Chương 57: Children

I glared at Lorelei. Resting in my arms, in a baby cradle position, Vulpix greedily drank the milk bottle I was feeding it, all while the Mothers cooed around the two of us. Its single tail wagged back and forth happily, as my newest baby guzzled their food.

"That is so adorable!" Delia gushed, leaning over my shoulder to gaze at Vulpix. Vulpix's eyes flitted over to her momentarily before locking back onto me, prompting Delia to squeal.

"It loves you bad, Silver!" Marina clapped cheerfully. My smug fucking aunt looked utterly pleased by the noises of awe. She cooed and leaned forward slightly, pressing a single finger against Vulpix's tuft of hair. The little fox didn't notice, too engrossed in downing the bottle while absorbing my body heat. Next to my aunt, her own Ninetales vigilantly watched the entire thing. He was a bit of a haughty fellow, but ultimately we got along... I don't think he'd give up one of his eggs otherwise.

If Lorelei noticed my searing gaze, she expertly ignored it with a level of expertise that really showed how used to me she was getting.

"Well? What do you think of your gift?" she asked expectantly. She couldn't be serious.

"I think you completely ignored me when I told you I had way too many pokemon to manage right now," I said through gritted teeth. Lorelei nodded.

"I understand. Do you know what else I understand?" she asked patiently. Her expression immediately contorted into a tiny scowl.

"I understand that you were trolling your poor aunt!"

"Who the hell taught you what trolling means?!" I barked.

"Mars!" she retorted.

"Gold taught me," Mars said innocently, a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Why the fuck are you talking to Gold so much?! Stay away from my twin, you pervert! We look the same!" I snarled.

"You can't police my friends! I told you this already!" Mars shouted at me, shooting up with her own snarl.

"Who the hell says I can't?!" I nearly jumped out of my seat, but Vulpix's whining immediately captured my attention, prompting me to put the bottle back to her mouth hastily.

"I'm so lucky," Gold sighed in relief. He actually looked terrified for his life for once.

"Bastard," Mars grumbled. Lorelei crossed her arms.

"You refused to catch an ice-type, so I simply took matters into my own hands," she sniffed.

"By having one of them imprint on me?!" I retorted, carefully covering Vulpix's ears.

"How much of a spoiled princess can you be?! I told you I was handling it! I literally tried to catch a Swinub earlier today!" Lorelei twitched.

"Where is it?" she asked stonily.

"... It wasn't the right choice for me," I said bluntly. If looks could kill, I'd be a pile of ash on the floor... and Lorelei would be too.

"It would never be the right choice with you! You were never going to catch an ice-type!" she insisted. Her scowl deepened.

"You caught a Sneasel that wasn't an Ice-type, Silver! Let's not even talk about the other thing you did that pushed me past my limits! What exactly is your definition of handling it, besides causing me grief?!" My eye twitched. She couldn't be serious. Achlys and Kyurem were not an attempt by me to troll her. Achlys was a literal gift that I didn't know existed, and Kyurem was so the actual terrorist who wanted to rule the world didn't get it.

"I knew you did not need the empty dragon," Giratina said smugly.

"Stop being so fucking jealous, you stupid dragon!" I hissed, glaring at my aunt, who was still actively glaring at me.

"This is so entertaining," Amber whispered to Marina, who could only nod excitedly.

"It's like watching you and Gold argue, but far more dramatic. I don't even think you would force him to own a pokemon," she whispered back.

"A psychotic mother for a psychotic son. Me and my little squirt know our limits," Amber said wisely.

"I think it's utterly adorable!" Maple gushed. Lorelei and I shot them furious glares. The entire house remained strangely silent afterwards.

"In the first place, I was considering a defensive option, woman!" I barked.

"I knew you'd say that, but the ice variation of Ninetales is deceptively sturdy! In fact, it's their most prominent trait aside from their speed! A fast pokemon capable of weathering attacks is perfect, don't you think?" she fired back.

"Stop being so ignorant! You know exactly what I meant!" Lorelei scoffed.

"Oh, yes, and let me guess, you were going to go out and catch an Avalugg? Nonsense, Silver! I know you! You'd have caught another steel-type guaranteed!" I gaped at her, ignoring the fact that just earlier I had vehemently denied the prospect of catching an Avalugg.

"Ninetales is a wonderful choice for you; I've assessed that you two would have great synergy, which is why I ultimately decided on this even as far back as Seafoam! It's the 2nd best option for you," she said adamantly.

"That's why you battled me with Ninetales," I hissed. She nodded happily.

"I saw the look on your face at the way he moved. Despite your anger, you were transfixed! That is when I knew that not only did you have wonderful synergy, you were interested!" I can't believe her. My aunt was a maniac—a freak. My aunt was actually the youngest child of her family because she was unreasonably spoiled. Things had to go her way, or she'd throw a genuine tantrum. Vulpix finished their food and yipped unexpectedly. I hissed loudly as snowflakes began falling on me, hitting my exposed skin.

"They even have their recessive ability!" Lorelei preened, not noticing the deathly glare I shot her. I knew I had unintentionally pushed her to her limits with my recent capture of Kyurem, which was why I tried to capture that Swinub earlier. I just didn't think she'd find a solution herself. I exhaled. She was such a spoiled brat. Vulpix yawned, their sharp little fangs flashing from the action.

Big blue eyes blinked adorably up at me, and I idly raked a single knuckle against the tuft, prompting her to sink into me. Well, the decision to make it my pokemon had been made the moment it laid eyes on me. Alolan Vulpix was an ice-type variation of the Kantonian Vulpix. They had developed differently due to the icy climate of one of their mountains in Alola, adapting to the crippling cold. While different typings, both forms of Ninetales still had esoteric... tales about them.

In terms of captures, this was a great choice. Perfect even. The only problem was that I now had 5 babies to watch over.

"If it makes you feel better, none of us knew she was going to do this," Mars chimed in.

"She just forbade us from entering your room. Imagine our surprise when you screamed loud enough for the whole house to hear," Jasmine giggled. She, too, was cooing at the utterly adorable Vulpix. I pinched my nose in disbelief, turning towards my triumphant aunt.

"If anyone else did this, I'd hurt them, you know that?" I informed her. Lorelei sniffed.

"You'd hurt me if you didn't like the choice. Believe it or not, I thought about this! Why do you think you don't have a Lapras instead?"

"You don't have a pokemon that reflects our family, but you have one that reflects me. My Ninetales is one of my most recognized pokemon. I'm as happy as could be."

"Did you even just hear what you said?" I exhaled, placing my face into my palms. Utterly ridiculous. Was it really my birthday, or was it hers? She was right about one thing, though: I wasn't mad at all about the Vulpix selection. As a newly hatched, I could mold it into whatever direction I needed to... and all the babies would catch up in strength fast because I already had mature pokemon to guide and teach them. My aunt was just really annoying.

"Don't sweat it, Silv. We might as well abuse the no limit rule," Gold cackled. I snorted.

"Alright, alright. You're lucky I love you," I said with no real heat. I was never upset with the Vulpix. I already adopted the little thing... but my damn Aunt was so...

"Don't claim to love me while thinking such dangerous thoughts about me," Lorelei admonished with a smile. Delia clapped her hands.

"Now that Silver's gotten his gift, we can properly celebrate. Come, come, you all. We made quite the feast!" I glanced into the night sky with a contemplative expression. In the distance, I heard and saw a bunch of the other pokemon interacting with each other. The area we were in was in the middle of the densely forested regions of Kanto and Johto. This one was nice for small get-togethers. Perfect for someone like me. It was great.

It was also insane that Lorelei had a home in Kanto, Johto, in between, and on two islands. My birthday wasn't something I think I celebrated often... and the one I had today made me a little envious of the ones who got to do this every year. I'd have to make sure Gold and Crystal got proper celebrations on their next birthdays. Janine and Jasmine, too. I had a great time just enjoying their presence. This was what it felt like to have a proper family, huh? I would protect this feeling.

"Enjoyed it?" Crystal asked, sidling up to me with a small smile.

"Yeah, it was fun," I admitted, gazing into the sky. Gold laughed quietly.

"You should have seen the look on your face when we surprised you."

"Were you reaching for a weapon?" Jasmine questioned in mild amusement.

"Guilty as charged. I was about to start stabbing," I revealed with a wry smile. Crystal giggled.

"Resorting to stabbing someone bold enough to break into Lorelei's home. That's so you!" I chuckled, only to stop at a warm presence. I had been pretty cold lately, so the sudden warmth caught me by surprise. I glanced up in time to see the sun growing closer to us... Except it was not the sun. I cocked my head to the left as Molseis burst into existence, flames spitting in every direction, but not burning anything.

Unlike Moltres, Molseis was a violent bastard, representing the fiery of flames as easily as its original showcased the gentleness of it.

"Molseis," I greeted. It was a good thing Cynthia was not here right now... though, I imagine the sudden burst of daytime would have caught anyone's attention. Currently, she was advising the starry-eyed Lyra and Janine, while Mars listened in.

"Uncle Wreathed in Wrath! I've come with a gift!" they announced promptly. I raised a brow, only to catch the letter. The paper was warm in my hand, and I couldn't help but admire Molseis's control over flames, considering the parchment looked perfectly unsinged. I shrugged and ripped it open. I grabbed the piece of paper first, allowing my group to read it as well.

"I'm really sorry I couldn't be there... but I'd never forget Silvy. I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot your own birthday... so I was gonna surprise you with everyone. I promise one day I'll throw you a celebration as big- no, even bigger than the one you did for me. Happy birthday, Silvy - From Green."

"Oh..." Crystal trailed off, watching as I pulled out a variety of photos. There was a lot. Green was always the type to take pictures spontaneously, so long as she felt the moment was right and it showed here. There was a photo of Green and me hugging cheek to cheek, a picture of her sprinting away from me, who had just woken up, a group photo of Jasmine, her and I as we trekked Mt. Ember, another group photo of Colors all just lounging about in our room in the League...

I gazed at all the pictures with an unreadable gaze. Nothing was said between us as we sorted through them, but I did hear Jasmine let out the occasional sniff.

"... Thank you for the gift," I said mechanically. Molseis gazed at us and inclined its head before vanishing in a blaze of fire....

"Let's go to sleep? We can go to my room?" I asked eventually. Everyone else nodded mutedly. Green stared into the night sky with a wistful expression. Her eyes were locked onto the moon above... taking in its silvery hue.

"You threw me such an amazing party... and I couldn't even muster up the courage to show my face at yours. I'm the worst friend in the world," she thought to herself, expression wavering. Maybe this was for the best. Silver was the perfect friend, always doing what he could... while Green was the complete opposite. It was always him doing something for her, but never the opposite. She only hurt him... That's why she couldn't show up. Going to him on his birthday would only hurt him more.

No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't. Green curled into herself as the negative thoughts ran rampant.

"I miss you. I miss you so much," she rasped, tears falling from her eyes. She remained there, head tucked into her knees as she silently grieved. Vulpix: Female Ability: Snow Warning Moves: Powder Snow, Tail Whip Vulpix peered up innocently at me, a mewl of contentment escaping her as I idly stroked her cold fur. Her single tail wagged back and forth happily before, much to my amusement, she glanced back in shock and stilled it, red dusting her cheeks as her tail began wagging against her will.

"What? Don't like being so visibly happy?" I mused. She yipped, tucking herself into me to hide her embarrassment. Despite that, her tail never stopped wagging. I huffed in amusement, gazing down at my newest baby. Vulpix was positively tiny, with the single tail indicating how young she was. As she aged, she would gain more, but that would take some time. Pokemon aged fairly quickly. Happens when you're superpowered little monsters, but it still needed time.

Normally, I'd give her a name when she was older, but I'd get really annoyed having to call her Alolan Vulpix, especially considering the Dex itself didn't make the distinction.

"I'm going to give you a name, alright?" I told her. She shuffled slightly, lifting her head to regard me. My newest member cocked her head to the left before nodding in acceptance. I mulled over my options. Aurora felt like the most obvious choice, but I could probably dig a little deeper. If Vulpix had been a male, I'd have named it Boreas... Hm... there was some pretty interesting folklore about Ninetales, both variations. A lot of it was nonsense, but that likely applied to the common Ninetales.

I imagine Ninetales that got to live a little longer or even hone themselves further were capable of some strange stuff. There wasn't really a trainer with a truly powerful Ninetales beyond Blaine or Lorelei... but one was a scientist, while the other was my pragmatic aunt. They wouldn't be truly interested in delving into how real those tales were. I could give it a shot. I hummed.

"Beira, the Queen of Winter," I eventually decided. Quite fitting. As a member of my team, her ascension to the top was inevitable, so I'd make Vulpix the queen of winter, but there was more to it. Ninetales were said to be very petty pokemon, cursing those who touched their tails for hundreds of years. Not only that, but they were able to live for extensive periods of time. Again, there was no way this was true for every Ninetales because that species wouldn't be so common if so...

But I'm sure there's a Ninetales out there that probably is capable of that. The true wilds were full of many strange things. I heard about a massive Dragonite before, standing as tall as some of the largest pokemon. They were stronger out there, larger... I should visit the true wilds more. But I digress; both Ninetales and Beira were famously old, regardless of the truth behind it. It helped that the Alolan variants were found on mountains and praised as deities, while Beira helped create mountains.

Strange, but fitting. I was a fan of it. The only difference was that Ninetales may have been a hag in pokemon form, but they definitely didn't have the appearance of one. Hm... yeah, I'd still stick with it. I nodded to myself, pleased to see Vulpix accept it.

"Beira, it is. Welcome to the team, girl," I said softly. She preened at my gaze, tapping her little feet on my legs before getting comfortable for sleep. Beira was touchy, and while I was fine with it now... as she got older, she'd only grow colder. First things first, get Snow Warning under control asap. I dusted the little snowflakes off my head, sighing as a shiver racked my body. What was it with the cold lately? I blamed Kyurem.

"Everyone, this is Beira. She's the newest member of our team." All of Silver's pokemon glanced up at that, eyeing the tiny fox resting in their trainer's coat. Her head poked out, curiously gazing at them all, only for a tiny yelp to escape her as Silver grabbed the Vulpix around the midsection with one hand.

"How barbaric! This is no way to hold your daughter!" she cried out. He carefully placed her on the floor, hands hovering over her tiny frame as she stumbled on wobbly legs.

"Worry not, Father. I have diligently practiced the art of walking," Beira assured triumphantly. With that, she took a single step and tipped right over. They all watched in amusement as Silver easily caught and set her straight.

"Easy, Beira. You're still young," he murmured in assurance. Beira's expression turned into one of mortification, red dusting her cheeks. She steadfastly kept her gaze away from the amused eyes of her new teammates, instead opting to crawl into Silver's coat to hide herself forever.... Or at least she attempted to.

"No," Silver said, halting her advance.

"Go interact with them. You'll be getting to know them a lot in the future. They're your new family." Beira huffed.

"If you insist..." she muttered, stamping down how nervous she currently was. She regally puffed up, turning towards them... and freezing at the feeling of Silver stepping away. She whirled around and met her trainer's slightly amused gaze. His lip curled slightly, a neat red brow raising.

"What? You want me to walk with you?" he asked. Yes, yes, Beira did... but she did not vocalize that. Instead, she turned her head away from him.

"Hmph! Father, I don't need your assistance with this simple task. I am more than capable!"

"I'll be right here." Silver indicated towards an area and made his way there, only stopping momentarily to hoist Achlys, who had been following him. The Vulpix watched him go before turning to faced her new allies. She bowed regally at them.

"Greetings to you all. I am Beira Kanna, the Vulpix, inevitable Queen of Winter, and daughter of Silver... but you may call me Beira. It's a pleasure to meet you," she introduced herself. There was a brief silence before Ares nodded in approval. There was an impressed look on the Salamence's face, a surprise for any who knew her. Ares was impressed by the Vulpix's manner of speech, which was how she looked so pleased.

"Greetings, Beira. I am Ares, soon to be ruler of the skies. It is a pleasure to meet you." Beira perked up, turning towards the massive Salamence with an eager smile.

"Ah, such a refined manner of speech, Ares! It's a pleasure to meet—" The fox squealed in surprise as vines wrapped around her tiny frame, yanking her through the air into the starstruck Gaia's eyes.

"She's so cute!" Gaia squealed, nuzzling the fox eagerly.

"Listen to her! She speaks just like Lorelei! Did you hear that? She said her last name is Kanna!" Freyja gushed.

"Does that mean our last name is also Kanna?" Apollo wondered. Ifrit mulled it over.

"But I'm not gonna remember to tell people that... I think I'll just stick with Ifrit," he muttered. Apollo nodded at his older twin.

"Me too!"

"Ah! Unhand me! This is demeaning!" Beira struggled fruitlessly. Oberon gazed sympathetically at her.

"It's too late. Trust me, I know," he said apologetically. Loki snorted in amusement. Personally, he wasn't the biggest fan of Ninetales... but he could make an exception. Besides, she was an ice-type unlike his father, and the little pup hadn't done anything to him.

"New friend, new friend! Friend Beira, Arachne is Arachne!" Arachne greeted, latching onto her with her strings. Beira shrieked at the feeling of strings.

"Agh! Father, they're ruining my fur! Help me!" she cried out. Silver glanced up at that, raking a hand through the dozing Achlys. He watched Freyja and Gaia crushing the Vulpix beneath the might of their cheeks before shrugging.

"Seems like you're all getting along well," he mused, turning back down. Achlys mewled in content, snuggling deeper. Beira's look of betrayal sent Loki and the Charcas into a laughing fit. Metagross captured the little fox in a psychic sheen, diligently pulling her away, much to the chagrin of Gaia.

"Hey! We weren't done!" she complained. Her vines waved threateningly, making Beira squeal in distress.

"You two are overbearingly overwhelming at times, and the little fox is but a day old," he scolded. Beira gasped at her sudden freedom and bowed gratefully to Metagross.

"My sincerest thanks..."

"Metagross," Metagross interjected. She smiled tentatively.

"Metagross! I am in your debt!"

"Think nothing of it, little fox." Gaia puffed out her cheeks.

"Fine, we'll give it a few more days." Freyja nodded sagely. Beira looked at the two monsters with horrified eyes, backing away from them before nearly stumbling over. A tail wrapped around her, hoisting up the fox before she could collapse. The Vulpix glanced up, gulping at seeing Ares looming over her.

"Oh my... you're far larger this close," she squeaked. Ares snorted at the tiny pup.

"Indeed, I am. Proof of my birthright." Beira nodded in understanding, letting out a tiny noise of awe as Ares maneuvered her own tail and placed the Vulpix atop her head.

"You may practice walking atop me. In the meantime, I will explain anything you want to know," Ares informed her. Loki watched with wide eyes as Beira nodded enthusiastically.

"Ares? Huh?" he muttered. Apollo didn't look nearly as surprised.

"Ares is always nice to big brother and me. Achlys too." Ifrit nodded in agreement.

"She just likes to act tough; Ares is really sweet!" Loki listened to them with a small smile.

"You guys need to work on your volume," he advised. The two paused, only to freeze at the dangerous presence behind them.

"If you are old enough to make such bold comments, you are old enough to face the consequences. Come, let us go battle," Ares growled, gliding away.

"Oops," Ifrit said.

"You're too loud, big brother," Apollo hissed.

"Me?! That was you!" Ifrit countered.

"You guys shouldn't keep Ares waiting. The longer you let her stew in her embarrassment, the worse the battle will be." Oberon chuckled at the bickering twins, refusing to mention that Ares also did the same to him.

"Silence yourself, little cub! I will not spare you!" Ares barked. Oberon spluttered.

"If you want to battle, I'm always willing... but stop calling me a little cub!"

"B-Battle? With me atop you?" Beira asked dumbfoundedly.

"You will not be harmed. If the cub desires a battle, however, you may face danger," Ares assured. The Vulpix was very sure that Ares missed the point... Oh dear, her new allies were very peculiar. Hatcher Boy: Yo, guys. The professor wanted me to do some stuff on the Orange Islands. Come with me? Catcher Girl: Do you really need us to come with you? Hatcher Boy: I'm gonna be so bored: (. Why did he ask me and not you? Catcher Girl: Because it's always me. Stop being so lazy... but fine. You: K. I'm wrapping up some business anyway. We'll babysit the hyperactive kid. Hatcher Boy: This guy turns 13 and suddenly speaks like he's so mature. Unreal. I rolled my eyes, pocketing my phone." What a fucking baby," I muttered, adjusting my mask. Beira yipped, shooting me a scalding glare. She had taken to shooting me that look whenever I cursed... and I was quickly beginning to realize that her egg had probably spent close proximity to Lorelei. That would explain how she knew the moment it was going to hatch. My aunt was such a psychopath." Sorry, girl... I'll work on containing it," I grunted, turning towards the unconscious bodies littered around. A majority of them were pokemon, but they weren't anything serious. The more important thing was the three humans who had ties to Team Rocket." C-Cmon, man! We have nothing to do with them anymore!" a guy cried out, cradling a broken arm." Please, we're just grunts! We quit already! We haven't done any crimes!" a girl sobbed, nursing her midsection. The last one was unconscious, unable to protest the decision." Should have pleaded your case earlier instead of fighting me over it. Hard to feel sympathy when your first instinct is to battle," I said stonily, Oberon staring coldly at them and dissuading any further attempt at battle." Look at you! Y-You look like a monster, and you look at us like we're less than dirt!" I waved them off in disinterest." You are."" I'm not here to deliver final judgment; just making sure you receive that judgment. Now that my job here is done, the League can decide your fate." Tears formed in their eyes before an aroma wafted through the air, putting them to sleep. I clicked my teeth, leaning against a tree and watching as Metagross took control of their pokeballs, returning every pokemon there. I idly checked off the names of these three, staring at my long list with a dull expression. If there was one thing I couldn't deny about my similarities to Giovanni, it was how diligent we were. He really made sure no one in his organization had any hopes of getting away or revealing anything. He had information down to even the simplest of grunts. His paranoia was almost greater than mine. I knew now that if he really wanted to, Delia would have never been able to escape him. I wonder if he just grew bored of her, or if he deemed Ariana as the more useful of the two. Made sense. Ariana was the third strongest in that organization. In comparison, Delia was a chef; a very pretty chef, but a chef all the same. Footsteps halted right next to me, Cynthia gazing at the clearing with an unreadable expression." Don't you think you were too cruel to them?" she asked softly, adjusting her black cloak. Her gaze lingered on my golden face mask before she tore her gaze away from it." I don't really think about moderating myself around criminals. The capacity to commit crime means the capacity to harm even a child; I won't risk it. Speaking from experience," I retorted blandly. Thankfully, Maria had been busy with another mission, so she didn't show up with me this time around. I would not want to deal with her while Cynthia was traveling with me." Experience?" Cynthia repeated slowly." You ever got a glass bottle smashed against your head? Not fun. I drowned right after." Her eyes flashed dangerously, narrowing on instinct before she took a deep breath. Cynthia frowned." Why is Lance using you to hunt down these... former Team Rocket members?"" Confidential. Talk to him yourself," I replied. The champion of Sinnoh eyed me for a long while. For once, the hazy fog clouding her judgement seemed to dim slightly, replacing the cursed archaeologist with the well-respected leader of a region." The barrier you three put up... Did you have encounters with Team Rocket during your Kanto journey?" she asked calmly. I paused at the tone of her voice. Steady, firm, not too loud, but not quiet enough to miss." Something like that. They were a massive thorn in our side, one that derailed us by a lot," I answered honestly. I truly had no idea how much the curse affected her. Based on interviews, Cynthia seemed like an all-knowing well of knowledge, but according to Lance, she had always had this curious, eager side to her with things that captured her interest." What an awful... wait, were you on the cruise? The S. S Anne?" Cynthia asked in horror." Yeah." Those sharp gray eyes filled with something unsettling." Countless people died... to think you might have been one of them... I see now," she muttered, throwing me for a loop. The look in her eyes was a tad concerning. She didn't seem like the type of person to preach vengeance... Cynthia abruptly dropped the topic." What next?" I grunted, sending a signal to the local forces while banishing my thoughts on her conflicting personality." We're going to the Orange Islands. Gold wanted us to join him for something." Her eyes took an interested glint." Sounds good to me! I've heard many things about the Orange Islands. Did you know, apparently, there's an island where all the pokemon are pink? I wonder what the history behind that is," she mused. I raked a hand through my hair." Fuck if I know. I'm only going for Gold." I suppose I could check around for any Rocket remnants as well. There was a man I was looking for, someone I hadn't personally encountered in Team Rocket, but he was a member, alright. Iron Mask was his codename... hm. I wasn't sure what his role was, but he was an Executive as well. I didn't know what his capabilities or motives were, which was why I needed to deal with him asap. Archer was predictable; Ariana as well. Unknown quantities were the most pressing. My attention was grabbed by a piece of snow kissing my cheek. I hissed abruptly and glared at Beira, who was glaring at me." Vul!" she protested. I scowled at my baby. She was still so young; how the fuck was she so demanding already? Damn you, Lorelei..." Will we be using that teleportation trick of yours?" I didn't miss the eager glint in her eyes, but something told me to deny her request." No. Ares will be mad at me," I denied simply, watching the way her expression changed in an instant." That makes sense," she muttered. I stared her down before turning on a dime." C'mon, let's go." Valencia Island was an island dominated by grass... it was pretty nice to look at. The temperature was expectedly hot, even for the time of the year, but it was offset by a nice breeze that brushed against me. I idly glanced at the area around me, a bored expression on my face." Fascinating... I'm going to explore the area a little," Cynthia informed me, glancing at a strange patterned Vileplume with interest." Stay here while you're at it," I said, utterly serious. I sat down on the grass, leaning against Ares, who wrapped her massive tail around me to make sure I couldn't get away. She laughed freely." You're actually quite funny, Silver." That wasn't a joke. As Cynthia strolled away, I took the time to inspect some of the pokemon. The Orange Islands were unique in that while their pokemon wielded different variations, they weren't that much different from their Kanto counterparts. Pokemon in regions like Alola and Galar sometimes evolved into different typings to adapt to new environments, but the Orange Islands didn't seem to follow that pattern. Of course, the only reason this was interesting to me was that I knew the original regions where most of the variations developed. Ninetales weren't referred to as Alolan Ninetales in other regions. They were just Ninetales. I was the only one who tended to make that distinction. There wasn't a time gap between Generation 1 and 7 where Alolan Ninetales just never existed. It always had... and Alolan Ninetales weren't exclusive to Alola. That's where they tended to be, but you could easily find one in particularly cold mountain climates. Like, say, Mt. Silver. That's why I gave Beira a name so early. I might slip up one day and call her Alolan Ninetales, and then I'd get a lot of confused looks." You know, I'm beginning to think you don't talk a lot because you're always thinking." I glanced up to see Gold leaping off of Wartaro. There was a grin on his face as he casually approached me, prompting me to grunt." How the hell did I show up before you or Crys?" I asked sourly. He shrugged good-naturedly." Eh... doesn't seem like it's anything too important, so I took my time."" Dumbass can't do anything right," I muttered. Gold glared at me." You know what, I prefer it when you're thinking. All you do is complain."" Hard not to complain when I have to deal with you."" I have all sorts of complaints about you, but I keep them to myself because you complain enough for the whole gang!" We glared at each other." Considering you two haven't broken out into a fight yet, I'm assuming I showed up right on time?" Crystal asked calmly, easily stepping between us. I glanced at her." I expected you to show up at the same time as me." She rubbed the back of her hair, the ponytail fluttering slightly." I was wrapping up some business. Fortunately, I'm all done now!" We both nodded curiously, only to pause as Crystal's open jacket ruffled slightly. I watched with a bit of a dumbfounded gaze as a... white squirrel poked its head out." A... Pachirisu?" I asked slowly. The rat perked up, staring at us with curious eyes and chittering its name. Crystal rubbed the back of her head with a nervous smile." Funny story... while I was handling my business, I found this little girl trying to steal food from my bag. Totoree nearly ripped her in half, and I felt a little bad... so I healed her up, fed her, and she's been following me ever since."" Huh. So this wasn't a planned capture?" Gold questioned." N-Not really... but Pachiree is adorable! I'll keep her!" Crystal said, adamantly presenting the Pachirisu to us. It looked fairly young for its species, the tiny thing fitting in Crystal's small palm. I reached over with a finger, allowing the Pachirisu to sniff me. As she did so, she squealed in surprise as Arachne crawled out of my sleeve and latched onto her. My Joltik chittered in glee, heedless of the frantic Pachirisu. Eventually, the squirrel settled down and curiously regarded my little spider." I think they like each other!" Crystal gushed, watching as they chatted with one another." What a surprise. Arachne is annoying," I grunted. My Joltik wiggled and said something, prompting Pachiree to laugh happily. The Pachirisu leapt off Crystal, Arachne on top of her head, and the two dashed off promptly, chatting all the while." Don't stray too far! Keep an eye on them, Khanaree," Crystal requested. The Kangaskhan nodded, diligently removing her child from the pouch and letting Ruree run off as well." Wanna go play with them?" I asked Beira. She was resting in my coat as usual, head sticking out of my neckline. She cocked her head curiously before shaking no, content to remain where she was. I nodded. Without much prompting, we fell in line and began strolling to the lab." So how's traveling with Cynthia?" Gold asked curiously." Fine. She asks a lot of questions, but she's not as bad as I expected her to be," I said honestly." How's the curse?" Crystal murmured. I mulled it over." I can see her actively restraining herself, so she's earned my respect. I can tell that she could be a whole lot worse... but something about her whole personality is strange." Crystal looked curious." I noticed. What are you thinking?"" That just being in proximity to me is affecting her," I replied with a frown. She mulled that over." Even when she didn't know you were the cause... It was likely still affecting her. We now know that you passively radiate something that affects ghosts and psychics... so who's to say she's unaffected by it as well?"" There was something else. When I teleported with her, she made a disturbing comment. Something about feeling like she's visiting a home she hasn't seen in a while," I explained. They looked disturbed by that." Why is her lineage even cursed?" Gold asked." Some man named Volo tried to destroy the universe using Giratina. Unfortunately, they didn't actually have much interest in Giratina, and that was a big mistake." Crystal furrowed her brows." Ultimately, I still think this might be the best for her. If she feels a compulsion, she'll find you regardless, and well, continuous denial might make her forceful." I grunted in agreement." Sate her curiosity for now until she has no excuses." We all nodded in unison." I'm jealous. Traveling around with Cynthia Shirona..." Gold sighed despondently. He froze at the ominous aura, straightening up with a light cough." I mean, she must be a well of knowledge! Not to mention training with her pokemon? Wartaro learned a lot from her Braviary, you know?" he laughed nervously. I snorted." Yeah, sure... dumbass." I easily stepped in the middle, grabbing Crystal by the shoulders to push her to my previous location. Crystal allowed it to happen with a simple huff." Perverted moron." I nodded sagely. The regional professor of the Orange Islands was a woman named Philena Ivy. She studied the regional differences in pokemon physiology or whatever, and she was good friends with Oak and Elm. Anything else was something I did not care to learn. I hastily researched her while flying here, after all. The sound of me banging on the door earned a look of ire from both Crystal and Beira, while Gold just snorted in amusement. It didn't take long at all for the door to swing open, and I watched with a slightly surprised gaze as Brock answered." Rock Pervert? What are you doing here?" I asked with a frown. Did that mean Ash was here as well?" Silver? Gold? Crystal?" Brock greeted in confusion." Yo, Rock Pervert," Gold saluted with two fingers." Since when am I Rock Pervert?" he asked in disbelief." Since you flirted with Jasmine in front of me... and since you can't seem to keep it together around a good-looking woman," I said dryly. The former gym leader spluttered." Well, that's just rude!" Crystal smiled reassuringly." Don't worry about them, Brock! I'm sure you're not all that bad... but what are you doing here?" she asked in slight confusion. Brock laughed nervously." Well, about that..."" Ah, when Professor Oak told me he'd be sending over someone, members of Colors were the last thing I'd expect." I glanced over at her, met with a purple-haired woman donned in a lab coat. She looked sleepy, her brown eyes seemingly perpetually half-lidded, and I cocked my head." What was that you were saying, Crys?" I mused, looking the woman up and down and glancing over at Brock." Well... I guess I can't blame him," Gold shrugged helplessly. Crystal's mouth opened in shock before she shot Brock the dirtiest glare I'd ever seen. It's almost like the idea that she had defended him right before had disgusted her." H-Hey... don't look at me like that," Brock gaped. We ignored him. I jabbed Gold with a stern stare and beckoned over to Ivy with my head." This is your mission. Go on," I said. Gold sighed despondently." Yo, Professor Ivy... I was sent here because I heard I needed to get something?" Ivy had a small smile on her face." That's correct. Originally, I gave it to a young man named Ash Ketchum... but he opted to remain on the Orange Islands for an extended period. I suppose he decided to have you come collect it in his stead, Gold." Gold groaned." So you don't even have it? Where's Ash then?" I zoned them out, humming to myself. The Orange Islands likely had some Rockets on it, but I didn't remember much about it personally. The only thing I could remember was... a movie about Lugia, but the details of said movie kind of alluded me. Wasn't that the movie with the Ash prophecy? Wasn't Ash Lugia's chosen? Were the birds in that one? Was it the birds I knew of?" " I don't remember much, but thankfully my memory came into play again, so I was pretty sure the tidbits I knew about that event were real. Regardless, I wasn't planning on staying here long. The Orange League didn't interest me in the slightest." Let's just retrieve the item and get outta here," I grunted, staring coolly at the three assistants who looked like sisters. They squeaked at my gaze, shuffling away." Were you even listening?" Crystal asked in exasperation." Not in the slightest." Crystal sighed." Professor Ivy studies different pokemon physiologies. She wanted to know about our more peculiar pokemon."" I'm not staying here longer than I have to," I said coldly." I've already got one person nagging me nonstop about my pokemon. Let's not make it more than we have to."" I figured you'd say that," Crystal smiled. Ivy didn't look all that bothered." I won't force you to do anything, but I'd be pleased if later down the line you could visit. You Colors are all the rave these days, and I won't lie and say I'm not interested," she explained. Her expression turned to one of contemplation." In around a month, Shamouti Island will celebrate their annual festival. It's a wonderful time, and I'm sure the members of Colors would be gladly welcomed. If you enjoy the festivities, will you give me a chance to do an inspection? I'm more than willing to expand on our relationship if you so please," she questioned. I nearly denied on instinct, but thought it over a little. I didn't think Ivy was super important, so getting her on our side might be a net positive. She was a well-established professor after all... Crystal and I exchanged a look. Her expression shifted into one of mild confusion, before shifting to contemplation, and she eventually nodded in agreement and I smirked." Sure, why not, but I'm more interested in expanding our relationship for the future. Don't use anything I wouldn't like on any of my pokemon. I'll stomp your pretty face out until not even Brock can look at you," I warned. I heard three squeaks of terror at that, while Brock looked horrified." What he said, but far less violent," Crystal bowed." What does that even mean, Crystal?" I asked in confusion. She shrugged." We'll figure out if she oversteps our boundaries." Gold chuckled loudly." Man, you two are terrifying. So we just gotta collect a GS Ball? Should be easy. Let's fly to Ash now and get it." We nodded in unison. Ivy looked pleased." Thank you... but I couldn't help but notice you said you had one person already bothering you? Who would that happen to be? Rowan?" she questioned, only to go still as her lab door opened." Pardon the intrusion," Cynthia greeted smoothly. I don't know when and where, but she was holding an ice cream cone in one hand while holding three more in the other. There was a brief silence, quiet enough that you could hear the dripping ice cream. Professor Ivy's lackadaisical stare was nowhere to be seen, eyes widening in disbelief at the sight of Cynthia Shirona standing at her entrance." I'm sorry, I didn't bring enough ice cream for all of you," Cynthia apologized, protectively holding her own while handing three off to Crystal, Gold, and me." C-C-Cynthia Shirona?" Brock croaked weakly. I offered up my ice cream to Beira, who sniffed it before taking a tiny bite. She let out an excited noise, prompting me to feed her a little more." Small bites, you're still young," I murmured. She yelped at my reminder, glancing around to make sure no one had seen her consuming the food in such an undignified manner... before taking much slower bites." I'll have to remember to start getting little Beira her own ice cream... It's always wonderful to see a new fan!" Cynthia gushed. Professor Ivy coughed slightly, purple hair jostling as she shook her head to clear her vision." Champion Cynthia of the Sinnoh region?" she said slowly. Cynthia glanced over with a small smile." Oh, hello. You must be Professor Ivy. It's a pleasure to meet you... I've heard you study Pokemon Physiology," she greeted. Ivy still looked thrown for a loop. I imagine she didn't expect the literal champion of Sinnoh to show up at her doorstep. Still, she held out her hand and shook Cynthia's own." It's a pleasure to meet you as well... but what are you doing here?" she asked slowly. Cynthia was all smiles." Ah, I'm traveling with Silver for the moment. I've grown quite attached to Colors," she revealed casually. I pinched my nose." This is why I didn't wanna travel with you. Look at how much attention you're grabbing," I sighed." We haven't captured too much attention!" Cynthia protested." Because I hate being seen in public, something I don't have to do since we aren't in a circuit," I countered. She nodded thoughtfully." Fair enough. I could invest in a disguise-" I shot her a harsh glare." Aren't you 13? Why aren't you more immature?" Cynthia asked despondently." Selfish champion," I muttered under my breath." Can someone please explain what's going on?" Brock squeaked. Evidently, he was torn between kneeling in front of Cynthia or maintaining whatever image he seemed to think he had in front of Professor Ivy." My life is a rollercoaster that I can't get off of," I said blandly, marching through the door. Gold cackled and followed." It's getting a little worrying. Do you naturally attract chaos?"" I don't know anymore. Probably yes." Crystal blinked at my dead tone." He's no longer in denial about it... That's bad," she muttered, carrying herself easily through the door. Gold looked worried." It might be getting really bad," he mused. Ivy cocked her head curiously." I've met them all for less than 10 minutes, and they've already proven to be such an interesting group. It's no wonder so many eyes are on them," she mused. Mikan Island was an island worth remembering solely because Mikan was Jasmine's surname. That's about as much information as I was willing to give on it. It looked as if it was built around a tall mountain, shrubs and trees covering the surrounding areas, while leaving a space open to show the town below. The heat washed over me, balancing well with Beira's cool body. My fox was a permanent resident of my coat, something I reluctantly had to get used to. Sand crunched beneath my boots, the salty air a familiar scent from my frequent trips to Olivine. This island looked like it had more money to spend than Professor Ivy's. I wonder if all professors just enjoyed the more humble areas." I really can't believe your only mission is to retrieve an item, and you dragged Silver and me to come with you," Crystal grumbled." C'mon, live a little! We wouldn't have figured out about the festival otherwise, and that might be really fun!" Gold grinned. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings." It's also going to be after the circuit starts," I pointed out. Gold rolled his eyes." We're not rookies anymore. We can challenge whoever we want whenever we want." I shrugged." Yeah, true. Honestly, I'm not even that interested in challenging the League this time around," I admitted. My companions shot me a surprised gaze." You aren't?" Crystal asked." I only entered Indigo League for you guys. Before that, it was just to test my strength, and I'm satisfied with what I saw."" Huh... now that I think about it, the League kinda isn't your thing," Gold mused." For good reason," I scoffed, shooting Cynthia a glare. She smiled obliviously." I think testing your strength at the League was a great idea. All varieties of trainers show up, so it helps build experience dealing with different situations."" It also attracts unwanted attention," I snarked." Ah, surely you've warmed up to me at least a little?" Cynthia wondered curiously. I sneered at her." Not a chance."" That's code for kinda," Gold chimed. Crystal nodded with a smile." Silver is incapable of saying anything positively, so you have to deduce it yourself. It's kind of fun when you get used to it."" Fucking nerd," I muttered under my breath." That was code for fucking nerd," Gold chimed cheerfully, even as Crystal gaped. Beira barked loudly at both of us." Thank you, Beira. Please continue to keep Silver in check," Crystal sniffed. My Vulpix preened happily, tentatively crawling out of my coat to allow Crystal to grab her. She squealed happily, tucking my baby into her easily." Alright, let's be done with this. What's the big deal with this GS Ball anyways?" I wondered, brain tickling slightly. GS Ball... GS Ball... where did I hear that name before... My eyes widened. Wait a damn second. The GS Ball from Pokemon Crystal? Wasn't that item linked to Celebi? Yeah... yeah, it was. Hold on a minute. The GS Ball was pretty important... so what the hell was it doing with Ash? Did this happen in the anime? I really didn't remember much about the Orange Islands." Did you just realize something?" Crystal whispered to me. I nodded before turning to Cynthia with a frown. I debated revealing this information to her, but eh... who was it gonna hurt? I actually was warming up to her somewhat." That GS Ball. It's linked to a legendary, I'm pretty sure," I revealed. There was a brief pause before Cynthia's eyes widened." Really?" she hissed." Which one?" Gold wondered." Celebi, a time-traveling legendary pokemon." Crystal paused in awe." Wow... I've heard tales about Celebi. They call it the guardian of Ilex Forest," she explained. Ilex Forest... my brows furrowed. Would bringing the GS Ball there allow us to encounter Celebi? That's how it normally worked..." That's true for the most part. Ilex Forest is their domain," I admitted." Incredible... how do you know that?" Cynthia wondered. I waved her off." Obscure knowledge and all that. We should get that Ball." We were in total agreement, everyone's eyes filled with a different type of amazement." How does Celebi look, Silv?" Gold asked randomly. I blinked at the question before pulling out a nice little drawing book that I had recently bought. In it, I had drawn various other legendaries, like Mewtwo or Giratina... and even the birds." You draw?" Cynthia wondered." I probably wouldn't insult actually talented artists by calling it that, but yeah," I muttered. I flipped through the pages before stopping on one. One page had a photo of Celebi, while the other had some notes jotted down. Typing, domain, area it was likely to be found in, and stuff like that." You're so thorough," Crystal muttered." Here, this should be how it looks," I stated. For the most part, the legendaries I encountered lined up almost perfectly with the images I knew of them. There were some differences, of course- perks of actually being in a setting with them instead of watching them through a screen, but I was confident if I took a look at it, I'd immediately be able to identify it." It's really cute," Crystal noted in awe." It's kinda tiny, like Mew. I didn't expect it," Gold muttered. Cynthia gazed intently at the notebook, eyes roving over both the picture and the words on it. I eventually shut the book and stored it away. Despite how simple it was... that book was very important. It didn't contain anything particularly incriminating, but I'd rather it not fall into anyone's hands." Alright, let's get that Ball!" Gold shouted, excitedly pushing forward. Crystal shook her head." I guess it was actually good we were brought over." I huffed." Small victories." Cynthia hummed before freezing." Hold on... did you guys say you met Mew?!" I groaned." You three!" Misty shouted in surprise, turning to face us. We had brazenly entered the gym, not surprised in the slightest to see Ash on the battlefield, along with some girl." Yo," Gold waved." Hello!" Crystal waved. I said nothing, making eye contact with my little brother." Well, well, well, if it isn't little ol brother of mine," I greeted dryly. Ash's eyes widened." Silver?!" he gaped." Brother?!" some teenage boy shouted." Ash Ketchum is your brother? I watched your battle against him... a marvelous performance by Ares," Cynthia said offhandedly. Misty blinked, turning towards Cynthia. Her eyes bugged out of her head." CYNTHIA SHIRONA?!" Who I assumed was the gym leader screeched. She had auburn hair and blue eyes, and a little boy was standing near her. Whether that was her son or little brother, I didn't know. Cynthia shot a sheepish smile at my unimpressed glare." What the hell are you doing here?" Ash asked, already in fight mode. I raised a brow." I came to visit my rude little brother, so that I could remind him that he missed my birthday." Ash flinched backwards. Much to my surprise, some guilt appeared on his face." Wait... I missed your birthday?" he asked weakly." Yup," I popped the p, shaking my head in disappointment." How could you?"" Ah... s-sorry, I didn't know!" Ash actually apologized. Crystal shook her head in exasperation." Oh, don't worry, Ash! Silver didn't even remember it was his birthday!" she reassured. I rolled my eyes." Yeah, you're good. Consider me touched that you actually care," I drawled. Ash huffed." You're still the worst," he muttered under his breath." U-Um, excuse me... but what's going on?" the gym leader asked weakly." P-Please?" The teen next to Misty asked. Gold chuckled." This is getting kinda old."" Tell me about it," I agreed." I agree! I normally don't have to explain myself so often," Cynthia nodded. Crystal sighed." Ash, we heard you had a mission for Oak but got interested in the Orange League. We're here to relieve you of your duties so you can focus all your attention on the challenge," she explained patiently. Ash blinked before nodding in understanding." Oh, you mean this!" he said, pulling the GS Ball out of his bag. He approached us, battle forgotten for the time being, and handed it over to Crys." The Professor told me he was sending someone over to get it! I didn't realize it was you guys!" Crystal inspected the ball with an awed look, likely remembering my words from earlier." We heard from Professor Ivy that it's impossible to open?" she prodded. Ash nodded." I tried! Nothing I did ended up working," he admitted. Crystal hummed and pressed the button, not surprised when it didn't even budge. She handed it over to me, and I grabbed it with a curious gaze, eyes widening slightly at the sensation. A river stream with no water... flowing trees with no breeze... Colors of all kinds. Memories moved too fast to be registered: the past, present, future... all a chaotic mess that showed but hid everything. I blinked rapidly, pressing the button on the GS Ball... Nothing. It didn't even shake. I shrugged." I got nothing. I think our best bet is to tell Oak about the location to bring it to," I said, tossing it over to Gold. Gold nodded curiously." I could probably take a trip there after giving him the ball. Maybe something cool will happen?" he mused, idly pressing the button. A brief silence enveloped the entire room as the ball suddenly began shaking violently. We all jolted with wide eyes as the GS Ball fell out of the shocked Gold's hand. It continued shaking, almost like it were in the midst of catching a pokemon..." No way?! It's reacting to something?" Ash gaped. My eyes widened. In hindsight, maybe revealing a Celebi here and now wasn't a good idea. Dealing with a pokemon who dealt with time never sounded like a good time." Gold, what did you do?!" Crystal shouted in awe." The same thing you and Silv did! I just pressed the button!" he retorted, eyes never leaving the ball. I shot Cynthia a warning look, red bleeding into my eyes in case things somehow went terribly and Celebi tried to bring us back to the Stone Age. Cynthia caught my gaze and nodded urgently, hand reaching down to her waist just in case she needed to start evacuations. But my worries were for naught. As the GS Ball opened and spat out the contents inside, what I saw wasn't a Celebi. I loosened my stance in disbelief as a tiny silhouette formed on the ground. The first thing I noted was the yellow body, adorned with black around its ears, collar, and tail. Pink cheeks sparkled with vibrant electricity as the Pichu blinked. But that wasn't the most noticeable thing about it. The most noticeable thing about the Pichu was the fact that its left ear had three spikes at the tip." Huh?" Everyone said dumbly." Pika?!" Pikachu gaped. The Spiky-Eared Pichu glanced around curiously, taking in our stunned expressions before it locked onto Gold. Its face split into a grin before it excitedly squealed." Pichu pi!" the little rodent squealed, leaping at Gold in obvious glee." Woah!" Gold shouted, catching the Pichu in his arms. He let out an uncharacteristic yelp as Pichu surged with electricity from the excitement, prompting the little rat to start apologizing immediately." A Pichu?" I asked dumbly, staring at it with wide eyes. Was my info wrong? Was the GS Ball not associated with Celebi? No, that was impossible. I know what I saw when I grabbed it. I scratched my head. Was this Pichu linked to Celebi? What was her connection to it?" I think she likes you!" Crystal gushed." Not what you expected?" Cynthia murmured next to me. I tilted my head, watching Pichu nuzzle Gold's cheek with a blissful smile. He was laughing now, spinning the little Pichu with a cheerful grin." You like me, eh? Fine, you can stick with me, lil gal!" he cackled." I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?" I mused. Cynthia smiled." I suppose not," she agreed gently." How'd you know it's a girl, Gold? How did I know it's a girl?" Crystal asked in confusion, walking up to the Pichu. The little rat perked up, leaping into Crystal's arms next with a cheer. Her gaze immediately softened, and she cooed, rubbing the little thing happily. Gold shrugged." I dunno. I just know," he admitted. I cocked my head. Actually, on second thought... how the hell did I know the Pichu was a girl? Pichu perked up, turning to me next. I instinctively opened my arms, catching the little missile as she collided with me. She cheered as I rubbed a finger against her head, nuzzling me with a grin. I idly watched her head turn towards my bag for a moment before she melted in bliss at my touch." She really likes the three of us!" Gold cackled. The three of us, huh? Was that a coincidence? Probably not... Just what was Celebi's game? It was the Mythic of the Johto region after all." I am so confused," Misty grumbled, scratching her head... only to freeze as she made contact with Arachne, who I did not even know made it into her hair. My little bug was dancing atop her orange head, but at the sight of her hand, she crawled onto it... Arachne's eyes were curled up in happiness as Misty shakily brought her to eye level. Misty's expression contorted, and she unleashed an unruly screech that nearly deafened the island." EWWW A BUG! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! AGH, WHERE DID IT COME FROM?!" I winced slightly." She's afraid of bugs?" I muttered, scratching my ear. Huh, go figure. How convenient that Arachne chose to bother her. My little bug was a naturally born troll, I think." As confused as I am... and as lovely as this has all been, I think we've got something to get to?" Cissy, the Gym Leader of Mikan Gym, said. Pibu the Pichu, Arachne, Pachiree, and Pikachu were all huddled in a corner, chatting happily with each other. Periodic sparks rang through them, except for Arachne, and they all absorbed it with noises of bliss." Oh yeah, your gym battle," I said, disinterest seeping into my tone as I idly watched the electric types play with each other. Pibu was animatedly explaining something in its tongue, the others listening with rapt attention. It was admittedly one of the cutest things ever. I guess I'd let them interact a little more until this thing was over. I ignored Misty's hateful glare, instead leaning over to look at Gold's Pokedex. Pichu: Female Ability: Lightning Rod Moves: Charge, Volt Tackle, Thundershock, Tail Whip, Growl"It has Volt Tackle," I said, some disbelief coursing through me." Well, when I said I wanted an Electric Type... this isn't what I expected," Gold laughed sheepishly. Crystal smiled in amusement." Me with Pachiree and you with Pibu... that's really funny," she pointed out." Not to mention Silv has tiny little Arachne," Gold snorted. Cynthia smiled." I look forward to seeing what you all can do with them. They aren't conventional electric types at higher levels, that's for sure," she admitted. Gold grinned." It'll happen for sure! I already feel a connection to Pibu! Feels like I've known her forever, y'know?" he replied. I mulled that over. Oak would probably wanna meet the Pichu stored in the GS Ball... How interesting that Gold was able to open it where everyone else failed. That must have meant the Pichu was bound to be his. Neither Crystal nor I got a reaction out of it, but the Pichu still seemed attached to us. Interesting... I shot Gold an assessing stare. Did that mean Celebi favored him? It was a possibility. Maybe the little pixie just saw a moment to have fun. Mew was the only frame of reference, and they were practically a jester. Who knows if Pichu was always in the GS Ball or was just put in there... You could never tell, and since the legends in this world were so overwhelming, it was hard to tell what they couldn't do. I sighed." Is this seriously a gym challenge? Hitting some bottles?" I asked loudly and boredly. The guy who seemed to have replaced Brock spoke up." The Orange League has their own unique challenges! They don't just do battles over here... but it doesn't diminish their strength!" I blinked slowly." Who the hell are you?" I asked bluntly. The teen flushed; I missed it because Beira started barking at me." Sheesh, girl... you really don't let me breathe," I muttered, turning towards the teen once more." I'm uh... Tracey Sketchit, and I'm a Pokemon Watcher. It's nice to meet you! I'm a big fan of Colors!" he revealed. I stared at him." Tracey... Sketchit? Do you happen to know how to draw?" I asked randomly. He looked surprised but nodded eagerly, pulling out a sketchbook. He opened to a random page, showcasing an image of me holding Achlys. I was supremely impressed by the rough drawing, running a hand over the picture." We should hire an artist. I've suddenly got ideas," I said bluntly. Gold and Crystal perked up." Sure! Let's get one around our age, then!" Gold decided. I nodded." Good idea. I'll have Domino start searching." I turned to Tracey with an impressed look." You draw well. Better than me," I praised. He blushed, rubbing the back of his head." You think so? I had no idea you'd be interested!" he admitted. I snorted, showing him a picture of Moltres. His jaw dropped, eyes widening at the image." A-Are you sure I'm better? This is a picture of Moltres, isn't it? I was so amazed to see it on camera, but seeing it in person must have been something else," he stammered, looking at the extremely detailed pic." Quality means nothing if you've got no passion for it," I informed him, shutting the book." Besides, I don't play fair. Metagross is a cheat code." Tracey looked awed." Wow... that feels nice to hear," he admitted." Dork," I snorted rudely, turning towards the gym battle." Is this your idea of a challenge? Isn't the Orange League supposed to be unique and innovative? I could set up a stupid challenge like this in three minutes for training," I asked loudly, cocking my head. Cissy paused, eye twitching at my biting remark." I'm more invested in watching the electric pokemon speak to each other. Seriously," I complained." For a second, I thought he was actually a nicer person," Misty exhaled in acceptance." It's more frequent?" Crystal tried weakly." I don't care how famous you are! I won't let you talk down on our league!" Cissy barked, glaring at me along with her little brother. I rolled my eyes." Man, your league is so fun. The idea of using Water Gun to shoot down some cans fills me with so much joy. I'm so jealous that I have no interest in participating in the Orange League. No, really." Her glare deepened." You really are a disrespectful brat. I thought you were playing it up for the television," she hissed." Well then, what do you propose?" I shrugged." Make it a little challenging at least. Here, I'll help."" Why are you interfering, Silver?!" Ash scowled. I held out a ball, releasing Metagross." Don't you like a challenge? The old you might have failed here, but this version of you? You wouldn't even struggle."" The old me?" Ash asked dumbly." Yeah, the version of you that existed before you met me."" WE MET WHEN I HAD TWO BADGES!" Ash roared." And that gave you all the more time to improve yourself. You're welcome." Ash gaped at me, unable to believe my sheer audacity. Little did he know, I was actually right. He'd be far weaker without my influence. A psychic sheen covered all the cans, and they flew into the air before Metagross sent them rapidly flying across the entire gym at ridiculous speeds." Here, this should help you out. Good training exercise," I said smugly, watching the show. His control was impeccable; every can flew at the same speed, never running into one another as he guided them through the air. What a cheating pokemon. Cissy looked stunned, eyes flitting over each blur." You're saying this is acceptable?" she muttered. Crystal cocked her head." Is something wrong with it? Metagross is being pretty polite about it. You should see what he does for us," she asked in confusion, causing the gym leader to falter. Gold chuckled." There goes Crys again, casually destroying a person's confidence without meaning to. She's right though... Wartaro took inspiration from him, and now my pokemon complain to me." The Orange League wasn't an official league despite its longstanding history. The islands as a whole were pretty weak in terms of firepower. Most people with real talent often left to go to a major region and stamp their name there. It was easier to just call it one of Kanto's territories. When things got tough for it, the original region often stepped in. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by the level of skill. Even Lorelei didn't stay on the Sevii Islands, an island with an even lower level than the Orange Islands." You three... are overwhelmingly rude. I expected it from Silver and Gold, but Crystal unintentionally does it as well," Cynthia pointed out with a small smile." This is a genius exercise. Perhaps I can replicate it with Togekiss. I'd have to up the speeds, though; this feels a little too easy."" It's good precision practice. If you can't even hit these, good luck ever catching Ares in the air," I advised. Ash's gaze immediately hardened at that." Wartortle, let's do this!" he shouted, sending out his water type. Cissy bit her lip and nodded." Alright, Seadra, let's go!"" Have at it. If you can accomplish it at this level, you'll notice an improvement in yourself," I instructed. As the two faced off, I idly heard Misty say, "Did you just hijack a gym battle?" she asked dumbly, even as I sat down." Just giving myself a head start. I imagine if I do a gym challenge, a certain psychotic psychic piece of-" Beira growled warningly." -Lovely trash will ensure I don't have a fun time," I finished smoothly. Sabrina managed to make Blaine go way harder as a gym leader. Imagine the work she could get done as an Elite 4 member..." You have a dangerous look in your eyes," Misty pointed out nervously." Don't mind it. He's probably thinking of Sabrina," Crystal waved off. I sneered, watching as Metagross idly moved a bottle centimeters to the left, right before Wartortle connected with it... A few moments later, the same thing happened to the Seadra. I heard four cries of frustration, a small smile on my face." No pain, no gain. My gym battles were harder than the average rookie, but the result showed, didn't it?" I mused. Misty nodded." I wanna battle you," she decided. I perked up." You've been training steadily with Ash, haven't you? I imagine you're the prime reason he had such good growth." While Brock was the strongest of the three, you needed someone at your level to push you. Pokemon grew exponentially when fighting someone of equal skill. His advice and training could only do so much. But Misty and Ash were relative to each other in the same way Green and I were, or Gold and Crystal." Sure, 3 on 3," I said easily, pushing myself up." Metagross, I'll leave it up to your own leisure."" Leaving me to do such a meaningless task. I expect some form of payment." I rolled my eyes." Sure. Gym Leader lady, we're going to be battling outside," I said. Cissy's eyes were narrowed in concentration. She didn't even acknowledge us beyond a wave of her hand." C'mon, Seadra, you got this! You're so close!" she encouraged." Keep it up, Wartortle! We'll win this!" Ash shouted. I snorted loudly." I have a request." I cocked my head at Misty, who stared at me in determination." Could you use Freyja? I'd love to battle her!" she exclaimed. I hummed thoughtfully." Okay. Careful though, she's a little pent up," I warned. Her loss to Ares left her pretty riled up. I constantly saw her with Cynthia's own Milotic, struggling to get her fairy techniques down. She grinned challengingly." Even better!"" Alright then," I muttered, grasping her ball with one hand, while patting Beira with the other. There was a curious glint in my Vulpix's eyes, her head sticking out of my neckline. She purred happily, leaning into my touch with a sigh. I wouldn't be battling with her anytime soon, but she'd reach that state sooner rather than later. Best to let her absorb all sorts of details." Standard League rules. 3 on 3. Good enough, yeah?" I said. Misty nodded." Crys, you referee." She nodded easily. Pachiree leapt onto her shoulder, Arachne on her head, and Pibu cheered, leaping onto her other one. She smiled at them, standing in the middle of our battle with a gaggle of baby electric types. It didn't take me much thought to palm the correct ball. Despite having only Luxury Balls, I could just tell who was who. While not quite like Kyurem, my pokemon did have their own tells that influenced the ball." Pay close attention, Beira. The way Freyja uses her rain is how I want you to use your snow. You'll start immediately," I murmured, releasing my water type from the ball. Beira yipped, watching as Freyja materialized. My Milotic crooned, the melodious note causing everyone around to relax. From the corner of my eye, I saw Tracy pull out his sketchbook and begin jotting down. It was a shame he had no interest in being a professional artist. I'd have hired him on the spot. Misty shuddered in anticipation. I actually had no clue what her team was. I saw a flurry of water types back at New Island, but I was more focused on Mewtwo and Mew's battle, and that Fergus guy was also a water specialist. At the very least, I know she owned a Gyarados. Hard to miss that." If I remember correctly, you didn't use your personal members during our gym battle, so that means you have no silly point to prove like a certain someone," I observed. Misty shook her head in amusement." It works for Ash, you know? You're just a different beast... and I can't expect that to work for me! Lanturn, let's do this!" Lanturn... I watched the Electric and Water type appear with a fierce cry. It locked onto Freyja, a glare forming that she returned with a smile." Hard hits, Lanturn! Freyja's able to take a lot of damage!" Misty shouted. I hummed." Handle it how you want, Freyja. Minimal orders from me. Careful of water attacks... it could have Water Absorb, but I imagine it has Volt Absorb," I muttered. Freyja nodded, eyes narrowed." Charge into Charge Beam! Build up some steam, girl!" Misty demanded. Lanturn glowed a bright yellow, but a turquoise orb exploded in her face. She squealed in surprise, only for Freyja to bowl her over with a massive Dragon Breath." Freyja is so adept at Dragon attacks," Cynthia muttered from a distance, staring intently at her. I smirked slightly. Freyja surrounded herself in a ring of water, no longer smiling as the adrenaline of battle kicked in. Lanturn glared harshly, firing the delayed Charge Beam. It surged through the air, honing in on Freyja's position, who simply coiled into herself, her scaly tail intercepting the attack. One thing we both realized was just how damn durable the scales on her tail were. Her whole body had enhanced durability from the effects of being partially a dragon, but the scales were even more so. The Charge Beam clashed against it as Freyja further increased her offense and defense with Coil. She inhaled before aiming the scales at the stunned Lanturn, firing off a Scale Shot that mercilessly hit it. Freyja rushed forward in an instant. She was a blur with the enhanced speed granted to her by the rain and the Scale Shot, gliding through the battlefield as if she were at home in the ocean." Discharge, Lanturn!" Misty shouted." Dragon Tail." Misty cried out as the Discharge never came out, Freyja brutally slamming her tail into the Lanturn. I was pretty sure she knocked her unconscious, but it was impossible to verify because she was sent back into her ball. I watched in interest as a Blastoise materialized against its will. It blinked rapidly, only for its jaw to drop at the sight of Freyja staring at it. I smiled at the look." Freyja, Attract." Blastoise probably didn't even need the actual technique. Freyja winked at the poor turtle, and it was completely immobilized. Misty groaned." Darn it... I was hoping I didn't have to use Blastoise against her," she mumbled." Where'd you find a Blastoise?" I questioned curiously." There was a gang of them. Ash caught the leader, and I caught this fella! I wouldn't have done it before... but you made me want to improve so I did," she revealed. I nodded thoughtfully." Freyja, blast him." Misty gaped as Blastoise got completely bombarded by a flurry of Dragon Pulses. Worse, the turtle was just grinning stupidly at its punishment, shooting my Milotic adoring eyes. She shut her eyes and held out a ball, forfeiting the Blastoise early." It's been ages since we battled, but you've exploded in how annoying you are," she admitted begrudgingly, sending out a Starmie." My team has unlocked their potential; now I'm honing them," I replied easily." Flip Turn." Freyja's eyes curled up, and she transformed into an orb of water, slamming into the Starmie before flinging back into her ball." Gaia." My sentence made Misty exhale in dread. I was genuinely proud that just hearing Gaia's name was causing unease among trainers. Everyone could beat a Meganium until it was time to beat my Meganium. I'd single-handedly drag their reputation out of the mud if I had to. Gaia bellowed on arrival, petals fluttering. She beamed at everyone around her before locking eyes with the Starmie." Damn," Misty cursed, eyes narrowing." Let's do this, Starmie!" I crossed my arms." Grassy Terrain. Now's a good time to practice with it a bit," I muttered. Gaia nodded cheerfully. A green field surrounded the area, taking the shape of grass. They swayed despite the lack of wind, and Gaia's gaze lit up. Her petals glowed idly, the energy of the attack making her puff up. Starmie whirred in a panic as Gaia fired off a Solar Beam. It was tiny, spluttering out before it even came close to hitting its target. Gaia and I had twin frowns at the failure. We were trying to fire off miniature Solar Beams without the need of the sun. Same charge speed, just smaller, and weaker..." Blizzard!" Misty demanded. Gaia cried out in outrage, summoning a Light Screen as the Starmie enveloped the field in the chilling ice. Gaia hissed, trying her hand at another Solar Beam. This time, it didn't even form. The attack spluttered before wearing off. Gaia's expression turned catatonic. She stared blankly as the attack failed." Hey, Gaia, it's cool," I reassured. It was not cool. Unfortunately for the world, Gaia was my starter." Push your advantage, Starmie! Use Ice Beam to halt her movement!" Misty shouted. Starmie's gem glowed fiercely. It spun rapidly— The field was suddenly enveloped in thick, massive vines. They ripped the battlefield apart, and I watched in some disbelief as they converged on Starmie, who couldn't even cry out before its body vanished. Gaia huffed in annoyance, a sneer on her face that genuinely looked too much like mine. I could tell she was frustrated by her failure, but that reaction was... Yeah, never mind; Gaia was definitely my pokemon." What's all that noise?!" Cissy shouted, stepping out and freezing at seeing Gaia's miniature garden." Gaia lost her cool," Gold said casually." I didn't know she could use Frenzy Plant without Overgrow activated," Crystal mused." She can't," I said lamely. Gaia turned her head with a pout, trotting over to me. She sagged into me, and I easily tended to my upset Meganium. Misty shakily returned Starmie to the ball, staring at me with wide eyes." How'd you already get stronger from the League?" I cupped Gaia's face easily." There were a lot of techniques I was working on before the League. I've just been refining them, is all." Amusingly enough, Beira looked utterly terrified of Gaia. My poor Vulpix was gazing at Gaia like the demonic pokemon she was. Gaia didn't notice, happily nuzzling my youngest. I turned towards the gym leader, watching Metagross calmly stroll up to me." How'd the challenge go?" I questioned, leaning against him easily. Ash and Pikachu glared at Metagross." I won! Wartortle and I managed to hit the most."" What? Didn't appreciate it?" I asked in amusement." Your Metagross is a jerk!" he exclaimed. Cissy nodded in agreement." One of my attacks connected! I saw it! But at the last second, Metagross moved the bottle and wiped the water off with its psychic abilities!" I shrugged helplessly." Don't hate the player, hate the game."" Hmph. You are rather amusing when it is not directed towards me," Metagross grunted in amusement." Good match, Misty. You could use some improvement. You've still got a year left before you're eligible to inherit your gym, right?" I reminded. She stiffened at the reminder." That's right... I'm gonna be 14 soon," she muttered, expression hardening slightly. I huffed." Alright, I'm done here. I've had my fun." Gold cackled, accepting Pibu easily." I'm gonna head to Oak's and let him know what happened with the G. S Ball. Weirdly enough, Pibu ain't registered to it. I caught her easily in an Ultra Ball," he informed us. I nodded, idly rubbing a finger against the Pichu's head." I've got work to handle." Cynthia sprang up to me." I'll be going with you."" I'm not even surprised. That didn't need to be said." Crystal giggled." I think he's really warming up to you! I'm gonna go train up a little. Maybe I'll check out that Shamouti Island before we have to go there," she mused. I nodded." Alright then. We'll see you guys."" You're leaving already?" Ash asked in surprise." Yup," I dragged out the p easily. Cissy crossed her arms." Don't underestimate the Orange League, kid! We won't take kindly to that," she warned." You won't do a thing. I'm not interested in your League," I said bluntly, whistling sharply. Ares roared as she landed. She grinned at me, only to blink in surprise as Beira cheered excitedly. With some help, Beira was atop Ares' head, getting comfortable. My Salamence looked more than a little stunned by the action, but snorted and accepted it. I didn't think Beira would like Ares so much, so I was surprised myself... But it was cute. Ares always put up a tough front, but she was a sweetheart sometimes, a little bit... rarely." I think I'm a little overqualified for you all. I'd suggest training a little bit more and then seeking me out," I advised, mounting Ares." Arachne, come on." A string attached to me before Arachne flew through the air, landing on me with a happy chitter. Arachne, Pachiree, Pibu, and Pikachu all waved eagerly at one another, sparks flying off each other... except for my spider, of course... Wait a second. There actually were sparks flying off of her. My gaze sharpened slightly." It was nice meeting you, Silver!" Tracy shouted." I can't say the same, but maybe we'll meet again, Pokemon Watcher," I drawled, nodding towards him. With a superior roar, Ares took off." Arachne, did you use your electricity?" I asked patiently. She nodded happily, and I groaned. I knew she liked her fellow electric types, but could she at least listen to me?" You're so hopelessly dumb. We'll have to do a checkup." Wait... did that mean Arachne fed her electricity to those electric types?... Oops. Beira whined, trotting over to me with hungry eyes. I hoisted her up before reaching into my bag to grab her bottle." What a jerk," Cissy muttered." I'd say you get used to it... but honestly, for some people it might be best to minimize contact with Silver," Crystal advised. She was rubbing Airee with a smile, preparing to depart herself." He's kind of unbearable without us around," Gold snorted." That... is very true," Cynthia sighed, watching Ares turn into a blip." He didn't even wait for me. I'll be going now!" Ash blinked." Huh? Who're you exactly?" he asked dumbly. Cynthia also blinked." Ah, Silver referred to you as his brother, didn't he? I don't see even the slightest of resemblances... but a pleasure to meet you all the same." She mounted Garchomp with a small smile." I'm Cynthia Shirona, Champion of the Sinnoh Region. I have a feeling we'll meet again, Ash Ketchum!" Garchomp disappeared in a blaze of speed, quickly gaining on the blip that was Ares. Ash continued to blink." WHAT?!" he roared. Misty rubbed her head." Moron." Gold laughed freely." It's always a journey with you guys... actually, what made you decide to start the Orange League challenge anyways?" he questioned. Ash scowled." Those Team Rocket jerks messed with our blimp while we were heading back to Kanto." Crystal blinked owlishly." Team... Rocket? Huh? No, that doesn't make sense." Silver definitely took them all out... and he was actively hunting them. How did any of them still have time to mess with Ash?" Is it that one Team Rocket trio?" Gold asked in confusion." It's always them. I'm beginning to think they're the only ones that exist. We've never encountered any others!" Misty complained. The two members of Colors blinked." Silver... will get them eventually?" Crystal muttered, mounting Airee." Eventually. Those three are weirdoes," Gold shrugged, taking off with Wartaro." Do you think the boss saw us?" James whispered in horror." If he didn't see us, he heard your beating heart! Slow it down!" Jesse hissed." H-He told us to do this! He wouldn't hunt us down, right?" Meowth wondered. They shuddered. Best not to test that." Silver." I paused, turning towards Cynthia with a raised brow. There was a gleam in her eyes, a question on her mind that had probably been plaguing her for a while"Do you... do you have a drawing of Giratina?" she asked in a hushed voice. I stared at her. In fact, I did have pictures of Giratina. Two whole pages worth. One of Altered, the other of Origin..." I've noticed some things about you," I said casually, not alluding to the fact I knew she was cursed. Cynthia tilted her head." You live an unhealthy lifestyle, one that's detrimental to you. Severely," I stressed. She frowned." How do you figure? What makes you say this?"" You claimed to miss meals frequently, but every time I make food, you eat it all like a ravenous beast. You have a trainer's appetite, and you're able to ignore it... all for the sake of your research," I pointed out. Cynthia flinched back." I shouldn't have to tell you how irresponsible that is. But that's not it. You mentioned being in Turnback Cave before... but the way you spoke about it wasn't once, but multiple times." I stared severely at her." A normal human wouldn't last very long in there. You can thank yourself and your team for being exceptional that you haven't already died." And her abnormal connection to Distortion." I..." Cynthia trailed off. For the first time since meeting her, there was an uncomfortable look in her eyes. It looked like she didn't want to have this conversation, but that was too fucking bad." You want to be our friend, right? Recent experiences have told me that I have no right to say this, but I will not let another suicidal dumbass hang around my gang. We've already dealt with enough loss." My gaze was even." Take better care of yourself, Cynthia. You shouldn't neglect your health, and I won't hesitate to cut contact with you if you do." She stared at me with a stunned gaze. Then, she laughed, a little nervously, with a small shake of her head." You're quite the hypocrite, Silver," she said softly. I cocked my head." I haven't made one for Giratina yet. Never felt the need to, but I'll draw one up and show it to you eventually," I lied. Cynthia nodded happily." I still don't really understand you. The only conclusion I can reach is that at some point, Giratina took a special interest in you and formed a connection. Does it have any side effects?" she mused." Not to me... but to those surrounding me," I said vaguely." I see," she muttered, slotting the information away." Thank you for indulging me, Silver. I really do appreciate it." Her tone was sincere, her expression positive, and her smile real. Cynthia was infuriatingly earnest, and I always had a soft spot for the earnest people. They wormed their way into my heart far too easily. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before I actually warmed up to her. I sighed." You're making an effort, so I'm just reciprocating. Despite your desire to bombard me with questions, you're restraining yourself." Her eyes widened." You can tell?"" I'm embarrassed that you think I couldn't. You're practically feral." Cynthia nodded." I'll... work on it. Does that mean you'll answer more of my questions?"" Within reason," I replied calmly. She smiled once more at me." Actually, I have something I need to do for a moment. I'll meet up with you later," she said suddenly. I looked a little confused, but nodded my head all the same." Have fun." She beamed, turning and waltzing away. I watched her back with a blank gaze before turning away. I wasn't curious enough to delve into her desires." Lucario, you wouldn't hide anything from me, would you?" Lucario stiffened. His trainer was staring at him, Garchomp right next to her. Despite the smile on her face, Cynthia's sharp gray eyes stared a hole through him." Cynthia?" Lucario said slowly. Cynthia smiled, but there was no joy in her eyes." You wouldn't, right? After all, we've been partners since I first started my journey. You've been with me for years. You're one of my most trusted pokemon, so you have no reason to hide anything from me, right? Lucario gazed cautiously at her." Answer the question, old friend," Garchomp said sternly." I would not hide anything important from you, Trainer," he bowed." I see," Cynthia muttered in disappointment." What did you talk to Silver about?" Lucario froze. Cynthia sighed." You've always been so easy to read, Lucario. Did you think I didn't notice the regret pouring off you? The sneaky glances you shot Silver?"" You said something to Silver. Tell me what it was." Lucario shut his eyes." I requested that he remind you of the duties you have, in hopes that you would return to Sinnoh sooner." There was a brief silence. Cynthia said nothing, crossing her arms in contemplation." You more than anyone know how much research I've poured into this," Cynthia said calmly." Now that I finally have a set avenue for answers, you're urging that source to push me away?"" That was not my intention. My only desire is to keep you safe," Lucario said warily." So you want me to quit right when I've finally reached a breakthrough. Lucario, are you mad?" Cynthia asked bluntly. Lucario jolted." I... what?"" It's the only thing I can think of that would cause you to sabotage me so readily. In fact, if not for our connection, I'd be burning in rage," Cynthia said honestly." Your urge to protect me is one I've always appreciated. Without you, much like Silver said, I'd be far worse for wear... but right now, you're only hampering me. Do you think me hanging around Silver is deadlier than scouring through that endless maze? The same one that he navigated?"" " Lucario said nothing." You do." Cynthia's voice was tinged with disbelief as she made the observation. The Sinnoh Champion eventually sighed, shutting her eyes." Lucario, I love you. Don't ever doubt that, but hampering me to such a degree isn't something I appreciate. Earning Silver's trust is already a tall task, and you aren't making it any easier for me. Do not interfere again." Lucario had never expected to have this conversation with his trainer. Was the disease spreading faster than he thought? There were moments where she would express frustration when he stepped in, but this was an entirely new reaction. Cynthia had been acting strange ever since being near Silver, but this was eerie." Cynthia, I fear if you linger around Silver any longer, your life may take a fatal turn," he explained softly. His beloved trainer stared back coolly." Danger is a normal part of a trainer's life, Lucario. If I allowed it to scare me, I'd never be Champion. You should know this more than anyone. I won't repeat myself. Understood? You've already made a mistake, so please don't make another."" But surely you notice your change in demeanor," Lucario pointed out." You are acting nothing like yourself."" Because I'm no longer crashing into a wall over and over again. I have answers, and that makes all the difference," Cynthia said resolutely." But are those answers truly worth it?"" I shouldn't even have to answer that, Lucario." Lucario stared at her with a conflicted expression before bowing his head. The warning in her tone had been absolute, and he could not deny his trainer, especially not with Garchomp there as a witness. Old friends they may be, Garchomp would tear apart anyone Cynthia pointed a finger at... And right now, Lucario was not so sure he was safe from it." Understood." Cynthia smiled." Thank you... Honestly, I'm not sure why you're upset. I haven't gotten hurt once while here, and in fact, the boy you're urging me to get away from is telling me to take care of myself. You got what you wanted, didn't you? What's the problem?" She clapped once, turning on a dime." Let's head back soon! I wonder if he'll answer one of my questions without changing the subject..." Garchomp's gaze lingered on the bowed Lucario before she turned to follow Cynthia. Lucario sighed softly. Cynthia had not been incorrect; Lucario truly did make a mistake. He could only hope he had done enough." Well, I can't say I'm too surprised about this." Lance took a deep breath. He wondered just how busy he was going to be this year. Maybe he should start looking for a successor. Maybe Crystal would be more receptive to the idea in the future. She would make a wonderful champion." Lance, my dear friend!" Wallace greeted with a blinding grin." How have you been? Resting well, I hope?"" Wallace," Lance greeted, pulling him into a hearty hug. A wry smile appeared on his face, and he said, "I've been sleeping when I can." Steven gauged him with a soft expression, placing a hand on his shoulder." You always did tend to overwork yourself, Lance. You can't be expected to perform optimally in less-than-stellar conditions."" You're one to talk, Steven. I'm sure you rely on Metagross to stay in optimal condition despite your unhealthy habits," Lance pointed out, an amused grin on his face. Steven said nothing at that, prompting Wallace to laugh. Lance leaned against his table, raking a hand through his spikes." I imagine you're here for a multitude of reasons beyond a friendly visit?" Wallace's grin vanished, a far more serious expression on his face." Kanto is practically in shutdown, and that cannot be for any good reason." Lance sighed." Things have been hectic... but it's finally calming down a bit. I much prefer this over what's been going on previously."" I won't pry for many details out of respect for your duties, but there are a few things I'd like to discuss." With the pleasantries out of the way, Steven was all business now." One of my Nurse Joys was kidnapped directly out of her home and brought over to Kanto... Now, I've spoken to her, and she mentioned that she could not say much because there was legendary influence." Steven looked as disturbed as he sounded. The sight prompted Lance to think back to the monster known as Mewtwo. Truth be told, he had a hard time believing Silver had stopped Mewtwo. Perhaps it was his pride as the Champion, but seeing what Mewtwo had done to his team... It was difficult to accept that not only had the psychic been defeated, but it had seemingly turned over a new leaf as well. But facts were facts. Mewtwo had been dealt with, and Lance had nothing to do with it." Believe me, Steven... I am as confused as you are," Lance admitted." There was a legendary involved, but I can't go into further detail about it. Just know the problem has been dealt with, and it won't cause us problems any longer." Lance knew that if Steven wanted, he could have pushed the issue. After all, Hoenn had been indirectly dragged into the conflict for reasons Lance did not understand, until he saw the way Joy had gazed at the unconscious Silver. He wasn't sure the timeframe, but Joy loved that boy dearly. That wasn't a love that could exist in the short period Mewtwo had held them both captive. But that begged the question. How did Silver know that Joy? Maybe Lance could have interrogated Silver... but that kid had simply gone through too much in too short a time. Steven's gaze softened." Be glad that we are such good friends, Lance," he said with no heat." It's not something I'll ever take for granted," Lance said honestly." Team Rocket has been destroyed." Steven's eyes widened." What?!" Lance nodded grimly." Dismantled and disbanded. Most of them have been captured, but a few of the more prominent members are on the run. We expect they'll be captured soon."" That's wonderful news! Team Rocket has been a growing thorn in the world's side. Why, I even heard there were sightings of them in other regions," Wallace exclaimed." Dismantled? Team Rocket has been elusive on the best of days... so what changed?" Steven asked. Lance exhaled." A couple of super rookies took matters into their own hands and dealt with the issue," he admitted. Steven looked stunned." You don't mean to say... Colors were part of the reason Team Rocket fell?"" Not part. They are the reason," Lance said honestly." Without that gang of kids, I think the whole world would be in a lot more trouble." Wallace wore a knowing smile, shooting Steven a peculiar look. The Champion of Hoenn looked more than a little disturbed. Steven pursed his lips." Lance, you manage two regions. Let us help you," he offered. Lance opened and shut his mouth, prompting Steven to continue." Hoenn is in a fine spot, if you're wondering. Better than ever... We can help," Steven said earnestly. Lance sighed in defeat." Truth be told, with Lorelei's retirement, things have been rough. I never realized how much she handled... but I definitely feel it now!" Steven and Wallace both gasped." Lorelei retired?!" The Dragon Master nodded." I don't blame her. After years, she finally has a proper family, so she wants to invest her time into them. She had my full blessing," he said with a fond smile. Steven did not miss the coy smile Wallace sent him." Ah, Lorelei... she is related to the alleged leader of Colors, Silver, yes?" Steven prodded. Lance nodded with a smile." Those two being related always makes me laugh. On the surface, you'd be surprised by how different they are... but they're really similar once you learn about them."" Ah, I must meet this Silver!" Wallace gushed, clasping his hands." As if I would miss the opportunity not to greet someone into my Milotic Fanclub! Invite him, Lance!" Lance didn't look surprised." I expected that the moment I saw you, Wallace. I'll try to call him over... but there's a very real chance he'll deny," he offered. Steven looked stunned." Deny? A summon from the Champion?" he asked slowly. Lance barked in laughter." You'll learn soon enough that Silver isn't like anyone you've ever met. He's like one of my baby dragons, but far worse." Steven exhaled." In the meantime, let's discuss something of importance. In the finals, Trainer Green utilized something very peculiar..." The Dragon Master leaned back." Somehow, they knew about Mega Evolution. I'm of the impression that Silver is the one who knew, but Green was the first to use it." What Lance did not mention was that Silver was actually the first to use Mega Evolution. In her report, Karen said Mewtwo had utilized it right at the cusp of defeat, drawing on Silver's keystone to do so. Learning that Mewtwo could Mega Evolve filled Lance with a dread he hadn't felt in a long time. The Legend was already absurd, and it could grow even stronger? It was the revelation that Mewtwo could Mega Evolve that made Leaf Green seek out her own source. Lance wasn't surprised Professor Oak knew of it, but he was more than a little surprised he had given a very unstable Green access to it. Out of respect for the pain they had gone through, Lance didn't question them... but maybe it was time to get some more answers. Being patient with Silver was necessary, but the boy was not as unreasonable as he portrayed himself. Part of Lance also did not want to see a timeline where Silver teamed up with Mewtwo earnestly. He had brought Team Rocket to its knees in a year... While mighty impressive, the implications of that were just as daunting if you thought about it as a person who opposed him. And truth be told, Lance wasn't positive the rest of his gang wouldn't follow in his steps if he really pushed for it." Steven, try not to discuss Leaf Green with them," he warned. Steven looked astonished." Lance... surely you understand you're being too lenient with them, don't you?" he questioned. Lance huffed in amusement." In due time you'll realize those kids are worth the time and patience. I saw what they did in just one year. Keeping them as our allies is in our best interest... And I like those kiddos. They're mine." I idly stared at Cynthia's Spiritomb with a cocked head. The strange ghost was staring at me, face distorting rapidly as we gauged one another. By far Cynthia's strangest pokemon... I didn't see her Spiritomb often. According to her, it truly was a pokemon forged by 108 spirits being fused, so the Pokedex didn't lie about that. What a tortured existence. I pitied the thing. Regardless, she seemed to really dislike me, even more so than Lucario did. Pretty obvious guess as to why. As my gaze focused on it further, the thing retreated into the Odd Keystone. At the same time, Cynthia went, "Hm?" which prompted me to turn my gaze to her. I watched her pull back her sleeve to reveal a black-and-gold Poketch. Whatever was on the screen made her hum in contemplation." What odd timing," she muttered, turning towards me." Lance wants us to come to Indigo." That made me scratch my head in confusion." Why?" There was a low chance it was related to Team Rocket; he would have shot me the message if so. Which meant he knew I'd question him on why he wanted me there... and I'd probably ignore the summons." I guess we should go." I scratched my head with a contemplative expression before deciding it wasn't worth thinking about any further." On further thought, never mind. You can go by yourself."" Don't be so averse to it. It might be fun!" Cynthia encouraged." If you say so," I muttered. There was so much to do... And my journey was right around the corner. Hard to think I was only a few days away from stepping into Johto.... That introduced a new layer of issues. How would I attempt the gym challenge? Would I even attempt it? Probably not early on. I wasn't too interested in it, truth be told. Like I mentioned before, I only entered Indigo to test my strength initially... Winning a League wasn't important to me for any reason beyond the simple fact that I liked winning. I wasn't interested in showcasing my talents to the world, wasn't interested in joining their government, and I certainly wasn't interested in becoming an Elite 4 member or Champion. Joining another one, where I likely would either crush the competition or be crushed by some Elite 4 prospect, didn't sound very appealing. Didn't help that I had normal access to the few who'd challenge me. Just something to think about later. I wasn't in a rush to complete the gym challenge. I had an entire year if I did decide to do it. Right now, I was more invested in improving myself to reach his level." Alright, we can go now," I muttered. Cynthia shot me a strange look, but nodded all the same." I wonder what he wants?" She looked more than a little curious. There was the million-dollar question. What the hell did Lance want?" I knew I should have just bailed." That was me, if you didn't realize. I needed to trust my instincts more, but most of the time my instincts told me to get out of dodge... This time, it felt oddly appropriate. Steven Stone, the Champion of Hoenn, turned away from Lance, an exasperated expression on his face that immediately fell as he met my cool gaze. I stared back at him with a neutral expression. A silence filled the air as his icy-blue eyes clashed with my metallic silver. Finally, the silence was broken by a source I didn't even notice." Ah, Cynthia, you're here as well?!" A turquoise-haired man greeted eagerly. He clapped his hands at once, drawing my attention to him and Steven's attention to Cynthia." Cynthia?!" Steven gaped in confusion. Cynthia grinned in delight." Wallace! Steven! Are you two here for the same reason as me?!" she greeted eagerly." Wallace... the water gym leader," I thought to myself. He was the owner of the world's most famous Milotic, and there were many whispers that his true strength lay beyond that of a gym leader. It probably wasn't an exaggeration to say Wallace was the strongest gym leader in the world. He was a Champion candidate after all. For someone who split his time between contests as well... that was seriously impressive of him. But that begged the question... what the hell was Wallace doing here, and why was he looking at me like that? It was as if he was looking at an old friend, which was why I was able to tense up and shove Cynthia in front of me before he closed the distance." My, what reaction speed!" Wallace praised, eagerly shaking Cynthia's hand despite that not being his intention. Cynthia, for her part, just smiled, easily returning Wallace's handshake." Wallace! What's the occasion? I didn't expect to see you here," she greeted. Wallace gasped dramatically." How could I not show up? Evidently, you too could not resist the lovely moment of our little small group expanding! I couldn't believe my eyes to see someone else with a Milotic!" Cynthia's dumbfounded look lasted only one second because I knew for a fact she had not come here for Freyja like Wallace seemingly had." It is quite rare. Silver's ownership of a Milotic is proof of his character," Cynthia said earnestly. Wallace clapped eagerly." I thought the same thing!" For some reason, Steven's expression turned utterly exhausted. I could relate to that." Champion... why am I here?" I asked dully, inching closer to the door so I could get away from Wallace, who was staring at me like a lunatic. Lance looked pretty tired, too, but there was amusement in his eyes." Wallace here demanded I call you over so that he can officially induct you into the Milotic Fan Club," he said easily. I stared dumbly at Lance, giving Wallace ample opportunity to ambush me. My eyes darted over to him as the water master eagerly shook my hand." It's a pleasure to meet you, Silver! I've become such a fan of you and Freyja. The bond you share is palpable even through a screen. Her radiance, her passion! It's glorious!" Wallace rambled on. I just awkwardly stood there as this freak of nature completely bombarded me." Ah, you must show me her when you get the chance! I'll show you my beloved starter as well! Milotic are very rare, you see? I believe we should take serious steps to ensure ours don't feel isolated... might I suggest tea parties routinely to build kinsmanship?" Cynthia laughed." That's a wonderful idea! I'm sure Milotic would be delighted. I'm sure I can rope Palmer into it as well... he could do with a bit more breaks."" Splendid!" Wallace beamed." I never agreed to anything of the sort," I hissed, yanking my hands away from Wallace and backing away even further to the door." Lance, I swear to god if this is the reason you called me here, I'm shoving my foot up your scaly ass." Steven and Wallace both gasped." I'm not scaly, Silver," Lance said in exasperation." What a graphic image!" Wallace exclaimed, eyes wide. Cynthia smiled." You get used to it." Lance rolled his eyes." Steven and Wallace are good friends of mine, and they wanted to meet one of the stars of the Indigo League. They've come to offer some aid as well, so I figured it wouldn't hurt for you to at least get acquainted with them," he explained calmly." Why the hell would I want to get acquainted with them?" I said bluntly." Because you're a steadily growing force in the world, and the face of a new group that's set to take over. It's good to meet the current generation of the best, as someone who wants to be the best, right?" Lance asked knowingly." You've got dragon brains. Why are you thinking politically?" I asked slowly." Silver," Lance said calmly. I sighed in exasperation." Nice to meet you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do," I said bluntly, only to pause as Cynthia grabbed my arm." It could be fun! It's not like you have anything to do at the moment..." I glared at her." You can stay here. I have no reason to." Cynthia frowned." Well, that's no fair..." she muttered. I snorted derisively." I've got enough on my plate as is. Leave me alone," I said sourly, marching through the door." Trainer Silver." I paused, turning to face Steven Stone in the flesh. The man who I had robbed ages ago for one of my most reliable pokemon to date. There was a smile on his face." A pleasure to meet you in the flesh. I am Steven Stone," he introduced himself." Charmed," I said dryly." I've heard a lot about you, Steven Stone. Widely considered the trainer with the single most powerful pokemon alive... while also being the Champion with the most power over his region. Helps that you're a talented nepo baby," I mused. Steven twitched visibly at that while Lance sighed aloud." Lance told me of your... abrasive attitude," he mentioned slowly." And you still wanted to meet me? I must have left quite the impression on you," I mused. Wallace looked mischievous." Oh yes, you did! Much like how I've grown attached to your darling Freyja, Steven here has taken quite the interest in your Metagross!" Steven had a look of surprise, but nodded all the same." Metagross are incredibly rare in their own right, and yours is one of the most unique I've seen yet." I stared stonily at them." Fine, I was about to train anyway. If you're curious about the members of my team, you can see them," I said bluntly. Steven's eyes widened at my words. For a moment, I saw doubt flash on his face before he readily nodded. Hah, I knew it." Behave," Lance instructed." I always do," I said dryly. Steven gained a worried look at Lance's snort. Steven liked to think he understood himself well, to the point where he tended to be overwhelmingly confident in his own judgement. Owning a Metagross had only strengthened that belief. After all, Metagross often agreed with him, and that would not happen if Steven were wrong. But was it possible for both Metagross and he to be wrong? After all, Silver's utter ease at meeting them was heavily contrary to how a thief would react. Not only that... his company. Why in the world was Cynthia with Trainer Silver? It did not make any sense. Steven was sure that Silver was the thief, but the boy had a personal relationship with Lance and Cynthia, two of his good friends. In particular, Lance gazed at Silver like he were family, while Cynthia looked at him with admiration. If Steven abruptly accused him of stealing a Metagross, they'd think him a lunatic. Silver uncomfortably regarded Wallace, who had not stopped talking to him since they began walking to the training grounds. Steven understood that look well... he had been very much the same when first meeting his friend." Cynthia, what brings you here? I didn't imagine something would have caught your interest," he wondered. Cynthia turned towards him with a delighted look in her eyes." I wanted to meet the gang that turned the world on its head! In the process... I learned that they're a wonderful group of children, so I decided to prolong my visit." Steven looked stunned. Cynthia of all people? Was she setting her interest aside to befriend this strange group of children?" And you chose... Silver to linger around?" he asked in confusion. She nodded easily." I feel as if winning him over will be the hardest task, so that's what I'm focused on." Steven looked troubled. He and Lance were keenly aware of Cynthia's obsessive tendencies with whatever interested her. Did that obsession shift over to Colors?" What do you think about him?" Steven asked eventually. Cynthia tilted her head." I think... he's very guarded and doesn't like a lot of people. He's rude, sour, and will ignore you if you aren't interesting to him. But if he does like you, he's probably the most reliable friend you could have." Steven frowned thoughtfully at that. Silver had quite a few people supporting him. Even without Cynthia and Lance backing him, he still had Lorelei. So pray tell, why did he steal a Beldum from Steven? What was the purpose behind such a thing? As he watched the boy confidently stroll to the training ground, Steven was finally beginning to doubt that he stole the Beldum in the first place. Freyja let out a shout of surprise as she was swamped by two other Milotic and a living artillery of a human being. I watched with a befuddled expression as Wallace freely gushed over her." Superb, Silver! Look at her condition! Oh, you're just a spoiled little Milotic, aren't you?" Wallace gushed. Next to him, his own Milotic shook its head in exasperation, shooting Freyja an apologetic look." Milo?" Freyja croaked in confusion. Wallace was weird. Despite my dozens of non-answers, he talked to me like we were old buddies. He turned towards me with a curious expression." Freyja's scales are tougher than normal. Almost as if she has Marvel Scale active. Might you know the reason why?" he questioned. Cynthia perked up, and even I raised a brow at that, looking at the water master with an impressed expression." Freyja's evolution wasn't smooth. It happened while she was badly burned from a Houndoom. While evolving, Marvel Scale caused a mutation to combat the burns, drawing on the dragon energy we've been training to mitigate the damage. Now, she's basically half dragon," I explained. Cynthia gaped." WHAT?!" Wallace's eyes widened." Truly?! It's no wonder she was so adept at using draconic techniques!" Freyja blushed red as the two other Milotic began questioning her." Why did you never explain this to me? That would explain why she's struggling with fairy techniques," Cynthia demanded. I rubbed Achlys on the head." I have a bad habit of not explaining things out of the goodness of my heart." Cynthia sighed." That... sounds about right."" That would also explain why she seemed so durable against certain attacks... while weaker against others. That Freeze-Dry did tremendous damage," Wallace muttered, inspecting Freyja from head to toe. My Milotic looked a little uncomfortable, but the sight of the two others of her species must have calmed her down. I smiled in mild amusement." Metagross," I beckoned, calling over my fourth pokemon. Metagross looked as neutral as ever. We had long ago discussed the possibility of Steven knowing about his disappearance, but his loyalty was now fully mine. Nothing would separate us, not even his former monarch." Regretfully, you are correct. I cannot envision myself belonging to another trainer, and I certainly cannot envision myself mulling about in those dull fields." Metagross sighed. I ran a hand against the smooth steel of his dome." Steven, this is Metagross. Metagross, this is Steven Stone. He owns the strongest Metagross in the world... for now," I introduced." I never dreamed there would be a possibility that I'd surpass the Monarch's Knight... but I do like the sound of that," Metagross mused, offering Steven a single audible grunt." It's inevitable. You'll be stronger than any other Metagross," I said confidently. Steven gave Metagross a lingering stare, a smile forming on his face out of habit." Hello, Metagross," he greeted." You're a rather unique shade of blue. As it happens, I have my own Metagross with a rather unique shade." I watched coolly as Steven elegantly held out a Pokeball before a familiar shape materialized from it. Steven's Metagross was a sight to behold. Massive, intimidating... and above all else, shiny. The shiny phenomenon was often just a difference in a pokemon's makeup that caused it to be altered. Think the pokemon at the Orange Islands. They all technically fell under the umbrella of "shiny". There was a different reason for why each pokemon ended up a color, but quite frankly, I wasn't a researcher, I didn't own a shiny, and I didn't give a shit. Though, I suppose Metagross was also under that umbrella. He was a darker shade of blue after all. But Steven's Metagross wasn't blue at all. It was a striking shade of silver with a golden X across its face. It didn't say a word on arrival, eyes dully staring at both Metagross and me." I'm not sure if you're aware, but my family actually has a deal with a colony of Beldum. In exchange for protection, they will offer us their services. Metagross are very powerful, so many people have eyes on them," Steven pointed out. I eyed him. Lorelei had told me Steven was abrasive and likely to fumble over his words, something he must have been made aware of. I wonder if he had Wallace and his own Metagross to help him." They really are rare... but considering how hard it was to find my team, I learned a thing or two about patience. Shoulda seen how long I fished for Freyja," I drawled." Tell me about it!" Cynthia agreed in the distance." I do not envy you two. My encounter with Milotic was fate!" Wallace beamed. Steven focused on what I said." Oh, you specifically hunted your team down?" he questioned." For the most part." Steven stared at me, likely expecting something more, but faltered at my disinterest. He shot me a puzzled look, but nodded slowly." Where did you find your Beldum? I wouldn't normally expect to see one in the wild," he prodded. I stared him down." What is this, 20 questions? You've already reached your quota so wait a couple hours before bombarding me again," I said blandly, waving him off. Steven blinked in disbelief, gaping at me." Pardon?" he asked slowly." I don't know you, and I was only answering your questions outta courtesy for The Flying Master. I'm bored of this conversation now because I'm traveling with a freak of nature who only asks me questions," I said frankly, patting Metagross on his dome. My steel type was staring at his shiny counterpart, a conversation probably running through." Now if you'll excuse me, Metagross and I have some training to do. He's got a lot of work to do to surpass that beast. If you've got any tips, you can hand them over." Steven looked utterly dumbfounded." Metagross don't have genders," he said." You ever tried asking? Metagross says he has male pronouns cause we're linked," I informed him. I took a single look at the silver Metagross." Then again... I don't think yours has independent thought. Bummer." With that, I strolled off." Wait just a minute." I paused, turning towards Steven with a curious look. He was frowning now, crossing his arms slightly." Trainer Silver... to be blunt, I suspect you've stolen that Metagross from me," he said bluntly. There was an immediate silence. Cynthia and Wallace glanced at us, and I could have sworn I heard the water master groan. Ah, this was what Lorelei was talking about. I tilted my head." Oh, was that what that sad attempt at casual interrogation was?" I mused." You think I stole your Beldum?"" Think is a very generous word. I'm confident you have," Steven pressed, eyes narrowed." Steven, that's a very serious accusation," Cynthia interjected, her own eyes narrowing." I'm well aware," he said evenly." This will go swimmingly," Wallace sighed, shooting the alert Freyja an apologetic stare. My Milotic didn't notice, staring at Steven like he was a particularly dirty stain she needed to clean. I hummed, unbothered by it all." You have a reason for accusing me, right?"" I'm almost certain it's you. Your assortment of rare pokemon, the fact that two of those pokemon happen to be ones stolen in the same year... What I don't understand is your motives behind it," Steven said frankly." Steven..." Cynthia practically growled, a small, uncharacteristic scowl on her face. Steven shot her a somewhat confused look, but turned his even gaze towards me." We've narrowed it down. Quite frankly, Metagross and I have never been wrong when reaching a similar conclusion." I leaned against a neutral Metagross. Steven's Metagross had never removed its eyes from me. If I were lesser, I'd be rightly intimidated... but the gaze of far more intimidating creatures had peered into my soul, unraveling me at the seams. I owned one of them after all." How would I have stolen your Beldum?" I asked finally. Steven's eyes narrowed." That's not something I know the answer to, but I'm beginning to suspect it had something to do with the Nurse Joy stationed in Fortree." My features would have darkened if I hadn't expertly schooled my expression. If Steven delved deeper into that, he'd probably eventually find out that Joy wiped my records... which was for my own safety, but would look truly terrible with my actions in Hoenn. Hm. Alright then. I would need to take his attention off Joy somehow..." I'm afraid you're mistaken. If I raided your estate, all your psychics would be able to tell," I said confidently. Steven's brows furrowed." What do you mean?" he asked. I beckoned towards his Metagross." Ask your Metagross." The Champion of Hoenn was a genius, and quite frankly, I was lucky as shit. I was not a powerful psychic deterrent before I raided the estate. If I had decided to get Ares first instead of Beldum, I'd have been in a lot of trouble. I only became a true psychic deterrent after grasping the Meteorite, after all. The distortion rolling off me hadn't been as powerful, Loki's dark typing able to mask it initially. Case in point, I watched in mild satisfaction as Steven's Metagross let out a grunt of surprise. The noise caused Steven's head to whirl, his eyes glowing faintly as the two immediately began conversing through their connection. Steven looked properly rattled. The collected champion was nowhere to be seen, simply staring at me in horror." You can also just ask Metagross yourself," I said in amusement." If he's from your colony, you should be able to tell, right?"" What did you do to that Metagross? Even if it was from my colony, whatever you did would have scrubbed it completely clean," he whispered in disbelief. The Stone heir looked sick, eyes gazing at my steel-type in pity." We've been through a lot of trials," I said, patting Metagross easily. Metagross stared at Steven, eyes glowing faintly." Metagross, you cannot stay with that boy. That can't possibly be healthy for you," Steven interjected. This time, I was unable to stop my gaze from darkening." Hoenn Champion, you really shouldn't say things like that because you'll deeply offend me, and I'm not saying this is a threat, but if you imply that I shouldn't own Metagross again, I'm going to shove your Metagross' arm up your ass," I practically hissed, whirling around with venom in my eyes. Steven looked evenly at me." Do you think what you've done is humane, Silver? Regardless of whether you have stolen that Metagross from me, do you think bonding with it while wielding such a toxic aura is safe for it? You could have killed it."" Him," I said frostily, but despite that... I did falter slightly because Beldum did almost die. When he first linked to me... he would have died right then and there. Not only that, if he ever tried to break our bond..." Steven Stone." Both Steven and I paused at that, turning towards my Metagross in unison." Think carefully about how you speak to my trainer, especially if it is concerning me. You have not witnessed the trials we have gone through, so how can you judge our relationship? You speak from a place of raw ignorance, which I find highly deplorable," Metagross said frankly. Steven faltered." But... how are you even okay?" he asked gently. Metagross rumbled." I am in no danger. Silver is the leader of my colony; any further attempts to separate us will be met with extreme resistance." Steven opened his mouth, only to shut it. He stared at Metagross before locking eyes with me." I will drop the matter for now, but my belief does not change," he said finally." How you've affected that Metagross has yet to be seen, but believe me when I say that if I realize that not only have you stolen my Beldum, you've corrupted and brainwashed it..." He let the words hang in the air. I chuckled, catching him off guard." Even though I want to cave your face in, I actually respect your conviction and honesty," I said genuinely." Consider this your warning. If you threaten me like that again, if you dare try and take my team from me, you'll start a war that won't end until I say it does." Steven gazed at my back before turning on a dime." I will deeply consider your words, Trainer Silver. I look forward to learning more of your character."" Likewise," I drawled." I do apologize for him... I'll have you know, I persisted in telling him you weren't the thief, but he refused to be swayed!" Wallace exclaimed. The speed at which he disavowed Steven's actions made a small smile form on my face." You just heard me threaten war on your friend. That affects you too, you know?" I said bluntly. Wallace snorted." It truly does not. Steven prefers to handle matters on his own, and I, for one, have no interest in waging war on my fellow Milotic fan." He was such a freak. Wallace was an oddity. I shook my head." You're weird." Wallace laughed freely, waving and following after Steven." In this profession, you won't make it far being normal! All the top trainers of the world have their own quirks! If two egos come to clash, it is best to stand by and minimize damage."" You aren't wrong about that," I said, staring pointedly at the Cynthia who had grabbed me and pushed me away from the retreating Steven." I'm sorry about him. Steven can be obsessive," Cynthia apologized. I snorted." It's a valid suspicion... but weren't you quick to jump to my defense?" I asked suspiciously. Her powerful nod somewhat confirmed my suspicions." Of course! What type of friend would I be if I stood by and let him throw accusations at you?" She leaned in close." You absolutely stole his Beldum, didn't you?" she whispered. I laughed. Perhaps she was becoming a friend of mine. My friends would defend me with full knowledge that I absolutely did whatever I was being accused of. Cynthia sighed." You never make things easy, do you?"" You stole Steven's Beldum, didn't you?" Lance stared evenly at me, pinching his brows with a tired expression." What makes you say that?" I questioned in relaxation." I'll have you know I was listening to that entire thing, and the moment Steven accused you of stealing the Beldum... I didn't doubt him; I just thought to myself that's absolutely something you would do," Lance stressed." You have so little faith in me," I said in amusement. Lance shot me a flat stare." Silver, for the two months you were part of Team Rocket, you gave us hell. I know what you're capable of." I stared evenly at him." You stole Gaia from Elm, too," he followed up, aging in real time. I scratched my hair." Alright, yeah, you got me. I don't regret stealing them, though... but I do regret hurting Elm," I admitted." You panicked, right?" Lance asked knowingly, sighing to himself." Honestly, I thought you were as reckless as me as a child, but you're even more reckless with a dubious moral compass to boot," he muttered." Not gonna arrest me?" I wondered. His yellow eyes stared at me." Of course not. Between you and me, I always did think hoarding all those Beldum was a little deranged. I'm more impressed by how in the world you managed to sneak into Steven's estate. Your talent is something better off honing for proper work," he laughed. I looked surprised before smiling myself." I had Loki cloak me in his aura, while throwing up an illusion." Lance leaned backwards." And why did you decide robbing Steven was the way to go? He's actually a generous person. If you had asked him, I'm sure he'd part with one."" I was already a criminal, and tracking down Steven Stone sounds like torture... but he's also the easiest way for me to get one. Finding a Beldum in the wild is hard," I admitted." You really wanted a Beldum, I take it?"" It was the only psychic I considered catching. While I wanted a strong team, I personally like all my members as well," I replied honestly. He let out a breath, coming to some realization." Okay, explain Ares for me," he decided." Do I have to?" Lance shot me a flat stare." Silver. As Champion, you're my responsibility, and I don't know if you realized, but-""Okay, okay... I committed crimes, and you could throw me in prison for a very long time, I get it," I sighed." I also planned on stealing a Bagon from the Draconids." Lance pinched his nose." You're a psychopath. You wanted to steal from a tribe of dragons?" he questioned. I nodded." My plan failed. I nearly got killed by a Fraxure in the process, and Ares saved me before demanding to join." Lance mulled that over." So you didn't steal Ares... she joined you."" Her mother was holding her hostage." There was a brief pause before Lance's eyes widened." Wait a second. Is Ares the daughter of Dera?!"" No idea who that is. I know next to nothing about the Draconids... but Ares was the daughter of a Salamence." Lance rubbed his brow." You make my life so stressful. Dera is the pokemon of the Draconid High Elder, Ambrosia." I whistled." Wow, Ares really is a princess. No wonder she speaks so properly."" What about Chikorita? That's admittedly not a pokemon I ever thought someone would willingly steal," he muttered. I leaned back, mulling the question over. Frankly, I didn't really know my motive for raiding Elm's lab in this world. I could probably take a couple of guesses, though." I think... I was jealous that other kids could start a normal journey while I was... not normal. Because of my status, I would never be able to do things normally. Maybe I wanted to replicate that feeling by having my own starter, and the professors are the most well-known sources of them," I said honestly." I scouted out Elm; I knew he wasn't going to have three trainers that year... and so, I struck. The only issue is, I had a... trauma attack in the middle of it, and Elm chose the worst time to show up, so I attacked him." While the trauma part was kinda not the truth, for some reason I could tell that everything else was. I had definitely gathered intel on Elm before raiding his lab. Lance had a dark glare on his face." You ran away from home, didn't you?" he asked quietly. I stared at him." Yeah, I did. I couldn't bear to be associated with that group anymore." He said nothing for a while." Silver... where did you live while you were on the run?" I froze at the question before scoffing to myself." Why do you think my tent is so nice?" Crunch. I blinked in surprise, watching as Lance dug into that expensive table of his with a startling amount of ease. There was a scowl on his face, righteous fury igniting his yellow, draconic eyes." I won't condemn you, Silver. I won't condemn a child who'd rather be homeless than stay with his parents. I won't condemn a child who mustered up the strength to turn against his parents, because that's a difficult thing to do. You've done more good than bad for this region, Silver... just, try not to commit any crimes, will you?" Lance asked eventually. I stared warily at him, still looking at the crushed piece of the table before nodding." Lorelei wanted me to stop, too. I'm making an honest effort... for the most part," I said lamely." I'll ignore that last part for my own sake," Lance sighed." Actually... I'll ignore that whole sentence. I can't believe Lorelei didn't tell me any of this." I smiled softly." Blame me, not her. She was working with a troubled guy."" Don't I know it," Lance sighed." You're free to go. Steven's stubborn, so let me talk to him." I stared at Lance in surprise." You shouldn't go through all this effort to defend me, you know? I'm just one person, and I'm hardly affiliated with the League."" Yeah, but I want to. Value yourself a little more, Silver... I think you're worth defending," he said strongly." " I gazed at him before nodding, eyes flitting back over to the table." Thanks, Lance. I'll be going now." Lance watched me go with those piercing eyes of his." By the way, stop using such excessive force in your missions. You're scaring poor Maria."" Noted. I'll do it where she can't see and on hostile forces only," I replied. His sigh of exasperation was the last thing I heard." Huh, he doesn't call me Lance often," Lance mused, glancing down at his table. He needed to get that repaired soon.