Triumvirate

by Renaerys

In an untamed world filled with monsters and beasts, four young people discover that true horror lies not between gnashing jaws, but within the hearts of men and women just like them. [Realistic Pokemon AU] [Mangaverse w/ some anime and game influences]

4. Origins

Triumvirate, chapter 4: Origins
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon
Note: This is a BACKGROUND CHAPTER detailing Ivy's (Green's) past with Marco (Silver) and Lily (Yellow). As such, it occurs before and up to the events of Chapter 1.

---

For as long as Ivy could remember, she'd been on her guard. There was always someone or something ready to jump out of the shadows and cut her while she was down. Ever since golden wings and sharp talons had carried her off from a place she no longer remembered calling home and brought her to the Masked Man, every day had been an exercise in watching her back because the only people watching it for her would sooner stab her than protect her.

He'd called it training. If she couldn't protect herself, she had no business breathing and taking up space in the world. Nothing was free. She would always remember the first month in his care, though she used the word 'care' ironically. Total isolation and almost perpetual darkness didn't qualify as 'care'.

She remembered that he liked to watch her through his peephole. She would scream for her parents, throw tantrums, and he would only ever watch with those cold, blue eyes, almost white, they were so clear and pale. He brought with him a chill that misted her breath. But when she realized no one was coming, no one could hear, she screamed less and cried more. Until there was nothing left to cry. Those days she would sit in the corner of her six by eight foot cell with her knees to her chest and stare at nothing. Listless. Defeated. Six-year-olds are not supposed to contemplate death and dying, but in the dark where no one could see her but the man with the bright eyes that sucked all the light out of the room, her mind wandered.

Just before it could wander too far, though, he opened the door and told her to change out of her soiled clothing and put on a green smock and matching mask to conceal her visage.

"Your name is Green now."

It was the only name she would know for the next five years.

He began her training along with another's. The boy was about her age with ratty, auburn hair and piercing, grey eyes that would have looked kind of pretty if they weren't bloodshot and ringed with purple splotches. She wondered if she looked any different, but decided she didn't want to know.

"This is Silver."

It was all the introduction they got, and it was all they needed. Like Green, Silver wore a mask and matching grey smock, and both were forbidden from removing their masks under any circumstances except to bathe. Silver was a quiet boy, but not shy. He watched and he remembered, like a caged jungle cat that sleeps with one eye open, waiting for the zoo keeper to forget to lock the door, to wander just a little too close. Over the years, the Masked Man pitted Green and Silver against each other. They began with their fists, then graduated to switchblades. Their bodies grew and their skin stretched, but the scars they accumulated connected them, like they weren't wounds at all but the only things holding them together lest they fall to pieces.

One day, Green woke up before him and hovered over his bedside. She'd never seen his real face, nor he hers. The Masked Man wouldn't come for them for another half hour, and the sun wasn't even up yet. So she carefully dipped her fingers under the bottom of his mask and lifted it over his head. Silver was instantly awake and tried to tackle her to the ground, where they rolled around. He pinned her easily, since she didn't attempt to fight back, and she stared. His forehead was creased with surprise and the instinct to fight, and his teeth were bared as he panted with the effects of adrenaline and fading dregs of sleep. He had a splash of light freckles over his nose that she'd never seen before when he wore his mask, and they dusted his rather angular cheekbones.

"My mask." He realized what she'd done and quickly got off of her to go look for it.

"Wait!"

Green got up and stood between Silver and his discarded mask. They faced off, tense, and he stole a glance at the door where any minute, the Masked Man could walk in unannounced or peek in through the peephole. He was quick to dole out beatings for disobedience, and there was no telling what he would do if he caught Silver without his mask.

Green swallowed and stepped toward him. He held his ground.

"What're you doing?" he demanded.

Tentative, she reached up and ran her fingers over the wash of freckles on his left cheek. Silver's eyes went wide at the contact, and he pulled away.

"I just wanted to make sure you were real," she said.

They stood there in silence for a moment as Green did her best to memorize his face. He was so young, like her, and she'd never even seen his face in the two years they'd been with the Masked Man.

Without warning, Silver reached for her mask and pulled. Green's instinct was to turn away, but she stayed still and let the green mask fall away. Silver's eyes roamed her newly revealed face like it was the first time he'd ever laid eyes on another person. Tears welled in her eyes and she grabbed his hand and brought it to her cheek.

"I'm real, too."

Something changed in Silver that day, something subtle that only she seemed to notice as the weeks turned to months. Instead of quietly chomping at the bit, he became more subdued. Patient. They fought as commanded, patched each other up, and wore their masks like a second skin. And all the while, Silver waited. Patient.

"You and me," he confided in her late one night while they hid themselves under the covers, masks off, as a blizzard raged outside. "We're alone in this together."

And together they stayed.

On Green's eleventh birthday, someone came for Silver and her. The woman was pretty, she remembered thinking, and the man had soft eyes, inviting.

"It's time to go," the woman had said.

Team Rocket's child soldier program was in its fledgling years, and Green and Silver had been the second batch of guinea pigs. Except back then, there was no Team Rocket. They were just 'the Team', and the man and woman that had brought her in were the Masked Man's first protégés to showcase his particular brand of 'care'.

"What's your name?" the woman had asked.

"Green."

The woman just smiled softly, but it wasn't a nice smile. "Not anymore. From now on, you're Ivy. And he's Marco, not Silver. Okay?"

"Okay."

Okay.

Sometimes Ivy would lie awake at night just seeing the color green. She saw it in the stars, in the moon, in Umbreon's glowing eyes when it stirred from its slumber. There wasn't much she could remember before the color green. Before this life.

"You look good in green, kid."

She liked that he'd said that. Lance, the Dragon Master. Like it validated all those sleepless nights. Like it was worth something.

But that was a silly thought for a silly little girl who'd only ever been little in that small, dark hole the Masked Man had kept her in as he watched her, waiting for something. Or maybe just because.

Will and Karen were the ones that brought Ivy and Marco to the Team after their time spent with the Masked Man. They were too old, he'd said. Time to find new specimens. Karen had a smile like she had secrets, and secrets were powerful. Ivy liked secrets.

"Ivy, would you like a Pokémon?"

Karen handed her a small, red and white ball without waiting for an answer. In Ivy's eleven-year-old hands, the ball was large and a little heavy.

"Go on, it's yours."

Ivy dropped the Pokéball and Larvitar, still a newborn, toppled out from within the flash of light. Its eyes were barely open.

"See? It's green, so you don't have to be anymore."

But nothing is free.

The lesson was learned anew when the next day, a Grunt was ordered to attack Ivy and Larvitar with his Raticate. The rodent was vicious and unforgiving, and Larvitar was more afraid than ferocious at barely a month old. When Raticate got ahold of its head and bit down hard in an attempt to crack the skull, Ivy threw herself into the arena and started beating the hell out of the feral rodent with a stick. Raticate was fast and strong. It ripped out a chunk of her shoulder, but she grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and slammed it on the ground. She couldn't say how many times she stomped on Raticate's head with her booted foot as she imagined it crunching Larvitar's skull like an eggshell. By the time they pulled her out of there, the rodent was nothing more than a pulpy, red mess. Her white boots were covered in blood and rat entrails, but she wore them the rest of the year. Recruits only got new uniforms when they outgrew the old ones, no exceptions.

Marco saw her bloody boots and the passed out Larvitar in her arms later that night, and he didn't say a word. He just got on his hands and knees and started scrubbing them with an old towel, the one they gave him for showering. Ivy cried that night, the first time since she'd forgotten how in that dark, cold place under the Masked Man's voyeuristic gaze.

As she got older, so did Larvitar. Karen gave her an Eevee and taught her how to evolve it into Umbreon. She liked Dark Pokémon, Karen.

"The night isn't so scary when the things that go bump are on your side."

Ivy caught a Houndour a few years later with those words in mind. The four of them—Karen, Will, Ivy, and Marco—stuck together within the Team. Karen and Will were older and more experienced, so they were promoted to Admin status a few years after Ivy and Marco joined the fold. But the four of them always found time to train and spar together. Those years were the best and the worst, the times when it almost felt like she had friends until she remembered why.

True to his word, there was hardly ever a day when Marco wasn't by her side. They were bonded, imprinted upon each other like the scars they'd exchanged as children. And he was the only one she really trusted. The day the Team became Team Rocket, the founder addressed the members at the main base west of Blackthorn City. Giovanni D'Argento had a commanding but charismatic presence in his pressed suit, matching fedora, and perfectly clean-shaven face. Ivy was barely sixteen when he announced that the new Team Rocket was successfully entering Kanto as a scion of hope and peace after the Great War ended a decade and a half ago. It would be Team Rocket, he argued, that would be the bridge between two great civilizations that had been feuding for centuries now that a shaky ceasefire had been called.

"The world is a dangerous place. Monsters are real, and they've ruled these lands for millennia," he'd said. "But only the strongest can carry the weight of a crown. We, Team Rocket, will usher in a new era for all mankind!"

There was a lot of hooting and hollering that day, and the Grunts like Ivy and Marco even got a glass of champagne to celebrate the big step forward for Team Rocket. Marco wasn't in the mood to celebrate, though, and Ivy wasn't about to have fun alone.

"He's right about the world being a dangerous place," Marco said once they were alone in their shared room. "Monsters are real, but the ones he meant aren't the ones we should be afraid of."

They didn't celebrate at all that night or on future nights when Team Rocket announced their victories across the continent and finally their expansion into Kanto.

---

On her last day as a member of Team Rocket, Ivy was dressed in a floor-length, jade evening dress with her long hair up and makeup accenting her features. Marco wore a pressed tuxedo and blended in with the rest of the men, except for his shoulder-length, auburn hair that he refused to cut no matter how many times she insisted he would look good with it short.

Team Rocket was hosting a lavish gala for the Elite Four in Blackthorn City. Johto's wealthy one percent would be in attendance, as would their checkbooks. Further fundraising was needed to continue aggressive expansion plans into Kanto and take Team Rocket's presence there to the next level. The Elite Four's buy-in could be a game changer for Team Rocket, but the elusive, nonpartisan organization had given little indication of its collective stance on Team Rocket's efforts. Having been promoted to Admin status almost a year prior, Ivy and Marco had the good fortune of attending the gala as guests rather than remaining stationed around the perimeter on guard duty with the rest of the Grunts.

"Don't forget," Marco said as he squeezed her hand. "Be at the doors at midnight sharp. The Grunts'll be switching out then and the bikes won't be guarded."

Ivy nodded. "One more night and we're free."

They parted ways to network and mingle with the guests as their leader expected. Ivy swiped a glass of sparkling water before anyone could get the dumb idea to try offering her alcohol. She would need to be functioning at one hundred percent tonight if the plan was going to go off without a hitch.

"Ivy, I was just talking about you," Karen said.

She beckoned her over, and Ivy plastered a polite smile to her face. Karen looked stunning in a sequined, violet dress with a long cut that reached mid-thigh. She was speaking to two people Ivy recognized by reputation alone.

"Lorelei, Lance, I'd like you to meet Ivy. She's something of a little sister to me."

For two of the most powerful trainers in the world, they didn't look much different from any of the other guests in attendance tonight. Still, there was an air of aloof calm about them that reminded Ivy of grey storm clouds on the horizon—harmless at a distance, but get too close you were bound to attract a little lightning.

Lorelei gave Ivy a frigid once-over but nodded politely. "Charmed."

Yeah, right.

"The pleasure is all mine," Lance said.

Before she could say anything, he plucked her glass from her hand and swapped it for a champagne flute a passing waiter carried.

"Please, this is a night to celebrate."

Ivy bit her cheek but smiled easily. A smile was perhaps her most powerful weapon, much more so than the titanium alloy knife strapped to her inner thigh under her dress. With the twitch of a few muscles, even the most suspicious people could be lulled into a sense of security.

"Here's to the Elite Four, then, for coming all this way," she said.

They clinked their glasses together and everyone took a sip. Lance had the look of a mafia boss from a few decades ago. His red hair was spiked stylishly and contrasted with his nearly black eyes. His tuxedo even smelled expensive, and he carried himself with a poise so easy and confident that even if she didn't know who he was, she would have picked him out from the room as a key stakeholder.

Lorelei was the opposite of Lance in almost every way. Where he was easygoing and confident, she was rigid and suspicious. Her deep, blue stare behind rimless glasses was chilly and off-putting, and even the baby blue dress and thick, chestnut hair only served to sharpen her angles rather than soften them out. There was a draft in the air about her, like she radiated cold instead of heat. Ivy instantly disliked her.

"Well, I'm only here for the free food and drinks," Lance joked.

Karen chuckled, but Lorelei remained stony-faced and taciturn.

"Ivy, I was just telling Lance and Lorelei about Team Rocket's plans for further expansion into Kanto," Karen said. "As you both know, we already have a presence there, but there's so much more we can do. Of course, the cities with Gyms have adequate protection from the wilds and highly functioning municipal systems, but we're more concerned about smaller towns, like Pallet and Lavender."

"Karen, enough about the politics. This party is for merrymaking," Lance said. "Why don't you join me for a dance?"

"Oh no, I'm not big on dancing."

"Excellent. I find those types to be the best partners. Please, I insist."

She reluctantly held out her hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. With nothing further to say, Ivy excused herself from Lorelei's presence and dumped her barely touched champagne on an hors d'oeuvre table. All this talk of Team Rocket and expanding its influence was making her sick to her stomach. For years she'd been fed the same tripe with no chance to question it. But since her recent promotion to Admin, she got a real look at Team Rocket's so-called ambitions for a new world order—or takeover. And she wanted no part of them at all.

Giovanni was near the front of the room conversing with the Elite Four's Agatha and Bruno, who looked as though they'd just heard an indecorous joke. In a world where no one could be trusted, Ivy wondered what the most powerful group of Pokémon trainers around thought of Team Rocket's goals and how they would react. It was too soon to tell.

The hours passed, and Ivy got roped into conversations with other Rocket Admins as well as a few wealthy Johto elites.

"Ms. Harvey, I understand you're rebuilding the Goldenrod Radio Tower," said Ariana, a Rocket Admin in a red cocktail dress that matched the bloody shade of her hair. "I would love to discuss our plans with you more, and I think your radio tower could be just the thing we need for a project I'm working on."

Helena Harvey, a middle-aged woman in a conservative, black dress with a blonde bun wound so tight Ivy was sure her eyes might pop out, sipped her champagne. "I don't mean this the wrong way, but I'm envisioning the radio tower as a community project. I want people to be able to communicate not just around Johto, but in Kanto and Hoenn, too. High speed communication is a basic human right. I don't know how I would feel handing that over to your organization at this stage, if at all."

Ariana demurred. "Why don't I tell you a little more about my project? Here, let me refill your glass. We've nicknamed the project 'Chimera'..."

Ariana walked off with Ms. Harvey and didn't so much as glance at Ivy, which was just fine. Chimera was Team Rocket's newest baby, and even most Admins didn't have the clearance to know the finer details. All Ivy knew so far was that it was a two-part project with both an emotional and physical aspect that would somehow make Pokémon easier to tame and thus bring a new degree of guaranteed safety to frontier towns and unguarded Routes between human settlements. At least, that was the snake oil they were selling to anyone without the proper clearance. She squeezed her glass, but caught herself before she shattered it. Pretending to check her reflection in a compact, Ivy checked the clock on the back wall—11:37 pm. It was nearly time to go, and she needed to get out of this dress.

Heading for the kitchen where she'd stashed her pack, Ivy almost ran into Lance when he appeared in front of her on his way to grab some food from a passing waiter.

"Oh, Ivy, was it? Where're you off to in such a rush?"

Shit.

"Bathroom. Please excuse me."

He stepped in front of her as she tried to get around him. "But the bathroom is that way." He pointed over her shoulder in the opposite direction.

"That one has a line. There's another one through the kitchen." The lie was so easy and smooth she believed it herself.

He grinned, and she couldn't help but notice that his incisors were sharper and a bit longer than normal. This close, in fact, he looked different than he had before. His hair wasn't styled so much as frozen in place, like it was thicker and heavier than normal hair. And the black of his eyes was so deep and dark that it was almost animalistic. Yet his smile was still that same, easy-going grin from before. She blinked and shook off the strange feeling, and he took a step back.

"Well, far be it from me to stand in your way."

"Excuse me."

He grabbed her wrist as she attempted to get away again, and his grip was firm and cold. She couldn't explain it, but she felt tiny and breakable in his grip, like at any moment his skin might peel away and turn to jagged scales.

"You look good in green, kid."

She stared back at him for a few breaths, utterly at a loss for what to say to that. He smiled at her again, and she smiled back on instinct.

"See you around," he said softly.

He let her go and disappeared back into the crowd. Ivy rubbed her wrist and shivered, suddenly cold. His fingers had been cold as ice, and despite the warmth of his smile, she had to wonder if that was a compliment at all.

Giovanni called for everyone's attention, and the crowd began to pipe down and take seats at the round tables set up around the wide room. Ivy grabbed a tray of empty champagne flutes and held them at eye-level as she retreated to the kitchen in case anyone noticed her leaving. Once there, she walked as fast as she could in her heels to the back where the trash chute was. Without hesitation, she unzipped her dress in the back and stepped out of it. Then she kicked off her heels and tossed the bundle down the trash chute. Her pack was in the air vent just above the metal chute, and she jiggled the pane free and retrieved it. As she was pulling her pants on, a waiter walked by and gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss! I didn't see anything!"

Swearing, Ivy quickly pulled on her black shirt and green cargo jacket before shouldering the pack and taking off through the back door without answering the flustered waiter. He would surely alert someone that he'd walked in on a half-naked woman in the kitchen, of all places, and she needed to be long gone before then.

Outside, the stars were brilliant and bright. Blackthorn was nestled at the base of Frost Mountain, which separated it from its higher altitude neighbor, Mahogany Town. The air was cool and smelled of pine, though the scent of Ariana's perfume still lingered in her nose. She rubbed it for good measure and jogged around the corner.

"There you are. I thought you'd lost track of time."

Marco, also changed out of his formal wear and all in black and denim now, was busy securing his pack to the back of a dirt bike. It was one of a dozen parked and chained that belonged to the Rocket Grunts on duty.

"Damnit," Ivy swore as she slung her pack over the bike next to Marco's and tied it down. "We can't take these while they're chained up."

"I got it." Marco threw a Pokéball and his Sneasel appeared. It lumbered awkwardly on all fours and made a sucking noise.

"Cut through these chains."

Sneasel sat up on its haunches and uncurled its claws. Ivy watched in morbid curiosity as its folded hands straightened and separated into deadly talons. Something about the way it moved gave her the creeps, but Sneasel made short work of the metal chains and sliced through them like they were nothing but paper.

"C'mon, we have to go. Those Grunts'll be back any—"

"Hey! What're you doing back there?"

A pair of Rocket Grunts shined a flashlight at Ivy and Marco and began jogging over.

"Time to go." Ivy mounted her dirt bike and revved it up. She and Marco peeled out and nearly ran over the advancing Grunts, who jumped out of the way just in time.

"They'll sound the alarm!" Ivy called to Marco over the hum of their engines.

"Then we better move!"

Route Forty-Five was a jagged mountain pass that, while a straight shot south to New Bark Town, was a fairly constant thirty-eight degree slope and riddled with mountain death traps such as falling rocks, thirty-foot ledges, and fearsome Pokémon like Graveler and Skarmory that liked to make their nests in the mountainside. It offered an excellent deterrent to anyone hoping to sniff around Team Rocket's headquarters outside Blackthorn, but a not-so-ideal escape route for those who wanted out. After thirteen years of brutality and brainwashing, though, Marco and Ivy were not easily deterred.

From Route Forty-Five, they would have to pass through part of Dark Cave and continue to New Bark Town via Route Forty-Seven. In the dark and on the run was not the best way to navigate the badlands between Blackthorn and New Bark, but they didn't have much of a choice. Ivy didn't think they had more than twenty or thirty minutes before the Rocket Grunts they'd mowed down ratted them out and a team was organized to hunt them down.

Marco skidded to avoid a crag that his flood light illuminated at the last minute. On either side of them, cliffs rose and peaked into mountains. They were vertical and smooth in certain areas were slabs of shale had come loose and crashed to the ground. Pine trees peppered the mountainside, and Ivy had to steer carefully to avoid them. For the first ten minutes of hard steering and instant start-stops, they encountered no problems. But when Marco went over a ledge and landed hard on the ground below, the earth erupted under him and sent him flying. A massive Graveler roared and picked itself up out of the rubble where it made its home under the ledge. It pounded its armored belly and charged. Ivy threw a Pokéball and released Umbreon.

"Smash it, Umbreon!"

Umbreon soared through the air and collided with Graveler's shoulder. The Iron Tail attack was enough to send Graveler stumbling, and it screeched in pain. But it kept coming.

"You gotta hit it in the back of the head!" Marco said as he frantically tried to right his dirt bike. "That's their only weak spot!"

"Coulda told me that earlier!"

Graveler was on a mission to bulldoze Umbreon into the ground, but the black feline was better suited to the darkness of night than it, and dodging was an easy matter.

"Croconaw, blast it!"

Marco released his Croconaw and the ferocious alligator shot a powerful jet of water from its gaping maw. The water collided with Graveler's left side as it made a swipe for Umbreon, and the walking boulder lost its balance.

"Oh, crap! Umbreon!"

Ivy hastily revved her bike and recalled Umbreon just as Graveler rolled down the hill where she'd been situated not a second earlier. It made a thunderous booming sound as it fell down the mountainside, disturbing whatever lay below them.

"C'mon, we gotta move!"

Marco had recalled Croconaw and was already speeding ahead toward one of Dark Cave's many entrances. Lights flashed on overhead as motion detectors picked up their movement. Team Rocket used the shallower chambers of this cave for its R&D projects. At least, that was what they told the Grunts and anyone unaffiliated with the top brass. Ivy followed Marco around a tight corner and gritted her teeth as the bike's wheels skidded.

Voices reached them up ahead, but Marco only sped up. They burst into a wide cavern that had been cleared out for Rocket scientists and their grisly research. Stainless steel tables lined the walls and personnel hunched over them absorbed in their work. Some were dissecting Pokémon carcasses while others scribbled notes or fiddled with complex machinery. The stench of formaldehyde and bleach combined in a pungent cocktail that only barely masked the decay that clung to the air. In the middle of the room, there was a makeshift arena where a Machamp was busy pummeling the life out of an Ursaring. Even outside the setting, it was highly unusual to see such a matchup, as Machamp and Ursaring rarely crossed paths and were not natural enemies.

The fight forced Ivy and Marco to stop their flight. Scientists and Rocket Grunts working in the underground lab stopped what they were doing and began to shout in confusion.

"What the fuck?" Marco reached for Croconaw's Pokéball again.

Ivy saw it, too. The Machamp's second set of arms had been amputated, and sewn into into their place were blade-like appendages, almost like a Scyther's limbs. Purple spikes protruded from its back and dripped a dark, viscous substance. Poison, no doubt, but Machamp didn't produce poison naturally. It also wore some kind of headgear that looked like a metal spider had latched onto its head. Most disturbing of all were its eyes, which had been gouged out to make room for the machinery's wandering tentacles.

Ursaring, however, was in worse shape. The fight must have been going on for some time because it was bleeding heavily and missing an arm. The limb had been torn or perhaps sliced off and lay in a bloody heap a few feet away. Ursaring's mouth was gaping, its jaw disconnected. Its teeth were unnaturally large and slicked with drool, cartoonish in their disproportion with the bear's small head. They were the kind of jaws one might expect to find on a Feraligatr. And instead of its usual, golden fur, Ursaring's back bore thick patches of rough, grey scales reminiscent of the Graveler Ivy and Marco had taken out earlier that night.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be here," one of the scientists said. "Chimera's a need-to-know project. Machamp, Ursaring, kill them!"

The scientist carried a portable computer with him and punched in some kind of code. Machamp howled as if in pain and slammed its arms on the ground hard enough to cause a tremor. It then lunged at Marco and Ivy.

"Shit!"

They revved up their bikes again and tore through the room, splitting up and each taking a side. Machamp followed Marco, while Ursaring barreled after Ivy. The bear bellowed and picked up a table with its remaining hand to fling at her. The dirt bike was fast and easy to maneuver, though, so she swerved out of its path. The pair of scientists it hit, however, were not so lucky. They crashed into the nearby cave wall, bisected at the waist where the table slammed into them. Their entrails spilled down the table's surface as their top halves toppled to the ground, still twitching for a few seconds before falling still.

"Larvitar!"

Ivy released her Larvitar, and the little green dinosaur hit the ground running. It saw the charging Ursaring and lowered its head.

"Bash it!"

Larvitar lunged forward just as Ursaring drew back its thick fist for a punch and collided with the bear's belly. Larvitar's horn stabbed through Ursaring's thick hide and knocked the wind out of it, sending it toppling backward onto its rear.

Ivy abandoned her bike and ran around behind Ursaring while Larvitar kept it busy. She grabbed the first thing she could find—a rusty pipe piece—and slammed it over Ursaring's head where the same tentacled machine was attached and boring in through all its orifices. Ursaring grunted and threw back its head to snap its oversized jaws at Ivy. This close up, she noticed some of the teeth were reinforced with metal gums, like they'd been implanted directly into Ursaring's mouth.

Larvitar went for the throat when it saw the opening and bit down through the shale scales protecting it. They shattered under the dinosaur's powerful jaw and Larvitar tore out Ursaring's windpipe. The big bear fell to the ground, motionless, and the tech on its head writhed as though it were sentient and sensing its host was dead. Larvitar continued to gnaw at Ursaring's throat to get at the soft flesh beyond the tough, implanted scales and consume it.

Meanwhile, Marco had somehow managed to get the Machamp to punch the wall of the cave, where one of its scythe arms was now firmly stuck. Sneasel was crawling up its back and attempting to get at the tech on its head, but the venomous spikes embedded in Machamp's back and neck threw off the weasel's aim. Sneasel's sharp claws sliced through some of the tech's spidery appendages, but the effort wasn't enough to disable it.

"Damnit, kill him!" The scientist controlling Machamp was punching buttons on his computer again.

Machamp roared and pulled with all its might, and Ivy watched, horrified, as it ripped the bladed appendage right out. A gaping hole where the appendage used to be gushed with blood and splattered to the floor under Machamp's feet. It then tried to reach around its back to get at Sneasel.

"Larvitar, Rockslide!" Ivy shouted.

Larvitar looked up from its meal, and its green snout was splattered with blood and bits of torn flesh. It abandoned Ursaring and ran to the other side of the cave where Machamp had finally managed to grab Sneasel and throw it as hard as it could at the wall. Marco scooped up his unresponsive Pokémon, hands trembling.

Machamp swung around with its fists, and Marco backtracked. The scythe caught him in the forearm, and he cried out as he reached for Croconaw's Pokéball. Larvitar had made it to the other side of the cave and kept going until it rammed the wall with all its hardheaded might. The impact created a crack that spidered up toward the ceiling. Overhead, one hanging lamp fell loose from its hold in the cleaved ceiling and crashed to the ground with a pop. Then another fell, and another, until soon the ceiling itself was beginning to crumble and collapse. People screamed and tried to evacuate as they sensed the inevitable.

"Hydro Pump!" Marco commanded.

The blue alligator buried its claws in the cave floor, raised its tail for balance, and spat out a highly pressurized stream of water that hit Machamp in the chest and threw it off kilter. It ended up stumbling backward into the rockslide Larvitar had caused. Heavy boulders and debris fell on top of it, breaking its bones and smashing the machinery controlling it. Ivy reached Marco and helped him up.

"I'm fine. We have to go!"

The whole cave was beginning to collapse. They recalled their Pokémon and Marco mounted his bike. Ivy ran back toward hers, but a Rocket Grunt tried to intercept her with a knife. She ducked his swipe but tripped over rubble and ended up landing hard on her hip. The Rocket Grunt brought his knife down again, but it never met its target. Marco's engine revved nearby, and the Grunt groaned in surprise before losing his balance and falling flat on his face. A thick hunting knife was embedded in the back of his neck.

"Move!"

She ignored the flare of pain in her thigh and retrieved Marco's knife from the Grunt's neck before racing back to her bike. Marco was already speeding toward the exit, but just as Ivy was about to follow, she saw that one of the Pokémon a scientist had been dissecting was a Golbat, and it was alive.

It looked as though the scientist had abandoned his work halfway through. Golbat's left eye had been scooped out with a spoon and set aside, leaving the socket to fill with blood and pous. Its wing was broken and the bone was exposed, and the bat's frantic flapping was only making the injury worse. She and Marco had intervened before the deranged Rocket scientists could fit Golbat with the brainwashing tech or harvest it for parts for their patchwork creations. There was no time, but she couldn't leave the poor thing to die like that. Reaching for a spare Pokéball at her belt, Ivy went to Golbat and prepared to catch it. The bat only renewed its attempts to get free.

"It's okay, I'm here to help."

There would be nothing left to help if she didn't hurry up and get out of there. A large rock fell from the ceiling and crashed on the table next to Golbat, sending the animal sliding to the right as its shackles kept it stuck to the table. Ivy tapped it with the empty Pokéball, and Golbat disappeared inside it. She pocketed her catch and quickly got back on her bike just as the entrance caved in. Rocks and debris crashed down onto her back, and she gritted her teeth against the pain and hoped she hadn't broken a rib. Free of the cavern and its assault, she sped down the winding tunnel until she caught up with Marco.

He was waiting for her on the other side. "Where the hell were you?"

"Sorry, let's go."

Their lights and high speed warded off any stray Pokémon lurking in the shadows of Dark Cave, and soon they were outside and speeding down Route Forty-Seven. Marco skidded to a stop to look back. They could see Blackthorn from here, and there was an army of lights descending Route Forty-Five to the south of it.

"That was fast. Damnit," Marco said.

"It's okay, we're almost in the clear."

His arm was still bleeding, but he didn't seem to notice. Her own back felt unusually warm, and she suspected she was bleeding. The ache made it hard to breath. She wanted to say something, but there would be time later to worry about their injuries.

"Let's go."

He led the way down Route Forty-Seven, and Ivy tried to ignore the blistering pain in her hip every time she went over a ledge or skidded to avoid a sleeping Geodude. A pair of Skarmory squawked as they passed and looked like they would give chase, but the dirt bikes moved fast and made an unnatural noise that made the birds wary. Even with the thick smell of pine and petrichor in the air, Ivy had a hard time forgetting the scent of decay and old blood back in the Dark Cave lab. The memory of Ursaring's bleeding jaw where some sadistic scientist had implanted Feraligatr fangs into metal gums made her want to throw up even with the rush of night wind that cooled her face as she rode.

After another half hour of riding, it became apparent that the chase had been slowed down considerably by the cave in they'd caused. New Bark was just a stone's throw away, and the incline had evened out as pine trees were replaced with tall, golden grass. Even several miles out of town, Ivy could taste the salt from the ocean. Freedom.

They ditched their bikes in a copse where they were hidden from sight and continued into town on foot. Marco clutched his wounded arm, and Ivy tried to keep up with his pace despite her limp.

"Marco, I don't think we should split up."

"We talked about this. It's the only way. You have to go to Kanto. We're going to need the Gym Leaders' support."

She bit her lip. "I know, but the Elite Four—"

"—can't do much on their own. And that's even assuming they'd be on our side. You saw how Team Rocket was schmoozing them tonight. Money and power talk. At the end of the day, they're just four people against a whole army of Pokémon Trainers under that tyrant's thumb. "

Marco hated Giovanni with a passion. Everything about the man was repulsive to him ever since he gave that first speech about expanding into Kanto several years ago.

"You really think the Gym Leaders'll be enough to convince the Elite Four to intervene?" she said.

"They have to be. It's a catch-22—we need the Gym Leaders to convince the Elite Four, but only the Elite Four can force the Gym Leaders into action. That's why it's up to you and me."

She stopped walking. "I'm afraid."

The stars were as brilliant and bright here as they were higher up in Blackthorn, and they reflected in Marco's eyes, bathing them in a silver light that made him look like some kind of knight from another world, someone who could make the impossible possible. Ivy had always drawn strength from him just as he drew strength from her. And now she would lose him, the only true friend she'd ever known, the brother she'd grown to love, perhaps never to see again in this life. Giovanni may be a tyrant, but he was right about one thing—the world was a very dangerous place.

"We knew what getting out would mean." Marco put a hand on her shoulder and looked down into her bright, blue eyes. "We can't stand by and let Team Rocket infect the world with their rot. Chimera's proof enough of that. We know better than anyone that they don't want peace or to help the little guy; they want power, and they don't care who they step on to get it. Giovanni has to be stopped. We can't give up until every last one of those scumbags is six feet under."

Ivy nodded. "I know, and I'm with you. But...what about Will? Karen..."

"They're with Team Rocket. They could've gotten out like you and me, but they're still there. Look, I'm sorry, Ivy. I know how you feel about Karen, but she's not the priority. This is so much bigger than you and me."

"Maybe she and Will'll help us when the time comes."

He closed his eyes and drew a steadying breath. "I really hope so. But you're the only person I trust, so I'm not holding my breath."

Ivy pulled him into a hug and clenched her fingers around his unkempt, auburn hair. She had the passing thought that she wouldn't have been able to do this if he'd listened to her and cut it short, after all. "I can't lose you, Marco. I can't."

He hugged her back. "You won't. I swear it. C'mon, we have to find Professor Elm."

It was nearly four in the morning by the time they reached Professor David Elm's house in New Bark Town. Never one to consider things like decorum when he needed something, Marco pounded on the front door of the man's private residence until the light in the kitchen came on and a frazzled man in a blue bathrobe opened the door. He blinked in surprised at the impromptu visitors at such an indecent hour and fumbled for his glasses.

"H-Hello, can I help you? Wait, do you have any idea what time it is?"

Marco didn't wait for an invitation and pushed past Professor Elm. The man nearly fell over, and Ivy slipped inside after Marco.

"Hey! Now, you wait just a minute. I don't even know you! You can't come barging into my house like this!"

He then noticed how beat up Marco and Ivy looked and swallowed warily as he backed up into the living room.

"Now, see here, I don't want any trouble, all right? What do you want, money?"

Marco got in his face. "You're Professor David Elm, right?"

The man adjusted his glasses nervously. "Y-Yes?"

"Then we need your help. We're on the run from Team Rocket."

"Team what now? Oh... Rocket, I've heard of them. We don't get much of them here in our sleepy little town."

"Daddy?"

A little girl peeked down at the commotion from the stairs. She was in a pink onesie decorated with smiley faces and held a Teddiursa doll in her arms. Her eyes were wide and scared as she watched her father and his guests through the stair railing bars.

"Ah, Allison, it's okay, sweetie, just go back to bed."

"Daddy, who's that?"

Ivy stepped forward. "Professor, we're not here to hurt you or your family. Please, we just need your help for the night. We know you're no friend to Team Rocket, and that's why we came to you."

He looked at a loss for words, but after a moment's consideration, he sighed. "Allison, it's okay. Daddy will be up soon, okay? Go stay with Mommy."

Allison nodded and scampered back upstairs. Professor Elm ran a hand through his short, balding hair.

"All right, this is all very sudden. Let me just get some coffee going."

He went to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.

"Professor, do you have a medical kit?" Ivy asked.

"And a recovery unit for Pokémon?" Marco added.

Professor Elm looked up at them, then looked back at his coffee machine that was still warming up. He sighed dejectedly and trudged back toward them.

"Okay, I'll skip the coffee. Give me five minutes and meet me in front of my lab next door."

---

By the time Ivy and Marco had gotten themselves patched up, Sneasel and Golbat in recovery tanks, and explained why they had barged into Professor Elm's house in the middle of the night, the sun was already breaching the horizon and the three of them were nursing their second cups of coffee.

"So let me get this straight," Professor Elm said. "You really think the two of you can bring down a huge, international crime syndicate like Team Rocket? Forgive me, but I'm still skeptical as to the efficacy of your plan."

"It's just like we explained. If we can get the Gym Leaders on board, the Elite Four won't have a choice but to stand up, too. One way or the other, Team Rocket's going down."

Professor Elm sipped his coffee. "Mm, yes, I understand the logistics of it, but I'm a little worried about how effective they'll prove. Take, for example, the fact that there are many who actually support Team Rocket. Despite what you say, they have made positive impacts in certain areas of the country, here and in Kanto."

"Yeah, but only to the rich elite," Ivy said.

"The rich elite own over eighty percent of Johto's wealth. Like it or not, I'd say their opinions matter quite a bit."

Marco bared his teeth. "That's not the point. Chimera's an abomination, maybe the worst thing they've ever done to Pokémon. Think about when it's weaponized, because it will be weaponized. We saw it first hand, and we barely made it out alive. Team Rocket'll have the means to hold the entire world hostage once this project goes live."

Professor Elm shook his head. "Don't misunderstand me, I agree that Team Rocket is a menace and the world will be better off when they're gone." He took a moment to look between the two young people that had stumbled onto his doorstep with an impossible goal and the will to make it a reality. "I suppose I'm just worried. What can two kids do?"

"We can be the first step," Ivy said. "Someone has to be."

"Ivy and I know Team Rocket and how they operate. No one else has that inside knowledge. They don't exactly have a good severance package, if you know what I mean."

Professor Elm put up a hand. "Yes, I get the idea. Goodness, Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, Team Rocket... It all seems so far away, in another league. But," he looked between the two young people looking at him expectantly, "I can tell that the two of you are strong. If you survived life with Team Rocket for this long and you still see the good in the world and want to fight for it, then I think there's no other word to describe you." He got up and went to his desk, where he rummaged around in a drawer and returned with a small slip of paper. "I have one ticket for the S.S. Aqua. I was going to use it to visit a colleague of mine in Pallet Town, but I think one of you will be able to put it to better use, all things considered. By the way, that's where you should start your mission in Kanto. From Pallet Town, it's just a few leagues north to Viridian City and the Viridian City Gym."

Ivy accepted the ticket and pocketed it. "Thanks, Professor."

He shook his head. "I can't believe I'm condoning this. You're both so young, and the world is a dangerous place."

"We're old enough, and we've seen the dangers of this world first hand. Ivy and I... We have to do this by any means necessary. If you can help us out, we'd appreciate it. But either way, we're doing this."

"If it's to bring down Team Rocket and destroy their hold over this country, then I'll do what I can, however little it may be."

After cleaning up and packing for her journey ahead, Ivy waited at the New Bark Harbor for the S.S. Aqua that was scheduled to make a stop on its way to Cinnabar Island in Kanto. Marco stood with her.

"The next time we see each other, it'll be to put an end to this once and for all."

Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked up at his profile as he gazed toward the horizon, bright with morning light. Kanto was the land of the rising sun, the old continent. The war had ended when Ivy was still a small child, but the bad blood between the two countries still coursed strong. It was only the Elite Four that kept the balance, and now Team Rocket was attempting to usurp that balance and use it for their own personal gain. Ivy wanted them gone just as much as Marco.

"I'm holding you to that," she said.

Marco turned to her and pulled her into a fierce hug. "Stay alive. No matter what happens, we'll see each other again."

She choked on a sob. "You too."

The ship was pulling into the harbor, and it was massive. Ivy had never been on a ship before, but it was a hell of a lot better than flying, like Marco had originally suggested. There was no way she was getting anywhere near any birds, not since the last time one had scooped her up and dropped her in a new life that was no life at all. She would take her chances with seasickness any day.

Other passengers had gathered at the harbor to board the ship. These through-travelers were a large source of New Bark's local revenue. Olivine City was far away, and many people did not have the wherewithal or the Pokémon strong enough to make the journey all the way West. With one last look back at her brother in all but blood, Ivy let her hand slip from his and got in line to board. Marco watched her go with a heavy heart.

It took a little while for the ship's crew to properly dock the cruiser and help passengers disembark. Ivy waited patiently in line and thought about the Golbat she'd captured on her flight down here. Professor Elm's rejuvenation tanks had saved it's life, no doubt, but it was still in dire need of surgery and wary of her. Her heart broke for the Pokémon, unable to imagine the kind of torture and trauma it had gone through at the hands of Team Rocket. Voyeurs without scruples. Not even her years of brutal training, isolation, and life with Team Rocket could compare, she reasoned. At least she had both her eyes.

Once passengers were finished disembarking, the crew began accepting tickets from those passengers that wanted to travel on to Kanto. The line moved forward, and Ivy waited her turn. The bandages wrapped tightly around her back and shoulders were constricting, and every breath in brought with it a stab of pain in her broken and bruised ribs. There were a few people in front of her, including a guy in a large overcoat. She hadn't really been paying attention, but sleight of hand had always drawn her particular interest, so she couldn't help but notice when the guy nicked a ticket from the cute blonde girl in front of him. Ivy almost burst out laughing.

Amateur.

Perhaps it was the moment, or a whim, or a fragment of her past with the Masked Man, but she'd always hated when grown men picked on little girls for no reason other than their own sadistic pleasure. So she pretended to trip and bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she preened.

"It's fine," he said gruffly, pulling his coat tighter.

Ivy smiled sweetly and pocketed the ticket she'd stolen from him.

"Your ticket, Miss," the sailor clipping tickets said when the blonde girl reached the front of the line.

She wore a high ponytail and a baggy yellow dress over brown pants that made her look younger than she probably was. Ivy watched as she felt around her pockets for her ticket. Her lips pursed together in worry when she realized she couldn't find it.

"Um, I know it's in here somewhere? Oh, no..."

Ivy shoved past the guy in front of her, making sure to jostle him just because he was a fucking douchebag for stealing from a girl.

"Hey, I think you dropped this," she said, holding out the stolen ticket.

"Oh! Oh my god, that's my ticket! I must've dropped it somewhere. Thank you so much for returning it. I would've expected someone to just take it. N-Not that I think you're a thief or anything, but I'd probably want a free ride if I could get one. Wait, I am getting one since my company paid for this, haha..."

The sailor glowered at the two girls and held out his hands. "Tickets. Now."

Ivy handed the sailor both the girl's and her tickets, which he clipped to let them pass. As they walked up the plank to board the ship, she looked back and winked at the guy in the trench coat, who was now ticketless. He bared his teeth in a snarl, but the sailor forcibly escorted him off the harbor since he didn't have a ticket.

Once Ivy and the blonde girl were on board, Ivy examined her ticket and looked around for signs that would direct her to her cabin.

"Hey, thank you so much back there! I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost that ticket."

"Huh? Oh, no problem. But listen, that guy behind you? He stole your ticket. You're lucky I was there to steal it back. There's a lot of assholes crawling around looking for people to screw over. I'd watch my back, if I were you."

Satisfied, Ivy started walking away to find her cabin, but a hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Wait! You have to let me make it up to you. Please, oh please, I know I'm hopeless when it comes to this kind of thing. Actually, this is the first time I've been traveling on my own outside of Kanto, so it's all pretty new." She lit up, like she'd gotten an idea. "Can I see your ticket?"

"Uh, sure?"

Ivy handed it over, and the blonde girl quickly scanned it. "Aha, you're in steerage. Okay, as my way of saying thanks for helping me out back there, I want to invite you to stay with me in my cabin."

"That's nice of you, but I already have a cabin."

"I'm in first class."

Ivy thought about that for a moment. It wouldn't be good to get involved with anyone when she had a serious mission to focus on. "That's nice, but it's really not necessary—"

"In first class, we get unlimited buffet service and free drinks," the girl interrupted.

"...On second thought, I'd love to join you."

The blonde girl giggled. She took Ivy's hand and led her down the hall to the right.

"I'm Lily, by the way."

"Ivy."

Lily smiled brightly. "It's nice to meet you, Ivy."

Lily led her down the hall toward the first class cabins until she found the correct room.

"Here we are."

She opened the door, and Ivy's jaw dropped. The room was big enough to hold a small party. Back in Team Rocket, she'd bunked with Marco in a tiny room barely large enough for their bunk beds and a small bathroom without a door. This place was lavish by comparison with a huge king-sized bed outfitted with crimson drapes, a chaise lounge, a mini bar that was fully stocked, and an oaken table with four chairs for dining. There was a door in the far wall that led to a small bathroom complete with marble tiling and a claw foot bathtub.

"Is this okay?"

Ivy swallowed. "Oh yeah, this'll do."

Lily smiled brightly and set down her large backpack under the bed. Then she flung herself on the bed and sighed. Ivy went to explore the bathroom and was amazed to find that it looked like something out of a fancy hotel. It was hard to tell she was even on a ship heading for a different continent.

"So," Lily said, sitting up on the bed. "It's a five day trip to Cinnabar. What should we do first?"

Ivy bit back a smile. There was something instantly likeable about Lily, though she couldn't put her finger on it. There was only one person she trusted in all the world and she'd just lost him, perhaps forever. But in spite of that, something about Lily made her want to smile. In the middle of the ocean far away from her mission, from the chaos that followed her, and from the destruction that surely lay ahead, it was easy to forget, just for a little while.

"Well, it'd be a shame to let that free buffet service go to waste," she said.

Lily bared her teeth in devious smirk. "I'm thinking pancakes. Wait, you do like pancakes, right?"

"Banana pancakes?"

"Oh my god, those're my favorite! Hold on, lemme just put the order in."

---

Later that day as the S.S. Aqua was underway toward Cinnabar, Lily and Ivy sat together on the couch surrounded by empty plates. Lily had made herself quite at home and even released a few of her Pokémon. A female Pikachu was busy nibbling at a pancake Lily had set aside for it, and a Doduo had taken to perching at the window overlooking the sea, its two heads watchful and observant. Ivy didn't want to say anything about the bird, especially since this wasn't her room and Doduo were small and incapable of flight. But she made sure to sit on the far end of the couch and kept an eye on the bird in case it got the idea to hop over here. If Lily noticed her discomfort, she didn't mention it.

"What's that Pokémon? I've never seen it before," Ivy asked, peering down at the blue snail-like creature crawling on the floor.

Lily bent down and picked the creature up. It became nervous and retreated into its shell, which upon closer inspection shone with a pearlescent sheen, beautiful.

"This is Nauty, my Omanyte."

"Nauty?"

"Yeah, like Nautilus. He's an ancient Pokémon."

"Ancient Pokémon?"

"Mm-hm. Omanyte're actually extinct. They used to live at the bottom of the sea millions of years ago, but they're masters of buoyancy, so they can calibrate at any depth! Isn't that amazing?"

Omanyte peeked out of its chambered shell and felt about with its blue legs. Now that she had a better view, Ivy noticed that the Pokémon wasn't like a snail at all, but more hermit crab-like. Its dark eyes were large in proportion to its body, and they shifted between Ivy and Lily as the Pokémon attempted to tug at Lily's shirt.

"Wait a minute," Ivy said. "You said Omanyte's extinct? How's that possible when this one's still alive?"

Lily grinned, and Ivy had a feeling she'd been waiting for this question. "Well, that's because I revived Nauty from a fossil."

"Um...what?"

Lily nodded emphatically. "You're probably wondering how someone like me can afford this cabin, right? The truth is I didn't pay for it, my employer did. I'm a paleogeneticist at Cinnabar Labs."

Ivy wasn't sure she could even pronounce that title without seeing it written down. "You're a scientist? Don't take this the wrong way, but how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen, but people always say I look young."

Ivy gave her a once over. Her clothes were baggy and hid her curves, and the way she smiled gave her an air of innocence that could easily make her seem younger than she really was. Lily was also a good six inches shorter than Ivy, which didn't help her cause.

"I never would've guessed you're only a year younger than me. Still, that's pretty young to be a paleo...um..."

"Paleogeneticist." She shrugged. "I dunno, I just always liked science ever since I was a little girl. My parents moved to Cinnabar when I was four, and that's where it started. I finished school pretty early, and by the time I was fifteen, I had this job. My first year there, I figured out how to extract Omanyte's DNA from a bunch of fossil samples the lab had collected over the years, and after that it was just a bit of tweaking with Poliwhirl and Shellder DNA to fill in the gaps to revive Nauty here." She patted Omanyte's smooth shell appreciatively.

She's a freaking genius, Ivy concluded.

"My boss sent me to the Marine Pokémon Laboratory outside New Bark Town to consult with one of their oceanographers about a deep sea expedition they recently did. They found some really neat fossils they couldn't identify, so I'm bringing them back with me. And, well, this is one of the perks." She gestured around the room.

Ivy swallowed. "That's a pretty amazing story."

"I just love science! I'm lucky I get to do the thing I love for a living."

Ivy looked over Lily's shoulder at Doduo, who had one head angled in the girls' direction while the other kept an eye on the seascape. Lily's Pikachu had curled up for a nap on the bed, but her ears twitched to catch sounds too faint for the human ear to discern.

"You seem to have some capable Pokémon with you, too."

"Oh, everyone on Cinnabar's a trainer. Blaine says we can't rely on the Gym to protect everyone. We're on an island, after all, so we're open to attack on all sides."

"Blaine? You mean the Gym Leader?"

"Yeah, he's been around forever, but he's pretty energetic for a man in his seventies. And he's got some of the strongest Pokémon around. He's the one who founded the Fire Brigades back when Kanto was at war with Johto. They still train, too, in case Johto decides to invade again. Cinnabar's pretty isolated, so it's not like the mainland could send help fast."

Ivy had heard about the legendary Fire Brigades Cinnabar had employed during the Battle of Cinnabar almost fifteen years ago. They were land and air legions of trainers riding Arcanine, Rapidash, and Charizard known for their expert teamwork and combination fire attacks. Together, they had devastated many terrestrial and aerial attacks Johto had launched, slowing down the invaders on their way to the mainland. History remembered the Fire Brigades as a key player in the tide of the war, and many historians today agreed that the war would have raged on much longer if not for their efforts.

"But enough about me!" Lily crossed her legs and leaned back on the couch's armrest. She scratched Omanyte's chin, and the little nautilus seemed to relax. "What's your story? Are you staying in Cinnabar, or are you headed for the mainland? Is this your first time in Kanto? Oh! You're a trainer, right? What kind of Pokémon do you have?"

She fired off questions a mile a minute, and Ivy smiled. It would be easier to dodge them if Lily couldn't keep up with everything she'd asked.

"I have a few Pokémon with me, but one of them's been hurt pretty bad. I got him patched up in New Bark Town, but I think he's gonna need surgery."

Lily's expression fell. "Oh no, that's awful. What kind of Pokémon is it?"

Ivy hesitated a moment, wondering how much she should divulge. Lily seemed like no threat at all, just an inquisitive girl with a sunny disposition. But Ivy had learned never to trust anyone, especially not pretty girls or people who wanted to help for nothing in return.

"It's a Golbat. His wing's busted up. I'm actually not sure if he'll fly again. And he's also missing an eye."

Lily looked genuinely horrified. "Poor Batty."

Ivy quirked a brow at the nickname, and Lily noticed her confusion.

"Oh, I like giving all my Pokémon nicknames. That's Chuchu," she indicated Pikachu snoozing on the bed, "and that's Dody. I also have a Seadra, and she's called Scaly. I guess it's hard to find anyone in Cinnabar without a Water Pokémon on their team." She paused before adding, "Well hey, if your Batty's really that hurt, we should take it to the Pokémon Center when we get to Cinnabar. I'm friends with Nurse Joy, so she'll give you a good deal. By the way, did you know Nurse Joy's whole family works in Pokémon Centers around Kanto? They're not all actually named 'Joy', but she says it helps to give trainers a familiar face when they come in with their hurt Pokémon. It's kind of like going home. I like that."

Ivy studied the girl opposite her. "Why're you so eager to help me? You don't even know me. I could be a thief or a murderer for all you know."

"Huh? No way, I'd never believe that."

"Why not? For all you know, I could've been paid to meet you here and earn your trust by stealing and returning your ticket. You're an important scientist at a major research institution with access to information worth millions. That Omanyte alone is probably worth more than what you'll make in your entire lifetime to the right collector. How do you know I'm not working for someone like that?"

Ivy searched her eyes, but Lily's expression was unreadable. They were pretty eyes, a deep, amber color. Tranquil. For a moment, Lily looked many years older than she was as she held Ivy's challenging gaze.

"You cried when you said goodbye to your friend, the one with the red hair. You looked like you were gonna fall apart, like you'd never see him again."

Her answer caught Ivy off guard, and it showed. "You saw that?"

"You see a lot when people don't see you. I don't think someone brave enough to leave someone she loves so much would be here wasting her time trying to take advantage of me."

A pregnant silence stretched between the girls until a knock on the door interrupted it.

"House keeping," a voice said on the other side of the cabin door.

"Coming!" Lily slipped off the couch and plastered her usual, bright smile on to answer the door.

A woman in a uniform carrying an empty tray had come to take their used dishes. Lily took advantage of the new company and began firing off questions.

"So, is there anything to do on the ship? I was told by a colleague that the last time he traveled on this ship, there was a big party in the ballroom. Is there a dress code for that kind of thing?"

The maid said the Sea Ball had happened last night, but that there would be a chef's tasting in the dining room tomorrow night and that Lily and Ivy were welcome to attend as first class passengers.

"Hey, that sounds like fun! And I bet the food'll be super tasty," Lily said once the maid left. "Wanna check it out?"

"You're kind of weird. I don't think I've ever met anyone like you before."

Lily laughed. "You know? I get that a lot."

"About tomorrow, count me in. I'd never say no to good food, especially if it's free."

"Great!" Lily crossed the room to the bed where she'd left her luggage and began rifling through it. "Oh, and don't worry, I won't make you tell me your life's story. I didn't mean to pry." She found what she was looking for and tossed it to Ivy, who caught it reflexively. "That Max Potion'll take care of your back injuries and that limp if you drink it. I bet two sips'll do the trick."

Ivy gaped at the small bottle filled with viscous, blue liquid. "Oh my god, where did you get this?"

"Don't worry, it's an extra, so I don't need it. 'Sides, I don't think sleeping'll be very comfortable like that."

"Why're you helping me?" Ivy asked again.

Lily was busy carefully re-packing her bag. She looked back at the older girl over her shoulder. "Because I can."

Ivy couldn't think of anything to say to that, but Lily just smiled and went back to her task. Ivy looked down at the Max Potion cradled in her hand. It was no bigger than a baseball with as much liquid, much more than she would need for her own injuries. It was a priceless gift, a Potion that could do almost anything short of reviving a Pokémon or a person from the dead.

What the hell?

She unscrewed the metal top and took two small sips. The effects were almost instantaneous as the ache she'd been carrying began to dull. The hairline fractures on her ribs that made every breath a stab in the back slowly faded from her awareness as the Potion worked its magic. Within the hour, she would be back to full health.

Lily was humming to herself as she pushed her bag back under the bed, plopped down next to Pikachu, and began scratching the yellow rodent's belly. Pikachu curled around her hand and squeaked in delight. Ivy watched them, relaxed as she let the Max Potion's cool effect allay her injuries and lull her into a sense of tranquility she could rarely remember feeling before in the presence of another.

---

Over the next couple of days, Ivy began to relax a little around her temporary roommate. She let out Umbreon, Houndour, and Larvitar to stretch their legs and keep watch at night while Lily's Pokémon slept.

"You must really like Dark Pokémon," Lily said as she admired Umbreon from afar. The black feline hadn't let Lily get close enough to pet it.

"Yeah, I guess so. They're strong." Ivy saw how Lily looked longingly at Umbreon. "Don't take it personally. She's standoffish with everyone."

Lily giggled. "Not with you. I guess she's a one-woman Pokémon, huh?"

Houndour, on the other hand, had taken an instant liking to Lily and wanted as much attention as it could get.

"They all have their quirks, I suppose."

"You know, Larvitar's sort of an ancient Pokémon, too. Well, it's not extinct like Omanyte, of course, but there are records that prove it was alive during Omanyte's time. I guess that makes it pretty ancient."

Larvitar was snoozing after the rather hefty meal it had consumed earlier that afternoon.

"Survival of the fittest," Ivy said. "Although lately, Larvitar sleeps a whole lot more than he used to. I think he's getting lethargic."

"Maybe he's getting ready to evolve. I hear some Pokémon go into hibernation when they're getting ready to evolve."

Ivy wondered. "Maybe. I've had him since I was eleven. That's a long time."

"Hey, I know! Let's bring Larvitar something back from the tasting tonight. What do you think?"

Ivy laughed. "I think you're trying to fatten him up."

"Nah, you and me'll get first dibs."

"Oh, like that's any better."

They both laughed at that, and Lily got up to stretch. "I kinda feel like exploring the ship a little more today. Did you know they have a weight room in here? I even heard they have a fifty meter pool! Isn't that crazy? I mean, it's kind of ironic, when you think about it. A pool on a ship that's sailing in the middle of the ocean?"

"C'mon, we can go see the pool if you want." Ivy checked her watch. "Actually, sunset's in about twenty minutes. I bet it's beautiful this far out in the ocean."

"Great idea! ChuChu, come on!"

Pikachu squeaked happily and climbed up Lily's shoulder. It dug a paw into her thick ponytail to maintain its balance and peered curiously over her shoulder.

"Houndour's gonna start whining if I leave him and take Umbreon. C'mon, boy." Ivy beckoned to the black canine and it bounded toward her with its tongue hanging out.

Umbreon, sensing she wasn't needed, padded over to the bed and curled up for a nap. Ivy and Lily exited their cabin and locked the door behind them. Houndour trotted along behind them and yipped happily.

The S.S. Aqua was a vast ship that could hold upwards of a thousand passengers, only a quarter of whom were first class passengers. The ship itself was like a wandering city with all the amenities of home. And 'home' for the typical S.S. Aqua passenger was a country club with an unlimited supply of quality food, expensive alcohol, and creature comforts like massage parlors, lap pools, and even a casino. Ivy and Lily bypassed the material attractions and followed the signs in the narrow hallway to the deck.

Outside, the air was crisp and salty, a little chilly as the sea breeze swept in from the port's bow. Others had had the same idea of watching the sunset, and since the deck was mostly a communal area, there were passengers from all cabin classes congregating around tables and along the port railing to watch. Ivy and Lily found a spot on the railing near a young family of four with two little boys who were attempting to count down to the sunset, though they had to keep restarting at higher numbers whenever they counted down too quickly and the sun still had not set.

"Wow," Lily said. "I never knew a sunset could be so pink."

The Sea of Seasons, as it was called, separated the southeastern edge of Johto at New Bark Town from Cinnabar in Kanto. It was aptly named for its stunning sunsets that changed with the seasons. In Spring, as now, the sea was energetic and a little frothy, and the seascape was bathed in brilliant pinks, yellows, and purples. Ivy thought about Marco and wondered if he was watching the sun set at this very moment. Was he still in New Bark Town with Professor Elm? More than likely he'd already moved on toward Violet City where Gym Leader Falkner lived. Marco had always been all business. A pang of nostalgia tore at her heart.

"Ivy, look!"

Lily pointed enthusiastically at the ocean below where a school of Mantine and Mantyke were racing alongside the ship. The tiny Mantyke jettisoned through the water and breached the surface for a few seconds at a time before plummeting once more into the water. It was like a game to them to try to outpace the ship. Their larger relatives swam just below the surface like dark shadows watching over their young. Houndour barked down at them as if to warn them off.

The little boys next to them squealed in delight at the sight of the Mantyke breaking the water.

"Mom, it's flying! Look!"

"I see it, sweetie. Can you count how many there are?"

All of a sudden, one of the Mantine breached the water's surface and soared through the air. The family backed away from the railing, shielding their children as the enormous ray flapped its powerful fins and rose into the air just above the railing. Its wingspan had to be at least thirty feet across.

Ivy stared, awestruck, at the Pokémon as it floated past and sprayed water in its wake. The Mantine's eyes were as big around as her whole head, dark as they watched her and the other small humans on deck. The moment passed and Mantine fell back to the ocean with enough force to rock the ship. Ivy gripped the railing, which was now slick with seawater.

"Wow!" Lily said through delighted laughter. "That was amazing!"

"Yeah," Ivy said, still trying to remember how to breathe. "Yeah, it was."

Houndour and Pikachu shook out their fur to get the water out, perhaps more annoyed than august at the phenomenon they'd just witnessed. The sun was finally dipping below the horizon, and Ivy sort of wished she had a camera.

"So, you still wanna check out that chef tasting?" Ivy ventured.

"Do I! I thought you'd never ask."

They returned below deck and headed for the dining room with Pikachu and Houndour in tow. The spread was lavish, to say the least. Lily flashed her ticket to get them in.

"I'm sorry, ladies, but all Pokémon must remain in their Pokéballs," the concierge said.

Lily looked a little bummed, but in the end Pikachu and Houndour both disappeared back into their Pokéballs with the promise of dinner later.

When they got inside, they immediately felt a bit underdressed. Some of the patrons had gone so far as to don tuxedos and floor-length ballgowns. Ivy thought about the dress she'd dumped in the trash chute before she and Marco made their escape from Team Rocket's hideout and almost regretted throwing it away. But then she got a taste of an appetizer from a waiter passing by with a tray of food and forgot all about it.

"Oh damn," she moaned.

"Ooh, what'd you get?"

"Some mushroom stuffed with home baked heaven, I think."

Another waiter walked by with a tray of champagne and offered it to the girls. Ivy's instinct was to refuse, but when Lily took one, she decided to live a little. Team Rocket was far away, and they had nothing but time to kill on this ship. Why not indulge just a bit?

The dining room itself was tastefully decorated in red and gold garnishing. There were tall windows on the western side that overlooked the seascape, which was still lit up in deep purples and blues despite the sun have dipped below the horizon. Small tables lined the four sides of the room, tall enough to stand around. Ivy and Lily grabbed a plate each of various finger foods and retreated to one of the tables to eat in peace.

"I have a confession," Lily said conspiratorially. "I've never really been to many of these hoity-toity parties. I usually stay home."

"And miss out on all the free food? You're crazy."

Lily giggled. "Maybe now I have some incentive. What about you? Ever been to one of those super shmoozy parties?"

Ivy thought about how she might answer for a moment. "Yeah, a few times."

"Really? What was it like? Did you wear a fancy dress? Ooh! Did you go with a date?"

There had been several black tie events she'd been to during her tenure as a Team Rocket Admin over the last year. They were all the same with the elegant dress code and rigid decorum. Unlike what Lily was probably fantasizing about, those parties had always been about networking and furthering Team Rocket's goals. Now that she thought about it, Ivy couldn't remember actually enjoying herself at any of those functions. She didn't even interact with Marco much. It was always a business affair.

Lily noticed the way Ivy's face fell and said, "Was it not as fun as in the movies?"

"Hm? Oh, no that's not it. I did get dressed up, but..." She trailed off and hesitated before adding, "But I only went to them for work. So there wasn't really occasion to have much fun."

"Oh, that's too bad. Still, that's a pretty cool work perk, getting to go to fancy parties, I mean. Did you meet anyone interesting?"

"You look good in green, kid."

Ivy repressed an unpleasant shiver at the memory. "Depends on your definition of interesting."

"More champagne?" A waiter in a spiffy white and black uniform stopped at their table with fresh champagne flutes.

"Sir, you have excellent timing." Lily exchanged her near-empty glass for a new one.

"Miss?" The waiter offered to Ivy next.

"Oh, no thank you."

He nodded and walked away.

"Actually, Lily, will you excuse me for a bit? I just have to use the restroom."

She sighed dramatically. "I guess I can try to survive without your company for five minutes. But I'm not making any promises."

Ivy grinned and promised she would be right back. The bathroom was just outside the dining room down the hall to the left. As she crossed the dining room, she took notice of the various guests indulging in the party and conversing among themselves. Her blue eyes scanned their faces only briefly, a habit she'd picked up from Will.

"If you can't get a read on someone with just a single glance, then you might as well have your head in the clouds."

No one jumped out at her as being suspicious (or worse, familiar), so she calmly made her way to the other end of the dining room. Above, the ceiling was decorated with mirrors and strategically placed lights that reflected off them to give the appearance of a full chandelier at a fraction of the power. Ivy scanned the mirrors to check her back and noticed a woman in a black dress also heading for the bathroom exit. She didn't think much of it, but just to be safe, she stopped at the mini bar near the exit and ordered a whiskey straight up. The bartender passed her a tumbler filled a quarter of the way with thick, amber liquid. Ivy brought it to her lips to sip and tilted her head back to check the mirrors again. The woman in black had also stopped to examine a plate of appetizers as she asked the waiter about what they contained. Ivy threw back the whiskey and lowered the glass to her side as she slipped among the other bar patrons and once more headed for the bathroom.

Outside, the noise from the party echoed like a distant memory along the metal corridor. She walked at a sedate pace and entered the ladies' room, where she proceeded to examine her reflection in the mirror. A few moments later, the woman in black entered the bathroom and checked her purse for something. Ivy glanced at her askance and gripped the empty tumbler at her side. The woman had cropped, brown hair that framed her soft, round face, and she wore heavy eyeliner. Striking, in a word. Too noticeable. When the woman approached the sink, she pulled her hand out of her purse, presumably to produce a tube of lipstick for a touch up.

Ivy spun and made a grab for her shoulder, and she brought the tumbler down over the woman's head. The woman grunted in pain and dropped the knife she'd pulled out of her purse. Ivy brought her knee up to ram the woman in the stomach, but the woman was trained and caught her behind the knee. They both fell to the ground, Ivy on the bottom, and wrestled for a leg up.

The woman pulled back her fist and punched Ivy in the face. Grunting in pain, Ivy used her body weight to flip them and slam the woman's head against the metal trashcan built into the wall. The woman's eyes rolled backward in her head, but she continued to struggle and scratched with her nails.

The knife the woman had dropped lay two feet away, and the woman tried to pull it closer with her heeled foot. Ivy noticed what she was doing and gave her leeway enough to sit up, as though she had the upper hand. Ivy took a hard chop to the windpipe, but with their new positions she was able to grab the woman's arm and flip her around so the woman was in front of her. Ivy then wrapped her arm around the woman's neck and yanked with all her might.

There was a distinct cracking noise, and the woman twitched before falling still. A couple seconds passed as Ivy sat there trying to breathe through the suffocating pain in her throat. The woman's limp body weighed her down and made it hard to get a foothold to stand up. With some effort, she managed to push the woman off her and got up. Panting, Ivy held a hand over her throbbing throat and stared down at the now dead woman in disgust.

"Asshole," she spat.

After a moment's consideration, Ivy reached over to the door and flipped the lock in case anyone decided to walk in and find her standing over a dead body. Then she kneeled down and searched the woman's purse. In it she found a billfold packed to the seams.

"At least this wasn't a total waste of my time."

She searched the rest of the purse and came up with a card holder. There were old receipts, an S.S. Aqua ticket, and finally an ID card issued by Team Rocket.

"Eliza," she read. "Nice try."

Ivy pocketed the cash and the ID. Then she unlocked the door and checked outside. No one was coming, so she braced herself and hefted Eliza's body up under the shoulders to drag down the hall. There were rooms down this way, so Ivy found the nearest one and picked the lock. It was empty, and like the other first class cabins, this one had a balcony. Someone had left a Cleffa alone on the bed, and the small, pink Pokémon cowered in fear at Ivy's intrusion. She ignored it and set down Eliza's body to open up the balcony doors.

As soon as she stopped dragging the body, though, Cleffa made a high-pitched squeaking noise. Ivy whirled and found a man in a black suit advancing on her with a switchblade.

"Thunderbolt!"

A bright light flashed and something hissed and popped. The man jolted unnaturally and stumbled to the ground. Blood leaked from his mouth, and his head was smoking. Behind him, Lily stood in the doorway behind Pikachu. The yellow rodent's fur was standing on end and sparking with static electricity.

"Lily?" Ivy went to the door and took the girl's hand.

Lily was staring in shock at the man lying unmoving on the floor. His back was smoking where Pikachu's Thunderbolt had hit him.

"Lily, hey." Ivy took her by the shoulders and caught her eye. "Look at me."

Lily looked up, wide-eyed. "H-He had a knife. He was... He was gonna—"

"I know. You saved my life." Ivy searched her eyes, willing her to understand. "Lily, you saved my life just now. He was gonna kill me, just like his partner tried to."

Lily's gaze shifted to the woman lying in an unceremonious heap on the floor near the dead man. She swallowed.

"Why... Who are they?"

"I'll explain later. Can you watch the hall and make sure no one comes this way?"

Lily's hands were trembling. "H-He was gonna kill you..."

Pikachu growled at the dead bodies on the floor. The poor Cleffa on the bed continued to cower under the large pillows in fear. Ivy threw open the balcony doors and dragged Eliza to the edge. It took her a minute to heft the woman up over her shoulder, but when she did it was a smooth drop to the ocean below. Eliza hit the water with a loud smack and was carried away in the undertow. Then, Ivy turned back to the man and checked his pockets. Like his partner, he was also carrying a hefty sum of cash and a Team Rocket ID card. Ivy pocketed both and picked him up under the shoulders to drag to the edge.

Lily grabbed his legs and lifted them up, much to Ivy's surprise. But the blonde girl didn't look at her and merely struggled to get the guy over the edge. Together, they let him fall into the water below where a school of Tentacruel and Tentacool were now waiting, drawn by Eliza's body. Ivy and Lily watched as the carnivorous jellyfish pulled the man's body underwater and tore at it with their poisoned tentacles and sharp beaks. Tentacruel's bulbous, red, false eyes glittered under the moonlight in the black water. In only a matter of minutes, they disappeared underwater once more. There was no trace of either Eliza or her partner.

Lily was staring over the edge in silence. Ivy grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room. "We can't stay here."

Lily didn't put up a fight as Ivy dragged her back to the dining room. Pikachu clung to Lily's shirt as they crossed the wide room. No one paid them much attention and they kept their heads down. From there, it was a short trip back to Lily's cabin, where Ivy locked the door behind them.

She stared at the metal door for a few breaths, and her hands shook.

Now what?

"Those people," Lily said softly.

Ivy turned to face her, afraid of what she might see.

"They were trying to kill you," Lily went on.

Ivy swallowed and winced at the searing pain in her windpipe where Eliza had smacked her. "Yeah. If you and ChuChu hadn't shown up, I'd be Tentacruel's dinner instead of him."

Lily stared at the floor as she tried to process what that meant. "I just... You were gone a while, and I had to use the bathroom, too, so I just... But that man, he went into the women's room like he was looking for someone, and I followed him. ChuChu's always there with me, you know? I didn't wanna follow him alone, so I let her out." Lily laughed a nervously. "We do everything together, ChuChu and me, I mean." There was a pause as she tried to remember where she was in her explanation. "When I saw him pull the knife, I..." Lily sucked in a shaky breath. There were tears in her eyes, but they didn't fall. "He was gonna hurt you, and I couldn't just stand there and do nothing!"

Ivy closed the distance between them and embraced her. Lily threw her arms around the taller girl and began to tremble. She sobbed into Ivy's shirt.

"I didn't know what else to do," she said. "I didn't know what to do."

Ivy held her close as her mind raced. What can I tell this poor girl? Since their time with the Masked Man, she and Marco had always known, perhaps instinctively, that this was a secret they would have to take to their graves. It was no one's burden to bear but their own. But now Lily had stumbled onto something so ugly, so twisted and terrible, and Ivy didn't know what to do. She didn't deserve this.

If only I hadn't given her back her ticket.

Lily pulled back and looked up. Her eyes were wide and fearful. "What now?"

I don't know.

But she did know. There was really only one thing she could do at this point if she didn't want to lose Lily or worse, put her at risk unprepared and ignorant. Ivy took a deep breath and led Lily to the couch. Umbreon sat up on the bed, and Pikachu jumped up onto the couch to be with her trainer.

"What I'm about to tell you, I haven't told anyone else. Nothing I can say can make up for the trauma you're going through right now, but... Well, I hope it can justify it, just a little."

Lily listened, expectant, as she wiped her eyes and sat up straight.

"What do you know about Team Rocket?"

---

On the afternoon of the fifth day at sea, the S.S. Aqua docked at Cinnabar Island. Since it was the final stop on the cruiser's voyage, all passengers disembarked while prospective seafarers awaited their turn to board for the long journey back to Olivine City in Johto. Ivy hefted her pack over her shoulder and followed the line of people down the stairs to the salt-stained docks below. Waves lapped at the shore, and there was a faint smell of burning in the air. Cinnabar was a volcanic island, and Mt. Cinnabar loomed high in the sky to the north. The volcano had been dormant for decades, but every once in awhile the locals observed smoke rising from its gaping mouth and ash rained down like grey snow, a reminder of the true ruler of this island community.

"Hey, I have to drop off my bags, but once that's done I'll show you where the Pokémon Center is." Lily smiled over her shoulder as she walked along the dock toward the harbor. "We should get Batty taken care of ASAP."

The border patrol checked everyone's trainer IDs and passports, and they even randomly searched several passengers' luggage and examined their Pokémon. Even though the war was technically over, Cinnabar had not forgotten and probably would never forgive. Once they made it through security, Ivy followed Lily through the harbor, where they passed by privately-owned fishing boats, yachts, and other sea vessels all moored side by side. Flags of all sizes and colors topped their masts and fluttered in the wind. People were coming and going for leisure and for work, their laughter filling the air. Above, the sun shone bright and hot on this clear day, and Ivy was starting to sweat.

She watched Lily's blonde ponytail bob happily back and forth as they walked. Pikachu was perched on her shoulder and smelling the salty air, perhaps detecting the scent of filleted Magikarp at one of the seaside restaurants.

For someone as cheerful and ostensibly innocent as Lily, she'd handled the truth as well as could be expected. Ivy told her about her former affiliation with Team Rocket, about Marco, about their plans to escape and use their inside knowledge to bring down the organization before it could solidify its international reach in Kanto. She told Lily about Chimera and the truth about why Golbat was in such bad shape, and by the end of it she found herself afraid to look Lily in the eye.

"I'm not proud of what I've done," she'd admitted. "But if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't be here now with a way to put a stop to it."

Lily listened to the tale and didn't once interrupt with a barrage of questions, like Ivy had expected she would do. By the end of it, Lily just sat there in silence for a long while, thinking. Ivy didn't want to involve her in something that had nothing to do with her. No one had to know what Lily had done, even if it was in defense of a friend's life. What was done was done. Ivy remembered the first time she'd taken a human life, and while there were many others that followed, that first one never did fade away.

"You asked me why I would help you," Lily had said finally. "Because I can. I helped you because I can. That hasn't changed, and it's not gonna."

"Thank you, Lily."

They dropped off Lily's luggage at her apartment, and after that it was a short, ten-minute walk into town to get to the Pokémon Center. Palm trees lined the streets and their wide, flat leaves caught the sunbeams like bowls holding liquid gold. It was warm but not scorchingly hot, and the lull of the ocean filled the place with a pleasant languor that muted the senses and alleviated stress. To the north closer to Mt. Cinnabar's base, there were low booming sounds that indicated some kind of military training, according to Lily. Blaine liked to keep the Fire Brigades in top form in case of attack. Trainers in uniform riding Ponyta paced up and down the roads and kept an eye on anyone who passed. The horses were tall and, if Ivy was being honest, a little intimidating with their fiery manes and pupil-less, black eyes. Despite the urge to slip into lassitude just being outside, there was an electric current in the air abuzz with anticipation, like any moment the sky could turn grey and the sea would swallow up the small island whole. A part of her wondered if the Ponyta on patrol could sense it, too.

At the Pokémon Center, Ivy dropped off Golbat and watched as the doctors prepped it for surgery with a local anaesthetic. Nurse Joy informed her it would be a couple days, since they would want to keep Golbat overnight to monitor its condition, but she assured her that Golbat would get the best treatment the doctors could afford. On the stretcher that would take it back to the OR, Golbat was trying to thrash. Ivy helped the doctors and nurses hold it down while the sedative took effect.

"You're okay, Batty," she said. "You're safe now, I promise."

Golbat's remaining eye was wide and fearful as it stared back at Ivy. She watched as it drooped and Golbat lost the battle against the drugs that numbed its body. She petted one of its large, fleshy ears as it dozed off until the doctors told her she had to leave so they could operate. With no choice, Ivy and Lily left the Pokémon Center and headed back outside.

"He'll be okay," Lily said. "You'll see."

"Yeah, I hope so."

Despite the beachy atmosphere and the temptation to lounge around soaking up the sun, Ivy couldn't find the motivation to enjoy Cinnabar with Golbat's condition so uncertain. Lily had to check in at the lab, and while she was gone Ivy curled up in bed, exhausted. She thought about Marco and wondered what he was doing now. Had he made it to Violet City? Even though they'd started this with every intention of going it alone, she couldn't help but wish he wasn't fighting by himself out there. She had Lily, however temporary their companionship was once she left Cinnabar, but Marco was a natural loner and would never compromise a mission for the sake of social company.

A day passed, and there was still no word from the Pokémon Center about Golbat. Lily, noticing Ivy's slump, invited her to come check out the lab for the day.

"It'll cheer you up," she insisted.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not as enthusiastic about fossils as you are."

"Oh please, everyone loves science! It's the answer to all life's mysteries! Come on, just say yes already."

Without much choice, Ivy promised to visit in the afternoon. The lab was one of the larger structures in downtown Cinnabar. The Gym lay just north of it, a huge, storied building guarded by uniformed military officers patrolling with trained Growlithe.

Inside, the lab was pristine in its white tiling, high ceilings, and fluorescent lighting. The receptionist marked her name on the guest list, and Ivy followed her directions toward the Genetics Department. The hallways were long, and she passed by glass doors that led to different divisions within the lab. People in lab coats and Pokémon occupied the various rooms conducting who knew what kinds of experiments and research. Ivy didn't pay them much attention as she counted the door numbers until she arrived at the right one toward the end of the hall.

A middle-aged man in a lab coat was exiting just as she was entering, and he held the door open for her. Ivy wandered around the corner and came upon a room filled with large machines that looked a bit like water heaters. They were humming like generators. Curious, she walked toward the nearest one and inspected it more closely. It had a thick, metal pipe that extended from the top and ran along the juncture between wall and ceiling. Ivy followed it with her eyes until it dropped down toward a long table set up against the back wall. The other generators all had identical piping that ran along the ceiling and dropped down side by side over the table, which was encased in glass. Inside the glass lay strange, oblong objects of various sizes and colors. Curious, Ivy went to get a closer look.

"Pokémon eggs?"

Some were the size of her fist, while the largest was at least as thick around as her head. Some were blue and carved with ripples in their shells, while others were smooth and the color of mud. The largest of the eggs caught her particular interest. Their shells were rough and uneven, reminiscent of scales. There were five of them, all roughly the same size, and they were huddled together under one of the thick generator pipes.

Ivy looked over her shoulder at the doors on either side of the room, but there was no one around. She turned back to the eggs and bit her lip.

It's not like anyone would miss just one.

Convinced, she slung her pack off her shoulder and picked one of the scaly eggs from the bunch.

"Whoa."

It was heavy, at least fifteen pounds, and the shell was even harder than it appeared. She hastily slipped it into her pack and zipped up the back. Then she moved the remaining eggs around a little so it didn't look like there was a hole.

"Hey, there you are!" Lily, dressed in a white lab coat over her usual brown and yellow outfit, entered the room from the far door with a bright smile. "What're you doing in the hatchery? This place gives me the creeps."

"Oh, I...thought you worked here? And what's creepy about eggs?" Ivy hoisted her now considerably heavier backpack over her shoulder.

Lily made a face. "No way. Eggs just sit around all day doing nothing, and with all the added complexities of cloning extinct Pokémon, our hatch rate's only about thirty percent. Where's the fun in that? I work in here, c'mon."

She grabbed Ivy's hand and dragged her deeper into the lab.

"This is where I work."

The room was white-tiled and painted like the rest of the lab, but here there were machines with moving parts. Powerful microscopes moved of their own accord examining slides with matter too small for the human eye to detect. Robotic arms handled fossils, old amber samples, and other presumably prehistoric material. A wide computer was alight with code that looked like nothing but a jumble of numbers and words too long and convoluted to pronounce.

"Charming," Ivy said, snatching a hunk of old amber from one of the mechanical arms and holding it up to the light.

"Whoa! Better put that down. There's valuable Pokémon DNA frozen in there."

Ivy smirked and held out the old amber for the arm, and it took the sample back. "Cool setup. I didn't even know this kind of tech existed."

"Blaine uses the Gym funds to ensure we have state-of-the-art equipment here. The lab's like Cinnabar's crown jewel, and he's really interested in our work here."

"So all this belongs to the Gym."

Lily frowned. "I guess if you wanna get technical, then yeah. But it's my research, and it wouldn't be here without me."

Ivy approached one of the microscopes and squinted at the slide it was examining. When she looked through the lenses, the slide came alive with tiny cells teeming with life.

"It's incredible, Lily. Omanyte's proof enough of that."

"So why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something?"

Ivy sighed and crossed her arms. "Nothing, I just remembered something. I've seen what science can do with unlimited funding and resources, and even though you mean well, science is only as good as its operator. Or as bad."

"I believe science can make our lives better. I've dedicated my life to that belief."

"I know. But not everyone shares your belief."

"What're you trying to say?"

Ivy hesitated as she remembered the feeling of the seeing Lily standing behind Pikachu as the Rocket Agent fell over, electrocuted to death. "You said you helped me because you can. Let me return the favor. Beware of Team Rocket. Just like the two that attacked me, they don't always make themselves known. They hide in plain sight, and they're patient."

Lily's amber eyes were hard and unreadable. "Cinnabar doesn't associate with Team Rocket."

"That doesn't mean they're not here. I've seen what they can do. I used to be one of them. And believe me when I say that for every good thing you've done here, they're working on something just as life-changing, and not for the better. They're evil, and I want you to be careful. There's nowhere in the world that's safe from them. No matter what you think of me or what happens next, please believe that."

"Of course I believe you. But you're talking like I'm never gonna see you again. What's going on?"

"You asked me why I was coming to Kanto. I'm here to put a stop to Team Rocket, one way or another. I dunno if I'll succeed, or even if I'll survive it, but I have to try. No one else really has, and I have to start somewhere." She took Lily's hands in hers and held her gaze. "Just remember what I told you. Promise me that."

Lily nodded. "I-I promise. But you'll be okay. You and Batty and the rest of your Pokémon, too. And we'll see each other again. You promise me that."

Ivy smiled and swallowed the tight knot in her throat. "I'll try."

Lily pulled her into a hug and they embraced for a few moments. "We're friends now, so you're stuck with me. Okay? I'm not going anywhere."

Friends?

Ivy wasn't sure she really knew the meaning of the word.

"Thank you for everything," she said.

"You can thank me next time we see each other."

Ivy laughed. "Sounds good."

---

The journey to Pallet Town from Cinnabar was only two days and one night. Nurse Joy had assured Ivy that Golbat would recover with time and would be able to fly again, but there was of course nothing they could do about its missing eye. That was good enough, and Ivy was just glad the big bat would be back to normal after the horror Team Rocket had subjected it to.

When the ship she'd secured passage on docked outside of Pallet Town, Ivy disembarked and checked her map. The nearest Gym was north in Viridian City, which would take a few days to hike to. There was nothing of interest in Pallet Town that she knew of, so there was no reason to stop over.

The bay quickly gave way to tall grass and lazy, sloping hills that led out of Pallet Town down Route One. To the west, Ivy noted the same mountain chain she'd seen out her window outside Blackthorn City for many years, culminating in the sublime Mt. Silver that peaked higher than any of its surrounding companions. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun cast a warm glow over the quaint, country houses that made up the sleepy Pallet Town. Maybe it was a nice place, but Ivy wouldn't know, and she didn't have time to know.

Once outside of Pallet Town, she was walking at a steady pace due north. For safety, she let Houndour out of his Pokéball to patrol ahead and alert her to any threats. The canine bounded ahead and sniffed at the tall grass, eager to be outside. It wasn't long before Houndour detected a disturbance worth checking out and went darting after it.

"Hey, wait up!"

Ivy ran to catch up with Houndour, and when she did she paled at what had caught its attention. A Raticate was attacking a young man who looked about her age, and he was trying to kick it away. A small Pokéball had rolled out of his reach, and he had no choice but to do his best to fend off the feral rodent alone. Ivy watched as it sank its thick teeth into the boy's calf and began to yank back, taking a chunk of his leg with it. Memories of another Raticate pummeling Larvitar returned to her, and fury bubbled up in her chest.

"Kill it," she ordered Houndour.

The black canine was all too eager to obey and rammed the Raticate, catching it by surprise and sinking its teeth in with a Fire Fang. Ivy focused on the rat's victim and helped him up.

"Hey, are you okay?"

He said something about Pallet Town, so she automatically turned back toward the small settlement. He wasn't particularly tall, and he wore a red cap that made him look more boyish than his true age, she suspected. But he had one of those faces that was naturally calming, even to someone who didn't like or trust anyone. There was a kindness in his eyes she couldn't deny.

When they made it back to the outskirts of the town, he was starting to pass out from bloodloss. It was then that another young man, also near their age, appeared and ran toward them.

"Ash!" he shouted.

Ivy dragged Ash as best she could. "Over here!"

I guess I'll be stopping in Pallet Town, after all.

The other boy was nearly upon them, and she struggled to keep a passed-out Ash standing.

"I found him being attacked by a Raticate in the wilds," she explained.

The newcomer gave her a quick once-over before looping Ash's free arm over his shoulder. "The lab's just ahead, follow me. And thanks."

"Ivy," she said before he could ask.

"Ivy," he repeated. "I'm Gary. Gary Oak."

She caught his eye and held his gaze, and all she saw was endless green.