Author's Note: This is a crossover between myself and my longtime writing partner Nate Z; we'll be corroborating for the rest of the series.
Some of the characters and Pokemon seen here within are Nate's created Pokemon; Sin Sai the Katana (a fighting/psychic type), Seamonstra (a powerful water dragon), War Hawk (an angry flying type). The characters depicted herein all fall into the established continuity of Nate's 'False Legends' storyline.
Forget Not
By Henry and Nate Z
The Lake of Rage, Johto Region…
The red haired teenager had wandered to this place several times to train, whenever the Dragon's Den had grown too quiet and peaceful. Though the old master and gym leader Clair always welcomed him to stay, this boy –Silver- refused more or less all hospitality offered him. He spent most of his time traveling through the region, clinging to the leg of his trusty Crobat for the longer trips.
He'd make frequent visits to Mahogany Town in recent weeks. Even after the defeat of Team Rocket, he'd still come to their abandoned hideout, perhaps hoping to encounter Lance the Dragon Master, and show him just how much Silver had changed since the Johto League champ had delivered unto him such a complete defeat.
He'd come to the Lake of Rage in the very early morning, and took a moment to relax. It was ridiculous to expect Team Rocket grunts to appear so he could beat them down, but if he waited a while, maybe the Dragon Master would return… he'd been the one to decide to keep the hideout intact, still largely untouched beneath Mahogany Town's local mart. Pryce, the Mahogany Town gym leader, had taken an extended leave of absence, so it was feasible someone from the Pokemon league might come down to man it for him; and Silver was sincerely hoping it would be Lance.
Mist still surrounded the lake. Heavy rain clouds were accumulating overhead, blocking out what few sun rays were visible as dawn drew nearer. Silver took only one step forward and paused.
A Gyarados gave a roar and thrashed about at the water's edge. A man stood before it, supremely unconcerned even as the monstrous serpent drew nearer, just in time for a small, greenish stone creature to leap forth and grasp Gyarados with its small mouth. The serpent gave a deafening roar as the small creature dropped back down to shore and began pelting Gyarados with rocks. The serpent roared again and retreated beneath the waves, and the tiny rock Pokemon looked expectantly up at the man.
"Well done, Larvitar," the man in black said, drawing a Pokeball from his belt, firing a red beam and transporting the young Pokemon back into the sphere.
Silver stepped forward. "Nice show."
The man in black turned and walked past, only for the red haired teenager to grasp his shoulder.
"You look pretty tough," Silver noted. "Care to battle?"
The man raised an eyebrow up over his sunglasses. "Battle? Why?"
"C'mon, you need a reason?" Silver asked. "I'm challenging you right now. You have to accept!"
"Very well," the man in black turned, adjusting his sunglasses and drawing a Pokeball from his belt. "How many?"
"Let's keep it simple and try a one-on-one," Silver recommended, drawing a Pokeball of his own. "Name's Silver, by the way. Who are you?"
"…" the man 'said,' before answering. "Henry."
"Okay then, that's enough for me," Silver said. "I'll start; go, Sneasel!" The anthropomorphic black cat appeared, sharpening its clawed fingers and glaring forward at Henry.
Henry tossed forth the Pokeball in his hand, and once the sphere opened, a blue and white serpent appeared, coiled around him, staring forth with shining black eyes.
"A Dragonair?" Silver asked with a laugh, before extending his right arm in wide arc "well, it's your funeral. Sneasel, Ice Punch!" The cat-like creature's right claw glowed bluish-white as Sneasel struck the side of Dragonair's neck. The serpent gave a cry of pain and rolled backward somewhat…
"Thunder Wave," Henry instructed simply. Dragonair endured the pain and launched forth a ring of golden electricity, encircling Sneasel, leaving it trapped and barely able to move. "Twister." Dragonair moved away from its master and unleashed a spiral from its mouth, trapping the dark type in a spiraling tornado.
"Sneasel, use-" Silver began, before:
"Dragon Rage," Henry interjected. Dragonair followed the tornado with a blast of blue flame, encircling Sneasel and striking the diminutive dark type over and over at an accelerated rate. Then the man in black waited, and Dragonair's attacks concluded.
Sneasel was still standing. It was a little worse for the wear, to be sure, but despite a lack of mobility, the creature outstretched its claw and prepared to continue fighting.
Henry raised an eyebrow, but did not hesitate any more than that. "Slam." Dragonair went skyward, outstretching the tiny wings on its head to hold itself aloft, preparing to fall.
"Faint Attack!" Silver called. Sneasel concentrated and then disappeared from sight. When Dragonair fell, it only landed on the moist ground.
Henry inclined his head. "Dragonair, Dragonbreath to your left." The blue and white serpent turned and opened its mouth again, releasing a blast of energy. Sneasel gave out a cry and became visible once more, and this time the dark type was unconscious.
Silver was slack jawed, but not too dazed to recall his Sneasel. "How did you know where it was?"
"You're right handed," Henry replied. "Sneasel followed the movement of your arm."
Again Silver was astonished. He drew a second Pokeball, releasing his Magneton. "Okay, I can see this'll be fun…"
About fifteen minutes later…
Silver was on his last legs. His Magneton had been defeated by Henry's Larvitar, and then his Alakazam defeated by a Hyper Beam from Henry's Dragonair, but his Crobat had capitalized on that, only to be defeated by a Pidgeot, moving quickly enough to keep up with the speedy poison type. Silver had only two Pokemon left, and Henry had four that could still battle, three of which Silver hadn't seen yet.
As he reached for Gengar's Pokeball he stopped himself and said: "Okay… I surrender."
Henry nodded and recalled the flying type, turning to walk away, only for Silver to call out and interrupt him again. "Hey…you're pretty strong. Are you from around here?"
"No," Henry replied. "I came here from Kanto."
"Why'd you come here?" Silver asked, curious.
Henry gave him a glance (though it was hard to tell with those pitch black sunglasses). "I'm looking for what remains of Team Rocket. More specifically; I'm looking for Giovanni."
Silver at once prepared to battle again, regardless of any disadvantage of numbers. "Why? Do you work for them?"
Henry turned to face Silver again. "I take it you don't like Team Rocket."
"No, I don't," Silver said simply. Despite recent progress in his training philosophy, the very mention of that organization could trigger a relapse towards his aggressive pursuit of power, as he stated simply: "I hate the weak."
Henry was expressionless. "I don't work for them. I came here to destroy them."
Silver calmed down. "They're gone. Lance the Dragon Master cleared them out of this town months ago."
Henry nodded. "That's very like him. Do you know where Team Rocket might've fled to, or were they all taken away?"
"I don't know," Silver answered honestly. "You should ask him."
Henry suddenly turned very downcast. "No… I can't face him yet."
"Face him?" Silver repeated. "You're going to challenge Lance the Dragon Master?"
Henry nodded. "His rival should be strong to keep him sharp." And with that, the man in black walked away, beginning a trek around the Lake of Rage, heading through the forest to the other side.
Though somewhat confused, Silver shrugged and glanced at the dim sunlight filtering down through the clouds, before examining his four unconscious Pokemon. "Guess I'll visit the Pokemon Center…"
With that, he began the walk back to Mahogany Town.
At almost exactly the same time, a quartet of travelers and a ground Pokemon ambled into Mahogany Town, led by an enthusiastic young brunette.
"Rise and shine, everyone!" Melody said to the less-exuberant party members. "Think the gym leader's up this early?"
A tall man stretched in mid yawn and heard a loud crick in his lower back area before promptly falling over. "Ow."
"Pansy," muttered the ground mouse, a Sandslash with an over-inflated ego and a tendency to combine the word 'claws' with the word 'throat.'
"Quiet, rat," muttered another, taller brunette woman, kneeling at the man's side. "You all right, Nate?"
Nate had an excellent view of Sharon's chest as she knelt at his side, so he didn't say anything…just staring upwards in a daze.
Cap -the dark skinned young man at Sharon's side- shook his head and stepped past the small buildings, walking over to Melody's side as the two approached the Mahogany Town gym; an unkempt, abandoned building with a nice big sign:
GYM LEADER PRYCE IS UNAVAILABLE. GYM CLOSED.
And, as an afterthought: WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
Cap swore loudly. Melody bonked him in the back of the head. "No need for that."
Cap glared at her. "But I needed this gym to be open! The Johto League needs me to get all eight of the badges here!"
"So, what's the problem?" Sandlash asked. "You've only got five of the badges anyway." Cap slapped it in the back of the head.
"Visualize the eyeball," Cap muttered.
"Visualize my longer, sharper, fully-evolved-"
"Could you two focus, please?" Sharon requested. "If this gym isn't open, then fine; we'll just try the next town over."
Nate staggered up. "Can't we get some breakfast first? I haven't eaten anything since…"
"…last night?" Melody suggested.
"Exactly."
The quartet (and rat) ambled forth, bickering with one another, at one point prompting Sharon to kick the Sandslash over and over again, just before they stepped into the Pokemon center where it could be healed.
In the center, a red-haired young man was waiting at the counter, his Pokemon in the process of being healed. He looked somewhat downcast, in deep thought. Cap carried what was left of his Sandslash up to the counter and glanced at the red-haired guy.
"You just come from a battle?" Cap asked.
He nodded. "Am I that obvious?"
"I'm guessing you didn't win," Cap pointed out.
"No, I didn't," the red haired guy admitted. "I was up north at the lake, and I spotted this guy… defeated a wild Gyarados with only a Larvitar. He looked tough, so I fought him." He sighed. "He had a Dragonair as strong as Lance the Dragon Master's."
Cap paused, even as his Pokemon were taken to be healed. His friends –up until them wandering aimlessly about the center or waiting around- focused all their attention on this boy.
"Then what happened?" Cap asked.
"A Dragonair, a Larvitar, and a Pidgeot," the red haired boy explained. "That was all he needed. I thought my Pokemon were stronger, but even if I'd tried to go six on six with him…" He let the thought hang.
"What did he look like?" Cap asked.
The red haired boy seemed a little less comfortable, but continued. "He wore all black. He had sunglasses. His expression never seemed to change."
Cap, Sharon, and Melody nearly fell over. Nate actually fell over.
En route to Mahogany Town from the Indigo Plateau, Karen, one of the members of the Elite Four, received a call on her PokeGear.
"Yes?" Karen asked. She paused as she heard the instruction. "Are you sure you want to reveal yourself already?" Again she paused, and then said simply: "Understood. I'll wait for your signal."
She glanced up at the cloudy sky and spotted a slight distortion, as something traveled very quickly through the clouds.
"I'LL KILL HIM!!"
Sharon burst through the Pokémon Center doors, despite Nate and Cap hanging onto her arms and Melody gripping her legs for dear life. Silver watched, his face a mixture of fear and amazement at the older woman's strength.
"Sharon, calm down!" Cap insisted.
"NO!" she shouted back. "We've been searching him for months! Worried that something may have happened?! He's on a freakin' JOURNEY, beating up little kids!"
"Hey!" Silver protested.
"You think I'm not mad?!" Cap exclaimed. "But you need to calm down! Dammit Sharon! Think of the baby!"
Sharon just screamed and tore free of her companions. She stalked toward the Lake of Rage like a Crobat out of Hell.
"Okay," Melody muttered as she dug out a pokéball. "You wanna play dirty?"
And Sharon suddenly found a very angry Charizard in her path.
"Give me and Troggy a reason," Melody said, her arms across her chest. "Please."
"Don't make me hurt you sis," Sharon said darkly.
Melody smirked. "I know you're tough honey, but not even you can take on a Charizard. Not without these."
She held up a bracelet with six miniaturized pokéballs, smirk growing in triumph.
Sharon looked at her wrist and then turned back to her group, glaring.
"So what?" she demanded. "We just let him get away with this?!"
"No one is saying that," Cap insisted. "But I say we track him down and get his side of things. You know better than anyone how he is."
"No," Sharon spat. "The Henry I know wouldn't just leave without telling me at least. He wouldn't just abandon his son!"
"Then maybe that mess at Greenfield did something to him!" Cap shot back. "My point is, we should find out exactly what's going on before we make Azrael half an orphan!"
" 'Greenfield'?" Silver repeated, snapping him out of his confusion. "You were there for the Crystal incident?"
"And?!" Sharon snapped, causing Silver to flinch slightly.
"I...I thought I recongized you!" Silver exclaimed. "You're Cap!"
"Yeah, and I'll sign whatever you want later," Cap replied. "Right now, we need you to tell me where Henry went."
"The woods surrounding the lake," Silver answered. "He said he was looking for what was left of Team Rocket."
Cap nodded and turned back to Sharon. "I'll get Sandslash and we'll go looking for him. When we find him, we'll calmly and quietly ask him what the hell is going on."
"And if we don't like the awners, I'll hold him down for you," Melody said simply.
'Troggy' the Charizard nodded.
Sharon, however, did not answer. She was staring intently at the roof of the Pokemon Center.
Nate blinked. "What's up now?"
"Slayers," Sharon whispered.
"What?!" Cap shouted, spinning around to look at the roof as well.
"You mean the Order's ninjas?" Nate asked, confused.
"But Mandarin is dead," Melody said. "The order should have fell apart like a house of cards without him."
"I know," Sharon whispered. "But I could swear I saw two of them."
"Probably just some Pidgey," Nate insisted. "From what you guys tell me, only way you would've seen a Slayer is if he wanted you to."
"That's what worries me," Sharon said.
Cap and Melody nodded.
"Right then," Nate said. "I'm going to go wet myself."
"What the hell have I walked into?" Silver whispered to himself.
Henry himself, meanwhile, had stopped by the lake's edge and scratched the back of his head. "Okay, I could've sworn I already saw this part. Am I going in circles?"
A Gyarados popped up from the water, giving a defeaning roar. The beast surged forth to attack and Henry opened a Pokeball, as a very protective female Pokemon emerged, holding Gyarados back, defending both Henry and the small Pokemon in her pouch.
"Kangaskhan, Strength," Henry instructed. "And then a Dizzy Punch should do the trick." Kangaskhan gave a brief nod in reply as she managed to force the Gyarados back towards the water and then delivered a single, powerful left jab, and the Gyarados fell back beneath the waves. "And there we go."
Henry recalled Kangaskhan and glanced around, before opening another Pokeball and bringing forth his Pidgeot, hopping on the flying type's back, ascending up over the trees, until he spotted a single warehouse between the lake he'd inspected and a town south of it. He pointed forward and his Pidgeot took him there... but he stopped in midflight and instructed the bird to land, just outside a group of five people traveling through the woods up towards the lake. One he recognized as the red haired boy he'd fought before, but the others... he honestly had no idea.
The five moved from each other, splitting up in parties of two: one was Silver and a 17 year old brunette girl, the other a longer haired and older brunette woman and a thin, clumsy guy, and the other a dark skinned boy and a Sandslash.
Henry perhaps thought they were hunting for him... so he figured it'd probably be easiest to take them down like this. He drew two Pokeballs and followed the movements of Silver and his female companion, staying concealed by foliage: given the right two Pokemon, he could order them from hiding.
"You're sure he went this way?" Melody asked.
"No, I'm not at all," Silver replied. "This is the route I took. You guys asked me to lead you there, but Cap's apparently trusting his Sandslash to sniff him out and that other woman thinks she knows where he is."
Henry waited for the right moment and tossed forth two Pokeballs, releasing his Lapras and Kangaskhan. To Silver and Melody, they saw two Pokemon emerge from the forest; albeit Pokemon they weren't expecting.
Silver drew a Pokeball on his belt. "Wild?"
Melody did not waste words and brought forth a large, blue creature, her Kingdra. "Queen, use Hydro Pump."
Silver added his Magneton to the mix. "Spark!" The triple-sphere electric type fired off bolts of electricity from each magnet on its body towards Lapras, as the Kingdra fired off a jetstream of water straight at Kangaskhan.
"Substitute," Henry instructed, very quietly. Kangaskhan was seemingly struck by the blast of water and then seemed to explode, broken down.
Lapras received the shock and didn't much care for it; it didn't have the best mobility on land.
"I think we overdid it," Silver noted, as Lapras slumped forward and Kangaskhan was nowhere to be seen... that was until she leapt from the woods at Kingdra, forcing the dragon type to the ground with her Strength. Lapras interjected an Ice Beam at Kingdra, incasing the dragon type in a block of ice, as Kangaskhan turned the attention to Magneton.
Melody wasn't too thrilled and called out a large, yellow bipedal electric creature, Ampharos. "Eva, use Thunderpunch!" The female electric creature leapt to attack Kangaskhan, only for Lapras to fire off another Ice Beam, leaving Melody with two blocks of ice on the field. "Ack!"
Silver called out his Alakazam, who blasted Kangaskhan away with a Psybeam before she could defeat Magneton. "Okay...they're not wild. You might as well come out."
From the nearest tree dropped the man in black, adjusting his sunglasses as necessary. He stood between his Lapras and Kangaskhan, both worse for the wear but prepared to continue the battle.
"You're a dragon trainer," Henry noted of Melody. "Not bad, but not Lance."
Melody was stunned, but that quickly turned to anger. "That's what you say to me?! You've been missing for months, and you just...tell me I need to train more?!"
Henry raised an eyebrow but paid her no heed, turning his attention to Silver. "Why are you after me?"
High above them, on the back of a massive creature, a man in a black robe clenched his teeth behind an icy blue mask. "No... I should've known those meddling fools would come after him. He wanders about so much, they were going to find him eventually."
His first instinct was to intervene but he calmed himself. "No...let them enjoy their reunion. Let them wonder. Let their hope be crushed when they learn they can't play any part in this..."
"Cap, I think we're heading the wrong way," Sandslash said. "I think I have the H-Man's scent, but it's faint."
Cap nodded. "Sharon, Sandslash says--"
"I know," the woman replied. "Henry's going to have to take the back seat for now."
"What?!" Nate exclaimed. "For what?"
"Her," Sharon replied darkly indicating one of the trees.
As if taking that as a cue, a woman dressed in a Slayer's ninja-like costume landed gracefully in front of the group.
"I bring you greetings," she said, her voice flat and even, betraying no emotion.
"Who do you serve?" Sharon demanded. "The Mandarin--"
"Has perished, yes," the woman replied. "However, the Dragonheed has blessed us with a new leader."
"Sharon?" Cap asked, taking a pokéball in hand.
She held up a hand to stop him. "What do you want?"
"Our leader has plans for your husband. Plans we with which we would like you to not to interfere. I warn you out of...family obligation."
Sharon was noticeably shaken by this. "Who are you?" she whispered.
"Why dear sister," the woman replied, revealing a raven-haired mirror image of Cap's adopted mother.
"...I am you."
Nate fainted.
"After you?!" Melody shouted. "We're after you because you abandoned us! We're your goddamned family!"
Henry turned back to her. "I do not know you."
Melody's face was as red as her Charizard's. "Oh, that's nice! Is it because of what happened between me and Cap?! How many time do we have to tell you? We broke up on good terms! Hell, we're practically siblings now!"
Henry's expression remained blank. "Cap?"
Her anger was replaced by shock. "Cap. The boy you adopted. Your son."
His eyebrows raised. "Son?"
"Yes. And you have another one waiting back home. Azrael, the boy you and Sharon had together."
"I...I have no memory of any of this."
Melody's hands went limp at her sides. "None of it? Not even Sharon?"
Henry shook his head.
Melody was silent for a few seconds as she processed this. Eventually, she spoke again.
"Well, &#."
"Sharon?" Cap said slowly. "Who is this?"
"Sharon," the twin said, almost sweetly, as if trying out how the word felt on her tongue. "It sounds so similar to your true name, Shadow."
"Shut up," Sharon said through clenched teeth.
The woman chuckled. "Family has made you soft. By all rights, I should be dead by now."
"I'll gladly fix that if you keep pushing it."
The woman smiled. "Perhaps. However, despite the fact you betrayed us, dear sister, I have no wish to harm you. Forget the man in black, continue on your way, and no harm shall come to you."
"Sweetie," Sharon said, a smirk forming on your face, "if your master is who I think he is, you know there's no force in heaven or hell that can stop be from killing him permanently."
"Then so be it," the woman said, before leaping back into the trees and disappearing.
Cap just stood there, blinking. "Mom, some day, you are going to have to tell me what your history is with the Order."
"No," Sharon said simply. "And if you mention it again, you're grounded forever."
Cap sighed and shook his head as Sandslash went over and began gently poking Nate with its claws.
"So, do you really think it's..."
"Too soon to tell, but I doubt it," Sharon sighed. "If it were him, there's no way he'd let any kind of warning to make it to us. He'd kill her without a second thought. We'd never know the Slayers are watching us."
Cap had to agree with that. "So what now? Do we try to find Henry?"
"Don't bother," Sandslash said as Nate slowly got back into a sitting position. "Looks like he found us."
The rat gestured to where Silver Melody and Henry were emerging from the woods.
Sharon's eyes narrowed again as she stormed over to her husband. She simply glared at him for several long seconds before demanding "Give me one, really good reason not to kill you."
"How about because I've never met you before?" Henry suggested. This prompted Sharon to leap forth and force him to the ground, pinning him and keeping his arms away from the Pokeballs on his belt.
"Bull!" Sharon hissed. "I'm your goddamn wife!"
Henry, despite the seeming danger to his life and limb, remained stoic and silent. "I don't know who you are."
"Liar!" Sharon spat. "What the hell have you been doing?"
Henry focused upwards, thinking... only for Sharon to strike the side of his face.
"Answer the question!" Sharon prompted.
"I've been searching for Giovanni," Henry answered simply. "I have to take back what he took from me."
Silver -though he'd edged away from the wild woman- drew nearer, listening intently.
"Giovanni?" Sharon repeated. "That's impossible. He's dead!"
Silver had expected to hear that.
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Then who did I battle in Hoenn two weeks ago?"
Silver had NOT expected to hear that.
Sharon shook her head. "Giovanni's dead. You killed him and took your Charizard back."
Henry shook his head. "Giovanni still has my Charizard... and he's still trying to acquire power. I've been chasing him for years."
Cap seemed confused. "Years? But you were living with us, just a few months ago! You had to go through all kinds of legal documents so you could marry Sharon and adopt me."
Henry somehow managed to look confused without compromising his cold exterior. "I have never met either of you."
Sandslash nudged Cap in the leg. "I think he's gone nuts. Not that I didn't expect it..."
Sharon turned her attention to Henry's sunglasses, moving one hand from his arm to reach the frame. Instantly, Henry's now free arm grasped her wrist.
"Don't-"
"No. I have to see," Sharon told him, and removed the frames. She was the only one who didn't recoil at the sight.
Henry's eyes were an intense, blood red color. His pupil was blacker than his outfit, but the rest of his sphere was a lake of blood hue.
Sharon hung her head. "He's not lying." She climbed off him, and Henry returned to his feet, the older brunette woman looking very downcast and disappointed.
Henry placed his sunglasses back on and reached to his waist. "Tell me who all of you are. Now."
Sometime Later…
"I'm Cap," Cap said slowly and softly. "These are Nate, Melody and...Sharon. I'm a Trainer, and I met all of you on my Kanto Journey. Sharon's has never left my side, and you, Henry...you..."
"You had a habit of showing up at just the right time," Sharon explained. "We first met you in the Virdian Forest, where you helped save us against Giovanni and Grendel." She spoke the last word with tangible venom.
"Grendel?" Henry repeated.
"Real nut case," Sandslash said. "Out to rule the world and all that."
"Evil incarnate," Sharon spat, everyone ignoring the Ground type. "Apparently you and he had an encounter in the past. It's one of the few things you never spoke to me about, so I can't say for sure."
"We met up a few times since then," Cap explained. "During those encounters, you displayed...unique abilities."
"Such as?" Henry asked.
"You had the powers of Pokémon," Sharon said. "All of them, and a few we still can't figure out."
Henry's eyebrows arched highly at this, almost disappearing into his hair.
"There was an...incident at the Arshia Islands," Cap explained. "A lot...of lot of people and Pokémon died. About a month after that, you just showed up at our camp and joined the group on a permanent basis. Five years later, you and Sharon are married, you both adopted me, and we were all living together on my Grandad's old farm."
Henry shook his head. "None of this is making sense. I don't remember any of this, and I sure as hell don't have any powers."
"Greenfield!" Melody exclaimed. "That has to be it!"
"What happened at Greenfield?" Silver asked. "I mean, I know the town was turned into crystal, but..."
"A young girl, the daughter of two famous archeologists," Sharon continued, "accidently unleashed the power of the Unown, warping the very fabric of reality."
Cap nodded. "Her parents vanished while exploring the Ruins of Alph, and in her grief, she tried to re-create her family. Which included kidnapping--"
"Me," Sharon finished. "By then I was pregnant with our son."
"Azrael," Henry said, still in some degree of shock at the notion of parenthood.
Sharon nodded. "We had managed to calm the girl down, and things were about to return to normal, when Mandarin seized the power of the Unown."
"Mandarin," Silver repeated. "I think I've heard that name. He led that cult. The Order of the Dragonheed."
Cap nodded. "And as much as I hate Grendel, Mandarin made him look like a boy scout. We managed to beat him, but barely. The Unown were sealed away, and we went home."
"A few months later, our son was born," Sharon continued. "We let Cap name him after a noble warrior who gave his life to make sure Mandarin was stopped. A few months later, you left us."
There was a long silence as both Henry and Silver absorbed all of this. It was broken by Henry punching a tree.
"Why can't I remember any of this?" Henry asked.
"The battle with Mandarin," Melody insisted. "He was in the process of re-making the entire world, right? And Henry was right there at ground zero. When Mandarin was defeated...there was an explosion. Maybe it, y'know, changed things."
"As crazy as that sounds," Cap said, "I think she might be right. When Azrael was born...I remember Henry calling me the Johto League Champ, but here I am, trying to win badges still."
"Maybe he was trying to encourage you?" Silver offered. "You said he was legally your father."
"And a good one at that," Cap nodded. "But I also remember being in a wheelchair."
"I think I know what you mean," Nate said. "Like you have two sets of memories overlapping one another. It would explain why he suddenly doesn't have his Charizard anymore and how Giovanni could be alive again."
"You guys read way too many friggin' comics," Sandslash said.
"Henry," Cap asked, "is your Charizard...cybernetic?"
Henry looked at the boy as if he were insane. "No."
"Validity of Melody's theory aside," Sharon said, "if that's the case, why didn't he leave us right away? Why do we remember everything, but not him? What the hell is going on?!"
"The question is not 'what,' my dear," came the curt reply. Immediately everyone was on alert (even Nate), Pokeballs at the ready as the five placed their backs to one another, until they spotted something, standing atop the water in the Lake of Rage.
He was walking on the water... or it seemed, at least. On closer inspection he was clearly standing upon something, his boot-covered feet partially submerged.
"Who are you?" Cap asked.
The person they saw seemed male, based on his powerful frame, even concealed by a heavy black cloak. His face was concealed by a wig of long gray hair, and an icy blue mask ending in two horn-like protrusions. "I am the person you're seeking. The one who freed the fallen master from his poor choices."
"Poor choices?" Sharon repeated. She looked prepared to kill something, and Silver edged away from her, keeping his attention on the man in the blue mask.
"Henry the fallen master," he stated reverently, "after he successfully defeated Giovanni and reclaimed his Charizard, he escaped the cycle of hatred and destruction and awoke to the powers that were contained within him. He became friends with you two, Cap and Sharon, and decided to permanently join with you rather than travel alone, abandoning his little shack on Seafoam.
"I couldn't allow you domestic bliss," the man in the mask explained. "You hold one of the keys. So I changed your history, saving Giovanni from your wrath and undoing the chain of events that gave you your powers."
Henry stepped forth. "And how did you do that?"
The man laughed. "There have been enough questions, I think. I would be happy to give you some more answers, Henry, but not in the earshot of your peanut gallery."
Melody glanced at Cap. "Should we attack?"
Cap shrugged. "I don't see why not." He smacked the rat at his side. "Go get him."
"You go get him," Sandslash replied. "He's standing over water."
"Oh, for the love of-"
"Crimson!" Sharon instructed, opening one of her own Pokeballs and releasing a Scizor. "Bring him here!"
"Trogdor, you too!" Melody followed, sending out her Charizard.
"Crobat!" Silver added, as the poison type darted forth, quickly catching the other two.
"Pidgeot!" Henry instructed, as his flying type brought up the rear.
The man in the mask watched the Pokemon coming forth and laughed, reaching into his cloak and producing a single, shining feather. He waved it, and at once, the lake rumbled and a massive creature splashed upwards.
Gyarados and Magikarp flew in all directions as the masked man brought forth the creature; gray skin, black eyes... it was certainly a familiar entity to most on the ground.
"Lugia?!" Cap cried.
"Aeroblast." the man riding atop it instructed, and the massive Pokemon opened its mouth, unleashing a stream of white energy forth, blasting the four Pokemon opposing it in all directions. "Now, then... will you be so kind as to leave my project alone? If you do, I will let you leave now. If you insist on intervening... you will see why this creature is called 'legendary.'"
"This is bad," Cap said as he grabbed one of his Pokéballs. "Any ideas, Sharon?"
He looked to wear his adopted mother had once been, only to see she was gone. A quick scan of the area revealed that Sharon had vanished without a trace.
"Crap."
Sharon tucked into a roll as the Slayer that had grabbed her dropped her to the ground. Coming to a defensive position, she took in her new surroundings.
There was no sign of her friends and family or their new enemy, only an army of about twenty Slayers, each armed with a weapon and a black and purple Pokéball.
"I gave you fair warning sister," Sharon's twin said as she came to the forefront of the group. "It saddens me to have to do this."
"&!T(H," Sharon spat as she took two Pokéballs from her bracelet, "I was trained by the old school Order. They didn't believe in warnings or mercy."
She threw the spheres, revealing a Tyrogue wearing a tattered brown cape kneeling atop a Spinarak.
The woman smirked at the sight. "And you believe we do?"
"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Sharon replied. She drew a small silver rod from her back pocket. With the flip of a switch and a hiss of air, it extended into full length staff. "Your name."
The woman humphed. "Since your betrayal, I have taken the position of our Leader's Divine Shadow." She drew a long sword.
Sharon nodded. "Out of respect to your skills and our...family ties, I give you one chance. Tell me where to find your leader, and walk away."
"Your Pokémon are children and you have not engaged in battle for years. You will fall."
Sharon smirked. "My children are warriors, and you have no idea what Henry and I do for foreplay."
And with that, the battle was joined.
"Lugia, it's me!" Cap cried as he rode on his War Hawk's back through the air. Sin Sai the Kantana quickly leapt in front of the pair to cut down another Aeroblast before it could do any damage.
Cap cursed and ordered his raptor to use Mirror Move, only for it to be deflected by Lugia's Barrier powers. Melody quickly had Eva and Trogdor attack simultaneously, creating a move similar to Charipik's Electrical Fire. The attack made it through, but only seemed to annoy the Great Guardian, and it quickly retaliated with a Gust, blowing the two Dragons into their Trainer.
Cap then watched as Nate skipped one of his pokéballs across the lake like a stone, before it opened to unleash his Butterfree, which instantly tried attacked with Sleep Power from behind.
He has his moments, Cap thought with a slight smile.
This was not one of them however, as upon noticing the blue powder, the masked man quickly ordered Lugia to strike the Bug type down with a Thunderbolt. Butterfree made a horrible cry and crashed into the forest's trees, more than a little singed.
Cursing, Cap opened a friend ball and an Espeon emerged on his shoulder. "Get me inside Lugia's head!"
The cat-like creature gave and indignant huff, but closed her eyes and obeyed.
Lugia, it's Cap! I'm your friend! We all are! Please, snap out of it!
The young Trainer wasn't sure what he was expecting to hear in response, but it wasn't silence. Silence that was shattered when the masked man gave an order.
OBEY!
The thought was so loud, both Cap and his Espeon nearly blacked out, leaving them unprepared for the Shadow Ball that the Legendary beast unleashed. Cap was struck in the chest, knocking him from War Hawk's back.
"CAP!" Melody cried as her friend crashed to the ground. When he didn't stir, she clenched her fists and glared at her opponent.
"Bad move, asshole."
Henry leapt on his Pidgeot's back, rejoining the fray. Cap and his War Hawk fell from the force of Lugia's Aeroblast, so he took their place in battle alongside Melody and her Charizard.
"Dragon trainer," Henry called. "Use a Fire Spin."
Melody glanced at him, displeased at being referred to by such an alias, but she complied, and Trogdor the Charizard unleashed a vortex of flame, straight for Lugia.
"Pitiful," the masked man noted. "Lugia, use Hydro-"
"Razor Wind!" Henry and Silver both declared. Pidgeot and Crobat flew beneath the fiery vortex and flapped upwards, sending sharp winds onto Lugia, and forcing the flames on the man riding on the creature's head. He gave out a cry of surprise, trying to keep the silver feather in his cloak.
"You!" Henry called to Nate. "Have your Butterfree use Stun Spore! Try to keep it from moving!"
Nate gave a short nod and assumed a dramatic pose. "Stun Spore!" He then promptly slipped on a Magikarp and fell beside a beached -and angry- Gyarados. "Eep."
His Butterfree complied, bombarding Lugia with the spores, trying its best to cover the beast's entire body with them.
Cap and his War Hawk returned, ready to continue... that was until they heard the familiar sound of a Pokeball opening, as the man in the black cloak opened a gold and silver sphere in his free hand.
"Turn it back," was his simple instruction. There was something small at his side... something green.
And then, all of a sudden, Cap, Nate, Melody, and Silver were all standing around the Lake of Rage, with Sharon and Henry nowhere to be seen.
"What the-" Cap began, "Where'd they go?"
"Let's all ask each other. That's bound to help," Sandslash said, with only the faintest hint of sarcasm.
Cap slapped it in the back of the head. "They can't have just...vanished. Does a Lugia even know how to Teleport?"
Silver glanced around, still clinging to the leg of his Crobat in midair. "Where's your friend? Sharon?"
And suddenly they had two people to look for.
Tohjo Falls, before the Johto Pokemon League...
Lugia set its master down on the stone before the waterfall, as Henry and his Pidgeot sailed into the cavern after them, and immediately the fallen master wondered how they'd arrived there.
"What...what just happened?" Henry asked.
"I didn't like that outcome, so I changed it before you could overwhelm me," the masked man explained, Lugia waiting calmly behind him. "Thanks entirely to my little friend here." A green creature, smaller even than a Mew, floated from behind the masked man's back, staring forth unconcernedly. "This is Celebi. One of the keys, specifically to controlling time passage."
"Celebi?" Henry repeated. "Controlling time, huh?"
"Someone had to displace you," the masked man explained. "The Unown might've worked, but their power is usually temporary...it would've required constant
upkeep to merely delude you into thinking you'd lost your powers. Celebi changed the key event that granted you that gift."
"What did you do to me?" Henry demanded, opening a Pokeball, bringing forth his Larvitar to his Pidgeot's side.
The masked man did not answer. In a flash, both Pidgeot and Larvitar were unconscious on the ground.
Henry was astonished, and his expression actually conveyed it. Nonetheless he called out the others: Lapras, Dragonair, and Kangaskhan joined the first two.
Now Henry had only one creature left. Mew burst forth, flinging a Psychic attack at Celebi. Celebi bent the attack right backwards and knocked the psychic cat away, still conscious but already significantly weakened.
"It wasn't difficult, really," the masked man explained, walking closer. "I had to erase your happiness. So long as you were free from your desire for vengeance, your powers could grow. Just like a Pokemon, if you felt love in your life, you could learn new techniques. So long as you had your wife, your adopted son... you actually reached a level of power I could no longer tolerate. So to save my future I destroyed yours'.
"Now you remain trapped in the cycle, as I need you to be," the masked man said. "Your friends and family still remember you the way you were; Celebi's power can only affect a small area at a time, and you required a significant amount of output."
"Why?" Henry asked. "Why did you do that?"
"Because I hate you, fallen master," the masked man replied. "I have never forgiven you for your success against me. You took away my pride, and then took away Giovanni before I could gain revenge on him as you had on me."
Henry paused. "Who exactly are you?"
The masked man paused. "You haven't figured it out?" He removed the blue facial garment.
Henry once again expressed genuine shock. This man...he was older, and his face had a deep scar running along the right cheek, but there was no mistaking the red hair and cruel gaze.
"I'm Lance the Dragon Master."
He delivered a kick to Henry's gut, sending the Pokemon master falling over the waterfall. Mew flew after the man in black, using its powers to slow his descent, but he nonetheless plunged into the icy water, vanishing beneath the surface and tumbling away
through the current.
"Even without your powers you'll probably survive," 'Lance' noted, reattaching his mask. He climbed aboard Lugia and headed out of the cavern, adding as an afterthought: "Probably."
Somewhere beneath the waves, Henry felt his body shutting down from the lack of oxygen. He thought perhaps if he focused, he could call on those powers of his, but all he saw was:
Henry and Sharon, on a ranch, still under construction. The two sat beneath a tree, watching the sun set.
"I think it's pretty obvious you like me," Sharon told him. "So when are you gonna' say it?"
"Have I ever admitted to an emotional attachment to anyone?" Henry asked. Sharon raised an eyebrow and he amended: "Human, that is."
Sharon smirked. "I do have a thing for mysterious guys. Especially ones without any sense of humor and who don't like talking about themselves."
"Mm." Henry replied. "Because you don't have to fill in gaps for me either?"
"Exactly," Sharon stated. "Though in your case, it doesn't really matter much. You can read my mind any time you feel like it."
"No, I can't," Henry responded. "I actually prefer talking to telepathy."
"Really? Why?"
"Well...I've gotten used to the sound of your voice, I guess."
"Ha! We're getting somewhere."
"Yes," Henry admitted. "You're lucky I'm so damn attracted to you."
Sharon was visually stunned. "Did you just say-?"
"I did," Henry nodded. "I figured; hell, maybe she'll fall for it."
"Well no, but I will reward your gusto." She pressed her lips upon him, and Henry, abandoning all pretense of stoicism, wrapped his arms around here and continued to wriggle about for several minutes.
A Sandslash seated further away muttered something to Cap, who proceeded to hit it in the back of the head, to Henry and Sharon's approval.
And then Mew carried him up from the river, bringing its master away from the Tohjo Falls and heading further away.
Staff pressed against sword as Sharon struggled to maintain the upper hand against her twin, the Divine Shadow. The battle had been long, as she was more than slightly wounded. She was proud that, despite her being somewhat out of practice, her opponent was in the same condition, if not more than a little worse. Her pride grew as she slightly turned her bloody eye to her 'children.'
The Tyrogue and Spinarak had been able to hold their own against the other Slayers and their Pokémon despite being kept on the defensive. That soon changed however when Crimson, no doubt looking for his master, arrived and quickly turned the odds to their favor.
Now, all the Slayers had fled or laid on ground, unconscious or dead.
Unfortunately, Crimson was kneeling on the ground, badly wounded, trying to offer some sort of protection to his fainted comrades.
Sharon's attention was brought back to the battle at hand when she felt her footing slide back as Shadow forced more strength into her attack.
"You've fought well," Sharon forced out, hoping she sounded stronger than she felt. "But it's over. You may be gaining ground here, but I'm not above having my Scizor fry you with a Hyper Beam."
In response, Crimson aimed one of his clamps at the two, opening it to reveal a small, glowing sphere of orange light.
Upon seeing that, Shadow leapt back and pressed a button on her sword hilt. The bodies of the fallen Slayers exploded, filling the forest with fire and smoke.
Sharon was knocked unto her back. Coughing and groaning in pain, she rolled onto her side, trying to find the strength to get back up. She tried to call out to Crimson, but that only resulted in her coughing up blood.
Smoke filled her eyes, and as she fought to remain alive, she found herself remembering...
"Can you believe it?" she asked, looking at the infant in her arms, only hours old. "A baby. We brought a true life into this world."
"Yes," Henry said, sitting at the foot of her bed. "It's possibly the most amazing thing I've seen."
"I want Cap to name him," Sharon said. "If it weren't for him, this child would have never been. They're going to mean the world to each other. I'll see to it."
"Are you going to tell Cap?" Henry asked. "About your past."
Sharon seemed to grow smaller at the question. "I can't. He may have guessed some parts of my it–he's not stupid after all–but I can't risk him hating me. Can't risk him seeing me as something less than human."
"He forgave your father," Henry pointed out.
"He didn't know my father, and even then it took time."
Henry nodded. "I respect your decision, even if I don't agree with it."
She smirked. "Damn right you do, if you ever want a shot of making another one of these."
Henry smiled and kissed his wife gently on the lips. "We have a family."
She smiled back. "Yes."
"And I will always be here to protect it."
Sharon slowly awoke to the sound of music and whispers. Opening her uninjured eye, she found Melody sitting at her side, playing her flute. Behind her, she saw Melody's Kingdra and a shining red Gyarados putting out what remained of the fire.
Seeing that Sharon was awake, Melody stopped playing and offered a sad smile. "Try not to move. We got you bandaged up, but it looks like you lost a lot of blood."
"Naruto and Widow?" she asked weakly.
"Treated and recalled. Crimson too."
"Henry?"
"Gone," Cap said in a defeated tone as he walked over to Sharon's side and helped her into a sitting position. "We almost won, and then...poof."
Once she could see better, Sharon looked around. Silver stood off to the side, watching the red Gyarados with some degree of fascination, possibly envy. Nate said with his back against a tree, arms resting on his knees, and face buried against his arms. Sandslash was at Cap's side, oddly quiet.
At Sharon's request, Cap summarized their battle with the masked man and Lugia. When he was done, Sharon explained what had happened with her and Shadow.
A silence followed, which Silver broke with the question of "What will you do now?"
"I'm going to the hospital," Sharon replied flatly. "I'm going to have my wounds treated, and when I'm well, I am going to wipe the Order of the Dragonheed from the face of the planet."
"Sharon," Melody whispered, as if afraid. "I know the Order is evil and needs to be stopped, but what about Azrael?"
"Quest and Sara are watching him."
"For the week! They have a Gym to run! And you are going to need a lot of time to heal--"
"She heals quick," Cap said standing up. "And she's right. The Order needs to be destroyed."
"But her son–!"
"I'll watch him."
Everyone turned to Nate, who was just now raising his head. "I'll go back to your farm and take care of the kid. He likes me, and I like him. And...I just can't do this."
Everyone looked at Nate in shock, except for Silver, who now seemed to hold Nate in disdain.
"Nate, we need--"
"No Cap. I'm just the comic relief. I train as a hobby. My Pokémon are pets more than anything. I was able to help during Arshia, I know, but that was it." He shook his head. "I'm not built for this type of thing."
"Thank you," Sharon said softly. "I know he'll be safe with you."
Nate seemed surprised and touched at this. "You're welcome."
Cap sighed and hung his head. "Anyone else?"
"You know I'm with you," Melody said. "But what about that guy with Lugia? What about Henry?"
"We'll get to them," Cap said. "But the Order needs to be destroyed. I will not let Azrael's sacrifice, his redemption, become meaningless."
"But Lugia–!" Melody insisted.
"Is our friend and we won't abandon him," Sharon assured her. "And there's no way I'm giving up Henry without a fight."
"Maybe there's some way you can strike at both," Silver offered.
That seemed to give Cap an idea. "Yeah...and I think I know what it is. To fight Legendary Pokémon, I think we should capture a Legendary Pokémon."
Everyone looked at him oddly.
"Oh sure," Melody said rolling her eyes. "Because Legendary Pokémon are so easy to find."
"Actually, I know exactly where one is," Cap smirked.
Sharon smiled. "That's my boy."
"Where?" Silver asked, obviously confused.
"Ecruteak City," Cap replied, pulling out his Fog Badge. "Where another legendary bird goes to roost."
Henry awoke some time later, sputtering and spitting out all the water he'd taken in, and glancing around the waterfall for some sign of the man who'd defeated him. Mew was waiting diligently at his side and seemed very relieved its master had awoken.
"Where'd he go?" Henry asked. Mew only shook its head. Henry sighed and began the climb up the waterfall's slope, aided by his Mew. Without Pidgeot to fly or Lapras to ride up the Waterfall, he climbed up the slick rock and exited the cavern.
He followed a short path outwards, finding himself at a large building; the stadium of the Johto Pokemon League. He healed his Pokemon at the center there, receiving odd looks from the staff due to his wet, grimy nature (and unpleasant, wet dog scent).
Henry stalked straight past the attendants and into the stadium. He thought about Cap, Sharon, and the others, but ultimately continued forward: he had to see his rival and understand.
"LANCE!" Henry cried out.
The stadium gave no response.
He glanced around, Mew still at his side. "Where are the Elite Four?"
"Karen," 'Lance the Dragon Master' called, speaking through a communication device in his mask. "When those five return to Mahogany Town, you'll assume the position of temporary gym leader and direct them to Goldenrod."
"Is that where we make our move?" Karen asked.
"Yes," 'Lance' replied. "Koga, Bruno, and Will are all on their way there. The four of you should be more than enough to defeat them."
"Are you certain they're enemies of the Pokemon League?" Karen asked.
"They are enemies of the entire world," he explained. "One is a former member of the Order of the Dragonheed. Another is the son of Giovanni. All five have consorted with a former Team Rocket Operative; the infamous 6544."
Karen paused. "Henry the fallen master?"
"Yes, back when I still thought of him as a human being," 'Lance' replied. "Anyway, you'll send them to Goldenrod to board the train there. On their way back towards Kanto, the Elite Four will capture them."
"What about you?" Karen asked.
"I'm going after Henry," 'Lance' answered shortly. "Before he escapes from me again."
"...understood. We'll move into position."
'Lance' turned off his communication device and pulled the gold/silver Pokeball from his cloak. "No need to rush. We have all the time in the world..."