Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, Pokémon Adventures, Soul Silver/Heart Gold and their characters and plots. Just using them as a guide for this story, so it won't follow the plots exactly. (I do have a copy of both Soul Silver and Heart Gold, though XD Also Silver, Gold, and Crystal. Ah Silver…my first videogame :3) I also do not own the songs I will be quoting in this song: "Sleepsong" and "I Will Find You." Both are beautiful Celtic songs that fit with this chapter. The lyrics will be appearing closer to the end of the chapter and will be italicized.

Hey everyone, I know it's been a really long time since I updated this story, but life got in the way. My updating will probably be even slower than it was to begin with, but a lot has happened. Back in April, I was accepted into graduate school and then, days later, I found out my estranged father had been killed in a car accident. The day after, I was accepted for an internship. My life has been in both fast forward and standstill at the same time. I took the hiatus to take time for myself, my family, and even time to write a whole bunch to try to update the best I can given the circumstances. I hope everyone is willing to be patient with me, and I thank you for your continuous support.

I will start doing this every chapter to remind everyone the nicknames of the main character's Pokémon, except spoiler Pokémon which will be included the next chapter, after their appearances.

Krisa: Flare (Quilava), Flappy (Pidgeotto), Frighty (Gastly), Friendship (Togepi), Famon (Sandshrew), Flit (Butterfree)
Gold: Chica (Chikorita), Aibo (Aipom), Polibo (Poliwag), Aqua (Marill)
Silver: Sneasel, Croconaw

The day after Krisa and Gold confronted Team Rocket in the well was a bright and sunny day, a perfect day for sightseeing. Now that Gold knew what Krisa's goal was, he understood her sense of urgency, but he also reminded her that she had no idea where her brother was. The one responsible for the Slowpoke Tail Project had not been Krisa's brother, but some sadistic guy who didn't care if he was harming children. Whatever Petrel had gotten himself into, it was going to be hard to get him out of it.

But Gold reminded Krisa she couldn't focus on it or she would drive herself crazy. He proposed that they have a friendly battle outside of the Pokémon Center after they grabbed breakfast. Krisa accepted the challenge, hoping to get her mind off of Petrel's actions.

It was three on three. Krisa chose to use Flappy, Flare, and Famon where Gold had sent out Aibo, Chica, and Polibo. Flappy had swiftly defeated Polibo, but lost to Aibo. Aibo was then defeated by Flare's ember attack. Flare had been weakened in the battle with Aibo and lost to Chica who was full of energy. Chica managed to also defeat Famon, meaning that Gold was the victor. Krisa didn't mind the loss. She had had fun just having a casual battle. It was a nice change considering the day before her and her Pokémon were fighting for their lives.

After the battle, the two friends walked around the small town chatting about their lives. Krisa explained more to Gold about her brother and their relationship. He had always been very protective of her, especially after their father had died. She told him that her father had been on the police force, a detective, but he had lost his life during one of his cases. After that, Petrel had become distant, but still protected her from the evils of the world. She kept it from him that she had still been mourning their father's death.

"My dad is the one who caught Flappy," Krisa told Gold. "He was my first Pokémon and my last connection to him. I…he always wanted me to become a trainer because he could tell I liked Pokémon a lot. He was the one who introduced me to Professor Elm when I was a lot younger."

"Your dad sounds awesome," Gold said with a comforting smile. "A heck of a lot better than mine."

Krisa flashed him a confused look before Gold sighed and scowled. "That creep left my mother years ago, not even telling her where he was going. When he left, he told me it was my responsibility to protect her and when I told him he was a sorry excuse for a man, we got into it and he left. He never said if he'd ever come back, and that was five years ago. Mom sends me off to my grandparents, not just because they need my help, but because she thinks I need to get away from it all occasionally. I'd rather be there making sure she's okay or scouring the whole planet to drag him back home."

Gold was smirking again as he thought of that last part. Krisa couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face, causing Gold to join her. For the rest of the day, they decided to train with the wild Pokémon and get information on them for the Pokédex. It was a great day for them to relax and also to trust each other with the stories of their pasts.

The next day was a busy Monday, the townspeople heading to their jobs in the local markets and buildings. For Krisa, the day would be another stepping stone. Today was the day she challenged the Azalea Town Gym.

She knew nothing of the gym leader, but she remembered Falkner saying she would do well. What type of Pokémon did the Azalea Town leader know if someone had recommended the place to her? She would have to wait and find out.

Gold was as excited as he had been for her gym battle at Violet City, though this time he hadn't been dragging her there. She no longer was concerned about searching for Petrel since it was obvious he wouldn't be in Azalea Town. They had already halted Team Rocket's operations there.

The inside of the gym looked like a forest, trees everywhere. Gold suggested the leader might use grass types, which Krisa agreed with. Flare and Flappy would definitely have an advantage there. Flit would too.

They stopped in the middle of the forest having gotten lost in the maze of trees. "Hey, are you two looking for someone?" a familiar voice called out.

Krisa and Gold looked up to the tree above them and Krisa saw the scientist she had met at the Ruins of Alph. The lavender-haired scientist jumped down from the tree using the webbing of a string shot attack that a random Metapod used. He landed in front of the two children and instantly recognized Krisa.

"Hey, you're the girl I ran into at the ruins," the scientist said causing Gold to give Krisa a questioning glance.

Krisa smiled and nodded. "You're the scientist that gave me the Unown Report," she replied making Gold's questioning glance turn slowly to the scientist.

The lavender-haired man let out a laugh and he nodded a few times. "Yeah, I did. My name is Bugsy, and yes, I am an archeologist, but I am also the Azalea Town gym leader. Should I assume you were looking for me?"

"Yeah, I was," Krisa answered.

The leader grinned at her and said, "Then follow me."

They had walked deeper into the forest and Gold caught glimpses of some other bug-type Pokémon. He started to figure out what kind of gym this was, especially when the leader had a name like Bugsy. He wondered if Krisa had figured it out yet.

They reached the battlefield, and Krisa and Bugsy went to their opposing sides. "What is the name of my challenger?" Bugsy had asked.

"Krisa," the girl replied confidentially. She appeared ready for battle, though she felt a little uncertain. She knew she had type advantage over the Pokémon, but there had to be a reason why Bugsy was the gym leader.

Her thoughts were confirmed when he said, "Well, Krisa, I hope you're ready. My research has made me the authority on bug-type Pokémon. It will be difficult for you to beat me."

In that moment, Bugsy sent out his Scyther. The green bug looked tough, especially with its sword-like hands. Krisa decided to send out Flare. She knew that its speed would be advantageous against the sturdy Scyther looked like it was ready to take flight.

Scyther's quick attack beat out Flare's smokescreen, though the black smoke had been released on the battlefield. Despite the cloudiness, Scyther managed another quick attack. It's fast! Krisa thought. It concerned her that the Pokémon was faster than her Quilava. Flare managed to attack with a quick attack before Scyther charged at the fire mouse once more. This time the attack missed giving Flare the chance to use ember. The attack had weakened the bug, but Scyther had had a sitrus berry and used that to heal. It was able to use another quick attack that seemed stronger than all its other attacks, knocking out Flare for the time being.

"Never underestimate bug Pokémon," Bugsy said and Krisa carried Flare from the battlefield. "They are stronger than most give them credit for."

"I don't doubt it," Krisa replied, "but the same can be said about me."

Krisa merely looked at Flappy which cued the Pidgey to fly onto the field. Scyther instantly attacked with quick attack, but Flappy hadn't been knocked down. It held on to use a strong gust attack that blew the mantis Pokémon back towards its trainer. A leer attack from the bug was avoided by Flappy. It used quick attack to weaken Scyther, but the Scyther seemed to find renewed strength somewhere. It used quick attack which knocked Flappy down, but the Pokémon was only weakened and not defeated.

Knowing that Scyther would use quick attack again, Krisa recalled Pidgey and sent out Frighty who phased out when the quick attack hit. Ghost-types weren't affected by physical attacks like that. Frighty was able to avoid an attack from the mantis before Scyther took Krisa by surprised and used a different attack which hit Frighty and then called for Scyther to be recalled and switched for Kakuna.

"That move is called U-turn," Bugsy told her. "I discovered it."

Krisa was impressed, but she didn't want to get distracted. "Frighty, use night shade!"

Frighty followed his trainer's command, but Kakuna seemed to stay in place. The chrysalis then shot a poisoned stinger towards Frighty. It hit the gas ball, but Frighty seemed unfazed. It flew over to Kakuna and licked it weakening the sedentary Pokémon. Kakuna held on, attempting to use its poison sting again, though against the Gastly was barely effected. Frighty attacked with night shade once more and defeated the brown cocoon.

Bugsy recalled Kakuna and then sent out Scyther. Krisa decided to leave Frighty out to counter Scyther's quick attack in case the mantis used it. Bugsy's Scyther used focus energy all the while Frighty phased out and attacked it with lick. Scyther managed to survive the hit.

Krisa was starting to get a bit more nervous, but she didn't that deter her. "Frighty, try night shade one more time."

Frighty grinned, ready to attack, but before the energy could leave the Pokémon, Scyther used its U-turn move and went back into its Pokéball. That's when Bugsy sent out Metapod, and the nightshade attack hit the purple butterfly.

"Again?" Gold muttered to himself. "Why can't that bug just stay and fight?" As soon as he asked that question, he was surrounded by a bunch of Weedle and Caterpie who looked quite perturbed by his statement. Gold laughed nervously and held his hands up in defense. "I mean, go bug Pokémon."

Krisa decided that now would be the best time to send Flappy back out. "You did a great job, Frighty, now return."

Frighty went back into its Pokéball while Flappy was sizing up the chrysalis. Metapod took the opportunity to tackle the previously weakened Pidgey. Thinking quickly, Krisa told Flappy to use Roost and the Pokémon regained its lost strength. Metapod tackled Flappy again, but Flappy's gust managed to push the Pokémon back and slam it into a tree. Being hit with such force between the gust and the tree, Metapod was knocked out.

Bugsy gasped as he worriedly ran over to his Pokémon. "Metapod, are you okay?" the leader asked its friend. When he got an affirmative answer, Bugsy breathed out a breath of relief. "Well, that's good. You did great out there. It's time for you to take a rest."

Bugsy recalled Metapod into its ball and turned back to his opponent. She had already managed to defeat two of his bug-types. Still, his last remaining Pokémon was the one who was constantly giving her trouble. The move, though, that managed to protect his Scyther he could no longer use as there were no other Pokémon in his party, and Krisa still had a few Pokémon with fight left in them.

"Yeah, you go, Krisa!" he heard her friend cheer from the sidelines. Bugsy snickered when he saw the worm Pokémon crawling on him and covering him with their string shot. Krisa couldn't help but snicker at the scene, too. His bug-types were very prideful and didn't like being talked down to or belittled. It looked like her friend had learned it the hard way.

Bugsy finally regained his gym leader composure and sent out his Scyther once more; Krisa decided to have Flappy continue the battle. Both Pokémon continued to dodge each other's attacked, but finally Scyther hit Flappy with quick attack. Flappy held on, however, and managed to counter with a very forceful gust. The wind battled Scyther around until the Pokémon landed on the ground, thouroughly defeated. Where the battle hadn't lasted that long, Bugsy was highly proud of his Pokémon for it had been in battle with each of Krisa's Pokémon.

Bugsy was about to commend the young girl for her victory, but Flappy produced a white glow and changed its shape. Krisa seemed to marvel at the fact that her most trusted partner was evolving before her very eyes. She was so excited to be able to see something that reminded her of her family camping trips, the one time in her life where she was truly happy.

"Wow, cool!" Gold exclaimed while breaking free of the silken strand. "It must have gained a ton of experience in the battle for it to evolve right at the end like that."

"It is impressive," Bugsy agreed as the glow disappeared and a Pidgeotto stood before him. "Congratulations, Krisa, on both evolution and the win. Here, take the hive badge. It's yours."

Bugsy handed Krisa the shiny gym badge as a symbol of her victory there. He explained the benefits of having the badge and gave her TM 89, the move U-turn that he had discovered. As they headed towards the gym exit together, Bugsy decided to give Krisa some more encouragement. "Now remember; study hard and strive to meet all of your goals. You don't have to be just an ordinary trainer. You can be a researcher, coordinator, professor, anything you want to be. You could be all of it if you wanted. Just make sure to continue on your own path."

Krisa smiled and nodded. She was already aiming to be a strong trainer as well as a researcher, but now she assumed she could add crime fighter to the list. Bugsy didn't need to know that part, though. After all, she was a young kid and what she was doing was dangerous. She hoped she could get Petrel out of the organization without either of them getting to deeply involved, though she feared she was too late for that.

"So the next gym is in Goldenrod City," Gold told her as they started leaving the town. "Since my grandparents live right outside of the city, I'll go with you to watch you battle. If it's anything like what I've seen so far, I can tell our gym leader has her work cut out for her."

Krisa smiled having been given the compliment. "Thanks, Gold, it means a lot." She thinks again on her situation with Petrel and becomes sad again. "It really means a lot," she whispered.

Gold heard her and frowned, but more in anger than in sadness. He was angry at Petrel for putting his sister through all of this. The idiot probably didn't even know that Krisa was tailing him, though he would have figured it out if he checked in with her like an older brother should.

With how sad Krisa was and how exhausted she and her Pokémon must be from her battle made Gold suggest staying at the Pokémon center another night before cutting through the forest. Krisa wanted to press forward, but when she yawned Gold was more adamant and Flappy was nudging her towards the center. Krisa relented and decided another night of rest wouldn't hurt.

What neither of the two realized was that someone had overheard their plans, and that someone was Silver. He was still in shock that a little girl was able to take on Team Rocket, and it made him curious about just how strong she really was. He smirked and decided to camp out near Ilex Forest. He planned to ambush the two the next day and finally have an answer to his question. Did Krisa really have what it took to fight a well-known crime syndicate?

The next day, Krisa and Gold made sure to buy supplies and food for their trip through the forest. Though Gold knew Ilex Forest very well, he knew that it was going to be a long trip and the two of them would be camping out. He warned Krisa that the trees were so tall that the forest appeared to be in constant nighttime, but the girl assured her friend she was not afraid of the dark or camping in the forest. She was used to those kinds of trips and loved the fact that she was able to camp out once again.

They did a double-check of their supplies and were stopped by the beeping of the Pokédex when Silver jumped out of a tree, startling them both. "Hey, watch it," Gold snapped. "Where do you get off just showing up out of nowhere after leaving us behind?"

Silver ignored Gold. He didn't feel like he had anything to discuss with the boy even if he was another Pokédex holder. Instead, his eyes went to Krisa. She was as quiet and confused as ever, but Silver realized that behind her naïve, girlish exterior, she possessed the strength to stop a Team Rocket operation, and maybe more strength she wasn't even aware she possessed.

He pushed past Gold who was blocking his way from Krisa. "What's your problem?"

Silver's pensive expression soured as he finaly acknowledged Gold. Gold was actually waiting for an apology, but his desire was unmet when Silver growled out, "Butt out."

Seething, Gold stepped up, but Krisa got in the way and faced Silver. The two of them didn't speak to one another, but Silver broke the silence. He needed to hear it from her. "Tell me, Krisa," he spoke smoothly. Krisa was pretty surprised by the surprising softness of his tone. "Did you really do it?"

Krisa was taken aback. "D-Do what?"

Silver scowled at her, but he could admit he was being cryptic. "Did you interfere with Team Rocket's operation?"

"I did," she answered warily.

"Did you beat them?"

Krisa could see the hope in his eyes, but she wasn't sure why that was. Truth was she barely knew anything about Silver other than the fact that he stole from Professor Elm and, from the looks of it, Professor Oak. Still, there was a part of her that knew there was more to the story, just like she knew there had to be more to the story with Petrel. Silver, though he had a bad attitude, didn't seem to want to hurt her. There was no way he was with Team Rocket then. That meant he had to be asking her for another reason.

"Yes."

The upturn of his lips into a smirk unsettled Krisa slightly, his chuckle unnerving her. "Excellent," he replied sounding almost sinister. He noticed her nerves, but that only served to make him seem smug. Underneath her childish exterior was a fighter, and she truly had no idea. "I commend you for taking them down, but I'm a whole other story. I challenge you, Krisa. You better not disappoint me."

"Are you out of your mind?" Gold snapped. "Why would she waste her time battling you?"

Silver's venomous eyes shot back towards Gold. "I told you to 'butt out.'"

Gold sneered and was about to retort, but Krisa's voice stopped him. "I accept your challenge, Silver."

Gold's mouth dropped open in surprise. He hadn't expected to delay their travel to battle Silver. He knew how much it meant to her to push forward. He decided to quiet himself and just watch. Clearly there was something else going on that he didn't understand.

So far, Krisa wasn't disappointing Silver. He had known she would accept if there was truly a fighter inside of her. Her meekness wasn't a front, per se, but she seemed to know there were more important things than her shyness and insecurities. He took out a Pokéball and tossed it revealing his Gastly.

Krisa thought hard about which one of her Pokémon she wanted to use and sent Flare out. Silver remembered fighting her Cyndaquil before. It was strong as a Cyndaquil, so it had to be even stronger as a Quilava. I better be careful, he told himself, continuously calculating his every move. One thing he knew he could do was reduce the Pokémon's fire power.

"Flare, ember," Krisa called out taking charge of the battle. Again, Silver smirked. He could see confidence fueling her. Honestly, he wanted to see her attack hit.

"Gastly, take it," he told his Pokémon. Gastly seemed okay with the arrangement, though it was pushed back and weakened slightly. Right after, its eyes glowed brightly, the flames getting weaker.

"What just happened?" Krisa voiced.

"The move is spite," Silver explained while crossing his arms. "It reduces the pressure of a certain move, in this case your Quilava's ember."

Unfortunately, it was too late for the Gastly, though Silver didn't mind. Gastly had done its job. Croconaw was his next Pokémon, and it was raring to go for battle. Krisa knew that Flare was at a disadvantage. Though she didn't have any Pokémon with a type advantage, she knew Flappy would be able to stand up to her opponent's Pokémon. Flare was withdrawn to the sidelines, standing next to his trainer as her Pidgeotto flew into battle.

According to the Pokédex Silver glanced at, Krisa's Pidgeotto was evenly matched with his Croconaw. He kept his cool, but he frowned at seeing the screen. There's no way, he remarked in his head. It was hard to believe that this girl had a Pokémon that could match with his when she had only just started her journey. "Flappy, quick attack!" Silver's attention snapped back to the battle, his Croconaw caught off-guard.

Croconaw recovered quickly and looked to Silver, their eyes meeting. A nod from Silver was all the Pokémon needed to bite the Pidgeotto. Krisa grimaced, hating to see her Pokémon in harm's way. Silver's hardened eyes softened when he saw her look of panic, before they hardened again. She was just going to need to learn to deal with it if she wanted to battle.

Flappy managed to free himself Croconaw's mouth and began to flap his wings hard creating a large gust. Silver raised his right arm to try to cover his eyes from the wind and dirt. Croconaw had been pushed back slight. "Croconaw, water gun," he ordered, though he could barely hear his own voice. Croconaw heard him, and the burst stream of water shot through the gust to Flappy. While Flappy was caught by surprise, Silver let out another command. "Scary face."

Krisa recognized that move. It was the move that her Spinark, Flashy, used in their battle. She knew that the attack reduced speed, so the safest bet for the offensive was to have Flappy keep using quick attack. Silver was astonished that his Pokémon's scary face technique was having little effect. He tried to counter Flappy's quick attack with a combination of bite and water gun, but the Pidgeotto was still too fast for Croconaw to land a firm blow.

Eventually, Croconaw felt dizzy to the ground, causing its trainer to growl quietly. He hadn't been expecting Croconaw to lose so quickly, or at all, to the girl's Pokémon. He looked over to Krisa and her Pokémon. "I'll admit," Silver said to the girl, "that I was not expecting your Pidgeotto to be so fast. Underestimating you and your team is not something I intend to do again."

Silver glanced over to his Sneasel, his most trusted partner, and the Pokémon instantly knew what to do.

"Krisa!" Gold called out. "Sneasel is an ice-type. Flying-types are weak against ice."

Silver shot Gold a glare. The kid should have known not to get involved with someone else's fight. But of course, Krisa was ready to make the adjustment and sent her Quilava back out into battle. Well, it didn't matter. Whether she was at a disadvantage or she was, he still intended to test her strength.

"Sneasel, slash, now," he commanded.

The speed of Sneasel's was even greater than Flappy's, so Flare countered with quick attack. Both attacks hit and sent the Pokémon back. Out of nowhere, a dark haze from Flare's smokescreen overtook the area, and no one could see anything. Sneasel still managed to hold on, using icy wind to blow the smoke away, just in time for the attack to be met with ember. An explosion between the competitors went off, and Flare used that as an advantage and attacked with flame wheel. The attack held so much force that Sneasel was weakened and barely able to stand. Normally, with Silver's other Pokémon, he would have them fight until they couldn't, but Sneasel was different.

"Sneasel, come back," he ordered gruffly, though his eyes held an underlying softness. He didn't think anyone but Sneasel noticed; however, Krisa did.

"This isn't over," Silver stated as he threw another Pokéball, revealing a Zubat.

Krisa decided to give Friendship a chance to battle. Since the Pokémon had hatched, Krisa hadn't really sent the Togepi into battle. Friendship looked around, highly confused. He let out a cute noise that made Silver and his Zubat sweat-drop. It was the opportunity he needed to get an edge.

"Zubat, use supersonic."

A loud noise was release from the Zubat, and it affected Friendship. The Togepi began to wobble slightly, highly confused. Krisa had never seen a Pokémon confused before, but she knew from Professor Elm that sometimes they could still hear commands.

"Friendship, try using extrasensory," she suggested.

Silver was surprised when the small Pokémon used its power and hit his Zubat directly, but he realized when the Pokémon fell over that the hit was just a fluke. He ordered his Zubat to use bite, which weakened the dizzy Togepi, but without Krisa even managing out a command, the little egg used extrasensory once more at close range to the Zubat, and both Pokémon dropped to the ground. Togepi rolled over to its trainer and cheered happily, making Krisa smile. She held the little egg close to her as its confusion wore off.

Zubat was recalled, and Silver took out his last Pokéball. It was the heavy ball that Kurt designed for him, and he used it to catch a highly aggressive Ursaring in the mountains. It was more than likely that the Pokémon would have enough power to take out Krisa's entire team, but truthfully that wasn't the purpose of the battle. If it had been about his pride, he would have released Ursaring to run rampant on her team. His original purpose for battling her was to see if she was in fact strong enough to handle Team Rocket. She was still a pure-hearted little girl, but she was apt at battling. He had seen all he needed to see.

He smirked slightly at Krisa, making her freeze slightly. Part of her expected him to release his last Pokémon, but he placed the sphere back on his belt. "I concede," he told her.

Silver begins to walk away, but Krisa's voice stopped him.

"Wait!" he heard her call out.

He paused in his stride, but didn't look at the girl. "What is it?"

Krisa swallowed down her nerves before she asked, "Please don't tell anyone."

Silver knew then that Krisa was asking him to keep quiet about her brother. Truthfully, he didn't care about her story. He was planning on taking out Team Rocket by himself, for the most part if he didn't include her help, for his own reasons. He wouldn't be going to the police or anyone else with her private business. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said smugly before entering the forest with his Sneasel. He hadn't looked back even once.

After Silver was gone, Krisa let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and Gold finally moved from his spot at the sidelines. "You okay?" he asked her. She nodded slowly in response before Gold growled, "Seriously, what was the guy's problem?"

"I don't know," Krisa admitted. She would have liked to think that he would have told her the reason for the abrupt battle, and the abrupt end, but he just left again, though at least this time on better terms. She still didn't intend to tell Gold much about the other trainer, but her curiosity was now skyrocketing. His words didn't make sense to her at all, though she was hoping it meant that he wasn't going to tell anyone about Petrel and his activities in Team Rocket.

"Anyway," Gold muttered, "he delayed us in going through the forest. We were going to have to camp out anyway, but it'll probably take us two days to get through now. I had been hoping to have a few more hours of daylight. It's really dark in there."

"We'll be okay," Krisa told him. "We do have Flare after all."

"Yeah, true," Gold returned nodding to himself. "Okay, well we better get through as quickly as possible. That place is a maze."

The two of them entered Ilex Forest together as Gold told Krisa stories about the legends behind the place. It made her feel a little uneasy, almost like how she felt in the Ruins of Alph before she realized that the letters on the wall were actually Pokémon. "This place is creepy," she voiced.

"Told you," Gold retorted. "It's always so dark here because of the tree coverage. It's like this forest is always in constant night. Hope you aren't afraid of the dark."

Krisa's head tilted back as she grinned at his teasing. "I'll be all right. I used to camp out with my family all the time as a little girl."

Gold returned her smile before he caught sight of another boy in the forest. The kid was pacing back and forth and murmuring to himself. "Hey, kid!" Gold called out loudly making Krisa stumble. She turned her attention to where Gold was looking and saw a boy around there age. The boy seemed startled by being addressed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm panicking," the boy said in alarm. "My boss hasn't come to the forest, has he? If he found out I'd be in so much trouble. I lost his two prized Pokémon, and I need to get them back."

"What Pokémon are they?" Krisa asked.

The boy looked to her and became nervous. "They're Farfetch'd. He uses them to cut wood for his business. I was just supposed to watch them while he went back into town to grab us lunch, but they ran off. I don't know what to do."

"We could help you," Krisa volunteered. "We can find them for you."

"We can?" Gold asked. He was under the impression Krisa was still in a rush to find her brother. He didn't think she'd settle for any delays.

She smiled to him, knowing what he was thinking. For a while, with all of guilt she had been feeling and the fear for her brother, Krisa felt like she needed to keep moving and stop her brother from joining Team Rocket. The fact that he was already involved never really struck her before. There wasn't a way to stop him from doing stuff he was already doing, which only meant one thing. If Krisa wanted to stop him, she would have to confront him, and the only way to do that was to lay in wait for Team Rocket to strike again. She would have to battle every Team Rocket agent she came across, and to do that she needed to get stronger. In the meantime, she shouldn't let life pass her by. That was something Gold was trying to teach her that actually started rubbing off on her. It meant she had time and she wanted to spend that time helping others the way she would hopefully be able to help her brother.

"Yes," she stated, "we can. You said it yourself; it's constantly dark here and we only have a few hours before nightfall anyway. I can only imagine that it'll be pitch-black then. We should help him find his boss's Pokémon before it gets dark."

Gold felt relief. Truthfully, he wanted to help the kid, especially since he knew Ilex Forest so well. "Sounds good to me," he replied before turning to face the kid. "Now, which way did they run off?"

After the kid had given them a direction, it wasn't too hard to find the Farfetch'd. The problem was when they stumbled onto them, the Pokémon kept going off further and further into the dark forest. Gold started to get irritated, but he thought back to Pokémon his grandparents had watched at the daycare and suggested to Krisa that they each sneak up on one from behind and then grab them. His plan did work, and the kid was soon reunited with the Farfetch'd, and also his boss. His boss hadn't been pleased with the fact that his pupil had lost his Pokémon in the woods, but he was thankful to Gold and Krisa for finding them and returning them. He ended up giving them a sample of charcoal each, and he also gave them another hidden move, much like the one Krisa received from the sage in Violet City. This one, she learned, was the move, cut.

The whole endeavor took about an hour and a half, so it was too late to make any real strides through the forest. Gold informed Krisa that they were close to a halfway point, a special shrine that was built to honor the protector of the forest. The two of them decided it would be wise to make it to that halfway point and set up camp for the night. They would continue on to Goldenrod the next day.

Krisa wasn't able to fall asleep easily that night. Something about the forest had her on edge, though it wasn't the darkness. The light from the fire beside hers and Gold's tents provided decent lighting. The charcoal that the woodsmen gave them proved to be very useful. She could hear Gold snoring from his tent, but even that didn't bother her. When she and her family went camping, she would share a tent with her brother, and Petrel would snore the whole night. If it didn't bother her then, it definitely wouldn't bother her now.

Tossing and turning woke both Flappy and Flare up. They looked over to Krisa who was sitting up in her sleeping bag. Krisa pressed her hand to cover her face and looked over to her partners. "Sorry, you guys," she whispered. "I didn't mean to keep you awake too."

Flappy used his beak to nuzzle her head while Flare cuddled against, not lighting his flames, but warming his body up. The warmth was enough to lull Krisa to a sound sleep, Flare and Flappy exchanging their glances and coos before joining their trainer in slumber.

As soon as Krisa's head hit the pillow, though, she heard a voice calling out to her. At first the cries were faint, but then words started to form. "Lay down you head, and I'll sing you a lullaby, back to the years of loo-li lai-lay, and I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow, bless you with love for the road that you go."

Krisa stirred in her sleep, beginning to wake up again, but the voice continued to hold her consciousness in place. "May you sail far to the far fields of fortune with diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet, and may you need never to banish misfortune. May you find kindness in all that you meet."

Krisa started to wake up as she received a strange blessing. The voice was starting to distort as she began to open her eyes, but she heard one last promise before the words disappeared in the wind. "May there always be angels to watch over you, to guide you each step of the way, to guard you and keep you safe from all harm…loo-li loo-li lai-lay."

Krisa shot up out of bed and nearly cried out. The fire outside the tent had burnt out and Gold was still sleeping in the tent next to her. Who was singing? she asked herself.

Feeling more uneasy than before, Krisa got out of her tent and wake to shake Gold awake. "Mm…five more minutes, mom," the boy complained in his sleep. When the shaking didn't stop, he started to wipe the sleep from his eyes and then realized where he was. He looked to Krisa who was biting back a smile. "You heard nothing."

"Whatever you say," Krisa replied.

Gold looked at the time on his Pokégear and saw that it was five in the morning. "Jeez, why did you wake me up so early?"

Krisa frowned as the unease returned to her. "Did you hear singing?"

Gold's expression flat lined as he heard her question. "No," he answered. "I was asleep. I didn't hear anything."

"But it was so loud," Krisa pondered. She noticed that Gold was giving her a strange look and blushed. She knew she had heard singing, but apparently her friend thought she was losing her mind.

"Well, whatever it was," Gold started, "we should try to go back to sleep, at least for a few more hours. We have a long trip later today."

Krisa nodded and left the tent, wrapping her arms around herself. It was easy for Gold to return to sleep, but she was feeling rattled. Sleeping would not come easy for her, so she decided to do something else. She knew her mother would be up soon for work, so she decided to give her a call. Hearing her mother's voice always seemed to chase away her fear.

Her mother answered and was very happy to hear from her. Krisa recounted her gym battles, and even the fact that she was travelling with a new friend, and she also mentioned her friend, Silver. Sure, Silver wasn't in actuality her friend, but Krisa saw him as such. Her mother was so happy to hear how smoothly her journey was going, though Lyra would have never expected the fight with Team Rocket, or the situation with Petrel. The young girl planned to keep it that way, and quickly got off the phone when he mother started talking about her brother. She didn't want to give anything away, and her mother would know something was wrong.

Calling her mother did quell her fears slightly, and she felt the exhaustion creeping up on her. She crawled back into her tent and started to drift off. No sooner did she drift, her eyes shot open again when she heard the strange, feminine voice singing again.

"May you bring love, and may you bring happiness, be loved in return to the end of your days. Now fall off to sleep; I'm not meaning to keep you. I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay."

Hearing the voice seemingly wishing her a bright future still panicked her. It didn't matter haw comforting all the words had been; she just wanted to hear silence, like a normal person would hear. It was clear that Gold hadn't heard anything, and the voice was only speaking to her. She curled up to Flare who was sleeping and remained awake and tense for the rest of the morning's early hours.

Later that morning, Krisa decided to go off for a little while since Gold was still asleep. She took her time to work with Flit and Famon and taught them U-turn and cut respectively, using the information on the disks she was given, knowing the moves might be needed in the future.

She made her way back to the campsite and found Gold making breakfast. He smiled to her and patted the spot by him. Seeing his laidback happiness helped Krisa to relax. It was morning now, so she no longer needed to be scared. The voice stopped singing to her after the last promise that it would leave her alone. Maybe, just maybe, she had dreamt the whole thing, so she decided to just let it go.

After breakfast, they put their camping gear away and started to travel through the forest. They engaged in light conversation, Flappy, Flare, and Aibo following closely behind them. Somehow in the dark woods, they two got separated from each other with their Pokémon. It worried Krisa, but she knew that Gold knew his way out. As for her, she had found another path that she felt would lead her to the forest's exit.

"Hey, girl!" she heard someone call out to her, which stopped her. She turned to see a heavyset man there, smiling at her and waving. She decided to see what he wanted. "Just watch me for a second," he said, confusing her. In that moment, he headbutted a tree. He then looked to her and grinned. "I can teach one of your Pokémon to do that. Headbutt is a move that can cause Pokémon to fall from trees and also induce flinching in the opponent. It would do a trainer like you some good to learn it."

Uneasiness crept up in Krisa's core when the man assumed she was a trainer. She wanted to know how he knew she was a trainer, but at the same time she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Still, he was right about the move, and Krisa decided that Friendship should learn it. It didn't take long for Friendship to learn how much power to behind headbutting, and the Togepi successfully learned the move. Krisa turned to the man to thank him, but she was met with a sight that disturbed her.

The man was not there.

She rapidly looked around, but she only saw the dark woods and the path she had been taking. Her Pokémon, too, felt a wave of uneasiness as they sensed something she couldn't, and Flappy, Flare, and Friendship all stayed close to her as the four of them slowly made their way along the path together.

Meanwhile, Gold was having little luck finding his way back to the main path. He wasn't worried about being "lost." He used to get himself lost in the forest all the time, but he always found his way out.

"Lost and all alone," he heard a woman's voice say off to the side. He turned to see a kimono girl dancing randomly in the middle of the woods. Aibo ran up onto his shoulder and nudged him, and the two of them shrugged together as Gold started to make his way over to the lost kimono girl. "Poor girl lost in the dark Ilex Forest." Her voice was singsong, her dance intricate, and Gold wondered if she was so lost, why she seemed so happy. What he didn't realize was that the kimono girl wasn't referring to herself at that moment.

Gold quietly made his way over to her until he accidentally stepped on a tree branch. The snapping sound caught the kimono girl's attention, and she smiled over to him. Awkwardly, Gold greeted her. "Hey," he said, "if you're lost, I can help you out of here."

"You will?" the girl asked happily, before grinning. "But you are lost in the woods as well," she stated. Gold mentally flinched when she figured out he truly was lost. He knew he'd eventually find the path, though, so he tried to play that off.

Aibo leaped off his shoulder and started to run in one of the directions Gold had already tried, and the path seemed to appear out of nowhere. The two of them follow the Aipom, and eventually they end up at the gate. "Oh thank you," the kimono girl praised as she knelt down to Aibo. She petted his head and smiled. "A smart Pokémon, you are." And then she got up and left the forest.

Gold was at a loss as to what had just happened. "What a weird lady," he marveled, "huh, Aibo?" The Pokémon could only nod in agreement with his trainer.

Not even minutes late, Krisa showed up having gotten to the gate using the other path. Gold's eyes widened when he saw her fear. "Krisa, are you okay? Sorry we got separated back there. I have no idea what happened."

Krisa nodded, but said nothing. She was too scared to speak. She didn't want to tell Gold what she experienced back in the deepest part of the forest. Likewise, Gold wasn't offering anything up about his time lost in the woods. The two of that made it to the gate, and Gold could finally see the sky. It was dark, and he knew it was nighttime. "My grandparents' house isn't too far from here," he said as they reached the gate. "I have a key so we can slip in tonight and sleep there. I'll introduce you in the morning."

Krisa again nodded and followed closely behind Gold, but then she heard the singing voice call out to her. It sounded like it was getting further and further away the farther they walked from the forest.

"No matter where you go I will find you, if it takes a long, long time. No matter where you go I will find you, if it takes a thousand years."

She looked back to the woods, a frown on her face. She was truly thankful that the voice disappeared once they hit the route to Gold's grandparents' home. Even though neither she nor Gold was saying anything, she knew that his day in the forest had him rattled as well. It was a good thing they were close to his grandparents', for she made a mental promise then that she wouldn't spend another night or ever return to Ilex Forest.