Chapter Eight

We both sat in my cell in relative silence, the only noise being my sniffles as I tried to regain control of myself once again. Silver never once moved any closer to me or any farther away, instead standing against the earthy wall. I wasn't entirely sure what he was waiting around for, but I didn't want to be alone. Not now. Not after that. So, I appreciated the fact that he was sticking around for me when he didn't need to.

"Silver," I started, but through the darkness, I could see him move against the wall, fidgeting or raising a hand or doing something. He hadn't brought the lantern with him, so it was pitch dark in the room, the only light seeping in through the hole in the wall. But even that light was dark, and I could barely see him from five feet away. My eyes had fully adjusted, yet I couldn't see a thing.

"No, Lyra, just wait." I bit my lip, and Silver finally pushed himself off the wall, coming over to me and sitting right down beside me. He didn't touch me, and he didn't make any other movements. All was silent again, and I wondered why he wanted it like this. Was it easier to read my mind? Was he looking for information that he wanted from me? I didn't know what to think when I knew Silver could hear my every thought.

Finally, he sighed, and I wondered if I had thought something wrong. Without even saying anything aloud, I could hurt his feelings. And with his conflicting personalities, I wasn't sure thinking the wrong thing was a good idea. Not that I had any control over my thoughts, since whatever popped into my head at the time would be apparent to him, but I would have been nice if he couldn't read a thing.

"The silence is good," he finally said, and I blinked, watching him wobble in the darkness as he crossed his legs. "It kind of helps me control myself. The more physical half of me… well, it gets set off easily, and when nothing is happening, there is no physical part. And if I get calmed down enough, I can keep it at bay for a little while. And I was already a little worked up after what just happened."

Worked up was an understatement for me. I was horrified, disgusted, annoyed, hurt, and I didn't quite understand why they wanted me to do that. Why did they want anyone at all to do that? Clay kept getting stranger and stranger and more and more evil. How did anyone ever get to the point Clay was at, anyway? It didn't make any sense to me.

"Lyra, I'm sorry. I am so sorry that I couldn't finish what we started, and I am so sorry that Lindsey hurt you. And I'm sorry that I can't help you. I never wanted this, but you have to stop Clay. If you don't… well, I can't even tell you what will happen. But it won't be good." Silver paused, the silence filling the room again.

I was impressed, honestly, that Silver even apologized. He wasn't big on the whole "being sorry" thing, and he had never apologized for anything he had ever done to me before. But I never held that against him. I had long since forgiven him for being a royal ass to me when I first traveled through Johto, and I never felt any apology was necessary. It wasn't entirely his fault, anyway. Just like this wasn't.

Still only slightly able to see through the darkness, I barely noticed Silver narrow his eyes at me. "You're too nice. You came here with the idea for revenge, right?" I bit my lip, knowing where he was going with this. "I know how bitter you are about all of this, but you're too content with the fact that I'm alive. That's why you couldn't get your revenge first time around. You let happier emotions get in the way of your angry ones."

"But Silver, you're alive. You're the only one I have left. How could I not be happy to find out that one of my best friends actually survived? Sure, it sucks that you're a part of Team Xana, and I still don't really understand why. But you're alive, and I can't do this alone. I'm in way over my head now," I said, knowing that I really was in way too deep. There was no way I could take out Team Xana without any help. Team Rocket was one thing… but Team Xana was a whole other thing. "I can't do this alone. I'm not strong enough. I know there are very few ways you can help me, but can't you try? Can't you explain anything?"

Silver's eyes widened, a wave of realization seemingly passing through him. "I can't. But I know something that can. Clay never set any restrictions regarding you on the computer. I can't access the data that outlines the details of the whole Team Xana plan, but I can access the background information on all the members. It has the information about before they joined, and Clay's plan about getting them to join if they were classified as unwilling."

He held out his hand, and I couldn't help but beam at him. He just opened up a world of possibilities for me. If I got the background information on everyone, I could use that to my advantage. And, honestly, I wanted to find out what happened to Silver. If he initially came in wanting to infiltrate the organization, he failed. But how did Clay do that? And how did Clay get to the point he was at?

I wrapped my arms around Silver instead of grabbing his hand, hugging him so tightly that I was probably suffocating the poor guy. After getting over his shock, he touched my back lightly with his hands, unsure what else to do. And then, without warning, he took me away from the cell, bringing me to what appeared to be a room in the Science Labs.

There were no windows in the room looking out into the Science Labs, but the white walls and marble tiling hinted at the fact that we were in the Science Labs. A lone computer sat on a wooden desk (both much nicer than the ones at the PCC), a spinning desk chair pushed up against the desk. Silver broke away from me, walking over to the computer and typing something on the screen. I glanced around, walking over to the door and jiggling the handle. Locked.

"Here's the database with the list of all of our members, current and past. Some people have, um, been killed. It has the information on all the Champions, too, but only on their locations and teams. And considering you're the only Champion left, it doesn't seem entirely critical that you look at that. I have no idea how much time you have, but go quickly and search for the people you need to. I'm going to head back to the PCC, make it look like things are normal." I nodded, and he vanished from the room.

I sat down in the desk chair, looking at the list. It was huge, and I could scroll down for what seemed like forever. But I knew a few people that I wanted to read about: Clay, Allison, Henry, Lindsey, Silver… Will. I needed to figure out how Clay was getting all these people to join; maybe there was some sort of counter to it.

Clicking on the first name I saw, since it was in alphabetical order by first name, the information on Allison popped up on the screen beside the list of names. There was a picture of her standing in a white lab coat, similar to the one she wore now while at the Science Labs, but the shot looked purely candid. The setting behind her was not of the Science Labs but of a research center filled with computers and other random men sitting at them.

Name: Allison Baertschi

Age: 25

Background: Allison Baertschi, at age 20, worked at the main aeronautical engineering firm in Unova as an engineer for designing spacecraft to other planets. She was the youngest member of the force at the firm, and she had recently designed a spacecraft to carry humans and Pokémon to Mars that was in the process of being built. She was well-known for her engineering skills, and she specialized in Electric-type Pokémon. Her parents were both dead, and she had no siblings.

Needed for: Designing and building the main spacecraft for Team Xana to other galaxies.

Classification: Unwilling.

Plan of Action: Taken by force from her lab in Unova, first member of Team Xana to have Pokémon injection. Her Magnezone has been taken and inserted into her, and there are no apparent faults or negative symptoms. Now controlled.

Status: Captured; Administrator in the Science Labs

So, as I had originally suspected, Allison never wanted to join Team Xana; she had been classified as unwilling, and she must have fought back when she was first captured. However unwilling she was to join, it didn't even make a difference now. She was an Admin, and she was going along with Clay's plan. It was all Clay's fault.

Now I really needed to see what happened to him. He was able to take someone so talented as Allison, and so good, and turn her into a full member of Team Xana. If she knew what she was doing, if Clay hadn't said it was all right, she would be so against it. Her skills were being abused, and she would never be all right with that.

I clicked on Clay's name, skipping over what felt like a hundred people. Team Xana had more members than I realized, though I knew that some of them had to be dead now. Team Xana didn't take anything lightly, and they had no problem killing people and Pokémon. All these people… most of them had to be dead now.

Name: Clay Jergens

Age: 27

Background: Clay Jergens, age 22, worked as an astrophysicist in the Sinnoh region. He created an equation to explain the relation between space and time. He founded Team Xana as an effort to bring people and Pokémon together and explore other galaxies after Team Galactic fell. He specialized in no specific type. His parents were missing during the creation of Team Xana; father was a member of Team Galactic, mother was a member of Team Galactic.

Needed for: Not applicable

Classification: Founder

Plan of Action: Not applicable

Status: Boss

He founded Team Xana as an effort to bring people and Pokémon together and explore other galaxies? That made him sound like a good guy, and clearly he wasn't. Though, it was interesting to note that his parents were both members of Team Galactic before it fell; it explained a lot of his interest in space, as well as his evil tendencies.

"Having fun, are we? Learning a lot?" a voice snapped behind me, and I gasped, spinning around in the chair and looking up at Clay. He crossed his arms, shaking his head so his black hair bounced. If I had never seen him angry—really angry—before, then this had to be it. He looked so undeniably pissed at me, and I wondered if this was a mistake. Perhaps I should not have let Silver bring me down here. He could get in trouble.

"Oh, don't worry; I'll deal with him later. But I still need him, and you, so neither of you will be eliminated. Lucky, really. Had you both been anyone else, you wouldn't be alive right now," Clay continued, walking over and pressing the power button on the computer. It shut down, and I winced. I hadn't gotten to read about anyone else.

Clay sighed, his pissed expression being replaced by a calmer one. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering if his generally cool demeanor was courtesy of Mew, who was a genuinely calm and kindhearted Pokémon. Honestly, Clay had never done anything to me, directly, that was really all that harmful. It was his indirect actions that hurt.

"Who did you miss? Which of the Admins? Henry, Lindsey, and Silver?"

I didn't understand where he was going with this, but I nodded. So, he smiled, completely forgoing his otherwise annoyed expression. "I'll probably regret this, but that just means I have to change the execution time for the plan," Clay said, and I still had no idea what he was talking about. The plan? Execution time? Why did that matter to me? "I'll start with me. There are a few things I need to elaborate on."

He was going to tell me? But how honest would he actually be? I wasn't sure if I should pay attention or completely ignoring him. Yet, knowing how villains worked, I figured listening to him could help me later on, whether he told me the truth or not. I already knew so much about him, and the added details might help.

"My parents were both members of Team Galactic. They joined after I was born, of course, and I was already in college at that point. I had always been interested in Pokémon and battling, but my parents took it to a whole new level. Space, to them, was amazing in terms of Pokémon. But I was more interested in the scientific aspect of it. So, I went to college to study astrophysics.

"By the time I graduated, Team Galactic had been taken down by Champion Dawn. I was, of course, disgusted by my parents at this point. They had missed so many things in those few years. So, I stopped speaking to them, and they eventually went missing." He held up his hands when he noticed my pointed expression. "I had nothing to do with it. I have no idea where they went. But it didn't matter. I already had my plan.

"Team Galactic had failed my parents. They didn't even know what they were talking about. They knew nothing of space; they only thought they did. They didn't know anything about Pokémon, either. Pokémon are not meant to be used as tools, but their powers can be used to our advantage. So, I created the PCC. Mew came along to save the Pokémon that I was extracting powers from, so I took it."

I winced in disgust, completely horrified that he could even consider that in the first place. Yet he spoke of his creation of the PCC so casually, as if it was just an idea that simply popped into his head. "You should never have done that! Pokémon should be cared for!" I exclaimed, but he just shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Well, it's a little late now. Anyway, I have bigger plans now—plans that I had only dreamed possible. And with your help, we're going to achieve them. But I won't elaborate on that. You don't need to know." Clay smiled again, and I shook my head. If he thought I was going to help him, he was wrong.

"Now, Lindsey… well, she was my first member, though I made Allison an Admin before her. She just knows how to control people. It wasn't anything special that brought her to Team Xana, unlike with Allison or Henry or even Silver. She grew up without anything and never made anything out of herself. She wanted revenge for the things she missed and the people she lost. Sound like someone you know?" Clay smirked at me, and I narrowed my eyes. He was not turning this around on me. I was the heroine here.

"Cynthia was hard to beat," Clay continued, scratching his cheek. "Silver did it, though. And her Garchomp became a part of Lindsey, giving her an even more amazing ability to control people and get them to do what she wanted through fear. It worked on you, didn't it? She is violent and scary, and she does a good job of keeping control. Which, when you have people unwilling to work for you, is a good thing. Though, now, everyone wants to be here.

"Henry was harder to get to join. He is an engineer, like Allison, but he specializes in building instead of the design. So, with Allison and Henry teamed up, we were able to create that space shuttle in the Science Labs. But it almost didn't happen. Getting people to join is harder than it looks. Most people that lost to us in battle we didn't want, so they were discarded. But when someone was of interest to us, we had to capture them and transform them immediately. You, of course, are an exception.

"He avoided us for a very long time when he found out we were after him. He took his family and escaped his hometown in Hoenn. But one day, his daughter slipped up. We found her lurking around, and we took her. She sent a message to her father for us that if he ever wanted to see her again, he would have to come join us. Of course, he did. His wife vanished, and Lindsey disposed on the daughter. What did Henry need her for anymore?"

"You killed his daughter? After luring him to you in return for her safety?" I shouted, and Clay actually looked bothered by this. "How can you have no value for life? Human life, Pokémon life? You just don't care, do you? You so easily dispose of people like they can be replaced, but they can't! You're a filthy murderer!"

"It was never my idea to hurt anyone." Clay shoved his hands back in his pockets, and I stood, completely baffled. "Sure, I needed people to join Team Xana, but it was always Lindsey who sought revenge. Anyone who lost to us, she took care of them. Anyone who stood in the way of our plans, she took care of them. And anyone whose Pokémon we needed, she took care of them. I just went along with it."

There was a quiet whoosh, and Silver popped up next to me, watching Clay wearily. He knew he was in trouble, but I didn't quite know how much trouble that meant.

"Oh, Silver, thank you for coming back for her. That was a nice loophole you found. But I don't want you ever helping Lyra again. In anyway. She can fend for herself. She is, after all, the last Champion. If she made it this far, it's no problem for her." Clay just smiled, as if trying to control his anger in front of me. How odd.

"Lyra, it was a pleasure speaking with you." Clay nodded at me, and I narrowed my eyes. "Silver, the date is going to be moved to tomorrow. I hope that's punishment enough for you. You can bring Lyra back to her cell now. Then leave immediately after."

Silver's eyes widened, and from the way he looked at me, so completely horrified and frightened, I could tell that it really was punishment enough. And whatever that punishment was, it involved me.

Author's Note: Is Clay stupid now for giving all this information? Maybe. But he still knows what he's doing. He's a smart cookie! But I hope that was enough background information for you all. There is a bit more to all of them, but I think that's just for my own personal knowledge.

Here's the basic information about all the Admins (this comes directly from my outline! Whoo-hoo!):

Clay (Boss) – 27 (black hair) (Mew)

Lindsey (Admin) – 38 (brunette) (Pokémon Conversion Center) (Garchomp)

Allison (Admin) – 25 (blonde) (Science Labs) (Magnezone)

Henry (Admin) – 42 (blonde) (Science Labs) (Electivire)

Silver (Admin) – 22 (redhead) (Pokémon Conversion Center) (Gallade)

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.