Sorry she's a little late, just had to add some final details last minute! When reading this chapter, it may be helpful to remember that ALL of the events in HeartGold / SoulSilver happened prior to this fic...you'll understand why later. Enjoy!

Chapter 42

When we arrived at Ash's house, his mom yelped in surprise. "Ah, my apologies. I only told Ash that we were coming," Mewtwo said sheepishly as Mrs. Ketchum stood there, catching her breath.

I heard heavy footsteps from the second floor and knew he was running from his room. I also heard an enthusiastic "Pika pii!"

"Ash!" I called up. He did not respond, but he was downstairs within seconds. I hardly had time to brace myself before he ran full force into me and wound his arms under my own as he lifted me off the ground. "Woah!" I gasped in surprise.

"You're okay!" he cried, spinning me around, "We were so worried, I was about to go after you two with Charizard!"

I was starting to feel nauseous from all the movement. "I'm fine, I'm fine, put me down!" I laughed, hugging him back. He finally stopped spinning and let me back on my feet. When I pulled away and looked at his face, there were tears in his eyes. "You're an idiot," he said suddenly wiping them away, "Why would you lie to Mewtwo like that?"

My face fell a little. "I know, it was bad," I said, "I was just scared for him."

I felt someone else hug me from my side, and knew it was Mrs. Ketchum. "We're so glad that you're safe, Lilly," she said, squeezing the life out of me, "none of us knew what to do."

I hugged her back. "I'm sorry I made you all worry," I said as she released me, "Mewtwo already made me promise to ask for help next time."

"You'd better," Ash sniffed again.

"Oh, Lilly," Mrs. Ketchum interrupted, "your Aunt Charlotte has been trying to reach you! She's on her way to the airport right now."

I gasped at the mention of her name. "Wait, she called you?"

"She's been messaging you on your Pokénav for hours, but I told her you're alright and just resting."

Oh, crap! I thanked Mrs. Ketchum for letting me know. After saying one final goodbye and apologizing for rushing out, we departed again.

"Here," I heard Mewtwo say.

I turned and saw that he had my Pokénav floating next to me. "Where'd you find it?" I asked, taking it and looking it over.

"The police had it in evidence, along with your bag. But they don't need it," he said.

"Isn't that . . . illegal?" I asked, scratching my head.

Mewtwo shrugged. "I don't have to follow your rules. I'm not a human." I did not share that feeling but since it was already in my hands, I was not about to return it. I powered it on and immediately began reading my messages.

There were about twenty texts and five missed calls from my Aunt Charlotte, and I immediately let her know that I was awake and feeling fine. There were a few from Ash letting me know about the furniture he got from the store, and a new one from him asking when Mewtwo would be ready for help with the door. As I was responding to him, I heard voices outside. A woman's voice rose above them, and I immediately knew that my Aunt had arrived.

I wanted to run out and greet her, but I stopped in time to remember the black blanket. But I was close enough to hear what they were saying.

"Ma'am, we just need a moment to verify your—"

"For Arceus' sake, this is my house! I've lived here for five years!" she bristled. "Where is my niece?!"

I smiled to myself. Aunt Charlotte was a nurse, but by no means was she a pushover. "That's definitely her," I said, looking toward Mewtwo, "I recognize her voice."

Please let her in before she gives us away, I heard Mewtwo say in irritation.

There was a silence, followed by the sticky sound of the tape being peeled back. "Let's wait over here," Mewtwo said quickly, ushering me toward the couch and out of sight.

"Can you hide for a second?" I whispered, "I think seeing you might scare her."

"Good idea," Mewtwo agreed.

Just as he vanished, my Aunt stepped through the doorway, her brown hair tied up and eyes wide as she looked toward the kitchen first. When she turned spotted me near the couch, she dropped the bag she was holding and ran to me, bending down and throwing her arms around my shoulders. "My goodness, why didn't you answer your phone?!" she exclaimed, "My stomach's been in knots for days!"

"I'm sorry," I said through her shoulder, hugging her back, "My Pokénav was at the police station."

Aunt Charlotte pulled away again, her eyes wet. "I'm so relieved that you're okay. You must have been so scared without your Pokémon." I just nodded, not wanting to say too much about the experience. "Then . . ." she looked around again, "where are they? And the officers told me—"

"Yes, I'm here," Mewtwo said suddenly, making her yelp.

I looked behind me and saw him standing there again, just as he was a few moments ago. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Charlotte," he said in a voice I'd never heard him use before, extending one hand.

Both she and I looked at it in shock. Oh no, was I supposed to bow? he asked me nervously. I thought humans of Kanto shook hands.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Mewtwo, you don't have to act all formal!" I whispered back to him aloud, "it's just my Aunt."

"Ah . . ." he started to retract his hand, "I see."

But my Aunt grabbed it before he could lower it all the way. "It's nice to meet you too, Mewtwo," she said, smiling brightly.

Mewtwo's expression reflected an ounce of the uncertainty I knew he was feeling. "Mewtwo was the one who got me out of there," I said after my Aunt released his hand, "I might still be there if he hadn't shown up!"

"I heard all about it from Dalia!" Aunt Charlotte said, "I'm blown away by your bravery, going back to the people who were trying to hunt you down."

Ever since I told him he didn't have to be so formal, he seemed to be at a loss. "Th . . . thank you," was all he could manage to say.

"I'm sure you have a lot to tell me, but let's hear about it about it over lunch," she said, turning toward the kitchen, "I'm absolutely starving!"

As she was preparing lunch, Mewtwo and I sat in the living room together and waited. He still looked a little uneasy, so I turned on the news and asked him about it.

Are you okay?

Mewtwo started but kept his focus on the TV. Yes. Why?

You seemed tense earlier, I was just curious, was all I thought, trying not to seem too nosy.

Mewtwo didn't reply for a moment, but his next words were surprisingly honest. I was . . . worried about making a good impression.

My eyes widened. Really? You?

I'm not sure why you're surprised. People don't usually look at me and think positive thoughts. I'm not exactly your Togekiss, or . . . a Clefairy.

A Clefairy?! I snorted loudly with laughter, making my Aunt look over. Of course not! But there are tons of Pokémon who don't look like them, why are you worried?

In most cases, my reputation of being created by Team Rocket precedes me. That's what people think about before I even speak. Making your Aunt like me was really important. She is . . . kind of your guardian, is she not?

I shook my head. I'm sure my Aunts love me, but never really worry too much. The ones I've met so far know I'm a great trainer with strong Pokémon!

It still matters to me, he said, turning to look at me, if your family is important to you, then they are to me as well.

I don't care what my family, or anybody, thinks of you. I know who you are, I said confidently. I scooted closer to him and laid my head on his shoulder, bringing my feet up on the couch. You'll never have to worry about that changing.

Aunt Charlotte and I were the ones doing the talking during the meal, which was omelets and minute rice that she made using ingredients from the pantry and freezer. Mewtwo was silent as his eyes darted between the two of us. Aside from talking to Ash's mother and the one Cassidy and I had at the Safari Zone, that was the first conversation between two women he ever heard. Eventually, my aunt became curious about Mewtwo. She started with innocent questions, such as "Oh, he eats eggs?" but she was as nosey as she was impatient. The questions eventually escalated to: "Are you Lilly's Pokémon, then?"

I choked on what I was eating. "No," I said after clearing my throat, "Mewtwo—"

"That's a fair question," Mewtwo said, looking at me first before shifting his gaze to my Aunt. "I am not her Pokémon, but . . . our relationship is unique, it's difficult to give it a name. Think of me more as a guardian, or . . . kind of an Aunt, like yourself."

Aunt Charlotte snorted with laughter. "Lilly, he's so funny," she chuckled, "Oh, but . . . you said Aunt? That's for women, are you a woman?" Mewtwo looked away, as if to contemplate. "How can I refer to . . . you in the third person?" she continued.

"Third person?" I asked, tilting my head to one side, "You mean like 'he' or 'she'?" When she nodded, I continued, "I've always called Mewtwo a 'he', but . . ." I turned to look at him, "I'd also like to know."

"To be honest, it's never something that crossed my mind," Mewtwo said thoughtfully. "But all things considered, I guess I don't really have any—" he fell silent at the look I gave him. ". . . gender," he finished innocently.

"Does being called 'he' make you feel weird?" I asked, feeling a little confused.

He briefly mulled over the idea before shaking his head. "No, I don't mind. 'She' would probably also feel fine, I have no real attachment to either pronoun. Though humans tend to perceive me to share more qualities with the male gender."

After our meal, Aunt Charlotte said she had some errands to run and started toward the door. "Wait," Mewtwo said, barring her way, "you should know . . . Team Rocket does not know our current whereabouts."

At this statement, my Aunt looked at him strangely. "But even if they found out, there are police outside. They stopped me on my way into my own house!"

"It would be in your, and Lilly's, best interests to keep our presence quiet," Mewtwo said slowly, "I cannot guarantee that the police will be enough to keep them away from . . . us if they found out."

Aunt Charlotte laughed, but it sounded fake. "But I think they would be more interested in finding you than Lilly, isn't that right?"

Does she know about you? Mewtwo asked without looking in my direction.

I don't think so, I admitted, trying to think, I'm not sure my Aunt in Hoenn even knows, and she was the one I ended up with when my parents died.

That is going to make things a little difficult, I watched him rub his head in frustration. He sighed before answering her question. "It is possible that they may seek retribution against Lilly by taking her Pokémon. She has made re-capturing me very difficult for them, after all."

"If you don't mind," she said, the warmth in her voice gone, "I'd like a word with my niece, privately."

"Auntie," I said as I looked uncertainly from the couch, "whatever you have to say you can say in front of Mewtwo, you know."

"This is between you and I, Lilly, as family," she insisted, giving me a look that said shut up.

From the hard look on Mewtwo's face, I could tell he knew what she wanted to say. "Very well. I will go enlist Ash's help with the door, then," he replied in the same tone before disappearing.

"That was cold of you," I said as soon as he was gone, "he's just trying to help."

"Lilly, honey," she said, sitting down next to me, "I'm sorry, but . . . he needs to leave."

Her bluntness shocked me at first. "No, he doesn't," I replied heatedly, "he's protecting me from Team Rocket.

"You have that backwards, dear. He'll bring Team Rocket to our door again!" she replied, gesturing toward the door frame with the blanket dangling off of it, "I can't believe the police even let him stay!"

I shook my head defiantly. "If he leaves, I go with him."

"Don't be stubborn! You'll be safe here, I know it," she said patiently.

"They're looking for both of us now, Auntie. I know it. They might want to find me as much as they want to find him, now."

"Why?!" she yelled suddenly, surprising me, "What the hell makes you think a group like Team Rocket is looking for a little girl?!"

I was startled and did not respond at first, as she had never yelled at me before. "I . . . I'm sorry," she said, wiping her eyes, "I'm just worried for you. I was hoping that Mewtwo was lying." I shook my head in disagreement. "Explain to me, then, what an organization like Team Rocket could possibly want from you."

I knew couldn't tell her what had actually happened. She wouldn't understand. "Well, they'll probably . . . I mean . . . it's like Mewtwo said, they know I have powerful Pokémon," I said, "and that combined with me taking Mewtwo has probably made me a target to them. So . . . it's really for the best that we stick together."

It wasn't a lie. For a while, I knew that Team Rocket had no concern for the lives of Pokémon after seeing what they did to Meganimum and hearing stories from other Pokémon and trainers. But after seeing what Giovanni was about to do to Mewtwo, I finally understood that he was as bad as the rest of them. You're becoming more convincing, Mewtwo said out of the blue.

You're still here?! I thought back as my Aunt asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry, just a chill," I laughed halfheartedly to myself.

"Well, if you really believe all that," she also rubbed her head, "I guess it makes sense for Mewtwo to stay, then."

I nodded, trying to reassure her. "He's the best Pokémon to protect us, really."

After she finally stepped out on her errands, Mewtwo reappeared. "She's satisfied with your explanation," he affirmed, "but, why is your . . . why is Arceus being kept from your family?"

"My parents never told them about it, and they never left anything saying I should do it," I said uncertainly, "so I think it'll just have to wait until everybody can know."

Suddenly, my Pokénav dinged. I went to look and saw that messages from yesterday were pouring in. "That's weird, why are these just—"

I stopped talking when I saw who they were from. "What is it?" Mewtwo asked from nearby.

"Nothing," I said, but a little too quickly.

"That didn't seem like 'nothing' to me," he said, his voice mildly suspicious.

I sighed, knowing I had to come clean. Nothing good would come of keeping this from him. "It's . . . my friend Silver."

"Silver?" Mewtwo's expression remained unchanged. "What a . . . unique name," he said finally.

"Yeah, not something you hear every day," I said, my voice unnaturally high.

"Why did that make you nervous, though?" he asked.

I was surprised. "You're . . . really not going to read my mind?"

He blinked at me. "I've come to realize that it's a little invasive to do that, especially since you can't read my thoughts on a whim. Besides," he said, looking up at me, "I trust you." Though I was not technically hiding anything from him, that last part still made my gut twist in guilt. "Also . . . that barrier you put up earlier is actually quite painful," he reluctantly admitted a second later, "but you probably didn't realize at the time."

I shook my head quickly, "No, I had no idea. I didn't want to hurt you."

He smiled a little. "I'm going to get Ash and begin working on the door. You should start watching those reruns with your team while you wait."

I said I would, and he teleported to Ash's house. I stood there for a moment before I looked at the messages again, all delivered in the last day:

Where are you? 8:47 am, Yesterday

I heard something happened from some grunts,
just tell me you're alright. 8:51 am, Yesterday

Lilly? 9:02 pm, Yesterday

I was panicking as I read them over several times. If I responded, Silver would know I was alive. But if I didn't, how long would he have to believe I was dead?

My choice was made for me when another message was delivered.

Whoever is reading these, please tell me she's okay. Now

I groaned loudly to myself, quickly typing back a message.

It's Lilly. My Pokénav was at
the local police station. I'm okay, please don't worry.

I sent that and threw myself onto the couch, suddenly feeling very drained.

After a few minutes, Mewtwo came back and sat next to me while he communicated with Ash about the door. A short while later he arrived with it, and with Mewtwo staying out of sight they got to work. I laughed as I listened to them argue about what was supposed to go where; clearly neither of them had any idea what they were doing. Mrs. Ketchum had sent Mr. Mime to help, but he was equally useless. Another hour later, and the door was fully functional. It was solid, so there was no risk of anybody peering through the window when we weren't expecting it.

"You did a great job, Ash!" I said when he came inside, his forehead beaded with sweat.

He made a beeline for the kitchen and filled a glass with water, drinking it in one gulp. "Never try to build something with Mewtwo," he gasped out a second later.

"I can hear you," Mewtwo said, feigning annoyance, "I could have done it by myself, you know."

"Anyway," Ash said, putting the glass on the counter, "it's time for you to take me back to Hoenn!"

I got up from the couch and walked over to hug him. "I'll miss you," I said, patting his back, "good luck out there!"

When he let go, he put his hand on my shoulder. "Try not to get taken by Team Rocket again, yeah?"

I laughed half-heartedly, rubbing the back of my neck. I knew he meant well but thinking of yesterday's events still made my skin crawl. "I'll do my best," I said as lightheartedly as I could manage.

"Alright," Ash said as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder, "we're ready!"

Mewtwo came and stood next to Ash. "Be back in a few minutes."

"Bye, Ash! Bye Pikachu!" I said, waving until they vanished in thin air.

I sat down on the couch again. Now that we had a door, I felt comfortable enough to release my Pokémon into the living room. Before I could pick up even one ball from the duffel, I heard shouts from outside. This was followed by the angry cry of a Pokémon, and the door being opened.

"Auntie?" I asked aloud.

But instead of my Aunt, a boy only a few inches taller than me walked in, leaving the door ajar behind him. My heart dropped to my stomach at the sight of him, and I couldn't say anything for a moment. "Get your stuff, we have to go," Silver said urgently, looking around as if he knew which of my things to grab.

"Wh . . . what are you doing here?!" I exclaimed finally, quickly getting to my feet. "You can't just—"

"I'll explain on the—"

There wasn't a moment for me to say anything else before my view of him was obscured by a tall, pale figure.

"Looking for me?"

Ugh, I just finished writing the next chapter and y'all...y'all are NOT ready for this ending, I'm not even ready for this ending. It's not the ""final"" chapter of this part of the fic yet, but it's finally the "beginning of the ending" if that makes sense.