.

"Go faster. Let's go help whatever is about to die, tampering with nature be damned."

"Huh?!" Mars gaped, only to shriek as Metagross suddenly sped through the air, Oberon hot on our tails. It didn't take us long to see what was going on, and my eyes widened in slight surprise at the sight of a group of Weaviles leering at..." Two shiny Sneasels?" I thought in surprise. The 5 Weaviles snapped to attention, gazing warily at us and going still as Oberon let out a furious roar. They stepped back instinctively, eyes darting between one another and communicating silently.

It didn't take a genius to see that they were attempting to kill off their pre-evolution. Wow, killing a shiny pokemon because it wasn't the exact same as you? Kinda fucked up. Metagross let out a single warning noise, making the Dark types go pale in realization. They hissed furiously at me, darting off and scaling the trees. Oberon snarled warningly at them, watching as they scattered, and I turned to the pair of shiny Sneasels with a stern frown. They were bleeding, cut marks in them that didn't look very good.

Blood was seeping into their white body and the snow below, causing me to huff in some concern. I reached for my bag and released Gaia in the same movement. The two Sneasel flinched back, terror on their faces as I stood over them. They instinctively relaxed as Gaia let out a gentle murmur, wrapping healing vines around them. Now that I thought about it, Shiny Sneasel was pink, wasn't it? I guess not all shinies would be the same color, but two of them? Hm." They are not shiny. This is my final gift to you…

Sneasel is a pokemon you are often associated with… so here you are, one of your own. A location scarcely visited by human eyes. The true wilds of this world wield many things, whether that be abnormally powerful pokemon, or those lost to time, struggling to survive and adapt." I scowled in mild annoyance. The "True Wilds," as Giratina described it, was basically the territory of the routes that humans barely (if ever) visited. Think of those deep trees in the video games that you could never walk past.

There were all manner of things here, but it carried quite a bit of risk. The wild pokemon tended to be far more powerful, one of the reasons that humans didn't bother building around them. It also came with the chance of encountering pokemon you normally would not see. Fully evolved specimens, ones native to other regions... or a species of a pokemon that should no longer exist. While I agreed to the gifts, I didn't expect Giratina to just hand me some shit like this.

I didn't much fancy being gifted some never-before-seen pokemon... it felt cheap. Now, all of a sudden, I was thinking about that weird block from earlier. What exactly the hell was that?

"I just caught a pokemon. Catching another one is reckless, Giratina."" Will you let them die? They will not survive here for long, which is why I opted to give them to you. I do not mind and will even prepare another gift for you if so." … I sighed.

"Hey, little fellas. You two alright?" I asked, crouching in front of the slightly bloodied Sneasels." Are their names still Sneasel?" I asked quietly." Yes. They are simply from my region some time ago."

"Define some time ago."

"Some hundreds of years." I twitched violently before pausing in realization.

"That's why Gold's Typhlosion took that form that no one knows about! It's from hundreds of years ago and probably doesn't exist anymore!" I gasped in realization.

"Correct. Long ago, this region had another name... and it was rife with my distortion. I am the direct cause of many of these alternate forms that no longer exist. You will likely never see some of them... likely," Giratina informed me.

"What type of Sneasel are these?" Mars muttered in surprise, eyes wide.

"Dunno," I muttered in return. They were watching us warily, and I pulled out a couple of poke blocks for them to snack on." They are dying out for a reason. Their brethren hunt down any they see, and the numbers game allows them very little to do but succumb. Not only that, the change in environment is growing far more inhospitable for their kind."" Alright, alright!" I hissed. I didn't like being a god's plaything very much, but I could get over it… But this?

I wasn't a fan at all of it, using special privileges to guide me to things." I'm well aware. The only reason I've done this is that I promised you three gifts. Regardless, your allies have been utilizing my "special gifts" as well, so there is no need for you to feel as if you are cheating." Well... I guess that was fair. If anything, it seemed like Gold was taking advantage of Giratina more than I was.

There was also the fact that all three of my gang had a ghost-type over me, utilizing what was no doubt Giratina to get a faster power boost. Huh... that was why Dree evolved so early. Giratina was probably boosting the hell out of him.

"You're helping Green and Gold way more, don't you think?" I asked sarcastically. A pulse of amusement.

"Would you like me to assist you all equally?" I shrugged.

"Crystal's getting left to the wayside. Mismagius got a pretty huge boost, but that's hardly fair."

"Very well. I do not care for the others of your gang, but I will help." I raised a brow at that and shrugged. As long as it didn't put too heavy a hand in, I was fine.

"You do not have to worry about my assisting you whenever the situation calls for it, because that is not something you would wish for. If you call my name, I will help... but you won't do that, which is why I do not mind helping." That would explain why I almost died to Fraxure with no interference… Alright, I was fine with that. I didn't want a safety net that would bail me out of everything. Let me pay for my actions. Cynthia was an outlier, though.

I didn't even wanna be in Sinnoh, so for right now, Giratina and I were fully partners. The Sneasel duo ate the pokeblocks warily before their eyes lit up at the taste. They feasted on them with yowls of delight, melting in Gaia's vines as she soothingly healed them. They didn't seem as toxic as their counterparts, but I was still surprised to see them both curl against me. Both Sneasel seemed a little reserved... but I could already tell that if left here, they'd just die.

There was likely a reason they evolved into Dark and Ice types: to adapt to Sinnoh's harsh climate.

"You two wanna come with us? I'll make sure no one hurts you anymore," I murmured. The two didn't hesitate to nod, gazing up at me with twinkling eyes. I gave the surprised Mars a Luxury Ball and just beckoned for her to take the one she was slowly patting. Mine had a shorter feather, which meant it was probably female, and I promptly placed it into the ball, sighing softly as it shook harshly before settling.

"You're telling me to catch this one?" Mars asked slowly. I pinched my nose.

"Yeah. Better for us to each have one than for me to have two. You wanna be a trainer, right?" I asked easily. She nodded slowly, gazing at the Sneasel with wide eyes. Without much thought behind it, she numbly tapped the ball against its head, engulfing the creature in a flash of red. I let loose a quiet breath. In an instant, I had gained two new members. I wasn't quite expecting to catch another member so soon after Joltik, but... oh well. This was fine. It had been a while, so a few new team members were due.

Haven't even made it to a new region, and I was capping out my team.

"What exactly is going on?" Mars asked in disbelief. My twin gazed at her ball dumbly, but despite that, I could still see the slight happiness there.

"I know. I'm more than a little confused myself," I replied coolly.

"Alright. We're done here, I think. Back to Kanto we go… then I'll explain everything to you and Aunt." Mars stared incredulously at me.

"... Just like that? We go to two confusing ass locations, you find some random shit... and now we're going back to Kanto?"

"Yep."

"You are really frustrating."

"Don't say that around my gang. They'll take the chance to dogpile me, and then I'll fight all of you."

"... You have a gang too?"

"Long story. At least you don't really qualify... though your eyes are the color of your name... fuck."

"... What the fuck are you talking about, Silver?"

"Twinleaf Town? What are we doing here?" Mars asked warily.

"I'm just going to verify something. Stay here," I murmured, dashing off with Loki trailing me.

"Hey, wait! Damn... he's fast," Mars muttered, shaking her head as I vanished. I had no interest in being here longer than I had to. I just wanted to verify some things for myself. No one reacted as I slunk into the quaint town because no one even saw me enter. It wasn't even because I was invisible (I definitely was), but because the town was just empty. Few houses littered the area, more than its counterpart, but far less than a city.

"Verifying the existence of future members of your group? Has the name Platinum given you such urgency?"

"I just want to verify their existence to see what I'm working with," I muttered, walking up to a sign of one of the houses. The Pearl Residence, it read. I pursed my lips. Pearl, huh? Satisfied with that, I waltzed to the next building. This one didn't have any name I recognized, and a quick look verified that the family in there was just random. Was this creepy? Yes. I fully acknowledged that, but... eh, I had done worse as a criminal. The next house verified what I was looking for. On it read, The Berlitz Home!

Berlitz? That was the name of Dawn, wasn't it? Did that mean she was a different person from Akari Platinum? Was Akari even a Dawn counterpart? Was her name not Dawn? Hm... do I go in and verify?... Nah, I wasn't a fucking creep. Sneaking into a house just to verify a child's appearance was a little much for me. A quick check showed that none of the houses were Diamond either, leading me to believe that Lucas/Diamond was probably in Sandgem. Hm... alright then. I verified what I needed to. I was done here.

I stared in a random direction, head tilted, before walking off to find Mars. Lorelei blinked blearily as her pokegear began ringing. She hesitantly grabbed it, blinking even harsher at seeing who it was.

"Silver?" she mumbled." Hey, Aunt. I'm sleeping with you today." She didn't even blink at his rather rude statement; Lorelei was far too used to Silver's antics to get offended by something so tame.

"Okay… that's fine with me. Do you need me to open the door?" she yawned, standing up and tightening her robe." Yeah." Lorelei nodded and made her way to the door. She was at her private home in Indigo, and Silver had already been allowed access... not that he cared because he still snuck in. As she opened the door (Silver normally entered through the window? Why the door today?), Lorelei had to blink repeatedly. She must have still been tired…

because Lorelei could have sworn she was currently looking at two Silvers. The Ice Master continued to blink. She did not have her glasses on; she was just waking up, and she was still very groggy. But even despite those conditions... Lorelei was very sure that the two Silvers were not a trick of the eye.

"Silver did Mewtwo clone you?" she asked slowly. He opened his mouth… before shutting it, a disturbed expression on his face.

"I dunno. That could be very possible," he said.

"You don't know… so who's this?" she asked slowly, shifting her gaze to the other one. Upon closer inspection, the first thing Lorelei noticed… was that the other Silver was a girl and that girl was staring at her with an open mouth. Lorelei watched the girl whirl towards Silver with a snarl of disbelief.

"Y-YOU NEVER TOLD ME OUR AUNT WAS ELITE 4 LORELEI!" she hissed loudly. O-Our Aunt?! Silver put a finger in his ear.

"Yes, I did... I told you her full ass name. Lorelei Prima Canna." Lorelei watched the girl's eye twitch harshly (she felt the natural swell of embarrassment at hearing her full name come out of Silver's mouth). She would have felt a burst of sympathy, gazing at the twins ready to argue... but forgive her if she was just a little confused about the fact that there were currently TWO SILVERS IN FRONT OF HER!

"Hey, Aunt, I don't know our exact relation, but this is Mars and we're definitely related," Silver said blandly.

"Nice to meet you, Lorelei Prima Canna… Silver told me your name is Lorelei, but he never mentioned you being Elite 4 Lorelei... You look even uh… prettier in person," Mars said lamely, awkwardly shuffling in place. The girl immediately whirled to glare at the snorting Silver.

"Bwah," Lorelei said uselessly, gazing at the twins with wide eyes. They looked remarkably similar, with the exception of their eye color. What in the world was this? Did Silver have a twin?! Silver tugged Mars' arm and dragged the surprised girl into Lorelei's home. Lorelei numbly closed the door as the two entered, red eyes roving between the two as her mind short-circuited.

"Dude, I think we broke her," Mars whispered.

"Give it some time," Silver muttered, placing his bag down. He walked up, hugged Lorelei, something she mindlessly returned, and gave her a very quick and short kiss on the cheek, something she also mindlessly returned (with far more enthusiasm, even despite the situation), before making his way to her room. The sight of him walking away without even thinking of saying anything snapped her out of her daze. Lorelei's eye twitched at his antics. He could not be serious right now.

"Silver! Explain now!" she demanded. He stared at her.

"But I'm tired," he said.

"Now!" Silver groaned.

"Fine."

"So you're from Sinnoh?" Lorelei asked Mars gently. I watched my cousin nod.

"I don't know my parents… that's why I was surprised to see someone who looks just like me," she explained truthfully.

"And you recently turned 13 this year, while Silver still has until December…" Lorelei trailed off.

"Do you have a sibling you don't know about?" I asked my aunt. Lorelei pursed her lips.

"Possibly? But you two look so similar, I find it difficult to believe she is not Ariana's daughter..." she trailed off.

"Strong genes. We're all redheads too," I pointed out with an amused smile.

"I have no interest in speaking to my parents at the moment either," Lorelei muttered, pinching her nose and sighing. My aunt recovered quickly. Actually, judging by the slight glow on her face, she was pleased by this outcome. Her eyes just kept shifting over to both Mars and me, a small smile forming on her face that was growing larger and larger.

"Well then, Mars, if you don't mind, I would love to get to know you more. I'm not sure our exact relation, but you're family and that's all that matters," Lorelei said gently. Mars looked stunned for a moment before nodding her head with a matching smile.

"Oh, and please just call me Lorelei. I am not fond of being called by my full name," she insisted. Mars opened her mouth, only to shut it. She immediately turned to glare at me with a wild look in her eyes.

"YOU SET ME UP!" she roared. I shrugged.

"Oops. I thought she loved being called by her name." I watched as both Lorelei and Mars twitched at my words with a small smirk. My aunt took a deep breath.

"Now, Mars... please don't make a first impression on me based on what I'm about to do. You'll soon find out this is very necessary." Mars only had a second to look confused before my aunt whirled towards me with a sharp glare.

"What were you doing in Sinnoh, Silver?! How did you even get there?! How did you even know about Mars?! Explain yourself!" she demanded.

"Oh, I understand completely. I've barely known him for a few days, but I understand," Mars said. I sighed. My family was so annoying.

"Well, basically, I'm possessed by the Devil." … …

"Huh?" Lorelei said slowly. Mars' jaw dropped.

"That's how you're able to do all that stuff?!" I nodded.

"You ever heard of Giratina? Yeah, well, not all my problems were because of Mewtwo. Me being a psychic deterrent isn't because of Team Rocket, it's because of them." I got up and pointed to my shadow. I watched both Lorelei and Mars go pale in disbelief as two red eyes appeared for less than a second, vanishing as quickly as they came.

"Wait, please hold on. I'm being overloaded with far too much information," Lorelei held up a hand, eyes locked onto my shadow once more. I saw her shiver slightly, eyes wide in alarm.

"You think you are?! The whole time I've been with him, I've just been confused and pissed!" Mars gaped, staring at me with wide eyes." You wouldn't have dreamed of telling anyone this before," Giratina noted." They'll accept me no matter what. I've gotta trust them too."

"By Giratina… do you mean the ancient legendary known as the Renegade?" Lorelei questioned, ripping her gaze off my shadow to gaze at me. I nodded.

"You know about it?"

"Not much… No one does, really. There are passages of it... But those are shoddy at best," she explained. Mars nodded in agreement.

"I've heard some about it. I didn't know it was real, though." I laughed and pulled out the Griseous Orb.

"This is their orb. I went to Sinnoh to retrieve it." Lorelei looked disturbed.

"Silver… that's incredibly dangerous. Of the few things I've heard about Giratina, nothing has been good." I waved her off.

"Don't worry. It's mostly propaganda; Giratina has been helpful to me, and since I don't have any plans to take over the universe, they don't either."" Do not sound so confident when you claim my whims are based on yours."" Of course, of course."

"So you're sure you're fine?" Lorelei asked worriedly. I nodded, placing my hand against her own with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I am. Believe it or not, Giratina actually saved my life multiple times." Lorelei sighed, raking a thumb over my knuckles.

"I can't believe what you've done to me, you reckless boy."

"This is normal?" Mars asked weakly.

"More than I'm comfortable admitting," Lorelei admitted, just as weak. I chuckled at them both.

"Oh, by the way, I encountered Cynthia over there while trespassing in an area I was definitely not supposed to go to. I'm fairly sure she's gonna try to find out who I am now, and since she has a Lucario, it'll probably be sooner rather than later... but that's still pretty late." Lorelei and Mars stared incredulously at me.

"Giratina also almost killed her, but I managed to make them stop. I think that'll give me a couple of brownie points," I added as an afterthought.

"After the League, you're grounded. I'm actually going to ground you for two years," Lorelei said flatly. I held up my hands.

"Fine. I wanted to hang out with you anyway." She gripped my cheek immediately.

"Stop that! Don't think you can talk your way out of this!"

"Oh, and I caught another new pokemon. I might need to increase the limit," I flashed her a thumbs up. Lorelei groaned loudly.

"I've barely woken up, Silver."

"While I absolutely adore the idea of having a nephew and a niece... You wouldn't willingly bring Mars with you, Silver. What caused you to do such a thing?" Lorelei asked truthfully, raking a hand through the embarrassed Mars' hair.

"He uh... didn't expect to see me either. When we looked at each other, I think we were both shocked," Mars added thoughtfully. I mulled their words over.

"I... was not expecting to run into someone who looked just like me, yeah. I just went where I was sent and got the shock of my life."

"You and me both," Mars muttered.

"I believe it is aptly fit for me also to agree," Lorelei mumbled. I raked a hand through my hair.

"I promised I'd be more honest with you, so I will be." Lorelei's raking stopped. She turned towards me with wide eyes, and I huffed. I kinda wish Green were here. I wanted to tell her too. She was my Day 1, so she more than anyone deserved to know... But I could just tell her later. Perhaps this would be better if we discussed it privately. That's how all our personal talks normally went... it was only fitting that this one went like that too.

"So, do you remember how I told you I was supposed to die in the experiments?" I told her. Mars choked on her spit.

"Excuse me?! That's a crazy way to start something!" she gaped. I smiled thinly.

"I'll tell you about my journey sometime later, Mars."

"I've known you for a couple of days... do I really wanna know?" Mars croaked weakly.

"Only if you want," I shrugged, turning towards the smiling Lorelei. Her eyes were glittering despite the upcoming heaviness. She was genuinely such a dork, so I wasn't surprised at all that the discovery of another family member sent her over the moon. I knew she would love Mars.

"Back to the topic," I said firmly.

"The reason I survived the experiments was because of Giratina. They stabilized the cells in my body... by placing part of someone else's spirit inside me."...

"What...?" Mars gaped in confusion. Lorelei's expression was unreadable, but I could already see all the gears running through her head.

"While I'm definitely still Silver, I kinda have some of their memories... and those memories include a lot of details involving this world." There was a tense silence, but I continued.

"I brought Mars with me because... in the future, the job she's working at is going to reveal itself as a criminal team, and they're brainwashing her to be loyal to their cause," I said slowly.

"... What did you say?" Mars asked quietly. I crossed my arms.

"Cyrus, Jupiter, and Saturn. That's the name of your coworkers, right?" I asked. She nodded, gazing at me with doubt that would probably shift into anger very soon if I didn't get to the point.

"Cyrus is a big guy, right? Tall, blue hair, never smiles?" I guessed. Mars jolted back.

"And Jupiter has purple hair, looks like an idiot?" I pressed.

"Finally, Saturn is another guy with dark blue hair, designed incredibly stupid, like some type of moon?" Mars looked disturbed.

"You know how they all look... but how? We aren't really famous or anything..."

"It's because he has an unnatural amount of knowledge." Lorelei had a look of realization on her face.

"That is why you know the location of so many Legendaries, isn't it?" I nodded in confirmation.

"I know a lot of things, more than others would ever know. That's how I know things I shouldn't," I said softly. My brows furrowed.

"Maybe there's a chance I'm wrong... but in an alternate reality, Team Galactic is going to attempt to erase this universe." Lorelei and Mars looked horrified by my declaration.

"BULLSHIT!" Mars shouted, slamming a hand on the table.

"Erase the universe? Don't think just because we're related, I'll let you talk about my team like that!" she snarled. I didn't flinch at her anger.

"Cyrus is lying to all of you. His goal is to start a new universe free of emotions. He planned on using all his commanders to accomplish that... by hunting down the Lake Guardians of Sinnoh, Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit." I watched with a frown as the color drained from Mars' face.

"Do those names sound familiar?" I questioned.

"... I've been studying them on Cyrus's suggestion. He said it's important to learn some of Sinnoh's history," she said quietly. I tilted my head.

"Then tell me, what about the names Dialga and Palkia?"

"..." Mars said nothing, shutting her eyes.

"You don't know if they're going to destroy the universe." Not even she sounded like she believed that.

"No, we don't. I'm not all knowing... I just know of possibilities." Mars stared at me bitterly.

"So what? You took me to weaken Team Galactic? That's it?" she asked. She recoiled in surprise at my loud snort.

"No offense, Mars... but by the time Team Galactic is on the move, I don't even think you would have been an appetizer for me," I said honestly.

"What?!" Mars questioned with confusion and outrage. I shook my head.

"You see my team now. How strong do you think I'll become in a few years? How strong would you become if I never found you?" Mars said nothing at my truthful statement.

"Silver and his allies... they all wield a dangerous talent that will shine in a few years. Even my status is not safe. They will take this world by storm, and we can do nothing but prepare for it," Lorelei agreed readily. Villain teams were so focused on their task that they hardly managed to reach the apex as trainers. By the time Sinnoh came around, who knew how strong I'd be? I was still only a first year after all.

"I just... couldn't stand the thought of a family member of mine going through something similar to me... and then having to deal with me. Our paths would have crossed one day, and I would have personally dealt with you... which would honestly have sucked." I placed both my hands on her shoulder, watching as she wavered slightly at my earnest words.

"I'm tired of my family members being useless to me... so if I can help you out, I will. You deserve a useful family, too," I said truthfully. This was the first time someone's fate was so strongly in my hands before. The entire future of Mars hinged on whether or not I invited her to come with me. It was either she comes back to Kanto with me, where she'll get to experience what it's like to have a family...

or I leave her in Sinnoh, where she would continue to be indoctrinated into Team Galactic until she was of age and one of their commanders... leading up to an inevitable meeting where I get fed up with having idiotic members of my family be criminals and I take it out on her. That was a no-brainer. I'd have no right getting upset with Mars if I had a chance to save her from that fate and didn't take it. Mars looked stunned by my statement.

She gazed at me with wide eyes, and I felt a wry smirk forming at the dusting of red that signified her embarrassment.

"S-Shut up, dork," she mumbled, turning away from me.

"Fine! I guess I can stick around for a little longer, but when the time comes... I want to see with my own eyes if Team Galactic really is going to do what you said they'd do!" she said in determination. I nodded.

"Sure. I don't expect it for a few more years, though, and I have other things I need to deal with... so I'll leave them alone for now." Lorelei pulled both of us into a hug, a delighted smile on her face.

"While I trust your judgement... for the most part. Is it truly wise to leave them be?" Lorelei questioned. I nodded.

"I've done a ton of research on them. Right now, they're spotless. There's no way we can incriminate them without looking like psychopaths." Sure, with my skills, I could absolutely assassinate Cyrus... but I wasn't going to kill him.

"I see, but the moment they begin to move, you will intercept them at every turn with your knowledge," Lorelei muttered. I nodded.

"You aren't gonna take advantage of my knowledge?" I questioned curiously. My aunt looked affronted.

"Of course not! In fact, I imagine we should keep this to ourselves in case someone decides they do want your knowledge. I don't doubt your claims. You know the location of all those legendaries and in the wrong hands..." I couldn't help but stare at my aunt in clear surprise. That was the last thing I was expecting to hear.... I appreciated her.

"You're too good to me, Aunt. That's why I love you," I said with a small smile. Lorelei's cheeks turned slightly rosy, and she squeezed Mars and me again.

"I love you, too, children." Mars gaped.

"Love?!"

"She's serious, by the way. Aunt is a little ridiculous," I warned her. Lorelei abruptly stood up with the two of us.

"Come, let us make food. I've always wanted to have little moments like this with Silver," she said, a small smile on her face. I sighed fondly. I'd have to put some time aside to just spend some moments with her. I was grounded anyway, so... Regardless, no matter how adorable she was, there was no way I'd let some things slide. My aunt froze at my dull glare.

"You mean let Jynx and me make food, right?" I said slowly.

"I've... been learning," she defended. I stared even harder.

"... Very well," she surrendered glumly.