With the museum vacated of Rockets, the explosions had ceased. The hollering had halted. The exchanges of attacks had subsided. Even with the voices of the police talking to one another and into their communicators, the atmosphere seemed eerily silent compared to just a few minutes prior, giving everyone still present a moment to take in what those events had left behind. The destruction spread throughout the building no longer a backdrop, but a reality.

No floor, room, or hallway failed to remind anyone present of what had occurred. Collapsed ceilings, decimated walls, and the rubble of furniture and exhibits were present no matter where one looked. Dust from the debris filled the air throughout the building, eliciting a cough from anybody who inhaled too deeply.

What was once an aesthetically pleasing environment, and the monuments of history housed within, was now simple, vanilla, collateral damage.

A flash of light shone in one of the rubble filled rooms, fading away to reveal the Mr. Mime. Stepping over the shattered wooden remains of a table, the barrier Pokemon grinned curiously at the painting above him.

A depiction of the Moon Stone, with the Clefairy line praying to it. For all the destruction to have plagued the museum throughout the attack, this painting had miraculously come out unscathed.

With a light chuckle, the psychic reached out with both arms and gripped the frame. There was no real use for the exhibit, but perhaps the commander would be interested in turning to the black market. If not, it would look good in the president's office.

Another flash of light caught the attention of two police officers passing by. Just as the duo had the chance to peer in, there was nothing left in sight.

/

Erika's elbows sank into her desk, her eyes vacant as her hands gripped either side of her head. Outside her window, the sky was black and filled with shining stars. It had been numerous hours since Team Rocket had retreated from the museum, and the full reports were beginning to come in.

Officer Jenny stood in front of her desk, beside a young adult male in a Gym Trainer uniform, roughly eighteen years of age. The former's expression was steel and professionally unreadable, the latter feeling increasingly shaken as his eyes landed on the Gym Leader, prompting him to slightly avert his gaze.

"A-A few of…" the Gym Trainer mentally cursed himself for stuttering, briefly squeezing his eyes before starting over. "A few of the Rockets who broke into the Gym were captured on their way out, but most escaped. Of the arrested four, all have been interrogated, and one began to talk. So far, he has only given us enough information to confirm how they acquired entry."

"Yes…?" Although her voice trailed off, some of the life returned to the Gym Leader's face as she moved her elbows and allowed her arms to fall to her sides. She realized a deep breath upon leaning back in her chair, before sitting more upright and gesturing for her protege to continue.

"From underground…" the trainer responded with a bit lip. "As we've suspected, the assault on the museum was a diversion to ensure that you'd be elsewhere when the Gym's security forces were taken by surprise. It seems like the branch of Rockets that commenced this attack had the city's entire network mapped out, and used it as a blind spot. Both in the museum and in the Gym, they came up from the basement. Possibly even beneath the basements themselves."

Officer Jenny chimed in. "The prisoner claimed that their hideout of choice was an area located beneath the Game Corner. We've searched that location, but couldn't find anything of evidence. He warned us that they would have likely cleaned the place out ahead of time." her arms crossed in front of her chest. "However, our party picked up a Game Corner employee who claims to have been held hostage by the Rocket branch in that exact area for the past couple of days. He is the same man who was reported missing recently." as her arms fell back to her sides, she quickly added. "We are still searching the rest of Celadon's underground. If they have everything mapped out, we cannot trust that the Game Corner is the only location that they've touched."

The professionalism gradually returning to her, Erika nodded with a steel glare. "Do not stop looking until every corner is examined." a hand brushed across her blue hair. "If they were using the underground as a collection of passageways, who knows what they might have thought of? They could have taken routes that we have not considered." Satisfied with the other woman's prompt salute, the Gym Leader's gaze softened once more as dread built in her throat. "What…" the woman looked between the two. "What casualties have been confirmed…?"

Jenny's expression turned solemn, with a visible effort to maintain her stoicism. Beside her, the Gym Trainer's face fell, with no attempt to mask anything.

"Eleven are confirmed dead, at this current point." the leader of the police force suppressed the voice crack that nearly betrayed her true emotions. "Two of them are police officers, nine civilians. One death is a twelve year old boy, the others young adults. Two of the adult deaths are confirmed museum staff. Numerous injuries of varying degrees, although none in critical condition. No Pokemon have been confirmed dead for the moment. No Rockets either, although many in our custody are injured."

"...Understood…" the Gym Leader shifted uncomfortably before turning to the Gym Trainer. "Tyler, I know you were at the museum, so you weren't present for the infiltration, but was anything else stolen?"

The Gym Trainer, Tyler, shook his head. "No. We can confirm that it was a focused effort. Only the Master Ball prototype and a copy of its blueprints were taken. No Pokemon, or any other equipment. All else is accounted for."

The grass specialist leaned back in her seat once more as another deep sigh escaped her mouth. "That's technically good news, but not with the full picture." Another pause. "Something isn't right… we haven't had that prototype for a while, yet fully mapping out Celadon's underground would take far longer. At least if they were planning to use it as a reliable means of attack. In agreement?" both nodded. "Testing out the prototype has been planned in advance since before Samuel finished working on it. Initially, it was supposed to be Koga, and the plans changed right around the time…" her teeth nibbled away at her lip as she trailed off. After Fuchsia's Gym Leader had anticipated a need to pass the project onto somebody else, the Pewter and Celadon Gyms were decided upon as replacements to test the device. Brock had chosen to voluntarily give the assignmentent to her Gym, which she had accepted. But given the timeframe, unless she was underestimating the Rockets (the thought of subconsciously downplaying them terrified her), they would have had to catch wind of the situation with little time to spare in order to plan everything efficiently.

Crossing his arms, Tyler grimaced. "It's… unsettling."

"Any ideas how they could have found out?" Jenny inquired.

"If only." Erika responded honestly. "And there's too much going on with the aftermath for us to give it enough focus. I'll have to put a word in with Lance and the Elite Four."

Even beyond all of that, there was the obvious matter: The implications of WHAT the terrorists have stolen. Now the Master Ball project was kicked back to its first stage. They still had the blueprints themselves to go off of, but Oak would still have to take the time to remake the prototype from scratch. Meanwhile, Team Rocket had both the original prototype, and the copy of the blueprints for context. They could utilize and advance the project in whatever way they saw fit for themselves.

For now, she switched subjects. "Not that I don't already know, but… collateral damage?"

Once again Jenny spoke up. "The surrounding block around the museum has been impacted notably. Two of the confirmed deaths took place here, along with a good portion of the injuries. As for the museum…" she shifted a bit. "Just about anything you could imagine. The structure itself is just short of total collapse. And the exhibits, many of which are over a century old… apart from three, all are either damaged or destroyed. The Moon Stone painting has vanished without a trace."

"As expected…" Erika's hands folded across her desk. "No doubt they saw that as an added bonus. Making a statement against us." Locking eyes with Jenny, the two women exchanged nods. "There's a lot… I'll have to go over everything. Casualties, repair efforts, reports from interrogations and witness accounts… keep me notified on all developments on your end. You're dismissed for now." Officer Jenny saluted her, before turning and exiting the office, leaving Erika and Tyler the only one's present. A silence fell between Gym Leader and Gym Trainer as the former gazed absentmindedly at the papers on her desk, soon to be stacked, and the latter ran a hand across his hair.

'That boy with the mask…' she recalled to herself. 'He's definitely on level with their higher-ups, given how everything played out. I can't even guarantee I would've won.' her fingers drummed against the wooden surface. 'He called himself Silver, but that's obviously an alias.'

"Leader Erika…?" she perked up as Tyler's hand rested on her shoulder. The trainer flinched upon realizing the unprofessional contact, muttering a quick "Sorry," but a reassuring, even thankful smile calmed his nerves. The expression carried a warmth that lifted every trainer in the Gym's school.

"Don't apologize to me, Tyler. We can all use some of that right now." A casual, comforting tone not normally becoming of her position leaked through the authoritative professionalism and into the woman's words. "What were you saying?"

The light red in his cheeks fading, Tyler replied. "I was wondering if my assignment is still unchanged."

A nod. "Yes. Keep collecting accounts from the other staff and students regarding the attack, and ensure that every morsel of info finds its way here." her index finger tapped the desk. "The Gym is closed to challengers until further notice."

He responded with a quick dip of the head. "I understand, thank you." turning to leave, he halted to look back at her. "Anything else you need?"

"Yes, a cot and some standard bedding. I'm going to be spending the next few days in this room."

"I'll inform the staff immediately."

As Tyler closed the door behind him, Erika, the only person left in the office, dropped the composure entirely. Her head leaned back, her shoulders sagged, her hands rested, and her face fell. She must have had her eyes closed for a couple of minutes before rotating her chair to face the window behind her.

In front of her was a decently elevated view of the city, the nighttime skyline lit up just beneath the starry sky itself. Her vacant eyes stared out as time lost all meaning.

/

Silver strode through the hallways of the hideout, the corner of his eye taking in the star-filled sky revealed by the window he passed. His mask was no longer present, but had nothing to hide, his expression unreadable to the various Rockets he passed by.

In his hand was a Poke Ball with a bright purple upper half. A white "M" decorated the center of the purple area. Absent-mindedly, he lightly tossed the orb up and down as his other hand instinctively rubbed the bag around his shoulders, containing an essay's worth of reports and design blueprints.

Every adult soldier he walked past offered either a respectful nod or an acknowledging salute. Among the grown-ups were the occasional children in the same uniforms, (most of whom had already been stationed at this particular base prior to his arrival), who would freeze at the sight of him if alone, or cling to whatever adult soldier they were accompanying.

'It wasn't even half a decade ago when I was the bite-sized grunt spending the time in between missions scrubbing the floors or organizing Proton's pantry. And now, this is how they see me.'

Stopping at a door, his hand turned the knob, walking in without a word or a knock. The room he entered had one small window looking into the other side of the wallway, a rectangular table with a few chairs, and a kitchen-like shelf with a few snacks and utensils.

Damian sat at the end of the table away from the door. His body was relaxed, his expression neutral as his fingers drummed absentmindedly against the surface. He had looked up upon hearing the door open, before returning his attention to nothing.

"So this is where you've been." Silver pulled a nearby chair along with him to sit down beside the eleven-year old. "Took a bit to find you."

"Find me for what?" Damian's voice didn't hold the usual, dismissive aggression, which could be good or worrying, as far as the teenaged Rocket was concerned.

Brushing a strand of dark-red hair behind his ear, Silver was nonetheless unfazed. "I came to look in on you. Done so already for the other three children in the squad. They all made it out unscathed."

"That's nice." Silver's brow furrowed as the blue-haired boy's tone didn't change.

"Given what happened the last time you four went on a mission, I figured you'd be a bit more relieved that none of them were captured." Before Damian could respond, the red-haired teen continued on. "That's not why I'm here. This was your first real mission as much as it was theirs. You seem physically fine, but how are you feeling?" For a moment, no response, but the agent's patience persevered. "You're under my authority right now, kid. As a part of my branch, I have responsibilities towards you and the others." Silver's expression remained as unchanged as Damian's. "The only responsibility you have towards me for the moment is to be honest. And to respond when spoken to by those of higher rank."

Silence for a moment, but Silver gave the boy a bit longer to gather his response. Moments later, a deep sigh was heaved by the child, followed by a couple more moments of silence before his lips finally moved.

"I spent my whole life in places like these," he began. Finally meeting Silver's eyes, it seemed as though he was waiting for his superior to respond. When the teen did nothing, Damian continued. "My parents would always take me from base to base, whenever their station changed. Remote hideouts like this building, underground hideouts like the one we used beneath the Game Corner. I was on the water a couple of times." pausing, he shifted in his seat a bit, as though he couldn't put effort into talking if he wanted to perform the movement. "The routine was what it was: I'd be trained and schooled for the things we did today, and whenever my parents had a mission, they'd leave me here, where I'd be untouched. It's like I was walking around in a building-sized suit of armor. I know what they do whenever they leave, yet I'm protected from all of it." his brow wrinkled. "I was. I knew for years it would change. It's what I was freaking training for." For a brief moment, that signature frustration that Silver had gotten to know seeped into the younger Rocket's speech. "Places like these… they're comfortable. They're dark, dim, closed off… and…"

"Unexposed?" Silver interjected.

"...Yes…" annoyance momentarily flashed in Damian's eyes before he continued. "I… I knew that wasn't… permanent. Sooner or later I'd be out there, just like mom and dad. I kept telling myself over and over again, kept repeating what my parents and instructors always warned me. So why…" after trailing off, he didn't continue.

"Why what?" Silver pressed.

"...Why didn't it work…?" the boy finally asked. His eyes were walked with Silver's again, and not due to any obligations. After a moment or two, he broke contact again. "I felt so naked…"

Silver's fingers consciously drummed the surface of the table as a silence hung between the two. Finally, "You can tell yourself something ten thousand times for as many years. Your mind can only interpret. But once it actually happens, you can't just command yourself to feel a certain way. Or to not. Reality will always be there to puncture holes in your imagination." Giving the boy a moment to process it, he continued. "You were as prepared as you were ever going to be. You didn't need more time, and you weren't too late, either. This was always how you were going to react." he leaned back in his seat. "I looked a Gym Leader in the eyes today. On my first mission? The sight of a police officer turned my bloodstream to ice. Before he noticed me." Damian was looking at him again. "I've said it in the past, Damian. Your ego is misplaced. You know how much bigger this is than your imagination, and yet you never processed it. You left enough room in your mind for smaller things, like a pointless vendetta against people who "embarrassed" you." a hint of bitterness appeared in the younger boy's eyes, but no interruption came. "And that feeling you have now won't go away. Not in just two or three more assignments, that is. I felt it in me for a long time, that's why I said I was in your shoes. You and the other three. And it'd be preferable if history didn't repeat. That's why I wish you'd pay a bit more attention to me."

Damian sighed as his posture straightened a bit. For a moment, Silver thought his subordinate was going to say something. When he did not, the agent continued. "These walls around you…" he gestured his hand to nowhere in particular, simply acknowledging the surroundings of the room. "Or that underground? They're not going away. They'll always be that safe area that you come back to. And find as much comfort in them as you'd like. It won't be a problem. That's not what getting used to this is about. Your training was never meant to ensure you'd be invulnerable to what's going on on the outside. It was just there to ensure that you'd survive it. Getting used to it? Knowing it? Learning it? That all comes from firsthand experience that you apply your practice too. And as someone who was your age when he first learned what it felt like to freeze up-yes, I felt naked to- I'd like to help ensure you'll be prepared to do so. Along with your fellow underage grunts. Whether or not you let me is up to you, but you're my responsibility either way."

A frown passed over Damian's features for a moment, but the resistance in his eyes soon faded. "...I…" he still couldn't keep eye contact for long. "I'm not gonna stop you, I guess."

It was… progress. A broadened perspective, at the very least.

For a moment, Silver considered putting things on hold for now. Although he had already given the commander his report, there was still much else to do before acknowledging the late hour. However, Damian soon spoke again.

"I ran into him."

"Come again?" raising a brow, Silver suspected he knew what Damian was talking about.

"That Ash guy from before." Some fury laced Damian's eyes, although the rest of his expression remained subdued. "That prick beat me again. He had a girl with him, and they both…"

As Damian trailed off, Silver picked up the slack. "Yeah, I figured. I saw them too. And between him, her, and Paul, I take it you want all three of them dead now?" as the blue-haired boy looked away, the teen's hand reached back to brush another strand of hair. "Well, it's like I said before. Think about what's bigger than your imagination, and think about the smaller things taking up room. I'm no stranger to wanting to kill someone-still out there, in fact- but if your response to your pride getting compromised is to set the offender on fire, you might as well pray for Moltres to scorch the Earth and be done with it." Standing up, he prepared to turn away. "Besides, even smaller things can be bigger than you think. Ash and Paul are nobodies, but that girl is a different story." He stopped talking a she approached the door, but after placing his hand on the knob, the teen paused and took a moment to look back. "Damian… What is Team Rocket's mission?"

Damian's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why-"

"I want to hear it from you."

After a moment or two, Damian extended his chest. "Team Rocket's goal is to end the reign of the Indigo League, and the unnatural "order and unity" that they have spent four centuries perpetuating. And to return the status quo to its natural, untouched state."

Silver nodded. "Where the lands aren't monopolized, and status quo is as chaotically unpredictable as human nature is supposed to be." his hand leaving the knob, he crossed his arms against his chest. "So, what do you think?"

"...Of the mission?"

"Yes?"

"I… it's my life. I always have it in my mind when training."

"I see." Turning to open the door, Silver looked back. "Don't stay in here too much longer. You need to sleep. "You've had dinner, right?"

"Some of it."

"Hmmm… don't neglect breakfast, then."

Closing the door and leaving the younger boy to his thoughts, Silver stepped back into the hallway and turned to see Mr. Mime absentmindedly grinning in his direction. "You were listening, weren't you, Necro?"

The barrier Pokemon shrugged. "Come now, you know I enjoy curiosity. It's not like it was anything too private."

Silver allowed himself a minor eye roll as the two began walking in pace with one another. 'Whatever you say. I trust your recreational activity means you got your report done as well?"

"Of course. I'm not negligent. I assure you I was placed here for a reason. Doesn't mean I can't take advantage of my free time."

"I suggest you keep it that way."

"Why? Concerned I'm better at having fun?"

As the two stopped, Silver turned to face the psychic. "I should remind you, I'm the one in charge of testing out the prototype. And I have a fair amount of freedom for what I can test it on."

In mock surrender, Necro thrust his arms upward. "Fine, fine, you win, I'll drop it."

"Heh." The duo resumed walking as Silver continued. "Well, luckily for you, Ariana is going to want to study the device and its blueprints before anything else is done with it. By then, you'll have been moved to your next station."

For a moment, Necro giggled before straightening himself out. "I imagine the League must be fuming at the thought that our side has pulled ahead of them with that. Both sides have the plans, but we're the ones with the ball! And we'll make better use of it! More Meaningful!"

"Don't be cocky, Necro."

"I'm just calling it as it is! You know, like you do." Abruptly, he jumped in front of Silver, stopping the teen in his tracks as the Mr. Mime turned to face him. "Oh yeah, somewhere else I wanna be before turning in. Bye~!"

A startling flash flared in Silver's eyes as the psychic vanished, prompting the teenaged agent to cover his face for a few moments. Grimacing as he lowered his arm, Silver briefly clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head to regain his bearings.

"That woman's recommendation better have been worth it."

/

For the remainder of the day, time once more seemed like a separate dimension to Ash, but for a different, less comforting reason than before.

Following the attack, he and Janine were almost immediately brought back to the Pokemon Center, along with the others that the League forces had rounded up. Apart from Tyrunt, who had not participated in any of the fighting, everyone on his team was placed in medical care. He would later be reassured that none of the injuries were severe after assessment, but it would take a bit longer than overnight for Nebula or Tempest to be back in shape. A whole day, advised to pick them up the morning after tomorrow to ensure two full nights in the Center's care, and the rest were recommended to be kept just as long just in case.

He and Janine had been separated rather quickly, each giving their individual accounts to the police, Ash himself doing so as Nurse Joy applied ointment for the burns the Mr. Mime's electrical hand had left behind.

By late afternoon, he had no appetite to go along with his hunger, feeling as though anything that he put in his mouth would come back out long before it reached his stomach. When the sun had gone down, and he finally felt some semblance of a mood, his body felt too heavy to make the journey out of his room, and he had called to order room service for himself and Tyrunt.

It had been nearing midnight when he finally positioned himself under his covers. An hour longer before his eyes were closed. Whenever he had closed them, the images were always the same.

Tempest's battered body. Mr. Mime's lightning-filled hand in front of his face. The Flamethrower of Damian's Charmeleon nearly setting him ablaze. The explosive surroundings, destruction of the walls-

At some point or another, the fatigue had grown too great for any of it to keep him conscious. He was barely startled when he was greeted with "11:09 AM" on the digital clock when his eyes finally opened once more.

After another quick call, room service had arrived a half hour later.

Tyrunt sat on the table in front of Ash, eyes often traveling between his trainer and his bowl of food. Occasionally, the royal heir Pokemon would drift his gaze around the otherwise unoccupied room.

Chewing on his banana, Ash watched his friend sink his teeth into the food in his bowl. Tyrunt wasn't eating nearly as fast (or messily) as normal. The boy understood the feeling; it felt as though whatever he put in his mouth took forever to chew and swallow.

Eventually, Ash realized that Tyrunt's eyes had wandered to the top of his head. Instinctively, the boy raised a hand, resting down on his head, feeling hair instead of what was usually covering it. A small, weak, feeble smile graced his lips. "Heh, feels weird seeing me without a cap on, right? When we're not going to bed?" the dinosaur blinked for a moment, before nodding, returning to his food, but not averting his gaze from his trainer. Lowering his hand, Ash took another bike. "I can… get another one eventually. I've had that one forever, but…" frowning, he shook his head. "It was a cap." heaving a sigh after a few moments, he looked around the room. "I told you before, but… the others will be fine. You don't have to worry. They'll all be back tomorrow morning. Pikachu, Nebula, Valiant, Eevee, Temp-" Involuntarily, his voice stopped, an image reentering his mind. "The… the point is!... They're going to be fine. The staff already confirmed it. We just need to give them the time to rest." Tyrunt's expression was dowcast as Ash talked, and watching the youngest member of the team look around, the boy could feel the loneliness radiating from the dinosaur.

Just two months ago, it had been perfectly normal to be alone in a room with one teammate. It was the way it was, in fact. But now… it was like he had no clothes on his back.

As if out of nowhere, Ash suddenly became agitated with the motion of his foot tapping down onto the carpet. The acknowledgement only triggered the action further, however. Finally fed up with the increasing speed, he raised his legs and sat cross-legged on the chair as he continued his meal.

Just as he and his partner were finally nearing the end of their breakfast, a knock on the door stole their attention away from the remaining morsels of food.

Even just the sound of knuckles rapping the outside triggered some form of whiplash, jolting the boy out of his nonexistent thoughts as his head rapidly turned in the direction of the door he hadn't stepped through for numerous hours.

After a few more moments of knocking, Ash regained some semblance of focus, standing up and turning to address Tyrunt. "Finish up, I'll go see." After an absentminded nod from the young dinosaur, he made his way to the door. Opening it revealed a woman with black pigtails. She looked like she could be no older than eighteen or nineteen. Ash immediately recognized the uniform.

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"You're Ash Ketchum, correct?" Although somewhat gentle, her voice was primarily authoritative, almost demanding, as she raised a hand in front of his face, giving him a view of the badge she was holding up.

"Yes?"

"Leader Erika wants to see you." the Gym trainer lowered her hand. "I'm sorry, but it has to be now."

Blinking for a moment, Ash suddenly regained all of his awareness as he nodded back at her. "Right." turning back to Tyrunt, he shuffled for his Poke Balls. "You want to stay here or come with me, buddy?" A gesture of the head towards the doorway gave him Tyrunt's answer. He figured. "Alright, come on." After quickly returning the young dinosaur to his ball, Ash stepped through the doorway and followed the woman down the hall.

Although he stayed behind her, he soon found himself quickening to match her pace. "Is… Erika here at the Center?" He knew that there were still League personnel occupying the place, interviewing rescued witnesses for their accounts on the previous day, and overall trying to settle the oppressively anxious mood that hung in the air. He had been told that they'd be here for a day or two.

"No, unfortunately." The Gym Trainer frowned as her gaze remained ahead. "Preferably, she would have come to you, but she has not left her office since getting back to the Gym yesterday. We will be going there." her head turned slightly, just enough to get a view of him following her as she continued. "She understands that you have already been involved in an incident earlier in the week." her expression turned apologetic for a moment-had his expression changed without realizing it?- before turning back around, stopping in front of the elevator as she pressed a button.

"I have." he responded. A few moments later, the doors to the elevator opened, and she gestured him in.

At first, the newfound silence between the two had felt uncomfortable, but it didn't take long for Ash to appreciate it. Still, after stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby, a thought abruptly popped into his mind as they approached the exit. "Umm… do you know how Janine's team is doing? I haven't seen her since…" he didn't need to elaborate.

"I don't have that info, sorry." she shook her head. "But you'll be able to ask her yourself." she added reassuringly.

He blinked. "Huh-"

As the doors opened, they were greeted by the sight of two more figures: One was a man in a different League uniform, who looked about in his mid-twenties. The other was Janine.

"Ash!' he perked up as the girl raced over to him. "I was going to ask Nurse Joy where your room was so I could visit you, but she's been busy, and then an officer stopped me in the hallway saying he was looking for me." she nodded over to the man.

Before Ash could respond, the man himself spoke up. "You've both been called over, so feel free to catch up on the way." Leading the two ahead, he stopped in front of an expensive-looking car. "We can't dawdle, though, so get in the back seat. She expects us in fifteen minutes."

The two kids nodded, quickly heading inside the car as the woman opened the door for them. Although there was enough room to fit four people in the back, the two rookies deliberately sat next to each other. Almost immediately, Ash felt a sensation of relief as he sank into the cool, gentle cushion, even more so after he buckled his seatbelt and finally allowed himself to lean back.

With their escorts in the front, the man gripped the steering wheel and began to drive at a reasonable pace, the gigantic Pokemon Center quickly shrinking behind them.

As a hand gently rested on his shoulder, Ash turned his head to find a concerned pair of purple eyes staring at him.

"How are you?" Janine asked.

Not able to hide anything, he heaved a deep sigh. "Took forever to sleep last night. Breakfast tasted bland. Tempest and Nebula need another full day to be medically cleared, and apart from Tyrunt the others are with them. You…?"

Her sympathetic frown hung for a moment or two before she looked ahead. A set of glass separated them from the adults in the front, although the presence of a microphone told Ash that their conversation wasn't private. "Golbat and Beedrill were given back to me this morning. Toxtricity last night. They just needed rest. Ivysaur and Tentacruel…" she bit her lip. "That Mr. Mime's blast had more than enough power to knock them out, according to the staff's estimation. They'll need more time, like your friends." Ash gave her a moment to speak again, but she did not.

"And… you?" he pressed.

Her hand rubbed the front of her hair. "I… may not have gotten the best sleep either." she finally replied. "Or the best tasting breakfast." her head turned again, once again revealing her eyes. "I'm… sorry."

He blinked. "For what?"

"It was my idea to go there yesterday. I just wanted to hang out, but instead…" huffing a bit, she looked away again.

Before she could speak anymore, Ash cut her off. "No. Look, I got where you're coming from, but all that stuff that happened after Damian was my fault. The rest before that wasn't up to you. You didn't know. I did."

Now with a more coherent mind, Ash must have inwardly cursed himself thousands of consecutive times back in the room that morning. He led his teammates, and a new friend and her teammates, into a deathbox.

'Actually, this is his fault.' A bitter voice in the back of his mind left him inwardly flinching, although he was thankfully able to outwardly repress it.

Yes… it was Tempest's fault… wasn't it? If he hadn't run out in the first place, then he-

'But you let him out.' the voice continued. 'And you chose what to do after. You put him and them on the chopping block.'

"My… my uh, friend Tempest…" he suddenly found it difficult to speak once more.

"Yes?" Janine's voice was gentle and encouraging.

"He… he's obsessed with fighting. I ran off after him, knowing that going out there might be suicide, but I also let him out in the first place. I should have known better. He'd see all the fighting going on around him, and, well…" he looked away. "That's exactly how it happened, right?"

The silence hung for a moment before Janine shifted in her seat, gaze returning to the front. "I'm… sorry to hear that. I'm sure it's easy to make that mistake with everything going on. Are you going to talk to him?"

… Right. The thought had been in Ash's mind for a while, but her words had brought him to reality. He had been trying to ignore it up until now.

"I… I have to." he admitted. Shifting in his own seat, his eyes turned dull. "I… am still thinking of what to say."

"If anything like this ever happens again, I'm releasing you."

…How much had he meant that?

After another moment of silence, he almost asked her what she would do, but held his tongue. This was his problem. Back in Viridian, Janine had given him advice for an issue that he should have been obligated to fix on his own. Continuing that would get him nowhere. This was his journey, and the other trainers had their own things to worry about.

"I have a day," he finally said. "I might need longer, but I won't procrastinate too much. Before I leave this city, I'm speaking to him in private."

Her lips curved up a bit, although she was still solemn. "Good."

'You should release him.' the bitter voice was back. 'You gave him a warning and said that was it. If you back out on it, you'll just be enabling him.'

'But you need to own up to your own responsibilities.' suddenly it changed tone. 'Are you going to just kick him off the team and pass off all the blame? You'll just keep making mistakes.'

He was grimacing again. 'Stop. Don't think about it now. If you rush the answer you'll regret whatever choice you make.' That sounded like something a wiser person would say, right?

Silencing those thoughts for now, he looked back at Janine, who was staring ahead again. Deciding not to fill the void with small talk, he sat back and did the same.

A few moments later, the car stopped. The glass window in front of them rolled down as the woman turned her head to face them.

"Alright you two, we're here."

/

"I don't have the time to spend too long on this, because with all due respect, there are a lot more important things for me to worry about right now. But there was a disturbing detail regarding you two in the report I read last night, and I needed to address it in person."

He and Janine were seated side by side in a fairly sizable office. Sitting across the desk was the grass type Gym Leader herself, hands folded over the surface with a stack of papers pushed to the side near a computer monitor. The large window behind her offered an attractive view of the daytime skyline.

Erika's facial expression was somewhat forced, a fatigue in her eyes just barely unnoticed by Ash (but not by Janine) as a mug of hot coffee steamed beside her arms. Nevertheless, her gaze bore right into them, with no signs of her breaking concentration anytime soon.

It was Janine who spoke first. "Leader Erika, we-"

"I, Janine." the Gym Leader interrupted. "You two are professionals now. Neither of you will speak for the other." The purple haired girl suppressed a flinch, offering a submissive nod to the grass specialist before straightening her posture a bit further. Although Erika's usual exotic scent filled his nose as the woman leaned forward a bit, Ash was too focused on her tone of voice and body language to enjoy it. "I ran into the two of you personally yesterday." she reminded. "And I told you to get to my forces immediately. You remember that, don't you?" a nod from both. "...I'm sure you can understand why it was troubling to read that you fled from police custody in the middle of a warzone."

Ash gulped a bit. The casually soothing, newcomer friendly aura that the woman usually gave off was gone now. Instead, he was reminded of the way his mother had talked to him after finding the remnants of the decoration he had accidentally broken hidden beneath the couch.

"It was me." he quickly stated, hoping to get Janine out of a scolding, but remembering to speak only for himself as the Gym Leader ordered. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Look me in the eye, Ash." Jolting, Ash hadn't realized his gaze had been traveling downward.

"S-Sorry! I.-" he stopped himself. Mercifully, Erika gave him a chance to catch his breath before he continued. Although Janine remained still, her eyes briefly moved to him, but she said nothing before locking eyes with Erika once more. "I'm the one at fault. Your report probably says this already, but one of my teammates ran off while the police were in the middle of rescuing us. I realized he was gone and went after him."

Sympathy passed over Erika's features, but the sternness in her voice didn't subside. "Yes, it did say that. I'm sorry about what happened." she leaned a little bit further again. "Tell me, Ash: Would you have had a better chance at rescuing your friend by going off alone, or telling the authorities that are trained for this?"

Ash didn't respond. The scoldings he'd received from Delia had taught him all about rhetorical questions.

"That goes for you too, Janine." Erika's eyes zeroed in on his friend. "Were you making a difference following after Ash? Or were you just giving the League forces another innocent they needed to rescue?" As Janine's eyes began to travel downward, the Gym Leader's finger trapped at the desk. "I'm up here." Quickly, the girl muttered an apology as she forced her gaze upwards again. "I want to make something perfectly clear, you two." she looked between them. "I expect all three of you to take responsibility for this. Ash's teammate, and both of you. It doesn't matter where the domino was, your reactions let the row keep falling." her fingers drummed the desk. "Team Rocket has been a poisonous thorn digging into Indigo's side for years now. We may have always had the upper hand, but it's required everything to maintain that, and they've still claimed no shortage of victims despite everything. Our responsibility during these incidents is to put a stop to the enemy while keeping all bystanders as safe as humanly possible, and when the two of you go off and make that second part more difficult for us, you risk compromising something that's far bigger than both of you combined. And in this case, you disobeyed a direct order from a Gym Leader." her eyes turned to Ash. "Professor Oak, who to my knowledge you are somewhat associated with, is already important to this for reasons I cannot disclose to you. I'm going to have to talk to him anyway, and if I wanted to, I could easily bring you up as well." Ash's heart rate increased. The mention of the Professor's name very briefly brought discomfort to him, as she remembered his realization regarding Gary, but the current situation drowned it out almost immediately. She turned to Janine next. "You are no different, Janine. Your father and I may not be-" abruptly, she cut herself off, finally breaking eye contact as she pushed a strand of hair behind her, but the reprieve was miniscule, and soon her gaze was locked with the poison specialist again. "The point is, he's still one phone call away."

Janine's face instantly lost every shade of color to it, her widening eyes freezing in place, fading of life. After sparing as quick of a glance as he could from the corner of his eye, Ash almost turned to her in worry as her body began to tremble.

A raised hand from Erika settled them both, although the purple-haired girl still took a deep breath as the complexion gradually returned to her. "Look…" she allowed her expression to minisculely soften, and her voice seemed to be doing something of similarity. "I know why you two did what you did. Your mind doesn't work right when you're in a panic, and you do things that you would've realized were out of the question under any other circumstances. I don't want either of you to think that I don't understand that." with mercy, she leaned back a bit, but not entirely. "But if that's going to be prevented in the future, then you both need to hear it from somebody as soon as possible. That's why I needed to see you in person. Do you both understand me?" Trying to keep straight faces, the two children nodded back at the Gym Leader. At the adult. "Are you sure?" she persisted. Two more nods. After a few moments of silence, she nodded in satisfaction, leaning back in full. "Good. That's all the time we have, then. The two that brought you here will bring you back to the Pokemon Center. I wish you both well."

After reciprocating her words, the two stood and left.

/

"I suppose I should've expected that." Janine stared at the table they were seated at in the Center's cafeteria. The area was decently populated with other guests, much talk of the attack on the museum echoing throughout, but the duo had managed to acquire a spot at the far end. Toxtricity was near their table, alternating between pacing around and sitting, but didn't make a sound. Beside her was a small creature she had identified to Ash as Skrelp, a poison/water type native to Kalos. The mock kelp was currently digging into a small bowl of food on the table.

Ash sat across from them, Tyrunt seated on the table beside him. The dinosaur occasionally looked between Toxtricity and Skrelp, as though he wanted to start a chat, but wasn't in the mood to try. "I… definitely wasn't thinking about it when it happened," he confessed. "I'm just glad she didn't penalize us." she probably would have had the right to.

Janine sipped the water in her hand. "Well… It's over with. We knew what we did wrong." Setting the glass down, she decided to change the subject. As expected, the museum attack had been flooding the news when they had arrived in the lobby. The talk in the cafeteria didn't help. Anything else would do at this point. "So… when are you leaving? I'm probably going to go in two days. Give Ivysaur and Tentacruel a day off once they recover."

He nodded. "I… think I'm doing the same, actually." he scratched his head. "Truth be told, I was originally going to leave today, but that's obviously not going to happen now. And aside from Tyrunt, everyone on my team is still in care. I can't drag them away without any time to recuperate." technically, they would have gotten plenty of rest at the Center already, but he didn't like the thought of going back to business immediately after, without any additional time. Nurse Joy had advised him to put the incident behind him and try to move on, and although he obviously needed to do it, there was no way he'd be able to force it overnight. No doubt she'd agree. They needed to put some distance between the attack and resuming their routine.

…Routine… that would be changing soon.

It felt like forever ago that he had gone to the Department Store with Pikachu and Valiant. He had planned a decent deal when over there, purchasing new TMs and coming up with moves that he planned to teach them without the machines. They hadn't gotten started on any of that yet, and although that would still change, Ash suddenly realized that the manner he approached it with would be different than before.

Tempest's electrified body flashed into his mind. Something needed to be different. The ride back to the Center had been fairly silent, and it had granted the opportunity for the gears to turn in his head. 'Be proactive.' He had remembered telling himself from before.

Maybe if he had done so earlier, this never would have happened? Either things would've gotten better or now, or, if not possible, the moment they boiled over would have been gotten over with?

'Should I have even tried in the first place-' Ash silenced the thought. If there was a right answer, it definitely wasn't that.

Either way, he was going to make sure he found the answer soon. And he wasn't going to wait for it to come to him. Not with the upcoming stage of their journey ahead of them. The battle with Sabrina would be a threshold for things to come. The rematch with Surge that needed to happen at some point, and the eastern side of Kanto, where the harsh wilds of Fuchsia territory would test them as a team and as travelers. They weren't going to be ready if he kept carrying around unanswered questions from before.

"Ash?" blinking, he looked up to see Janine and Tyrunt staring at him. Skrelp was still occupied with her food.

"Sorry, I spaced out." he placed a hand on Tyrunt's head. The dinosaur leaned into his touch, a bit less absentminded than before. That was a good sign. "I guess I'm just thinking of everything to come. We've both gotten through all of the beginner friendly Gyms. I'm not entirely sure what to expect beyond this point, so my mind keeps running."

Janine smiled apologetically. "In that case, I'm sorry I interrupted you. It's a better thing to dwell on."

"Are you thinking about it too?"

She patted. "Hard not to. Most first years aren't going to be at an uncertain point like this already. It makes me wonder if I moved too fast for my own good, but then I'd just be scolding myself for not taking a leap." she sipped her water again. "At the very least, the immediate future is a bit easier to see. Head over to Saffron, and make sure I'm ready for the rest before leaving." setting her glass down, she added. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if my team will be ready for a psychic specialist this early on. That's the obvious downside to being a specialist this early on, but battling her will still benefit me a lot. I need the experience, and I can gauge myself for when I leave Saffron behind."

"So if you lose, you're not going to rematch her right away?" her words immediately made him realize the obvious: that her situation was different than his. He was going after a Gym Leader who wouldn't be as lenient as the previous three that he defeated, while she was facing an opponent that, at her current level of experience, could exploit the obvious type advantage in crippling ways.

"Depends on how I do, I guess. If I come close to winning I'll obviously try again after some regrouping, but if there seems to be a gap, then I'll pocket the experience for later. The main priority is making sure I'm ready for Fuchsia. I'm going there after Saffron either way, even if I don't know which direction I'll take yet.

Right… she could take the long way to Lavender Town, to have more time to train, but also be on the road for a lot longer as a result. Or she could go through Vermillion. Less time on the road, not a smooch time to prepare, but an excellent opportunity to test her progress against Surge, and maybe even get an additional badge out of it. He'd be facing that same question once he got to Sabrina's turf.

"Hey…" as if out of nowhere, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Although she gave him her attention, he suddenly felt his breath in his throat. 'What are you so nervous about? Just ask.' Pushing it down, he continued. "We're both leaving at the same time, and going to the same place, right?" She nodded. The apparent understanding in her features was encouraging. "Would it be alright if my team and I tagged along with you? Just for the time being?" He was pleasantly surprised at how naturally the question had slipped through his lips.

Janine's grin was back. "Sure!"

/

"Have you no shame?!" Despite the unnecessary (and taxing) nature of it, Valiant couldn't resist the mental shout as he lunged forward. Nebula's wings, holding him back from going any further, were the only things keeping him from throttling the Krabby in front of him as the rest of the team looked on.

They had been medically cleared not too long ago, and were placed inside of a white room waiting for their trainer to pick them up. Most were happy to see one another, but there had been an exception.

Valiant struggled against Nebula's grip, but was reminded of the Staravia's physical superiority with every strain. Eevee stood behind, watching her best friend in concern after briefly sending the water type a dirty look. Pikachu was closer to Tempest, ready to jump in if the river crab attempted anything.

In front of Valiant, the Krabby's expression was hard to follow. Clear irritation lined the water type's eyes as Valiant resorted to yelling instead of attacking, but his gaze kept shifting between a glare and a frown. For a moment, he held his pincers up, only to lower them soon after. Not even bothering to look around, the Krabby knew he had no allies. Just additional enemies with better restraint.

"Enough, both of you!"

Turning to the familiar voice, nobody had noticed that the door had opened as Ash walked in. Biting his lip, he took in the scene that was very similar to the one he imagined, before turning to Nebula and Valiant. "Nebula, let go of him. Don't do anything, Valiant."

Four Pokemon and a Krabby.

As the Staravia lowered her wings, Valiant's expression sagged. Although Eevee stayed put, Pikachu quickly raced to his trainer. The smile on the mouse was contagious as Ash reached down to pet his starter.

"Hey there buddy, missed you." Looking up at the rest of the group, he added. "All of you. I'm really glad that you're safe. Tyrunt's still sleeping up in the room, but he shares the thought." expressing how happy he was to see them. That was the easy part. Looking between the group, his face turned serious before his eyes landed on Tempest for a moment. The mixture of expressions on the Krabby's face was unreadable. "Look… I know your emotions are high right now." his eyes shifted to Valiant for a moment, before his attention became more neutral. "But that's enough. You've made your point. I know I keep saying it, but I mean it most now. I need you to leave this to me." he could tell that Valiant was about to protest, so his eyes formed into a glare. "I'm the trainer here. Let me do what I'm supposed to, Valiant. If you pick a fight, you'll just get a quick bit of catharsis and another trip to Nurse Joy moments after getting cleared. I'm telling you to stand down, and I mean it."

His heart shattered as the Kirlia flinched at his tone. Was this how Delia always felt when scolding him? He must have given her more practice than he realized.

His expression softened just enough to remain neutral as he looked between the team. "Listen, all of you. I know what Tempest did. I know what it led to. I'm not going to tell a soul here not to be mad at him. But this can't continue. And I've made a mistake letting it. The other day taught me that. Frankly, you should be mad at me as well. I've trained you all to reach the point we've gotten too, and I'll always be proud of that, but I've been a poor leader. My indecisiveness is just as responsible for what happened as anything Tempest could have done." At his feet, Pikachu's ears drooped, but the electric type said nothing. "That's part of why I don't want any of you doing anything rash with him." Tempest's posture shifted as Ash's eyes briefly fell on him. "The other reason is… well, I can't keep being like that. I want things to change, and I need to make them." he took a moment for his words to sink in. "We'll be taking the day off, leaving tomorrow. We won't be alone; Janine's going to be with us for a while." that got a few of them to perk up. "Apart from Tempest, you all remember when we were with Misty. Until further notice, there's going to be a whole other team of six on the road with us. I expect you to get along with them. And that means each other." sighing for a moment, he gestured towards the door. "Tempest, stay here. The rest of you wait outside. A nurse is out there too, she'll tell me if any of you tried to listen in."

Without argument, the four Pokemon exited the room in a single file. Frowning, Valiant lingered behind for a moment. Locking eyes with Ash, he followed the others after a nod from his trainer.

Closing the door behind him, a deep sigh he hadn't fully realized he'd been holding in escaped Ash. The mood didn't approve as he turned his gaze to one remaining occupant.

Tempest hadn't said a word as his trainer approached. Rather than crouching down, Ash sat cross-legged on the floor, locking eyes with his teammate. What had once been a burnt and bruised outer shell just less than two days ago was now perfectly clean, as though nothing had ever happened. The sight of the Krabby's pupils staring back into his made his throat lock up for a moment, and it took a lot longer for him to start talking than he wanted.

"There are some things that I probably shouldn't even need to say, but I'm going to anyway." Ash did his best to keep himself stern, as though a single voice crack would knock over a stack of blocks. "You and I almost got everybody killed. I'm not going to make an excuse for myself, so I better not hear you talk." Slowly, Tempest's gaze began to shift. "My eyes are over here." It might have been Erika speaking in the back of his mind. Ash almost regretted saying it as Tempest reaffirmed his gaze. This was so much easier when their gazes weren't locked.

"Tempest… do you want to be a part of this team?" A confused gurgle escaped the river crab's throat, as though Ash had asked a ridiculous question. Almost faltering, the rookie continued. "I did not say "do you want to travel with me". I said, do you want to be on our team? Are you even? You've always thought about what you wanted, and I've tried to give you it, but how much am I taking from everybody else." The Krabby's silence was taken as an indication to continue. "Nobody wants you here right now." he struggled to lower the sternness of his voice without sacrificing it, and might have slipped up. "I know what everybody out there is thinking." briefly, he pointed to the door. "Pikachu wants me to release you. Nebula wants me to release you. Eevee wants me to release you. Valiant wishes I never caught you in the first place. Like I said, I shouldn't need to say some of this. You already know, don't you?"

The signature dismissiveness that he had come to associate with the water type had not fully dissipated. Ash could see that clearly. But Tempest was showing something that he had thought mutually exclusive to the Krabby. He couldn't tell if it was guilt, but it was the kind of frown he would have seen from anybody else on the team.

"So…" he forced himself to press. "How does that make you feel? You don't care, right? You never came here to interact with them anyway. You're a tagalong who likes to fight. You never came to share meals with anyone. Or practice with anyone. Or strike up a conversation before bedtime. You train on your own, you learn new moves on your own, you use them on our opponents. All on your own. That's what you've always thought, right?" The krabby's expression grew a bit more even, both the frown and the dismissiveness having evaporated. There was no aggression, or frustration. "So, it's like I've asked before. Are you their teammate? Are you contributing to this group in any way other than helping us win our battles, and then going off in your own world in between bouts?" he chewed his lip for a moment. He needed a break, but didn't give himself as much time as he felt he wanted. He couldn't pause for too long. "Or is it how it's been since the start? Since the way I've let it be?" Tempest's gaze shifted downward. This time, Ash let him.

The boy's hand rested on the Krabby's head. "I don't want to feel the way everyone else does. I don't want the others to keep feeling that way, either. But what place do I have telling them to change their minds? More importantly, what reason do I even have? They were never the problem. We were." his hand slid off as Tempest looked back up at him. "One way or another, I need to get an answer out of you. Or I'll have to determine the answer for myself. I've let things continue the way they've been for a good while now, hoping to let nature run its course. And that's why I've been a poor leader. I wanted to run from a choice I didn't want to deal with. Thinking that if I waited long enough, I eventually wouldn't have to worry about my options. That whatever problems that were currently present would either magically go away, or fix themselves." he shook his head. "I won't do things the easy way anymore. I'll leave you be today. But tomorrow, when we're finally back on the road, ready to make that museum a memory, things are going to change. I am warning you now, so that you can't say I didn't. I've had a whole day to think it over, and I already know what I'm going to do. I know how the others are going to react, too. How you respond is going to be what gives me your answer. And that's how I'll make my decision. Do you understand, Tempest?"

It took a moment, and Ash almost repeated the question with more strength in his voice, when the Krabby finally nodded. As the boy stood up, the river crab took it as a sign to focus on the exit, although he didn't move immediately.

"It's like I said before. I'm the trainer here. You're my responsibility, and I'm responsible for every mistake you make. I'm also responsible for how I correct them. Keep that in mind."

He tried to steady his quickening heart as he led Tempest out of the room.

/

Ash's muscles relaxed as Suzie's hand rested on his shoulder. The last day had come and gone uneventfully, the team relaxing and engaging in small talk while avoiding the news on television. Ash and Janine had both wanted to pay the breeder one last visit before heading off in the morning.

"I've already asked Janine this, but are you sure you're doing fine?" her concerned voice had a warming tone to it. It certainly helped.

Ash looked up at the woman after briefly observing Valiant and Eevee chatting with Vulpix. "It's not easy," he confessed. "But I think I'm going to be. I'm sorry if you were worried."

She shook her head. "The fact that you're all in one piece is enough for me. You'll visit next time you're in town, right?"

He beamed. "Definitely. I wouldn't consider otherwise." looking back at his two teammates, he added. "And I'll make sure Valiant is taken care of too. Along with everyone else. I've made mistakes, but I'm going to keep them in good hands from now on."

As she thanked him, the Kirlia in question appeared in front of her, leaning into her touch as she patted his head one last time. "Make sure you do this same for him, okay Valiant?" As Eevee looked on, more cheerful than before, Ash knew he couldn't hear whatever response Valiant gave the woman. He also knew he didn't need to.

"Alright, you two." he looked between the Kirlia and the evolution Pokemon. "There's still plenty more of the world out there. If the road gets too rocky, we'll punch it smooth." Valiant simply nodded at him, but Eevee's eyes were flaring.

Nobody had forgotten what happened here, but normalcy hadn't been fully lost. It just needed some time to recover.

Janine perked up as he led the two Pokemon outside. Although her expression was somewhat easygoing, and had made room for a small grin, there was still a certain seriousness to her. Whether it had gone as planned or not, the break was over, and business was resuming.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked while looking between the trio. Beside her, Ivysaur rose from his sitting position.

Mimicking her expression, Ash looked her in the eye and nodded. "More than ever."

Her grin widened just enough to convey a reaction. "Good." closing a bit of the distance between them, she extended a hand. "Then we're partners for now." As Ash accepted her hand, the poison specialist's grip turned firm. Tight. No aggression, no leniency. It took him a moment or two, but he mirrored that as well.

Of all things that he had gone through in Celadon, the biggest had been retrospect. Realizations that should have already been made, but lost time that he was going to make up for from here on out. New context that he hadn't had any way of having before, but could never forget now. A line was drawn between the first two months of his career, and the remainder of the Season. A remainder that would feel like an eternity, with how much there was still left to do, and the places he and his family still needed to go.

And when they got to Saffron, Sabrina would find out how they had gotten as far as they had, and how they were going to go even further.

/

Silver's dark hood hid his hair as his foot sank into the grass. ALmost completely cloaked by his outfit, he was barely visible under the shrouded night sky. Hermes floated behind him as the agent locked eyes with the Gardevoir.

"Thanks for coming, as always." he nodded politely. Returning the gesture, the psychic reached out, and he accepted the dark-crimson folder in her hand. An air of serenity in his chest, the teen reached out his other arm, placing a hand on her head. "I'll return the message as soon as I'm able." With a satisfied nod, she vanished from sight.

For a moment or two, he and Hermes remained still. The surrounding darkness would have been unnerving for most, but the quiet was comforting. The faint sounds of nature the only things they heard, he almost remained for even longer.

Nonetheless, his calmness uncompromised, he looked at the Sigilyph and nodded. "Let's go back."