I grunted unexpectedly, as I was abruptly pulled into a ridiculously tight hug. At the realization of who it was that was attempting to end my life, I gave up resisting and just let it be.

  "Must you worry me at all times?" Lorelei murmured, squeezing me in relief.

  She pulled back, tenderly grabbed both my cheeks and began inspecting my features. The concern in her eyes was very obvious, as she clinically assessed me for any anomalies.

  Whatever she saw, seemed to have satisfied her and I sighed as she pulled me back into her embrace. "I just want to go a day without being concerned about you," she whispered.

  "No one told you to worry about me every single day of the week. That sounds stressful even for me," I pointed out, content to let her do whatever she wanted.

  Lorelei sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Three executives in such a short span… most trainers would be dead. That's why I'm so worried. I know you're skilled... but luck certainly plays a part in being able to survive an encounter against them," she murmured quietly into my ear.

  I grunted at her cool breath and pulled back slightly to gauge her.

  "I tried to call you," I admitted truthfully, patting her on the head.

  Lorelei looked torn between being offended that I ruined her perfect hair, or cooing at the action of me actually patting said perfect hair.

  "There was some type of disruptor that cut off communications. I event sent Janine to get that freak of a Gym Leader so that we could have backup. I'm taking steps to be more careful."

  My touchy aunt squeezed me, relief on her features at my words.

  "Thank you… but you know I'll feel most satisfied if you just let me…"

  "No," I denied firmly. "I can't expect an Elite 4 member to play bodyguard for me all the time. I understand your concerns but we'll be fine," I assured, patting her on the head once more.

  Lorelei sighed in defeat and just accepted my headpats. She tried to appear refined but it was a bit difficult... but she still managed to kinda pull it off!

  "Perhaps I should just pay you random visits. Chaos seems to follow wherever you go and I do have a Teleporter so…"

  "I know aunt. If that's what makes you feel better, feel free," I replied back, sighing as she dragged me into another hug.

  How much was she going to hug me? She was as bad as Green damnit!

  "...Can someone please explain what's going on?" Crystal asked, dumbfounded at the sight of me being used as a stuffed animal by my aunt.

  It wasn't everyday someone saw Elite 4 Lorelei doing something as affectionate as doting on someone. Most people probably assumed she didn't even know what that word was.

  Yet here she was, doing something that completely contrasted the personality she was typically portrayed with.

  Lorelei truly didn't have a shame in the world when it came to me. No matter who was watching, it would not change the way she treated me.

  She was way too proud to show me off all the time. My aunt was lucky I didn't get embarrassed that easily.

  Case in point, she practically began glowing when I told my group that she was my aunt.

  "Elite 4 Lorelei is my aunt," I explained to them, rolling my eyes as she smiled brightly at me. I'm pretty sure she was resisting the urge to hoist and prop me up like some prize.

  Gold, Crystal and Janine all blinked, disbelief taking root slowly but surely.

  "What did you just say?" Gold asked slowly.

  "A-A-Aunt?!" Janine whispered in terror.

  "Bwah?" Crystal let out a helpless noise of confusion.

  If I had to guess, Lorelei was probably her favorite celebrity in both Kanto and Johto.

  My aunt sobered slightly at the looks being shot her way. She adjusted her glasses and her expression shifted completely.

  "You three helped assist Green and Silver, correct?" Lorelei asked, utterly rigid as she went into ice queen mode… all while still holding me. "You have my sincerest gratitude. Thank you for helping my reckless nephew."

  Gold recovered first.

  "U-Uh it was no biggie. He's our grumpy buddy!" he laughed awkwardly.

  "We're happy to help him! We'd do it again!" Crystal squeaked, eyes wide as she gazed reverently at Lorelei.

  "Did you know Silver's auntie was Elite 4 Lorelei?!" the blue haired girl hissed into her best friend's ears.

  I huffed in amusement as Gold shook his head rapidly.

  "How the hell am I supposed to know that, Crys?! He has literally never mentioned anything even involving family!"

  "B-But how can someone like Silver be related to someone like Lorelei?!"

  "I'm asking the same questions here! We know the same redhead!"

  Janine looked pale as a ghost, sweat forming on her features, as she saw just how much Lorelei doted on me.

  It was very clear, she was recalling the previous way she treated me but did she seriously think I was going to use that against her?

  There was only one person, who wasn't an outright enemy, that I'd shamelessly sick my overprotective aunt onto.

  "Elite 4 Lorelei."

  ...Speak of the fucking devil.

  Lorelei glanced to the side at that, taking note of the groan of disgust I let out.

  "Gym Leader Sabrina," she greeted kindly. She chided my bad manners with a gentle pinch on the cheek and ignored my warning snarl.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked flatly, gazing at the psychic with an unfriendly stare.

  To my slight surprise, Sabrina lightly sucked her teeth.

  "I find myself filled with regret just showing up," she said flatly. "Unfortunately, I have my duties to fulfill."

  Considering how close I was, I could feel my Aunt's confusion clear as day. She definitely expected me to be antagonistic because that's just who I was.

  But Sabrina reciprocating my energy, was probably the last thing she expected.

  "Elite 4 Lorelei, how is it that you can possibly tolerate Trainer Silver? Is your patience truly limitless?" Sabrina asked genuinely, looking at the two of us with an almost curious expression.

  "The stick up her ass doesn't go in nearly as far as the one in yours, freak," I replied easily, before hissing as icy cold fingers began gripping my cheek.

  "Language, Silver… and I would appreciate if you didn't say something so vulgar about me," Lorelei chastised firmly, a slight dust of embarrassment at my words.

  I turned to glare at her, baring my fangs warningly. "It was a compliment," I snarled.

  "If that is your idea of a compliment, that is yet another thing we have to add to your lessons," she sighed, flinching as I returned the favor and pinched her cheek.

  "You still think I'm teachable?" I asked incredulously.

  "It's just not adding up, Gold!" Crystal sounded far more distressed this time.

  Had she been trying to find some sort of correlation between Lorelei and I? The sheer distraught on her face was very reminiscent to when I destroyed Sabrina's image to Green.

  Green in question, was patting Crystal reassuringly. Her and Lorelei had exchanged a quick hug before my aunt decided to hog me for the entirety of this meeting.

  Lorelei turned towards Sabrina, ignoring me for the moment. "To answer your question, Sabrina… Silver is my nephew. I tolerate him for the sake of anyone who he may meet in the future," she said tiredly.

  I rolled my eyes. "Don't sound so tired, Ms. Aunt. You're the one who asked for this by refusing to leave me alone," I snarked.

  "You do not fill me with energy. You're draining," Lorelei bit back.

  "Thanks."

  "That... wasn't a compliment. And could you at least call me Lorelei or Aunt Lorelei? Ms. Aunt sounds very patronizing coming out of your mouth."

  "I could call you stalker if you want."

  "...Ms. Aunt sounds fine."

  Sabrina gazed at the two of us bickering with an unreadable expression.

  "I see… Lorelei, I truly do pity you," Sabrina said genuinely. Her face even turned apologetic and all.

  "Another word and I'm posting the picture on the web," I said calmly.

  Sabrina, very wisely I should add, did not say anything else. She just settled for a deep glare that I returned with an innocent smile.

  "Silver… whatever pictures you have… you cannot post them online. It almost sounds like you are blackmailing one of our gym leaders," Lorelei stressed.

  I blinked. "Then I'll send them to journalists and they can post it online. Besides, it's not like the picture is illegal. I have taste you know... but it sure is embarrassing."

  "Does he always have a solution?" Crystal whispered to Green.

  "He's evil," Green replied flatly.

  Lorelei gazed at me in confusion. "What is this picture you speak of exactly?" she asked warily.

  Before Sabrina could even think to stop me, I fished my phone out and flipped over to the photo.

  Remember when I said I'd only sick Lorelei on one person? Yeah, if you didn't realize... that person was Sabrina.

  Lorelei's eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly at the sight of Sabrina.

  "Oh… Silver, why do you have such an image?" she asked slowly.

  "It was directed towards me," I said as ignorantly as possible, with full knowledge that she was going to misinterpret it.

  "T-Truly? For what reason would Sabrina be looking at you in such a way?" Lorelei spluttered, turning accusing eyes towards Sabrina.

  Unfortunately, my aunt was just too smart for her own good.

  Once the shock of the situation died down, Lorelei took a deep breath and turned towards me with a disapproving glare.

  "Silver, I don't appreciate you instigating the situation so proudly. I'm sure you omitted some very key details."

  "Worth it. Any dip in opinion for that old lady is something I'll gladly take," I smirked.

  Lorelei exhaled, pinching her nose slightly. "My apologies, Sabrina. I'm very sure this picture was taken out of context."

  "I still to this day, don't know how or when he took it," Green said flatly.

  Sabrina's expression fully cracked and a tired expression finally took over.

  The Psychic let out a sigh of exhaustion and rubbed two fingers against her forehead. "Let us get this over with. I do not think I can go another day with you in my city."

  "You're welcome for the help, pervert," I retorted smugly.

  Lorelei sighed and immediately slipped into professional mode. "You five played a major part in assisting Gym Leader Sabrina during the invasion of Saffron City orchestrated by Team Rocket. While Gym Trainer Janine went to inform her of what their target was, you four trainers happened to already know and delivered a follow up attack on Silph Co. How is that possible?"

  If there was one thing about Lorelei. She sure did ask good questions.

  Unfortunately, I was a great bullshitter.

  "While running around the city, we saw a Rocket guarding the entrance to Silph Co. The city was in chaos, but this part was pretty barren with not nearly as much citizens around... almost like they were chased away from it," I explained easily, taking the reins of the conversation.

  "We got suspicious at that. Janine told us that there was also a rocket guarding Saffron Gym when she approached and that's for obvious reasons. Once I saw the guard in front of a building as important as Silph Co, we dispatched of him pretty quickly. It made the most sense to me that Silph Co was the true target because the only other target would be Sabrina… but on the off chance that I was wrong, I sent Janine to go assist her since she has more battle experience than us," I explained.

  Lorelei pursed her lips at that and nodded. "But you were right that Silph Co was the target."

  "That's why we went as four," I countered. "Strength in numbers means we'd be less likely to have a truly unfavorable matchup. Janine helping Sabrina also gives them a faster chance to come help us. The best chance at success, was making sure Sabrina knew what their target was."

  Sabrina mulled over my response with a surprising amount of focus, nodding along with my words.

  Lorelei was not so easily convinced.

  "That plan of yours barely worked," Lorelei chastised. "From what I'm understanding, Trainer Gold very nearly lost a pokemon in action… and now it has evolved into a form of Typhlosion I have never seen before. It is not just me either. I can assure you, no one has seen a Typhlosion with this appearance before."

  The Elite 4 member gazed down at me. "What you did was incredibly risky and dangerous. If not for timely interventions, you could have suffered significantly more," she chastised.

  I stared at her, nonplussed by her firmness, only to sigh at the concern behind her stern demeanor.

  "I understand… but Team Rocket absolutely could not succeed here," I informed her stonily.

  Lorelei flinched back in surprise, taken aback by my grave expression.

  "Kanto is on the brink of complete collapse. The S.S Anne is one of the greatest travesties in recent times… but it was still just a boat. Saffron City is the heart of the region. If Team Rocket successfully got what they came here for, morale would plummet to levels you can't salvage. The region would be done for and Johto would follow soon after."

  "..." Lorelei said nothing.

  I frowned to myself. "This was a clear and cut targeted attack to keep Sabrina distracted so they could have free reigns to Silph Co. There was no one else in there to stand up to them. If we didn't do anything, Sabrina probably wouldn't have even encountered them and they still got away when she showed up."

  Sabrina frowned at that. "I find myself agreeing with his assessment. Janine's assistance helped me speed matters up but we were completely unable to capture the Executive who targeted us."

  "And we're the ones who offered to go with Silver!" Gold interjected boldly. "If it were up to him, he'd probably leave us all behind!"

  Lorelei crossed her arms and frowned. "Do not misunderstand, I am not upset with any of you in any capacity. The only one I am upset with, is Silver because I know Silver had an inkling that something was going to happen to Saffron."

  That silenced everyone else.

  I said nothing as her gaze turned back towards me.

  "What you are doing is beyond reckless and nearing suicidal, Silver. You do understand that a simple Executive is of no importance at all to my team am I correct? Why would you refuse to call me for assistance?" she asked, gazing down at me in disappointment.

  I stared back with a frown.

  "I tried to call you," I repeated slowly, even showing her the repeated failed calls. "The Rockets ensured that it would fail. They didn't want anyone to call backup."

  Lorelei stared at me. "So why is it, that Sabrina has been completely unable to use her latent psychic abilities for so long? You've been in Saffron for far too long for it to be a coincidence. You were aware that something could have potentially happened."

  I sighed. "It was a hunch. A hunch based off information I gathered from my previous encounters with them. Green and I are in no rush to continue our journey. We still have months before we need to get all our badges so we took the time to train. On the other hand, it makes no sense to get the entire league worked up off a hunch."

  "But…" Lorelei trailed off.

  I put a hand up to stop Lorelei from saying anything. "You're about to say something that fully shows your bias towards me and I'm trying to avoid that same thing. No, you can't take action off of a hunch made by me. I would have contacted you if my hunches were proven correct. If they weren't, then you'd be on alert for no reason. Anyone else would have been apprehended for making a false call like that. In the first place, I thought I was actually wrong and was about to leave the city."

  Lorelei shut her mouth at the truth of my words.

  "Since my hunches were right, I tried to call you. What I didn't expect and what I didn't know, is that Team Rocket has a way to interfere with communications. Now that I know that, I'll have to get some countermeasures ready," I muttered.

  Lorelei stared at me, gaze inscrutable. I couldn't tell what she was thinking in this moment but my aunt eventually exhaled and pulled me in a tight hug.

  "...Why must you be so mature?" she asked, conceding with a despondent sigh. "Please be a little more childish so I may spoil you."

  "Shameless," I told her in amusement. "Alright, I'll let you spoil me more."

  She smiled at that, pleased.

  "Right then… I wish to travel with you back to Fuchsia. You plan on returning there correct?" she asked.

  I nodded in acceptance. "That's fine with us. We need to drop Janine back off anyways then get ready for Cinnabar."

  "Excellent. I'll make a call and we'll set out tomorrow," Lorelei smiled, dragging me close without hesitation.

  I sighed, hiding my smile at the completely shameless dork who was my aunt.

  "Whatever you say Ms. Aunt."

  "Must he truly remain here for another day?" Sabrina asked in blatant disappointment, massaging her temple in annoyance.

  "Bare with it a little while longer, Sabrina. Support will be arriving to Saffron later today," Lorelei assured.

  "Too bad. Another day in the same city as you? I wanted to leave today," I said flatly.

  "Your existence may be the single worst thing to have ever happened to me," Sabrina intoned.

  "Aww how touching. Little Ms. Sabrina is a tsundere," I mocked.

  Sabrina's brows furrowed. "What on earth is a tsundere?" she asked. Of course she did. Psychics really were too curious for their own good.

  "I'll tell you when you're older," I replied with a smug smile.

  Her eyes glowed brightly at my response, a tiny scowl forming on her face.

  Lorelei pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. "Perhaps it truly is best if we leave tonight?"

  I mulled that over and pat her head. "Nah. You look tired. Relax some today and we'll head out tomorrow."

  My aunt, and everyone else, blinked at my gesture of kindness before she happily squeezed me.

  "You're too nice to me, Silver," she murmured kindly.

  "But of course. How could I not be nice to my doting aunt?" I asked, smiling.

  Out of her line of sight, I flashed Sabrina a smug smirk and gave her a double middle finger.

  "Go fuck yourself, freak," I mouthed shamelessly.

  To my immense satisfaction, I watched as her glowing eyes twitched violently.

  Before she could do something she regret, Sabrina's Gallade placed a gentle hand on her and teleported the woman away.

  "There is no feasible way he has a normal colored heart. He's a demon," Janine muttered low enough for the oblivious Lorelei to miss.

  "You get used to it," Green said numbly, no emotion in her voice at all.

  I didn't miss how everyone shot Green a sympathetic stare.

  "Oh? Where did Sabrina go?" Lorelei asked curiously.

  "Not sure. Maybe she's tired," I lied through my teeth. "Speaking of which. You're tired too. Go relax; I still have a room booked so we can go there."

  Lorelei put a hand over her heart. "Your attempts at easing my worried heart are working too well. You're still in trouble."

  "Sure sure," I agreed.

  "She's so oblivious! How doesn't she see the smoke and mirrors?!" Gold whispered to Crystal.

  "I thought his name was Silver because of his eyes. No it's because of his tongue!" Crystal replied back.

  I snorted at that and resisted the urge to laugh.

  Idiots. All of them.

  "Oh hey you guys!"

  We looked up at that and Green beamed, waving happily.

  "Woah! Hey Mason!" she waved.

  Our group of 5 were currently preparing to go treat ourselves (Janine's treat) to dinner.

  Lorelei had gone off, claiming she still wanted to assist the city, and demanded we go relax.

  "You're still here?" I raised a brow, watching him exchange greetings with everyone there.

  He nodded happily. "I heard you guys helped battle Team Rocket! I helped too!"

  Janine nodded. "He was actually at the gym. He and another trainer did a good job battling the grunts while we dealt with Petrel."

  Green awed, clapping happily for him. "Great job, Mason!"

  He blushed bashfully and rubbed the back of his head.

  "I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys helping me!" he exclaimed. "I even got my badge! I did that strategy with Shuckle... but I don't think Sabrina likes me very much anymore. I told her that Silver helped me and I could have sworn she was about to attack me!"

  I snorted at that. "I will do whatever it takes to piss her off. Even if it means helping painfully average trainers," I huffed.

  The boy laughed, not affected by my words nearly as much as earlier.

  "I'm gonna go battle Koga now! First I'll stop at the Celadon Department Store so I can buy a Leaf Stone for Gloom and then on the way there, maybe Charmeleon will evolve!" he explained eagerly.

  Gold laughed and slapped his back, making the small guy stumble about. "Keep it up dude! You've got a lot of heart so I expect to see you at the League!"

  He colored and nodded happily. "I'll be there! That's my goal! I hope I get eliminated by one of you guys!"

  Crystal giggled. "No plans to win?"

  "I'll do my best to win but I won't be mad if I lose. This year of trainers are really tough!"

  I rolled my eyes at that. "Keeping your expectations realistic is smart. I guess I can see why that Charmeleon hasn't killed you yet."

  If possible, Mason's face turned the reddest it had yet. "You were right you know? Charmeleon really was losing a lot of respect for me... but we talked and now we're best friends! We set achievable goals with each other and practice hard!" he explained.

  I nodded. "Good. For all your lack of skill, you don't deserve to die," was all I said.

  Janine sighed. "One day you'll just say something nice."

  "Maybe. It's definitely not today though."

  "Alright! I'll see you guys later!" Mason waved, adjusting his pack. He removed a pokeball from his waist and released his Fearow, before attaching a saddle to it.

  We watched him go with varied expressions, Fearow batting its massive wings and taking off.

  "It's pretty funny that none of us have a pokemon that can carry us like that," Green mentioned idly.

  "Crobat can carry me... but only me," Janine added helpfully.

  "The rest of us have a long way to go," Gold said dryly.

  "I think Silver and I have the longest wait... though actually, Airee can carry us now!" Crystal realized.

  I nodded. Dragonair's could fly pretty easily and they were huge to boot. Airee could probably carry them fine.

  Green and I on the other hand were not so fortunate. Togee, while on the cusp of evolution, was quite far from becoming a Togekiss and I had no clue when Ares was going to become a Salamence.

  It was far out so we were still traveling the old fashioned way.

  "Alright, enough idling around. Janine is treating us to dinner," I said.

  Janine's eyes twitched. "You don't get to decide that, Silver!"

  Then, she sighed and held her head.

  "But... I would be willing to pay. I'm glad you all made it out alive. If anything happened to you guys..."

  We all stared at the ninja. Her eyes were shut and she let out deep breath.

  It was no secret that Janine had grown close to our group over the time she had spent here.

  These days, I just let her say she disliked me for the hell of it. Both of us knew the truth but neither of us would ever say it out loud.

  It was good that she had friends now. They helped her come to terms with Venomoth far easier because the other members of the Color Gang had the energy required for that.

  They were good people. I wasn't surprised that they could help her.

  "You'll even pay for me?" I crooned, stepping up to her with a coy smile.

  Janine turned immediately wary at the way I was looking at her.

  "Maybe you don't like just girls. Good for you, ninja girl. I still won't approve of you and Green though."

  Green's face lit up. "W-What?! Janine?! What's he talking about?!"

  Janine's jaw dropped and she lunged at me with no hesitation.

  "I'm going to give you another black eye, you stupid chaos machine!" she snarled.

  I hissed up at her and weaved my head to the left, avoiding the fist and watching as it crashed on the floor.

  "Another black eye huh? Let's fucking do it then!"

  My allies just watched the two of us fight, eventually dragging us apart so that we could go get lunch...

  I took great joy in the horror on Janine's face when we eventually got back home and Lorelei honed in on my injuries.

  Watching her shaking and jumping at the slightest of prodding by Lorelei was great. Using my aunt as a weapon was definitely something I had to do more.

  "How did you even get these?" Lorelei asked in concern, dabbing a wet rag on my cheek.

  Thankfully I didn't have a black eye this time.

  "Janine and I like to spar. She was teaching me how to fight during our journey here," I replied.

  Janine, who had been about to faint at the idea of inciting Lorelei's wrath, blinked incredulously at my words.

  "U-Um yes! I've taken these two as my students of sorts!" she explained, standing rigidly.

  Lorelei nodded thoughtfully. "Thank you Janine. I'd also like to thank you for traveling with them from Fuchsia to Saffron. I truly do appreciate your efforts."

  Janine smiled shakily and shot me a smile too. "Of course, Elite 4 Lorelei!"

  I chuckled in amusement. "I'm going to sleep now. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

  The ninja nodded gratefully. "Right. Goodnight you all."

  Lorelei hummed in agreement. "Goodnight, Janine. Silver, I'll be sleeping on your bed."

  "Not even gonna ask? I wish I were as shameless as you."

  "You are."

  "Touche... alright. Try not to crush me to death this time."

  "So you are saying I'm allowed to hug you so long as I exercise restraint?"

  "You're a genuinely sick person, Ms. Aunt."

  "I don't think you're allowed to say that, Silver."

  "So you two are headed to Pallet?" I asked curiously.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Gold nodded, having pulled me to the side to talk one on one, and rubbed the back of his head. "Professor Oak is coming over with his Alakazam to get us because of Explotaro! Crys and I figure we'll just train together there for a while then head down to Cinnabar after we're ready. We need to get a little stronger before I'm confident we can take on a 7 badge gym."

  I nodded in agreement. "A little more training never hurt anyone. There's a bit of a strength disparity between the first three and last three members of your teams."

  "Yeah definitely… we'll get stronger for sure... I never want a repeat of what happened again."

  There was a faraway look in Gold's eyes as he said that. The events of Silph Co were still fresh on his mind. I couldn't tell what was going through his head and honestly, I wasn't trying very hard to figure out.

  It was a tough situation. Let him have his thoughts to himself. I didn't need to pry.

  "Silver."

  I perked up and turned towards him.

  More than once, I had the thought of just how completely opposite Gold and I were. We were truly counterparts to the core and it showed itself the most in the complete contrast of our eyes.

  Gold's loud eyes looked like they were filled with energy from the sun itself. The gold hues shone with a rare inquisitiveness, cheerful cockiness nowhere to be seen.

  They normally completely contrasted my quiet, but equally intense (all of our eyes were pretty intense), eyes. If Gold's represented the sun, mine was more akin to the moon.

  It was strange. I may have been the strangest in our color gang but Gold and Crystal were up there by virtue of their namesakes giving them such strange eye colors.

  Even Green and Blue, with more common colors, had fascinating eyes. Perhaps our parents named us that because of the sheer intensity all our eyes had. Giovanni's gray eyes had nothing on my silver after all.

  "What's up?" I asked.

  Gold awkwardly fiddled with his quiff, before rubbing a hand against his hat.

  "I just wanted to properly thank you," he said seriously.

  I raised a brow. "For Explotaro? It's no big deal... I didn't even save his life the way I intended to. I still don't know what happened to him."

  Gold shook. "I'm not too sure what happened with Explotaro either but I know for a fact you're the one who saved his life no matter what you say."

  I paused curiously at that and stared at him with a neutral expression.

  My counterpart sighed. "I froze up back there. By the time I was ready to move... Explotaro might have been gone for good. If it weren't for you, I don't even wanna think about it."

  To my complete surprise, Gold pulled me in an abrupt and tight hug.

  "Thanks for saving my friend, Silver. You didn't have to but... you did everything you could to save him so I appreciate it."

  Gold's voice was sincere. There was no cockiness, just the relief of a kid who was terrified to lose his friends.

  We were all just scared kids weren't we?

  I sighed tiredly and pat his back. "I'm glad he's not dead either. You and Gaia would be real depressed. She loves her old friends a lot."

  Gold scratched the back of his head and broke the hug. "Your team loves you a lot too. I knew there was more to you than meets the eye… so I gotta know something that's been bugging me."

  I raised a brow. "What is it?"

  The Johto native pursed his lips. "Is your dad an executive of Team Rocket?" he asked bluntly.

  I paused at that, not at all surprised that he was asking me this question. Stupid overconfident Archer, shared far more information than needed. He thought his victory was guaranteed and began monologuing like the classic villains.

  "My ties with Team Rocket run deeper than just experimentation but no, my dad isn't an executive," I said eventually, closing my eyes and letting out a deep breath.

  Gold grunted, a set frown on his face as he mulled over my response. "I get it. The less who know the truth, the less they can link to you. You'll tell us when you're ready. You guard your secrets until you think revealing them can't hurt you anymore."

  My brow shot up at that.

  "Alright! I get it! I trust your judgment bud," Gold grinned, slinging an arm over my shoulder. "Trust us a bit. Crys and I know you well enough. You're definitely good in our books and no matter what happens, we've got your back."

  I rolled my eyes and shoved his arm off me. "How much more do you want me to trust you? You guys know plenty of my secrets already."

  "A little more never hurt anyone. We've got your back," he assured.

  I let out a huff of amusement and began shoving him towards our group.

  "Whatever you say, hero."

  Gold chuckled, before turning serious once more. "Hey Silver?"

  "Hm?"

  "...Never tell anyone about that hug."

  "Hug? The fuck are you talking about? I only let Green and Lorelei hug me so freely."

  "You're a real bro. Has anyone ever told you that?"

  "I don't need anyone to tell me that. It's a stupid compliment."

  "Dick."

  For once, I was alone in a clearing. It was the early morning of the next day and I took a deep breath.

  Saffron's air, while surprisingly clean for a metropolitan city, didn't even come close to places like Celadon or Foretree.

  But once you went far enough, not even Saffron dared to mess with nature.

  It was nice. It felt like the cities were all a separate bubble of unique environments connected by a line that signified the paved roads that led there. Other than that, outside the bubbles was the untempered wilds.

  The air was lighter, the grass was slightly greener and the trees were slightly fuller.

  I gingerly removed myself from atop of Gaia, having had her bring me over to this spot, and rubbed a hand against her.

  Charcadet, who had been standing proudly on top of her head also cheered and copied my movement, patting her head happily.

  Gaia beamed and nuzzled the both of us, idly gazing at a limping flower. I watched with a fascinated gaze as she blew a gentle breath on it, causing the flower to sprout right up. It looked as if it had never been dead in the first place!

  I wonder if Gaia could help speed up the growth of my berries... With her evolution, her aromas could almost be weaponized, making any of her opponents lethargic or agitated depending on which one she used.

  It was fun. Gaia didn't need to be able to learn every move to be unstoppable. In fact, that little tangent of mine just gave me a whole new idea of something I could teach my Meganium.

  Gaia turned towards me, sensing my thoughts somehow, and let out a cheerful bellow.

  "Don't mind me girl. Just running with ideas for how I'm going to improve you... but you still need to master Safeguard." I said that last part quietly, since it was still our little secret.

  She nodded eagerly.

  "Alright enough of that. We're not here to discuss training just yet... no matter how much I want to," I muttered.

  Without any hesitation, I released my team.

  Loki, Metang, Ares and Oberon were released from their Luxury Balls. They all let out their own disgruntled noises, before focusing on me.

  "Hey guys," I greeted easily, watching Gaia happily bound up to the rest of them. She made sure Charcadet didn't fall and eventually, I was facing almost the entirety of my team.

  "Silph Co was hectic," I said bluntly.

  My team all grunted in unison, expressions souring.

  "It's easy to focus on the negatives so I won't do that. We all know what we were up against and all that we can do is prepare and build our strength to make sure a repeat doesn't happen."

  My team shouted in unison and I smiled at their determination.

  "All of you did great. Thank you for following my foolish desires. I'll make sure none of you regret it... which is why we're here alone," I said.

  My team raised a brow in some confusion and I smiled.

  "I made a promise to myself that I'd make none of you regret joining me in this journey. All of you have your own personal goals and it's my job to cultivate and make sure those dreams come true," I explained, pulling out a final Luxury Ball.

  Without any hesitation, I tossed the ball and revealed my final member.

  My team watched with wide eyes, as the pokemon revealed itself... and just kept growing larger and larger. Her serpentine body coalesced fully and Freyja crooned, eyes lit up in joy at seeing me.

  Without any hesitation, her tail lashed and wrapped around me, dragging me into a tight hug against her scales. Considering the size difference between us, I was properly engulfed and didn't even bother resisting.

  "Milo!" she gushed, rubbing her face against mine.

  "I'm happy to see you too, girl," I laughed, running a hand against her.

  The rest of my teammates stared dumbfounded at the pokemon.

  "Shel... Shelgon?" Ares asked in confusion.

  "She asked who the hell is that," Loki supplied helpfully.

  "I got the gist of it," I replied dryly, patting Freyja once more.

  "I know she looks a little different but you guys really don't recognize Freyja?" I asked with a small smile.

  Freyja carefully disentangled from me, very reluctantly mind you, and regarded her significantly smaller team members with a brilliant smile. Her eyes curled into a u and she let out a melodious noise, making me relax instantly.

  Having a Milotic and a Meganium was going to make me lose my edge at this rate.

  There was a brief silence at the reveal that the Milotic was their tiny and frail Freyja. Her scales gleamed under the morning sky, enhanced by her metamorphosis with evolution and I idly raked a hand against them.

  Finally, it was broken up by the most expected person... in my eyes.

  "SHELGON?!" Ares shouted in disbelief, eyes widening in complete disbelief. "SHEL?! SHELGON?!"

  "The bottom feeder? You mean to tell me this is the weakling?" Loki translated, eyes gleaming in amusement despite the shock in his stance.

  "Seriously, Loki. I can definitely understand what she's saying," I sighed, rubbing my head. "Yes this is Freyja, our lovely little Feebas. She evolved to protect me against that Rocket."

  Freyja's eyes shone with nothing but adoration and she nuzzled me once more.

  "Mi Milo," she murmured.

  "The Fraxure situation... the S.S Anne... you were tired of being a bystander weren't you?" I asked knowingly. "Thank you girl. You saved all our asses."

  The sincerity in my voice, made tears spring in her eyes and she nodded eagerly, nearly bowling me over with the strength of her nuzzles—

  Nevermind. I collapsed onto the floor and Freyja let out a noise of surprise, falling on top of me with wide eyes.

  "You really don't seem to know your strength anymore," I wheezed, smiling despite her antics.

  "M-Milo!" she stammered, eyes wide in horror at what she had done.

  I just laughed easily. "Alright you guys. Go ahead and mingle with each other. Just take the time to talk. I have to go make a call and then we'll spend the rest of the day traveling with Aunt Lorelei."

  I didn't wait for their responses and just flicked open my phone to go give Jasmine a call. I didn't wanna upset her by having her find out about the information on her own.

  ...On that note, I should probably give Joy a call too.

  I sighed. So many people to talk to. I remember the days when I only spoke to one person.

  Freyja's cheeks were a rosy red as she was yanked into a viney hug, courtesy of the ecstatic Gaia.

  "Holy shit, Freyja! Look at you! You're huge!" Gaia awed.

  It was true! Freyja completely eclipsed them all in size now and wasn't that a sight! From the smallest to the biggest...

  Freyja ducked her head at that. "I didn't even know if I could evolve! I'm just as surprised as you guys... but I just knew I was tired of not being able to protect Silver."

  "What happened?" Loki asked, inspecting her new form with a proud gaze.

  "Well it was just me left and... and the bad guys were going to take Silver," Freyja explained with a small scowl.

  Everyone else's mood soured at the mention of the Rockets.

  "He was... scared. Silver was terrified so I tried to fight for him," Freyja said with a look of distraught.

  "But he didn't want me to. He got mad at me and tried to yell at me but I realized he was only doing it to discourage and make sure I didn't hurt myself."

  The Milotic glanced at their trainer. He was currently on the phone, expression exasperated at whatever the person on the other side was saying.

  "Silver was scared of what could happen to him... but he was even more scared about what was going to happen to me!" Freyja exclaimed, face glowing in her happiness.

  "I couldn't let them take him. I wouldn't let it happen but I really was too weak and I lost..."

  Gaia pat the distraught Milotic soothingly.

  "I didn't get to do anything before I lost and then... I heard the other guy saying really mean things to me. Do you know what Silver did?"

  "What did he do?" Oberon asked quietly, enraptured by the tale.

  "Despite the entire situation... Silver was so close to being captured and he still found it in himself to defend me to the end."

  Freyja ducked her head fondly and let out a happy noise, prompting Silver's eyes to flit over to them momentarily.

  "Silver's always supported me no matter what. He defends me no matter what and I thought... if he can defend me even when it's almost over, I have to believe in myself to defend him too!"

  The Milotic's eyes gleamed with a newfound confidence. "I wanted to live up to the expectations Silver had for me. I realized at that moment that he really would love me no matter and I love him too!"

  "That's amazing, Freyja!" Gaia cheered.

  "Now look at you," Loki praised.

  Freyja beamed. "Do you want to know the best part?"

  Everyone tilted their head curiously.

  "Silver knew!" the Milotic exclaimed.

  Metang whirred at that. "Knew?" it questioned.

  Freyja nodded happily. "He know what he needed to do to evolve me. Silver could have evolved me whenever he wanted to but... he didn't because he cares enough about me to help me figure it out on my own!"

  "He's awesome like that isn't he!" Gaia laughed excitedly.

  "He's the best trainer I could have asked for!" Freyja beamed.

  Loki laughed disbelievingly. "That might be the biggest showing of trust Silver has ever shown. He believed in you until the end, never pushing for anything."

  "He never even mentioned evolution to me! He fully believed that I could do it all on my own."

  Metang snorted. "I suppose our foolish trainer may know what he's doing on occasion. Congratulations are in order. Well done."

  "Yeah! Good job Freyja!" Oberon cheered.

  'You look seriously awesome!" Charcadet gushed.

  Freyja's cheeks darkened in embarrassment. "Thanks guys... I couldn't have done it without you. You're all awesome!"

  A scoff caught her attention and Freyja turned eyes towards the unimpressed Ares.

  "Appearance is cheap. You must prove to me that you are no longer a bottom feeder with your power. I do not care how you look," the Shelgon said firmly.

  The Milotic stared at her nemesis since they had begun traveling together.

  "You know... what you just said is true! Whether I'm a Feebas or a Milotic, I'm still Freyja. How I look doesn't matter to Silver so it doesn't matter to me..."

  Freyja's expression darkened ever so slightly, a challenging gleam in her eyes.

  "...So how about I prove myself with a battle, brute?" she asked.

  Ares eyes gleamed dangerously. "A battle where I am no longer required to hold myself back against you. And here I thought that day would never come. Do try and make me sweat."

  Freyja scoffed, a superior sneer forming on her face. "Sweat? You're going to do more than sweat when I'm done with you."

  "Yes Jasmine, I'm completely fine. Seriously."

  "R-Really? Because I will drop everything to come visit you. Just say the word!"

  I smiled in exasperation. "Didn't we already arrange to meet sometime after getting our seventh or eighth badge? Let's stick to that schedule yeah?"

  Jasmine sighed. "I can't wait! I've missed you guys!"

  "I know," I said soothingly. "We missed you too. Don't worry, we'll meet up and hang out and terrorize everyone in a 400 mile radius."

  "4-400?! That's too much!"

  I laughed, only for it to abruptly die down as it began abruptly raining.

  "Hm?" I mused glancing up in some confusion as the heavy and pounding rain battered my skin.

  What the...

  "Silver? What's going on?" Jasmine asked curiously.

  I grunted in some confusion. "Best if I just show you I think. Hold on, swapping cameras."

  "Oh! Okay!"

  I swapped cameras and heard Jasmine let out an audible gasp.

  "No way, Silver! You managed to get Freyja to evolve?! That's incredible! Do you have any idea how rare Milotics are?!" Jasmine squealed loudly at the sight of the Milotic.

  "She's earned it all on her own. Saved my life and all," I chuckled.

  "She must be enjoying the newfound power! I mean sparring with Ares has to be a huge boost of confidence!"

  I chuckled. "Yeah. Sparring. Right."

  True to Jasmine's words. Ares and Freyja were locked in combat with one another and that was the reason I was getting bombarded with heavy rain.

  Freyja didn't even seem to realize how strong of a Rain Dance she had been about to summon but she ran with it.

  I watched with wide eyes as she reared back and launched a gigantic Water Pulse at Ares, who was distracted slightly by how much rain there was.

  My Shelgon let out a startled shout at the torrent of water being shot at her and hastily summoned a Protect, snarling as she was slightly pushed back. Without any hesitation, Ares opened her mouth and fired a devastating Dragon Breath...

  Only for Freyja to open her mouth to return fire with one of her own, even bigger, Dragon Breath. The two beams of draconic energy crashed into each other, causing a brief explosion.

  Freyja's eyes glowed menacingly and she surged forward, utilizing the latent Swift Swim from her previous form to close the distance between her and Ares.

  Clearly she had the Shelgon scouted because Ares burst through the smoke as well, already amped with Dragon Dance. The two crashed into each other and Ares blinked at having effectively done no damage to her.

  Freyja hissed, before she fired an Icy Wind that collided with the already soaked Ares.

  What would normally have been an annoyance, turned into something almost excruciating, as Freyja unleashed a completely massive gust of ice.

  Freyja knew all her moves very intricately. She was a product of all the hard work we had put into making her a menace of a Feebas.

  I knew evolution was going to turn her into a monster but this even took me by surprise.

  Ares was blown back, screeching in that oh so familiar rage of hers when things weren't going her way in a battle. Patches of ice were forming on her sturdy shell and she was shivering from the attack.

  Freyja on the other hand, looked completely at ease. There was an assessing look in her eyes, drilled into her with all the other fundamentals we learned together.

  She knew how her moves worked, she knew how to control them... and evolution may have thrown some of that control away for now, but it didn't get rid of it.

  It just gave her a lot more to work with.

  Freyja smiled and opened her mouth, crooning as she began gathering energy.

  Ares snarled in fury as she noticed the turquoise energy forming in the Milotic's mouth. Not one to be outdone, she once again began gathering the energy needed.

  There was a superior look in her eyes at getting the truly gargantuan Dragon Breath ready and the Shelgon wasted no time firing it... only to go still as Freyja unleashed her own attack...

  Which wasn't a Dragon Breath.

  No, it was a Dragon Pulse.

  I winced slightly as Freyja shot out the green energy ball, watching as it bulldozed through the Dragon Breath and crashed into the stunned Ares.

  "Wow," Jasmine gasped at watching Ares get launched back.

  Wow indeed.

  I grunted and pushed myself up so that I could approach them.

  Ares didn't have Dragon Pulse completely understood yet. She could form and fire it, but there was a high chance it'd blow up preemptively.

  Freyja on the other hand... probably had the control needed to form a Dragon Pulse, but not enough power to give it the oomph it needed.

  Guess evolution solved that issue.

  "Truly, even I am caught by surprise by how much strength she has gained from evolution," Metang chimed in.

  "You and me both," I replied in some surprise.

  Freyja stiffened as I approached, turning slightly guilty eyes towards me. Her fierce expression almost immediately vanished as she looked at me and I tilted my head at her.

  "Well done, Freyja. Though, you need to get used to how much power you have. This Rain Dance is fierce," I mentioned idly.

  She blinked in surprise at that, melting slightly as I ran a hand against her scales.

  "Mi," she agreed, nuzzling me and banishing the rain.

  I smiled and approached Ares with a more serious expression.

  My Shelgon was floored, completely defeated by Freyja's onslaught.

  "Humiliating, huh?" I asked easily, taking a seat next to her. I idly pulled out a potion and sprayed her down but despite that, she still didn't move from her spot.

  I sighed. "You can't be upset that Freyja got so strong, Ares. You're the reason she pushed herself so hard."

  "Shel..." Ares said flatly.

  "Yeah I bet it does suck but you were asking for it," I said ruthlessly, watching as she turned towards me with an accusing glare.

  "Nope. Don't do that with me. I already warned you not to be arrogant and you didn't listen."

  Ares flinched back at that.

  "You disregarded the effort that Freyja was putting in because she was a small little Feebas. You made up your mind about her from your first meeting and never changed it. I'm not about to let you enter some depressive streak just because she shattered your reality."

  Ares truly was a sheltered princess alright. That's why it was so surprising to her that a civilian from the slums could catch up and surpass her.

  "You should have known that as my pokemon, Freyja was going to become formidable. That's why you chose me isn't it?" I asked knowingly.

  She nodded slowly and I smiled.

  "She beat your ass because you were asking for it. Now maybe you can acknowledge her as a rival... and right now you're rival just used a dragon technique better than you. I bet you never thought the day would come would you?"

  Ares shot up at that, eyes blazing in indignant fury. "SHEL!" she roared.

  I snorted and nodded, running a hand against her tough and cold shell. "Freyja is humble enough to learn from everything she can. Try doing something similar. I'll be here to help you of course, but you need to be willing to ask me for help too, alright girl?"

  My giant Shelgon turned towards me, raw determination in her gaze and she nodded.

  I smiled. "Come on, let's get ready to go you guys!" I announced.

  "I'll call you later today, Jas," I informed her.

  Jasmine was smiling up at me. "Of course, Silver. That was a really nice speech by the way."

  I snorted. "Yeah thanks. Just gotta make sure resentments aren't built and whatnot."

  Just like that, I secured myself a truly monstrous Salamence in the future. A determined Ares? One who had been humbled and wanted to rectify such a travesty?

  Of course I'd jump at the opportunity to strengthen my members. I loved my team after all! This wasn't manipulation, this was me seizing and turning the likely scenario into something completely favorable for me!

  "Continue to tell yourself that, blight."

  "Aww you're back to calling me blight, Metang? Maybe I'll give you a cute nickname too. How's Metally? Metalman? Mr. Tang?"

  "Truly, I continue to question if you are actually human."

  "Scald."

  Freyja crooned in acknowledgement, mouth swelling before she began to expel steaming hot water.

  "Oh no! You have to dodge Rapidash! Get outta there!"

  The Rapidash whinnied and attempted to dash away, only to cry out as Freyja simply adjusted her trajectory, landing a pinpoint strike on the horse's midsection.

  Freyja hummed in delight as it collapsed onto the wet floor. Her Rain Dance was only covering the entirety of the battlefield. That meant I was completely dry this time around.

  My opponent returned the Rapidash with wide eyes.

  "Alright... if its raining then... Golduck let's do this!"

  I didn't even blink. "Be greedy girl."

  Freyja nodded easily, adjusting the Rain Dance above her. Like when she were just a Feebas, the clouds hung over only her body, drizzling lightly.

  "W-What?! I didn't even know Rain Dance could do that!"

  "Dragon Breath," I retorted boredly.

  "O-Oh no! Aqua Jet!"

  The Golduck quacked in horror and hastily applied an Aqua Jet to itself, attempting to dash away and getting nicked for its efforts.

  Freyja looked completely at ease, commanding the dragon techniques with a startling amount of familiarity. Without missing a beat, she cancelled the Dragon Breath and instead launched a Dragon Pulse. She laughed gently as it crashed against Golduck's sternum and cooed as it shakily pulled itself up.

  "C'mon Golduck! Get close and use Zen Headbutt."

  Golduck groaned and cloaked itself in an Aqua Jet. The water duck rushed the stationary Freyja, head glowing with psychic energy...

  "Wrap."

  ...Only to harmlessly bounce off Freyja's scales. The Golduck's eyes went wide in confusion at the density of her scales, only to let out a roar as Freyja's tail lashed out and wrapped around it.

  She used those tough scales of hers to dig into the Golduck, getting it to shout in pain and discomfort.

  "Dragon Pulse. Wrap it up," I ordered listlessly, gazing at my Pokegear momentarily.

  Freyja nodded and summoned a tiny Dragon Pulse, gently tapping it against the Golduck and releasing it at the same time.

  She watched with wide eyes as the duck went flying backwards from the attack and I snorted.

  "That's game. Good job girl. How does your first sweep feel?" I asked gently.

  Freyja tore her gaze off her unconscious opponent and let out a happy cry, excitement in her gaze.

  I chuckled and let her bask in her new found glory.

  "Wow that was awesome!"

  I paused at the voice and gazed at my opponent who was looking at Freyja with stars in her eyes.

  "Your Milotic is so cool! How did you even get one?!" she asked, pushing her hair behind her shoulders.

  I raised a brow and scoffed. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I asked, clearly unimpressed.

  "Oh c'mon don't be like that!" she exclaimed. "You're Silver right? I saw your battle against Sabrina!"

  I stared at the girl and tilted my head.

  "Hey can I pet your Milotic? Pretty please?!" she pleaded.

  "Be my guest," I snorted knowingly.

  Before the girl could even reach her hand out, Freyja snarled at her. Her eyes were narrowed in contempt and she turned up her chin, turning and slithering away from my opponent with no hesitation.

  "Wow. Freyja doesn't like you very much. Don't take it to heart though... she's just not a fan of shallow people," I said kindly, smiling and waving.

  I ignored the spluttering from her and turned my back to the idiot, sighing and walking away from the girl who was clearly too vain for her own good.

  "That's like the fourth person today who's been completely taken by Freyja," Green muttered, disgust on her face. "But they never even paid attention to her when she was a Feebas! Even when she was kicking their asses, they were more upset that they lost to a Feebas of all pokemon and ignoring how impressive she was."

  Freyja scoffed in agreement and I laughed.

  "They didn't appreciate you as a Feebas so they don't deserve to appreciate you as a Milotic. If you wanna be an ice queen, I support it wholeheartedly. You deserve to be an asshole," I praised.

  Her cheeks darkened and she whined, batting a head against my chest to show her displeasure at my words.

  "I still cannot believe you managed to evolve her," Lorelei mused, adjusting her big hat slightly. "Whatever it was, I'm proud of you."

  Green nodded happily. "I watched Silver almost attack Jasmine and Lance for throwing some doubt on Freyja! He doesn't play around when it comes to her!" she gushed.

  I scoffed. "Of course. It was my decision to catch her and it was my decision to help her get stronger."

  Freyja stood taller at that and she turned towards me with a curious eye.

  "Mi, Milotic?"

  I blinked. "Did I know how to evolve you? Yeah. I did. But that wasn't going to help you at all."

  Freyja cooed at that, adoration in her gaze. Satisfied by my simple and straightforward answer, she returned herself and I laughed.

  Lorelei was looking strangely at me. "You know how to evolve Feebas?" she asked slowly.

  "Yeah, I do."

  Janine tilted her head. "That's one of the most guarded secrets in the world and you just know?"

  I blinked slowly and shrugged. "Not as well kept of a secret as you all thought."

  Lorelei opened her mouth and then shut it. "I feel like I should be questioning this more."

  Green shook her head. "Don't bother unless you want to get upset. Silver's brain works differently then everyone else's. He knows things and predicts other things too well. He's like a seer or something."

  I shrugged. "Maybe you guys don't use common sense enough. Ever since she began traveling with me, Green has become extremely competent."

  Green sighed despondently. "It's useful but I feel like the joy is being sucked out of me as the days pass."

  "That's because you hang out with me."

  "That too."

  Lorelei huffed in amusement. "Not even I know how to evolve a Feebas, Silver. With a Milotic by your side, I'm sure you could make a lot of money selling the secrets of her evolution. Enough to be satisfied for the rest of your life."

  "I don't care about that. If you don't wanna grind with a Feebas, you don't deserve a Milotic," was all I said.

  Lorelei smiled fondly and ran a hand through my hair. "Well said. I'm proud of you."

  I rolled my eyes. "It's so easy to satisfy you, Aunt. I hardly have to do a thing."

  She flushed slightly. "Perhaps I'm just happy that we are bonding. It is a nice feeling."

  I chuckled. "Dork."

  "Please don't call me that."

  "Nerd."

  "Silver."

  "Geek."

  "Silver!"

  I easily sidestepped the grabbing fingers, pushing Green between Lorelei and I in one smooth motion.

  "Let's keep going. We can just rush to Fuchsia this time," I decided.

  "Right," Janine agreed.

  "This isn't over. We will be talking tonight," Lorelei huffed.

  "I can't hear you over the sound of me not listening."

  I tensed my legs and rushed forward to avoid the grabbing hands, laughing mockingly as I broke out into a jog to avoid Lorelei.

  Her eyes were twitching and I watched as she took a deep breath, before diligently removing her heels.

  I paused slightly, curiosity overriding my body as she replaced her heels (why was she even wearing those?) with some flats. She adjusted it slightly before nodding in satisfaction.

  Then, my aunt booked it straight towards me. I was almost stunlocked by how good her form was.

  "Why the fuck are you so fast?!" I shouted in disbelief, turning on a dime and dashing off.

  "I am an elite level trainer and I've been training for years! That includes my physical condition! Now stop running away from me, young man!" Lorelei demanded.

  "She really is fast as hell. At this rate they're gonna leave us behind. Silvy has stamina for days," Green said idly.

  "You should see Elite 4 Bruno and Champion Lance. I struggle to consider them humans. Even Elite 4 Agatha had some physical conditioning at one point. All the highest level of trainers, train themselves as well," Janine replied idly.

  "See that's what I'm talking about. How does Silvy just happen to always be right?! He trains his body too!" Green complained.

  "I don't know. He's a freak," Janine sighed.

  Eventually, Lorelei pulled a sandal out of her bag and launched it with expert accuracy, hitting me directly on the head with it.

  That stopped me in my tracks and I whirled around, blood in my eyes as I caught my aunt off guard and tackled her to the floor.

  "Silver is fighting Elite 4 Lorelei," Janine said flatly.

  "Silver is fighting Elite 4 Lorelei, again," Green corrected.

  "We're finally back in Fuchsia," I mused, watching Janine let out a rattled breath.

  "Father is probably going to kill me," she murmured.

  "Remember what I told you to do?" I raised a brow.

  She nodded. "I will let you know if it works. If I'm able to send you a message… then it did."

  I shot her a reassuring smirk. "I can tell at a glance, you're probably really spoiled but you never took advantage of it… now's the time. Bust out the waterworks if you have to."

  My purple haired companion nodded with a brave expression, before pulling Green into a tight hug.

  "Take care of yourself, Green," she murmured gently.

  "You too Janine! Don't be a stranger okay? If you ever wanna talk just give me a call!" Green beamed.

  Janine nodded happily, squeezing my companion once more before pulling back.

  Then she turned towards me. Her expression was conflicted and I raised a brow.

  "I… I still don't like you," she said eventually.

  I raised a brow. "Not hate?"

  "You're smug, annoying... you always have something smart to say, you find pleasure in demeaning and belittling people," Janine listed.

  "Ohhh just hitting me where it hurts," I replied in amusement.

  She shook her head. "That's what I mean. You hardly take anyone serious. You are practically my complete antithesis..."

  The teen sighed and pulled me into a tight hug.

  "...But you're more than meets the eye. Please take care of yourself, Silver. I've already lost one friend, please don't make me lose another."

  I froze at that. "You were supposed to guilt trip your dad... not me," I replied lamely.

  Janine squeezed tighter and eventually pulled back. "You were my teacher too you know? You've taught me many things and I am not afraid to use them against you," she replied softly.

  I stared at her and sighed. "Alright alright. I should have known someone with no independent thought, would be a good student," I sighed despondently.

  "Shut up. I'm going now," she mumbled, vanishing in embarrassment.

  We watched her go and snorted.

  "I'm grateful for you two. Helping Janine in her time of need is incredibly thoughtful," Lorelei said softly, running a hand through both our hairs.

  "She forced herself onto us," I said lamely. "But it's good that she was able to find her resolve with us. I think she's going to grow stronger from this."

  Green nodded happily. "She'll be super strong! I look forward to seeing how Fuchsia Gym looks when she takes over!"

  Lorelei smiled fondly at us. "I suppose you aren't staying for long here?" she asked carefully.

  I blinked. "You still want to travel with us?" I asked curiously.

  Lorelei nodded.

  Hm... that messed with things a bit but I could work with it.

  Besides, I trusted my aunt just a bit.

  "Alright. Hey Green, we've got a trip to make before landing in Cinnabar."

  Green gazed at me curiously. "Sure? Where to? Is it inconvenient?"

  "Nah. It's on the way there."

  Lorelei's eyes widened and a glimmer of excitement entered her eyes.

  "Are you talking about...?"

  "Yeah. Yeah I am."

  Green looked even more confused. "Wait, where are we going?"

  I sighed miserably. This was going to suck but at least I had clothes for this.

  "We're headed to Seafoam Islands."

  "Janine."

  Janine, who had been as quiet as possible entering the gym, froze at that stern voice.

  "O-Oh, hello Father," she greeted.

  Koga appeared in front of her without a sound, staring down at his daughter with a small frown.

  "Care to explain why I was given reports that you were traveling with Trainer Silver and Trainer Green?" he asked calmly.

  Janine flinched at the question. "W-Well..."

  "I do very much hope you weren't traveling with them with the sole purpose of antagonizing Trainer Silver. If you were, I'd be greatly... greatly disappointed in you," Koga stressed.

  She rubbed her arms awkwardly. That was exactly what she had been intending on doing at first. Mess with Silver until he cracked and showed something else that wasn't that aloof and mocking redhead.

  Oh dear. Father was possibly going to grill her for a very long time.

  Remember what I told you to do?

  Janine sighed, before bursting into tears. "I-I'm sorry Father! I understand that it was immature and unbefitting of me to leave without saying anything but... but I recalled how Silver said I didn't have any independent thought a-and so I decided to actually hang out with kids around my age!"

  Koga's eyes widened and he took an awkward step back. "Now... hold on Janine—"

  "I understand that my intentions weren't the most pure but traveling with them did help me come to terms far faster! They've even helped me learn how to speak to other people my age! I've developed so much in these past two months!" Janine sniffed.

  "I thought if I told you, there was a chance I'd be leaning into exactly what Silver said. I don't wanna be a drone, Father! I want to have independent thoughts too!"

  "I understand Janine," Koga interjected hastily, holding a hand up. "My apologies. I truly had no idea how much this was affecting you. I was initially going to punish you for leaving without saying a word... but hearing what you've had to say, it would be a disservice to punish you for taking initiative."

  Janine sniffed again. "Really?"

  He nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Really. Now... how about we forgo our duties and just spend time. We can do whatever you want."

  Janine wiped her eyes and nodded. "Okay... can we go shopping? I-I don't want to only have ninja outfits!"

  Koga nodded thoughtfully. "Some more variety would be valuable. Yes, we may go shopping."

  Wow. Silver was right. She was incredibly spoiled and she never knew.

  The girl thought back to Silver... and the gift he had given her, before nodding to herself.

  "And father... if possible I'd like you to procure a few pokemon for me," she requested.

  Koga jolted at that, surprise on his face. "Of course. You've mentioned multiple so I'll trust you to be able to handle more than 6 members."

  She nodded, determination on her face. "I'd like to raise a Mareanie and a Skorupi if possible... and I'd also like to request that I gain ownership of... Executive Petrel's Gengar."

  There was a tense silence at that, Koga turning a searching gaze towards her.

  "The first two can be arranged. Why is it that you wish for the Gengar?"

  "It would be a waste for such a valuable pokemon to be detained," she replied easily, voice going completely political. "It would be a valuable final slot and what better way to get justice for Venomoth, then to use his ace better than he ever could?"

  Koga's eyes widened at the final sentence and he gazed at his daughter.

  "Very well. Agatha has already dealt with the Gengar. I will make arrangements to see if she is willing to hand it over to you."

  Janine nodded, bowing. "Thank you father. I will not let you down."

  He shook his head and palmed her head gently. "You could never let me down, Janine. I'm glad you are doing better. I fear I could not have helped you nearly as much as Trainer Silver and Green managed to do."

  Janine smiled. "They are good friends. I even have their numbers... Father, I need an upgraded Pokegear. Mine is far too old. It was very embarrassing to realize I had such an old model."

  Koga awkwardly nodded. "My apologies. I will buy you the most recent model. Let us set out now."

  The two vanished at once and Janine smiled, just thinking one thing.

  "I can't believe Silver made me this twisted. How was he able to corrupt me faster than Green?"

  Archer gasped loudly, head aching as the sheen around his body vanished and caused him to collapse.

  Distantly, he realized Petrel was right next to him. His fellow executive looked far worse for wear, gash marks over his body and a black eye adorning his face. His outfit was completely shredded, looking as if many sharp things had cut into him.

  "What... what happened?" Archer rasped in confusion. The pounding of his head grew to be too much and he grasped it.

  "That's what I would like to know."

  Archer stilled and despite the pain, he hastily pushed himself up. He ignored the stabbing pain in his head and bowed.

  "Giovanni sir!" he greeted.

  Giovanni was leaning back into his seat... and next to him was the armored legendary, Mewtwo. It floated next to him, not even breathing lightly at the taxing and impossible display of psychic abilities it had no doubt just portrayed.

  Ariana was sitting to his right, gazing in some confusion at their assortment of injuries. Besides that however, her face was carefully blank.

  "What happened?" Giovanni asked simply. "Why was I required to employ Mewtwo's assistance for a menial and completely capable task? Are you unable to do anything without my partner's assistance?"

  Archer shook at the question, expression nervous. "No sir! It's just..."

  "Spit it out. I have no patience right now. This mission could not afford failure and yet here I am, wondering why it is that we failed," Giovanni said coldly. His gray eyes bore into Archer with a well hidden lack of patience.

  The Executive sighed. Well, if Mewtwo had intervened, it was very likely that he was already aware of what had mostly happened. If Archer didn't say, the legendary likely would.

  "It was Silver."

  ...

  Ariana's eyes flew open in horror at that.

  Mewtwo sighed internally.

  Giovanni's expression betrayed nothing.

  "It was Silver? What do you mean it was Silver?" Giovanni questioned slowly.

  "Silver was the reason the mission failed so catastrophically."

  Silver's father leaned back into his seat, mulling that over.

  "Explain."

  Archer wasted no time doing so. "He organized a group of trainers around his level of skill. I don't know how, but he seemed to be aware that Silph Co was the target. He took advantage of the disruptor and caused mayhem on our ranks."

  "I encountered him on the final floor and sought to subdue him, along with another trainer with a never before seen version of Typhlosion. Right as I was about to do such a thing, Silver's... Feebas evolved into a Milotic and brought enough time for Gym Leader Sabrina to arrive."

  "She wouldn't have been there if Koga's damn brat hadn't shown up," Petrel spat. "Her and some other annoying brat. They derailed my plans at the Saffron Gym."

  "I have reason to believe Silver likely sent her to that location as well. This was a coordinated and well thought out attack by him."

  Giovanni said nothing for a moment.

  "A Milotic? Silver has a Milotic?" he asked, genuine surprise on his face.

  "It appears he truly did know what he was doing... Even better that he managed to subvert my expectations." he murmured.

  "Sir," Archer said hesitantly. "When I was moments from capturing Silver, something happened."

  Giovanni stared curiously at the man, brows furrowed before he nodded to himself.

  "We will discuss your failure at a later time. Clean yourselves up and meet me again tomorrow," he instructed.

  Petrel and Archer both breathed sighs of relief and saluted, departing from the room.

  Giovanni watched them go with no expression on his face.

  "What did he mean by something happened? Why was he so vague?" Ariana asked as soon as the door shut.

  "Something I deemed a failure. It would appear I was incorrect," Giovanni muttered, before pulling a device out.

  "Domino."

  It only took a few minutes for his call to be answered and Ariana watched as the blonde appeared in the room and immediately bowed.

  "Boss. Executive Ariana," she greeted politely.

  Ariana didn't bother acknowledging her, gaze focused on Giovanni before she grunted.

  "Agent Domino. I have a mission for you."

  Domino nodded, expression serious. "What is it, Boss Giovanni?"

  "You are to keep an eye on Silver. Find where he is and track his movements. You are to tell me everything he is doing."

  The agent nodded, expression weary. "Silver, sir? May I ask why?"

  Giovanni stared at her. "You two are close. As the youngest members of Team Rocket in its early days, naturally you gravitate towards each other. You have the skills necessary to avoid his wrath. Use them as you see fit. I'm sure you've missed him so if you're truly that confident, you may speak to him at your own discretion."

  Domino nodded and saluted. "Sir yes sir! I'll begin preparations to head out immediately!"

  "Dismissed," he waved her off.

  Ariana watched her go and scoffed. "What are you planning on doing to Silver?"

  "Nothing at the moment," Giovanni replied honestly. "Why? Do you think I'd kill my own son? Surely you do not have such a tainted image of me, Ariana."

  "You hardly acknowledge your other son besides sending those two fools after him," Ariana bit out.

  Giovanni didn't even bat an eye. "Silver is my prize. My firstborn. I have no intention of permanently harming him... however, I will not allow him to do as he pleases."

  "Prize?" Ariana thought in disbelief. "So you're going to capture him?"

  "If he proves too rebellious. It is almost time for him to approach my gym so I will begin questioning him there. For now, I will have Domino keep track of him. His interference at Silph Co is unacceptable."

  Ariana sighed and leaned back into her seat, messaging her temple.

  "If the success of this mission was so imperative, why did you not initially include me?"

  Both Ariana and Giovanni froze at that deep and clinical voice.

  "To build an overreliance on your abilities, would not be fair to you, Mewtwo," Giovanni said coolly. "Comfort breeds laziness. Laziness breeds weakness. If you were to solve all our issues, we would develop a deep dependency on you."

  "I see."

  Ariana wondered what Mewtwo was thinking. Ever since the realization hit her that the legendary was interested in her son, she had been even more on guard with the psychic.

  Mewtwo wasn't a slave to Giovanni's will. Mewtwo had its own thoughts and that terrified her because if it grew tired of anyone, who could stop it?

  Wait...

  "Mewtwo?" she called tentatively.

  The psychic continued to float, not even seeming to register her words.

  "What, human?"

  "Have you been keeping track of Silver recently?"

  "No. I cannot sense your spawn. His body is protected by unknown forces that even I cannot bother."

  Ariana froze at that, resisting the urge to betray that her and Mewtwo were currently having a secret conversation.

  "Do... you fear Silver?"

  "I would implore you to never ask me such a foolish question again. I fear nothing."

  What a horrifying realization. Silver... whatever forces made Silver terrifying were even formidable to this monster known as Mewtwo.

  How was that possible?

  At this point, Ariana wasn't even sure Giovanni was aware of what was fully going on with Silver. Surely he would be more wary of the fact that Mewtwo of all people would notice that it couldn't pierce his mind.

  Did Silver even know what was going on with Silver?

  Mewtwo pondered the entire scope of the conversation.

  The more they learned, the more they questioned. The more they questioned, the more their desire for answers grew.

  It appeared it was time for them to begin finding the answers to those questions themself.

  Mewtwo would continue to watch the story of Silver unfold from his current position. Once it began nearing its climax, he would begin to move.

  For now, he would continue to follow the whims of Giovanni, all while seeking the answers he was looking for and when the end nearly arrived, he would see how it played out.

  This was a test. No longer was he being tested, Mewtwo was testing everyone else.

  It appeared preparations were in order. Once he dealt with all these different matters...

  Then Mewtwo would strike.