Chapter 21:

Cognition

Gary leaned back against the fence. He glanced backwards at the house behind him.

You've been lying to us for sixteen years.

He rehearsed his new confrontation in his mind.

You've lied to Ash all his life. You've lied to the entire town. You've lied to my sister.

How can any of us trust you anymore?

Gary drummed his pen against the clipboard.

I shouldn't be wasting my time with this. He scowled. I should be focusing on my new evolution study, focusing on my future, instead of someone else's past.

Gary looked up at the clouded sky.

Ash's life could depend on it.

Gary exhaled deeply.

"But, does it?" Gary mused to himself. "I have no proof that he's in danger from… that guy. But..." his voice trailed off for a few moments. "What I do know of him… I have to assume."

"Assume what?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Gary looked up to see who had managed to approach him without his notice.

Brock stood in front of him, the young man smiling in amusement.

"Mrs. Ketchum did say you were acting funny," he chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Gary asked curtly.

"Damn, she wasn't kidding," Brock's bright mood wasn't tarnished by Gary's rude behavior. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…" Gary started angrily, his voice trailing off. "Nothing," he sighed. "What are you here for? Ash hasn't been around for weeks," Gary's tone was much friendlier. "And, what's with the new sweater?"

"Mrs. Ketchum asked me to stop by," Brock tugged on his orange sweater vest nervously. "She said she needed my help with her new project."

"Project?" Gary raised a brow.

"Well, they need my help. Her and her 'business partner,' whoever that is."

"Partner…?" Gary felt lost. Then, something clicked.

Sasha. He realized. I'm not sure about letting Brock know about my sister just yet. Ash and the others have…told me stories.

"Mrs. K's thinking about reopening the old restaurant she used to run with… with your parents, before…" Brock coughed nervously. "She asked me to come over to help her and her partner get things started up again."

"I do notice that Grandpa tends to visit… Mrs. Ketchum whenever you're visiting with Ash." Gary nodded. "Makes sense that they'll want your culinary advice."

"What about you?" Brock asked conversationally. "What are you studying right now?"

"Hrmm?" Gary almost forgot he was even holding the clipboard. "Oh, just an evolution study, you know. Looking at the difference in the growth of Attack and Defense and such between a Gallade and a Gardevoir. Both brothers, of course."

"You'd be surprised how different siblings can be," Brock smiled.

Gary stared in silence for a moment.

"What's your family like?"

"What?" Brock was taken aback by the question. "I…I guess they're normal enough. Large, I guess. And my siblings are still rather young and energetic."

"What about your father?"

"What about him?" It was Brock's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"What's… he like?" Gary wasn't sure how to ask.

"He abandoned us when we were without our mother, and left me to raise my siblings alone. As a teenager. Much too young to be truly on my own, let alone have such a massive responsibility resting on my shoulders."

"You must resent him a lot," Gary said in a low tone.

"Not really." Brock shrugged. "I mean, yeah, it was an extremely selfish thing for him to do, but if he hadn't, I might have never met Ash and Misty, and traveled with them. And, they certainly needed me. Lord only knows how long they would've lasted without killing each other intentionally, let alone on accident."

"You're not worried now?" Gary couldn't help but smirk.

"Of course I am," Brock chuckled back. "Just… for completely different reasons."

"Hmm?"

"They're sixteen, Gary. Like you. Certainly you know how sixteen-year-olds think."

"Ash is as oblivious as a Slowpoke." Gary shook his head. "Worse, really."

"But Misty is not," Brock reminded him. "And Ash isn't a little kid anymore."

"Scary thought."

"No kidding." Brock nodded.

"I guess you were the father figure he… never got to really have," Gary looked away.

"Ash never talked about him," Brock shrugged. "I never really saw myself as a parent figure." Brock chuckled. "Pikachu thought I was the mother of the group, but I always considered myself to be the big brother."

"Like at home." Gary nodded.

"I guess," Brock looked up at the sky. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Ash… never said anything about his father?"

"Not once," Brock said. "Not anything substantial, in any case. Well, he did respond in the natural way when… I did have to be a father figure for one awkward conversation."

Gary looked at him.

"What?"

"The curse of traveling," Brock chuckled nervously. "I'd just met up with Ash in Hoenn when I realized… that he was thirteen."

Gary blinked for a moment, before his face lit up in revelation.

"Oh. That had to be awkward," he chuckled nervously.

"I'm sure it was worse for him to hear it."

"I'm sure." Gary nodded. "He never had his father to ask those types of questions, after all. And God knows, Ash would never ask his mother them."

Though, he'll be asking her a whole different set of questions if I have anything to say about it.

"Where is his father?" Brock asked after a long pause. "The way Ash never even mentioned him… it made me think that he just fell off the face of the planet."

"Gyles Ketchum… died… a long time ago," Gary said through his clenched jaw.

"When?" Brock looked genuinely shocked.

"Ash never knew him." Gary scowled. "He… they… lost him when Ash was only a few days old."

"I—I can't." Brock shook his head. "I can't believe that Ash never mentioned it. Not once. For six years." Brock staggered slightly. "Even Misty mentioned off-handedly that she and her sisters are orphans."

"Seems like we've all suffered from parental abandonment of some sort," Gary mused.

"Except for May and Max from Hoenn, yeah." Brock nodded. "I guess… I guess it just brought us closer together as a group. Ash certainly never seemed to suffer from his loss."

"He never knew what it was like to lose his father," Gary responded. "You can't miss what you've never known."

I did know my father, Gary added to himself. I feel his absence every day. Ash has never noticed Gyles's.

But… one way or another, he will.

Sooner or later, Ash will be forced to deal with his father's past.

…

"I swear to God," Gyles sighed, face in his palm, "if you do not shut up, you're going back into your 'Ball."

"I'm just saying," the Lucario held up his hands in defense, "if you would just let–!"

"If we draw attention to ourselves," Delia interrupted, "then we risk having–!"

"Shut. Up!" Gyles stopped in his tracks, pulling at his hair with both hands. "You two. Have not. Stopped. Bickering," he looked back and forth between them rapidly, "for. Two. Hours!"

"At least." Cindy nodded. The Charmeleon wasn't even looking at the others, not even at her own Trainer. She appeared to be highly annoyed at something.

"Please." Gyles let go of his jet black locks. "Please tell me we're almost there."

"Should only be a few more hours at most."

"Hours?" Gyles repeated. "Just… kill me now. At least I'll have some peace."

"Would think that you wouldn't be exactly used to peace," Cindy glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Being a Rocket, born and bred, and all. Eh, Jill?"

"How hard is it to say my name?" Gyles glared at her.

"You don't know what you're talking about, lizard," the Lucario stormed to the Charmeleon. "So, shut your mouth about things you don't under-!"

"No," Gyles whacked the back of the Lucario's head. "You shut your mouth, or I will put you back in your 'Ball." Gyles held up a strange Pokéball, the model of which Delia had never seen before.

The Lucario stared silently for a moment.

"You… you wouldn't force me into that… prison."

"Try me," Gyles narrowed his eyes. "I'm trying to keep the peace here, man. You're the one trying to start a fight."

"I—!"

"No."

"Fine," the Lucario scowled. "I'll be quiet. I just don't like her being—"

"Delia is to be trusted until I say otherwise," Gyles interrupted in irritation. "You've never had this much… contempt for my decisions before. You've been getting more and more argumentative for days."

"We've been getting more and more lost for days," the Lucario pointed out. "No way she can know where we're going. Seen one mountain forest, seen them all."

"City boy," Delia shook her head.

"Please." Cindy looked at her Trainer. "Put me back in my 'Ball before I kill both of them."

"Whatever," Delia chuckled, obliging in her friend's request.

"You do know where we're going, right?" Gyles asked calmly.

"I… did."

"What."

"I… was kind of distracted," Delia shrugged, folding her arms into the folds on her jacket. "I'm not used to having to navigate my way through these mountains while in a… heated debate."

"What," Gyles repeated in the same flat tone.

"We… should have turned at a… large rock formation back there," Delia looked away, her long hair covering her face. "I wasn't paying attention… and forgot."

"See?" Gyles's Lucario pointed at her, glaring at his Trainer. "See? We are going to die out here, and it's all her fault!"

"My fault?" Delia yelled at him. "At least you're not rotting in a jail cell!"

"We mess up one time, and you never let us forget it!"

"I didn't even deserve to be exiled, but you only treat me like a traitor!"

"Maybe if you hadn't been so—!"

"AAAAAAARRRRGH!" Gyles roared in frustration, slamming his fist against a nearby tree.

Delia and the Lucario stopped bickering to look at Gyles's back, which was heaving with his deep breaths. Gyles's jaw was clenched, his eyes slammed shut, as he fought to control his temper.

"Weeeeeeee!" A strange, yet familiar high-pitched tone shrieked.

Gyles opened his eyes.

Resting on his fist was a runt of a Weedle. The little Bug Pokémon was staring at him with enlarged eyes, trembling.

Oh. Shit.

"It's… it's okay, little guy," Gyles nervously tried to soothe the little Pokémon. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You're… you're not hurt, right?"

The Weedle continued to look at him, ceasing its trembling.

"See?" Gyles gingerly patted the top of its head with his other hand. "I like Weedle, like you. You see, I—" Gyles started to pull out a Pokéball from within his jacket.

"What?" Delia blinked. "You actually have a full team? Everyone said you were one short."

"A guy has his secrets," the Lucario crossed his arms at her.

"I just thought that we were trying to be more honest with each other."

"Who ever said that you deserve our trust?"

"Oh, I don't know! Maybe when I risked my life to help—!"

"God. Damn. It. You. GUYS!" Gyles felt his rage build in his chest.

They stopped, staring at him again.

No.

Past him.

Gyles looked back at the Weedle. It was trembling again, with tears building in its eyes.

"No. Nononononono…" Gyles spoke in a rushed, soft voice. "I didn't mean to up…set…"

Ah, hell.

The Weedle burst out in a shrill cry.

"That's not good," the Lucario took a step back.

"Ya think?" Delia looked at him.

"BeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE!" They were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of Beedrill, the bug Pokémon circling them rapidly.

Gyles brought his fists in close to his chest, taking a fighting stance, the one Pokéball still in his hand.

"Got your six," the Lucario said, positioning himself back-to-back with his Trainer.

"What about me?" Delia turned to face the swarm, pulling out a Pokéball of her own.

"I don't want to fight you," Gyles tried to soothe the irritated insects. "It was a misunderstanding. Your Weedle friend isn't hurt. I swear, I wouldn't hurt one of you. See?"

He tossed the Pokéball.

TSEEEW!

In a burst of red light, a familiar Pokémon materialized in front of his Trainer.

"Beedrill!" The trained Pokémon yelled at the others. "Bee! Drill!"

"You have a Beedrill?" Delia turned back to look at it. "Since when?"

"Long story," Gyles said quickly. "Maybe I'll tell you later."

Instead of calming the swarm, however, the other Beedrill just became more irritated, and started to charge the small group of travelers in a series of Attacks.

"Come on!" Delia threw the Pokéball. "Get rid of these pests! Aura Sphere!"

With a battle cry, another Lucario materialized in a burst of red light. The female started to chuck Spheres at the Beedrill in a relatively calm manner.

"What?" Gyles looked back from his defensively raised arms. "No! You'll just piss them…." His voice trailed off. "To hell with it! Twineedle! Blaze Kick!"

Gyles's Beedrill and Lucario obeyed, joining the defensive.

"You seem to have gotten yourself into another scrape, D," Delia's Lucario chuckled softly. She noticed Gyles. "Well, if it isn't the prison boy? Let me guess: You did something rash again."

"I—!" Gyles started.

"I suppose it's worth it to fight alongside this tall, handsome fellow again," the female Lucario elbowed the male in between Attacks with a sly smile.

"I—I—I…" the male Lucario stammered.

"Come on, Blue," Delia chuckled. "Fight now, flirt later."

"But I'm a—" she started with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Delia punched a charging Beedrill with a solid right hook. "Just help us."

"Blue?" The male Lucario asked. "Is that your name?"

"Not exactly."

"More of a related nickname," Delia dodged as an Aura Sphere took out a Beedrill in front of her.

"If you fight well enough, I may tell you my name." The female Lucario smiled.

"I—I…"

"I swear, man," Gyles dodged a Pin Missile with a smooth tilt of his head. "You're worse than a little kid with his first crush."

"Look in a mirror lately?"

"What is that supposed to—?"

"Children!" Delia whacked another offending Beedrill, using her handgun as a club. "Fight the Beedrill, not each other!"

"Bee!" Gyles's Beedrill yelled indignantly, saving Delia from a flank attack with a Cut attack.

"Except you, of course." Delia nodded with a grin.

"Aerial Ace!" Gyles yelled.

"Beeeee!" Beedrill charged the other Bugs in a rapid blur.

"Aura Sphere!" Gyles added to his Lucario as the human shot down another attacker with a sharp kick.

With two barrages of Aura Spheres being shot in all directions at a rapid rate, it became more and more difficult for Gyles to react without risking being hit himself.

That was dumb, he scolded himself. There is no way to describe this mess without the word 'cluster' somewhere…

At least—

Gyles's eyes went wide, as he noticed one of the offensive Beedrill backing away from the fight, its arm stingers glowing with a green light.

"NO!" He yelled, pushing his Lucario out of the way, as he forced himself between the Beedrill and Delia.

"G?" She half-turned towards him in confusion.

Her unfinished question was answered as a Solarbeam shot from the Beedrill, hitting Gyles in the chest with full force. He grunted slightly in pain, but stumbled and fell to the ground without a word.

"GYLES!" The male Lucario roared. "That. Does. It." The blue, fiery essence of Aura around his hands turned purple, and lightened until it reached a bright, piercing white glow.

"…Guys?" Gyles choked in a low voice. "Back… up."

"Bee!" Gyles's Beedrill curled up on his Trainer's chest to identify himself.

"What… what's…?" Delia asked, as she and her Lucario backed away from the raging male.

"RrrrraaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" He roared in growing intensity, as he raised his glowing hands, shooting a swirling burst of pure, white light at the offending Beedrill. The Bug Pokémon shrieked in pain, but the Lucario had already started his sweep to strike at the rest of the swarm.

Delia and the female Lucario ducked as the strange attack circled completely around them. When the attack finally ended, the Lucario was standing in a slightly hunched over position, his body heaving violently in sharp breaths, inhaling through his gritted fangs. The Beedrill lay on the ground in heaps for a moment, before leaping back into the air and flying off as fast as their beaten wings could carry them.

"What," Delia blinked, standing back up, "the hell. Was. That?"

"It was… a sheer… storm of… Aura energy," the female Lucario gaped. "I've never seen… anything. It was… how could you be so powerful without a proper mentor in the powers of…?"

"Gyles and myself have more in common than you think," the male Lucario said in a low, dark voice. He rushed to his Trainer's side. "You okay?"

"My chest hurts," Gyles admitted, sitting up gingerly. His Beedrill curled up on his lap instead. Gyles gave the Bug Pokémon a gentle pat on its head. "I think I'm fine though."

"You… idiotic… overreacting… rash… absolutely reckless…!" The male Lucario scolded his Trainer. "I swear, if you kill yourself…!"

"You'll never speak to me again," Gyles chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I know."

"You… could have been really hurt," Delia approached him slowly.

"But I'm not," Gyles looked up at her. He didn't bother to stand up.

I'll get up when my chest stops throbbing. He told himself. Though I think the pounding might actually never stop….

"You risked your life," Delia blinked at him. "For mine."

The question hung heavy in the air, unspoken though it was.

"You never deserted," Gyles said softly. "You never renounced your… vow of loyalty."

"I was exiled," Delia shook her head. "I think that kinda negates—"

"It was unfair," Gyles interrupted. "You're still one of my Grunts. I'm still responsible for you."

His Lucario raised an eyebrow at his Trainer. Delia and her Lucario exchanged glances.

No one bought it, not even Gyles.

"You're a good person," Gyles eventually sighed, closing his eyes. He fell back gently into the soft grass below.

"I—" Delia started.

"Just because I've lived a life of crime… and darkness," Gyles said softly, "that… that doesn't mean that I'm a monster."

…

Ash drank gratefully from the canteen.

"Hey!" Pikachu shook his head from on top of his trainer's shoulder. "You getting any of that in your mouth?" Water dripped from the tips of the Pokémon's ears, wasted.

"Hey!" Aura barked in echo. "Don't waste the water!"

"It's your fault we're in this mess to start with," Misty scowled at him.

"My fault?" Ash asked in resentment. "It's not my fault."

"Yeah, it kinda is," Aura sighed, rolling her eyes. The Lucario walked to the front of the group, pulling her jacket closer to her body.

"It's not fully night, yet," Nyx pointed out.

"Really?" Aura looked at him. "I had no idea! I just couldn't figure out why the sun was still peeking out over the horizon at us!" The Lucario sighed. "We're not blind, Nyx."

"Ya know, I tink–" Jerzy started from his position on Misty's shoulder.

"You should be thankful that you're getting a free ride," Misty frowned at him. "Or, you can walk like the rest of us."

"I'll jus' keep mah mouth shut," Jerzy said rapidly, the Rattata tugging on his mask nervously.

"Smartest thing he's said so far," Aura half-chuckled.

"I still think we should wait until complete nightfall," Nyx insisted. "Those guys said that it would be best to travel when–"

"Oh, loosen up!" Aura groaned. "Break a rule once in a while! It's good for you!"

"Coming from the Lucario who would rather live in anarchy." Misty smirked at her.

"I lived in anarchy," Aura corrected her. "I never said I preferred it."

"What do you prefer?" Ash asked.

"Peace," Aura said simply.

"Ironic," Ash scoffed, "for such an aggressive—"

"Phanpy!" Aura interrupted in a bright cry.

"I'm not fat!" Ash sounded insulted. "How many times do I have to—?"

"No, dolt!" Aura smacked the back of his head, then pointed into the distance with the same hand. A small Phanpy was standing just within sight, head tilted in curiosity. "Wild Pokémon aren't common in Orre, particularly this deep in the desert. We have to be close!"

"We should—" Nyx started.

"PHANPY!" Aura yelled again, dashing out after it.

"Desert must be getting to her," Misty chuckled. "She's being just as reckless as—"

Ash interrupted with a loud laugh, running after the Lucario.

"You're both morons," Pikachu held onto Ash's shoulder for dear life.

"We should probably make sure that they don't get themselves killed," Nyx looked at Misty.

"Probably." She nodded.

After a shared grin, Misty and Nyx ran off after them, Jerzy swearing bitterly under his breath as he was forcibly towed along.

The Phanpy was using a Rollout to attempt to escape their chase. Aura slowed her pace slightly in surprise when she noticed Ash catch up and slightly surpass her.

Are the Elements doing this? Or is he actually becoming more physically fit on his own.

Shouldn't you be an expert on rapid adaption to survive in a demanding situation? A voice that sounded annoyingly like her father's echoed in her mind.

Aura scowled.

Ash suddenly yelped in surprise, falling forward into the sand. Pikachu was knocked clean off of his shoulder.

"What?" Aura skidded to a halt, turning back to face him.

Ash's left foot was completely engulfed in the sand.

"Help," he looked up at her, locking eyes. "Something's grabbed—!"

Suddenly, some unseen force pulled him completely under the surface of the desert. Aura stared in horror at the sand.

"ASH!" Misty yelled as she and Nyx caught up.

"Pikapi!"

Nyx didn't speak, gaping at the empty space with wide eyes.

Aura inhaled and exhaled slowly, the image of his eyes still burning in her vision.

"NO!" She barked suddenly, throwing herself at the spot Ash had vanished into. She began to dig and tear desperately at the sand. "NO! NONONONONONO!"

I can't fail them again! I can't!

"Ash!" Misty repeated, still frozen in terror.

"NOOOOO!" Aura yelled in anguish, slamming her fists in the sand.

The sand shot upwards in a funnel shape, as if caught in a sudden tornado, engulfing Aura completely.

"Aura!" Misty and Nyx cried out.

The funnel of wind died down, spraying sand everywhere. The others had to shield their eyes briefly, and Misty hissed in pain as some of the sand particles scratched her skin open from the force of their movement.

Miraculously, Ash was now visible, now only waist-deep in the desert sands. Granules of sand were scattered throughout his hair and clothes, and a Trapinch was biting the top of his head playfully.

That explains where the sand trap came from.

Aura was sitting on her knees, fists still in the sand, with an expression of severe irritation on her face, staring past Ash into space. Her pelt was extremely windblown, with her fur sticking out in various directions.

"Really?" The Lucario eventually said bitterly, spitting out sand. "Really?"

"Master of Elements?" Ash looked at her sheepishly.

Aura grabbed the front of his jacket, and forcefully pulled him the rest of the way out of the sand.

"I hate you."

No, you don't, that annoying voice echoed in the Lucario's mind. You need to acknowledge that you—

I don't have to acknowledge anything. She interrupted it. I know how I feel.

Exactly. So, stop lying to yourself.

I…

Another funnel of sand exploded nearby, this one dissipating almost immediately to reveal a Marowak.

"Ah, see? I told…" The Ground type started, looking over to his side. He seemed to be surprised by the empty space next to him. The Marowak buried his skull in one hand. "Always have to get carried away…" The Marowak looked back up. "Anyway… identify yourselves."

"I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town." Ash raised his left hand, and the Gauntlet of Elements materialized briefly before vanishing again. "I'm… the Chosen One."

"More like the Sandy One," Aura grumbled.

Not that I have any right to make unfunny jokes about it….

"I'm Misty, Leader of the Cerulean Gym."

"Pika Pikachu."

"Nyx, Head Aide of the Night Temple."

"Ah, Nyx!" The Marowak grinned in recognition. "Well met! It's been awhile!"

"You do know absolutely everyone," Aura grumbled.

"You seem familiar." The Marowak looked at the Lucario.

"This is Aura," Nyx introduced her. "She's… Hikari's charge. The one she made to swear… fealty to the Chosen One."

"Fealty?" Ash blinked.

"It means I have to be loyal to you," Aura explained with a groan.

"I know that," Ash said in an unconvincing tone. "I meant, who talks like that?"

"Newcomers," Marowak looked primarily at Ash. "I am Kerr, Head Aide to the Sage of the Ground Temple. We will be—"

What they were going to do, they never got to hear. Their world was suddenly engulfed in sand, as an unseen force pulled them downwards through the dunes, deep underground.

Aura flailed around in the sand, the granules filling her mouth.

I take it back. Please, drown me in the ocean. Don't let me die suffocating on this taste in my mouth.

As suddenly as they had been engulfed, they found themselves being flung sideways into a chamber filled with air. Aura heard the others joining her in coughing out mouthfuls of sand.

"No amount of showers will ever make me feel okay again," Ash shuddered, shaking sand from his hair.

"Does no one know how painful sand cuts are?" Misty had her hands pressed against her arms, half kneeling on the ground.

"Only one person would dare to…" Nyx sighed.

Aura looked up to see a sandstone archway rising out of the floor of the well-lit cave. Just in front of it, the Lucario saw the spiny back of a Sandslash, clearly the creature responsible for their unorthodox travel and for the motion of the arch.

"Show off," Aura grumbled, shaking sand out of her jacket.

"Greetings, Chosen One and companions!" The Sandslash turned to face them after the arch stopped moving up. "I am the great Ground Sage, Enki! Welcome to the Temple of Earth!"

…

Silver was focused on the actions of a very different Marowak.

"Bonemerang!" He heard Mondo's voice yell out.

Silver paused for a single second, waiting until the right moment.

"Dodge!" He ordered in a calm, firm tone.

"Nid!" The male Nidoran barked, leaping to the side as the bone flew harmlessly past.

"Venom!" Silver warned. "It's coming back!"

Venom glanced backwards slightly, leaning a little to allow the bone to fly right by his face without injury.

"Nice!" Mondo grinned. "You're focused!"

"I always am," Silver frowned. "Confusion!" He ordered.

"Nido!" Venom's eyes glowed purple.

"Maro!" The Marowak clenched his head.

"He's gotten very strong," Mondo smiled.

"He always has been," Silver insisted. "We always have been."

"I know."

"Finish it!" Silver barked. "Shadow Claw!"

"Nidoran!" Venom slashed the Marowak in its skull, black energy radiating from his claws.

"Maro!" The Marowak fell backwards to the ground. "Marowak…"

"Niiiiiiid!" Venom roared in victory.

"Yeah!" Silver allowed himself a short shout of joy as well.

"Niiiiiido!" Venom began to glow with a bright, white light.

Silver stared at the evolving Pokémon.

"Never gets any less amazing," Mondo chuckled.

The light faded, revealing the newly-evolved Nidorino. He looked to his left at Silver, his permanent glare still burning through his scarred eye.

Silver walked up to Venom, kneeling next to him and placing his hand on the Nidorino's forehead. The teenager couldn't fight a gentle smile, or the strange, pleasant feeling that was building in his chest.

Mondo recalled his Marowak into its Pokéball with a soft chuckle.

Silver opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of what to say.

"Silver," Mondo started, but trailed off. Something in the distance caught his eye.

"What?" Silver stood up, turning to face the mountainside that was so fascinating to his companion.

"Do you see that?" Mondo asked. "That… bluish glow?"

"No…." Silver shook his head. "I…." He looked down at his feet. "I see a disembodied shadow creeping towards me," Silver added in a disinterested tone.

"Shadow Sneak!" Mondo identified the attack. He tackled Silver, knocking them both out of the way.

"TOMB!" A booming voice exploded in a burst of blue light.

"Mondo?"

"Yeah?"

"Get off me!" Silver pushed Mondo off, and gaped at the sight behind his companion. "What… the hell… is that?" Silver stood, staring.

Mondo turned, eyes wide.

"Spir!" The unusual Spiritomb sneered at them. Its ghostly body was teal in color, with purple face and markings, unlike most others of its species.

"A Shiny!" Mondo breathed. "I think we just found our target!"

"TOMB!" The Spiritomb roared again, its body glowing purple as it blasted Venom with a Psychic attack.

"Niiiiid!" The Nidorino roared in agony.

"Venom!" Silver yelled in concern. "Return!" He held out the Moon Ball, and recalled the thrashing Poison Pokémon.

Suddenly without a target, the Spiritomb turned to Mondo. He yelled in agony from the Psychic blast.

"No!" Silver barked. "Red! Aerial Ace!"

TSSSEEEW!

The Scyther shot out of the Luxury Ball without a word, striking the Shiny Spiritomb with massive force and speed.

The Spiritomb was knocked back slightly, but simply chuckled and faded back down into the shadow on the ground.

"No, you don't!" Silver growled. He leapt onto the Scyther's back. "Red! After it! Agility!"

Red gave a sharp nod, as he sped off with his Trainer. The Scyther was surprisingly fast, catching up with the retreating shadow in a short amount of time, leaping across the rocky mountainside.

"Stop it!" Silver ordered. "Pursuit!"

Red leapt into the air, raising a scythe.

A torrent of water engulfed their senses, knocking them to the side and into a rocky cliff side. Pain shot through Silver's head as the water receded. Silver and Red coughed, spitting water everywhere.

"Where…?" Silver looked around.

Gone, he realized. The damn shadow's gone.

Damn it! He stood up, kicking a nearby rock. I almost had it!

"Silver!" Mondo ran up to him. "How… what… where?"

How the hell did he catch up so fast? Silver narrowed his eyes, before his rage built back up at his failure.

"Something helped it," Silver snarled. "God dammit! I was so damn close! I… I… I —!"

"You figured it out." Mondo put a hand on his shoulder. "You have information, something we're here for. You have something to put in your report to your father. This is good. You're doing your job. Relax."

Silver looked at him, anger burning in his eyes.

"Who the hell used the—?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Mondo said calmly. "You have something to report. You'll be able to have back-up next time. You'll win. You don't need to be angry."

"I…" Silver blinked.

He backed up out of Mondo's grip, exhaling.

"You're right," Silver admitted in a low voice. "I… I have to go make my report to Sebastian and my father… and to my… partner. They need to know what we've learned." Silver nodded to Red. "You okay?"

Red nodded back once, and followed his trainer away towards the base at the horizon.

Such a powerful Pokémon… a soft voice whispered in Silver's mind. Imagine… imagine what you could accomplish with its power at your command. Imagine what you could change in your world. It has no weaknesses… perfect for someone as… strong as you….

Silver shook his head.

I… I don't understand, he clenched his head in both hands. What… who is in my head? What is going on? Why is this happening to me?

What is happening to me?