"Stay~ Stay near~ Oh, stay~!

We could be together here, forever we're~

Together bound in madness…"

After heading back inside the pokēcenter, Nurse Joy gave us a room. I also asked if she had a map of Hoenn we could use, which she then handed to us. She seemed a bit curious at our request, but didn't ask about it.

Nurse Joy just waved at us as we made our way to the guest room where Blue, Brock, and I would be spending the night, and where we would be- reluctantly- having a talk with Steven Strange and Lorelei.

With Machamp and Metagross guarding the door from any potential eavesdroppers, Blue sat down on one of the bottom bunks with my pokémon, and Brock helped me move the nightstand to the area between the two bunk beds. Steven and Lorelei, sitting on the bunk opposite of Blue, looked quite confused by my behavior.

Clearing the nightstand of everything that was in the way, I smacked the map down and pulled a marker out from my backpack, getting to work circling several different locations throughout Hoenn. Brock and Blue watched closely from over my shoulders, Ansem sitting atop my head and pawing at my hair, but I kept an arm in the way of Steven and Lorelei's vision so they couldn't see the map.

When I was finally done circling the spots, I capped the marker and rolled up the map, lifting it up in the air. "All of Team Rocket's hideouts. The majority of them are underground. You'll have to bust through the ground with a steel or ground-type, or use a psychic pokēmon that can lift and peel apart metal to get in."

With that said, I proceeded to sit down on the bed, nestling between Brock and Blue and folding my arms over my chest, fixating the two older and unfamiliar trainers with a cold and intense stare- unperturbed by Ruby and Sapphire climbing onto my lap and ruining my attempt to be threatening.

Though, to be fair, Ansem sitting atop my head didn't help much in the first place.

"So." I said, narrowing my eyes. "Before I give you the map, let's talk. What did you want to know?"

Steven and Lorelei looked at each then, then turned back towards me. Lorelei frowned deeply, leaning forward- resting her elbows on her thighs as she laced her fingers underneath her chin. "You mentioned someone by the name of "Mistress" before… who is she?"

Of course that's their first question.

Out of literally everything they could have asked, they went with the one thing that would make me most uncomfortable. Tch. Just my luck.

I hesitated before answering, unsure of where to even begin. I didn't really want to talk about it, as doing so would mean focusing and actually talking about what was done to me, and there was just way too much to recount and way too much trauma to unpack. "Mistress is…"

Sapphire reached up and nuzzled my arm, easing me into petting her and Ruby. I handed the map to Basil, who easily grabbed hold of it with his vines, and I shifted in place, focusing my attention on the two Vulpix on my lap. I tried to find comfort in their warmth, reminding myself I wasn't alone.

Brock and Blue were on either side of me, supporting me, alongside all my pokémon. Everything was fine. I can do this.

It's fine.

"She's… She's the Mistress." I forced myself to say, as if that alone would suffice to explain everything. "Everyone… listens to her. She's… the one in control of… what goes on in the base."

"...Does she have another name?" Lorelei asked. "Something asides from that title?"

"What does she look like?" Steven inquired. His words were slow and precise, the young man taking caution with his phrasing. "Do you have any idea how old she is?"

"I-I don't- uh…" I furrowed my brows and shook my head. "She's just… the Mistress. Mistress Augusta. I-I don't know her age, but… she has- actually, do you have a pen and paper I can use? I-I'll just draw her for you. It's easier."

Speaking about her takes too much out of me.

"I do!" Brock exclaimed, and the boy was quick to slide off his backpack and open it. Rummaging through it, he pulled out a notebook and a pencil and handed it to me. Sapphire and Ruby mewed in disappointment when I stopped petting them, and instead watched as I began to awkwardly sketch what I remembered of the woman who tormented me. "Oh, wow…"

"Dang, kid." Blue raised his eyebrows high, watching from over my shoulder. "Yuna wasn't kiddin' when she said you could draw."

"N-Not really, I just… I dunno." I shrugged, uncomfortable from the attention. My hand honestly felt like it was moving on its own, like drawing was something second nature to me. It happened back when I spent the night at Yuna's house, when her daughter had me draw with her, but I didn't really understand how I grew to be so… skilled at it. "I never got to draw in the underground base, so I dunno why… I…"

The pencil slowed to a stop as I stared at the drawing, a deep cold settling into me. Without realizing, I had drawn the Mistress' Blastoise and Azumarill next to her. A shudder wracking through me, I squeezed my eyes shut and smacked the notebook down onto the nightstand for Steven and Lorelei to see, turning my head away.

"Th-There. That's… That's her."

"And her pokēmon…" Steven noted, reaching out and taking the notebook. He frowned deeply. "Water-type pokēmon, in fact."

Brock jolted at that, and he looked at me in alarm. "Wait, is she why you're so scared of water?"

Sometimes I hated just how observant he was.

I settled for petting Ruby and Sapphire, Ansem's paws rubbing biscuits atop my head helping serve to distract me. I couldn't make myself look at anyone. "...I-I was… already scared of it, but… she… did make it… worse, y-yeah."

"So we need to punch her in the face, too." Blue concluded, scowling as he leaned over, arms draped over his legs as he looked at me. "Got it. We'll punch Rich, Velga, this Mistress chick, and their boss in the face."

"...You said her name was Augusta?" Steven said, eyes narrowing at the portrait. I gave a small nod. His expression darkened considerably. He held the sketch up for Lorelei to see. "You recognize her, too, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes. El, this woman- her eyes are red, aren't they? And her hair a light shade of auburn?"

I gave another nod. "Y-Yeah. She… likes to wear black make-up. She… also keeps her nails really long." It makes it easier to grab and hurt people that way.

Steven and Lorelei shared a knowing look, one of deep dread and understanding, and the steel-type specialist carefully ripped the piece of paper out of the notebook. He folded it and tucked it in his pocket. "This Mistress went missing fifteen years ago. She was accused of familicide after catching her husband having an affair. She… killed both her husband, his lover, and their children. After that, she took her pokēmon and fled- never to be seen again."

Brock was horrified. "An affair!?"

"She killed her family?" Blue exclaimed.

Lorelei pulled away from the nightstand and leaned back, raising a hand to her chin as she closed her eyes in deep thought. "Yes. And she's been missing for years… until now, apparently. She must have joined up with Team Rocket after fleeing her old home here in Kanto." Her lashes fluttered and then her scarlet eyes were boring into me, intense and inquisitive. "El, this Mistress… did she harbor a grudge against you? Like Velga Penholder?"

I stared at her for a moment, before lowering my head. "She… never trusted me, if that's what you mean. E-Even though I had everyone else fooled, she… always thought I was hiding my "true colors" and… punished me a lot for it."

"...I figured as much." Lorelei let out a sigh, her expression quite disturbed. "Though… I don't think it's quite for the reason that you think."

"What?" I looked up then, utterly confused. "What do you mean?"

Lorelei looked at Steven, whose expression had hardened so much it was hard to tell what was running through his mind. Darkening my gaze, realizing they were thinking of hiding the reason from me, I glared.

"Tell me what you mean."

Steven turned his gaze away, while Lorelei faced me head on. "You… know what an affair is, right? Or should I explain it to you?"

I made a face, rather offended by her question. "I'm thirteen, not three. I know what it means."

At least, I understand the general meaning of it… though the term was still quite lost on me. I didn't understand why romance seemed so important to people, or what having a significant other was actually supposed to entail. I just knew people liked to rile themselves up into a tizzy over them. That said, I did understand that an affair was considered a betrayal of that specific relationship.

I didn't really understand it.

If one was unhappy with a relationship, wouldn't it be easier to just talk about the problem and try to fix it? And if it doesn't work, then they could just cut ties and go their own ways. Find new partners. Why purposefully go out of their way to hurt their significant other? Why have an affair?

There isn't anything to be gained from cheating except heartbreak and sorrow. It's a pointless endeavor, and will only hurt both people in the end. I don't get why that's so hard to comprehend.

Maybe my memory loss isn't the issue here…

I guess I just don't understand because I'm looking at things too logically. Or maybe there was something in my missing memories that made me think this way. I know from experience that emotions are a mess, but…

Still, having an affair is an active choice.

Unless someone is being forced to have relations, then the affair is completely avoidable and doesn't need to happen. You don't trip and find yourself cheating the next second.

Hah… why do I even care?

I grimaced, trapped deep in my thoughts.

How come I have such a strong opinion about all of this anyway? I have no idea what having a significant other is all about, I just know what I've heard from the Team Rocket goons as they complained to one another about failed relationships. It's none of my business.

All this thinking about it is only starting to make my head throb. I need to focus.

"I just… wanted to be sure." Lorelei said, expression apologetic. "I suppose I'll just say it; the woman Mistress Augusta's husband had an affair with…? She was Unovan."

Ah. I sat there and blinked, brain slowly registering her words, and all of a sudden puzzle pieces began clicking into place. Wait, what?

Seriously?

"I think she didn't trust you because you were from the same region." Lorelei continued. "Some old newspapers even stated that she had dark hair, similar to your own in fact. I think she was projecting her hatred onto you because you reminded her of that woman."

I… don't know how to process this.

Staring at the redhead, utterly dumbfounded by this new information, I blinked several more times and then tilted my head, making a face.

"It is rather strange, and I know it doesn't…" Lorelei faltered, then took a deep breath. "I know it doesn't change what she's done to you- nothing ever could- but it does explain why she may have targeted you so much."

A woman from the same region as me, with dark hair.

In my nightmares there were two women I had been convinced were my sisters, a man who I believed to be my father, and another I was certain was my brother. But… no one that I felt could be my mother.

"...You said fifteen years ago?" My voice was quiet.

"Yes? That was when she-"

Hmph. Well then. Never mind.

I clicked my tongue in irritation and gently scratched behind Ruby and Sapphire's ears. "So the dead lady isn't secretly my mom. Got it."

Lorelei looked mildly concerned by my words, and Steven turned his attention back to me. "What?"

I had been hoping that maybe the nightmares were wrong, and that the people I saw in them weren't actually my family. That I had a living relative somewhere. For a split second, however small it was, I thought maybe the dead woman they mentioned might have been my mother.

But that's impossible, given the time of her death. My real mother must have died somewhere I couldn't see, separated from my siblings. Although I didn't see her in my dreams, in my heart I knew it was true.

Face falling into something a bit empty, I shook my head. "I thought… the dead lady could've been my mom, but if she died fifteen years ago… then it's not her. Which means…" My shoulders slumped, a heavy weight crashing down on me. "…my nightmares might actually be right."

"Your nightmares?" Steven asked, his voice strangely quiet.

Brock turned to face me, reaching out and resting a hand on my shoulder. "El, is this about…?"

"…Y-You remember how I… froze up on the S.S Anne?" I struggled to speak, not wanting to talk about it, all the while feeling as if I should. I didn't like having Lorelei or Steven Strange listening in, but it's something I needed to tell my friends. Maybe talking about it would make me feel a bit better, silly as it sounded. "When… the storm started?"

Brock was confused, but Blue understood right away what I meant. "You mean when you were by the windows? After I saved you from Rich?"

I nodded tentatively. "Y-Yeah."

Ruby and Sapphire pressed their foreheads against my palms, trying to keep me calm, and Ansem nuzzled the top of my head with his nose, letting out a small mew of concern.

"I…I've been having these… weird flashes that… I-I think are memories? And… my nightmares have been a lot clearer recently, too." Pulling my hands away from my baby pokémon, I stared at my palms, furrowing my brows as I tried to make sense of it all. "The things I see are… sort of the same. They are the same. It's always… raining. Flooding. A-And people dying. There are these huge monsters with golden eyes, and they're just destroyingeverything. Almost like… some kind of destructive pokémon. And… every time I fall in the water, some woman that looks like me dives in and pulls me out."

She's as scared as I am, but doesn't hesitate to save me.

"It's hot and cold and raining and the sky is burning and everything is flooding and everyone is dying and there's this group of people that I think were my family, but this building crashes on top of us and I barely make it out and-" I shuddered and shook my head, ducking down low. Ruby and Sapphire pressed their noses to my face. The emotions were trying to rush me, but I fought to keep them down. "And that's when we get swept up into the flood. Everyone but me and the woman… died right away. I… I remember… lots of blood."

"El…"

"Kid, hey…" Blue rested a hand against my arm. He frowned, expression twisting into one of painful understanding. "It's okay. You got us now. Brock and I are here for ya."

"…I-I'm not sure which pieces are memories and which pieces are just part of the nightmare, but…" My words turned bitter. "I… I'm pretty sure whatever family I had before… winding up in Rustboro… is dead. Hearing about that Unovan… just made me wonder if maybe I had a mom that was alive. I didn't think I did, but this just… sort of confirms it."

Sitting up a bit, I tilted my head and made a face. I could feel the memories sinking back in, flooding me, the cold wrapping me in its harsh embrace. My expression fell into something numb.

"Gonna be honest, though; the Mistress killing her family doesn't really surprise me." It was just another reminder of how despicable she really is. "Team Rocket's killed plenty of other kids and pokēmon. I mean, I've watched over half the babies in the nurserydiebecause of their negligence- and I'm pretty sure she's responsible for at least some of their deaths."

"I-I see…" Lorelei looked deeply disturbed, while Steven appeared almost angry despite his steely expression. "Did you… spend a lot of… time there, in the nursery?"

"...Yeah."

"El was in charge of the little ones." Brock informed, helping me explain now that it entered familiar territory. "That Richard guy- he put her in charge of the babies and toddlers. She took care of them as best as she could."

"They still died though." I muttered. Ruby and Sapphire mewed, and Ansem pawed insistently at my head.

"Veeva!"

Blue's frown deepened. "That wasn't your fault, kid. You did what you could."

I said nothing after that, still upset with myself for letting so many infants die. It took all I had to nurse Adrien back to health, and even then he barely made a comeback at all. It was pure luck he had survived. Team Rocket didn't care, though; they never did. If the children didn't survive, clearly they just weren't meant to be part of their great criminal enterprise.

Reaching over, I took the map back from Basil and held it out.

"Anyway… I…" I took a deep breath. The warmth of my pokēmon, of Blue and Brock on either side of me, melded into my being, and I tried to take courage from it. I still wasn't keen on trusting these two strangers, but they really were our best bet at getting everything done and putting Team Rocket in their place. "I… I'm… going to… believe in you."

Steven and Lorelei looked at me with wide eyes when I said that.

"I-I don't trust you, but… I am going to believe in you. I circled all the extra hidden bases here on the map. There's… too many for you to attack on your own, so you'll have to get help."

He raised a brow. "Help?"

"If you attack the bases one-at-a-time, the main headquarters will feel threatened and take the kids and pokēmon somewhere I don't know about. If I don't know where they are, then you won't know where they are. Chances are, they'll evacuate to a different region." We have to be smart about this. "We can't give them time to react. We either do this all at once, or not at all. So you need to gather up the strongest, most trustworthy trainers you know, and then attack the bases all at once."

Steven held my stare for a long moment, steel blue burning into chocolate brown, before Lorelei stood and caught his attention by placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Alright." The redhead mused. "So we gather up powerful trainers we trust. When exactly should we plan for this attack?"

That's…

I furrowed my brows, biting down hard on my bottom lip. A little boy with curly hair and big blue eyes flashed through my mind. "…What's today's date?"

Brock was already pulling out his pokédex. Touching the screen, it lit up. "June sixth."

Frick. That's not a whole lot of time.

Forcing my gaze into something void of emotion, I held the map tightly. Perhaps this lack of time was actually a good thing; we've been wasting a lot of it anyway. This will make us speed things up. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves.

"O-Okay. Then… we'll attack before the end of next month."

Steven's stare intensified. "Is there a specific reason as to why then…? Shouldn't we move sooner?"

"...Because at the end of July," I answered slowly, leveling my stare to meet his, ignoring the alarming sensation of familiarity that grew the longer I looked at him, "Team Rocket will start the four-year-olds' training. They'll gather up all the little ones, declare them a year older, and toss them their uniforms. I only need to get four more gym badges, and then we'll be on our way to Hoenn. By the time we get there, it should be early July."

Lorelei leaned forward, resting her palms against the nightstand. Her red eyes were disapproving. "I don't think you understand just how long it takes to travel region-to-region without a pokēmon-"

"We have pokēmon." Blue interjected. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wooden frame of the bunkbeds. "We'll be riding my Arcanine through Johto. If we come across any water? I have my Gyarados. We're more than prepared."

"That's… true, but there's still a lot of danger out-"

Blue's brown eyes flashed fiercely, the boy lifting his chin up at the red-haired trainer. "You forget who you're dealing with here, Lorelei. We aren't just any random trainers, and we aren't some kiddos that started their pokēmon journey yesterday. I'm the Blue Oak. Grandson to the prestigious Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak, brother to the famous pokēmon contest star, Daisy Oak, and let's not forget that I'm also the former Champion of the Kanto League. Only reason I retired was because I was bored of standing there waiting all day for trainers to show up."

Sitting up, he leaned forward and flicked his bangs out of his face.

His smirk broadened as he gestured to our tall, dark-skinned friend. "Furthermore, we have Brock with us- the former gym leader of Pewter City Gym. His skills and pokēmon ain't nothin' to scoff at, and he's more than equipped to deal with any situation we come across. Medicine, food, climbing equipment; you name it, he's got it. Then there's the kid herself."

Blue stared down Steven and Lorelei like they were complete fools, unbothered and unimpressed. He was now standing, gesturing to me with one hand quite dramatically as his other hand rested casually on his hip.

"She took down Kōgawith her Weepinbell. Pokēmon flock to her like she's made out of pokēpuffs and candy! She's small, yeah, but she's tough. I can't say that about a lot of trainers out there, and I've fought too many to count. That anxious little brain of hers has so much information on Team Rocket that journalists and reporters would be frothing at their mouths if they knew. She's the key to this whole operation. And yeah, she's a kid- so are we- but we aren't just any kids, okay?"

"Eva!" Ansem barked, fervently agreeing. He jumped off my head and onto the nightstand, standing tall and roaring at Lorelei and Steven. "Evaa veee! Veeva!"

The brunette boy let out a small laugh. "You hear that? Ansem even agrees!" Blue hardened his gaze, staring down at the two trainers with a slightly more intense look in his eyes. "We're the kids that have been puttin' Team Rocket in their place for weeks now, so don't you dare go lookin' down on us. Got that? We do as the kid says. Give us one month, and we'll be in Hoenn. Then we can coordinate the attack."

"...Okay." Steven spoke before Lorelei did, and the woman sent him a startled look. He reached over and took the map from me. "But I have one more question before we go ahead with this plan."

"Shoot."

Steven stared at Blue for a moment, then turned his attention to me. "You said you wrote down the extra bases, didn't you? What about the main one? The one you grew up in?"

At that, my gaze turned cold. "That's for us to handle."

Lorelei was against it. "But that's too dangerous! You can't-"

"We can and we will." I stated firmly, glaring up at her. "I know the headquarters like the back of my hand. I've spent years memorizing its layout. The puzzles, the shift changes, the guards. The children. Brock, Blue, and I will deal with it ourselves. We just need you two to gather some help and attack all the other hideouts at the same time we attack the headquarters."

"And… if you encounter Richard Fleck or Velga Penholder?" Steven inquired, narrowing his eyes. "What if you run into the Mistress while you're at the base? Will you be able to fight her?"

"She will." Blue stated confidently. We all turned him, wide eyed and surprised. Blue folded his arms over his chest, the young teen determined and believing one hundred percent in what he was saying. "El isn't a coward. She'll take them all down- and Brock and I will be with her as she does it."

I was a bit baffled by his faith in me, as he saw all too well how I had froze up when I was confronted by Rich. It took all I had to stand up to him just that once. Yet there was also a warmth there, knowing he had so much faith in me.

Brock's hand on my shoulder squeezed lightly, and he nodded firmly at Lorelei and Steven. "El won't be alone in this. Blue and I will be with her, and we'll be watching each other's back. We're sticking together. There's no one in this world more determined than us to take down Team Rocket." Shifting Susie so she was on his shoulder, he held a fist up with a large grin. "We've made it this far, and nothing is going to stop us now. Our rock-hard willpower is going to help us put an end to Team Rocket's evil, once and for all!"

Looking back-and-forth between them, I could hardly believe my ears. The warmth in my chest grew stronger, heart-wrenching in a way I couldn't quite describe, and blinking away the stinging in my eyes I turned back to face Lorelei and Steven Strange.

Carefully lifting Ruby and Sapphire up into my arms, I stood- standing directly behind Ansem. I hardened my gaze into something I hoped looked nearly as fierce and determined as the boys' beside me. "The main base is ours to take down. I-If Rich and Velga are there, or… even the Mistress, then we'll stop them!"

I tried to take a page out of Blue's book then, shakily letting a huge grin- borderlining a smirk- spread across my lips.

"Besides… you guys don't know the layout or where they have their traps hidden."

And I'm not about to draw a map for them.

"...You're not wrong about that." Steven mused, bringing a hand to his chin as he let out a sigh. "We can't force you to tell us, either. Very well. We'll play by your rules- but at least promise us you won't go charging into the hideout just by yourselves. Make sure to contact us beforehand, so we can send reinforcements your way."

I scrunched my nose up at him, before glancing at Blue and Brock. They were both looking at me.

Oh, fine. Leave this decision on me.

Begrudging though I was, I turned my attention back to the two older trainers. "...Fine. But how the heck are we supposed to do that?"

"Blue has my contact." Lorelei informed. "When you arrive in Hoenn, go to the pokēcenter and give me a call. You can tell me where to send the reinforcements, since I'm certain you'll be heading there near immediately after arrival…"

"You know us so well." Blue joked, tone dripping with mild sarcasm. "Sure thing. Sounds like a plan. Oh! Should we come up with a code name for the plan? That way we don't give anything away?"

"Hm. That would be rather helpful." She mused. "How about… Operation R? Since we're taking down Team Rocket?"

"I like that!" Brock said, speaking up. Susie mewed in agreement. "What do you think, El?"

I was silent for a moment, before nodding my head. "Operation R works."

Steven stared at us all a little longer, something flashing in those steel blue eyes of his, before he let out a sigh and stood. "We should be on our way, then. We have preparations to make. But before we go…"

The young man looked down at Ansem, who was still on the table, and then at the Vulpix who were in my arms.

"Ansem, was it? And… who were these two?"

I frowned, something in the pit of my stomach twisting when he spoke. Holding my Vulpix closer, I stood my ground, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. "Ruby and Sapphire."

"…Those are beautiful names." He mused softly, crossing an arm over his chest and bringing a hand up to his chin. "Surely named for their lovely gem-like eyes."

Though I was unsure of why, I found it hard to keep my expression hardened in front of him. I ended up nodding. "Y-Yeah. You've got Ruby and Sapphire, and that big boy," I gestured to my Eevee that was now sitting on his haunches and watching the conversation take place curiously, "is Ansem. He headbutted and bit me when we met, so… yeah. Ansem! And Ivysaur and Weepinbell are grass-types, so…"

"Basil and Belladonna." He finished. To my surprise, Steven actually smiled at me. The sight of that smile felt like a punch to the gut, and something in my heart choked up and quivered. "You've become a wonderful trainer, haven't you? Traveling the world with your pokēmon… and with your friends. Tell me, after Team Rocket is defeated… what will you do?"

"…What… I'll do?" I could barely process his question.

"Yes." Steven stepped forward, both his arms folded over his chest now. There was an alarming amount of concern in his gaze. "Will you continue your pokēmon journey? Or will you find something else to do? You only started this journey because of Team Rocket, didn't you?"

I…

I'm not sure. So many things have happened, that need to happen, that when everything is done and over with, I have no idea what I'll do. I try to make my mind up, to figure it out, but nothing ever really seems like it'll work.

I don't know how to answer that question.

"How did you even manage to escape?"

I inhaled shakily at that. Lowering my head, I went silent and hugged Ruby and Sapphire closely, their noses tickling my skin as they nuzzled my face. Their mews of worry echoed in my ears. "It… It wasn't… planned. N-Not… in the way I was going to, anyway."

Lorelei frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

"…Richard, he… liked to brag about me to the boss." My voice was a quiet murmur, just loud enough for them to hear. "Because I… had a "way" with pokēmon. Like Brock and Blue mentioned before. They just- I don't know why, but pokēmon just like me. And… Richard thought that they could use that for Team Rocket."

Yet, despite that, they took my precious Skitty away.

"So he told the boss about me. About… my getting along with pokēmon and… him… h-having raised me to be an obedient "doll" that… doesn't complain o-or fight back." I hated it. I still hate it. I can't stand it. "So… the boss decided to transfer me from the Hoenn headquarters to the Kanto one."

Breathe. It's okay.

I'm okay.

Everything is fine.

"He w-wanted to make me an assassin or something, and… decided to show me a pokémon he had locked up. Before I knew what I was doing, I… was talking to the pokēmon, telling it that Team Rocket was just using it, and then… it snapped. It exploded the building and killed most of the people inside."

"But…" Steven furrowed his brows, quite disturbed and somewhat confused. "It didn't kill you?"

Taking a deep breath, I nuzzled Ruby and Sapphire's little heads, a lifetime of exhaustion weighing down on me. I decided to carefully set Ruby and Sapphire down next to Ansem, and looked up at everyone, showing off the burns on my right arm by removing the black pressure garment.

A silence fell over the room then, Steven and Lorelei's faces pale. Their gazes were filled with unspoken rage. Rage that unsettled me and made me nervous, but Brock and Blue standing calmly on either side of me, close enough I could feel their warmth, gave me just enough comfort that I didn't run or hide away.

Brown eyes tired, I turned my arm around so they could get a whole view. "The pokēmon almost did. But… it chose not to, since I was the only human that showed it respect. It saved me at the last minute, and… that's how I met Blue and Professor Oak."

"Don't ask me why," Blue sighed, stepping closer and slinging an arm over my shoulder, startling me as he leaned down, resting his head lazily against mine, "but Gramps was really determined to take a walk that day. His back was killin' him, but he said he just had this feeling that he needed to go outside. Lo and behold, what do I find when he gets back to the lab? This kid half-dead and passed out in his arms!"

Uh, okay. Rude. I made a face at him. "I'm sorry, have you ever been caught in an explosion? That was the first time I've been outside since… I dunno! Since I first woke up in Hoenn, or when I had been transferred here to Kanto? It was weird! The sun burned my eyes."

"You were skin and bones, kid."

"Because I wasn't allowed to eat a whole lot!" Not to mention that I couldn't even taste most of what was put in my mouth. "I was the "weed" in their garden!"

Blue raised a brow. "Who said that?"

"The Mistress! She always called me a weed or parasite or… virus."

"I really don't like her." Brock said, bringing a hand to his chin as he scowled. "Also, why would she use so many grass-type phrases when she uses water-type pokēmon?"

Blue shrugged. "Grass can't grow without plenty of water. Who knows?"

"Anyways!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air before tugging the pressure garment back on. I nudged Blue with my elbow, but the boy didn't budge. "The pokēmon exploded the headquarters, spared me, dropped me off near Pallet Town, I met Professor Oak and Blue, they helped me catch Ansem, and then I met Brock. Oh, I also met Misty before Brock and then again when I went to her gym, and then we met again on the S.S Anne. Then we split up after returning to Cerulean from Fuschia City. End of story."

Lorelei folded her arms over her chest, the woman going deep into thought. "Sounds like you've had quite the journey."

"But… that still doesn't answer my previous question." Steven noted, shifting his feet and crossing his arms. He looked concerned as he focused his stare on me. "What are you going to do after Team Rocket is defeated?"

"I-I don't know, okay? Whatever I have to."

Until now, I had been planning to end it all. I couldn't raise Adrien on my own, I wasn't capable of caring for myself, and it wasn't exactly easy for me to get along with other people. Suspicion was second nature for me. Since I knew I was too cowardly and that the world would thwart me at every possible opportunity, I was just going to hide from humanity- preferably in a dark cave, where I would never be found.

But… Brock and Blue, and all my pokēmon, make me want to live.

They make me want to keep going, to keep trying, and if there was a chance that I could see them after all of this is done… wherever I may be at that point in time, then I wanted to take it. They said they wouldn't abandon me. "I…" I worried my bottom lip, clenching and unclenching my fists as my anxiety grew. "I promised… I wouldn't run away. But after everything is done, I… don't know what I'll do."

"Weren't you going to find your prince charming?" Blue teased.

Almost instantly, my face flared and I whirled around, a strange noise erupting my throat then. "For the last time, he's not a prince!"

"I dunno, kid." He snorted. "Sounded pretty princely to me."

Oh my gods. Sweet mother of Arceus. "If I didn't love you so much, I would strangle you right now."

"Aw, you love me? That's so sweet."

I could hardly believe myself when I leaned my head back and rolled my eyes at the ceiling. I held my hands up in dramatic exasperation. "Why? Why are you like this?"

"Because it's fun." He responded.

Clicking my tongue, I puffed my cheeks out with a frustrated pout and turned away. "...I need a new favorite color."

Blue couldn't help but sputter and wheeze upon hearing that.

Bringing my hands up to my ears, I walked over to the door. "Whatever!" I turned to send Lorelei and Steven Strange a look, gesturing dramatically to the exit. "Is our conversation done? Do you have anymore questions, or can we all just get on with our parts of the mission?"

It was silent for a moment, a strange look flashing in Steven's eyes. "What… no, who is Blue talking about?"

"Just…" I grimaced and glared at the door, still holding a hand out towards it. "Just someone I met before Team Rocket nabbed me. My original plan was to escape, inform the authorities of Team Rocket's hideout, free the kids, and then find him. But I sincerely doubt he so much as remembers the kid he found all those years ago; probably doesn't even think I'm alive, if he does. It's not like I even had a name for him to remember. So…"

"El made a promise with him." Brock ever-so-helpfully spoke up, a soft smile forming on his face as he looked at the two older trainers and then at me. "One that's kept her alive long enough for Blue and I to meet her. She's fought really hard to make it this far. El said that when she remembers her full name, she'll find him and tell him what it is- even if he doesn't remember her."

"It's so cheesy." Blue snorted. Ansem barked from his spot on the table.

Ruby and Sapphire just looked back-and-forth as we all spoke, watching with curious eyes as we continued to bicker and reveal secrets I'd much prefer kept. My face felt like it was burning, the two older trainers stares boring into me with an intensity that made me nervous. My stomach was twisting uncomfortably, and my heart was beating with a painful drum.

From over my shoulder, I sent Brock and Blue a sour face. "Do you… have to tell everyone we meet about that?"

"Why not?" Brock asked. "It's so cute! Plus, the more people we meet and tell about it, the more likely we'll find who it is! Someone might know something about him."

"You…" I resisted the urge to sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. As much as I adored Brock, I really couldn't understand him sometimes. "What part of, "I'll find him after I remember my full name" didn't make sense?"

"The part where you aren't looking for him."

"Because I'm trying to take down Team Rocket right now and because I don't remember my full name yet!" I threw my hands up, gesturing at nothing. "I don't even remember what he looks like! Blue eyes and an obsession with rocks; that's all I got!"

"Now, children," Blue joked, "calm down."

"You started it!" I accused.

"And I'm also ending it."

"Rah!" A noise of frustration left my lips. Having had enough of this nonsense, and more specifically enough of this conversation, I sent a glare at Lorelei and Steven Strange and pointed at the door. "Are we done!? Or is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

The two older trainers shared a look, and Steven folded his arms over his chest, one hand over his chin with a finger draped thoughtfully across his lips. "N-No, that's…"

He took a deep breath, and then flashed me a smile.

"That would be all, thank you. I'm sure it wasn't easy for you to talk to us."

"Steven-" Lorelei began, looking at him, her red stare inquiring, but he just shook his head, holding a hand up dismissively.

When Steven looked down at me again, his blue eyes were strangely sad- though there was a relief in his features I didn't really understand. He stepped forward, and I tensed when he held out a hand. The corners of his eyes crinkled warmly. "El…"

Glancing at Brock and Blue for help, they nodded encouragingly, and I reluctantly reached out to take Steven's hand. I half expected him to grip it tight enough to hurt, but the older trainer was surprisingly gentle as he shook my hand.

"I… am so glad I got to meet you."

Looking up at him, observing him, there was something strange about him. He was smiling, he sounded so relieved, so grateful for reasons unbeknownst to me, but his eyes…

Such familiar eyes….

They were growing misty with unshed tears.

His fingers were calloused, too, while his palms were fairly soft. He either did a lot of writing or stone excavating. It wasn't a cold hand, though. It was… warm.

Like… Brock and Blue's hands.

It was a hand I didn't want to let go of.

Why?

Giving my hand a single light squeeze, Steven Strange released me and backed up, pressing his hand to his chest and smiling at me. "Stay safe, and keep growing stronger, alright? When you… finally remember your full name, I'm certain that the person you made the promise to will be more than happy to learn it."

"…Yeah." I ended taking a step away, staring at my hand with furrowed brows. I felt so confused. "M-Maybe…"

Steven cleared his throat and flashed me a strained, yet perfected smile. "I sincerely doubt anyone could forget you after meeting you, El. Even if it was only once. I'm certain that boy is waiting for the day he can see you again."

…

She remembers.

El remembers him, but doesn't know that he is Steven. So many emotions are flooding him and it's taking all he has to keep it together.

Wallace, Winona, and even his father, Joseph, couldn't have been more wrong about the girl and her fate. She suffered for so long, survived for so long, all on her own, before escaping and gaining people she could trust, and doing all of that while she remembered him.

She remembered that goofy little boy covered in dirt and scratches from cave spelunking.

Oh, how Steven wanted to spill the truth of everything then and there. How he wanted to tell her that it was him she was looking for. That they kept their promise to one another. He wanted to tell her that he never forgot her, not for a moment, and that his determination to bring down Team Rocket stemmed from his desire to find her.

But…

He can't. It would be cruel of him. She has enough to deal with already, to stress over, to fret about. Steven doesn't want to shock her anymore than what she is already.

Maybe after everything is over…

After Team Rocket is defeated and she's settled into a better life. After everything has calmed down and she's had time to recover.

Then he'll tell her.

If… she still wants to know.

…

I couldn't bring myself to say anything after he spoke. I just stood there silently as he stepped past me and headed towards the door, the older teen nodding at Brock and Blue before flashing me one last smile.

Lorelei let out a small sigh as Steven left the room, Titanium humming sadly at us before following after its trainer. Machamp looked confused, but moved back into the room when it became clear that the conversation was over and it no longer needed to guard the door.

"We'll see you in Hoenn." Lorelei said, resting a hand against her chest. Her lashes fluttered and her crimson eyes moved from my pokémon, to Brock and Blue, before finally landing her gaze on me. "Please, don't be reckless. Take care of yourselves, alright?"

Brock grinned at her. "Don't worry, m'lady. I'll keep these two troublemakers in line!"

"Hey!" Blue looked indignant as he turned to face the brunette. "You're a troublemaker, too!"

He just laughed, gently scratching behind Susie's ears. Basil took that chance to use his vines to plop himself into the boy's lap, jealous of the affection, and Brock casually pat the Ivysaur as well. Thankfully, Brock was much taller than me and much stronger, so the slightly bigger pokēmon could fit easily on his lap without crushing him. "Maybe, but I at least know when to take a break! You and El are always running way too ahead of yourselves."

Blue just clicked his tongue, while I made a face.

Lorelei, seeing the banter, relaxed her tense shoulders and raised a hand to her lips in a small giggle. "You three really do get along well, don't you? And not just you three, but your pokēmon as well. Maybe I won't have to be as worried as I feared… well, alright."

She waved her hand and started to walk towards the door. Before she left, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at us, the corners her eyes crinkling.

"Take care. I look forward to the kind of trainers you'll be when we meet again. Until then."

And with that, Lorelei and Steven Strange had left.

We were finally alone again.

A shudder wracked through me and I inhaled sharply, bringing my arms up to hug myself. Talking to them had been nerve-racking. Lorelei's red eyes had left me so uncomfortable the entire time they were here, and Steven Strange was… well, strange. I didn't want to trust either of them, I didn't even want to talk to either of them, but we can't take down Team Rocket by ourselves. Not without risking losing everyone we were trying to save.

"El…?" Brock called out to me. I heard footsteps as he stood, the boy carefully putting the pokēmon he was holding down to walk over to me. His large hand gently brushed against my shoulder. "You okay? What're you thinking about?"

"I…" I worried my bottom lip, feeling a surge of emotion, before digging my fingers into my arms and lowering my head. My eyes were squeezed shut. "I-I don't know."

"...Everything is gonna be okay." He promised, reaching out and gently pulling me into a hug. It was warm and comforting, and he was so tall his arms enveloped my smaller form completely. My lips curled back as a hiccup caught in my throat. I found myself burying my face in his chest, shakily grabbing at his jacket, as Brock rested a hand on my head, petting my hair. His voice was a soft whisper. "Everything is gonna be fine. We'll get those gym badges, and we'll get to Hoenn in time. Team Rocket won't know what hit them."

"Wh-What if… What if asking them for help was a mistake? What if-"

"You can trust Lorelei, squirt." Blue said. Sniffling, I lifted my head to look up at him, blinking away the tears. He was grinning. Leaning back in his seat on the bed, I watched as Ansem hopped onto his lap, sitting down on his legs and looking at me with a gaze just as determined and fierce as Blue's. "She's one of the Elite Four for a reason. And if she trusts that Steven guy, well, I think we can trust him too."

"But…"

"No buts!" Hoisting Ansem up in his arms, he walked over to me and Brock and leaned over so we were closer in height. Blue gave a me a look, and grabbed one of Ansem's front paws- pointing it at me scoldingly. I was genuinely surprised the pokēmon was going along with it. "You trust me, right? Well, I trust Lorelei. So trust in my trust of her, okay?"

Furrowing my brows, I lowered my head again , uncertain, only to blink when Blue pressed Ansem's paw to my forehead. "Eva!"

"Stop overthinking!" The boy huffed. "You're just gonna freak yourself out more. Stop focusing on the future and the what-ifs, and just focus on what's happening right now."

"That's right!" Brock agreed. "If, for some reason, they do end up betraying us, then we'll just deal with that when we get there. Right now, though, Lorelei and Steven are our allies. That's what matters most right now."

…I guess so.

"Now, I don't know about you two," Brock continued, "but it's been a rough day and I am exhausted." Ah. Yeah, that's… my fault, isn't it? I couldn't stop my cringe, the guilt hitting me once more, yet as if knowing how I would feel Brock tightened his grip on me ever-so-slightly as if to reassure me everything was okay. "So why don't we all hit the hay and call it a day? We can head out for Celadon City in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Blue grinned. He looked down at the Eevee in his arms. "What do you say, big guy?"

Ansem looked up at Blue with big eyes and barked, fully in agreement. "Eeva vee! Eevee!"

Blue laughed. He and Brock and Ansem all turned to me. "Welp, you heard 'im. That's three against one. It's bedtime, squirt."

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you all think in the comments, and have a wonderful day/night wherever you are! Stay safe! 💕