Author's Note:

Here it is, the third part of the team rocket arc. I'll say right now that next chapter will be a carry on for this arc but I'm not counting it, instead seeing it as its own stand alone. Enough about that, we'll get to that next time. This chapter, like the rest of this arc, will be dark, arguably darker than the two previous parts for this arc. The end results I have had planned for a long time, like before I even started the Orange Islands arc. I would understand if you don't like some of the decisions, but they are what I've built up to. Don't forget to vote in the poll, it will change with next chapter. With that, let's begin...

Chapter 80: Team Rocket Takeover P III

Drake was stood in darkness.

Silver stood in front of him. He couldn't move but neither was the man. Images of the Slowpoke well floated around them. Despite feeling disgusted and sick at the sight, his body wasn't reacting how it should. He wasn't fearful or even sick at the sight. His body was completely calm.

"Kid... Once you cross over to my side of the line... there's no turning back," Silver's voice echoed around him despite the man's lips not moving.

All the scenes and Silver himself faded into darkness as a massive shadowy figure with piercing red eyes formed in front of him. He has seen the beast before, but he couldn't quite remember where. Stepping back, it only allowed him to fully take in the intimidating sight of this monstrous bird.

"Chosen... Soon the time will be upon you. The time to make a choice. One, a life filled with fun adventures and freedom, like your brother. Or one of misery where you lose all you care about and will be locked in a world of torment and misery! The decision, finalised, on a burning battle field!"

"Wait! What about Silver?!" Drake cried out, "why show me Silver before this?! Is he what I'm meant to become?!"

"No... you'll become so much more! You'll have many names, but one imparticular, one more dangerous and deadly than the rest put together. A name that will make entire armies, drop their weapons and surround at the mention of it."

"What name?!" he yelled.

"That is for you to discover yourself, Chosen. Assuming you follow the path laid out. For my time here is done and I need you to hurry."

The creature also quickly faded into darkness, the last of its features to disappearing being those burning red eyes. As if someone had locked away its very soul and the beast was in tremendous pain.

Soon Drake was alone, surrounded in darkness.

He began shaking as a bright light appeared in the far distance.

"Ketchum!" a somewhat familiar voice called out, "come on, wake up Ketchum!"

All the darkness was soon replaced by a blinding white light. Drake raised his arms to shield his eyes and squinted them tight as different colours began to morph around him, which slowly took on more diverse shapes. Easing up on his squinting eyes, he made at a humanoid blur with red top over him.

"Come on Ketchum, please don't tell me Silver got you too," the voice continued.

"Silver?" he questioned, closing his eyes fully.

As he reopened them, and after a couple seconds to properly adjust, he made out Lance standing over him. Gengar was floating around behind him. The dragon specialist face visibly relaxed.

"Oh thank Arceus you're alright," Lance breathed out, standing back up as Drake pushed himself up into a sitting position, "can you tell me what happened?"

"Err, well, we heard Giovanni's message and we entered a position to defend ourselves in case they came for us," Drake explained, motioning to the groups of Pokémon surrounding them, "then a rocket member. Blue hair, white suit, showed up and tried to take Ash and the rest of us up to Giovanni. We restrained him but we sent a group up to restrain Giovanni and end this."

"Why didn't you wait for the police?!" Lance yelled, turning his back on him.

"Because we didn't know what the situation down stairs was! You could've been hours, or even days! The longer we waited the more we would've needed supplies like food, or water or medical bits! It was our best chance in the moment to end this!" Drake retorted.

"Your definitely your fathers son," Lance scoffed, "but anyway, after that group went."

"Then Silver showed up and his Gengar put most of us to sleep," Drake explained, "he questioned me, sort of like what you're doing now and when he saw the rocket we restrained, he had Gengar put me to sleep. No prizes for guessing what happened to him."

"So Silver is on the same track," Lance sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "look Ketchum. Sorry but I've got to go. My squad should be right behind but for now, just try to wake the others up."

The dragon type specialist ran off, barely finishing his sentence as he disappeared behind the staircase leading up. Shortly behind him was two Pokémon, one his signature Dragonite, who was barely flying due to its size inside this building and the other was a large green Pokémon with spikes shooting out of it but without a clear look, he couldn't even begin to try and reconsign what species it was.

Drake tried to stand up, but his lack of energy became apparent as he simply fell back onto his behind. His eyes began following Gengar who float across to the far side of the room. He entered the first of the Pokémon and quickly floated through everyone.

Despite following him, however, Drake was anything but focused. His mind was still focused on his dream. Snapping his attention to the far side of the room, he saw a squad of officers charging into the room as the others slowly woke up. He felt a weight on his hand, and he saw Marowak now by his side. The ground type has always been there, when he has the time to make this decision, he'll do it with his help... although he could make a good guess what those two choices will be between.

Bang!

Snapping his head around, he found himself looking upwards towards the source of that sound. It was easy to guess that it was a gun shot. While part of him was momentarily worried, he was safe in the knowledge that Ash had his aura to protect him and Serena had ESP. They could handle it and anything that might've stopped them, their secret weapon would be able to stop... imagine what someone could do with that sort of power in one's finger tips.

Looker walked down the abandoned shopping street. His eyes glancing around as he looked through each stall, knowing that the executive could be hiding anywhere. The faint smell of a grease pot still travelled through the echoing corridor, after years of having them present, it's not a surprise.

Closing his eyes, the image of Domino's bloody face filled his mind. The blood trailing down her face and dripping onto the floor. Black and blue bruises colouring her skin and her eyes barely able to open. The only sign of hope being the gentle breaths that were returned from the first aid performed. As darkness surrounded him, Domino's body fading into the darkness, he saw Silver stood over where her body lay. The cold stoic stare drilling into his soul, as his words from Olivine echoed out.

"You have been warned, so if it turns out to be any of your officers who do such a thing... Know that whatever happens to them, will be on your hands. No-one else's."

Opening his eyes, he realised that he was back in the Goldenrod underground. Sighing, he looked down and rubbed his temple before running his hand up through his every whitening hair. His body slumped forward as his trench coat dragged on the floor.

It's only a matter of time before his hair starts falling out. Shaking his head, he forced himself to refocus on the task at hand. Petrel is on the loose and needs bringing in. Of course, he wouldn't be up here in the open. Team Rocket has been using the abandoned railway system to transport around the city without being noticed. He would be best looking down there if he wants to find the slanky executive.

Part of him was tempted to call in and see how the tower situation was going but he knew Lance wouldn't divulge any information whilst he was meant to be cleaning up this loose end. It's probably a good thing that Lance is handling it because if he had half a chance to get his hands on Silver-

Best not thought about. Soon the red haired man will be in cuffs and behind a cell.

Refocusing on the task at hand, Looker looked back around but this time focusing on the wall signs. He already past the first opening which is where he found Domino and while he knew he could go back; it was likely that the next opening would be closer by.

He soon spotted what he was looking for and made his way down the silent corridor. His patter of footsteps echoing with each move. Not bothering to look anywhere else, his eyes focused on the rusted metal bar door which was slightly open. As he reached them, he slowly pushed them as a loud squeak screeched.

If he needed a lead on Petrel, this was as good as any. These doors always remained locked and few people held keys to open them. The governments office for Goldenrod and its police force only held them but they were leant out to Director Hiro a few months back for an 'exploration and history' show on the old underground subway. Of course, that was Petrel in disguise and Domino confirmed more copies were made whilst the show was ongoing.

So the fact these are open suggestions Petrel recently travelled down there.

He began stepping down the tight stairwell as he squinted his eyes for any sign of light. A faint one was down below but it was too far away to be any use. Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. He had to close his eyes as the bright light attacked them but peeking through they were able to adjust with relative ease. Flicking through his apps, he found the flash light and aimed it down so he could see where he was heading.

As he flashed it around, a couple Ratatta's which were present quickly scattered away. It was similar to the path that lead to Domino's body but when he was travelling down there, he wasn't taking his time or focusing on what was around. The faint patter of dripping water caught his attention.

A damaged pipe? It could be nothing, but it could also be Petrel's way to cause carnage, if he got something into the water supply then-

Looker came to a dead stop. His eyes darted around the darkness, but his light stayed still on the grey floor in front of him. Despite not seeing anything through the darkness, a sinking feeling in his stomach told him otherwise. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on the sounds. When sight is not an option, he needs the next best thing.

Feeling his heart trying to break out of his chest as the gravity in the hall intensified, he took one last deep breath before sealing his dried lips shut. Rolling them into his mouth, he bite down to prevent the breath escaping. Just as he feared. The heavy breathing he heard was not his own, he was not alone.

His eyes burst open at this revelation as his mind began running a mile a minute. He knew it wasn't the wild Ratatta or even possibly a snoozing Zubat down in the abandoned tracks. The normal types long since scarpered and those flying types were too far away. Doing his best to control his nerve, he tried to focus in on the breathing as it became more ridged. If he could locate it, he might be able to throw the source of guard by blinding them with his flash light.

As he began trying to picture the grotty messed room in his mind, his ears focused in on the breathing. He had long since released his own breath, having caught onto that which he was searching for. Before he could create any sort of hypothesis, however, an unmistakeable click echoed behind him.

"Wrong move, detective," a snide voice appeared behind him. A blunt metal object was pushed into the back of his head. It didn't take him long to figure out Petrel found him first and now held him at gun point.

Looker was not having a good day.

Ash felt his feet stop in place as his eyes locked on the mafia boss. His back was turned towards him, looking out across the city with his arms crossed behind his back. Past him, he could see the city below, as if the man were feeling on top of all of the people below.

He felt his friends presence stop behind him as his hands clenched into tight fists as they trembled. His aura was welling up in his stomach, the tingling feeling in his fingers indicating it was trying to take over. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and forced the power back down. A lump formed in his throat as he took a hard swallow. Feeling his powers dying down, he re-opened his eyes. As they opened, he saw the man turning around.

"Greetings Ketchum, it's been a long time," his snide voice uttered.

Giovanni was as sleek as ever, his short brown hair slicked back in an organised fashion. His outfit was a black suit, a small red R, the emblem of Team Rocket placed over his heart... if he has one. It was a two button blazer, hiding a white shirt underneath. Long black trousers and smart shoes to match. He took a couple steps forward but not in a threatening way. It was almost like a greeting in a formal business meeting.

"Giovanni," he growled in response.

"I see you haven't forgotten me," he flicked an eyebrow up, "the feeling is quite mutual, I assure you. Your probably wondering what I am doing up here?"

Ash knew the man was trying to lure them into a conversation, he is a business man after all. He also knew the man probably had something hidden, but they had their own surprise. Closing his eyes, Ash's mind began calling out as loud as it could. "You said that if I needed your help, just think and you'll arrive."

"You might as well give up, Giovanni!" Serena called out, "the police have this place surrounded and most, if not all, of your rocket members are in custody now."

"Oh dear, you misunderstand clearly," his calm voice pierced across the icy winds, "I don't plan on escaping. I fully intend to turn myself in along with my colleagues but before I did, I had one thing to do. I knew that regardless of what I planned, the sons of Red Ketchum would continue to involve and complicate my revival of Rocket."

"What are you saying?" Leaf asked, a jittery nervousness filling her voice.

"I created a similar situation to Silph co on purpose, to lure out the little heroes," Giovanni explained, "where they are defenceless. Once they are gone, I'll be free to rebuild my empire, even behind bars."

Ash's eyes popped open and stared the mafia boss down. He was now closer than before but still a large gap separated them. Ash felt his aura almost bursting through his skin, but he was able to resist... mainly thanks to a shadowy figure appearing high above the Rocket boss.

A smirk formed on Ash's face.

"But your wrong Giovanni, we're not defenceless," Ash taunted, "we have a Pokémon who will stop you with ease."

"That little rat?" he asked, "in case you forgot, we're high on a building. Any sort of battle would risk sending them flying off to their perish. My Rhyperior, however, is heavy enough to not get thrown around... and his earthquake, at least, would bring down this building and all of you with it."

"Your insane!" Miette gasped.

"No, I had everything taken away from me. But when you take away everything like that, you must realise that a man has nothing left to lose," Giovanni hissed, "so what's it to be? Are you going to draw this out with a battle or are you ready to surrender?"

"We will never surrender to the likes of you!" Ash called out, "like I said, we have a Pokémon ready to take you down!"

"What makes you so sure it'll succeed?" Giovanni asked, almost laughing behind his confident smirk.

"Because you created him, or paid for it at least," Ash returned with his own smirk, "and he is very, very, angry with you."

A quick glance to his shoulder showed Pikachu stood with easy, pointing up at something behind the Rocket Boss.

Giovanni's expression morphed from one of confidence. He clearly had not been expecting this curve ball. His eyebrows raised high over his forehead, his budging eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets, the colour draining from his face. He was quick on the heel to turn around and look up at what Pikachu was pointing at.

High above the tower, a single Pokémon was floating down towards them. It was humanoid-shape but with slight feline characteristics. Its skin was primarily grew, although a hint of blue psychic type energy surrounded it. A long purple tail contrasted with its dull colouring. Its head was tilted downward, focused solely on Giovanni, eyes narrowed and filled with ESP, masking the hatred. If you looked close enough, you'd see its insignificant nose inflaming with each breath as it got closer.

"Greetings, father," it snarled, a mental voice echoing all around. It didn't touch down on the roof top, instead holding out its arm and raising the Rocket boss up to its own level. Which Giovanni was powerless to stop, "it's time we had a talk."

The two of them raised up high from the ground and was soon lost among the clouds. Sighing in relief that he was able to contact the powerful psychic type legendary, Ash relaxed and turned towards his friends.

Serena was stood closest and her dimpled grin brough a smile to his own face. Her head tilted as he could've sworn her cheeks began to glow. It was terrifying, facing Giovanni, especially when he made it clear this whole situation was created just to lure both himself and Drake in so he could eliminate them but having Mewtwo appear was a massive relief and looking into her shimmering eyes, he could see the same sense of pride.

Looking past her, he saw both Leaf and Miette, who both held similar expressions. Their eyebrows were raised and curved, allowing the budging out of their sockets, wrinkles consuming their foreheads. While their jaws dropped open, stretching their faces to their limits.

"What the heck was that?!" Miette yelled.

"How did you get Mewtwo here?!" Leaf added, in a similar tone.

"That was Mewtwo, a legendary Pokémon... I think," Serena answered her friendly rival first, "he was genetically created by Team Rocket scientists to be a weapon and was going to destroy the world, but Ash showed him that not all humans use Pokémon, like how Giovanni tried to use him."

"It was all of us, really," Ash scratched the back of his head, as an awkward smile morphed over his mouth, "but anyway. After that, he set up this sort of mental link and said to call him when we needed his help. What better time than now?"

A gust of wind appeared behind Ash, causing him to stumble as he twisted. Somehow, he was able to stop from falling over completely and after regaining his balance he looked up to see Mewtwo right in front of him. Giovanni was on his knees, slightly behind, his head hung low and breathing heavily.

"What did you do to him?" Ash asked.

"I let him know the pain I feel every day," Mewtwo's mental voice echoed, "he'll live, I assure you, but I might've gone a little far, I admit. He will likely feel the repercussions off our mental link for years to come. You taught me the value in human life, so for you I won't take his. I know he'll spend the rest of his life in a cell, but I wanted my own sort of justice, if you will, have him feel the pain he brought me into the world with."

Ash closed his eyes and nodded in understanding, he knew the pain Giovanni and Rocket as a whole have caused. He experienced it first hand back at the lake but taking one life wouldn't return Gyarados or any of the other victims. Even if he weren't okay with what Mewtwo did, it's not like he would stand much chance against the psychic clone.

"I appreciate that, Mewtwo, and thank you for showing up," Ash smiled at the psychic type.

"I told you that I would stand by your side on the battlefield where you needed me," Mewtwo stated, "this was not that battlefield. I appreciate the chance for closure on my creation, but that offer is still open. When the battle is upon hand, I will be there."

"When will that be?" Ash asked.

"I can't say," Mewtwo admitted, closing his eyes as he began to levitate up before stopping suddenly, his eyes popping open, "we have company."

Turning towards the staircase, Ash's heart stopped when he saw the thick head of red hair and dead cold eyes accompanying him. The twenty-two year old stopped at the top of the stairs and his eyes darted around. Ash couldn't even begin to process what to say, or even what he would do.

"Look out!" he yelled, running at Ash.

Bang!

Silver push the fire door open fully as he stepped onto the metal railing that lead up to the roof. The icy cold breeze blew through his hair as his Weavile snarled by his feet, probably enjoying the cooler environment. Looking down, he saw fresh blood still dripping from his claws and a pleased smirk on his face.

He rolled his eyes in response as he looked back at Feraligatr, his trusted partner. Despite obtaining him through less than legal means, they worked well together. His early years as a trainer he highly regrets. He was horrible to his Pokémon, wanting to bring out pure power. Its only thanks to Ethan and their rivalry that he was able to learn the error in his ways and then over the years he tried to amend his ways. Whilst he was on the journey of self-discovery, Ethan worked his way up through the leagues and eventually took his father's position as a champion. Other than his Pokémon, if there is someone he will miss when this is over... its Ethan.

Shaking his head, he knew that now isn't the time to take a trip down memory lane. Narrowing his eyes as he turned back to see the metropolises from a whole new level, he felt a fire burn behind his eyes. Raging as it flickered around in an attempt to burn down anything within contact.

This is why he must end Rocket; he is tainted by Giovanni's blood and like the rest of what Rocket has been created, he must be stopped. The police have already proven themselves incompetent in how they allowed Rocket to run around the radio tower for best part of a year, if not longer. He will need to deal with that particular loose end once he has taken down Giovanni. After all, even Ash said that

"Hello?" a voice appeared in his head, "who might you be?"

"Silver," he mentally replied, "and you?"

"I am called Mewtwo," the voice introduced itself, "what, might I ask. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to kill Giovanni, no, everything Rocket's created," Silver growled, "and you?"

"Good luck with that, I was one of their creations," Mewtwo informed, "I made contact with you because I felt a similar pain from your presence that I am all too familiar with."

"What do you want?" Silver asked.

"A friend invited me, for closure on my own creation," Mewtwo replied, "I have achieved that, but I would hate for you to make a mistake I was so close to making once. A friend helped guide into the light. I believe he could do the same for you."

"Ketchum," Silver growled.

"You are familiar with him," Mewtwo responded.

"I've give him one thing, he's a real paragon," Silver shook his head, "but sorry to disappoint you, I'm not looking for redemption... and I'm way past asking permission. I came here with one goal, and I intend to fulfil that mission."

"Then I have but one question," Mewtwo replied, "why?"

"You're a psychic type right? Why not just read my mind?" Silver asked, "short version. I've seen the pain Rocket has caused first hand. I've met their victims and walking in the devastation they leave behind. The police are useless, they from in prison but they just recruit more. Or break them out. It's a joke. The only way to ensure more victims aren't created by them is to stop them... permanently."

"I am, but I wish not to intrude on anyone, I have found it to be quite impolite," Mewtwo responded, "but if I may. I can still sense a small spark of hope in you. May I?"

Regardless of his answer, a memory began to play in his mind. He was stood at a police barraced, looking over a park in New Bark Town. His Feraligatr was stood behind and the scene was a bloody mess. Red decorated the ground despite the forensic tents set up to try and conceal it. Uniformed officers stood guard, preventing him from getting too close... but he didn't need to, he already knew what happened.

A lump formed in his throat, tears filling his eyes, threatening to escape down his cheek.

He spent a lot of his time at this park, despite growing up in an orphanage, he became friends with a kid from the town, Ethan and so when not battling or wondering, he spent a lot of his time here. It was close to one the orphanages from his past, which he actually considered good. If only because the Professor in New Bark would let them visit to play with the Pokémon. Despite keeping himself to himself, a young girl, probably nine would come to him every and play with his Pokémon. Of course, only Exeggutor enjoyed the games but the others appreciated her company and so did he.

Then one day, the one before this crime scene in front of him, she was in tears. As far as he knew, she didn't have any Pokémon of her own but was excited about becoming a trainer when she turned ten. On this day, she mentioned a group of men coming and trying to take Pokémon from some trainers, but it was only her and her mother, so none of them had any Pokémon to be taken. She mentioned the red R on their black clothing and Silver knew it was Rocket.

He had been investigating them for a few weeks and knew they hung around this place sometimes. According to the last record from his orphanage, he was set to be in constant movement, never spending more than two years at one place. The only reason given was Team Rocket, authorised by Red Ketchum.

Having heard of this thing before, he sighed but took a trip to the nearby police station. He informed them what happened but the officer who took his statement couldn't have cared less. Then the next day, he shows up to this scene. He knew, he just knew in his gut that Rocket had come back and this time they weren't as easy to leave.

His lip quivered as the memory of that event came flooding back. Biting down on it so hard that blood threatened to leak out, growled between his shut lips. His teeth grinded against each other as his eyes squeezed shut. The young girls face plastered right in front of him.

A news report a few days later confirmed that a group of Rocket grunts showed up and tried to take Pokémon from trainers in the park. A battle broke out and it looked like the grunts would've lost until one of them pulled out a gun... he shot the trainers and in a moment of shock, their Pokémon turned the tides of the battle. He didn't know how many or even what sort of Pokémon they got, but in the crossfire and commotion, that mother and daughter got caught.

Tears escaped down his cheeks as his hand scrunched up into a ball of anger. Slamming them down on the metal railings, he leaned over the edge and let out a pained yell which ruptured his cracking throat. Stepping back from the edge, his breathing was ridged as his eyes burst open, filled with pain and vengeance.

Not a day has gone by that he hasn't thought about that little girl, every time he closed his eyes, he sees her face. If only he had taken action back on that day, then maybe she would still be here now. Her own Pokémon and competing in a league or contest or whatever. When you have the capability to help, and you don't, then the bad things happen... they happen because of you.

"Why did you show me that?" he growled.

"I needed to know," Mewtwo responded, "to know what started it all. So I could properly predict how this would end."

"It ends with me forcing my knife down my father's throat and watching him beg as the life drains from his eyes," Silver informed.

"But your drive wasn't born out of bloodlust, it was born out of a need to protect," Mewtwo retorted, "to protect the innocent who couldn't protect themselves."

"What do you care anyway?" Silver asked.

"I care, because you are what I was so close in becoming had I not been shown another path," Mewtwo replied, "a being of nothing but rage and hatred. Lashing out at those responsible... I know I can't change your mind, but just remember why you are fighting this war in the first place."

Silver didn't get chance to question what that meant as voices began speaking above. It took a quick second but he soon reconsigned one as Ash and the other was a louder projection of Mewtwo's voice, no longer echoing inside his head. Shaking his head, he wiped his eyes free of those tears, narrowing his eyebrows.

He's come this far, no stopping now.

Turning on his heal he charged up the metal staircase, not focusing on anything else other than his goal. Reaching the top of the staircase, he saw some kids scattered around, three females and one boy. A closer look revealed the boy was Ash, but it took him a second because it was from behind. A humanoid grey Pokémon with a long purple tail levitated above.

It must've been Mewtwo.

Finally, across the helicopter platform, laid down on the ground was a man in his mid-forties at least. Short black hair matched his suit, which despite being roughed up, still held an air of sophistication. A small red R, sticked over the right side of the blazer. It didn't take him long to figure out, that was Giovanni... his father.

As he watched the mafia boss scrawl around on the floor, he couldn't help but picture the little girls face. He never even bothered to learn her name but because he refused to take action that day, she lost her life. So did her mother. So did all those trainers and their Pokémon. Reaching into his pocket, he took a deep breath, twisting the handle in his hand.

Its time.

As quick as a bullet, he shot out from the staircase and across the platform. They were still speaking but he couldn't care what they were saying. His eyes focused in, on his father but something seemed off. He didn't know what sort of reaction to expect from him in this moment but a sick smile growing on his lips and a glint in his wide eyes was definitely not it.

His father was reaching for something and as time seemed to halt, a handgun appeared in front of him, but it wasn't aimed at Silver. A glance to the one left in front of him revealed that, in fact it was Ash.

He couldn't let it happen, not again. He failed that young girl and made a promise to protect the innocent from the clutches of Team Rocket. He couldn't let them make another victim right in front of his eyes. It doesn't matter who that victim might be, even if it's the kid that fundamentally disagreed with his mission, he can't let him become another pawn in Giovanni's game. All anger faded as his mind focused in on his new goal.

"Look out!" he instinctively yelled as the raven-haired boy turned to face him.

Reaching Ash, he threw his body in front of his cousins, spinning around in the process. He barely had time to push him down to the ground as a blast busted through his ear drums. Something scratched his back as a deafening silence echoed around them.

Landing on his front, darkness began to fade in around him, burning through the light of the living.

A whirlwind rushed past him as he landed on his behind. Everything was thrown sideways as the constant ringing still echoed in his ears. White and black dots scattered around as he stared up into the sky. He could feel each uneven heart beat through his chest, his organ threatening to break out.

Ash blinked as the after images began play. He could barely make out the sight of Mewtwo surrounded by psychic type energy and pulling a black, metal handgun in front of himself. The clone appeared to examine it for a second before scrunching his paw into a fist, crushing the weapon into nothing more than a pile of dust. As the ringing settled down, a deafening silence over took as his ridged breath also became auditable to him.

Leaning forward, his eyes finally landed on his cousin. Silver was spread out on his front as blood spewed out of a hole on his back. Serena was over by his side, rolling him over as she checked for a pulse. Scattering over to the man, it finally sunk in Ash's mind.

"H-he took a bullet for me?" he mental told himself, although it was more like a question.

They had some first aid training from Brock but nothing about dealing with gun wounds. Was there anything they could do?

Reaching his side, Ash felt a wetness attack his jeans as the blood pooled around them. Silver's face was pale, drained of colour as his eyes fluttered between being open and closed. Small movements of his head showed he was still conscious, but barely.

"Mewtwo!" Serena called out, as the psychic legendary landed next to them, "is there anything we can do?!"

"Afraid not," Mewtwo grimily informed them, "the bullet would've punctured his lung. We lack the equipment, expertise and time... he doesn't have long..."

Ash tore his eyes away from his dying cousin and looked up at the psychic clone of Mew. He was looking down with his eyebrows pulled together, wrinkles consuming his forehead with moist wide eyes. A sad smile over his mouth.

A glance back down at Silver showed him returning the ghost town of a smile.

"Listen kid... I know you don't agree with what I did," Silver gasped, clearly struggling to use every breath he had left, "I think I was wrong... Even a bad day wouldn't turn you into me."

"Silver I-" Ash tried to replied.

"Look kid... Don't blame yourself... I did this, it was my choice... I would do it again in a heartbeat... I don't regret any of my actions, not those against Team Rocket, and certainly not this... I'm just glad I got to go out protecting someone instead-"

Silver began violently coughing as more blood flew out of his mouth. He lay back down on the ground and groaned as his eyelids fluttered once more.

"Instead off?" Ash encouraged.

"Don't worry about it kid... Just promise me one thing..."

"What?" Ash asked.

"Watch out for that brother of yours..."

"Drake?" Ash questioned, "why?"

"One bad day might not turn you but-" Silver coughed more, "-but you can't trust him... There's a sliver of ice in his heart... If you not careful, the darkness which has consumed me will take him too."

Ash blinked as he looked down at his cousin whose eyes finally fluttered close. Slowly his raising chest came to a stop and his body just laid down in the pool of blood surrounding them. Nothing was left, not a single sign of life from the body in front of him.

He continued to blink as tears filled his eyes. Part of him was sad, guilty, remorseful. Why wouldn't he be? Silver took a bullet for him; he sacrificed his life so that he might live. Despite how he felt about the man's methods, how could he possible live up to that sort of gift?

As the tears escaped down his cheek, Ash turned towards the psychic type clone who had effectively restrained Giovanni with relative ease.

Mewtwo was meant to be the strongest Pokémon, he is a master of psychic type energy. Surely he could've acted fast enough to catch that bullet or even foresee Giovanni's actions through reading his mind.

Anger coursed through his veins as Ash stood up, his blood-soaked jeans sagging with the unnatural dark colour. He clenched his fists close, turning his knuckles white as his eyes narrowed and not even registration what was happening, he charged. Throwing a punch onto the clone.

It bounced off, ineffective but he continued to try and assault the psychic type clone.

"Why!" he cried, "why did you let that happen?! Why didn't you stop Giovanni sooner? or Silver?! Or-"

"Enough," Mewtwo declared, releasing a small blow of ESP to knock Ash back onto his behind, "I will not lie. I predicted what would've happened. I made a mental connection with that young man before his arrival. With the knowledge of both his and Giovanni's thoughts, the outcome was obvious."

"So why didn't you stop it?" Serena asked.

"Because, after the events of New Island, I was shown the value of all life... even of my creator," Mewtwo explained, "Silver was the embodiment of what I would've become had I not encountered you at that time. Regardless of what I did, he would've found a way to kill Giovanni. Maybe not today but one day."

"So you traded Silver's life for Giovanni's?!" Miette yelled, "I might not like him but-"

"Wrong, I made no such trade," Mewtwo interrupted, "I saw into that young man's mind. I saw his intentions. Once he had fulfilled his mission of destroying Rocket and Giovanni along with it... he planned to jump from this tower, taking himself with it."

"W-why would he?" Ash stuttered.

"Because he devoted himself to stopping Team Rocket, and all they created," Mewtwo explained, "he saw himself as a creation of Rocket and thus, something he must stop."

Ash took a deep breath as the anger subsided in him, he slowly turned to look at the lifeless corpse drowned in blood. W-was he the reason the Silver thought his only option was death. Had he not told him about his past then maybe he wouldn't have gone down the road of self-destruction. What has he done?

"I understand if you disagree, but I felt one lost life was better than two and..." Mewtwo paused, "even if I prevent Silver's attempt after the fact. I could not babysit him for the rest of time. The moment I left, he would've completed his mission one way or another. I felt it was best to let him die fulfilling his original intentions, protecting people."

A silence fell over after Mewtwo's little explanation. It was deafening. Ash continued to stare at his cousins body as darkness took away the scenery around them, even his friends seemed to disappear leaving Ash with nothing but the corpse of Silver... how could he have let this happen?

"Ketchum!" a voice called out. He turned around to see it was Giovanni. He was still restrained on the floor, surrounded by psychic type energy as stared daggers up at him, as a fire of hatred flickered within his pupil.

"Can't you shut him up?" Leaf asked.

"Afraid not," Mewtwo responded, "any sort of ESP gag would block his airflow, he'd suffocate. If I try to force it shut, I'm afraid to put too much pressure around his neck or brain."

"What do you want?" Ash growled, using the last of his will power to prevent his aura from flaring and ripping the mafia boss apart.

"I'm going to kill you," Giovanni growled, "you turned my son against me. My own flesh and blood. Then you lead him to his death. You killed him and I will destroy you for it."

"Shut up, you're the own who killed him!" Miette yelled, "we all saw!"

"I did what I had too, it was Ketchum who killed Silver," Giovanni explained.

Ash scrunched his eyes shut and threw his arms over his ears. He began walking back while calling out for silence, not that he could even hear himself. He saw Silver's face, the life draining away, within the darkness. The back of his foot hit something and he ended up landing on his backside.

A figure appeared in front of him, in shadow at first as a sort of screen appeared behind them, finally bringing light into this darkness. It was blurred at first but after a few seconds, the light morphed back into the scene or the rooftop. Silver's body was resting in front of him as Giovanni laid on the ground a little bit away.

"Now it's time to finish what was started back at the Silph company," the figure spoke, the voice sounding eerily familiar.

Turning his attention to the figure, Ash gasped. It was himself but with the dark blue flame of aura surrounding him. His eyes burning with the mystical power as a darkness was illuminated by the flame. The figure turned back around as Ash was helpless to do anything but watch.

They jumped from the ground and landed square on their feet. A blue ball of pure aura forming in his hand as he held it out. It was barely floating above his skin, but he quickly swiped his hand through it and out came a sort of dagger, also made out of aura, perfectly sized to fit his hand. In one swift action, he launched the weapon straight for the restrained mafia boss.

Until something deflected it.

"Intriguing," a shadowy image of Mewtwo appeared in front of the screen, "It's almost like another consciousness formed in your subconscious mind. I don't believe I've ever seen anything like this."

"Get out, clone, you have no right to be in here!" aura Ash yelled.

"Neither do you," Mewtwo replied, "vacate this boy and leave... whatever you are."

"I am the essence of aura itself and I shall not," aura Ash replied, "this body is merely my vessel to command."

"I have been on the opposite end of a being using others to fulfil their own goals, and it isn't nice," Mewtwo turned to look at Ash, "I don't believe you wish for this aura to do this. Would you like me to stop it?"

Ash nodded his head and before he could even question how Mewtwo would stop his aura, waves of ESP radiated out from the clones mind. Ash suddenly felt his eyelids drop as everything else faded into darkness.

Lance ran up the metal railings. After seeing the blood bath of two rocket grunts and their squad of Pokémon down in the corridor, he knew that he didn't have long to stop the red-haired killer and protect the other children. Not to mention bring in both Giovanni and Silver before-

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Looking out over the roof top, his heart stopped. A pool of blood was flooding one side of the platform with Silver's body limp-lifeless body dropped in the centre of it. Close by was Ash's body, his eyes close and flat on his back. Clothing drenched in blood.

"Oh no..." he gasped, raising a hand to his mouth. He failed him again. He failed to protect those who he had sworn to protect.

"Sorry, you are?" a mental voice echoed out. After working with the likes of Sabrina and a few other psychically gifted individuals, not to mention some advanced psychic type Pokémon by themselves, he knew what this sort of communication was.

Glancing around, he spotted a rather big humanoid Pokémon with a large purple tail swaying around. It was levitating barely off the ground and Lance's eyes widened in fear, he had only seen this particular Pokémon in reports relating to Team Rocket and also from video footage concerning Giovanni's prison escape over a year ago.

"Dragonite... get it," he released a breath.

A mighty roar echoed from behind him as a gust of wind rushed past. An orange blur appeared overhead, and it charged straight at the psychic type.

However, Mewtwo floated to the side and raised higher as Dragonite made a large curve in turning.

"Why does everyone feel the need to attack first?" the mental voice asked.

Dragonite came in for another shot, this time from behind. He disappeared as he entered a sonic boom with extreme speed.

Watching the psychic type, he expected to see it get knocked sideways but instead it simply raised an arm. Moments later, Dragonite came to a stop in front of him, growling as he tried to charge forward but to no-avail. An outline of ESP surrounded him.

The clone turned to look Lance dead in the eye. "I understand your reluctance to trust me, I realise my original purpose was to serve the criminal you know as Giovanni, but I have moved past that. I came here only to assist in his capture."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled out, from Ash's body.

"The electric one, he recommended I say, there are no strings on me," Mewtwo added, "I assume that has some relevance."

"Pinocchio... I'm familiar," Lance nodded, realising even if he wanted to, his starter couldn't beat this clone, "Dragonite, stand down."

His mighty dragon came to a stop against the psychic hold and soon the outline disappeared with Mewtwo lowering his arm. The clone began to lower himself back onto the platform, landing square in front of Lance, towering over him.

"I appreciate that," Mewtwo thanked.

"How do you know this isn't just a trap?" Lance asked, "a false sense of security."

"I can read minds," Mewtwo informed, "I know both yours and your Dragonite's intentions before either of you do. You're a good man."

Lance sighed as he realised that whatever this clone did before for Rocket, it was no-longer apart of this organisation. He glanced to the side to see the three female kids crowded around Ash's body. Giovanni was still struggling against a psychic hold as well.

"So... want to explain what happened here?" he asked.

"Gladly," Mewtwo nodded, before floating to the side, fully revealing the Rocket boss, "but first, I believe its best we remove him from the situation. I don't know how long my hypnosis will last on Ash and I fear if my creator is still here when he wakes up than so will that other consciousness."

Nodding in understanding, Lance walked over to the restrained man, pulling out a pair of handcuffs as he did so. He noticed the man being manipulated to lie-down on his front with his arms already behind his back.

"Giovanni M, I am arresting you for absconding prison. You do not need to say anything but anything you do say can and will be used against you in a court of law," Lance informed as he placed the cuffs on his hands. He looked over to the psychic type and nodded to him. The psychic restraint on him disappeared as Lance picked him up, walking back across the platform in silence, "all the other charges... we can sort out later."

He reached onto his belt and pulled off a radio, pressing the button to call through to those still in the building.

"Sargent, the roof is secure. Send up a squad to escort one prison down to the vans and onto the station," Lance informed, "we also need a coroner to confirm a death and forensics to swab over the scene. Also get some family-support officers to help our hostages before we question them."

It took barely two minutes before the squad of five officers, led by the Sargent. Handing over Giovanni, the mafia boss said nothing and just silently went with them. He knew he'd have to wait for the others to arrive as none were already in the building. Once they were out of sight, he glanced at the kids once more before turning towards Mewtwo who stood tall in front of him.

"So... you gonna help me make sense of any of this?" Lance asked.

"Yes... I was the reason he absconded in the first place, as I am sure your aware. So everything he did after the fact is partly on me," Mewtwo explained, "and I'd be willing to stand up in your court to help bring him to justice for you."

"I appreciate that," Lance nodded in agreement, stepping out to re-examine the scene, "so Silver?"

"He came up with one mission, I'm sure you know what it was," Mewtwo explained. Its eyes glowing with ESP as a ball of the mind power surrounded them. It was almost like a replay of the scenario replayed from Mewtwo's mind for Lance to see.

"So Silver took the bullet?" Lance asked, looking towards Mewtwo. Despite not showing it, he was truly surprised. He has dealt with many killers in his years as a G-Men officer but those who seemed to revel in it, such as Silver, wouldn't be so willing for self-sacrifice.

"You shouldn't be surprised, regardless of how you view his actions, his motivations were always pure," Mewtwo informed.

"It's a shame," Lance admitted, "if nothing else, we can't find out where any of his other raids took place. We might never discover some of the grunts he took down over the last year."

"Forgive my uncertainty but I doubt you would've got anything from him anyway," Mewtwo admitted, "he was purely committed to this goal. He was clearly willing to die for it and fulfil it regardless of consequences. I highly doubt he kept track or count of how many he took down, always focused on the next step instead of re-living those past."

"You seem to know a lot about him," Lance noted, "for apparently only meeting him briefly here."

"We were cut from the same cloth, officer, two sides of the same coin," Mewtwo explained, "had I not met Ash and his friends, I believe I would've become what Silver was. Fuelled by vengerence and hatred. On a mission of pain and self-destruction."

"Ya know... when you put it that way, I almost feel sorry for the guy," Lance admitted.

A groaning noise came from behind them and Lance turned to see Ash slowly regaining consciousness, as the blonde girl was helping him sit up. Sighing in relief, he relaxed his stance and turned to face the psychic type clone once more.

"I don't think my family-support officers have arrived yet," Lance informed the legendary.

"I can teleport them down to the ground," Mewtwo offered, "saves them having to retravel through the mess Silver left in the tower."

"Thanks," Lance agreed, "I'm gonna regroup with my team. I also need to check in to see if the detectives have detained Petrel yet. He's the last loose end in this whole mess."

Looker took a deep breath as the metal weapon was pushed harder into the back of his head.

"Give me one good reason not to blow your head off?" the slanky man growled.

"You're in deep enough trouble as is," Looker sighed, "you don't want murder of an officer on your record."

"I'm already facing life, what could make it worst?" the man asked.

Looker noticed a hint of laughter at the end of his sentence. It's not uncommon, when faced with pressure, those unable to handle it crumble and enter a sort of psychotic breakdown. Out of all the executives, he was the weakest according to Domino's intel so its unsurprising.

"Because you don't want to make any enemies," Looker explained, "once they discovered my body, you'd be Johto's most wanted. You wouldn't even make it to Azalea. They might not even try to bring you in, a nasty shoot out in one last stand. Taken down like a true mob-boss."

"I-I-" Petrel stuttered.

"Or they might not want to do it their selves," Looker continued, "make you a low risk inmate, stash you in with the general public. Then some nasty rumours about you and kids spring up. Now you may think your locked up with fellow criminals but even some of them have families. Once rumours like those get around, you wouldn't last five minutes. You might take a trip down the stairs, or slip in the shower. Always looking over your shoulder-"

"STOP IT!" Petrel cried out.

Looker cast a glance to the side, feeling the metal gun leave the back of his head. The executive was hunched over, his arms clawing at his hair and violently shaking. He was sobbing out as the gun waved around behind him.

He would've felt sorry if he the man didn't look so pathetic.

Looker charged forward and knocked the purple haired man to the ground, kneeling on his back, he glanced further ahead to see the gun safely stopped on the ground. Petrel continued to sob into the concrete ground. Grabbing his arms, he forced them behind his back and swiftly restrained them with a pair of handcuffs.

"Your under arrest for links to terrorism; possession of an illegal fire arm; threatening an officer with a lethal weapon; other charges may be added later," Looker recited as Petrel continued to struggle, "you do not need to say anything but anything you do say can and will be held against you in a court of law. Do I make myself clear?"

Climbing off the man's back, he walked over to the weapon. He kneeled down and pulled out clear plastic bag from his coat-pocket. Along with a pair of gloves. Slipping them on over one hand, he picked up the weapon, grabbing the smallest point possible and he dropped it into the back. With it secure, he stood back up and turned back to his prisoner.

Dragging the man to his feet, Looker began to walk him out of the abandoned railway. As the man's cries became nothing more than white noise and a distant echo, Looker began to wonder why he even stopped Petrel. Obviously, he needs to be brought to justice but because of him, Domino is on life support, Arceus knows how many people have been hurt, terrified, exiled out of their homes. All because he wanted to be the hotshot detective who caught the notorious mafia boss Giovanni.

But at what cost?

Sure, the scum like Rocket will end up rotting in a cell but who will bring him to justice? He might as well of killed Domino and those rocket moles, he disgraced the badge he worked so hard to get and worst yet, he did it all by the book, followed the letter of the law but manipulated for his own end. He might not end up in prison, but it doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it.

It didn't take him long before they were walking up the stairs towards his vehicle. As he was approaching, he felt a vibration, reaching into his pocket he pulled out his phone and instantly frowned at the caller I.D. he was probably the last person he wanted to speak to. Reaching the vehicle, he used his keys to the back door opened, pushing his prisoner inside, he slammed the door behind as he raised his phone and answered the call.

"Looker," he greeted, wondering away from the car so Petrel couldn't hear him. Although he turned back to watch in case the man tried to run, not that he'd get far in that condition, a sobering mess and in handcuffs.

"It's Lance, I'm calling for an update on the search for Petrel," the dragon specialist explained.

"Well you can chill; I've got him in cuffs and about to drive him to the station. He was hiding out in the underground," Looker explained.

"Good," Lance replied, "I've also got Giovanni in cuffs and Proton. Both are on their way to separate stations as we speak."

"What about Silver?" Looker asked.

"He's dead," Lance sighed, "a single gunshot to the back curtsy of Giovanni. But he took down Ariana, Archer, and the remaining grunts by the looks of it. And luckily none of the kids or other hostages seem to have been hurt in the cross fire."

"Well that's something, at least," Looker replied, "I know you like to be Mr Hero but I for one won't lose any sleep of that son of a bitch."

"Silver took that bullet so one of the hostages didn't have to," Lance retorted, "you could at least pretend to care."

"Sorry Lance but after what that guy did to Domino, he got what he deserves, as far as I'm concerned," Looker explained.

"Well you can tell that to Greevil," Lance replied, "he's called us both for a meeting. One week from today at head-quarters. So we've got time to get our reports in and clean up this mess. He isn't happy."

"Great," Looker rolled his eyes, not that Lance would see, "I'll take Petrel to the station then and start on the write up. As soon as this is done, the better."

"For once I actually agree with you," Lance agreed, "have you heard about Domino?"

"No," Looker growled, "bye Lance."

He didn't give the G-Man chance to reply and hung up the phone. Closing it, he dropped it into his pocket before looking towards his prisoner. Petrel was still sat in the seat with his head watching the ground. Although he wasn't crying anymore which was a bonus. Sighing, he made his way over and jumped into the vehicle.

As he drove away, Looker couldn't help but wonder why he didn't let Petrel just shoot him. It's what he deserves after how he left Domino vulnerable.

Ash shivered as he gripped the silver shock blanket even tighter, forcing it to hug him even closer. Mewtwo teleported them all down the ground. The paramedics saw to them, having already looked at Drake's group. Luckily, Giovanni had already been taken away. Despite glancing around at the group, his mind was anything but focused.

Why did Silver take the bullet for him? They fundamentally disagreed on ideals; he was a cold blooded killer? Why would he care about another dropped body?

"Hey," a sweet female voice spoke.

Snapping back to reality, he didn't even need to look to see that it belonged to Serena. She was stood to the side of him, also covered by her own shock blanket. With the sun as a back light, he couldn't help but notice how her skin glew in the afternoon light. She smiled at him as she took a seat next to him.

"Crazy day, huh," she continued, "with hindsight, being scared about the interview was pretty silly."

"How's your mum?" Ash asked.

"She's with the paramedics right now," she explained, "she's not physically hurt but she's in shock... same as the rest of us."

Nodding in understanding, Ash glanced down at the cobbled ground. A small rock was in front of him and he stretched his leg out to roll it around with his foot. His eyes dropped lower, barely refusing to close as a shadow surrounded it, probably created by a cloud.

"Talk to me, Ash," Serena's voice pleaded.

"Serena..." he turned to face her, "what if Silver was right?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"About Team Rocket. What if he were right about taking them out before they could hurt others," Ash uttered, "I thought everyone deserved a second chance, even Silver but he used that chance to save me. He did have some good left in him, so what if I stopped Giovanni back in Silph co? He'd still be alive now."

"You heard what Mewtwo said," she replied, "whatever Silver was, he wasn't living in the end. He was surviving, fuelled by vengeance."

"But if I had stopped them then-"

"Then what? You'd be just like them?" Serena cut him off, "at what point does the just become unjust? If methods don't separate right from wrong then what does?"

"It's not about right and wrong," Ash sighed, "I thought I knew the difference but Silver... he gave his life to save me. If I had stopped Giovanni back in Silph, then maybe he wouldn't have had to. Or hell, even if I used my aura. Stopped him before Silver even made it to the rooftop."

"And who decided that burden was on you?" Serena asked, "I was there as well, it's just as much on me."

"But I am the one with aura, I'm the one who helped Lugia back on Shamouti and-"

"And I'm the one who helped the Lati's in Alto-Mare," Serena cut him off again, "I am just as much a chosen as you. So is Drake. I might not have aura, but I have ESP and much better control over it. I should've searched Giovanni for a weapon, but I felt confident with Mewtwo there, so I messed up.

"Serena..." Ash trailed off, turning to face her head on.

"Look Ash, I don't like the idea of being one of these chosen but if it means the difference between innocents being hurt and not, then I'm willing to stand with you and Drake and whoever else will stand with us," she explained, "the only person to blame for this mess is Giovanni and he'll be punished justly for it. All we can do is learn from it, and make sure we don't make the same mistakes next time something like this happens."

"Since when did you get so set in your ways?" Ash asked, with a light chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Don't you know?" she asked, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek.

A gust of wind blew past them as a tall shadowy figure surrounded them. Glancing up, Ash saw that it was none other than Mewtwo. Why he couldn't just walk over or even levitate over, he'll never know. Does teleporting really save that much time?

"Sorry if I'm interrupting," the clone greeted, "may I have a word before I leave?"

"Of course," Serena nodded, quickly standing up and taking her leave. Mewtwo seemed to follow trace until she was out of sight. Once she was, it turned back and finally touched ground, although it still towered over Ash.

"I wished to inform you that I will be keeping an eye on my creator," Mewtwo informed, "I created another mental link, this time with the command, Lance I believe his name was. Should Giovanni try any sort of escape or anything than I will be ready to stop him."

"No offense Mewtwo but why not tell Serena it too?" Ash asked.

"Because of the second point I wish to tell you," Mewtwo replied, "you can't blame yourself for Silver's fate. If you must blame someone, blame me. I was able to read all minds present. I knew what would happen and made the decision to let him die as a protector instead of killer."

"Why did you make that choice?" Ash mumbled.

"I made it because... I saw a lot of myself in Silver," Mewtwo explained, "cut from the same cloth, I believe is the expression. And had I not be saved back on New Island than that is how I would've liked for myself to go."

Ash nodded in understanding, although it didn't help to ease the guilt in his mind. "So where will you go, Mewtwo?"

"I'll be around, I have an island, uninhabited for my clones to live on and I'll spend time with them but I also wish to see more of the world, see more of this bond between humans and Pokémon," the clone explained, turning to face the champions spiky Tyranitar, "I might also look into this mega evolution. It intrigues me."

Before another word could be uttered, the psychic clone disappeared in a flash of light. Ash sighed, despite what Mewtwo said, his mind was still all over the place, not just over Silver but this whole mess.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice his brother approaching until his shadow covered him.

"Hey," Drake greeted, snapping Ash back to reality.

"Drake?" Ash questioned, "how are you?"

"Exhausted... but a hypnosis will do that to ya," Drake took his seat, "and you?"

"Don't ask," Ash sighed.

"Too bad Silver couldn't finish the job," Drake added, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad he saved ya."

"Gee, thanks," Ash rolled his eyes, "but you can't be serious. You wanted him to kill Giovanni."

"It would've put an end to this," Drake replied.

"It is ended. Giovanni is going back to prison. The executives are arrested-"

"Or dead," Drake cut him off, "Silver got to a couple of them. Ariana and Archer to be precise... sorry."

"I shouldn't be surprised," Ash admitted, turning to face his brother fully on, "but you can't mean that it would've been better if Silver killed him."

"I meant it," Drake nodded.

"But you saw the state of the Slowpoke well," Ash argued, "you saw what he was capable off first hand."

"Well when you look into the abyss, it looks back at you at the same time," Drake turned away, "and it reveals truths about you that even you don't know about yourself."

"Your calling Silver the abyss?" Ash asked.

"No... The dream I had," Drake sighed, "it was like a message. A giant bird in shadow with red eyes said I'll soon have a choice. One that will change my course in life. I know both you and Serena have aura and ESP respectively so your roles of chosen made sense... but me, I've felt out of my depth in comparison."

Ash turned to look at his brother as he stood up to wonder away. That dream sounds like the message he received between his Kanto and Orange Archipelago adventures, even Lugia said it would be near the end of Johto that the paths are set.

As much as he hates to admit it, he knows things are worst yet to come.

Thanks for reading... Please Favourite, Follow and Review. Also, feel free to ask any questions through PM, I will answer them all, although don't expect too big of spoilers. Don't forget to vote in the polls. I really appreciate the support. Thank you and see ya next time...