(Author's Note: Sorry it took a while, guys! Trouble with sleep, school catching up with me, and plenty of others kinda dragged me down. However, that is no excuse for my delay, and I sincerely apologize for taking so long. Anyway, here it is! Happy Reading! -Orthros)

(WARNING: A whole lot happens in this chapter. Make sure you read it VERY, VERY THOROUGHLY, because every single word explains key points in the story. Essentially, this is the turning point in the entire story. It's uphill from here.)

-6 PM, Angel POV (Shiny Gardevoir)-

I breath deeply, trying not to let any looks of disgust register on my face as I press my hands into Athena's back. It had been about fifteen minutes since that Terry and I had burst into the Pokemon Center, only to have Callen, in a state of almost tears, rush me down the Center's many hallways to an Emergency Room. Callen quickly briefed the doctors in the room of my abilities, and within seconds I was sent to Athena's hospital bed. The white furred Riolu wasn't breathing, strapped to a variety of machines that kept her body working. I placed my hands upon her leg first, feeling warm blood and shards of bone under my slender fingers. The wounds smelled far worse then they should have, perhaps a result of the experimentations that she had gone through.

After I had finished with her leg, sealing up the skin, I moved to her chest. One of the doctors came in, gave me a reassuring flash of a smile as he gently lifted Athena and turned her over. The sight was horrible: deep teeth marks, shredded skin, and worst of all, several deep lashes. It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing. Several deep whip marks had been torn into her back, but it was long enough ago that they had healed up. Her newer wounds, combined with the chase she put Alex and Nicky through, must have opened them once again. My breathing caught in my throat. The doctor that had helped turned back and caught my eye, he returned to my side. I shuddered slightly and pointed with one hand, my other applying Heal Pulse energy to stem the bleeding. I ran my fingers up the lashes, and the doctor's eyes widened. He looked at me, and I could tell that under his professionally neutral look he was horrified. I'm glad I'm not a full time doctor. It must be a job of terrible heartbreak.

I shake my head slightly and focus once again on her cuts. I take it slow, reminding myself that the humans and their technology will keep the Riolu alive if I do so. I'm sure I could speed the process up, but I don't want to overdo it and make a mistake. The doctor stays in the room,

adjusting dials and making sure the device that provides clean air to Athena is secure.

It takes about twenty minutes to completely heal the cuts, but the scarring is still present. There's nothing I can do about that. I stand up, feeling lightheaded. The doctor allows me to rinse my hands and arms in the nearby sink, before dismissing me to allow Athena to sleep.

"Thanks to you, the Riolu will be ok. We'll set up a guard for her, and a professional nurse to watch over her. Somethings up, though. Nurse Joy came by. She said that Terry just got confronted by two men, they were on the news earlier. They had a small standoff, before apparently coming to an agreement and heading back to your hotel room to talk. You and that boy Callen should join them." He finishes, pulling Callen to his feet, Callen had been sitting on one of the benches, face in his hands. I nod, nervous but confident that Terry could handle himself.

"Thanks, Doctor…?" I start telepathically.

He jumps a little, before composing himself. "Lee. Doctor Lee. Your powers are incredible, by the way. And for someone who isn't experienced with gore of that caliber… You handled yourself well. It's nice to meet you." He finishes kindly. I just smile weakly, surprised that he didn't realize just how much I hated that ordeal. I turn to Callen, nod my head, and glide out of the room, hovering a couple inches off the ground. I've found that it is much easier for me to float than to walk, I guess my body is weaker than my mind is.

A few minutes later, Callen and I arrive in the Pokemon Center lobby. It's packed, noisy and full of chaos. However, soon people start to notice us, and immediately everyone quiets down. I feel extremely intimidated by the attention, much more so than I would prefer to admit. However, before anyone can set off the bomb of questions, Callen steps forward slightly, clearing his throat.

"The Riolu is going to be ok. She's resting. Now, can you all excuse us? It's been a long day." He says, loud and clear. After a moment, many people start to move, but a few nosy reporters who don't know when to quit try to question him. Callen, already low on tolerance, responds by pulling three pokeballs from his breast pocket and throwing them into the air. In triple flashes of light, his friends Shinx, Litleo, and Oshawott appear, throwing menacing looks at the reporters. The people quickly clear the way and Callen, friends on his heels, proceeds down the hallways to the hotel rooms. I hesitate for only a moment before following, proud but slightly unnerved by Callen's show of bravery. A few minutes later, we reach our room. I open the door with Telekinesis.

-6:05 PM, Terry POV-

I sigh heavily. "I don't know what to think at this point, but you were telling the truth about Team Plasma being a common enemy. Now do me a favor and explain this. Just don't piss me off. I've had enough control issues lately."

"Such politeness you have," Zeke laughs, but moments later his laughter dies as his expression turns deadly serious. "As you may have known, Team Plasma are kidnapping and killing Pokemon, there were recent events where this had occurred. This is a concerning thing for the Pokemon race." He begins.

The other man, Craig, continues, almost as though they had rehearsed it. Probably not. "This happened in both Route 2 and Castelia City. I personally know what Team Plasma are doing with these Pokemon, but the details themselves are foggy. At the moment, certain experiments have been performed on various Pokemon. Some ended up costing their lives." Craig says, a dejected look flashing on his face.

I raise a brow, surprised by the amount of information in his explanation, even if the details are unclear. I almost doubt the thoroughness of my search of their thoughts, I'm sure I would have noted something like that. "Care to explain to me how you know this?" I question.

The man takes a moment to holster his gun, which he had been holding in a neutral position. He pulls out a cigarette and ignites it, much to my disgust. "I'm the mole in Team Plasma, kid. I have people on the inside telling me their plans, and I've figured out some of them myself… To keep my cover, though… Some of the hits were horrid; there was a recent hit on a Pokemon Daycare, some baby Pokemon got taken… Well, I made the order on the hit."

It takes me a moment to understand what I'm hearing, and the very air around me vibrates with energy as my anger momentarily gets away from me. "You what? Do you understand what you did on that day? Not only did you kidnap several pokemon, but the emotional scarring you gave that child is completely unacceptable." I finish, taking a step towards him in rage. I force myself to halt, but fix the man with a glare.

Craig didn't seem to care, he simply looked away, gazing out the window. "Yes, I am fully aware of what I have done and I understand you are upset, but I didn't have a choice, kid. I'm a double agent, I had to keep my cover. I despise Team Plasma."

He takes a moment to fix me with a stern, almost fierce expression as he drops his cigar on the carpet, smashing with his boot. "Oh, but you don't want to be mad at me, kid. Save your anger for the worst news. Team Plasma has a psych profile on you. Everything they could find. Detailed shit on your journeys, your powers… Even your precious Angel."

I froze at this, his tone made it clear he was deadly serious. "What are you talking about?" I manage to get out.

"They have plans in store for her, much worse than those undesirables. You see, she is a special type of pokemon. They want her. Not just her DNA, but every bit, down to the tissue that makes her skin. The same can be said for Tana, Zeke's partner." Craig adds. I was becoming rather unnerved by the whole talk, but I forced myself to not interrupt.

"Let me explain. By manipulating the pokemon's genetic code, they can access unimaginable power within their subjects, and they can transfer this power to others. It would put hardened veterans to shame, even champions wouldn't stand a chance. Angel, however… I overheard a conversation about her specifically. Apparently Team Plasma got a blood sample, I'm assuming from the events at the DreamYard. Point is, Angel carries a strand of DNA that most psychic types have, but hers would be much more effective than most. It's the key to their victory. Their attempt to capture her was for a client, who would have developed the super serum."

Craig suddenly shoots a malevolent look at Zeke. "Zeke, Tana carries this strand in an unusually large amount as well, so it's important that you keep her out of harm's way." He turns back to me, seemingly annoyed, crossing his arms and continuing. "I highly suggest you know your place, kid. You may have telekinesis, but one little screw up and next thing you know your parents will be digging your grave." He finishes coldly.

I'm completely stunned, so much that I only realize that Zeke was talking just as he finishes. "-you. Will you join us, Terry?"

I shook my head a little, trying to focus. Before I could speak, however, the door behind us opens. The three of us turn to see Callen enter, with his three pokemon in tow behind him. He walks into the space, sitting down on the foot of his bed, hardly noticing that we're in the room. Angel follows moments later. She freezes in the entrance, glancing from Zeke's pained expression to Craig's seemingly closed off one, before settling on mine.

Help. I silently cry.

She flinches slightly at my plea, but speaks up with Telepathy, moving over to sit on my bed as she does so. "Apparently you three have been talking. At this point though, it's late. We can continue tomorrow. You're Zeke, right?" Zeke nods. "Tana just finished up with Nurse Joy, she's waiting for you in the lobby. I wouldn't keep her waiting, she's getting more attention than she prefers, I think."

Zeke starts a little, before nodding and leaving the room without a word. Craig stares at Angel a moment longer, before sighing in a slightly annoyed manner and leaving as well. Once the door closes, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and fall onto my bed, head ending up next to Angel's leg. She stares down at me with her orange eyes.

"What did they want to… Nevermind. Let's talk later." She cuts herself off at my expression. I just nod numbly.

Thoughts fly through my head so fast it's hard to focus on any little thing. I must not do a great job of hiding my thoughts from the Gardevoir next to me, because moments later she lifts me farther onto the bed with Telekinesis and gets into a PR position with me. I can tell that the job of healing Athena was straining for her, she's drained. I take a deep breath and allow myself to exist in this one, peaceful moment.

Soon enough our breathing goes into sync, and by the time Nurse Joy knocks on the door ten minutes later, I'm fairly calm once again. Angel shifts so I can get up, and stays on the bed while I answer the door.

Joy smiles at me. "I just wanted to let you know that Alex, Nicky and Athena are all doing well and will be released from the hospital in a couple days. The Riolu though… You and Alex should have a talk. She was horribly abused… She needs a good partner and guide. Alex seems like a good person, but you have more experience in that kind of field, even if it isn't as much as the professionals. Just… Give him some pointers, will you?" She finishes quietly. I nod sadly.

She leaves and I close the door, leaning dejectedly against it.

"We'll get through it, Terry."

I hear the words and look up to see Angel staring at me from the bed. And suddenly she's off talking, trying to get me to believe.

I don't know how long it goes on for, but it works. She makes me believe. By the time we get to sleep, I no longer feel defeated. I feel scared of the problems, yes, but no longer afraid to deal with the answers.

-Next Day, Terry POV-

When I wake, I feel refreshed. Angel is already up, brushing her hair with telekenisis. She sees me staring and blushes. I laugh.

"Hey, don't get the wrong idea. It's good practice," I say, sitting up and quickly throwing on my regular day clothes. "Callen left already then?" I ask a few minutes later, having packed my bag.

Angel nods. "Yeah, he wanted to do some special training with Oshawott, the pair of them think he's close to evolving. After all, the tournament is tomorrow." She gets up, stretching a little. "I suppose we should, too?"

"Yeah." I say, moving to the door. As I open it, I notice a sticky note above the outer door knob. "What's this?" I ask Angel, who joins me outside our room moments later.

"Callen said you were going to participate in the Castelia City Tournament. Craig and I are assuming that you and your pokemon will be training at the Gym today, as it is open for practice matches. That being said, we would like to meet you there and talk some more, if that is alright with you. See you there."

-Zeke

I'm sure Angel knows the conversation word for word now, she had taken a look at the memory in my mind shortly before we went to sleep, so I'm not surprised that she seems unsettled by this note. I sigh slightly, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and squeezing gently. "They don't seem like the easiest people to trust, Angel. I agree with that. But I'm sure they weren't lying when they said that Team Plasma was out for your blood, either…" I put a slight telekinetic force on her cheek, forcing her to look at me. "I won't let anyone hurt you, but I'm not going to put you in harms way by joining a group with these ideals. I still want to see what they're all about, but the absolute last thing I'm ever going to do is put you in the line of fire. Is that clear?" I ask, sternly.

She nods, and while her facial expression stays neutral, I can sense a knot of burden unravel. I turn, mainly to hide my own expression and emotions at this. I had assumed she would know that I would never do such a thing. As we walk, I hammer a mental note into my skull to look into this matter more soon.

A few minutes of walking later, we're outside another room, this time an extended stay hospital room. I knock softly, and a nurse answers. She smiles and stands back to let us in. Alex, Nicky, and Athena the Riolu are laying on separate beds throughout the room. Alex looks up from his novel and smiles wide, though it turns into a slight grimace as he puts a hand to his temple.

He sighs and lays back against his pillows. "Hey, Terry, hi Angel. How's the weather?" He asks, laughing slightly.

I snort. "Not so bad, you should come out. Oh, wait. You've a concussion." I turn to the nurse. "He's flatlining. I'm calling it."

This gets a better laugh out of him as I turn back and sit in the chair next to his bed. The nurse, who had been chuckling as well, speaks. "He's being let out tomorrow, on special orders from Nurse Joy. After all, they've been training hard for the tournament. She just wants him to take it easy afterwards for about a week."

"That sounds good to me." I state. After a moment, I notice Angel float over to the Riolu's bedside. The expression on her face is impossible to read, and for the first time in awhile I'm shut out from her mind. I furrow my eyebrows. "Is she ok?" I ask my girlfriend.

She jumps a little, looking over at me. "Yeah, she will be ok. Shall we head out?" She adds, moving towards the door. Even with my restricted abilities, I can tell the sight unnerved her. Alex seems to get the same idea because he speaks up.

"Sure, you two head out. Destroy some target dummies for me! Maybe bring me a soda!" He turns his head to his Nurse. "Am I allowed to drink soda right now?"

"No."

"Alright, bring me a soda you two! Get going!"

I send a quick look his way, which he returns, his smile fading for a split second. Waving, I follow Angel out the door and after a few minutes we emerge on the streets of Castelia City. The many passersby stare as we set off down the street, and after a few minutes I feel as though Angel is going to lose it. I stop and pull her into a small area near a side alley, and look her in the eyes.

"Seeing Athena upset you." I state. It wasn't a question. She nods, her orange eyes tearing up slightly. I pull her into an embrace, trying my best to avoid her spike. After a few moments, we break apart, and I shoot an extremely pissed off look at the few people that had stopped to stare. They leave in a hurry. I lean against the wall, and after a moment pull a Luxury Ball from my pocket. Her eyes widen at the sight of it and she takes a small step away from me. I hurriedly shake my head, nervous that she's this upset.

"Relax, Angel! I'm not going to force you inside, I know you prefer being out." I say quickly. "I'm simply offering for you to go inside until we get to the gym. People won't staring at you. After all, it's a private place. Do you want to?" I ask gently.

After a few seconds, she nods. I tap the pokeball on her shoulder and in a flash of light she's sucked into the pokeball for the first time in what must be years. I take a moment to hold the pokeball in my hand, thinking phrases in my head at rapid fire speed, trying to form some sort of normalcy state for her. I shake my head. Angel did everything she could… Why is she so upset?

After that, I fished out an old gold necklace from my pack, one I hadn't worn in months. The pendant was shaped like Arceus's rings, and the middle was hollow, with a spot to fit a pokeball. As I fit Angel's pokeball into the slot, my thoughts flashed back to the day I had received the jewelry piece.

-Two Years Ago, June 17, Third Person (Terry's 14th Birthday)-

"That was an awesome party!"

"Grats, Terry! See you tomorrow?"

"You know it, Junior."

Terry shut the door of his house, cutting off the excited chitchat from Junior and Alex for the night. The party had been amazing, alright. Almost half the small town had shown up, and Dad had bought enough pizza to last a decade. Blade had done some demonstration sparing, everyone had a great time. Of course, Alex and Junior had stayed longer than the rest, being his best friends along with Angel.

Terry walked through the kitchen and was just starting to climb the stairs to his room when he heard his dad's voice.

"Terry? Come here, son." Terry followed it through the hallway to the backyard, where his dad lounged in a deck chair. The older man flicked his hand to the chair next to him, and Terry sat.

Mr. Collins reclined a bit more, seemingly content.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Terry said automatically, before shaking his head vigorously and turning to glare at his father. "No fair. I'm still getting used to Telepathy, you don't have to rub it in!"

The older fellow laughs. "No, I don't have to, but I still enjoy teasing my son." He says, wiping a tear of laughter from his left eye. After a moment he sighs. "My son, fourteen. Not only that, but a powerful psychic… Wow. Outshone at 45."

Terry frowns at this. "But you're much better at control, dad! You're decades ahead of me…"

Mr. Collins shakes his head. "Hardly, son. I still have a lot of trouble with high powered control. Anyway… I've got something for you."

He flicks his fingers around his neck and pulls off a gold chain from his neck, uncovering a pendant shaped like Arceus's rings, with a Friend Ball fitted in the middle. Terry's breath catches in his throat.

"Your necklace… But you've had that for your entire life… That's Blade's and your memories…!" He fades into silence, staring at the necklace.

Mr. Collins shakes his head sadly. "I've got Blade himself to remind me of the adventures I've had. Besides, I think you deserve it." He pulls the pokeball from the slot, then puts the necklace around Terry's neck, leaning back to get a good view. "It looks perfect. You remind me so much of myself… I'm so Arceus damn proud of you." He finishes, tears flowing down his cheeks.

And that was the last time Terry saw his biological father.

-Present Time, Terry POV-

A car horn shocks me back into reality. I wipe a stray tear from my eye and straighten up, hanging the necklace, now complete with Angel's pokeball, around my neck. The second it starts hanging there, I feel as though I'm complete again. As if some hole had been filled. Vaguely, I wonder why I stopped wearing it in the first place.

Soon enough, I arrive at the gym, noting as usual how little attention I attract without Angel in sight. Not that I prefer the privacy over her company, but I feel that it would be good for both of us if she tried to tolerate her pokeball in cities more often. Sadly, I know that when I enter I'm sure to be recognized, so I take a deep breath and push open the door before I can stop myself.

As I thought, upon entering the lobby, several trainers, ranging from newbies in their shorts to ace trainers with multiple sets of badges pinned to their jackets, stride over to introduce themselves. I shake hands and say a few quick words to each, slipping away as soon as I can and grabbing myself a spot on the bleachers in the stands, where I set my supplies. I pull out Ace's and Axinite's pokeballs and click the buttons. With twin flashes of light, the Watchog and Boldore appeared on the gym floor. I nod to them, smiling slightly. Then I grab Angel's pokeball but hesitate on the button.

Angel, do you want to train, or do you think you're ready for the Tournament? It's pretty crowded here. I think, knowing she will hear the words.

"... To be honest, Terry, I really don't want to. I'm jus-"

I know. Don't apologize. Besides, you've come really far, I think you are ready. If you change your mind though, let me know.

"Hey, Terry." A voice says. I look up to see Zeke standing over me, hand extended in front of him. Craig stands off to one side, conversing with someone that appears to be an ex-marine. Tana stands beside Zeke. I stand and shake hands with her partner.

"I got your note. To be honest, I wasn't planning on training at the gym, but I figured it would be a good place, since it was open. Besides, I had to talk to you guys anyway." I state, before lowering my voice. "I don't really know what to think of you and Craig. But I am on board when it comes to forming a group to fight Team Plasma. On the other hand, the last thing I'm going to do is put Angel in harm's way. So unless the fight comes to me, I don't plan on attacking them."

Zeke nods. "I figured you would say that. Frankly, I feel the same way about Tana. Nonetheless, it wouldn't be just fighting on a battlefield. We will be thinking strategy to, ways of taking them out without engaging in direct combat. If we do have to fight, we would be doing it with an advantage, such as a surprise attack. Either way, I won't force you or Angel to do anything you feel uncomfortable with. Where is she, by the way?" Zeke adds, looking around.

"She's in her pokeball for the first time in years." I say, tapping the pendant around my neck. "Crowds are worse than ever with the Tournament tomorrow." I explain.

Zeke smiles, putting an arm around Tana's shoulders. "Yeah, Tana here was nervous as well. We decided to give some training here a shot, though. Who knows? Maybe we'll join the tournament."

I nod, and introduce my other friends. "These guys are Ace and Axinite. We plan to train for most of today, and relax for the evening. Shall we get started?"

"Yeah, sure. The stronger you guys get, the better." Someone speaks up. Zeke and I turn to see Craig, the usual steel cold expression plastered on his face. "Team Plasma is merciless. Whether or not you fight them directly, you need to be prepared."

I nod, then turn to Ace and Axinite. "You two ready for some battles then?" They cheer loudly, and without further ado we begin.

(Author's Note: This chapter feels so butchered it's almost depressing. Either way, it works out best with the way I want to take this story. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out soon. Good luck, and Happy Reading! -Orthros)

(PS: Make sure to read up to Chapter V on 'The Red Sky' by Zenxolu to get a full understanding to Zeke and Craig's POVs during this read. Overall, the way Zenxolu and I are writing our crossover causes the story to make sense pretty well if you only read one or the other, but to get a good, detailed understanding, you should read both. Bye! -Orthros)