*Look, short chapter. :V But don't worry, the chapters I'm currently typing are longer. (Working on Chapter 20! Woot!) But those won't be released for a few weeks unless I finish. ;) Have I gotten you excited? XD Well, here's your chapter! Enjoy!)

Chapter 13

The night sky was painted with sparkling diamonds, a rare sight for Blue, who was used to the overwhelming city lights of Kanto. She sighed, wishing she could observe this beauty when the world didn't seem to be turned upside down. If only her visit to Hoenn had gone as she had imagined- just a fun time at a festival with her friends. Not with one of them having lost their memory, kidnapped, and the rest of them running in hopeless circles in hopes that they could even find a sign of where he is.

"Silver, have you told Yellow we're coming back yet? Is she calling everyone else back as well?" asked Blue impatiently, restlessly tossing and turning on Jiggly, who they were currently using to fly through the air. The giant pink Pokemon resembled a hot air balloon, which looked completely out of place against the dark blue velvet of the sky. "Silver?" Blue repeated when he didn't answer, turning her head anxiously.

"What? She's missing? How?" Silver said into the Pokegear, sounding shocked and serious. "Is there sign of a struggle? Her stuff's missing too?"

"Silver?" Blue suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. There was only one 'her' staying with Yellow at the moment... Sapphire. "Silver, Sapphire's missing, isn't she?"

He looked at her gravely, slowly closing his dark gray eyes and nodding. "I think she ran away. Probably to go find Ruby by herself," he said, replying to both Yellow and Blue. "We'll meet you there, Yellow."

"Why would she go after him by herself?" asked Blue, sitting up, suddenly feeling uncharacteristic anxiety wreck her body, a fearful trepidation. "She's faced our opponent and knows how strong he is. She has no idea where Ruby is. She's not stupid enough to do something like this!"

"Sapphire wasn't able to protect Ruby when he was kidnapped. She was right there when Rei took him away. She's obviously in love with Ruby, and she's feeling immense guilt. She probably feels like she's responsible for this- she's not of course-" he added, catching the 'don't blame her' look on Blue's face. "But that's probably how she feels. In a way, it's not surprising. I'd probably do the same if you were kidnapped in front of me."

"I know," Blue sighed, closing her aquamarine eyes, trying to choke down her worries. "But it's so dangerous for her to be out there alone. We know what Rei can do. Sapphire rejected his offers- we all did. If he catches her, he'll probably..." Her voice trailed off and a tear formed at the corner of her eye. Ruby and Sapphire were like her little siblings. Being about five years older than them, she'd virtually babied them whenever she visited Hoenn or when they came to Kanto. They were her family.

"I know. But we're not going to let that happen, right?" Silver carefully wiped her tears away, giving a soft smile to Blue. "We have the information we need. We know what Rei can do, and we did extra research on how to defeat him. All we need to do is catch that Pokemon."

"I know..." replied Blue, trying to keep the sniffle out of her voice. "Sapphire won't find Rei with any luck, and hopefully, she'll come back when she doesn't. I just hope Ruby's okay."

Silver didn't answer. The correct answer would be to say the younger boy was fine, that there was nothing wrong, that there was no harm done. He and Blue had both read the books on the legendary Pokemon of Hoenn thoroughly but... He'd kept the information on the creation of the Red and Blue orbs hidden from her. She didn't need to know. It was bad enough that Ruby was missing, let alone... Only he had to know.

"I hope so too," he finally replied, taking her hand and squeezing it, wrapping his other arm around her. "I hope so too."

***************
"What did you find out about Rei?" asked Green, completely straightforward, wasting no time getting the questions started.

"His hometown, age, name, and previous status in the Pokemon League," answered Silver in the same serious nature.

"He was raised in an orphanage in Fallabor Town, and his real name is Jade. However, he went by the name of Rei in official tournaments. He is currently 24, and was a finalist in the Hoenn Pokemon League Tournament six years ago," said Silver swiftly, yet steady enough so his speech was completely understandable.

"Finalist?" inquired Gold, amber eyes inquisitive. "Who beat him? If we could get them to fight with us-"

"He didn't lose," interrupted Silver, cutting his rival's sentence short. "The tournament he competed in was the one where the stadium was burned to a crisp in an accident. His Salamence's Fire Blast had been powered by the sun and it caused an uncontrollable fire that destroyed the place. His opponent was killed in the blaze."

The room was completely silent for a moment until Crystal said, "Did he do it on purpose?"

"Most likely not." It was Blue who answered this time, her voice loud and clear, recovered from her slight panic meltdown earlier. "You see... She was his childhood friend. We talked to the founder of the orphanage, and he says they were almost always together. It was an accident. One that killed a lot of people."

"This is great information and all, but... How does this help us beat the stinking guy?" asked Gold bluntly, frowning. "I mean, knowing his past won't help us much, will it? It's obvious that he doesn't mind burning things to crisps. I'm lucky I made it out of that fire almost completely unscathed." He rolled up his sleeve, showing a long burn up the side of his arm. "See? He doesn't mind playing with fire if that's what you're suggesting."

"No, that's not what we're saying," answered Silver. "We researched him to form a clear picture of who he is. A power-hungry, arrogant, strong trainer who's had a dream of ruling the world since childhood. His opponent, his childhood friend, Amethyst- she shared those same dreams. They were partners. We asked some kids who grew up with them. Apparently, Jade and Amethyst wanted to be King and Queen."

"I kind of figured out the 'power-hungry, arrogant, strong' thing from what we knew already," commented Gold, pressing at his rival. "Knowing he killed his girlfriend isn't going to help us. She's been dead for a long time. It's likely he doesn't care anymore."

The room was quiet, but Silver could feel silent support for Gold's words. There was nothing truly useful from the information he and Blue had discovered. But about his Pokemon...

"We all know that Rei has control over the Continent Pokemon Groudon and the Ocean Pokemon Kyogre," he started, shaking a lock of red hair out of his eyes. "There is a Pokemon that can stop those two from wreaking havoc. It's done that several times in the past."

"Rayquaza." Green closed his eyes, picturing the emerald-colored dragon he'd read about in a book of Hoenn legends. "Do you know where it is?"

"Sky Pillar. It's definitely there, we checked with the Weather Institute in Mossdeep," confirmed Silver. "Rei isn't likely to target it since its very presence negates the effect of weather. In other words, it just hinders him. He's using Groudon and Kyogre for sheer power as well as to manipulate the weather to his advantage. Rayquaza, no matter how powerful, cripples the second advantage of having both Groudon and Kyogre. If we can take the third legendary for our own, we might be able to keep up with the battle."

"You make it sound as if we've never gone through something like this before," said Red lightly, though everyone could read the seriousness behind it. "All of us have faced similar hardships before, and teaming up, we are even more powerful. The help of Rayquaza would be great, but- how do we control Rayquaza?"

Silver let out a chuckle with no humor, closing his eyes and smiling a tight smile. "There is no definite way to control it, even if you do capture it. The same applies to Groudon and Kyogre- a Pokeball puts them under your 'control', however, there's no guarantee it'll listen. If we had more Gym Badges, several, several more, and amplified the power, perhaps we'd be able to control it entirely. However, we cannot."

"If only Ruby or Sapphire were here to give us information on those three Pokemon. They've actually seen and fought with 'em," commented Gold, twirling his billiard cue, the swirling tip only inches away from smacking the others in the head. "But unfortunately, those two are the ones who are missing. Who else has battled with them?"

"A lot of Gym Leaders in Hoenn- but no one has controlled Rayquaza as far as the records we found show. Someone tried to, and nearly died doing so. We'll just have to capture it and hope it feels like fighting," answered Silver, not missing a beat. "Now we need to stop wasting time."

"Even missing two, we will overcome this! We will find them, and we will defeat Rei!" chanted Blue, and her chant was met with a chorus of cheers.

"One team should go to the Weather Institute and the other to the Sky Pillar. That ensures the most efficient way to handle this," said Green, viridian-hued eyes cool and calm. Even in a tense situation, he could keep his composure without a problem. "Red, Silver, Crystal and I will head to Sky Pillar. The rest of you start on the journey to the Weather Institute. Call my Pokegear immediately if you have information." He pulled down his sleeve to show the watch-like device. Turning to Silver, he asked, "I trust you know where the Pillar is. You do know, right?"

"Of course!" Silver was tempted to follow up with 'What do you take me for?' but resisted the urge. Despite the calm, smooth way their short meeting had went, it was obvious that they were wasting time.

He felt a slight twinge of guilt at not revealing Rei's motive for kidnapping Ruby- to kill him and use the blood to create new orbs that allow Rei to control the legendary beasts without a problem. There was huge mental stress involved in controlling two legendary Pokemon simultaneously, however, if Rei had known the procedure for recreating the orbs, he had to know the consequences of wielding command of Groudon and Kyogre.

To control just one legendary took an enormous toll on the mind, and even with the medium of both a Pokeball and the Orb, Rei's sanity would pay the price for his rash actions. It had to be shaky already- wielding any power over a 'ruling-class' legendary, Pokeball or not, would still damage a person.

The problem for them was Rayquaza. Would hoping for the best really be enough? Or would Rayquaza's capturer- which would likely end up being Crystal, due to the young woman's phenomenal catching abilities- end up sacrificing themselves? Silver shivered. The 'what if's were too many and too risky. But it was a risk they had to take.

Despite it just being a portable, electronic encyclopedia, taking the Pokedex meant taking on responsibilities. They were all heroes in their own accord. All they had to do now was pull it off again.

Silver released his Honchkrow, allowing its sharp talons to dig into his shoulders, securing him for the upcoming flight. "Are you ready?" he asked, walking out of the room. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Let's go."

*Thanks to all of you who reviewed! ;D

pokemon56476: Generic reviews are quite welcome! Reviews in general are quite welcome! XD I tend to put most of my attention on the parts with Ruby... (because Ruby deserves my full undivided attention, not "ZOMG what a cute kitten!" like I usually am. XD) You should reread PokeSpe, if only to re-enjoy it. X) I do it every week or so.

Mystic: Your review made me smile for a whole day. :) It's great to know I give people something to look forwards to! Ruby is bound to the orb. He'll have to listen to Rei like it or not! *evil cackle* You thought of something similar? It'd be cool if you wrote it... *wants to read*

DCA123: Not this chapter apparently. Let me check Chapter 14 for ya... Yup, she's in the next chapter! Don't worry, there's this one huge part somewhere in the future where she gets almost a whole chapter... If my memory is working correctly. I'd love to see Rei in the manga. That totally didn't sound obnoxious and vain. :X I can't wait for Hoenn remakes... It means more Ruby... (please excuse me while my fangirl side takes over and renders me useless.) *in background* Kyaaah! Ruby! *hugs*

AnonymousisSleepy: You caught me. :/ I'm not putting them in. I have too much to think about as it is. It's hard to get ten people into a story... (I mean eleven with Rei) let alone... above twenty. I just don't have the skill for that. XD Maybe in my next fanfic... (or a sequel. *le gasp*) In my opinion, Ruby is the best battler. (I'd love to see Ruby vs. Red. It would be freaking awesome.) Of course, Red would probably win just because that's his title... (but I think Ruby is better still. :P)

Kimiko Heroux: You're back! :D I've thought this through... *laughs* I'm making it up as I go my friend! (with a little bit of forethought) I'll update weekly, just like I usually do. ;) (because otherwise, my cushion will disappear.)

Record reviews! *cheers* Yay! And I also got a job this week as well. :D (random, I know.) But don't worry, it won't intrude on this story. X) Please review! See you all next week!*