A/N: Okay, next chapter. Must…work…faster…!

Disclaimer: Idon'townPokemonsodon'tcomeaftermewithyourcrazyevillawyersoranything! (whew)

Darkness of the Unown: Part 3: The Silver Saga- Episode 9

Once again, Cerse Liminara stood atop the Tin Tower with Ho-oh. The bird cocked its head a bit and spoke.

"So he's met with her again?"

"Yes," said Cerse, nodding, "He came only a few minutes after I left. That's how I was able to spot him."

The great bird sighed.

"But she hasn't contacted you."

"No. I think she must trust him too much. …Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you. I think I know who he originally was."

This surprised Ho-oh a bit, as shown by a slight widening of his eyes.

"Truly? Who, then?"

"Allen Takenouchi, of Goldenrod, who held the interesting position of this Naoko's former lover. I'm mostly sure I'm right, also, at least in her eyes. I found this out before I met her, so when I was there, I referred to Silver as Allen, and that's when she let me in. So whether or not he actually is this Allen, she certainly thinks he is."

"…Which is why she trusts him so much. Even though he tried to kill her."

Cerse shrugged.

"Yes…that's the odd part. And he didn't try it this time."

"Hmm…I'd be inclined to say it was the Unown's orders, but they were the ones who stopped him the first time. So the only option left is something in his mind."

"Wait…you don't think he's having a degenerative reaction to dissemination, do you?"

"Maybe. I'd like to think the Unown improved their design a bit, but there's no telling."

"Well then, I suppose I ought to go speak to him."

"You can't be serious."

"Of course I'm serious. Talking to him is the only way to figure out the problem. And since he appears to be in a good humor recently, now's a good time to go, don't you think."

"But what if his good humor ends?"

"Well, that's what I've got these for."

A number of cards slid out into Cerse's hand, held out towards Ho-oh. He put them away, shrugged, and turned to leave in the same daring fashion as before. Ho-oh retired back into the tower's aerie. No passing remark was needed this time.

"…Naoko."

She turned to face Silver, who had materialized in a corner of her apartment.

"...Yes?" she said softly.

"…There's somewhere I need to go. But since I have to keep watch over you, you'll need to come as well. Time is important. I'll wait as long as necessary until you feel that you're ready," came his reply.

"Okay. Where is it?"

He sighed.

"I…need to see my grave."

Silver dropped to one knee in front of the small white headstone, one of many in the cemetery, located about a mile out from Goldenrod. Engraved in the stone was the simple inscription:

Allen Takenouchi

Born 2001, Departed 2018

He reached out a hand and touched the cool stone, a neutral expression on his face. He dropped the hand down to the grass below it. A few blue sparks jumped from his hand.

"…There's nothing there…" he said after a moment.

Naoko nodded slightly, remaining standing behind him, "They never found anything at the mountain.

Silver sighed and stood up.

"…Yeah, that makes sense. If there was anything left, the Unown would have taken it."

A short silence descended upon the graveyard. A few moments later, Silver turned to Naoko.

"…Thank you. For coming."

She managed a small smile.

"…Of course. I understand why it was important for you to come here."

A small smile appeared on Silver's face as well.

"Thanks for that."

He paused for a moment, and spoke again.

"Well, I think we've been here long enough. Let's go back."

Naoko nodded her consent, but before either could move, a voice rang out from a short distance away.

"Wait."

Naoko turned towards the voice, but Silver remained motionless, his eyes turned instead as the slim figure of Cerse Liminara approached from the right. He stopped a few yards from them, his rod hanging conspicuously from his hand.

A moment later, Silver was the first to speak.

"…What are you doing here? Don't you have a…job…to do?"

A short "Hmph" escaped from Cerse's mouth. He shrugged.

"Nothing's going on right now."

"Okay then. But still, what are you doing here?"

He finally turned to face Cerse.

"To talk to you," was Cerse's blunt reply, "You know, your behavior recently has been very…odd. To say the least."

At Silver's questing glare, Cerse continued.

"Ho-oh told me all about what happened at the Tin Tower, and also at the Whirl Islands. Look, we're not trying to blame you for anything. We know you can't deny the Unown. All we want to know is what they're doing."

Silver sighed.

"Then there's nothing to talk about. They just tell me what I'm supposed to do. They never say why. I know only as much as you do."

Cerse blinked.

"Alright then…in that case, could you at least tell me what your current orders are?"

"To protect her," replied Silver, nodding towards Naoko.

This seemed to pique Cerse's attention.

"Protect her? From who? Or what?"

Silver shrugged.

"They didn't say. All I know is to protect her from whatever threatens her."

"That's odd…" mused Cerse, "They don't usually give orders like that, do they?"

"No. But I'm in no position to question it, as you well know."

Cerse nodded.

"…Then I suppose that's all that needs to be said. I'll be leaving now. Maybe we'll meet again, Silver."

"…Maybe."

Cerse flicked a finger off his forehead in a sort of farewell salute towards Silver and Naoko, shouldered his rod, and turned to walk away towards the nearest entrance away from Goldenrod. Silver watched his back intently for a few moments, and then turned back towards Naoko. She nodded silently, and they headed in the opposite direction, back towards Goldenrod.

A/N: …GYAAH! That took so freaking long…FEH! Well, it looks like I'm not going to able to meet my October deadline, so I'm extending it. Now, I will have the Silver Saga complete by the end of my fall break from school, about two weeks into October. It's gonna be tough….Also, I've made some revisions to my plans for DotU. Check out the Unown Realm for more details. Next chapter coming soon!