Blaine could still feel Mewtwo's anger. He half expected his brother to burst out of the Master Ball and attack, which could ruin everything. Sabrina had implied to Giovanni that the Master Ball, and Mewtwo inside, had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, and that was the only thing that was keeping Giovanni from pursuing Mewtwo more. If he thought that the legendary pokémon was free and available, he wouldn't rest until he had control of Mewtwo.

Blaine was surprised and relieved that Gary seemed to be keeping his word. He was clearly nearby, evident by the appearance of his Umbreon, but he was out of sight and out of trouble, and was making sure that the same was true for Mewtwo, and that was all that Blaine could ask for.

While they confronted Giovanni, Blaine couldn't do anything much to help. He could feel Mewtwo's anger flow through him, and it was agonizing. His arm felt like it was burning up from the inside out. Every movement he made caused it to flare up even more, and Blaine could feel a cold fury deep inside of him. Despite the pain, Blaine did his best to focus on that rather than his anger, which was Mewtwo's lingering fury leaking into him. He was worried that if he gave in to the anger, he would end up letting it control him. Blaine may not like Giovanni, and he was desperate to stop him, but he didn't want to harm the man the way that Mewtwo did.

While they had wanted to get Silver away from Giovanni, Blaine was actually relieved that the boy turned Lugia had shown up. It would have been horrible if Giovanni had hurt or captured Silver, but the boy was safe. Ho-Oh's brief, distant appearance and Silver returning to his normal self distracted Giovanni enough that he didn't pay any attention to Lt. Surge, Ash, Blaine, or even the legendary beasts. He had larger priorities to worry about.

Even after Ho-Oh had flown away and Silver had teleported away, Giovanni didn't seem very interested in those that remained, which Blaine was grateful for. Giovanni had a hungry look in his eyes that sent shivers down Blaine's spine. He'd had that look aimed towards him before, and he didn't want a repeat of the experience.

Lt. Surge kept himself between Ash and Giovanni, just in case the man tried something, but Blaine didn't think he had anything to worry about. As far as Lt. Surge could tell, Giovanni had been interested in Ash for two reasons, to treat him as a bit of a replacement for his son, and to help him find the legendary bird Ho-Oh. Giovanni still had that feather that should lead him to Ho-Oh, and he now knew that his son was alive and well. He didn't need Ash anymore.

"As fun as it has been to see you all again, I have bigger things to worry about." Giovanni pulled a very familiar looking rainbow ring out of his pocket. Blaine didn't know whether Giovanni was talking about looking for Ho-Oh or looking for his son, but Blaine didn't really care. Either way, it meant that Giovanni would leave them alone, and Blaine wasn't about to complain about that.

Giovanni turned and made his way back to the helicopter. Ash looked like he wanted to say something, but Lt. Surge held him back. The legendary beasts were on guard, but Giovanni completely ignored them. It seemed that when somebody was as obsessed with powerful and legendary pokémon as Giovanni was, they learned how to prioritize the pokémon they caught and went after. Giovanni must see Ho-Oh as a greater prize than the three legendary beasts were.

Blaine watched anxiously as Giovanni left. He didn't feel himself calm down until the helicopter had flown out of sight. Blaine hoped that this meant that they could stop and take a breath before returning to what they'd come here for in the first place, to stop Giovanni from catching Ho-Oh, but then the pain in his arm got even worse. While Blaine was glad that Giovanni had left, Mewtwo clearly didn't share his feelings.

Blaine clutched at his arm as the pain increased. His hand was shaking, and yet it felt numb. Blaine hissed in pain and brought his arm close to his chest. He automatically hunched forward.

"Blaine?" Ash sounded extremely alarmed. The boy approached him and grabbed his arm, only to be pulled back so that Lt. Surge could get close to Blaine.

"What's wrong?" Lt. Surge wrapped his arms firmly but gently on Blaine's hurt arm. He pulled it away from Blaine's chest so he could look at it for himself. Ash's eyes widened when he saw the way that Blaine's skin was flaring and rippling.

"It's Mewtwo, isn't it?" Ash sounded concerned.

"He's angry." Blaine said breathlessly. Ash looked around rapidly, looking uncertain about something. He seemed conflicted, but after a moment a determined look came into his eyes and he ran off towards the trees. A moment later Ash returned with Gary right behind him. The other boy was holding the Master Ball so tightly that his fingers looked pale.

Blaine's breath caught in his throat. His brother was so close, and he was in pain. He reached out for the Master Ball and Gary immediately handed it to him. The moment that Blaine had the Master Ball in his hands he let out a breath of relief. His pain weakened, and the overwhelming fury eased a little bit. Mewtwo found at least a little bit of comfort from Blaine.

He wanted to let Mewtwo out of the Master Ball, but he refrained. He was worried that the moment that he let Mewtwo out, he would fly off to go after Giovanni. As much pain as Blaine was feeling through their connection, he knew that he would feel even more once Mewtwo was out, because the Master Ball dulled things quite a bit. Mewtwo probably wouldn't be able to hold himself back, and Blaine wouldn't have the energy to do his job and keep Mewtwo from going too far.

Blaine closed his eyes and held the Master Ball close to his chest. He was Mewtwo's creator, and their connection let him have influence over the pokémon that nobody else had. Mewtwo was his responsibility, and Blaine wasn't helping him nearly as much as he should. Blaine couldn't help but feel that if he had done more to help Mewtwo, they wouldn't be having this problem. Mewtwo wouldn't feel so strong a need to get revenge on Giovanni.

Blaine stiffened slightly when he felt a large pokémon nuzzle him. He opened his eyes to see Entei looking at him almost softly. It sniffed at him before it pushed its nose against the Master Ball, pushing the release and opening it. Blaine felt panicked for a moment as Mewtwo came out, but he didn't fly off or flee. Mewtwo stood just in front of him. There was still a strong sense of anger from Mewtwo, but it was buried by concern.

"I'm hurting you." Blaine could hear the anger in Mewtwo's voice, but it sounded like it was aimed at himself. Blaine wanted to assure him that he was fine, but he couldn't. Their connection wouldn't let him lie.

Entei growled lowly, and Mewtwo looked at it in alarm. Blaine looked between the two of them. "What did it say?" At times like this Blaine wished that he could understand what pokémon were saying.

Mewtwo was quiet for a moment. There was awe, hope, and slight sadness coming through their connection. "Entei has an ability called Flames of Life."

Blaine didn't know a lot about the legendary beasts, but he had done a little bit of research about them, because it was how he coped with his uncertainty and curiosity. He had read something about the Flames of Life, but he hadn't had enough time to really look into what that meant.

Mewtwo seemed to tell that he didn't understand. "It is a powerful fire that is so strong that it burns away disease and can heal illness." Mewtwo looked meaningfully at Blaine's arm. The sadness and hope increased through their connection, and Blaine understood.

"Our connection." Blaine clenched his fist. "Entei can break it." The beast nodded. Blaine felt a rush go through him. He felt some hope and sadness of his own. He'd known from the beginning that the nature of their connection couldn't be permanent. Blaine couldn't expect Mewtwo to have to restrain himself because of Blaine's own failings. Mewtwo deserved to be free, and Blaine needed to be at full physical capacity. They couldn't continue to feed off of each other. Blaine knew this, but he hadn't thought that the end would come so soon or suddenly.

However, Blaine didn't want to back out. This was what he wanted, it was what they both needed. Whether he was ready for it or not, Blaine had to take this opportunity that was presented in front of them.

Blaine held his arm out towards Entei. "Please, help us." He could feel reluctance from Mewtwo, but the pokémon didn't try to argue or disagree. Mewtwo seemed to feel the same way about this as Blaine did.

Entei backed up slightly to give itself room. Blaine was vaguely aware of Lt. Surge pulling Ash and Gary back to give them space, but his main focus was on the pokémon in front of him. Entei prepared a fire attack in the back of its throat, and it let the attack go. Blaine flinched when the flames touched his arm, and Mewtwo cringed back in pain as well. The burning pain lasted for a long moment, but eventually it was replaced with a different kind of pain.

For months Blaine had lived with the constant presence of Mewtwo within him. Even when he wasn't thinking about it, Mewtwo was always there. Now it felt like a part of him was slipping right out, and it left him feeling incredibly empty and lonely. After a long minute Blaine could feel absolutely nothing of Mewtwo remaining inside of him.

Mewtwo looked physically ill, and yet stronger than he'd ever been before. His time in the Master Ball had stabilized his body, and now that Mewtwo was no longer held down by Blaine, he was in his prime. Blaine was sure that Mewtwo only looked uncomfortable because he'd gone his whole life being connected to Blaine. It was the only thing that Mewtwo had ever known, and it would take him time to adjust to it. Blaine was sure that once Mewtwo got used to it, he would be just fine on his own.

Blaine and Mewtwo looked at each other for a moment, and the scientist was relieved to find that even though he may not be physically and psychically connected to Mewtwo, he still felt a fondness for him. They were still brothers, just in a different way than before.

"You're free," Blaine said quietly. He almost didn't believe it. "The world is yours." Blaine swallowed thickly. He was excited for Mewtwo, but he would be sad to see him go. This was a bittersweet moment. "I just ask one thing of you. Don't go after Giovanni."

Mewtwo glowered angrily. It was odd to not feel the fury for himself. Blaine hurried on to explain further. This was incredibly important to him. "He doesn't know you're still around, and nobody else knows that you exist at all. You won't have to worry about anybody coming after you, but that will change if Giovanni knew the truth. You will be in danger, and you don't deserve that."

Mewtwo still looked angry. It took him a long moment, but Mewtwo sighed and tensed slightly. "I promise nothing, but I shall try." It was far from a sure thing, but Blaine was sure it was the best that he could ask for. He nodded. Mewtwo gave him a small, bitter smile, and that was all he did. Mewtwo floated into the air and a moment later he shot off. In a moment Mewtwo was out of sight, and Blaine felt a little lost.

Everything was still and quiet for a moment. Gary was the first to break the silence. "Are you okay?"

Blaine had to take a moment to consider it. Was he okay? He didn't even know. Blaine felt far too empty to think about how he was feeling. It took Blaine far too long for him to realize that perhaps feeling empty would qualify as not okay.

"No, I don't think I am." Blaine said. He automatically moved to rub his arm, but cringed and immediately pulled back. Entei's fire had healed him, but it had still burned. As a fire-type expert, and a scientist who was a little too careless sometimes, he had far too much experience with burns, and this one was worse than any other burn that he had lived with. Blaine wasn't sure if his arm would fully recover from this. He didn't know if he would recover from his separation mentally.

"You don't look like you're in any state to go chasing after Giovanni." Lt. Surge crossed his arms. "But I don't think that we can afford to sit around and wait for you to get better. We came here to stop Giovanni from getting Ho-Oh, and now he's one step ahead of us."

"I'm not asking you to wait," Blaine said. As confused and lost as he was feeling, this was something that he was completely sure of. "Giovanni must be stopped, and if that means that you do it without me then that's how it needs to be done."

Ash frowned. He looked devastated. "You're not coming with us?

"I'm afraid that I would be more of a hindrance than a help." Blaine said. Between his arm and the difficulty he had with focusing on anything that wasn't his overwhelming loneliness, he didn't think he could do anything to help anybody, not even himself.

Ash sighed. He was obviously still upset, but he looked resigned. Ash had been saying goodbye to friends a lot in a short period of time. He didn't like it, but Ash was starting to understand that this wasn't something he could control. "Where are you going to go?"

"Probably back home to Cinnabar Island." Blaine said. He felt responsible for the explosions that had occured on the island when Mewtwo had escaped the labs. The island would need a lot of repairs, and in times of crisis people tended to look to gym leaders as authority figures and guides. It wasn't any official position, but Blaine didn't feel like he could abandon the people who would be looking up to him.

"Will you be okay on your own?" Ash asked.

"He probably won't be," Gary said. He knelt down next to Umbreon and pet him. "I'm not part of this whole Giovanni Team Rocket thing. I came to train with Koga, and then with Blaine." The boy looked at the scientist, fierce determination in his eyes. "If you're going back to Cinnabar Island, I'm going with you. You look like you need some help for yourself, and I'm not about to give up on training now. I've only just started."

Blaine stared at Gary for a moment. A part of him wanted to refuse the offer, because he was a proud man and he didn't want to admit that he needed help, but it was far too tempting of an offer. He did want to continue to train Gary. He wanted to teach him, and help him, possibly show him around the labs. Gary had shown a bit of an interest in science, and Blaine wanted to encourage that.

Blaine also felt lonely, and the thought of being completely alone was terrifying and overwhelming.

Blaine gave Gary a small smile. "If that's what you want, I would love the company." Gary brightened, which was a look that Blaine didn't see very often. Gary wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as Ash frequently was. Ash shined like the sun, and Gary was much more subdued than that, but it was still pleasant to see.

"So... this is it?" Ash asked. Lt. Surge gave Ash a really small smile and tilted his head down in affectionate teasing.

"For now," Lt. Surge said. "We can always call them up if we need help, or if you're feeling particularly clingy." Ash pouted, and tried to give Lt. Surge a push, but the man was left unmoved. He just chuckled.

"Yeah, I know," Ash frowned. "It's just hard."

"This may not be forever," Blaine said. He still wanted to stop Giovanni from causing further damage. He just needed some time to recover. "After all, Lt. Surge returned, didn't he?" Ash cheered up at those words.

"Yeah, he did." Ash looked far more accepting of this idea. He took a deep breath and smiled at Blaine. "I really hope you get better. And don't worry about Mewtwo. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"I know." Blaine nodded. His creation, his brother, was strong.

"Don't worry about this guy, Ashy-boy." Gary said. His smirk bordered the line between teasing and malicious. "I'll watch his back."

Ash laughed. "Of course you will." Ash held his hand out. Gary stood up and grasped his hand in firm comradery. "See you around,"

"Later," Gary said. When they released hands Ash gave one more sad smile to Blaine before he went to Lt. Surge's side. Suicune and Raikou walked up to them, looking ready to go. Suicune knelt to allow Ash to climb onto its back, and Raikou stood perfectly still while Lt. Surge got on. Ash waved at Blaine and Gary before Suicune and Raikou ran off in the direction where Ho-Oh and Giovanni had flown off. Entei nodded at Blaine before it ran off after the others.

Blaine took in a shaky breath as he watched the others go. He felt alone again. It wasn't as intense as his separation from Mewtwo had been, but it was definitely noticeable. The feeling of loss took his breath away, and it would have been very overwhelming if Gary hadn't been right there. He wasn't on his own. Gary had made it clear that he wasn't going to leave, and Blaine hadn't realized how much he needed the company.

Blaine sighed and reached into his pocket to pull out a pokéball. He let Arcanine out. "Are you ready to get going?"

"Yeah," Gary returned Umbreon to its pokéball. He hopped Arcanine's back and did what he could to help Blaine get on with his bad arm. Gary couldn't do a lot, since Blaine was larger than he was, but the man appreciated the attempt.

Blaine lightly kicked Arcanine's side and urged his pokémon on. Arcanine growled and bounded forward. Blaine still felt lost, but hopefully returning to a familiar place could help him to overcome this. Once he felt more like himself, he could find and help Lt. Surge and Ash, or possibly reunite with Mewtwo. For now though he had to take the advice that he had given to Koga and think about himself.

"So, back to Kanto?" Gary looked back at him.

Blaine nodded. "Back home."

A/N: It feels weird to have such a non-ending to conclude this trilogy I've been writing for so long, but it's what felt natural, and I'm actually really happy with this.

I have loved writing this series. I may come back to it later, but for now it's completed. I haven't read the manga past the Gold/Silver/Crystal chapters, and I haven't watched much of the Hoenn episodes, but if I ever get around to it and feel so inspired, I may get around to writing more. However, I wouldn't count on it. As of right now, this is it, and I hope you've enjoyed it.

I'm a little curious about which of these three stories are your favorite. I personally really liked the second one. I just liked the characters and the dynamics they had with each other, and everything seemed to flow naturally.

I'm also curious about the timeline of these stories. At some point I need to sit down and actually figure out how much period of time has passed in these stories, because it was probably such a short amount of time. Like, I'm pretty sure the entirety of the second story happens over just a few days, but I could be wrong about that.