Credit where credit was due, Jasmine was quick on the uptake of things. For someone who wore a dress, she was pretty fast.

Unfortunately, I was far quicker.

"So, Champion Lance," I greeted with an unimpressed expression. "What the fuck do you want?"

The speed at which my traveling companion turned on me, really should have been studied. That might have been the fastest I've ever seen her move.

"SILVY!" Green shrieked in horror. "YOU CAN'T JUST TALK TO HIM LIKE THAT! THIS IS CHAMPION LANCE!"

I gazed at her with a tilted head. "So what? He's the one visiting us, I should be able to speak to him however the hell I want."

Green spluttered at me and it seemed to finally hit her, that I really didn't give a damn who I was talking to, considering I was even speaking to the champion of Kanto like this.

"Don't worry about it," Lance said in mild amusement, waving off Green's concern. "It's refreshing, having someone speak to me like this! You can just call me Lance! No need to add the Champion part. I'm off duty at the moment!"

"I said the same thing!" Jasmine exclaimed from underneath me. "Talking to Silver is a breath of fresh air!"

I glanced at my best friend and immediately put my knuckles to her head.

"Hey this is much easier than with Leaf. Her hairs a jungle and yours is way neater."

Green, who looked poised to help out Jasmine, slowly withered away at the reminder that I had already done this to her and I flashed her a cocky smirk.

"S-Silver! I said I'm sorry!" Jasmine squealed in pain, thrashing underneath me in vain. "We haven't seen each other in so long and this is the first thing you do?! Didn't you miss me?"

"Course I missed you," I replied easily, patting her hair due to how adorable she currently was.

It was true. I missed the hell outta Jasmine. You didn't realize how happy you'd be at seeing someone, until you actually saw them.

But of course, that was all secondary to the fact that, "You knew I didn't like surprises yet somehow, here I am… surprised. Wanna explain?"

"That's because of me," Lance said a bit sheepishly. "I wanted to meet the trainer who managed to help Jasmine out so much and I insisted we go to meet him."

"Champion Lance doesn't waste any time! He wanted to meet you as soon as possible and I wasn't going to say no to visiting!" Jasmine pleaded her case.

I pursed my lips at that and mulled it over.

Finally, I stood up off Jasmine's back and dusted myself off, before yanking my best friend up.

I pulled her into a hug and smiled at the startled noise that erupted from her. "I missed you Jas. I appreciate our friendship more and more everyday and I'm glad you're visiting. Who knows when the next time we would've seen each other was gonna be?"

She turned beat red at my actions and began stammering at my words, caught utterly off guard by my actions and I let out a smug smirk.

I had guessed, correctly by the way, that Jasmine was unfamiliar with physical affection so I decided to embarrass her even despite the fact that I really was happy to see her.

What? I had a reputation to upkeep!

"I-I missed you too Silver. It was hard not being able to see my best friend," Jasmine mumbled, looking like she were about to die on the spot.

I'm fairly sure she very nearly did faint, as Green leapt into the group hug from the side.

My companion let out an excited squeal and nearly sent us tumbling to the ground.

"Wow! Silvy's hugging someone and I get to meet Jas super soon! What an awesome moment for us to share! He never lets me hug him!" She beamed, squeezing the both of us happily.

"Green! I'm glad we're already properly meeting! I enjoyed talking to you so much!" Jasmine smiled shakily, trying her best to stay upright and not faint.

She still needed a lot of work… I'd have to work on that.

"I loved talking to you too! I don't know how you and Silvy are best friends but it's adorable! Let's be good friends too okay?!" Green grinned.

Jasmine nodded eagerly.

"I didn't say you could hug me, Leaf," I sneered. "Jasmine is my friend, not you."

Green balked at that and squeezed me tighter. "WE'RE FRIENDS SILVY! STOP PRETENDING LIKE WE AREN'T!"

"Silver you shouldn't be so mean to Green! She's a good friend!" Jasmine admonished me.

I rolled my eyes. "Not a chance in hell. My limit is one friend so if you want me to be friends with Leaf, I'm getting rid of you."

Jasmine spluttered. "That's so rude Silver! Can't you stop being difficult for once?!"

"No."

"I don't get why he's like this! He's just full asshole nonstop! AND CALL ME GREEN!"

"Your name is Leaf."

"Silver! Have you been terrorizing Green the whole time you two have been traveling?"

"She's the one who asked to travel with me. It's her fault."

"He's a bully! He doesn't leave me alone!"

Lance should have felt a little put out that his presence was being completely ignored at the moment... but honestly, it was a rare occasion that he wasn't the center of attention in the room.

It felt strangely nice. Even he didn't want to always been seen as Champion Lance, warden of the Kanto and Johto regions.

Lance already liked Silver and Green.

----------------------------------------

In my arguing with Jasmine and Green, I forgot Lance was actually here.

The Dragon Master was actually fairly chill about it, just waving us off and saying that friends should be allowed to be friends and all that.

But we had sufficiently caught up with each other and to be frank, I wasn't very at ease knowing the strongest trainer in Kanto was looming over me.

But I could roll with it. I was rolling with everything so this was nothing.

"So what do you need?" I asked easily, munching on my sandwich.

Lance ate his own sandwich, which looked positively tiny in his hand, and gazed at me with sharp and yellow eyes that looked slightly intimidating at first, before he seemed to catch himself and softened them.

Hmm, he looked kind of like the manga version of himself. His hair was longer, he had a spiky bang that jutted out and his eyes were a striking shade of yellow that reminded me of a reptile.

Actually the more I inspected him, the more I realized that Lance looked quite young. How old was he?

We were currently back in my booked room of the Pokemon Center because naturally, having a Champion here would bring about a lot of attention.

"I'll cut to the chase then," Lance said, radiating an easygoing air. "Jasmine came to me and told me about your conversation in regards to Team Rocket and… it was a genius perspective that no one raised. I wanted to pick your mind more and see how you came to that conclusion."

I nodded, expecting that.

Green perked up. "Team Rocket? This is about them?" she frowned in contemplation.

Lance turned over to her and nodded without hesitation. "Have you had a run in with them as well?"

Much to Jasmine's horror, Green nodded her head with a deep frown.

"In Mt. Moon," she explained. "There was a team of grunts operating in there. They were preventing me from progressing so I dealt with them."

"Alone?!" Jasmine asked in surprise, eyes wide.

"It was reckless, I know," Green sighed. "But I got lucky that there was no executive there. I did report them after I was done and the Officer Jenny wrote a report down, but I requested to be left anonymous."

Lance's easy going smile was gone, a much more serious expression on his face. "Mt. Moon… I got reports that they were researching not only the Moon Stone, but some fossils as well."

"You did a good job Green, though please be more careful next time. I wouldn't be able to explain myself to Oak if something were to happen to you."

Green's eyes widened in surprise. "You know me?!" She asked excitedly.

Lance laughed at that. "Of course I do! You didn't hear it from me, but you're the most promising trainer of this season! The league already has eyes on you!"

My companion lit up at that and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, looking at me and beaming even wider as I nodded in the approval she was looking for.

She was such a kid.

Then, Lance turned towards me and I went stiff.

"That goes for you too, Silver. We weren't even aware Giovanni sponsored a trainer. In all his years as Gym Leader, he has never personally taken an interest in someone."

I sneered. "I'm so honored," I grunted.

So they weren't suspicious of me yet. Perhaps Giovanni being my sponsor was shielding me…

Wonder how much I'd incriminate myself if I ratted on him…

It wasn't worth the risk of finding out. Revealing that I was the son of the boss of Team Rocket was only the beginning of finding out my criminal history and it would add up to something that would ruin me.

Alright then, looks like I'm taking him out alone. No sweat, it's not like I trusted anyone else to do the job anyways.

That's the whole reason I planned on stopping all these teams anyways. Regardless of if the heroes existed, I just didn't trust them to do their job so now it was my job.

"You wanted to know my thinking on Team Rocket? How I came to the conclusions I came to?" I asked boredly, polishing off my sandwich and messing with my Pokeballs.

I wanted to release my team but it was a little crowded in here so I would wait until Mt. Moon.

"That's right," Lance nodded easily. "Though, I'm curious about you too! Once I showed a little interest, Jasmine wouldn't stop singing your praises! You're really bringing her out of her shell."

Jasmine blushed an atomic shade of red at my unimpressed look.

"Wow Jasmine. Do you tell the Gym Leaders about me too?" I asked, utterly unimpressed.

"N-No! M-Maybe... not... uh... Whitney might know about you..." she stuttered. The brunette attempted to vanish in place at both me and Green's stares.

"Whitney... you mentioned her I think," I mused, before turning towards Lance.

"As much as I appreciate you gushing over me. I really don't deserve the praise, Jas," I said in amusement.

"She would disagree with you. Pretty vehemently too," Lance added, ignoring the way Jasmine glared at him.

Just the fact she was glaring was a testament to how influential Silver was to her.

"Champion Lance! Stop! You're embarrassing me!" Jasmine shouted.

Lance let out a hearty laugh and put a hand on the grumpy Jasmine's hair. "I'm just proud that you have a friend that you adore so much! It's not easy being a young person in power."

He sounded almost wistful saying that and I tilted my head at him.

"How old are you?" I asked curiously.

Green's jaw dropped. "D-Do you know anything about Lance at all?!" She asked in disbelief.

"He uses a lot of flying types despite being a dragon master? He also got backed by his clan," I retorted, scratching my head. "Why the hell am I supposed to know how old he is?"

My traveling companion looked at me like this was the straw that let her know how strange I was.

"Silvy, he's one of the youngest champions ever!" Green exclaimed with wide eyes. "When you think of young prodigy, you think of Champion Lance!"

"You sound like a stalker."

"EVERYONE KNOWS THIS!"

Lance coughed at that. "I used a lot of flying types early in my journey. You don't just run into dragons early in your journey so I had to adjust. I have plenty more now! Also, I'm 22."

22 huh? And he had been champion for around 5 years now? That was really impressive.

But we were getting way off track. I wanted to get going now.

"Team Rocket is elusive," I began with a frown. "But they're too elusive. You don't just remain a criminal organization for years and have barely any leads."

Lance nodded along with my words, while Jasmine and Green listened to me with wide eyes.

"There's only so many times, you can call something luck before you realize it isn't luck. It's all calculated. Team Rocket is getting away with live murder, quite literally in some cases, and it's getting suspicious," I muttered.

Green flinched back at my harsh words but I ignored it.

"The League seems to only ever capture grunts, right? Don't you find that a little odd? You only captured expendable grunts who don't know anything. If someone managed to avoid me for years straight with hardly a clue, I'd either think I'm a failure of a person or someone's setting me up."

It wasn't rocket science. Honestly, Giovanni would have been sniffed and found out by now back at my home. We weren't so naive to count out trusted figures.

Hell, no one was ever trusted. My world was full of vultures and I applied it to this world as well... which is why I didn't trust anyone.

Here, people of power were fully trusted with hardly room for doubt. Wasn't there an Elite 4 member in the Kalos region who was apart of that stupid ass team? Was it Team Flame?

The culprit was a girl. That's all I knew... I'd probably be able to figure it out if she was currently apart of their Elite 4 now.

I'd probably have to eventually deal with her as well when I eventually went to that region. Xerneas and Yveltal were life and death after all and I for one, did not want to tamper with such a thing so I damn well wouldn't let anyone else tamper with it.

"So that's how you came to that," Lance muttered. "It makes a lot of sense… to think we never thought of such a possibility. We have a Drilbur in our ranks…"

I blinked. What the fuck did Drilbur have to do with this —

I couldn't contain my groan as the realization hit me and I ignored the looks everyone shot me.

Drilbur in our ranks = Mole in our ranks. Just kill me now, I forgot that since normal animals just didn't exist, quotes were just replaced with Pokemon.

I'd be the strange one using my quotes... what a thought.

Did people say God in this world? Probably not. Pretty sure I heard Green so oh my Mew once.

"Thank you, Silver," Lance smiled thankfully at that. "I already felt like you opened my eyes earlier when Jasmine spoke to me… but hearing it directly from you, shows me just how intelligent you are!"

"I can't say the same for the league. This should have been one of your first thoughts," I snorted in a bit of disbelief. "Now, we've bathed, we've eaten... that means it's time to go. I wanna feed my team and there's not enough room in here."

Lance nodded. "Oh by all means! I didn't intend to hold you up. You're headed to Cerulean City right?" He asked casually.

Green nodded eagerly. "Silvy and I are gonna head to Cerulean to get his third badge! Then we're gonna go back to Vermilion to catch the S.S Anne!" She explained.

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to her to over explain. She was fangirling extremely hard.

"I'm on vacation for a while! I won't be able to attend the boat ride but I'd love to watch your gym battle! I heard you are quite promising and I've even seen you in action! Watching one of your battles live would be so fun!" Jasmine exclaimed, gazing at me with a proud look.

I was actually pleased to hear that Jasmine would be staying a bit longer. It sucked that my best friend was trapped in a region like Johto, so I wouldn't pretend like her presence was a bother.

"Yay!" Green cheered, crushing Jasmine against her with a pleased smile. "We'd love that! I know you're super busy with your gym leader stuff so just take it easy for now!"

Jasmine nodded happily. "I really did miss Silver and you're also very lovely Green so I'm glad I got to come visit you both."

It was unreal how one person could be so nice and pure. Wow Jasmine was really making me feel bad for corrupting her.

"You said a whole sentence without stuttering," I pointed out with an amused smirk.

She puffed up at that. "I've been becoming a lot more confident! It's helping out a lot and I have a much better outlook on life!"

"Good," I said proudly. "Only I can walk over you. No one else. Teach them all a lesson."

"You shouldn't say such twisted things, Silver," Jasmine muttered in disbelief.

Lance chuckled at that and placed a palm on her head. "I won't complain. Keep improving at this rate and you'll be able to comfortably beat Clair! Another Gym Leader usurping her position as #1, would be a good wake up call for my cousin!"

Oh right, Lance and Claire were cousins weren't they?

"What about you, Champion Lance?" Green asked eagerly, unable to hide her excitement at all.

"Just call me Lance! I insist! I'm not Champion of the Indigo League right now. Just a man with some questions!" Lance informed the still starstruck Green with an easygoing smile.

"Yeah, you're crushing pretty hard on a man who wears a cape in public," I snorted in amusement.

Green's jaw dropped and a brilliant shade of red covered her cheeks, before she turned on me and lunged.

The results were me ending up sitting on her back. It was a fairly quick affair.

"I hate you so much," she muttered.

"I bet," I replied with a smug smirk.

Lance's mouth opened a bit in shock and he gazed back at that ridiculous cape. "What's wrong with my cape?! No one's ever complained about it before!"

"Probably because you've got a team of monsters chomping at the bits," I shrugged, gazing at the piece of cloth like it had deeply offended me. "Capes are lame. Like really lame. Probably some of the lamest things on the planet. You wear them for fun."

Lance actually looked like I struck him with that comment.

"It's okay, Champion Lance… I don't think it's that bad," Jasmine reassured, putting a hand to his shoulder.

"She's too nice to outright agree with me. I know Jas very well," I commented, ignoring her scathing look.

"A lot of people have bought capes because of you!" Green said, shooting me a glare.

I was utterly unintimidated. "It's insanely stupid. Do you have a cape for all your outfits? Is that the one thing you never change? Embarrassing."

"Silver! Stop being so mean to Champion Lance! He loves his capes!" Jasmine said firmly.

"Yeah! It's just like how you can never say no to the color black! All your outfits have it!" Green ranted.

"My outfits are actually cool and I don't wear capes," I shrugged, making my way to the door.

We needed to get going now. I told them everything I was willing to disclose so it was time to go through this cave.

"Lance you should travel with us for a bit! You don't have to go immediately right?"

I paused at Green's voice and turned an incredulous eye to her.

"Leave him alone, Leaf. He's the Champion of a region," I scolded harshly.

That was exactly it, he was a goddamn Champion. I did not need Lance following me around no matter how short the trip was.

"Oh... that's true," Green withered a bit at that detail.

"I don't mind!" Lance announced. "I actually do want to travel with you for a bit! It's been a while since I've been invested in the new generation but this year we have a pretty good batch! Besides, I'm bringing Jasmine back to Johto so we'll be leaving at the same time."

Just great. Ah well, it is what it is.

Nothing to do but roll with the punches.

"Alright, let's head out then. Mt. Moon isn't small and we don't have all the time in the world to make it to Vermilion. We can chat on the move," I decided.

Despite Lance looking impressed with my initiative, and Jasmine nodding easily at my words, a certain someone was appalled by my attitude.

Green was looking at me like I was genuinely insane for ordering around not only a prominent Gym Leader, but the champion of the region.

I rolled my eyes. Her hero worship was getting annoying so I should nip this in the bud now.

I knew her pretty well so I knew what to say mostly.

"Leaf, stop acting like this. Don't you want to be the strongest trainer in the world?" I began, locking my gaze onto hers.

She flinched in surprise at me calling her out and nodded hesitantly.

I pursed my lips and beckoned towards them. "I don't see any reason why I should treat anyone differently because of their status. Lance was like us at one point, a new trainer ready to make his statement."

Everyone looked intrigued by what I had to say and I nearly rolled my eyes, but I was feeling myself at the moment so I'd continue.

"I have no interest in worshiping someone because that's not who I am. The only thing I see Lance as, is a person who I'll eventually surpass. Worship, awe, idolization… I don't need those unnecessary distractions and you don't either. You wanna be the best right? Start acting like it and get used to this. I won't change for anyone," I finished simply.

"My best friend is an amazing person," Jasmine thought in awe, standing just a little taller after his words.

He was so confident... she couldn't help but be inspired by his words. He claimed to be so introverted but Silver was so charismatic! She felt like she could do anything around him.

"That's what I like to hear, Silver!" Lance laughed genuinely, patting a broad hand on my shoulder and nearly buckling me much like Surge did. "I have enough people kissing my ass at all times. It gets tiring! The Wataru are a brash and headstrong bunch so Silver's way of speaking fills me with memories of my childhood! I actually like it so don't be offended on my behalf."

The strongest trainer of the Kanto and Johto regions turned towards the stunned Green.

"I'm not the one deciding things. This is you and Silver's journey, Green. I'm just here to watch the young trainers grow. Nothing fills me with more joy than being challenged!" he grinned ferally, showing off those sharper than normal fangs as those yellow eyes gained a predatory gleam.

Green looked at Lance, and then me, and then Lance again, before finally focusing on me once more.

Then, I saw a glimpse of that monster of trainer that Green turned into, whenever a battle started and she nodded in determination.

"You're right… I don't know what got over me," she laughed sheepishly. "I just never expected to meet the champion so early in my journey! I thought by the time I met you, I'd be ready to battle and defeat you!"

"Don't worry about it! I get that a lot," Lance reassured, cape fluttering as he made exaggerated movements with his body.

I noticed that about him. He couldn't stay still. Lance was a very animated man.

I rolled my eyes. "Good to know you got over your fangirling. It was getting painful to witness," I mocked.

Green blushed red and scratched her unruly hair. "You're really cool, Silvy. I don't know how you do it sometimes."

I caught her gaze and tilted my head.

"You're just now learning? You've seen the way I act with everyone… why did you suddenly expect that to change? I'm unapologetically me and that will stay the same as long as I have a say."

Jasmine shook her head in some disbelief. "Honestly, it's one of the things I admire most about you. You don't let anyone change how you act! You're so unbothered by everything!" she praised.

"Damn right, now let's go before my ego takes over this building," I grunted, shoving open the door and walking through.

"Lead the way! It's been a while since I've followed someone else's lead," Lance laughed, trailing after me without hesitation.

As the two departed from the room, Jasmine and Green watched them go.

"Silver's really cool…" Green said bluntly.

"He is, isn't he?" Jasmine replied with a soft smile.

To look Champion Lance in the face and speak to him so casually… there really was no sign of awe or childish wonder in his gaze. To him, Lance was just a trainer that he had to beat eventually.

What a wonderful mindset to have. They had never quite met someone like Silver.

"Hurry the fuck up!" Silver shouted to the two still girls.

They both jumped at that, shock coursing through their body at his voice.

Yeah… they definitely never met someone like Silver.

----------------------------------------

Jasmine squealed excitedly, causing a loud echo to ring out through the cave.

"Wow, an actual Metang!" she gushed, fussing over my steel type with wide eyes.

Metang remained completely prone as my best friend inspected it.

"I presume this is the one who has given you tips on how to best help me?"

"You'd presume correctly," I said dryly.

Lance looked impressed by both Green and I's team, inspecting each one over and stopping in shock at the sight of Ares.

"You have a Bagon too?!" The champion asked in surprise.

Ares let out a fanged grin at his impressed gaze and I nodded my head.

"I used her in the match against Surge. Don't you guys have access to that info?" I asked with a raised brow.

"We do!" Jasmine nodded, pulling out a scrap metal from the bag she brought and feeding it to the willing Metang. "I don't keep track of any trainers but you!" she admitted shamelessly.

It said something about this world, that Jasmine admitting to stalking me, was seen as normal here.

"They're recorded too," Lance mused, cupping his chin as he gazed at my little dragon. "I'll have to watch them back. Surge had great things to say about you both!"

The Champion got on a single knee and gazed at Ares with a searching gaze.

"She has Sheer Force?" He asked me in surprise. "How did you get your hands on a Bagon with Sheer Force?"

Both Ares and I looked surprised that he was able to tell both her gender and ability at a glance and I gazed at the dragon master with a respectable gaze.

"She approached me," I told them truthfully. "Ares wanted a trainer that could help her become a Salamence and she chose me. I like to think we're doing pretty good right now."

Ares roared in affirmation and affectionately headbutt my midsection.

It still hurt like a bitch even without an injury.

Lance looked at me with those sharp eyes of his, friendly aura vanishing for just a split second, as he gazed at me like how I imagined a dragon looked at a threat. The yellow (his eyes weren't as dark as Gold's) of his eyes bored into me, assessing me for something only he could see and I shifted in place, feeling my hackles rise.

Eventually, he blinked and his friendly aura returned.

"Sorry about that," he said, noticing my skeptical look. "For some reason, when I look at you, it makes my blood roar. Hearing that you got approached by a dragon so early on in your journey excited me. It means you have a lot of potential," he admitted.

"Weird," I thought. Lance must have been very in tune with the Dragons he captured because in that moment he felt like one himself.

"Getting approached by a dragon is no small feat, Silver," he praised, pulling out a slightly beat up Pokeball and gazing fondly at it. "It's difficult to earn their loyalty so to have it at the start, is incredibly helpful. I have high hopes that you'll make it far in your journey."

I nodded, still thinking back to his reaction a little suspiciously.

"What about Metang?! How did you get a Beldum of all things?!" Jasmine asked in surprise.

"Our wills aligned," I replied easily. "Becoming a Metagross as a Beldum alone, is almost impossible. I decided to not only help Metang become a Metagross, but to show it a world that they never would have seen before."

"Tang," Metang rumbled in agreement, much to my surprise.

"You should not be so surprised. We have bonded now so your best interests have become mine."

"That's really fucking creepy, Metang."

"Your very existence is one that disturbs me and I cannot escape from the abyss that is your mind."

Fair. Metang was kinda stuck with me so ratting me out was probably not the smartest idea and I reckon the Metagross line was pretty damn smart.

"You would be correct."

Jasmine let out an awed noise. "It's not easy to get the Beldum line to agree to be captured! They're very used to working in tandem with their hive."

She was not wrong and Jasmine would probably be horrified to find out that I did in fact not have Beldum agree to be captured.

"You were not incorrect when you informed me that you'd show me a life outside of my colony… so I will do my due diligence and ensure such a life remains the same."

Perfect. Metang was fully on my side now.

Lance nodded in agreement. "I have a friend in the Hoenn region with a Metagross! Those things are real problems but they're picky too. You've got a real asset in the making!"

Then he turned towards Green's team with an impressed gaze too. "You as well Green. That Ivysaur might be one of the biggest I've seen!"

Green nodded enthusiastically. "He's a real beauty isn't he!" she preened, hugging the ever serious Saury.

Lance nodded in agreement before honing in on the exact same pokemon I did when we met. "How did you get your hand on a Larvesta of all things?!" He asked incredulously.

She laughed sheepishly. "I found her in Viridian Forest! We went deep in there in search of something and when I was sleeping one day, I woke up with her on my chest!"

Larvee perked up as Green presented her to Lance and the champion laughed.

"A Volcarona… Champion Alder of the Unova region has a Volcarona, it's his ace and that guy is a complete monster," Lance commented with a wistful glance. "His Volcarona is without a doubt, the strongest bug type in the world."

Green looked awed at that, glancing down at Larvesta with wide eyes. "You hear that Larvee? You're gonna be the strongest bug type in the world one day!"

I snorted loudly as little Larvee nodded enthusiastically. Green wasn't as rude about it but she sure was as confident as I was.

"You should review Alder's battles and steal things from him," I commented, thinking of the Champion of Unova.

To be honest, I didn't care for him even a little. He wasn't the first champion in either of his games but right now, the man was still the head honcho of Unova and his cornerstone, was an absolute beast of a Volcarona.

Hey I did my research. I even learned more about the Galar region. The champion of that region was a boy who had been crowned pretty recently. He was still a teenager from what I remember and already, they were touting him as one of the most prodigious trainers in the world.

Leon was his name. Apparently, his strength was nothing to scoff at and there were whispers that in a few years, he'd be one of the strongest trainers in the world.

But god was he a loser. Any interest I had in him, was wiped away the moment I saw his outfit and I immediately stopped doing research on that region as a whole.

I thought Lance's get up was bad but the cape and shorts combo is the worst I've ever seen period.

But I digress, the reason I had been so surprised Green had a damn Larvesta of all things, was because Volcarona's were monsters.

There was a reason they used to be revered as the sun (after learning Green had one I did my research on them too… I felt like such a nerd) in ancient times. Their flames were scalding hot and they permanently radiated a burning heat that was quite hazardous.

Not to mention their power output...

It's actually a surprise that a Larvesta was in Viridian Forest and the whole thing didn't burn down. Larvee must have been quite young because right now, her flames were getting hotter and hotter and she did not have superb control over them.

"You two are definitely playing the long game," Jasmine mentioned, gazing at all our members with appraising eyes. "The fact that you're both doing so well so early is amazing but later on, I'm actually scared how strong you'll become!"

"It's exciting to think about!" Lance grinned eagerly. "I can tell you're raising them all with love and care!"

I merely nodded my head at that, allowing Jasmine to snatch Zorua out of her grasp.

"How have you been, Loki?" Jasmine asked, remembering my first pokemon well. "It's been so long and you look much stronger already!"

Loki preened at her attention and allowed her to pet him, ignoring the chortles from Vee and Ares all the while.

Our weird group had been walking through Mt. Moon, Green at the lead to show us the way, before deciding to take a break because Jasmine really wanted to see Metang.

One thing led to another and now both Green and I were showcasing our teams to the much stronger trainers.

There had been various reactions but I think the funniest one, was the complete lack of reaction at seeing Gaia, considering she was a Bayleef.

I thought there would have been some and maybe there was… but Gaia's unconditional love for me probably led them to believe it wasn't me as the suspect who stole Elm's Chikorita.

Good thing she was so affectionate and clingy. Loved this dinosaur of mine.

But yeah, despite the risks, I was currently traveling with the Champion of the region... and I thanked the stars I had not committed any crimes as of landing in this region because that would have been real awkward.

Though… he did mention having a friend in the Hoenn region with a Metagross. Wonder if Steven told him about the missing Beldum… enough time had passed for me to assume the colony was aware something was up.

"They are aware. Every month, the colony is accounted and checked for with extreme efficiency so they would notice if even one is missing. Though, now that I have severed my bond with them and forged one with you, I am practically unrecognizable to them. Due to that, even if brought to them, you would not be a suspect unless I say so."

Awesome. Thanks Foggy Fortress for once again bailing me out of trouble.

Mt. Moon was massive but considering I had already been in Meteor Falls, I wasn't too impressed by it.

It lacked the water the Hoenn cave had and the terrain was much flatter too, so it was far easier to traverse.

Unlike Meteor Falls though, I didn't get nearly as attacked and I hazarded a guess that Green didn't either… because Green and I didn't have a fucking Garchomp following after us, keeping vigil of any threats.

Yeah that's right, Lance owned a goddamn Garchomp.

It was massive, standing at a staggering height of of at least 7ft and looking every bit as terrifying as I imagined it would be.

Awesome. That's what it was. A land shark was equal parts scary and cool as hell to look at.

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"Told you I'm not a flying master!" Lance exclaimed (rather childishly if you ask me but hey I'm not keeping note). "I just had a hard time finding dragons in my first year as a trainer. It was a struggle you know?"

I nodded with a bit of curiosity. "So Garchomp isn't apart of your original team?"

"Do you actually know anything about Champion Lance?" Green asked incredulously, gazing at me as we continued our pace. "I get the age part but not even his original team?"

"...Dragonite? Three of them?" I guessed with a shrug. I remember that he used a lot of underleveled Dragonites in his champion battle… and I remember he abused a lot of flying types.

Lance looked at me like I had grown a second head. "You have a very messed up view of me, Silver. You think I'm a flying master with three Dragonites?"

Jasmine withheld her laughter at his blunt statement, thought Empy made no attempt to.

The penguin had actually been the most pleased to see me out of Jasmine's crew and we shared a manly hug (more like he forced me to hug his body).

But I didn't mind all that much. Empy was great and we were practically kindred spirits. Jasmine complained more than once that he had somehow become worse ever since meeting me and I was very proud of that detail.

Now if only I could get Rusty the Steelix to be worse... Somehow Jasmine's starter was one of the kindest pokemon I had ever met. It was very funny with how terrifying Steelix looked naturally.

"Are you not a flying master?" I asked Lance in return, idly slapping the Empoleon's metallic fin in a pseudo high five as we reveled in our amusement.

At that moment, Lance might have seen what had Jasmine and Green so stressed whenever dealing with me and I nearly smiled at the thought.

Not even a Champion was immune to my charms. What an ego boosting discovery.

"Two Dragonites, Gyarados, Kingdra, Charizard, and Aerodactyl. That was my original team," Lance informed me.

"How is two Dragonites better than three?" I asked incredulously. "Not to mention, you're literally a flying trainer!"

"So what?! A lot of dragons are also flying types! And I recently just hatched a Dratini egg so I will have 3 Dragonites! You know how hard it is to take out one Dragonite? Try 3!" Lance retorted, crossing his arms as he defended his case.

"Ares and I will take em all out eventually! Your gross abuse of Dragonite won't work on me in the future!" I barked challengingly, silver eyes glaring into his yellow slits.

Who the hell even thought it was normal to use 3 of the same pokemon? What type of psychopath was Lance?!

"I have a Salamence too, you know?" Lance retorted with crossed arms.

"You really are a flying master! Change your title right now you fraud!"

"Dragon! Salamence is a dragon! My team is full of dragons!"

"Do you own more dragon types or flying types?"

"They're interchangeable!"

Jasmine sighed. "Poor Lance. I also got dragged into Silver's willful ignorance when we first started speaking. I think it's a skill of his to purposefully miss the point to further his own agenda," she said.

"It takes some getting used to," Green nodded in agreement. "I didn't realize he said certain things just to piss a person off. He's very good at that."

Green underestimated her traveling partner. To think he was even capable of dragging Champion Lance, the epitome of heroism in her eyes, into an argument, spoke volumes of his character.

He was a monster alright...

----------------------------------------

"So you have a Salamence too, huh?" I mused, gazing at the Dragon Master with a contemplative expression.

Lance nodded. "I got him as a gift from the Draconids when I went to the Hoenn region. He's a real troublemaker and Dragonite constantly has to reign him in… He was even worse when I first got him. Hardheaded little idiot."

Made sense. On a scale of aggression, Salamence were only second to Hydreigon on the pseudo legendary scale.

"Got any tips?" I asked shamelessly. "I've already got a plan for Ares but advice from a dragon master isn't something I'd turn away."

"He's so shameless," Green thought with a sweatdrop. You don't just ask a master for tips. They were masters for a reason! If you wanted such personal tips from them, you'd need to become their student!

"Sure," Lance agreed easily with a nod. "It'll have to wait for when I make it back to Indigo though. Write down my personal number and send me a message. I'll save your contact."

Green was learning a lot about Lance today… he was extremely easygoing. Why did he accept that so easily?

Hadn't they just been arguing earlier…? What was this nonsense? Why was Silver suddenly buddy buddy with the Champion of Kanto?

"What the fuck? Why do I have to give you my number?" I asked with a scowl.

Lance snorted and ruffled in his outfit, pulling out a custom red and gold Pokegear. "How else do you expect to communicate? You could try ringing up my official number linked to Indigo, let's see how many years it takes you to get an audience with me about those tips."

I groaned and snatched the phone out of his hand.

Jasmine laughed quietly at that. "I don't know why. But Silver really hates giving out his number. You should have seen how disgusted he looked when I asked him," she explained to Lance.

"He's a strange kid but it's refreshing," Lance joined in laughing. "Green, you should put down my number as well. If you ever catch a dragon or a flying type, I'd be glad to give you tips."

Green's somewhat jealous gaze lit up and she eagerly snatched the phone out of my hand.

I rolled my eyes as I punched the memorized number into my own gear.

I had no idea why she was so jealous. Lance made it very clear that he was a generally chill person but she still regarded him like a fan.

Maybe it's because I didn't grow up idolizing him. That would probably do that.

We were also 12.

"You guys were arguing just 10 minutes earlier. How are you suddenly exchanging numbers?" Green couldn't help but ask us.

"Arguing?" I raised a brow. "That was nothing. We didn't even fight it out."

Lance nodded in agreement. "No battle or anything... Are you sure you aren't part Wataru, Silver?" he asked suspiciously.

"Dunno. Probably not though if all of your hair is that shade of red," I mused, grabbing my own red hair and comparing it to his.

Yeah... mine was definitely the better shade.

"The Wataru are a very physical bunch. Some words aren't enough to get us to back down so it usually gets physical," he explained with a fond smile.

"Did you fight Claire a lot?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"Every day," he said fondly. "Claire has a bad temper and it was even worse when we were kids. She got better with age but she still holds a lot of resentment for me."

I nodded at that. "Makes sense. Imagine being a talented trainer, a prodigy in every sense… but you're born in the same generation as the prodigy and everything they do just outshines you," I explained.

I'd be full of resentment too. That would suck.

"That's basically the gist," Lance nodded, not at all putout by my accurate assessment. "Clair ignores all her accomplishments because it doesn't compare to what I've done. She won the Silver Cup at 14, I won it at 13. She's capable of competing with the Elite 4, I'm capable of defeating the former Champion."

The Champion sighed at the thought of his cousin, tossing a snack over to the vigilante Garchomp.

"Everything's always been a competition with her and I was a brash and rude kid so I didn't make it any better but now, she's fully accepted that she won't surpass me and it let her become complacent as a result."

Lance did regret how much of an ass he had been when he was younger. Claire was insecure about her perceived inferiority and to be honest, he just did not care until it was too late.

To Lance, winning had been everything... even against his younger cousin.

I snorted at that. "She's a loser and an idiot then," I said bluntly.

"Silver!" Green and Jasmine immediately chastised me, balking in disbelief.

I rolled my eyes. They were such pussies.

"I'm just saying what I think. Her mindset is a mindset of losers. Has she ever left Johto? Kanto? Has she ever gone on another journey to find a way to surpass you?" I asked.

"I bet the answers no. She gave up on surpassing you from the start," I snorted in disbelief. "She's a complete loser."

"Calling the Champion's practical little sister a loser in front of him is a level of balls I've never seen in another person," Lance commented idly, those sharp yellow eyes gazing at me with a curious glint.

"I say it how it is. Hey Jas," I said suddenly. "I want you to become the best gym leader in Johto then I want you to challenge Claire to a battle and I want you to win. I refuse to have you be weaker than a lazy person who refuses to actively improve."

Jasmine blinked at that and flushed in surprise. "M-Me?!"

I nodded. "Don't worry, I'll get strong enough and come to the Johto region to kick her ass too but I need you to do it for yourself. I can't have my best friend losing to some lazy girl."

Jasmine was only 16 and Claire was what...? 21? 20? That was easy for her.

She nodded slowly, actually listening to my order despite not having any reason to. "Okay... I'll do it!" she nodded in determination.

Lance let out a barking laugh at that, causing a loud echo with the volume and making a few pokemon let out concerned noises.

"You have my full approval, Jasmine!" He exclaimed with mirth in those eyes. "If you becoming the strongest gym leader is what fills Claire with motivation, then I'll be eagerly watching."

Then he turned towards me. "You're impressive Silver. You manage to keep surprising me! You plan on defeating Claire too?"

I nodded easily. "Green and I will do it. Imagine the look on her face when she gets stomped by the both of us."

Green blinked, before a challenging gleam entered her eyes. "Roping me into your schemes without consulting me… but I like it! I'm gonna become the strongest trainer in the world so being able to beat her is a given anyways."

I smirked. "Guess we could spare some time for Johto in the future. More chances to see Jasmine too."

"I've always wanted to visit Johto! I wanted to climb Mt. Silver and reach the peak and train there for a bit!" Green exclaimed with excited eyes.

Was she serious?

"You're not doing that as long as you're traveling with me. And if you hide up that mountain, do not expect me to ever seek you out. I hate the cold," I said blandly.

"Yes sir!" she beamed with a salute.

Lance looked at the two children with some awe in them. There was something about them that wasn't false bravado or sheer arrogance.

No Lance saw potential in these two to become more. They were a talented duo and if given time, they'd be able to reach the summit…

They'd be able to reach him!

"I'll be keep an eye on you two," Lance decided with a small grin, ruffling the both of their hair. "If you ever need advice, feel free to message me. I'll make time to reply to you both."

Silver bat the massive hand off his red hair with a scowl. "Fuck off, don't pat my hair."

Green's grin practically lit up the entire cave. "Champion Lance is giving me permission to message him! That's so awesome! Isn't that awesome Silvy?"

"Shut up."

"No!"

Lance let out another laugh.

He was a master after all, perhaps he should help some students out.

----------------------------------------

Besides the company, Mt. Moon wasn't very eventful. There were no more signs of Rockets and there were a good amount of trainers too…

Though they didn't really uh… pose much a threat because well… Champion Lance was with us and not everyone was like me.

They were completely unable to keep their cool around the man and as a result, the battles were pitiful.

"C-C-Champion Lance?!" A kid balked, returning his Geodude to the ball and getting a scowl of aggravation out of me.

Lance let loose an easygoing smile, not at all putout by the kids balking. Pulling a pen out of that godforsaken cape of his (did it have pockets?!), he easily scribbled an autograph and handed it over.

"There you go! I'm just handling some business in here so don't mind me."

The kid's eyes widened. "C-Can I come —"

"Not a chance in fucking hell kid!" I barked, stomping away from the pitiful fight with Freyja in my grasp. "We're leaving. Let's go!"

"Good job, Freyja, you did great," I praised, switching on a dime for her, before going back to indignant fury and stomping away.

Everyone watched me stomp away with different levels of exasperation (shock in the kids case) and realized that I was very willing to leave them behind.

"You're a good deterrent," Lance complimented, easily keeping pace with my stride. "I should keep you around to ward off the fans."

"That's not a bad idea… Lately, I've been getting approached more and more so having Silver with me would be amazing," Jasmine pondered. "But he's so rude about it! I'd feel bad in no time!"

"I've got no time to waste and I'm not adding anymore people to my journey!" I scowled. "Green is enough. She's even too much!"

Green spluttered. "I'm not that bad!"

"Said no one ever," I sneered in disbelief. "If you're too nice to tell people to fuck off, then just stay quiet and let me do the talking."

"Stage is yours," Lance shrugged. "Just try not to be too harsh about it! These are still trainers of the Indigo League!"

"No promises. I've never minced my words."

We continued our journey through Mt. Moon, encountering a good amount of trainers on the way and every single one of them recognized my dragon master companion.

Let me tell you, it was a miracle I had yet to assault someone.

Actually, I did almost attempt to... after one guy kept following us despite me telling him off.

He was so lucky the laughing Empy held me back, while Garchomp snarled warningly at the idiot, successfully managing to make him back off. Bad things would have happened to him otherwise.

"You know there's gonna be reports of a feral redhead traveling with Champion Lance, right?" Jasmine informed both me and Lance.

Lance sighed. "Considering the color of your hair, I wouldn't be surprised if they say I've been hiding a kid."

"I'm 12 and you're 22," I scowled. "There's no way anyone's that stupid. Besides, my hair is a way cooler shade."

The Dragon Master let out a short laugh. "You'd be surprised… There's a lot of rumors that go around. Considering Lorelei is also a redhead who's hair is much closer in shade to yours, they'll probably say we had a secret child this whole time," he mused.

Elite 4 Lorelei? The ice type user who was actually a water type trainer?

"You two are dating?" Green asked curiously, eyes lit up at the thought of gossip.

"Nope but that's what everyone seems to think," Lance laughed.

"She definitely rejected you," I said matter of factly, looking at a picture of Lorelei with a curious eye.

"Y-You don't even know how she looks?" Green balked, gazing at me with what could only be resignation.

I scratched my head. "I had an idea," I said lamely, inspecting the picture.

Lorelei was incredibly attractive, there was just no better way for me to put it, with matching red hair and eyes, behind a set of glasses. Even through a picture she reeked of professionalism and I nodded, seeing exactly why Lance attempted to get at her.

My brows furrowed at her appearance.

"She did not reject me!" Lance protested. "But… I may have asked her out when I was 16 and she said I was way too young."

I snorted loudly. "How old is she right now?"

Lance shrugged. "Like 30? She's been thinking of retiring I hear."

"Wow, Lorelei's 30?!" Green asked in surprise. "She looks way younger than that!"

Lance blinked before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Don't tell her I told you guys that or she'll kill me. Never supposed to ask a woman her age and all that."

"I just might if I ever meet her," I mentioned idly, gazing at her features with narrowed eyes before shrugging and pocketing my Pokegear.

The Champion laughed. "You might! Considering how many people you scared away she'll probably attempt to get political. Lorelei's thorough so she'd even probably get you to appear and dissuade any rumors."

"Pass," I said dismissively. "I'm not interested."

Lance snorted. "Lorelei is very good at getting her way... I actually want to see an interaction between you to now."

I rolled my eyes. "No one's making me do something I don't wanna do. I'd like to see her try."

Me? Appear on camera? Yeah right. Lorelei could take that idea and shove it up her ass.

Green checked the time and pursed her lips. "We should probably set camp soon. It's getting late and at our pace… it'll take another day to get to Cerulean."

"Sounds good to me," Lance and I nodded in agreement.

"Alright!" Jasmine beamed, patting her blue skirt (Wow she even had versions for travel!) down.

That's where we ran into our first problem.

"You guys didn't set up anything for camp?" I asked incredulously, gazing at the supposedly more experienced trainers.

How was it, that Green and I were the ones prepared to camp out but the Champion of the region and one of the strongest Gym Leaders in the Johto region weren't?

"I haven't camped out in a long time," Lance defended with a shrug. "Dragonite flies me wherever in an instant. There's really no need and I'm not a cave dweller like Steven is. Way too restraining."

"I hardly leave Olivine and go into the wilds," Jasmine muttered in embarrassment.

I pursed my lips at that.

"One second," I muttered, rummaging through my back and pulling out my tent.

Green's mouth opened in shock as I set it up and her eyes widened.

"What the hell's up with your tent?!" She asked in disbelief, gazing at my luxurious and homey tent.

"Team likes sleeping with me," I lied easily, considering I already had this tent before I took over. I gazed at the impressed Lance for a moment and gauged the man.

I didn't really have any interest in sleeping in a tent with any of them…

Ughhh.

"Green how many people can fit in your tent?" I asked, visibly trying to hold back my disgust and failing.

"He looks like he's throwing up the words," everyone thought in disbelief.

Green's tent wasn't nearly as impressive as mine but with some work it could probably fit two people in there.

"Two with some squeezing," Green informed me.

I nodded. "Alright. You three can sleep in Green's tent, I'll sleep in mine alone," I decided after a moment.

Yeah I couldn't do it. Being nice was not my style.

"Silver!" Jasmine said firmly, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"…" I sighed in defeat. "Okay Jas, since you're my little sister, you can sleep in my tent with me."

"Little sister?" Green asked in disbelief. "Jas is 4 years older than you!"

"And?"

Before an argument could break out, Jasmine quickly brought the focus onto the main point.

"Silver, Lance is a giant! He's not fitting in Green's tent with another person," she scolded.

Lance, to his point, was just watching all of this with an amused glint in his eyes. If he was offended by my decisions, he didn't show it at all.

I opened my mouth and then closed it at the firm look on Jasmine's face.

"...I'm not sleeping in Green's tent," I said stubbornly, knowing exactly what she wanted.

Just because we were physically the smallest here didn't mean shit! I refused! It was my tent!

"Sometimes... I really do feel like you think I'm disgusting," Green said blandly, looking at me with deadpan eyes.

"Would you rather sleep in the tent with Champion Lance then?" Jasmine asked knowingly.

I cringed back and sighed miserably.

"Fine fine," I conceded.

It was one night only and technically Green and I had slept on the same bed before.

"I'm glad we figured this all out," Lance snorted. "I wouldn't have minded sleeping out here though. Siegfried's belly is pretty comfortable… though I wish I brought Altaria with me," he sighed.

Before I could agree, Jasmine, who absolutely knew I was going to make his ass sleep out here, interjected.

"Nonsense Champion Lance! There's more than enough room in the tent for the both of us!" She denied stubbornly, sweet little soul that she was.

Damnit.

"Alright fine whatever," I scoffed, stomping off to Green's tent with a scowl.

"I should be the one offended you know?" Green scowled in return, glaring at me.

"I don't see why."

"Because it's my tent!"

"Pretty shitty one."

"SLEEP OUTSIDE THEN!"

"No… and do not drool on me, Leaf. You drool."

"I DO NOT DROOL. AND CALL ME GREEN! GREEEN!"

Lance and Jasmine watched the two bicker, even after settling for bed with bewildered expressions.

"At least Silver actually has a traveling companion… they may bicker a lot but I genuinely thought he was going to travel the region all by his lonesome," Jasmine sighed.

She pulled out a pokeball and released Bronzy, who's eyes glowed with psychic energy.

No orders needed, the steel type began ensuring no threats approached the trainers.

"It's funny just how different they are," Lance laughed. "Makes me wish I had a traveling companion. If only Claire was a year older…" he sighed wistfully.

The Champion scratched Garchomp and dropped a snack in the dragon's jaws.

"Traveling is rather fun… I missed the feeling," Jasmine smiled, thinking back to the days when she was first starting out with just her and an Onix.

Not many people wanted to mess with an Onix.

"Thank you for allowing me to see my friends, Champion Lance. Silver means a lot to me and I'm glad to see his face so soon!" Jasmine smiled.

Lance snorted and ruffled her brown hair with an easygoing smile.

"I'm just glad you have friends you wanna see so badly. You've always been one of the lonelier Gym Leaders, loneliest if Giovanni didn't exist… so now that you have friends, I want you to be able to see them when you want. Don't hesitate to ask me if you miss them, you're human before you're a gym leader."

Jasmine gazed at the champion in awe.

There was a reason Champion Lance was so beloved by both Johto and Kanto. Ever since ascending to the top of Indigo, Lance had been doing a fine job in making both regions even better…

That's why everyone at Indigo was so dedicated to taking out Team Rocket because Lance's legacy did not deserve to be stained by them.

"Thank you, Champion Lance," she said with a small smile, elated at hearing she'd be allowed to visit Silver and Green more.

"I told you, just call me Lance! We're close enough to where you don't have to call me Champion all the time!" he insisted.

Jasmine looked unsure of that before she realized that yes, she was currently out camping in a cave with her two friends and Lance… and they were all speaking normally to each other!

It must have been so rude of her to continue calling him Champion Lance when he was probably looking to unwind from that. Jasmine knew she'd get real tired if Silver kept calling her Gym Leader Jasmine.

"I've been inconsiderate to you… I'm sorry Lance!" Jasmine apologized with a small bow.

Lance chuckled at that and waved her off. "Don't worry Jasmine! I'm just not that into formalities when I'm not at Indigo! I deal with it enough from those politicians, I don't want my Gym Leaders to be the exact same!"

Jasmine couldn't help the tiny giggle at that. "You're oddly immature! I see why you and Silver argue so much!"

"That's because he keeps calling me a flying master," Lance complained.

"He has a point," she pointed out with a small smile.

"Not you too," Lance sighed. "He influenced you way more than I thought."

Jasmine giggled. "I'm reluctantly, guilty as charged."

"Shut the fuck up and go to sleep!" a voice hissed from inside the tent.

"What he said but a lot nicer!" another one joined. "We're trying to sleep here!"

"How the hell can I possibly sleep with you next to me? I can barely move!"

"Are you calling me fat, Silvy?!"

"When the hell did I say that? Maybe you are since you felt the need to ask!"

"Oh that's it you're so dead!"

"...They argue quite a lot," Jasmine muttered, listening to the scuffle of the two children with an exasperated expression.

They'd probably just fight themselves to sleep so this was for the best.

"It tends to happen when you're complete opposites," Lance pointed out. "Are you sure you don't want me to sleep out here?"

Jasmine shook her head adamantly. "There's enough room for the both of us to have space! You should be allowed a proper rest!" she said with a firm stare.

Lance knew better than to argue and just nodded with a small smile.

What a strange but fun group. Lance would never say he was quite close to Jasmine but it was great to see her so happy.

"Silvy you're ruining my hair!"

"Ruining? It's already a hot mess!"

"That's because you won't let me use your stuff!"

"I already make food for the both of us now you wanna use my stuff next? What next, you're gonna wanna use my tent?"

"Maybe! It at least won't be as cramped as this!"

"Maybe this wouldn't be so cramped if you lost weight."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"I'm going to sleep," Jasmine decided with a tired sigh, making her way over to the tent.

"Right behind you," Lance snorted.

Those two were ridiculous.

----------------------------------------

Green and I fell asleep mid brawl, leading to us waking up the next day in a tangled mess.

I was too lazy to even throw a fit over that and my companion was in the same boat so in a moment of peace, we just went about our day as normal without causing up a fuss.

A good thing we found out, was that Jasmine was an amazing cook. The first thing she set out to do as the day started, was cook a hefty meal (I pointedly ignored that this was from my stuff) for us all.

"I'll reimburse you both for the food!" Lance reassured, as I vigilantly watched Jasmine cook everything with far too much expertise.

"Are you learning how to cook, Silver?" Jasmine asked me as I began preparing stuff for my team.

"Yeah," I grunted. "Leaf can't do shit outside of battling and I already wanted to learn how to cook so I've been getting into it."

"I can do stuff besides battling!" Green complained, hair somehow even more messy than usual due to the fight we got into.

I would know, I had a couple strands on me from last night.

"Whatever you say," I said in disinterest, tossing my brush over to her. "At least brush your hair, caveman."

Green grunted in affirmation, as bad of a morning person as Gaia was and began brushing her unruly hair.

"I'll write down some recipes and instructions for you so you can learn! They'll be fast and easy for traveling trainers with nutrients too," Jasmine whispered to me.

I sighed at that and absentmindedly pulled her into a hug (early morning turned me into a more pleasant person). "I don't get how I'm your first friend. You're practically an angel in human flesh," I praised her.

Jasmine lit up red at that and ducked her head, squeaking in further embarrassment as it caused her to inadvertently deepen the hug. "S-Silver! Don't compliment me like that! It's weird when you're not insulting me!" She protested.

A snort left my mouth as I rubbed the tired Gaia's head. "You're a weirdo Jas, that's why."

Considering Jasmine was cooking for so many people, I decided to ease up the burden and help out a bit.

Thankfully, they didn't come completely unprepared! Jasmine and Lance both had more than enough provisions to provide for their pokemon….

Wow people really did care more for their pokemon then themselves...

We were in a rather large area of Mt. Moon and for good reason too because there were a lot of Pokemon out right now.

Lance and Jasmine only brought 3 of their members each with them but honestly, 3 was all they needed.

For Jasmine, she had Empy, Bronzy and Skarmy with her. Skarmy affectionately rubbed her sharp beak on both Zorua and I, causing me to wince slightly but pat her steel feathers without cutting myself.

Bronzy, much like every other time, didn't spare me anymore acknowledgment but interestingly, it approached the ever staunch Metang.

"Tell me what you two talk about. Bronzy has been ignoring me because of this fortress in my head."

Metang didn't visibly acknowledge my statement but I felt the tingle of confirmation and nodded in satisfaction before focusing on the real monsters in this group.

Lance's team.

I had already seen that monstrous Garchomp of his but Garchomp wasn't apart of Lance's original team.

Siegfried the Dragonite was.

10 feet tall, 3 feet taller than the average Dragonite, with a powerful and bulky build with a kind but predatory gaze… Siegfried was every bit the cornerstone of a Champion I expected it to be and that was on appearance alone.

It was impressive as hell. Green had looked like she died and went to heaven after catching a glimpse of Lance's starter pokemon and when the Dragonite actually allowed her to pat it without kicking up a fuss, I think she did die for a bit.

This time I couldn't even blame her. Siegfried was a champions pokemon alright.

Next to Siegfried, almost as impressive, a gigantic and intimidating Charizard (apparently only Siegfried had wanted a nickname), gazed down at us with a searching gaze, before deeming us uninteresting for the most part.

I felt its gaze linger on me for a bit and made eye contact with the fire starter.

Seeing a Charizard in person was cool and while not as awesome as Garchomp and Siegfried… there was a peculiar looking bracelet wrapped around its tail…

"Is that…" I pondered, gazing at the empty slot of the bracelet that looked like it could fit a marble in it.

So Lance's Mega was a Charizard? That's the only thing that slot could be right? It was probably Mega Charizard X...

I wouldn't outwardly acknowledge it though. Mega Evolution was a very tightly kept secret in this world and there was no information on it anywhere. To many people, that Charizard just had an accessory. It's not like Lance ever needed to mega evolve it in battle.

"What is this Mega Evolution you speak of?" Metang asked me suddenly.

I blinked at the question, even as I accepted the plate from Jasmine.

"This stays between you and I for now," I replied.

"Naturally."

"Mega Evolution is a temporary transformation that only works on certain pokemon. It let's them access a new form that gives you a ton of power."

Metang remained silent for a bit, gazing blankly at the food handed over to it before it spoke once more.

"Fascinating. And you say the fire breather has one?"

"Two actually," I replied, chewing my food next to Gaia, while rubbing her belly absentmindedly. "You have one too."

That gave Metang pause.

"Truly? I am one of the ones with such a form?"

"Yeah. On our team, both you and Ares have a Mega Evolution but to achieve it, I need to find your respective stones."

That was an issue. The only way to get the Salamencite and Metagrossite respectively, were from other people. I couldn't use my knowledge like with the Meteorite to find them unless I felt like assaulting the Draconids and the Stones again.

I'd figure it out eventually. If Mega Stones really were a tight kept secret, that just meant not many people were actively looking for them.

"You're thinking too far into the future Metang. We gotta make you a Metagross first," I chastised Metang.

Metang was very eager to get stronger actually. In fact, Metang's drive to get stronger matched Ares which was insane because Ares really loved the idea of getting stronger.

It was rather surprising. Metang was pretty dry but that only really showed with how they expressed themselves.

"That is true. What move do you wish for me to learn next? I'm eager to begin."

I rolled my eyes. "We're going to up your ranged options since you've evolved and can handle it now. Hone confusion and I'll get you started on Flash Cannon."

"Understood."

I watched in amusement as Ares approached Siegfried with a curious eye, gazing at the giant Dragonite without a hint of fear on her face.

I imagine being around her mother probably banished any trepidation she'd normally have.

Siegfried for his part, just peacefully allowed it, eating his giant plate as the Bagon inspected the fully evolved dragon. She experimentally headbutt his midsection and let out an impressed noise at the hardness of it.

"We should make it to Cerulean before the morning is over," Green informed us all, eyes lit up in bliss as she ate Jasmine's food.

Couldn't blame her. It was delicious.

"It's been very eventful," I muttered, alternating a hand between Gaia, Loki and Freyja as I pat them.

Of course my trip would be uneventful when I actually had formidable trainers following me around. No excitement to be seen.

"My second trip in here and still no Clefairy," Green sighed despondently, idly snatching Togy away from Charizard in case he decided to burn the incredibly annoying Togepi.

"Well I have Togy now so I guess I'm not too upset," Green sighed, forcing the struggling and rebellious baby to eat his food. "Stay still!" she barked.

"Tog!"

Green's eye twitched and she beckoned for Lapee to come over, much to Togy's horror.

Lapee was the only one of Green's pokemon that Togy willingly listened to. He'd listen to Saury but that was out of fear...

He'd also listen to Gaia... but that was also out of fear.

Considering how much of a sweetheart the Lapras was, I guess Togy didn't want to disappoint her.

"There's nothing I wanna catch in here so I have no interest in camping," I said blandly, glancing at my Pokegear.

We had about one more week to make it back to Vermilion so we could catch the S.S Anne...

This trip needed to be wrapped up quick. I didn't want to make it to Vermillion with barely any time left to spare.

Thankfully, Kanto cities weren't very far from each other like Hoenn. They were actually rather closely knit in some areas, barring a few like Fuchsia and Cinnabar.

If we made good pace at Cerulean, we'd be able to make it to Vermilion in time, else we'd just skip the gym battle and come back.

Not ideal for my timetable but hey, I didn't have to fight Cerulean third. I could just head back there eventually with my future Salamence and then raze the gym battle with vengeance.

"I think we're all done, so we can continue out of the cave," Jasmine said.

We all nodded in unison and began packing up everything at once.

"According to Bronzy, the local pokemon haven't seen anymore Rocket members," Jasmine said, while she worked.

Lance pursed his lips at that. "They've gone oddly silent. They must be planning something because after Mt. Moon, we haven't heard a peep from them."

I frowned at that. Just what were they planning? Since they had been operating in Mt. Moon and Green encountered them, it was safe to assume they did some of their video game plans…

But that made me wonder… what were they doing in between all of that? Team Rockets goals weren't being constantly monitored in the video games, just showing up in some places and getting taken out by the player.

What were they doing at this very moment?

Hm. No point dwelling on it yet. I knew how to sabotage their more key goals if it remained true so that's what I'd do.

Focusing on the things I didn't know was stupid. I'd just go harder on the things I did know.

After getting everything under order, we set out once more with the intention of making it to Cerulean.

"So you guys are headed to Cerulean and then the boat ride in Vermilion?" Lance asked curiously, sending a message to someone on his Pokegear.

It was crazy that there was reception in this cave. This world was full of wonders.

"Yeah, Green already has the gym badge for Cerulean and since we're traveling together, it would be convenient for me to knock this off the list now instead of waiting the two weeks for the boat," I replied easily, finding myself more at ease with the group.

It would do no good to be on edge the entire time and despite it, Lance was chill.

"I love traveling with Silver! He does all the hard thinking for me. He always thinks of ways to make his life easier, so it makes my life easier," Green sighed happily.

"He is very dependable," Jasmine said with a smile. "He's always very planned and quite meticulous too. I like listening to his rambling and complaints. It soothes my ears and relieves me of stress."

I scoffed. "All she's good for is battling. You can't do anything else at all. I wish you were more like Jas."

Green and Jasmine began spluttering for different reasons.

"You speak like you can do everything! You can't cook just like me!" Green protested.

"That's why I'm learning how to cook idiot. Taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of your pokemon," I chastised sternly.

My companion's mouth opened in shock at that before she glared at me and whirled towards Jasmine.

"Jasmine, can you write me down those recipes too?" Green suddenly asked my best friend. "I'll show this asshole that I can cook way better than him!"

"Maybe you shouldn't curse so freely like Silver does. Don't let his corruption get to you," Jasmine tried with an embarrassed expression.

I raised a brow high and scowled. "You? Cook better than me? How the hell are you gonna cook better than me when all your meals are gonna have that messy ass hair in it?!" I retorted.

"It'll actually be edible that's how!"

"Wanna fucking bet?!"

"Let's bet!"

Lance gazed at the two arguing children and snorted for what might have been the umpteenth time.

These two may have been traveling together, but there was no doubt that they were rivals and the thought that they would be pushing each other nonstop, filled him with a sort of pride.

Lance wished he had a rival close to his level in skill when starting out. He had been unmatched for most of his rise, even when Siegfried was just a Dratini.

Even now, Lance truly only saw the other Champions as rivals and he didn't get to really see them whenever he wanted. They were all busy people.

Hopefully Green and Silver continued to grow with each other. They would continuously elevate one another until they reached their respective peaks.

Lance looked forward to seeing that day…

"YOU CAN PROBABLY BURN WATER!"

"How about you cook something right now, Masterchef Leaf?"

"GREEN! AND I WON'T COOK ANYTHING!"

"I wonder why..."

Well, that was if they didn't end up killing each other first. Green and Silver argued over every little thing and it was as amusing as it was exasperating.

At least their competitive streak would also help elevate the other. Those two would probably end up becoming some of the best chefs in Kanto just to one up the other.

"Can't you guys stop arguing for one second?" Jasmine sighed despondently, looking at her two friends with an accepting expression.

They were ridiculous… at least it was healthy?

As Jasmine watched the two lunge at each other, she realized there was definitely something wrong with them.

Green was such a sweet girl… how did Silver manage to corrupt her already?

----------------------------------------

Green and I's light scuffle was rather rudely broken up by Gaia and Saury respectively, who scolded us for acting up… then we continued our course.

"I want to train," Green complained.

Of course she did. She had been obsessed with training ever since she began following my regimen.

"We trained a good amount already Green. We're on a tight schedule here so we can't expend too much time towards it just yet," I grunted, eyeing the Zubat who lost all its aggression at the single warning growl from Garchomp.

"I know," she sighed despondently.

I snorted and glanced at the time. "Depending on when we get there, we can probably squeeze in some training. I doubt I'm battling the Gym Leaders today so I can prep some."

"You two are actively training and have a regimen for it?" Lance asked, looking surprised by that detail.

"Yep!" Green chirped. "Silver introduced me to it! I didn't really train that much… just fought a lot of trainers!"

The complete opposite of me before we met. I only trained, rarely battled whereas Green only battled, rarely trained.

Now we did both. We practically battled every trainer we encountered, and trained diligently as well.

Green, the little trooper, even opted to join me for my own body training. She had a surprising amount of dexterity and agility, much like me and I was sure if she put her mind to it, Green would be an incredible thief.

Hmm…

"You two are taking this incredibly serious… I didn't even passionately train this early on," Jasmine admitted with a proud smile.

Lance laughed. "Kids are so excited to go on a journey, they forget the little things like training and just battle everyone in sight. I'm guilty of that too. I was a battle junkie."

"Training is incredibly important and the fact you discovered the merits so early is impressive," Jasmine praised.

Was training that good and that neglected? What was with this world?

Though, training was treated as a novelty in the anime too and honestly, it made sense.

Training was something reserved for the ones serious about being trainers. Most kids weren't dedicated to actually becoming the best. They were just excited to go on their journey.

Even Green probably got caught up in it before running into me.

Not everyone trained exclusively for Basketball or Football… stands to reason that most didn't train for Pokemon Battling.

Battling was an extreme sport after all so giving myself this advantage so early, would help in dividends as I grew.

"You're far more prepared than I expected, Silver," Jasmine said in some awe. "I knew you were prepared but actually hearing what you're doing surprises me! I guess that's why you were so confident against that Sharpedo!"

"The what?" Lance and Green asked simultaneously, stopping in disbelief.

I blinked at the two. "Oh, I got attacked by a Sharpedo earlier in my journey. Real pissed at me."

Green gazed at me in sheer horror. "You got attacked by a what?! Silver are you out of your mind?!"

I shrugged. "I didn't fully understand how to use my fishing rod... and I fished up a Sharpedo."

"That reminds me! Your Super Rod, give it!" Jasmine said firmly, holding her hand out.

I glared at her, my greedy and thief instincts refusing to give up anything I took. "I told you I wasn't using it anymore. Why are you taking it?"

"Because you're extremely reckless! You might try and use it again for no reason at all."

I pursed my lips at that. "Someone I met said the exact same thing. Am I really that reckless?"

"Don't change the subject! The Super Rod!"

I rolled my eyes and dug in my bag, pulling out the Super Rod and handing it to her. "Fine fine. I'm done with it anyways."

Jasmine smiled thankfully and gently took it out my grasp. "I'll give it back when you earn more badges. It puts my heart at ease knowing your at least a little safer."

Wow, she was so damn adorable.

"You used a Super Rod before you had a single gym badge?" Lance asked incredulously. Not even he was that reckless and Lance was a very reckless person.

"Yep," I popped the p. "It worked out well."

"You're nuts," Green gaped, gazing at me like I had grown a second head. "Imagine if you fished up a Gyarados, you'd be food!"

"I bet," I drawled, nonplussed by that.

Gyarados were true monsters over here and I would have been eaten whole with 0 chance of escape if I pulled one.

Yeah using this Super Rod in Kanto was a bad bad idea.

"You used that Super Rod to catch a Feebas?" Lance asked in visible surprise, trying to mull over the risk and reward of doing such a stupid action.

Judging by the incredulous look on Jasmine's face, she was rather puzzled by that decision too.

"I did. I really wanted a Feebas and they are rare," I explained in a way that didn't satisfy them at all.

They just didn't get it and I didn't think they would. To them, doing all this was only reckless with very little to gain. A Feebas just wasn't useful until evolution and evolving one was a pipe dream.

No matter how formidable a Milotic was, getting one was practically a myth that only a few people knew how to solve, so the risk and reward just wasn't worth it.

They'd probably be far more encouraging if they knew that I was completely aware of how to evolve Freyja.

I released her from the ball and held her up. "Look at her. She's adorable," I said with a small smirk.

Freyja, who had clearly heard the conversation, gazed up at me with adoration and I rubbed her head with a small smile.

"I may have almost died, but I didn't and I got exactly what I wanted. I'm satisfied with Freyja and she's satisfied with me. I knew what I was doing when I decided to go for her," I said firmly, glaring at them with a warning look.

I didn't need anyone to judge my team. I chose it and my decision was final. I wasn't getting rid of any of them period.

Lance laughed and held his hand out in a placating manner. "Don't worry I won't tell you anything! I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do in the future!"

Jasmine nodded hastily. "I'm not judging at all! I just remember you saying I remind you of a Feebas… I didn't realize it's because you had one!"

My fierce glare lessened at that and I nodded slowly.

"Good. I'm getting real tired of people insulting Freyja," I said firmly, patting her on the head.

"They're just worried about your safety Silvy! It has nothing to do with Freyja!" Green explained with a small smile, also joining in the patting of Freyja.

"Fee!" Freyja beamed at me in reassurance.

Well, if she wasn't offended by it…

"Alright," I nodded slowly.

Too many people were worried about my safety. Was I seriously that reckless?

Bah, whatever. I wasn't really planning on anything too reckless like my trip in Meteor Falls for a while so they could be appeased. The extremely reckless version of me had died by the hands of Fraxure so now there was just a normal reckless version of me...

Maybe.

Besides, I had Green with me so I naturally had to be more careful. Didn't wanna be responsible for her safety and all that. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I was the direct cause of her death.

My musings were cut off, as I saw a flash of light brighter then the somewhat lit up cave.

"Finally!" Green exclaimed with a pleased smile. She marched towards the exit of Mt. Moon with sure steps and we easily followed her lead.

I nearly hissed, as the beaming sunlight seared my eyes and shoved my hoodie over my head.

Green was smart for already having her hat on. She was clearly prepared for this.

Lance and Jasmine didn't even flinch at the sudden brightness, merely letting out equal sighs as the fresh air brushed into them.

I couldn't blame them. Caves sucked. My time in Meteor Falls made this abundantly clear to me. The air was rougher to breath in, not as fresh and it always carried a gravely smell that I got used to.

But it would never be comparable to the sweet air of outside.

I dug in my bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, placing them on and letting out a sigh of relief.

"Since when do you own sunglasses?" Green asked curiously.

"Since forever," I replied, thinking back to the hell that was the Hoenn region.

"You have way too many things in that bag," Green muttered in awe, gazing at her own just as bullshit bag.

"I like to be prepared," I drawled, quickening my pace towards Cerulean.

At this rate, we'd be out of the rest of Route 4 in around 30 minutes.

Perfect. I just wanted to schedule this match, wreck the gym leaders and be off to Vermilion.

I already knew who I was using for this match already and there had been no complaints so I was ready for this.

"You seem prepared for the Gym Battle," Jasmine said with a small smile.

"Of course," I said without hesitation. "It's only my third badge; I'm not worried about it at all. My only worry, is how fast I can get this battle scheduled."

Green nodded. "The sisters were kinda weak actually… Saury and Vee beat them pretty easy!"

Lance sighed at that. "They're talented trainers but they aren't motivated towards easier battles at all. Those three are actually surprisingly tough but you wouldn't be able to tell."

I snorted. "Why even bother becoming Gym Leaders?"

The Champion shrugged. "To be honest, I think they're just holding it for their little sister, Misty. Their parents… are not around so the sisters were forced to take position of Gym Leaders since they were the most qualified."

I frowned at that. So their parents were killed? That's what he was implying in a way to not scar us kids.

"They're strong trainers, but they aren't passionate about it and I can't really blame em. Misty is a bit too young to take over at the moment but she's promising and she does want to be the Gym Leader," he pondered.

I shrugged uncaringly. "Oh well. Their motives mean nothing to me. I'm just here to win my badge," I grunted.

All these Gym Leaders had issues and the only one I was invested in, was Jasmine so the others could continue in their whatever issues they had.

My companions shook their heads at my words, but they were used to me by now so they just felt amused by it.

I blanched as I realized they were getting used to me.

At this rate, I was gonna make more friends then I wanted to. Me? Making friends? But... I only wanted one...

Right on cue, my Pokegear began vibrating and I checked the message I just recieved.

"Alive?" Joy sent.

"And somewhat well," I replied easily.

"Good. What the hell are you doing in Kanto?"

I blinked at that. "You stalking me?"

"Yes. Answer the question."

Damn she had no shame at all. Dealing with Joy wasn't as easy as dealing with everyone else because she was very used to my antics and was very willing to play the same game.

"Yeah. I was just in Hoenn for a trip and ended up catching a Feebas there. I wasn't gonna stay there for long since I had to be back in Kanto."

There was a short pause before she began typing again.

"A trip to Hoenn is a little crazy don't you think? Kanto is pretty close but there are other options, like Johto or Sinnoh."

"Yeah I get that but I needed to get away from this region for a bit. I wanted a break is all. Johto is practically still Kanto and Sinnoh is extremely cold around this time of year. I wouldn't have enjoyed it."

A much longer pause this time.

"I get that. I hope you enjoyed your little vacation… and if you ever find Kanto stressing you out again… just come back over here and I'll accommodate you for a bit."

"I do not want to stand next to you while you're working a shift."

"Shut the hell up. Little kids like you, will probably be asleep while I'm working my shift anyways."

I snorted at that and pocketed my Pokegear.

A bit of a truth a bit of a lie. I truly was trying to get away from Kanto (well before all of this) but that wasn't my reason to heading over to Hoenn.

I couldn't embarrass Joy like Jasmine. I had to play on her welling sympathy for me to get her to back off. She knew I seemed to have some sort of family issues (who woulda thought she was absolutely right) so I just abused that...

Huh?

I blinked slowly at the triple gazes on my person and glanced back at my group.

All three of them were looking at me incredulously. Jasmine and Green in particular, were glancing at their Pokegear repeatedly before glancing back at me.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Were you… messaging someone just now?" Green asked slowly, not quite believing the words coming out of her mouth.

"Yeah," I said bluntly, unable to comprehend what was so surprising about this.

"...Who was it?" Jasmine asked in disbelief..

Who was it... Why the hell does that matter —

...My eye twitched as realization hit me.

"Fuck off!" I barked, stomping along Route 4 with a scowl.

Lance let out a barking laugh. "Who woulda thought Silver would have other friends?"

"Shut the fuck up and walk. We're almost to the city!" I snarled at the annoying dumb insects who kept harassing me for no good goddamn reason.

How did a group of 1 turn into a group of goddamn 4?! I wanted to travel alone goddamnit but here I was with the main character of the games, the champion of the region and one of the Johto gym leaders.

And now they were bugging me because I was actually talking to someone else! What was wrong with them?!

"Look how embarrassed he is! Is he talking to a girl? Do you have a crush on someone Silver?" Lance asked curiously.

"SHUT UP!"

"That's the first time I heard him scream! You've gotta be right!" Green cackled, gazing at the back of her friend who was practically speed walking.

Jasmine tried to hide her laughter. "Guys, please don't torment Silver so much. He's very averse to teasing… if you don't stop he'll start—"

A flurry of profanity left my mouth at such speeds, all 3 of them stopped laughing immediately.

Their mouths began opening at how much words I was flinging out, not a single one pg friendly.

Jasmine's face had turned an interesting shade of red. "He'll start doing that…" she said lamely, shuffling in place and turning progressively red.

Green's jaw dropped, a similar dust of red covering her cheeks. "I-I think my mom would kill me just for hearing these words…"

Lance looked impressed. "He's even worse than I was at that age… hell I think he's worse than my mom. She's the one I got my personality from you know? She manages to fit profanity anyway she knows how," he mentioned idly.

Momma would love Silver. Hell, she'd probably adopt him if they ever met.

"How is he coming up with so many new words? What even are these words?" Jasmine said in shock, looking as if she were going to faint.

----------------------------------------

Cerulean City was modern much like most of Kanto. Similarly to Vermilion, it was a seaside city that was situated near a sea to the north and unlike the games, there was actually something there, being a lighthouse that was tasked with guiding ships into the city.

Not like I was going up there anyways.

The most eye catching thing to me, was the large fountain in the middle of the city, gushing water from all angles. It was huge and I even saw some water types lounging about in it.

I approached the fountain curiously, gazing at the array of water types with an interested eye.

A Chinchou noticed my gaze and swam over curiously, inspecting me with what may have been childish wonder.

I pat it on the head, getting a happy squeal out of it, before I rummaged for a pokeblock and fed the little guy.

It squealed again at the taste and I couldn't stop the smile from making its way to my face at how happy it was.

Every city had a charm to it that made me aware that this was that city. It was really neat actually.

"After we schedule your Gym Battle, can we go to the bike shop?" Green asked, rummaging through her bag and pulling out her voucher.

"Yeah," I said easily, opening the pamphlet for Cerulean and gauging it.

Alright, the gym was that way… but they had performances on some days?

What the fuck? I didn't give a shit about water performances.

So the sisters were hot? Who cared? I just wanted to battle and be out of here.

This better not hold me up, I would cause a scene way more interesting than a water performance if it did.

Lance, who put on a pair of shades and a black hat, gazed at the city with an appraising eye.

"Straight to the gym?" He boomed, trying to sound normal and failing utterly.

I held my head at the attention he grabbed. Tall as hell, loud ass voice… Lance couldn't be subtle if he tried.

"That's the plan. Faster I schedule, faster I can get my match and decide if it's worth committing to or going straight to Vermilion."

The Champion nodded and we headed straight to the Gym.

For once, I didn't have to shove and sneer my way through the crowd because Lance's giant figure cut a path for us.

"That height of yours is useful," I said idly, freely letting him lead the group.

"I get that a lot," Lance chuckled, navigating through the city with practiced ease. "It's useful for things like this but makes me real easy to spot."

"Especially when your disguise is that terrible," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

The only thing worse than his disguise, were people's eyes because somehow this was working out.

"It's good though!" Green exclaimed, proving my point.

Jasmine nodded in agreement.

Hopeless. Everyone was truly the epitome of intelligence.

As we made it to the Cerulean Gym, Lance and I strutted right in like we owned the place and I took the time to inspect it.

For one, the entrance doubled as a receptionist area and an aquarium and I saw all types of fish pokemon swimming in there, evolved and first forms.

The most notable to me, was the Lumineon gazing at my group with searching eyes.

I walked right up to the desk after sparing the Lumineon another glance and gazed at the receptionist, who was gazing at Lance's tall figure with wide eyes.

"I want to schedule a match," I said bluntly, snapping the young pretty woman out of her daze.

"O-Oh alright —"

"Silver. Two badges," I said bluntly, interrupting her without a care in the world.

The woman flinched at my abrupt personality, caught off guard by it and I rolled my eyes as she slowly processed my words.

You'd think I'm the only rude person on the planet. Seriously. I know for a fact Blue came here and he was a pretty rude guy as well.

"Um… the closest day we have scheduled is a week from now," she said eventually, gazing at me.

Judging by the flinch, my expression was very unamused.

She withered at my glare and began stammering as I scoffed.

"A week?" I said in disbelief. "Yeah fuck right off. We can just start going to Vermilion," I informed Green, turning on my heel without any hesitation.

Who the hell was gonna wait a week for this? Stupid ass Gym. Next time I came back here, I was going to absolutely dominate them for wasting my time.

Green sweatdropped at Silver's back. He didn't even hesitate...

"A week?" Lance said in confusion. "How many matches does the Cerulean gym have lined up, for it to take a week to have the next available matches?"

The receptionist looked back at Lance, somehow not able to tell that this was the Champion of the League and my foul mood almost got worse, at how damn stupid everyone was.

"Well, the Sensational Sisters have quite a few shows planned for the week so battles would be quite difficult to do simultaneously…"

"...What?" Lance interrupted incredulously, looking at the shrinking receptionist in some disbelief. "They're prioritizing their water shows over their gym duties? In what world do they think that's acceptable?"

I paused at that, sensing the annoyance in Lance's voice and watching as his expression darkened slightly.

Oh? Was Lance more than just the chill champion?

...I wonder if he acted like this right now because he was speaking to kids. Right now, I could see why anyone would be intimidated by the dragon master...

Tall, broad, with a set of yellow eyes that gazed at everyone like they were prey...

Wow, Lance was actually cool.

"Where are they? I need to speak to them," Lance said quietly with a stern frown, looking very different from the man I got to know this past day.

"U-Um well, they're currently in the back actually spectating a battle!" the receptionist squeaked. "But you can't go back there —"

Lance ignored her and marched right through the doors, ignoring everything that left her mouth.

Huh, he actually felt like the Champion right now... and I was kind of impressed.

I shrugged and followed after him, far too interested in seeing how this was going to turn out.

Hopefully I got my battle. I did not want to come back to this city after all.

Green and Jasmine glanced at the stunned receptionist, before gazing at the disappearing Silver and Lance.

"Sorry," Jasmine bowed for them all, before following the group.

"Champion Lance looked pretty scary," Green muttered, joining the teen.

The receptionist went pale.

"C-Champion Lance?!" She stammered.

Oh dear… Champion Lance was annoyed with the gym?