I could barely contain my mounting frustration as I carefully read through the pages of notes of Madeleine's failed experiments. After going through the 20th failed attempt I couldn't contain myself and slammed the papers face down onto the desk next to me while taking in a deep breath. Madeleine flinched, but to my surprise, she seemed much calmer than she had the last time I had come for a progress report.

"Your experiments have been exhaustively thorough," I said after I had calmed myself down. Madeleine nodded firmly and I almost smiled, seeing her usual confidence coming back.

"Something about the loyalty genome in a living host causes two different reactions. In most cases, it triggers a cancerous reaction that causes any cell that holds it to multiply unendingly until the host expires, or..."

"Or if it survives it blindly follows anyone that orders it, not just the first person it comes in contact with," I finished for her with a growl. There was no way I could expose my perfect soldier to an experiment with results like this. The thought of Satoshi following anyone's orders other than my own made me cringe. Letting out a perturbed sigh, I stood up and paced the room.

"Honestly, Neptune, it may be time you look into brainwashing techniques rather than messing with DNA," Madeleine said with a regretful expression. I frowned at her words but shook my head.

"Using Hypnosis to brainwash people is spotty at best. Those with strong wills can break free eventually. And if we use the old-fashioned torture brainwashing methods that would take away part of their personality and makes them little better than an overeager Growlithe wanting to please its master," I said with annoyance as I continued to pace.

"Why is this project so important to you, Neptune? I've never seen you so riled up," Madeleine said as she watched me pace.

I frowned over at her and slowly came to a stop as I considered her observation. It was true that I was spending a great deal of time and resources stressing over this project. Even though I had so many things to oversee and categorize at the moment. Just last night Proteus and I had finally done our last successful test of my miniature black chain, and we had completed the first phase of our plans months ago. Everything was reaching the culmination of my grand scheme and I should be focusing on getting everything in order for the time I would finally rid myself of this dreadful world and create the new world I craved so desperately... But even with all of that on my mind, it seemed hollow if I could not have my perfect soldier by my side.

"It is rather illogical, isn't it?" I asked her, feeling a rare moment of vulnerability that I hadn't felt in years. Madeleine blinked in obvious surprise, but then it was my turn to be surprised when she smiled sweetly at me.

"I see," she said vaguely. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what she could see that I wasn't. "Perhaps instead of forcing whoever this is to be loyal to you, you could just inspire loyalty in them instead?"

I frowned heavily, not liking this touchy-feely direction that Madeleine was going. Folding my arms I glowered at her, but the words that came out of my mouth shocked me. "And how would you suggest I do that?"

Madeleine beamed brightly and leaned against her workbench. "There are many ways to do that. You seem to be a master of instilling loyalty through fear. But this situation doesn't seem to call for that tactic," Madeleine said with an almost teasing smile. I sniffed imperiously at her and looked off to the side, not believing that Madeleine was actually trying to have "girl talk" with me.

"My desired result is not for the person to be intimidated," I responded brusquely. This conversation was leaving me feeling thoroughly uncomfortable but in a weird way anxious about what Madeleine might suggest. "I want the subject in question to retain their personality completely but to have them loyal to only me."

Madeleine's eyes were sparkling and I scowled at her, but she only chuckled. "Does the subject amuse you that much?" she asked with a happy smile. I opened my mouth to tell her not to be ridiculous, but then I paused and thought of Satoshi's straightforward attitude and his unfailing optimism.

"I suppose," I responded after a long pause. Madeleine chuckled once again and shrugged.

"If the subject amuses you then you must know what it likes. Try to ingratiate yourself to the subject and make them feel special and important. As you share experiences together your bond will grow stronger and then the subject will become loyal to you naturally."

I frowned at Madeleine's suggestion, which sounded very much like how Satoshi had described to his class on how to bond with their pokemon. That kind of loyalty was easily broken though. There was no guarantee that even if Satoshi came to bond with me in that way that he wouldn't still betray me in any given situation.

But the experiments are not showing the results I need. And there isn't much more time to try another avenue... I thought to myself in frustration as I stared blankly at the wall. Letting out a small sigh through my nose, I turned back to look at Madeleine and slowly nodded.

"I suppose it's worth a try," I said with a heavy dose of skepticism. "However, I still want you to continue your experiments. Have you attempted to combine the DNA with bacteria? Perhaps that would give us better results," I said with a small frown. Madeleine stood straight with a much more excited expression from before.

"I will give it a shot," Madeleine said happily. "And I wish you luck with your own experiments," she said while throwing me a wink. I grimaced at the silent encouragement and immediately left her lab.

She must think that I have romantic feelings for Satoshi. Ridiculous, I scoffed internally to myself as I walked through the many different science labs set up in the heart of Mount Coronet. Romance is messy and much too emotional to actually have any logical purpose.

As I made my way up to the main levels of the hideout, my mind strayed to Proteus for a moment and my pace slowed slightly. Although... lust can be a powerful motivator for some.

Since I had met Proteus working as the youngest ever scientist in a biomedical engineering plant that I had inherited upon my Grandfather's passing, it had been obvious that he fancied himself in love with me. I had even taken advantage of his feelings multiple times to make sure he stayed focused on the tasks that I had assigned to him. Keeping up with his bouts of jealousy and desire though was exhausting and honestly annoying. I wouldn't be able to stand it if Satoshi became even slightly like that.

Satoshi has never reacted to my touch though, except to seem slightly afraid, I thought as I walked through the entrance that would lead me directly into my office. Walking through the tunnel, I thought back to all of the times I had touched Satoshi and realized that it had almost become a habit of mine to touch him if he was near me. As I analyzed why I had done that, I wondered if it was because I was afraid that he would disappear if I didn't keep tabs on him.

Hmmm. How pedestrian of me, I thought to myself in disgust. It's not like me to get attached to someone like this.

My annoyance was building as I opened the door hidden behind a bookshelf and walked into my office. I sat down heavily in my desk chair and folded my arms, tapping my finger against my elbow as I tried to work through the odd behavior that I hadn't even thought twice about.

It's ridiculous to constantly be worried that Satoshi will betray me, I thought to myself after several minutes. Madeleine may have a point. Until I can ensure that he will be loyal to me on a genetic level, then I need to become the person who is most important to him.

"But how should I go about ingratiating myself to him?" I wondered allowed and couldn't help but grimace at having even said those words aloud. Never before had I ever tried to make anyone but my Grandpa like me. People just naturally gravitated to me, and if they didn't then all I had to do was get them to fear me, and then they would listen to whatever I said. But as I had told Madeleine, I didn't want Satoshi to fear me. I wanted him to obey me. To be the person I could count on to never betray me no matter what happened.

"Ugh, I should be going over the results of the most recent evolution stone Proteus created," I scolded myself, straightening in my chair and reaching one of many reports waiting for me on my desk. Before I had even touched it though, my hand stopped and I slowly clenched my jaw.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, I boosted myself up from my desk and left my office behind. Everywhere I went grunts bowed to me as I passed and I couldn't help but smile inwardly at the show of respect. I could hardly wait to create my new world where I was revered almost as much as a goddess. That hadn't exactly been my intention when I had set out to destroy this foul place that had wronged me my entire life, but it was certainly a nice perk.

My feet led me to the training rooms and it took me less than a second to find Satoshi amongst the crowd of grunts. I couldn't help but glow with pride when I saw that he had his Tigrice out and walking along beside him as he observed the dozens of battles that his students were in the middle of. Seeing my perfect creation next to my perfect soldier was breathtaking in a way, and I was filled with an even greater desire to never let anything take Satoshi away from my side.

But what would make Satoshi loyal to me? I wondered again as I watched him direct and advise the grunts around him. I couldn't help but be impressed with how many of the grunts looked up to Satoshi. He seemed to be a born leader, even though he couldn't seem to grasp the big picture at times. He seemed to fully live in the moment and he had always assured me that even if he didn't like or understand my methods, he would help me create a new world.

Even so... I thought with a frown. Satoshi has so many ties to this world. His Pikachu of course is a constant nuisance, but he seems to have a soft spot for any pokemon he sees. Not to mention he actually enjoys those idiotic contests... My thoughts froze as I remembered back to when I had offered Satoshi a reward and he had requested to go see a Pokemon Contest. I had found his request childishly endearing at the time, and now an idea was slowly beginning to form.

When Satoshi's class came to an end I stepped out of the shadows. I didn't let my satisfaction show on my face as nearly every head in the room bowed when my presence had been discovered, but I held my head erect as I walked over to Satoshi. He seemed surprised to see me, but he just nodded as I approached and cocked his head to the side inquisitively. After so long in the infirmary, it was nice to see his hair back up in spikes and I almost couldn't stop a smile from spreading across my face.

"I would like to speak with you in private," I said simply before turning and walking away.

"Uhhh, tell the next group that I'm going to be late," Satoshi said from behind me before I heard him jogging to catch up with me.

I could hear the whispers going through the grunts as he followed behind me and I could almost see the irate expression Proteus would make when he heard about this. I inwardly sneered with distaste at the mental image and promptly dismissed it. In the past, Proteus's advances hadn't bothered me as much, and I had made full use of his irrational jealousy. But lately, I had been getting more and more annoyed with him and I wondered if it wasn't time to put some distance between us.

As always, Satoshi remained silent as he followed behind me. Unlike Proteus who would strike up a pointless conversation, or Celeste whose silence I could feel was filled with a tense resignation, I loved that Satoshi took his cues from me and never spoke out of turn. I had originally planned to take him to my special look out cave, but slowly I turned back towards my office. As relaxing as I found my lookout cave to be, it was a little awkward having two people squished in there.

Satoshi didn't comment on the change of direction, he just blindly followed after me and I inwardly smiled. When we went around a corner I took the chance to surreptitiously look behind me and noticed that Satoshi had returned Tigrice to her Pokeball but his Pikachu still remained on his shoulder. A surprising wave of annoyance went through me at this, but I quickly pushed it aside since it would have been difficult for the grunts walking past us to walk around Tigrice's bulky frame.

If only the experiments had been a success, I thought wistfully as I walked up to my office door. Then I could have transformed Satoshi into my forever perfect soldier just like my tigrice.

I still held out hope that Madeleine would be able to perfect the procedure, but at least I could move forward with the plan I had come up with to make Satoshi feel more loyal to me. As I walked through my office door, Satoshi followed after me. Since there was only one chair, I walked over to my desk and cleared a spot before rolling my chair around to face my desk,

"Have a seat," I said authoritatively as I sat down on the top of my desk. Satoshi blinked and I couldn't help but find his simpleness adorable as he glanced between me and the seat I had just moved.

"I can just stand," he said graciously. His politeness was admirable but I was in no mood for him to be questioning me, even indirectly like this.

"Sit." My voice broached no room for argument and I smiled slightly when he immediately pulled the chair out a little bit and tentatively sat down. I enjoyed this brief reversal as I found my head higher than Satoshi's for once, but I didn't dwell on the feeling of superiority for long.

"Satoshi, you have been working extremely hard, even though you just got out of the infirmary," I said to start out and build up a sense of security for him. Satoshi looked surprised and then slightly awkward as he shrugged his shoulders and glanced at his Pikachu.

"I'm perfectly fine, Neptune. I am happy to help you in whatever way I can," he said with a tiny nod. I wondered if this might be him acting shy and I leaned forward slightly.

"I do appreciate you and all of your help," I said, hoping that I sounded sincere. I wasn't really used to showing emotion and I wondered if this was what Madeleine had envisioned when she told me to "bond" with the subject. "In fact, I would like to offer you a reward for all you have done and gone through recently."

Satoshi's eyes widened at this and I could see the confusion in his brown eyes.

"That is really kind of you, Neptune. But you already gifted me a Tigrice. What other reward were you thinking of?" he asked, seeming slightly hesitant. I frowned at him, realizing that I did not like that he seemed to see our relationship as a purely business-like transaction.

"I will take you to a pokemon contest," I said simply, and I was surprised at the tiny amount of excitement that sparked in me as I waited for his reaction. Satisfaction washed over me as both Satoshi and his Pikachu dropped open their mouths in complete and utter shock. I narrowed my eyes though when I thought I saw a momentary flash of panic in Satoshi's eyes. It was gone just as quickly as it had appeared though and Satoshi let out a laugh.

"Oh man, Neptune. You really got me. I didn't realize you made jokes like that," Satoshi said with a happy laugh that contained no ill will but made me frown heavily. He immediately stopped laughing when he saw my reaction and he cocked his head to the side in obvious bewilderment.

"Wait, you're not serious, are you? I thought you were super busy. Is there really time for us to go and see a contest?" Satoshi asked.

To my dismay, I actually felt something inside me loosen. Satoshi seemed so concerned about my time being wasted I nearly told him that I had been joking after all. But I realized that for the first time in years I actually wanted to spend time with another human being more than I wanted to move my plan forward. It was an incredibly strange and disturbing feeling that I would have to analyze at a later time, but I knew I wasn't going to change my mind about this.

"I am busy," I agreed while folding my arms and leaning back slightly. "Things are coming together very quickly and I estimate that everything should be ready in a month's time."

"A month!" Satoshi exclaimed, leaping to his feet with obvious shock in his expression. I blinked in surprise as we stared into each other's eyes. Many complicated emotions were flashing through Satoshi's brown eyes before his face exploded into an incredulous grin and he sank back into his chair.

"Sorry, Neptune. I didn't mean to shout. I just can't believe that it is coming so soon!" Satoshi said with awe in his voice. Part of me wanted to tell him everything about how the new world was going to be created and how hard it had been to create the last puzzle piece that the black chain was. But more important to me was making sure Satoshi would remain by my side even after the plan was put in motion.

"Precisely because it will be coming soon I wanted to take the chance to see one of the contests you seem to enjoy. I have never been and if it is amusing then I will create a plan to organize something similar in our new world," I explained while reaching out my hand and inspecting my fingernails to make it appear like this was not that big of a deal. Before he could respond though I looked up and met his eyes. "I also want to spend more time getting to know you, Satoshi. So do not refuse me."

Satoshi blinked, seeming stunned by what I had said, but then he slowly nodded his head. "Of course. If that's what you want then... let's go."

I didn't understand the significance of the pause he had just given, but I was pleased that he seemed excited about the idea.

"I will look into when the best time to go will be. Please be prepared at any time to leave," I said calmly as I mentally wondered where I could find a schedule for the upcoming contests. It would be better if the location wasn't too far since I really did have dozens of things to prepare before we finally put my plan into action. As I was mulling over all the various details for the excursion, the creaking sound of my chair caught my attention and I looked up to see that Satoshi had risen to his feet.

"Was there anything else, Neptune?" he asked, glancing towards the door. "I do have a class waiting for me."

I frowned at that seemingly innocuous comment and the feeling of dissatisfaction it stirred up in me. Satoshi was merely trying to be mindful of my time and fulfill the duties I had assigned him, and yet I irrationally wished that he had said he wanted to stay with me. A strange desire awoke inside me, and I cocked my head to the side as Satoshi looked at me expectantly, waiting to be dismissed.

"Satoshi," I said slowly and his brow furrowed in confusion as he faced me directly. "Do you dislike my company?"

Satoshi's eyes widened at my question and he stared over at his Pikachu, who was giving him a matching shocked expression before he quickly shook his head. "Of course not, Neptune. I am very grateful for you spending time with someone like me," he said quickly.

His expression was not what I wanted to see though and I slowly raised myself to my feet and walked closer to him. Pikachu flinched at my approach and I turned my full attention onto the pest, who blinked, seeming surprised to be acknowledged by me.

"Wait outside the door," I ordered the annoying yellow furball.

Pikachu's ears tucked against his head in an obvious show of displeasure and I could hear Satoshi starting to protest, but I glared up at him and he immediately went silent. After meeting my angry glare for a few seconds he reluctantly looked over at his Pikachu and nodded. When his Pikachu immediately jumped off of his shoulder and walked to the door with drooped shoulders I almost admired the little guy's loyalty. But I felt no guilt in opening the door from my desk and shutting it tight as Pikachu turned and looked sadly at his trainer.

"Did Pikachu do something wrong?" Satoshi asked immediately as the door closed. My frown deepened at his reaction, but I slowly shook my head.

"Not this time," I said tightly, before letting my hands drop to my side and looking up into Satoshi's face. I had never really thought about whether a man was handsome or not. I had to say that Satoshi's looks were more boyish than anything, but I still felt a strange possessiveness when I looked at him.

Proteus became so clingy after we became physically intimate... I don't want that to happen with Satoshi... but I also don't think that is his personality. My thoughts were spinning wildly as I tried to combat this strange desire to possess this sweet, hard-working, straightforward person in front of me.

"Then why did you send him away?" Satoshi asked, seeming confused and maybe even a little hurt. Frustration bubbled inside of me as I could plainly see that his rodent of a Pikachu was more important to him than I was.

Feeling oddly territorial, I took a step forward and smiled slightly when Satoshi almost immediately stepped back. I continued this until he bumped into my chair and sat down, blinking up at me with open puzzlement in his expression.

"Because I was thinking of inviting you to my room after dinner," I said quietly, narrowing my eyes at Satoshi cooly. "And your Pikachu would get in the way of the night's activities."

Satoshi's expression was so flabbergasted and innocent that I could not keep myself from laughing. I covered my mouth and tried to keep myself together as Satoshi looked on with unguarded bewilderment.

I can't even remember the last time I actually laughed out loud like this, I thought as I turned towards the desk, holding onto my stomach as I tried to stop the laughter still bubbling up from my diaphragm. Once I had finally collected myself I turned back to see Satoshi glancing around awkwardly as he tried to puzzle through what I may have meant.

"Never mind," I said once I was back to my calm and collected self. "I can see you are not quite ready for that."

"Ready for... what?" Satoshi asked, still looking as flabbergasted as if I had told him to meet me on the moon.

I couldn't keep a fond smile from stretching the normal straightness of my lips. Walking over to Satoshi, I pressed one hand gently against his shaved cheek and leaned down to peck him on the other cheek. Satoshi's entire body stiffened and his eyes were as wide as saucers when I pulled back and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I'll tell you some other time. You may go back to your class now."

Satoshi remained frozen in his seat for almost ten seconds before he blinked and stood, turning around and walking swiftly towards the door. His innocence was adorable and I couldn't help but call out to him just before he got to the door.

"Don't forget to be prepared to see a contest together."

Satoshi halted at my words and, after a moment, he turned with his eyes downcast and bowed almost to a 90-degree angle. Without a word, he turned back towards the door and left my office. I allowed myself a satisfied smile as I went back to my desk and pulled the report from earlier towards me.

"That should keep his mind focused on me for a while," I said smugly to myself before flipping past the cover page of the report and losing myself in the world of facts and data.

A/N Hello! I am very curious about how people will react to this chapter. I really wanted to delve in just a bit deeper to show the obsession that Neptune is beginning to develop for who she believes Satoshi to be. Obviously, this was all from her POV, but I'm sure you can imagine just how panicked and revolted Ash was throughout this whole experience. >.< Poor kid.