"Silver, it's okay. We can leave at any time," (y/n) reminded him.

        No doubt she saw the signs of his anxiety spiking as he waited for Gold to arrive at the secure location. "I know," he softly answered.

        "I'm not going to go anywhere either just in case he tries anything," (y/n) added.

        "I know," Silver repeated as he began to take notice of how small the room they were in really was. It was a library study room rented especially for this meeting. Silver was about to come face to face with Gold again.

        (Y/n) had dialed the number, but Silver had done the negotiating. He told the woman on the phone who he was and set up this meeting. The conditions were simple. Silver had to meet them during the day and he couldn't tell anyone where he was going. During the conversation, he managed to get Anabel, the woman they called, to agree to allow him one witness.

        "They're here," Silver sighed as he saw Gold's familiar face approaching through the window of the room. "I can do this."

        The door opened. Gold entered and sat at the table across from Silver while Anabel sat across from (y/n). The woman placed a short stack of papers down and a pen.

        "I'm glad to see you're okay," Gold said with a unexpected look of relief. "You haven't been attacked or anything, have you?"

        "You agreed to answer my questions first," Silver ignored his inquiry.

        "It's important that you answer that particular question before we continue. You may not have noticed, but we have your best interest at heart." Anabel looked at (y/n). "We also need to verify your identity."

        "All of that formal stuff can wait," Gold deadpanned with a wave of his hand. "Silver, I will answer anything you want to know even at the cost of my temporary badge." Anabel looked at him in shock.

        "As your superior I-" she began to say.

        "I owe him." Gold was serious. "It's a favor from Looker. He needs to know what's going on even if its classified information." When Anabel didn't interfere anymore, he gave her a quick and quiet thanks. "Go ahead." He gestured to Silver.

        "Why did you track me down even though the case for Team Rocket had been closed? I looked into it myself. I was reported dead. There was no reason to go looking for me." That was the first thing Silver wanted to know.

        "Because you're in danger. I told you when we met that I needed your help." Gold reached for one of the papers in the stack. "This is a list of the names of everyone who joined the second Team Rocket. It's only a copy of the original and a former member that we rescued confirmed that this list is real." Silver recognized the list as well. It was a monthly sign in sheet that all members were required to signature to ensure that there were no spies among them. If someone new mysteriously showed up on the list, the executives were able to easily find out by comparing the lists of previous months. It was a flawed but effective system.

        "It's definitely real," he said moreso to (y/n) than Gold to ease her suspicions.

        "After Team Rocket went down, a group of people calling themselves Team Remnant Rocket came into existence and began hunting everyone on this list." Gold took a pause and grimaced. "More than half of the people listed here are dead if they weren't imprisoned, Silver."

        No one spoke for a moment. (Y/n) didn't even spark any electricity from anywhere. "Dead? They were literally hunting the remaining members?"

        "The international police were placed over the case just recently. I'd say it was only a few weeks before I made contact with you," Gold continued to explain. "The murders happened so quickly that there was hardly anything that could be done to stop them. Citizens were turning a blind eye to the culprits because of the suffering that Team Rocket put the region through. The organization started crossing borders to cross off every name on this list. I was called in as a junior detective to help convince you to enter protective custody, but I guess that didn't work out huh."

        "You don't say," Silver mumbled. He felt like a moving target after learning that there were people other than Mewtwo who had wanted to kill him. "And what about Crystal? Why had she been there?"

        "She was there to investigate a different case. There had been a series of terroristic attacks and the pokémon Mewtwo was suspected for causing it. Someone got a picture of you being with Mewtwo and they want to bring you in for questioning. Since no one ever knew what Crystal had done to you, they sent her with me to meet you. It was a bad idea from the beginning."

        "But something doesn't add up," (y/n) interjected. "When Silver was here, he found out that someone had erased his existence from all records. He has no identity. Scarlett and Silver are gone. I still think the international police are responsible. It makes sense that you would have everything deleted as a form of protection."

        "That's illegal," Anabel answered. "Though we want to do everything in our power to protect the people left on this list, we are incapable of entirely erasing someone's personal data like that. You can rest assured that it was not our doing."

        "Then was it Team Remnant Rocket?" Silver wondered.

        "That's a high possibility, but that would make it nearly impossible for even them to track you. It's a drastic measure that would cut both sides off." Gold cupped his chin and went into deep thought. "I'll have to look into that."

        Silver looked at (y/n) noticing that he had come down to his last important question. Everything else would be answered throughout the rest of the meeting, but he wanted to know this now. (Y/n) nodded at him, knowing what he had left to ask.

        "How long is this protective custody thing supposed to last? If I have to leave this region, I want to know for how long."

        Gold grinned at him. "Leaving the region isn't necessary. If anything, you're safer here. I just need to keep you out of sight until..." he stopped himself, all happiness vanishing. "We can discuss that later. Just know, being here is the best thing for you right now. You'd be more at risk if we sent you back. I'm not failing my job again. I'm going to save everyone that I can." Gold let free a nervous laugh. "But honestly, you may have to stay out of public view for a bit. Anabel here has been looking into places for you to lay low until this all passes over."

        The purple haired woman slid another piece of paper over to them. "These are the locations that I've approved. There aren't many, but I hope you do take a liking to at least one of them."

        "Aether Paradise," (y/n) read the name off the short list with relief.

        "That one sounds safest to me," Silver declared without even considering the other options.

        "That was fast. You don't have any connections with anyone there, do you?" Gold asked. Their collective silence answered for them. "Then that won't work. Crys- The rest of Team Remnant Rocket, if anyone from that group is here, will find any connections you have and exploit them to get to you. That's not something we want happening." Silver noticed Gold's slip up, but he tried not to think about it. Maybe it really was just him overthinking. "You could come with me and hang out at the Battle Tower. It's safe there, and I'll be nearby to keep an eye on you."

        "No, that isn't safe," Anabel said. "It's not on the list for a reason. I can't regulate who enters and leaves the Battle Tower since it's open to the public. Anyone could come in under the disguise of being a challenger." She pointed at a name on the list. "How do you feel about camping?"

        "You can't be serious," (y/n) said. Silver reached over to touch her shoulder before she tore into the woman. He had noticed that she was growing increasingly irritated by the new information. His hair began to stand on end as he did so which startled Gold. Anabel remained unphased.

        "It's alright. I don't mind a little camping. It's a good idea, and I have Feraligatr to keep me safe. Murkrow is a good look out too. I'll be fine." (Y/n) still seemed against the idea.

        "Someone will have to bring him supplies since he'll need to stay on the campsite. You have my permission to accompany Gold only during that task. I can see that you are concerned, so it's only fair to give you this peace of mind," Anabel told her. "I thank you for your patience with us thus far, Wahine Uila."

        Gold blinked at her in confusion as Silver pulled his hand away from (y/n)'s shoulder. "So you knew?" (y/n) mumbled.

        "Not for certain, no. That is why I said we would need to confirm your identity. That was more than proof enough," Anabel spoke with a nod. "But we have more to discuss. It's related to the charges you accumulated while In Johto," she spoke to Silver. He knew it couldn't be avoided, but it still disturbed his current calm. Anabel handed him a form. "This is a formal report of all the charges you would have been responsible for if you had been arrested." Would have been? Was she saying what Silver thought she was saying? "That case was closed and you are dead according to the rest of this report. Considering those two factors, these charges are no longer valid. However, to ensure that you will not be pursued in the event that someone in the Johto task force decides to reopen this case, you have been issued a pardon for your cooperation in taking down Team Rocket. It was supposed to be your reward for when you returned from your last mission. I was told by Gold that you never made it back."

        "Then does that mean...?" Silver just wanted to be sure.

        "You never needed to run from anyone. You were protected under the law," Gold confirmed. "All you need to do is sign this form. Go ahead and read it if you don't believe me. I'll make a call back to Looker and have him get your information back and shipped to you in hard copies." He gave Silver the written letter given to him by the Johto police and signed by the champion of the region. An official pardon letter, and stapled to the back was a form that only required his signature to completely free him of all charges.

        He handed it over to (y/n) who was eager to read it. When she looked back up at him after reading the letter and smiled, he could no longer hold back his tears. Yet another burden was being lifted off of him. It just seemed too good to be true. (Y/n) hugged him, and he melted in her hold truly relieved. He didn't really notice Anabel's smile or Gold's own grin as he quickly rubbed his eyes.

        "You were also supposed to recieve this." Anabel decided to continue on as the atmosphere returned to normal. "It's a job offer, although it will take some time before you'll be able to apply." It was hard for Silver to read the words through his watered eyes. "Gold plans to leave his title behind as soon as this case is over, but the position will still be available. He was the one that thought of this proposal."

        (Y/n) was the one to take the packet of papers. As she skimmed over the details, her eyes widened in disbelief. "You can do this? Legally?"

        Anabel nodded. "Yes, we can. Since it is only as a detective, he won't be sent on any highly dangerous assignments unless he chooses to be promoted to being an official agent. The skills he displayed during the operation to take down Team Rocket were quite remarkable, or so I've been told." She glanced at Gold who was beginning to grow increasingly quiet.

        Silver was finally able to read the words in the job offer for himself. He would be able to choose a region to be stationed in and live there as an undercover detective for the international police. Even if he wasn't on a case, he would still recieve a salary to maintain his undercover identity, one of his choosing. All of his travel costs would be paid in full, and he would have access to the organization's network. "I could find my father," he realized. He would literally have everything he needed to do so.

        "But...there is one thing I should mention," Gold finally broke his prolonged silence. "You can't contact anyone from Johto or Kanto for a while. That includes me. Actually, I won't be able to contact you at all since I'm directly involved in this case. It's for the best either way." Gold looked at Silver with a little uncertainty. "And I wanted to apologize to you. I was on the project to help stop Team Rocket with you and Crystal. I never met you in person, but I did know that you helped us out even though it put you in danger. I'm sorry that I couldn't stop her from doing what she did. I should have been there sooner, and I should have said something afterwards. It's-"

        "Why are you apologizing?" Silver was genuinely confused. Gold hadn't been the one to stomp him off a cliff into a void. He wasn't the one who shunned him from the rest of the organization while he was there. Silver didn't even know Gold existed until recently. "Whatever it is that you're holding against yourself, I forgive you for it."

        Gold was left speechless. The junior detective tried to find the words he wanted to say, but nothing came from him. Anabel didn't take any more time to wait on him either.

        "There is one more thing that you need to know. Gold probably had no intention to tell you."

        Gold snapped to his senses and immediately protested. "That's not important. We can handle that ourselves."

        "It was apart of the agreement to meet here that you tell us everything we ask," (y/n) pointed out. "You even said so yourself. I know now that you wouldn't hold back any information unless you felt you needed to, but not telling us will only cause problems later on."

        Gold frowned but didn't make any effort to stop Anabel anymore. "It's sensitive information for you especially, Silver," she continued. "The Johto police have sent Crystal here believing that you escaped to this region. We have been unable to find the source of their intel, but someone knew you were here. Based on what I now know, it seems to be the same source who erased your records. Gold will be working undercover as a normal tourist to make sure Crystal does not gain any further leads. I will be doing my own investigation to clear your name from their list of suspects in the mean time so that she can be sent back. It shouldn't take long."

        It wasn't something Silver wanted to hear, but he wasn't upset like he thought he'd be. Gold's earlier mishap had made him suspicious, so he wasn't surprised either. "Thank you," he said. Anabel nodded and handed him a pen.

        "You can look over all of these forms. The only one we will need back is the one you'll have to sign. I will send Gold to meet you here again tomorrow. You'll be taken to the safe zone from there." Anabel gave an apologetic glance. "(Y/n), I'm afraid you'll be unable to accompany him this time. It's protocol."

        "I understand," (y/n) said. Silver wasn't sure if she was truly okay with it or not. Her expression remained unreadable.

        "If neither of you have any more questions, that will conclude this meeting. Please be safe on your way back home."
____________________________________

I am so very ready to get to the end of this book. Not because I'm tired of it, but because I'm proud of it thus far. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions. Until next time you spectacular readers!