The path to Pallet Town was a lot more tricky to traverse than what Kevin remembered when he left on his Pokémon journey as a young child. :I was so inexperienced then, until I won my final badge required to head to Indigo Plateau,: Kevin thought to himself. :I'm just glad that the inexperience isn't now!: Kevin was running into so many Rattata and Pidgey than before that if he weren't feeling so powerful now, he might actually be afraid. He even ran into a bad-tempered Fearow that almost acted as if it held a grudge against him, even though he had never actually ran into one on this route before. Kevin decided that it was time to head to town as soon as he knocked it away with a powerful Hyper Beam and a Pidgeot flew into view. He didn't wait around to see if the Pidgeot was after him or something else.

Soon, Kevin began seeing houses. Seems almost like home, Cevan, Kevin said.

Maybe to you, but to me, it just looks like another town, Kevin, Cevan said rather gloomily. You didn't catch me until after you left Saffron City for Cinnabar Island, remember?

Yeah, I probably acted like such a buffoon… I don't know what I was thinking, sending you up against the Gym Leader's fire Pokémon! Luckily, I realized it before you got too burned and pulled out my Blastoise to save the day.

So where is your house anyway, Kevin? Cevan asked.

Well, it used to be… Kevin stopped and scanned the horizon. He spotted the one area where his house was, but Kevin was a little confused. Okay, maybe my house is still there after all! I wonder who lives in it now? Kevin's family used to live in the house that he stared at now, until after the Viridian City gym. For some unexplained reason, Kevin's family moved out of the home and went someplace else, without even telling anyone that they moved. To Kevin, it was almost as if they had disappeared. Oh well, doesn't hurt to find out!

Kevin dashed down the path until he reached the white fence that bordered the yard. A garden was growing along side, almost giving Kevin the impression of a cozy cottage. Walking up to the door, he knocked casually, hoping that he sounded somewhat human.

A minute later, a woman opened the front door. "Hello there, sir," she answered warmly. "May I help you?"

Kevin nearly jumped. The woman almost represented his mother he remembered clearly over 14 years ago, but he knew that she couldn't be her. "Umm," Kevin began, "May I ask who lives here?"

"Who lives here?" the woman asked. "This is the Ketchum residence, of course. Who might you be?"

"Did you just say 'Ketchum?" Kevin was surprised. "You wouldn't happen to have someone named Ash here, would you?"

"You mean my Ash Ketchum?" the woman's eyes glittered. "Of course I know him! He's my son!"

"Then I take it you are the mother of the residence here," Kevin wondered. "My name's Cevan, and he should know me… Is he here right now?"

"Oh no, not at all," Ash's mother said, shaking her head. "He just left a few days ago for Johto. I assume you do know that area, right? You seem fairly new here."

"Actually, no, I don't." Kevin turned his head so that it appeared he lowered his gaze in his hood. "I used to live in this very location, where you live. But my family moved out as I was away and I haven't seem them since."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Ash's mother exclaimed. "Have you been living all these years without a family? Didn't they tell anyone where they went?"

"Umm, that's more of a personal matter, miss," Kevin said rather coldly.

Suddenly a Mr. Mime shot out the front door, sweeping the path outside of the house furiously and nearly knocking over Kevin as it went. "Whoa!" Kevin exclaimed himself, jumping out of the way. He watched the Mr. Mime for a moment before turning back to Ms. Ketchum. "I guess that Mime really likes chores!"

"Yes, he's my Mimey!" Ms. Ketchum said proudly before turning back to Kevin. "Anyway, you must excuse me… I have to do some extra work around the house before I leave. I'm sorry if I can't invite you in, even if you used to live here."

"Well, I must visit Professor Oak anyway… it's of urgent matter. Thanks for helping me get more familiar with my home town again. I know what his lab looks like, so you don't need to point it out for me."

"Okay then, bye now!" Ms. Ketchum said as she closed the door and Kevin walked away, past the vigorous-sweeping Mr. Mime.

I take it she almost reminds you of your mother, right? Cevan asked curiously.

Yeah, only she cares a lot more about her son than mine did… Probably more than my family did altogether, Kevin grumbled.

Maybe they disappeared like you? Cevan suggested.

Just drop it.

They were now approaching the lab. Kevin walked past the front gate and came to the door.

* * *

Tracy was tending to some Nidoran while Prof. Oak was studying Pokémon statistics, comparing them to one another.

"So when do you think you can study my sketches, Professor Oak?" Tracy asked eagerly after finished with tending the Pokémon.

"Let me finish these last two comparisons, Tracy," Prof. Oak calmly said. "Once I've completed these statistic comparisons, then you can bring your sketches to me for review."

"All right!" Tracy felt so happy he could almost do a back-flip. He might've, too, save for a sudden buzzing sound that could be heard around the whole lab.

Prof. Oak grumbled, frustrated. "Now who could that be at the door at this hour?" he wondered aloud. Then, calming himself, he said, "Tracy, would you mind getting the door for me as I finish this?"

"Sure, I guess," Tracy shrugged. :How hard could that be?: he thought to himself. Proceeding through the lab, Tracy reached the front door and pressed the doorbell radio. "Hello? May I ask who's this?"

Kevin couldn't believe what he just heard. He pressed the radio button, eager to confirm what he had just heard. "Tracy? Is that you?" He asked.

Tracy was slightly confused. "Yeah, it is… Who's this?"

"What? You don't recognize me? We met three times, Tracy! Once on the route between Pewter and Cerulean, once at Cerulean, and then finally we parted at Vermilion!"

"Cevan?!?" Tracy was amazed himself. He swung open the front door to find the familiar dark figure standing in front of it. "It is you, Cevan! What are you doing all the way down here?"

"Actually, I came to talk to Professor Oak," Kevin answered. "Is he here?"

"He's actually rather busy, Cevan," Tracy replied. "He's working on comparing two Pokémon. Why? Is that a new Pokémon for him to research?" He pointed to the Pokéball that Kevin had in his hand.

"Huh?" Kevin looked at Cevan's Pokéball, which he still held in his hand. "No, not even remotely!" he laughed. "See? Look!" Kevin opened the ball to let out his Scyther.

Kevin just realized then that he may have made a big mistake. Other than Tracy maybe finding out his true identity, Cevan may not even remember Kevin at all because they were separated for so long. Kevin looked at the moody Scyther, which faced away from both him and Tracy.

"Hmm…" Tracy began making observations. "Your Scyther seems very strong. Just look at it's blades and how they're formed—"

"Scyther!" Cevan suddenly spun around and held a battle position, its right blade ready to run across Tracy.

"Cevan!" Kevin jumped in front of his Scyther. "Don't attack him! He's a friend!"

"Scyther?" Cevan seemed confused. Kevin could tell by its expression.

Kevin didn't even care anymore if Tracy found out who he was. "Cevan, don't you even recognize your own trainer? I've got you back now, and not anyone is going to part us again!"

"{Kevin?}" The Scyther said. Cevan was no longer moody.

"Yes, it's me, Cevan," Kevin repeated for his Scyther. "Remember our many battles together? Remember the time it took me to raise you from a young one to an incredibly strong bug-type?"

"{Kevin! It is you!}" Cevan exclaimed. It's eyes glittered and practically leaped into Kevin's arms. "{I'm so glad it's you again! Not that dreadful Team Rocket!}"

Kevin encircled his Scyther with his arms. He almost never showed care for his Pokémon in this manner, but with his Scyther who had lost him nine years ago, he decided to make an exception. "I'm glad to have you back too, Cevan. We will never, ever be separated again, no matter who we face!"

"Your Scyther's name is Cevan, too?" Tracy looked between the trainer and the Pokémon. "Then that must mean… your name isn't Cevan, but is instead Kevin!"

"Well, I'm glad you could figure that one out, Tracy. To be honest, I'm getting tired of hiding in shadow like this all the time, and hopefully Professor Oak can make that happen," Kevin said, shrugging as he let go of Cevan.

"What is all the commotion down here?" Professor Oak suddenly said as he approached the two. "What could possibly cause both of you to make so much noise that I could hear all the way back in the Pokémon storage room?"

"Professor Oak!" Kevin said, turning to him. "I have arrived. I assume a scientist by the name of Warles came by to drop off a pack for me?"

"Hmm?" Prof. Oak looked at Kevin awkwardly before his eyes suddenly lit up. "Ahh, you must be Kevin then. Yes, he did come by, but that was a little less than two weeks ago!"

"You knew that Kevin still existed?" Tracy stared at Prof. Oak in bewilderment.

"I told the scientist that if he were to run for his life, he should first drop off my pack at your lab. It was necessary so I could pick it up after I finally left the area I was in." Kevin decided it was better to not tell what had happened.

"Yes, he mentioned that he gave you a time before he left, assuming something bad happened after the limit was up… and determining the time between his and your arrival here, it sounds like it did happen," Professor Oak said. "Quite amazing, though, that you could hide yourself to the whole world for this long in that state of yours."

Kevin thought Prof. Oak was reading his mind. He nearly flinched. "That state of yours?" he repeated. "Warles didn't tell you about… me, did he?"

"Umm, you're leaving me out of the conversation here," Tracy interrupted both of them. "Prof. Oak, what exactly are you talking about?"

"Oh! Pardon me," Prof. Oak said as he turned to Tracy. "I haven't told you yet, simply because I knew how most people would act if they knew Kevin would be arriving in the area. Although I had assumed Kevin would come earlier, not after two weeks. Kevin here was trying to retrieve a 'suit' for his own use to strengthen his powers. Apparently, Warles had added that Kevin was now a hybrid, due to his 'tampering' with the DNA structure of Kevin."

"A hybrid?!?" Tracy nearly jumped. "A hybrid of what?" Tracy suddenly reached out and felt Kevin's head, sinking the hood as he reached for it, eager to find Kevin's identity. Kevin, though rather edgy with people touching him, allowed Tracy to feel the crest and eye ridges of his head under the hood. Tracy then compared what he felt with Cevan's crest. Cevan was also edgy, but never attacked a trainer save for if he sensed danger from that individual. The only exception with that rule was with Kevin, and only for Cevan's intention to "discipline his trainer." Cevan nearly ended up slashing Kevin when he joked about getting a doll for his Scyther to play with.

"You seem to take this well," Kevin commented to Tracy as he did this. "Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny were nearly shocked senseless when I showed them my true form."

"Feels like I've been around the whole world." Tracy smiled. "One place I visited in, I ran into a tribe that greeted me kindly. They mentioned all sorts of things: being able to almost intimidate a Ponyta's speed, the movement of a Pikachu, and all sorts of other comparisons."

"Not the movement of a Scyther?" Kevin wondered.

"That's what I asked too," Tracy answered. He laughed slightly. "They all said that they could never have the agility of a Scyther. However, they did mention something about their spirits being intertwined with their Pokémon and they had a legend that a Pokémon and a trainer could become a single individual with both properties of their human and Pokémon characteristics." Tracy stopped suddenly. "You don't mind if I take off your hood, would you?"

Kevin instead turned off his human disguise. "There. That should be sufficent," He commented.

Tracy scanned Kevin. "Hmm… judging from your changes, I think you would fit that legend they had." Tracy then looked back at Kevin's chest. "Where'd you get that from?" he quickly asked.

"Huh?" Kevin looked down. Ever since his escape from the base, he had totally forgotten to take off the chest plate that had remained from the blast. "Oh… well, it's a long story…"

"You can explain it to us during dinner, Kevin," Prof. Oak suddenly said. "You can also explain to us where exactly you are headed."