"Now, where did she go?" asked one.

     "Not sure, but I know she is still near," replied another.

    "How can you tell?"

    "Her signal is still strong. Now stop asking pointless questions."

    My signal! I forgot about that. They can find me. My thoughts were cut off by them speaking again.

    "I hate how the GPS is zoomed out so we can see the whole of Sinnoh! We know she's here, but she could be anywhere within half a mile radius," muttered the one holding the GPS, the one that actually knew what he's doing.

    I won't learn anything from this. Slowly, I wandered back towards the northern most point of Snowpoint City's peninsula and changed to a Staravia silently. I then flied after Charizard, whose tail was still easy to see. Soon I caught up and was within distance to call to them softly so any others near would have a hard time hearing. "Charizard! Lucario!"

    Lucario ofcourse sensed me instead of heard me, but he made Charizard hover all the same. "I learned nothing. They have a GPS for Sinnoh, though. Nothing too important." I then quickly changed back to my human form, now riding Charizard like a normal person. "Lucario, I'll take my PokéBag and return you to your Pokéball."

        Lucario shook his head and adjusted his grip on my PokéBag as to say, Nah, and this way you can't recall me. He then said something similar to what his action suggested, though he stated it in a much more...diplomatic way. "No. I am the one who can sense auras, and if we have many enemies wanting to catch us, I will be the first to sense them."

    "But we're going to Kanto and Johto, remember. You won't 'blend' in with other Pokèmon."

    "Trainers go from region to region, don't they? Or is it just you and Kevin who do that?"

    I sighed in defeat. "Alright, that's a good point. But I have Charizard, he's been by my side always. Won't two strong-looking Pokèmon attract attention?"

    "No, it won't," replied Lucario in a tone that meant the argument was over.

    Then I went silent. What, will the rest of my party demand this as well? We flew on, and I realized that we could land at Cerulean Cape and rest instead of heading all the way to Pallet Town immediately. "Charizard, let's rest at Cerulean Cape. It's closer and we need the rest after not being able to rest soundly at the Pokémon Center in Snowpoint." Then I felt wariness slap me in the face. "How did I get so—" I interrupted myself with a yawn, "tired all of a sudden?"

    Charizard, concentrating on a good place to land, didn't answer. Lucario did. "We've been traveling for nearly two days to get away from the Survival Area. It would be strange if you weren't tired. We all got rest from both Pokémon Centers we went to, and you only got rest during the three weeks in the Survival Area, and not since then."

    "Maybe that's a blessing. But not for long," I muttered as Charizard landed. Lucario and Charizard didn't ask what I meant; I assumed they had a feeling about the thing—be it a chip or chemical—that was put into my wrist. Lucario, without a doubt in my mind, knew about it, but Charizard wouldn't know, couldn't know, could he? It doesn't matter, I thought, I'd better tell them anyway, whether they know or not. "Lucario, do you know that they can get into my dreams?"

    Lucario nodded. "I've suspected since the escape from the air ship. And then it was confirmed when you got up early at the Pokémon Center in the Areas, I sensed your anxiety and saw you sweating. We all know now."

    I sighed again, then looked around. "It looks like it's still only midnight now, I might as well sleep before I become an insomniac, or die of sleep loss. Or both. I'll bring everyone else out too so we have a few extra lookouts." It's a real shame that it's come to that. "Lucario, I need my bag now. That's where all my Pokéballs are." He gave it to me, though it was as if he hadn't refused to hand it over earlier. Nothing's wrong this time. Small chance they even have a Lucario like mine. They can't.

    After bringing out a sleeping bag, I brought out Persian, Serperior, and Venusuar. Seadra would have a hard time on land, I thought. Maybe I should switch her? The thought broke my heart. She was given to me so long ago by Kevin and she helped me beat the Elite Four here, after all. But I need Pokémon all ready to go. I can't keep her just for memories if I hardly battle with her. I grabbed her net ball and looked at it. I'm sorry, old friend. You are one of my strongest. Still holding her ball, I got into the sleeping bag, sleep trying to claim me almost instantly. I have to do this, for the good of us all, Seadra. Where we're going won't be any easier, I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

    It was an hour before dawn. I was packing up my sleeping bag. My Pokémon were around me, alert for trouble. Or other people and Pokémon. Six, one half dozen. It's all the same now. Just then Persian and Serperior turned and faced one of the few houses up here at Curelean Cape. Then that house's door opened to reveal the house owner.

    "Crystal?" came a surprised voice.

    "Bill?" was my wary reply.

    "I do live here, remember."

    I facepalmed. "Of course. But it's dawn, not even."

    "I always get up early." He looked at me strangely. "You know I live here, Crystal. Something big has to have been going on to make you forget."

    "Yeah, about that... can I explain everything once? Can you come with me to Pallet Town? I have a few things I need to tell Mom, and you and Kevin especially."

    "Yeah, sure. But give me a moment."

    Bill went back inside his house, leaving me with my mob of Pokémon. I looked at them all. "Okay, so I will fly with Bill on Charizard. The rest of you—and yes, you too, Lucario—have to be returned." Lucario, instead of arguing like before, just stood there, quietly and patiently. I grabbed their Pokéballs in turn and called them all back, all except for Charizard. "Back home we go, huh, bud? How poetic."

    Charizard looked over my shoulder at something, but he didn't look alarmed, so I didn't check. He then nodded to me. "It is true," he grunted.

    "So you can talk with your Pokémon now?" Bill asked, walking over.

    "Yes. It's thanks to the Ditto DNA. What did you need to do? You don't look like you grabbed anything."

    He ignored the question with another question. "We riding Charizard?"

"Yes." Some emotion made my stomach twist. He wasn't this secretive when I was here last. Nor was he this questioning. I shook away the feeling mentally, and I mounted Charizard. Bill followed suit and mounted him as well. "Let's get home, Charizard." Is anywhere my home now?

✦ ✦ ❦ ✦ ✦

    We soon landed next to my house. The ride was relatively quiet, except for Bill asking more questions, and me pinching myself to see if I were awake. It seemed like it.

    "How do you learn how to shift?" Asked Bill during the ride over.

    I didn't answer. That was the end of any and all converstaion, though I was pretty sure Bill was thinking of many more questions.

    "Crystal? Are you going to stand there or are we going to get explanations?" Bill asked casually, snapping me out of my thoughts.

    "Yeah, you'll all get explanations." I walked towards the front door. "Come in, this should be said in private."

    I opened the door, leaving Charizard outside, with Bill following me. I headed upstairs to the room Kevin and I used to share. Hearing Bill take a breath, about to ask another question I was sure, I quicken my pace and opened and closed the door behind me. "Now where's that watch of mine?" After looking in a few dresser and desk drawers, I found it. I took off my Pokétch, tossing it in a drawer, and replaced it with the simple, normal face watch, and then headed back out. Then I remembered my PC. Seadra. I stood there, my hand on the door knob, for just a moment. It still felt like forever. So many years, so many battles. I sighed, then walked back over to the PC and opened up my storage system. It connected all the Pokémon I've ever collected, and I switched out Seadra for my female Luxray from Sinnoh. Once this is over, I promised Seadra silently, then I can have you on the team once more, like old times. I placed her net ball on a small Pokéball transporter that Kevin and I had bought, and it vanished and was replaced by a heal ball.

    "Hello again, Luxray," I murmured to the ball. Then I hooked it onto my PokéBag and headed out of my room, leaving the door open behind me. Kevin must've come in while I was grabbing and switching my watch and Pokémon, as he was chatting with Bill and Mom in the main room. He saw me and we both nodded to each other in greeting. We had a strong yet distant silblingship, and that suited us just fine. I sat in a chair across from Bill and next to Mom and Kevin. (They are all seated in a + fashion.)

    "Bill and Kevin, I'm sure you know what I have come here with. Mom," I said, looking towards her, "there is something you have been... left out of. The last I came to Kanto, I had helped Bill with an experiment, of my own free will, and I gained the ability of a Ditto. Now, what I really want to say, or, in better terms, predict and warn, is that—"

    "You were discovered," Kevin broke in.

    I looked my brother in the eye, and I saw anger mixed with concern. "Yes," I whispered. "I was."

    Bill looked at me and I expected to see surprise or even 'I told you so' in his expresion. I was wrong. What I saw was curiouslity, and... was that knowing I saw in his gaze? "I was discovered, in Sinnoh, in the Tunnels. They caught everyone but Persian, and I had to help."

    Mom broke in, calmly yet she had worry in her voice. "Crystal, you couldn't—"   

    "But I did. Then they saw me flee into Eterna Forest once I freed my Pokémon, and waited for Serperior and I to reveal ourselves." I slowly dragged my gaze around them. "We are here now, so what happened then doesn't matter. We got away, for now."

    "You know it was a bigger deal than you let on," Kevin pointed out.

    How does he know? "No, it wasn't. I was there, Kevin. You weren't," I retort my lie before continuing. "So I am going to now make a quote-unquote 'base' in Mt. Silver, since there is no—" I hesitate for a short moment, biting back no tech in Mt. Silver. "—are no people who go there much."

    Glancing at Kevin, I saw him narrow his eyes just a tiny bit. He heard my hesitation. He nodded regardless. "Good plan. I'd go with you, but, believe it or not, I have other things to do. And no," he said, looking at me when I was about to argue, "not more journeys. I'll tell you soon, but I can't go with you to Mt. Silver."

    I stood from my chair. "So this is what I think will happen in the near future. I have been chased from Eterna to the Survival Area to Snowpoint to Curelean Cape. They still search for me, and have...surprising success. I have to hide, though I will be fine. You three know where I am, and Mt. Silver has so many caves."

    "Why not Mt. Moon?" Kevin asked.

    "That is too close to people. Plus, the very name will give me trouble. Moon stones and Cleffairy are there, and trainers and scientists alike are in there," I replied.

    "Not anymore. Only trainers go through there, and even then only for Pokémon. Moon stones can be bought in Curelean's Depot."

    I thought for a minute, everyone quiet. "I could. It's close to cities, so I could get items. Those caves are just as if not more confusing as any." I nodded. "I will be at Mt. Moon, then."

    I then started saying my good byes to Mom and Kevin, and Bill and I exited and mounted Charizard.

    "I could just borrow a Pokémon from Prof. Oak." Bill pointed out, once we were in the sky and headed for Curelean cape. "I'm sure he wouldn't have minded."

    "I know, but Mt. Moon is right near Curelean. Your house is just a minor detour." Plus it's my fault you are over here in the first place, I added silently. Like the trip to Pallet Town, it was relatively silent. We soon were at Bill's house, landed, and then headed back in the direction of Mt. Moon.

    Then I saw a orange blob in the edge of my vision, heading towards Charizard and I. Kevin? I still headed for Mt. Moon, with the Charizard and his rider in tow. Only a few minutes passed as I got to the entrance of Mt. Moon, the other Charizard landing soon after my own landed.

    I got off Charizard to I greet my brother. "Hi Kev—" My words stop dead as I turned to face him. My blood ran cold. "Charizard!" I recalled him and bolted for the tunnel I always thought was the entrance to a daunting, confusing maze. Run, I thought, over and over, as I ran through the tunnels I had memorized, long ago. Once far enough away, I ducked into a dark cave, my mind slowly melting into confusion and my sides heaving. I had run through at least half of the cave, though I still heard footsteps of a person running echo around me. Like I had done in the Survival Area Pokémon Center, I grabbed Lucario's Pokéball and tapped it twice. A faint red light emitted from the Pokéball and Lucario came out, silent.

    I whispered urgently to him. "He is in here with us, at Mt. Moon." Lucario then closed his eyes and the black things on his head rose, now 'floating' horizontally. As he did this, looking for Kevin's aura no doubt, I slid down the wall, just sat there, and I broke down. My own brother, why? How could you do this?

    Kevin's jacket had hid something when he was inside Mom's house. Disbelief and betrayal ran through my mind to my nerves, bones, and blood, all the way to my core. I became numb. Lucario stayed on watch, though I hardly noticed anything, even the sound of footsteps getting closer were hardly registering. Before Lucario realized what I was doing, before even I realized, I grabbed his Pokéball and returned him silently, once more emitting a faint red glow for a short moment.

    The footsteps got closer. And closer. Louder. Then Kevin came around the corner and saw me, then walked over to me. I looked into my brother's eyes, finding them not cold or hard, but harboring regret. "Crystal, I'm sorry. This is what I have to do."

    I barely heard him. Kevin's shirt was black with a red R in the center. Team Rocket.

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

If anyone's wondering about why I'm making Crystal have a hard time about leaving Seadra behind, it's because she is a) one of my strongest b) traded by 'Kevin' to me as a Horsea and c) I've had her in my LeafGreen party for nearly 10 years now. If you still don't get it, you never will. (Or I'm crazy...)

Anyway ♫

Hope you guys are enjoying this so far! Please tell me your thoughts on the story, whether positive or negative. I'd love the feed back. The next one will be named what I originally planned to name this one, so look forward to it if you enjoy ♪ Especially if you are reading this, the next two chapters or so are probably already written, so I hope you guys like it! Also since the next chapter, Friend or Foe? is very very short, it should be out in a week, April 10.
(Sorry I didn't post the next chapter when I said I would, it should be out now.)