Pokémon 1. Deja Vu

**Major: RedxGreen – yaoi**

**Minor: Other CharactersxGreen**

**Not my normal gender pairing but seriously has become my favorite couple ever since I rediscovered Pokémon due to procrastination. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.**

_**Déjà Vu**_

Snow was falling steadily down on the mountain face creating a curtain of white powder just thin enough to see only a couple of meters through. Rocks, angrily cut in jagged patterns, were softly veiled by frosted blanket. Nothing could be seen past nature's silent display, leaving the rest of the surrounding to the imagination. The only color in this monochromatic scene was that of an orange glow spilling out from a tiny cave.

The fire crackled violently as the boy pocked at the embers mindlessly. Red looked over at the entrance of the cave, peering over at the edge of the cliff as he had been for the past hour. He stared at the rocks for a good minute before Pika came over to gain his attention, tugging on his shirt. He looked over at the worried mouse Pokémon and then back at the cliff. ' He's late.'

The Pokémon Champion sighed and stood up. He breathed out while stretching his arms. ' He's never been late…',Red took one final glance over to the outside before walking further into the cave where his Snorlax had already situated itself comfortably. He sat down and leaned against the sleeping Pokémon. 'Or maybe he's just not coming today.' He sighed again and looked up at the cave ceiling.

Well, so what if he didn't come to visit today? It's not that he really cared if he, in particular, came to see him. Red was just lonely and wanted some company other than his faithful Pokemon friends already with him. In fact, it would be even better if some other person came to see him, like Blue, or Gold,...or any of the other guys yet, he had to make do with what he had. He just wanted company. Yeah, that was it… that was the only reason.

Taking off his hat, he laid it by his side where his hand touched a soft fabric. Turning his head he saw the blanket that was crumpled in a heap from previous use the night before. He looked at it unemotionally for a brief time before he picked it up. Red snuggled into the thick green blanket thinking more of the person who had brought it up to him on this mountain. Staring off into the fire, the flames danced for crimson eyes.

" Guess he didn't want to take the time to make the trip up here," whispered Red to himself as his Pikachu nestled into the blanket as well, "what a jerk." He only made conclusions that made his friend look callous, never once thinking that there could be another reason he didn't come to see him today. The boy closed his eyes, falling asleep to thoughts of his best friend. "…Green."

-X-

Crystal looked over the lab table watching Bonee and Mega playing in an open area on the floor. It was good to see them relaxed and enjoying their free time during one of Chris's rare breaks from capturing Pokémon for the professor. She was currently back at Professor Oak's lab and had volunteered to help him research the Pokémon that she had captured in her latest journey. Despite wanting to get back out in the field, she knew better than to push herself and especially her Pokémon too much. She turned back to her work and grabbed the next pokeball from a tray that she was studying. The pokeball released a Buizel that she remembered she had captured somewhere in the Sinnoh region a while ago. Before she could think of exactly where she met the furry creature, it immediately jumped on her knocking her to the ground.

"Agh!" she yelled in surprise.

Professor Oak came running from another part of the lab as soon as he heard her cry out. "Chris! Are you okay?" When he got to where she was laying on the ground his worry quickly diminished as he saw the Buizel excitedly licking his owner's face.

"I'm okay professor," laughed Chris trying to push the water Pokémon off of her, " I just forgot exactly how friendly these little guys are."

The professor sighed in relief rubbing the back of his neck, " Ah thank goodness, I was worried that you got mixed up with some of the not so cooperative Pokémon." Chris's Pokémon had already shown up to the side of their trainer when they saw her tackled down to the ground by another Pokémon. The Buizel looked up at two angered Pokémon and leaped towards them off of Chris. The Buizel's unexpected action startled Bonee and Mega, as they started running through the lab trying to avoid the hyper water Pokémon chasing after them. "Hey! No running in the lab!" yelled the professor chasing the three Pokémon around the room, "Chris! Calm down your Pokémon before they destroy by lab!"

Chris laughed at the comedic situation she saw unfold in front of her. It was times like these that made her wish things could always stay peaceful and happy. There had never been a time where her new friends could just be together unless there was some catastrophe that required them to save the day. She wanted all the friends that she had met to gather and just have fun together but she could never get everyone to agree to meet up. Apparently there was just not an important enough event to get all the Pokedex holders to take a breather from their respective journeys.

The young girl sighed wondering how everyone was doing since she had last seen them. She slipped into a daydream completely ignoring the professor and her Pokémon running circles around her.

_Scratch scratch_

"Chris restrain your Pokémon, please!"

_scratch scratch scratch…_

Bonee knocked down a stool that Buizel quickly dodged leaving the unsuspecting professor to trip and fall hard on the floor. The loud thump made all three Pokémon stop in their tracks. Chris immediately woke up from her daydream and looked over to where the commotion had stopped.

"Oh professor are you okay?" asked Chris running over to his side, " Everyone return to your pokeballs!" A red beam of light captured each guilty looking Pokémon and brought them into the balls.

"Well I'm okay now that…."

_Scratch scratch…scratch_

Chris looked up at the small sound.

"Wait! Shhh…" said the girl cutting off the older man. "Do you hear that noise?" The professor cocked his head trying to hear whatever the girl was talking about.

_scratch…scratch scratch_

The two of them looked at the door and then back at each other. Chris quickly got up and ran over to the door. Opening it, she looked down and gasped at the sight.

A small Eevee limped through the door but collapsed within a few steps into the room. It looked like it had been through a fierce battle from the several welts that decorated its body. The Pokemon was barely recognizable in it battered state, the brown fur tainted by a dried copper red. The most noticeable injury was the deep cut under the Eevee's eye, steadily bleeding small droplets onto the ground.

"Oh my…!" screamed Chris falling to her knees beside the passed out Pokémon.

The professor suddenly jolted from his place on the floor that he had previously fell and also kneeled by the hurt Pokémon. Carefully picking it up from the floor, his eyes began to widen as he closely examined it.

Chris grew nervous as she watched the professor's expression change. "What is it professor?"

" We have to tend to this Pokémon right away!" he exclaimed bolting up.

Chris quickly ran after him trying to keep up with the old man, surprised at his sudden energy. "What happened to it? Why did you look so surprised when you were looking it over?"

Oak looked back at the girl following after him. "I have no idea what happened to it but this is no ordinary wild Eevee," he said, his voice slowly fading as he looked down at the small Pokémon in his arms, " this is Green's Eevee."

-X-

A few miles away from the foot of Mt. Silver, a figure moved across the field on his horse Pokémon. A man, in a dark cloak that covered his entire body and face, rode atop his Rapidash is an almost frantic pace away from the mountain. If front of him, there was another smaller object that was also concealed held closely to his chest. Suddenly, the man pulled on the reigns of his Rapidash, stopping it abruptly from its gallop. The horse lifted it front legs into the air, fighting against the pull of the reigns. The man tightly held onto the bundle in his possession while he tried to calm the Pokémon down with his other hand.

As the Rapidash settled down the man looked back at the mountain. His eyes wandered across the rocks for a moment, focusing on nothing in particular. The man let out a low growl as he felt a heavy feeling inside himself knowing that he hadn't finished something very important.

"That damn little Pokémon," he said to himself, " how could I let it get away…" The stranger looked down at the bundle in his grasp. He slowly unwrapped the cloth just enough to reveal his prize.

A young boy lay unconsciousness wrapped within the dark material. The boy's hands were bound together on his lap while his arms were pinned tightly to his body by rounds of rope that painfully constricted his battered form. Tears in his purple shirt and black jeans exposed unsightly scrapes that oozed out mass amounts of blood. Splotches of red, soaked into the threads, marked injuries hidden beneath his clothes.

The man smiled maliciously down at his prisoner, using his freehand to turn the child's face towards him. A wound on the temple of his head had been hastily treated with a bandage wrapped around his head. Even with the crude treatment, streams of crimson continued to fall down his face. The same color stained strands of soft brown hair that rested before closed eyes.

" What a nasty looking cut," he laughed. He tapped lightly on the head injury making the boy unconsciously flinch. The man reached down to his side into a bag that was draped over his Rapidash's back. "At least it quieted this stupid kid, but just in case you wake up…" He took out a roll of thick tape, ripping off a broad piece, and covered the boy's mouth.

Laughing to himself, the man wrapped the child again and kicked the side of the horse with his heel. The Pokémon reared up again and broke out into a gallop when its front legs hit the ground. ' Feh, I doubt that weak little Eevee even made it to wherever he wanted it to go with the condition it was in,' thought the man as he focused on the horizon ahead of him, ' it's the least of my worries.' The high speeds created a wind that blew into an opening in the cloak, filling it with cool air. Inside the cloth, the boy began to shiver.

-X-

Up on the mountain, Red awoke to an unexpected shiver that ran up his body. Groggily looking around he wondered what caused the chill despite the heat emanating from the still lively fire and his Pokémon around him. Without a second thought, he brushed it off and wrapped himself tighter into his blanket, burying his face in its soft contours.

**Hopefully, it sounds familiar according to the manga. Despite its short length, reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Spite

**RedxGreen**

**Sorry, I know Green doesn't have an Eevee but I always liked the juxtaposition of the two together, not to mention the other comparison of those two with Red and Pikachu. Thank you for the reviews! **

**Just for reference for this story:  
>-X- means a change in character group<br>X means a change in time or location but with the same group of characters.  
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**This chapter: more questions asked than answered. **

_**Spite**_

_Hours later…_

" What could have happened to it Professor?" asked Crystal glanced down at the bandaged Eevee.

The man sat before his computer as a dial tone droned on throughout the room. After a moment of no response, he sighed and turned off the device. Oak looked back at Crys seeming thoughtful for a moment before he answered the girl, " I have no idea, but it looks that it has been through a lot." The man studied the tiny Pokémon again, looking intently at the wound under its eye. " I can't even get a hold of Green and that was at least my twentieth try dialing his number."

For the past couple of hours, Oak had been trying to learn of Green's current status but with all the missed calls and the lone Pokémon with them, he was beginning to assume the worst. Something horrible must have happened to the Eevee and its trainer was not to be heard from. Knowing his grandson, Oak knew he would never let this much damage befall any of his Pokémon, let alone get separated from them. So, then what happened?

" Well, that doesn't mean anything, right?" said Crys nervously, " He might be busy with a battle at his gym or… maybe he's sleeping." Crys inwardly cringed at her last suggestion, knowing full well that it was only late afternoon. Nevertheless, she was only answered by silence as the Professor immersed himself in his concern for the boy. The atmosphere of the room denied another sound, while Crystal left the man to his thoughts.

She stared at the sleeping Pokémon, the whole time trying coming up with different scenarios that could explain what happened, but nothing she thought of involved a good reason why this could have ensued. The girl closed her eyes and furrowed her brow in frustration. The whole thing was just a big mystery at the moment. If only the little Eevee could just tell them what happened instead of them playing these guessing games.

Crystal sighed and looked at the Pokémon on the table again. " I wish I knew what you were thinking," she whispered under her breath.

The Professor's eyes widened in realization. " That's it!" he exclaimed standing up and gathering the Eevee into his arms, " Crys, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that before?" Without an explanation, the man began to run out the door leaving the confused girl in her chair.

" Wait professor!" she yelled as she ran after him, " Where are you going?"

X

_Route 1_

Crystal breathed heavily as she followed the professor down the road, parallel to the setting sun. She looked ahead towards the older man's back that was still hunched over the fallen Pokémon in his arms.

"Where are we going, Professor?" she asked between breaths, " couldn't we have just taken care of the Eevee at your lab?"

They had been running for a couple of miles without any stops and the Professor was still keeping pace, almost pulling away from Chris. She was still amazed by his random demonstrations of youth that could rival any kid's energy, but this was just ridiculous! Where could they possibly go that was any better than at the lab that was practically its own Poke-center. ' All I said was I wish we knew what you were thinking,' thought Crys, ' What's that supposed to help?'

Oak ignored the girls questions for he was too preoccupied thinking about his grandson again. He hoped the boy wasn't hurt like his poor Eevee but he had his doubts. Sending all of the other kids into the different regions, he was well aware that they were bound to run into dangerous situations, but he had gauged all of their skills and could tell they could take care of themselves, especially Green. Nevertheless, he couldn't take any chances and rule out the worse possibilities. During their entire sprint, Oak could not shake off the strangest feeling of déjà vu.

'Hmm… yes, almost exactly the same I think,' thought the professor as looked at the Eevee in his arms, 'but that can't mean that Green was…"

"Professor! Look out!" screamed Crys. The man looked up to see a large tree only a couple of feet in front of him.

"Gah!" Oak panicked seeing there was not enough time to change his course. He tried his best to slow down a little but there was no way he wasn't getting out of this one. He did what he could see as the only next best idea and turned his shoulder forward so that he would take the brunt of the force. His priority was to save the Eevee.

_Crash!_

Crystal covered her mouth as she watched the professor run almost full speed into the tree trunk. Immediately after crashing, Oak's hold on Eevee loosened as it was hurled into the air. Crys watched the small Pokémon fly out taking a split second to react and run after it. Despite how fast she could run, she knew she could never reach where the Pokémon was going land in time. Crys closed her eyes and turned her head away, not wanting to see Eevee fall onto the hard ground.

"Kitty! Catch it!"

Crystal opened her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice to see Eevee resting on the back of a Butterfree. She sighed in relief and jogged over to the two Pokémon, looking around to see where the voice came from. A young girl with a straw hat dashed out from behind some trees and jumped towards Crys, wrapping her arms around the taller girl's waist. "Crys! It's so great to see you again!"

Crystal grinned down at the older girl and returned the hug. "Yellow! It's been so long!" she exclaimed as the stepped back from each other, " what are you doing here?"

"Well, I live here," Yellow answered matter-of-factly, "I mean, Viridian is my hometown, you know."

"Oh, yeah, I knew that," Crys rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment laughing awkwardly, " So, we're already in Viridian?"

Yellow smiled and continued, " I guess I should be asking you what you're doing here."

"Oh well, that Eevee over there came to us really hurt and when Professor Oak saw it he treated the best he could. Then I said something that made him just get up and run with it in this direction and then he crashed into that tree over there," she explained pointing in the direction of a dented tree, " Yeah, that's about the whole story."

A short silence ensued before the two girls realized what they had completely overlooked. "Professor!" they yelled in unison running towards the broken tree.

X

_Viridian City – Yellow's Home_

"Well, your Eevee is still asleep and fully healed now" said Yellow walking into the room with a bright smile, "How are you feeling, Professor?"

"I'm feeling much better, thank you," answered Oak turning his attention to Crys who was dabbing a cotton ball with some ointment, " it was only a little bump on the head and a few scrapes here and there. Ow!"

"Hold still Professor! You need get yourself bandaged up," said Crys, focusing on her work.

"Yes, yes, I'll hold still. Anyway Yellow, you must be wondering why we came to Viridian with that Eevee in that condition." The professor looked over at the young girl only to receive a blank expression. He coughed in his fist and continued, " Well, that Eevee was very beat up when it came to us and I did the best I could to patch it up. The severity of its wounds kept telling me that it wasn't hurt in any ordinary Pokémon battle. The whole time I was working with Eevee, I had this strange sense that I had seen the scenario before."

Crys stepped away from the man as she finished dressing his wounds and handed him an ice pack to put on his head. The two girls situated themselves on the couch directly across from the older man, listening intently to his words. " I felt that something had gone horribly wrong to get Eevee in that condition, some kind of brutal fight that was too much for it despite its level," explained the man as he turned his gaze to the ground, " In my opinion, is seems that someone, or something, was trying to kill the poor Pokémon, very similar to the way Pika looked when it had found it way back to my lab after Red's battle with Bruno and apparently Lorelei and Agatha a few years ago."

"What?" exclaimed Yellow, " Red's in trouble again?"

"No, No!" said Oak, " This has nothing to do about Red. He's still up on that mountain continuing his training or whatever he spends his time doing up there. This is about my grandson."

Yellow hesitated a little after hearing Oak's last few words, "…Green?"

Oak took off the ice pack on his head and set it down on the table. "The Eevee that we had brought to you is his. I fear that something has happened to him. I've tried calling him but he hasn't answered once." The man focused on the blonde headed girl, " Let me ask you, have you seen him at all around Viridian today?"

Yellow fidgeted in her chair, looking very uncomfortable under the professor's intense stare." Umm…well, I don't really see him a lot since he's always at the gym" answered the girl, " but now that you mention it, I did pass by the gym today in the very early morning and saw him locking the door. He waved to me and I think I remember seeing his Eevee walking with him…" The man sat back in his chair and meditated on what he had just heard.

" He left with his Eevee and now, Eevee is here and Green is missing," said Oak.

" Professor, like I said before, we can't assume the worst right away!" reasoned Crys, " I mean, maybe the two got separated and Eevee just got hurt trying to find a way back to Green."

"We all know that Green would never be so careless to lose any of his Pokémon, especially Eevee," retorted the Professor, " and I have tried calling Green several times on the computer but he never answered once: very unlike him too." He turned to Yellow again, "I brought Eevee here not only hoping you could use your powers to heal it quickly but also to read its thoughts so I can put my worries to rest."

Yellow nodded vigorously, " Of course! I'll do anything to help." As if on queue, the Eevee tiredly walked into the room. The three of them turned their heads in unison and watched the Pokémon in awe as it made its way to the center of the room and sat down. Yellow quickly kneeled down next to it, supporting the Eevee as it weakly called out. "Whoa, little friend, you're injuries might be healed but your still pretty exhausted. Don't push yourself too hard. "

_Eevee!_

Oak and Crystal crowded around Eevee. " I think it's trying to say something," said Crystal.

" Actually, it's not an 'it', it's a girl," corrected Yellow. Crystal's eyes shifted from the Pokémon to Yellow, a faint expression of annoyance lingering on her face.

" This is perfect!" said Oak, " Now that it…I mean, she's awake you can use your powers!" Eevee called out again, as if she was agreeing to the man's words.

" Oh, were you listening to us from the other room?" questioned Yellow, " You must really have something to tell us." The girl put her hand up to the Pokémon's head. "Well lets do this then." She closed her eyes, letting the images of Eevee's memories flow into her.

-X-

_Somewhere in Johto…_

Across the gold-tinted road, the sound of wheels rumbling echoed through the mountain pass. Gold rode on his skateboard through the trail between Blackthorn and his hometown, taking advantage of the quiet mountain road to have a little exercise before dark. Coming up to a ridge, he smirked slightly as he bent his knees. Before his front wheels reached the edge, Gold shot his front foot forward and stomped down the other on the tail of his board popping him over the obstacle.

" Yeah!" shouted Gold through the air. Mid-way through his jump, Gold felt his pokegear on his wrist vibrate vigorously. He landed firmly on the ground and slid his back wheels forward, gliding to a stop. "Now who could that be?" the boy asked aloud to no one. Gold removed his goggles and looked down at the device as he clicked it on.

"_Gold, get over to Viridian City right now!" _called out Crystal from the tiny screen.

" Whoa, what? No hello, Crys?" joked Gold, " Just straight to the demands, I see." The boy laughed out loud but slowly quieted down when he noticed the girl's glare through the device. " Tsh, still a serious girl as usual. Why do I need to go over there all of a sudden? I was just starting to have fun."

" _I'm not playing with you, Gold,"_ said the girl sternly, " _I can't explain now but Professor Oak is gathering all of us together._"

Gold's expression quickly changed as he finally sensed that something was up. "The old man wants us?"

"_Yes!_" answered Crystal. Gold noticed that she sounded extremely rushed and a nervous tone could just be barely made out in her voice. "_Now do me a favor and call Silver and pass on the news because I still need to get a hold of Red and Blue._" The receiver clicked off as Crystal's screen went black.

' Hmm, something big must have happened,' thought Gold as he went through his contacts to find Silver's name, ' It's about time we got a little action.'

-X-

_Mt. Silver…_

A faint light shined through the fabric of a discarded backpack sitting by the cave wall. Red's eyes snapped open at the sound of the rumbling vibrations, annoyed by the second interruption from his sleep. The boy sat up and ran his fingers through his raven hair, squinting his eyes at the light coming through the cave's mouth from the setting sun. 'It stopped snowing…and it's only evening?' he thought to himself as he crawled towards his pack, 'Why did I even go to sleep so early anyway?'

Rummaging through the bag, he finally pulled out his Pokegear that flashed _incoming call…_ in his face repetitively. 'Oh yeah, that's why.' Red stared at the screen for a while waiting until the device went dark again. He tossed it back on top of his bag and got to his feet to walk back to the dying fire. 'I bet that was Green trying to call just to say sorry he didn't show up or something,' thought Red as he sat down again and stared off into the distance, 'It was probably just a pity call.'

He felt pretty immature for ignoring the call but he was feeling really frustrated with Green and today just made it worse. Red didn't understand why, but he was becoming more annoyed with his friend lately. When he knew Green was coming to visit, he would get really excited, but when the other boy was actually with him, Red would act like he didn't really care if Green was there or not. He didn't know when it started, but their friendship had gone sour… well, in a one-sided manner, at least. Green didn't seem to be bothered by his behavior but continued to be the calm, stoic one as usual. He didn't even mind that Red wouldn't even thank him for the visit or the useful necessities he brought up the mountain. Red felt slightly taken aback when he thought in retrospect of his actions. Why was he even acting like that, anyway? It was all so confusing to him.

The pokegear vibrated again as Red shifted his glare in its direction. The boy huffed and pulled his legs to his chest, resting his cheek on his knees so that he would face away from the sound. He really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, especially him.

There was a slight shuffle next to him where he had left Pika asleep wrapped in the green blanket. The Pokémon's ear twitched as it lifted its head to look up at its trainer.

_Chuu…_

Red smiled down at the sleepy Pokémon and reached down to pet its head. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you, buddy." The phone was silent again by the time Pikachu had gotten up and began stretching its body. The mouse Pokémon cocked its head slightly to the side, silently questioning the boy. "Don't worry about it. C'mon, let's find a little food now before the sun completely disappears."

_Pika!_ Red stood up and watched Pikachu scamper out of the cave completely energized only after mere seconds of waking up. As he bent over to pick up his hat, the phone went off again making the boy flinch in frustration. He put the cap on his head and turned his back to the device. Red took one step but hesitated, looking back at the tiny glowing screen fighting with the feeling that he should answer it. Instead, he picked up the blanket off the ground and began to walk out the cave with it wrapped around his shoulders; the whole time feeling the butterflies grow in his stomach the further he walked away from the call.

-X-

A chilling wind blew gently from the west through the quiet road. In the dead of night, the small town had already fallen asleep save for a few houses that struggled to shine their pale lights through the darkness. Taking advantage of the lightless new moon, a hooded man lurked in the shadows, moving as quickly as possible towards his intended destination. His pace was held back, however, by the load he carried on his back for he was unable to use his Rapidash without the threat of being seen. Where he was going was not his final stop but more like a detour attraction. He didn't have to visit this place, but the man always made a point to pass by before he went back into hiding. It had become habitual long before they defiled what he held dear.

Stopping in his tracks, a tall tower stood before him. At the very top, a red light could be seen against the twilight, flashing every so often atop a thin antenna. The visitor frowned as he turned his head to look back at the covered hindrance weighing him down. The man pulled at the cloth, exposing only the boy's head that was resting on his shoulder.

"Look. Isn't it repulsive?" he asked, knowing he would not get a response.

The child was still passed out but thankfully the wound on his head had stopped bleeding, leaving trails of dried blood down his face. The man smirked at the sight and adjusted the other's body more comfortably on his back. Glancing one more time at the building, he took off to the North and disappeared into the rugged terrain leading to Rock Tunnel.

**Sorry, Green's part was really short but I don't like giving too much information in one chapter. Anyway, I was going to wait until the next chapter to wake him up and get him being his great self again. Hopefully the area that they were in at the end was pretty obvious despite efforts to make it obscure. Reviews are always appreciated**


	3. Tangled Web xEDITEDx

**Thank you for your reviews again. I'm sorry for not updating for awhile but to make up for the lost time I made it long. This chapter was a pain. I rewrote each section several times and cut out huge pieces but I still hate it. I can't stand writing the 'build up' parts of stories. Excuse me if it sounds like crap but after a month of writing and editing this, I just want to throw it out already. Please enjoy.**

**This story takes place right after the Gold, Silver, Crystal chapters and before the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald chapters. Therefore, the characters will only consist of the first seven dex holders and possibly any of the other supporting characters in those chapters.  
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**_-Tangled Web- xEDITEDx_**

**Sorry I hated this chapter so much I had to go through it again and change a few things. The basic storyline is still intact but some things were added and cut.  
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Yellow walked across the room, stopping to pick up her guests' empty cups of tea that she had served earlier. She smiled gingerly as each of her friends thanked her for the gesture before she disappeared back into her kitchen. In her living room, Professor Oak and Crystal had already been joined by Gold and Silver who had arrived within hours of each other in the early afternoon. It almost evening already and the two hadn't been told why they were even called there; Oak refused to say anything of the matter until every expected dex holder arrived. Red hadn't answered any of Crystal's calls so the only one left to wait for was Blue.

The two boys were lounging on a couch facing the television with Silver in control of the remote. Gold mindlessly stroked the fur of the tiny Pokémon in his lap as he tried to feign interest in the news channel that Silver seemed all too focused on. The dominating silence in the room was becoming overbearing, but no one else in the room seemed to mind. He slumped over the arm of the couch, his waning patience already falling into utter boredom.

Groaning loudly, the black-haired boy lazily shifted his gaze to the Professor. " Hey Prof, why won't you tell us why you called us here already?" called out the young breeder twisting the rest of his upper body to face the man, "We've been sitting here for hours. Do we really need to wait for Blue to hear what you have to say?" The professor made no move to answer his questions but continued to stare at the wall in front of him from the small coffee table. When the boy opened his mouth again, Crys waved her hands in a silent signal for him to stop. Gold blinked in confusion only receiving a sullen look from Yellow, who stood in the kitchen doorway with a fresh ice-pack in her hands.

Crys quietly made her way to Gold putting a finger up to her lips. " Shh, just be patient. He's not in the greatest state right now and it's not something he wants to repeat."

The boy stole a glace at the professor then moved in closer to Crys. Behind her, he could see Yellow taking a seat next to the man holding the icepack in front of him. "Is it because he's got a bump on his head?" he asked naively.

Crys looked shocked for a moment before she shook her head vigorously. "No! It's much more serious than something like that!" she exclaimed as quietly as possible.

Oak placed the pack on his head while Yellow gently patted his free hand muttering a few words that Gold could not make out. The solemn nature of the scene worried him a little but the general reticence of it all peaked his interest even more as his curiosity began to overflow. He noticed that the girls and the professor were acting different but was it really that serious? He returned his attention to the girl in front of him and whispered in her ear, "Well, why can't you tell me what's going on then so we…"

The Eevee in Gold's his lap suddenly perked up as she looked around aimlessly with her ears standing on end. She leaped down onto the ground and dashed across the room to the windowsill at the front of the house. Yellow cocked her head to the side curiously and moved to the window behind the excited Pokémon yipping to the sunset. Looking up into the orange sky, she could see a silhouette of a figure hanging onto a balloon-like form in front of the reddening sun. Squinting to get a better look, her eyes brightened when she realized who it was. "Guys, I think it's Blue!"

Crys sighed in relief while Gold jumped out of his seat and ran over to the window. Blue's timing couldn't be any better to get her out of answering that question. She was about to follow but stopped to look back at Silver who was still focused on the screen in front of him. "You seem remarkably calm," she said cautiously, "Why aren't you curious about this whole matter?" The red-haired boy simply shrugged at her question. The girl shook her head and began walk towards the door. "Well, c'mon. Let's go welcome Blue with the others."

Silver stood up and watched her walk away before he returned his attention to the news. On the screen, an image of an enormous building that had been heavily damaged appeared, the scorched walls and broken windows documented from behind police lines. With a camera transition, the picture focused on an old man in a finely pressed suit surrounded by the microphones and cameras of the eager media.

The boisterous voices heard from outside divided Silver's attention as he slowly inched away from the screen. The moment he heard Blue's voice he rushed out the room, the television abandoned. The device was left to entertain itself as its last few words fell on deaf ears of the last person in the room.

" _We can assure you there is no immediate danger from the robbery since the experimental item was unsuccessful. Thank you for your concern and cooperation on behalf of myself and all of Silph Co." _

-X-

Keys clicked constantly as an old man in a white lab coat typed furiously on the computer before him. The light reflected a white glare on round spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose, while weathered gray eyes were lost into the screen. Finishing his report, he breathed out and sank back into his chair. The man sat there for a moment before he rotated the chair around and stood with the help of a cane hanging on the armrest. He slowly shuffled across the room to where a lone examination table stood. He took a hold of the clipboard hanging off the table, taking note of the name at the top of the paper.

"Green…"

On top of the metal structure lay the unconscious boy that the man had been charged to look after. Green had been brought in almost two day ago and has since been undergoing treatment for the majority of the time. Despite all efforts to help him recovery, the boy showed no signs of waking up, all thanks to the blunt shot to his head.

The old man frowned down at the youth. " How could he go so over board like this?" he asked softly. He gently ran his fingers through Green's hair, pushing the long bangs out of the boy's eyes. The sight of the large wound hidden under those brown locks only made one wonder if the boy would ever wake up. It was a much too brutal injury to inflict on anyone, let alone one his age. The stitches would heal the damage on the surface, but who knew what was going on inside. "He definitely went too far."

The full extent of the rest of Green's injuries were now visible and had also been treated since his shirt had been removed. The majority of his body was tightly bandaged; the skin that was visible: blemished with repulsive bruises and shallow cuts. The scrapes along his legs were also attended to but for decency's sake, the doctor made sure to slip on the boy's jeans again when he finished wrapping the wounds. Through the crisscross of bandages, wires ran to several monitors around the table, each presenting their insight on all of Green's vitals.

The old man shook his head as he looked the child up and down. "Poor thing, he seems to only be a young boy," he said out loud examining a monitor near the table, "It's a shame he had to be caught up in all this."

"Still talking to yourself, Dr. Reynolds?" came a voice from above his head, "you really need to spend more time out of the lab."

The old man closed his eyes in irritation at the taunting voice coming through the intercom. " I did what you asked me to do," said the doctor, " He hasn't woken up." He glanced at a large mirror on the side wall. Just how long had he been watching him behind that one-way mirror?

"Hmm, guess I hit him too hard…I forgot he was just a kid." The intercom clicked off and the door flew open into the room. A pale hand reached into the room while the rest of the other man's form stayed in the shadows. "Come with me," the hand beckoned the older one to follow him out of the room, "I want to show you the progress I've made with the other projects." The doctor sighed again looking down at his patient for a final time. The other man began to walk away as the elder turned on his heel to follow him out of the room.

…

Green heard a strange noise… like the muffled sound of a door clicking closed. He couldn't be sure though. It sounded slightly off, coming to his ears as a hollow echo as if he was hearing it from underwater. Funny, it did feel like his head was swimming.

He cracked one eye open, immediately regretting it when a bright light greeted him from above. Turning his head away, he immediately shut his eyes and he tried to block out the light with his hand. Big mistake. Green gritted his teeth as a shock of pain traveled through his entire body. His head dropped back down to the table, the metal clanging under the weight of his head. Who knew such a small movement could be so painful. There, he lay still taking deep breaths as he waited for the pain to subside.

'Where am I?' he thought, carefully craning his neck up. Even at the minimum elevation, he could already get a good idea of why his body wasn't cooperating. '…and how the hell did my body get so messed up?' His face contorted in confusion as he looked down his body: bandaged and wired from every direction. What a mess.

The last thing he could remember was beginning his climb up Mt. Silver and then…nothing. He tried to think of what happened between then and where he was now, but a throbbing pain in his head increased the more he tried to dig further into his memories. Green breathed out in annoyance of his incompliant thoughts. Meditating for a moment, he closed his eyes and laid himself back down patiently waiting for the memories to flow.

Images flashed though his mind and just as quick as they appeared, faded back into darkness. A gray sky, blood-stained snow, a shadowed smile. Green's eyes snapped open when the image of Eevee's receding form came to an abrupt end. Pieces of what he could only assume happened only confused him more as the pounding in his head intensified.

The boy sighed giving up on the task to save him from the unnecessary trouble. He might as well just figure out where he was at the present. A sudden noise caught his attention that traveled through the walls around him. Jade eyes shifted to the side where distant voices echoed from behind a closed door across the room. Faint footsteps drew near as unfamiliar voices conversed with incoherent words.

'Maybe these people can give me a little information of where I am,' he thought, his gaze drifting away from the door. The recovered memories pulled at his conscious, demanding his discretion on the matter. 'But just in case they're not friendly…' Green closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep as he presumed his captors left him.

"The first group of tests were successful as I expected." The door opened slowly while two pairs of footsteps walked into the room, "I have high hopes for the second."

An older man's voice answered the first in a skeptical voice, "Yes, but they are two very different cases. You can't just expect the same thing to work on a child." Green furrowed his brow as the sharp clang of metal reached his ears.

"You are too conservative, Dr. Reynolds," retorted the younger, " You need to open your mind to the possibilities." The man chuckled, walking over the table where Green lay. He seemed to stare down at Green's body lustfully as his lips curved up into a daunting smile. "Besides, I have reformulated everything to cooperate with such a body," said the man running his fingers over the boy's form. Green barely caught himself before he could lash out at the uncomfortable touch, holding his breath as the hand came to rest on his cheek. "He will help me realize my dream…our dream." The last few words came out in such a low whisper that only Green could have possibly heard them. In those words, he could have sworn he heard an unexpected tone of emotion...sorrow.

'Our dream?'

Turning away from the boy, the man hastened to the door. "Make sure he wakes up soon. I'm tired of waiting."

"Wait, Ageku," said the elder. The man stopped in his track, his hand on the door's handle waiting for the doctor to talk. Reynolds glanced over at Green before returning his attention to his partner. "I am here only to watch over this child's safety; I will not participate in the actualization of your demented experiment." No matter how cold he tried to sound, he knew that the other man would not be affected. The doctor looked away from the other's hollow smile and with that, the door slammed closed behind the man.

Reynolds sighed as he turned to the contraption that the man left on the counter. Staring at it in abhorrence, he pushed it into an open drawer and quickly closed it. How could things come down to this? The doctor leaned on the counter tiredly, resting his forehead in his hands. This was wrong.

Behind him, Green quietly pushed himself into sitting position ignoring his body's painful detest. He glanced over the white room around him, his eyes coming to rest on the other being in the room. Swinging his legs off the table, the boy kept his eyes on the old man's back watching for any signs of detection. 'He might be old, but these guys are up to nothing good." A grimace formed on his face with the thought of the other man's hand on his face. '…Nothing good at all.' The machines around him resounded high-pitched tones as Green swiftly pulled the wires off his body.

The old doctor whipped around to see the young trainer already off the table, using the metal structure as support for his body. "You're awake?" The man grabbed his cane resting beside him on the counter and quickly made his way over the injured boy. "What are you doing? You're body is in no shape to be moving about yet."

As soon as the man placed his hand on Green's arm, his patient promptly pushed the doctor away from himself. "Don't give me that," calmly said the boy, " I heard you and that other guy who was in here talking. I'm not about to be anybody's experiment."

Sure, he didn't know exactly what they were planning, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out. Green took a deep breath, preparing his aching body for unpleasant task ahead as he propelled himself to the door.

-X-

"…and then Eevee traveled from Mt. Silver all the way to Pallet."

The room was silent when Yellow finished her story of what she saw in Eevee's mind. Her words had barely just sunk in but there really was nothing anyone could think to say after such an ornate tale. Eventually, the cry of the small Pokemon broke the silence triggering the anticipated reactions.

" No way…"' whispered Gold. Beside him, Crystal tried to calm the emotionally tormented Pokemon.

" I don't believe it," mumbled Silver leaning on the wall. His eyes fell to the ground, his arms crossed in defiance, " I can't…"

"Professor, this has to be a joke," said Blue, " that's way to crazy of a story to be real, right?"

Oak stood with his back to the group staring out a window into night. Throughout Yellow's entire recount, the old man did not say a word but instead, chose to block out her words at the expense of hearing it all again. It was amazing that he too, along with Eevee, stayed in the room at all but Yellow and Crys knew he was taking it hard. It was to be expected, though. Green was his only grandson and the youngest of his small family. To know he was victim to a violent attack must have been devastating.

Crystal took a hold of Blue's wrist pulling her attention away from the Professor. The younger girl shook her head, "No, we know it's true because of the condition this Eevee was in before Yellow healed her," Crys whispered, "From Eevee's memories we can only hope that Green is okay too."

Gold jumped up from his seat looking determinedly around the room. "Why aren't we at Mt. Silver and trying to find him!" the boy exclaimed, "He could be frozen solid by now!"

"Weren't you listening at all?" asked Silver from across the room, "The guy in the cloak had him in his arms in the end so Green probably isn't there anymore." Eevee keened for her trainer again.

Gold bent back down to gather her up and cradled the depressed Pokemon in his arms, looking up at Silver accusingly. " Now look what you did. You made her upset," said Gold getting a sour look from the other boy in return.

Crys pulled Gold back down onto the couch, "Stop messing around you two." She reached over his arms to gently pet Eevee on the head. "You guys are just making it worse for her."

"Guys, the one we should be worried about right now is Green," shouted Blue, "he's missing and all of you are acting like it's not a big deal!" The younger kids stared at her, stunned by her sudden outburst. "What?" The brunette looked down at the others questioningly as the others turned away to escape her glare. "What?"

Yellow cautiously looked back at the older girl, "…umm, it's just that we didn't expect you to care so much." Blue looked almost offended by the statement as the other girl continued to fumble over her words. "I mean, like you don't usually get worked up over other people."

Blue seemed a little flustered from the accusation but quickly brushed it off. "It's not like that," she said coolly, "…It's just out of association." The girl turned away from the others to escape their watchful gaze. "Getting back to the point, what about the attack on Green?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Crys sighed heavily. "He probably didn't even see it coming."

"I guess the guy wasn't kidding when he said he's been watching Green," said Silver, "It seemed like everything was planned from the beginning all the way down to what side of Mt. Silver Green would be on."

" He did, didn't he?" said Blue regaining her calm composure, "Hmm, Mt. Silver…wait, isn't that also where Red is?"

An awkward silence followed before everyone else grasped the obvious. Yellow pulled down at the side of her hat as she shook her head in distress. " Oh no! Red wasn't answering his pokegear either when we tried calling him yesterday!"

" Do you think he got Red too?" asked Crys worriedly.

" Crap, this is getting really serious!" said Gold, ""We've got a huge rescue mission now!"

"Will you guys calm down, " shouted Blue quieting the room again, "we don't even know if Red is gone too."

"Well, you brought it up!" answered Yellow standing up in defense.

"Don't worry, he's not." The group turned to the unexpected voice as Professor Oak turned away from the window. " If I remember correctly from what you said of Eevee's memory, the man said that he was only interested in Green." The young trainers closely watched the man move towards them, some slowly nodding to his words. " Red, is most likely still somewhere in that mountain and has no idea about this whole matter." The children exchanged looks, completely taken aback from the Professor's unnatural seriousness.

" So what do you want us to do, Professor?" asked Silver.

Oak closed his eyes in deep thought for a moment before he spoke. "I apologize for asking you all of this, but I was hoping that you five would go out and try to find my grandson," he declared.

"Of course we'll do it!" said Gold, holding the Pokemon arms length away from himself as Eevee cried out in approval, " but wait, how do we know where to get started?"

"Well…we don't know," stated Crys, " but hey, maybe if we ask around the surrounding regions someone might be able to give us a lead."

" That's a really good idea, Crys!" exclaimed Blue, " We should split up into groups so that we can cover more ground, though."

"Alright, then its settled!" said Gold excitedly. The boy ran over to the other side of the room and promptly grabbed on to the arm of a confused Silver. "Silver and I will be a group," he firmly declared.

"What!" shouted Silver in shock, " you can't just make decision like…."

" Okay, so that just leaves us three," interrupted Crys.

Blue shook her head. "No, you and Yellow will be a pair," she said, "I'm going to go find Red on the mountain and make sure he's okay too. Plus, he should really hear about what happened. Green's his best friend, so he deserves to know what's going on too."

" Thank you all for doing this for me," said Oak tearfully, "This really means a lot. I just hope you get to Green in time…"

" Don't talk like that, Professor!" cried Yellow, " we will definitely find your grandson and bring him back safely. Besides, Green is way too tough to go down so easily." The other trainers nodded reassuringly to the professor as Yellow's words brought a small smile to his face. " Just get some rest," said the young blonde, "we'll start our search first thing in the morning."

" By the way Crys, do you have your portable transporter with you?" asked Blue.

The other girl cocked her head to the side in confusion. " Yeah, I do. What do you need it for?"

" I need to pull out Articuno from my box," she answered, "I want to get up to Red as fast as possible."

-X-

The moment he swung open that door, Green was greeted by what seemed like an endless darkness. Despite his initial hesitation, he advanced into the unknown in a full sprint as the apprehensive voice of the old man faded behind him. His body was screaming out from all of his unhealed wounds but he forced himself to endure. There was no way he was going to let them have their way with him.

The pitch-black surroundings had forsaken him from any clue to where he was but there was no turning back. He had escaped that place, but now he was lost in a void where he was essentially blind.

Within moments of escaping the light from the white room, he found himself running full speed into a wall. Serrated stone thrust into various parts of his skin, his cry echoing throughout the expanse around him. Green fell back onto the ground trying to hold back the tears welling in his eyes from the torture his body was going through. He lay still for a minute, tightly grasping onto where a particularly sharp rock cut into his lower side as he felt a warm liquid trickle through his fingers.

Gritting his teeth, the boy slowly picked himself up using the wall as a guide to inch towards an aimless direction. This entire escape spelled disaster and he knew it. Green had no idea where he was and he was in no shape to deal with these trials. If only he had any of his Pokémon to help him find a way out, or at least light this dark abyss. Yet, there was no use dwelling on what could be; he was on his own.

He had dragged himself a stretch of what seemed like forever in the dismal environment. Stopping to catch his breath he turned to look behind him, listening for any noise from any pursuers. He felt uneasy relief from the silence that ensued for the initial seconds but it soon fell to a commotion coming in the direction he was heading. The boy whipped his head around to see a faint golden glow shining a few meters in front of him; the quiet sound of footsteps followed. Green froze as he stared at the approaching light. He quickly backed up against the wall and held his breath trying to make himself as still as possible. The sudden motion strained his injuries as his blood-soaked hand clutched harder onto his gash on his side. Waiting for the pain to dull, he looked back at the light. The source had already lessened the gap a considerable amount and was now close enough to take on a distinct shape. Green's heart skipped a beat as a pair of ominous gold eyes hovered in the darkness staring directly where he stood.

He could hear another set of footsteps stop shortly after those eyes had set their gaze on him. How did they find him in the dark place? The fear finally started to take hold of him but he immediately pushed it away. There was no way he was about to give up here. He wasn't about to be anyone's experiment. Adrenaline rushed through his body as he settled on his final move. Taking a deep breath, Green pushed himself off the wall and charged directly at the two unknown forms.

Narrowing his eyes, he stared back into the golden orbs that reflected a sense of menacing eagerness at the boy. The point they were about to collide, he swiftly maneuvered to the side eluding the creature that lunged towards him. The boy smirked as he jumped towards the spot he heard the other footsteps stop. In an instant, Green had successfully made contact with the hidden form as he drove his boot into a mass that elicited a man's cry. Green landed on his knee, his smirk still intact while the man fell to the ground. A growl reverberated from his right where those ominous eyes turned towards him again.

'A Pokémon?' Green instinctively moved backwards on the ground, his hand brushing over loose bedrock beneath him. He looked down at the blackness below him then back at the nearing threat, grasping onto the large rock. The unknown Pokémon roared as it jumped at him again. With a strained surge of energy, Green hurled the blunt object at the Pokémon smashing it directly into its face.

The boy quickly stood up and ran back over to where he could hear the man beginning move. Then man was knocked back down, pinned to the ground with Green sitting on his chest. The boy lifted the man by the collar of his shirt, feeling the glare of the older male through the darkness.

"Call him off!" demanded Green needlessly pointing in the direction of the still whimpering Pokémon.

There was a pause before he was answered by an unnerving laugh that rang out though the surroundings. Green kept his grasp firm not conceding himself to be provoked out of his upper hand. The young trainer slammed him back down into the ground as the man continued to chuckle. "You're a little firecracker," the man said, his hands suddenly around Green's wrists, "and what if I don't?"

Green slammed the man into the ground again. "I don't think you're in the position to be playing games," he growled.

"Alright, I'll call him off," declared the stranger," but first, tell me, how's that body of yours doing?"

Green was taken aback by the strange question. Why did that matter at a time like this? Just then, a warm sensation ran down the side of his face dripping down onto the man's face below. The boy's eyes widened in horror as he came to realize of the agony his body was in. In mere seconds, the wave of adrenaline that had numbed the pain washed away, leaving him defenseless. The faint flavor of blood seeped onto his tongue as Green's body suddenly collapsed on man.

The man pushed the boy up causing Green to slide down into his lap, his hand latched onto the younger's neck. " Such short-lived vigor but I must commend you on your valiant escape attempt, " teased the man, amused by the fingers clawing weakly at his hand, "but you won't be leaving anytime soon…Luxray! Thunderbolt!" Green was flung off the man towards the sound of a familiar growl from the Pokémon behind him.

A bright flash filled the area in an instance. In that brief moment, Green seemed to be falling backwards in slow-motion as he saw the unknown world around him.

'…A cave?'

His eyes fell to the figure that stood before him. Just before the bolt of electricity entered his body, bright emerald met with emotionless ice blue as Green finally looked upon the face of his captor.

The boy's scream made him cringe while he watched the smaller form get electrocuted before him.

"…Again."

The bolt traveled through the already limp body, mercilessly tearing through every cell in Green's body. As the light of the second thunderbolt faded, their world was thrown back into the familiar darkness. The man stood still for a few seconds staring in the black void where he knew the motionless boy lay. "…Luxray, use flash," he finally commanded. A blinding light was emitted from the lion Pokémon, the revealed surroundings confirming the identity of the cave around them.

The man looked down at himself staring apathetically at the scarlet blotches that stained his clothes. Wiping the droplet of blood off his face, he moved stand over his young victim. He took the time to study the unraveling singed bandages around the boy's body: soaked with fresh blood. "One has to possess a very strong will to have the audacity to pull of what you did," he said looking down into those glazed brilliant eyes, "that is one of many things I envy about you, but it's not what I require of you."

The man reached down to his belt where he pulled out a single pokeball. A temporary red beam appeared from the container leaving a Machamp in its wake. The large Pokémon glowered down at him, clearly conveying its hate for the man: very strange behavior for a Pokémon towards a trainer. The man only closed his eyes in annoyance as he fidgeted with something in his pocket. The four-armed creature looked as if it was about to tackle the man, but the it suddenly stiffened and fell to its knees.

A sigh escaped from the man's lips as he watched the Pokémon obediently fall into a docile nature. "Please don't make this any harder on yourself than it needs to be," said the man despairingly, "Now go ahead, pick him up." The man pointed to the ground just behind the Pokémon. The moment it turned to see the boy on the ground, the Machamp frantically rushed to Green's side.

Remorseful eyes watched the Machamp carefully lift the barely conscious child into its arms. It interested him to see the Pokémon using the utmost care to tend to the boy, but it was to be expected from the two's relationship.

"Your trainer has already been though a lot without you and his other Pokémon," whispered the man from behind the Machamp, " Unfortunately, I cannot offer any solace for there is much more in store for him." The man began to walk away from the scene, motioning the two Pokémon to follow him.

Yes, the Pokémon was indeed Green's but he had to wonder if the Machamp should still call him his master anymore. Luxray bounded happily beside his trainer as the man looked over his shoulder at the distressed Machamp following closely behind. His eyes fell on a foreign contraption wrapped around the large creature's neck. A sense of pride swelled inside the man, masking the previous guilt that influenced his mind. Despite the immorality of it all, he couldn't help the excitement of his greatest accomplishment. After all, it was for a good cause.

The Machamp looked over the boy in its arms mournfully knowing there was nothing it could do for its trainer. Green's blurry vision barely made out the face of his Pokémon staring down at him. He tried to smile reassuringly to his friend, his eyes beginning to droop from exhaustion. Loose bandages came fully unraveled from his body as green eyes finally closed, the dressings falling to the ground to be forgotten in the somber void.

-X-

"Pika, how about we work on your agility skills a little more now," said Red to the mouse Pokémon on his shoulder, "I think Snor and Poli have done enough for today and deserve a good rest." The two addressed Pokémon sighed in relief, both looking worn down from their recent training session. The boy brought out their respective Pokeballs and returned then into the orbs before turning to his Pikachu. " So, ready to get started?"

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew against his back coming from the over the cliff. He turned his head to see a large blue bird flying above his head, slowly lowering itself down. Stepping back a few steps, he held his hat down on his head while Pikachu clung onto his shoulder against the strong winds.

" There you are!" came a voice from behind the giant bird's wings, " I've been looking all over this mountain for you!" The trainer of the Articuno frantically jumped down into the snow as soon as it landed. The girl took a deep breath shaking off her anxiety from riding the giant bird. Red watched her turn to the Pokémon with a pseudo confident smile, affectionately thanking it for the ride. The bird seemed to nod in return before being recalled back into its pokeball.

'Wow, she's really doing good with getting over her phobia,' thought Red as he smiled and waved at her. "Hey Blue! Long time no see," he called out. His grin faltered when his greeting was only returned by the threatening scowl on Blue's face. The brunette marched right up to the boy and jabbed her finger painfully into his chest.

" Do you know how long I've been searching for you?" angrily yelled the girl, " This mountain is huge and it would have taken ages to find you if I didn't have Articuno to help me."

"Heh, yeah Mt. Silver's pretty much a pain like that," laughed Red gently pushing her hand away, "what are you doing here?"

The girl sighed before looking tiredly back up at him. " I'm here because we have a big problem that you _would_ know about if you had picked up our phone before," lectured Blue, "Crys tried calling you multiple times two days ago!"

The boy's eyes widened as he heard the last few words. So, it wasn't Green that was calling him? He felt a slight twinge of resentment towards his once expected guest, but at the same time, a subtle feeling of disappointment lingered below the surface.

" Crys was the one trying to call me?" asked Red looking off to the side.

Blue put her hands on her hips keeping her glare on the young Champion, " You were just ignoring the calls? Oh, that's just great! Who did you think it was?"

Red stayed silent for a moment staring down at the snow beneath his feet. " It doesn't matter," he mumbled. He felt like such a jerk for assuming it would only be Green who had been calling. His crimson eyes shot up to look back into hers. " Why was she calling?" he asked, trying to change the subject, " and why are you the one coming here if she wanted to talk to me?"

" I'm here because I volunteered to make the trip all the way here instead of getting started like the others!" For a moment, Blue's glare somehow became even more frightening. Her body trembled in pent up irritation but she soon wilted.

The girl shifted her attention down to the ground and crossed her arms looking unusually insecure. " I'm sorry," she whispered turning away from him. Red watched her slowly wander towards the edge of the cliff. He noted her quick change in behavior and slowly followed Blue to the edge. Standing beside her, he looked in her direction waiting for her explanation.

" What's wrong, Blue?" he asked softly.

The girl did not turn to him when she spoke. Instead, she only whispered the news that was barely audible for Red to hear. "…It's Green." When the name reached his ears, he clenched his fists as he began to understand the true intentions of Blue's visit.

Blue did not explain immediately, only continuing to stare off the summit. The butterflies in his stomach began to grow as Pika quietly whined on his shoulder. Red stood in suspense as he waited for the other trainer to fill him in. "What about him?" he asked cautiously. He also shifted his gaze to the scenery in front of them, trying to let the peaceful sight calm his nerves.

The girl finally turned to him. Red was taken aback by the troubled expression behind those bright blue eyes. "He's gone," she said, "he's been kidnapped."

-X-

_**Flashback…**_

_Green looked up the large formation that stood before him, readying himself for the long difficult climb. The mountain loomed above him in an almost mocking manner behind the veil of tiny snowflakes falling from the gray sky. He always hated how these climbs started. Taking a deep breath, the boy gripped onto the rock and held out one arm for his Eevee to climb up to his shoulder. The small Pokémon looked up the summit and then back at her trainer worriedly._

"_Don't worry about the weather," said Green reassuringly, "I've dealt with much worse when I was still out on my own journey." Eevee shook her head in disapproval but after much coaxing, hesitantly jumped up Green's arm. She situated herself onto his shoulder as he began his ascent, anxiously scanning the snowy horizon. The boy smiled softly at the Pokémon's troubled expression, confiding words of comfort to ease his friend. _

_Fifteen minutes in, Green was coming up to the first ridge where he could take a break from his vertical climb. Unfortunately, the last couple of meters up had become extremely challenging with Eevee disrupting his focus every second. "Eevee, you're making this much harder than it really needs to be," said Green behind clenched teeth, "what's wrong with you, anyway?" _

_Since his feet first left the ground, she had been constantly jumping around his neck between each of his shoulders, peering out through the snow. It seemed like she was searching for something, but Green couldn't think anything around them that would make her so uneasy. The Pokémon just gave him that strange troubled gaze before she moved to his other shoulder again. _

_Green sighed as he reached up to another piece of rock jutting out of the mountain. Finding a firm grasp, he looked back down at the ground a little less than 100 meters away. 'I'm just a little behind schedule.' _

_Just as he finished his thought, Eevee gripped painfully tight onto his shoulder growling angrily at something above him. Green stared confusedly at his Eevee before whipping his head around to follow her glare. There he saw dark figure standing on the ridge above. _

_The stranger's black cloak flowed in the wind standing out in stark contrast against the white background. _

"_Who are you?" Green yelled up at the newcomer. An answer never was returned. Instead, a hand appeared out of the folds of the fabric, reaching down to him while he knelt down by the edge. _

_The boy hesitated, heeding his Pokemon's obvious distrust. Unfortunately, he wasn't in a position to make decisions, for there was really no where to go but up. Eevee whined while her trainer cautiously pulled himself closer to the ledge. He paused just below the man but proceeded to reach up for the outstretched hand ignoring his own suspicions. The man's hand grasped surprisingly tight onto his arm. Green raised a brow at the man as he saw what he could only guess was a glint of a smile within the hooded shadows._

_A nod of his head and a horrible screech soon rang out from the distance startling the boy and his Pokemon. Both turned their head's to the sky to see a large mass flying directly at them. Green tried to react but he realized he couldn't move from his current position; the man's constricting hold around his wrist left his right arm immobile preventing him from pulling himself up. From this precarious height up the mountain, he was trapped. _

_Eevee growled aggressively before running up Green's arm to head butt the man. The stranger grunted as he fell backwards into the snow. Unfortunately, he still kept his hold around the boy's wrist yanking on Green's arm in the process. The boy gasped as he lost his footing from the sudden upward force, pulling the man back to the edge with his weight. Barely keeping the both from falling down the mountain, the hooded figure turned to the Eevee now frantically peering over the edge at her dangling trainer._

_Green looked up to see Eevee viciously shoved into the mountain wall. "Skarmory, do it!" yelled the man._

_A sharp pain stemmed from Green's lower back as the bird swiftly flew by his defenseless body. The boy held his scream in, confused why the bird only clipped him with its sharp wings rather than attack him full on. _

_Wide eyes turned to the retreating Pokemon when he felt something slip from his waist. Green's focus fell to where he watched his slashed belt of Pokeballs drop into the expanse below. He stretched his free arm down in a vain attempt to save his Pokeballs, but the orbs quickly disappeared from sight in the sea of snowflakes. _

_A menacing roar from above him soon stole his attention. On the ledge, a large bear Pokemon scowled down at Eevee that was growling back at the new enemy. _

"_Use fury swipes, Ursaring!" _

"_Dodge it, Eevee!" Green could barely see what was going on, but he trusted his Pokemon to handle things. The hold on his wrist tightened while Eevee easily dodged the larger Pokemon's advances._

_Eevee charged Ursaring and latched her teeth into its arm. The bear roared in pain while it flailed its body trying to rid itself of the other. Ursaring smashed its arm into the rock wall beside them causing Eevee to loosen her hold. With another jerk, Eevee was flung towards the ledge where she slid through the snow and off the edge. _

_Green in horror as he saw Eevee appear over the edge and began to fall past him. Without a second thought, he yanked his arm out of the man's grasp and pushed off the wall after his Pokemon. In midair, Green grabbed Eevee and held her close to his body while he watched the ground close in. He had to do something to slow their velocity or neither of them would survive the fall. The boy quickly looked back at the mountainside they were dropping by and reluctantly reached for it. He barred his teeth when he made contact with the wall feeling the rocks grind into his skin. Eevee was kept safe on one side of his body while the other dragged painfully against mountain, successfully slowing their fatal descent. _

_When they reached the bottom, Green dropped into the snowy floor and released Eevee from his protective hold. The small Pokemon clamored about her trainer, watching him breath heavily as he lay in the blood-stained snow. _

_The familiar ear-piercing screech rang out from the white sky. The bird flew down towards the two and landed firmly on the snowy base. Their enemy hastily jumped off its back and ran over to where the boy lay, stopping abruptly when Green tiredly turned his head towards the man. It almost seemed like the man was relieved that Green was still alive but the ease soon dissipated when Eevee positioned herself in front of her trainer. _

_Ursaring appeared from its Pokeball again and faced off with Skarmory against the small Eevee. Green strenuously pulled himself up, watching Eevee try to take on the two larger Pokemon while she dodged about and attacked vigorously. Even with its superior level, the double team on his poor Pokemon was overwhelming. If only he had his other Pokemon with him, Eevee wouldn't have to put so much on her shoulders. _

"_Take down, Eevee!" Taking it by surprise, the Skarmory was hit by the full brunt of her attack as it fell back to the ground. However, in a desperate last attempt, the bird swiped at Eevee with one of its bladed wings. Eevee tried her best to evade the attack but a sole feather was able to make a single slash on the other Pokemon. Landing in the snow, Eevee's balance faltered while blood dripped down from the gash under her eye._

_Green called out to his Pokemon in concern, "Are you okay?" Eevee turned to the boy, trying to give him a reassuring nod, but the way she was struggling to stand told him better. Sure, Eevee had been doing an amazing job keeping up with the other two she was battling, but she didn't manage to avoid every hit and her small frame had paid the price. _

_The now fainted Skarmory was recalled back into his Pokeball leaving the man fuming at the loss of his flying Pokemon. Green watched curiously while the man suddenly paused and looked down in the snow. With wide eyes, the young trainer saw the stranger kneel down and pick up his belt of Pokeballs that had fallen to the ground moments ago. Under the hood, Green could only imagine the triumphant smirk that was plastered on the bastard's face._

" _Thrash now, Ursaring," the man commanded a strangely lower tone. The said Pokemon roared again as it slowly flew into a rage. In a matter of seconds, it was rampaging everywhere in the snow. Nearby dead trees were torn through and rocks tumbled down from the mountain above where the Ursaring smashed into the wall. _

" _Get out of the way, Eevee!" Despite his yell, Eevee stood frozen in her spot watching the angered bear in fear. Green panicked when he saw the Ursaring turn and target his frightened Pokemon. In a last minute effort, the boy pushed his wounded body to where Eevee stood and knocked her out of the way, taking the full force of Ursaring's attack instead. _

_Labored breaths left Green's battered form as he beckoned Eevee to where he lay. The small Pokemon worriedly scanned the boy's body, whining by his side. In the background, they could hear the Ursaring still blindly rampaging through defenseless trees in its wake. "Eevee, I need you to run and get help," wheezed the boy, "I can't let you try to defeat this guy on your own."_

_Eevee yelped in detest, vigorously shaking her head and tugging on his shirt. "I'm sorry, but you have to do this and you have to do this on your own." They both turned their heads to the sound of crunching snow as the saw the cloaked man walking towards them. Green eyed the broken branch, from Ursaring's aimless attack, in the man's hand dragging through the snow. _

_Green turned back to Eevee who was already fiercely growling at the approaching man again. The boy sat up the best he could, positioning himself right in the middle of Eevee's line of vision. "Listen to what I'm saying!" exclaimed Green in a hurried tone, "You have to go now!" Eevee stiffened in confusion but reluctantly began to back away from her trainer. She shifted her gaze between the man and Green continuously before she turned and rushed off. "Don't you dare turn back!"_

"_You've made this more difficult than it should have been," whispered the stranger, "just give up already and come quietly." _

_Green looked back up to the nearing threat, his emerald eyes presenting a stoic willingness. "Why are you doing this?"_

_A short grunt of amusement followed his question. "I have been watching you, in particular, for awhile now." The man stood above the defenseless trainer, brandishing his crude weapon. "You are my key piece…yet, that is something that you don't need to worry about though," said the man, ""but you will soon find out!"_

_As the large branch was raised above his head, Green yelled out to his Pokemon's once more rooted form, "Go! NOW!"_

_She closed her eyes and ran away from the two, trying as hard as possible to block out the sickening crack heard from behind. Eevee fought with the longing to go back to save the helpless boy, but she knew just as much as Green that she was no match for attacker. Looking over her shoulder, she could only watch as the man picked up the unconscious trainer as the two disappeared behind the veil of snow._

**Thank you for reading. I know it wasn't my best writing but please be gentle.  
><strong>

**Notes: The rating will most definitely jump to 'M' by the next chapter. There will be another twist in character associations if it's not pretty obvious by now. Green will be going through a lot of shit from now on. The two kidnappers will become more dynamic in characters. **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated.**_  
><em>


	4. Disturbed

**Thank you again for all your encouraging reviews. Again, I apologize for the lack of updates in a timely matter, but the fall semester is getting very close. I will try as hard as possible to continue writing.**

**On a more important note: the rating for this story did change to 'M'. Hopefully, it's starting to become clear that this is a dark fic and as such, I advise you to use discretion while reading this story. By dark, I do not only mean angst but also full of explicit material only suited for mature audiences. There is a lot of twisted themes fueling the plot.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>-Disturbed-<strong>_

**PLEASE READ THE ABOVE FIRST**

In the early morning, a lone figure sat before one of several headstones decorating the quiet hall. The rays of light seeped in through the many windows, shining their brilliance onto the solemn scene.

The man had been there long before the sun had showed itself from behind the horizon. Staring at the marker in front of him, he merely sat in silence as he had always done the many times he had come to visit. Down the row of tombstones, an old man walked slowly towards the hooded stranger, coming to a stop beside him.

"Good morning, my boy," greeted the elder, "You must have been here very early to have beaten me here."

The other man turned to him and gave him a weak smile. "Good morning, Mr. Fuji." The greeting came out dry but at least it seemed genuine. He returned his gaze to the headstone, his smile slowly fading from his face. The two sat quietly, the younger man too distracted to carry on the conversation.

The caretaker coughed into his fist. "Here to visit your friend again, I see," he continued, kneeling down beside the man, "She's very lucky to have such a faithful friend as you to see her so often."

A short pause followed before the cloaked man let out a half-hearted chuckle. "I've been here since around four a.m.," he added slowly, "I thought I should try to make this a longer visit since I know I won't be able to come back for awhile."

"Awhile?" The question was simply answered by a quick nod. Mr. Fuji sighed knowing that the visitor wasn't the type for straightforward explanations. "That's a shame. I'm sure she will miss you keeping her company." Silence took over once again as the old man took the opportunity to pay his respects.

Finishing his prayer, he glanced over at the other man who continued to stare blankly forward. Mr. Fuji's mouth opened and closed as if he was struggling to decide what to say next. Turning back to the marker, he kept his eyes glued on the elegant curves of the words on the stone as he slowly spoke. "…I must say, I admire how much you come to visit your Pokemon's grave," he said cautiously, "but why do you always sit here so mute when you come by? Surely you have something to say to her since you care to come by the grave so much."

There was no immediate answer. After a few seconds, younger man suddenly stood making the older man squeak in surprise. Mr. Fuji held his breath hoping that he didn't offend the other by his comment. His company turned to him, another absent smile plastered on his face.

"Some things don't have to be expressed with words." The caretaker looked confused, hesitantly smiling out of despondent acceptance. How irritating.

The visitor took his leave from the grave, slightly peeved that his visit was interrupted by the old man's unrequited presence. Behind him, the caretaker watched him walk away, bothered by his strange behavior. "Are you leaving already?" called out Mr. Fuji. The only response was a nonchalant wave of the hand, the man not even bothering to turn around as he neared the exit.

Hidden under the cloak, a disturbing expression of bitter amusement appeared on the stranger's face. He inwardly sighed, knowing that the older man was still contemplating his last few words, but the old man couldn't ever possibly understand. Then again, no one could understand…that is, unless they shared a bond that he once had. Disappointing. To be so dependent on such a tired practice was that of such a primitive accord.

"Izaya."

The man faltered in his step, the sound of the name forcefully ripping him away from his thoughts. He stopped with the door a mere two meters in front him, slightly turning his head to the side, waiting.

"Come back to us soon."

Mr. Fuji watched the man walk out of the building, disappearing into the morning light as the door closed behind him. With a final sigh, the caretaker turned away and also departed from the grave.

_Forever Remembered, Forever Missed.  
>Rest in Peace, Dear Friend.<em>

….

He peered up at the rising sun then back down at the ground, a slight frown still present on his face. "Izaya", he mused. Stuffing his hands in his pocket, he walked briskly through the city. "What a troublesome name."

A frigid wind blew through the empty streets: a gentle greeting from the premature winter season. Holding his cloak closed, he embraced the gust, letting it dissipate his annoyance into a neutral semblance. He didn't have time to worry about such useless things.

He looked to the west, spotting the large mass of gray taking over the sky in the distance. Chuckling darkly, he stopped and took a moment to admire the threatening formation from afar. It was all too perfect; even the weather seemed to complete the stage for this world he would take by storm.

-X-

_Back on Mt. Silver…_

"Please leave."

Blue looked over at the raven-headed boy, unsure if she heard him correctly. During the long story of what had happened to their friend, the two had both ended up sitting on the snowy ledge: one recounting the event while the other sat quietly. The whole time, the boy had kept his eyes on the graying sky, his body leaning lazily back on his hands in an almost distant ambience.

Now, Red stared back at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "Excuse me?" asked Blue in astonishment.

Red sighed, drawing up one leg to rest his arm across his knee. "I asked you to leave," he declared in his usual confident tone.

The girl sat there for another few seconds as the boy's words began to sink in. "Leave?" she snapped, "Were you even listening to me this whole time? I just basically told you that Green has been kidnapped!"

"I know," answered Red with a lop-sided grin, "You should probably join the others already."

Blue froze, relaxing her fingers that were beginning to dig into the ground by her sides. Confused, her gaze lingered on the strange expression on the Pokemon champion's face. Red stretched his arms, nodding his head to silently signal his Pikachu that they were leaving. "Looks like it's about to rain," he said the coolly. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder when Red stood up and began to walk away from the stunned girl.

The girl stared at the vacant spot that Red was in a second ago, obviously confused. It took her awhile to notice that the boy wasn't in front of her anymore as her eyes shot up to her departing friend. She quickly pushed herself towards the other trainer and grabbed onto his wrist. "Wait! Where are you going?"

Red looked back at her innocently, lightly tugging his arm out of her grip. "Eh? Back to the cave I'm staying in, I guess."

"To get your stuff together so we can head out?" she asked expectantly, "I'll come with you and we can leave together." Red didn't respond. "I already told you that the others split up into groups," continued Blue, "so I was thinking maybe we can be a group and work together to find Green."

"…No," Red whispered.

"It will work better that way, and we can watch each other's backs," said the girl, oblivious to his answer.

"Blue…."

"That guy who took him seems dangerous, right?"

"Blue."

"So, you'll need someone with my cunning to get us out of some sticky situations if we ever run into them."

"Blue."

"And we can use your battling strength for…."

"BLUE!" yelled Red abruptly cutting her off. Above them, ever-darkening clouds loomed in an ominous warning of the brewing storm. The girl stared wide-eyed at the boy, her mouth hanging open in shock by his loud outburst. He looked back at her with an apologetic expression, speaking again in a softer tone. "I'm not going with you."

Pikachu looked up worriedly at the two trainers as an uneasy silence fell between them. Steady droplets began to fall around them, the storm announcing its arrival with a low rumble that shook the large mountain.

Blue searched Red's face, trying to reason in the champion's strange attitude. Instead, she found nothing on his blank façade. Something wasn't right. She expected him to have a different reaction; one where he would be angry with their supposed enemy and become determined to find his best friend. Never did she think he would be so calm and adverse.

"You better go and join one of the other groups," he said giving her that same crooked smile before turning away from her again. Pika hesitantly ran after him, looking back at the girl anxiously.

Watching his back, the girl stood rooted to the ground from the shock of his decision. He was still acting normal, smiling and being his usual friendly self, but then again, he wasn't. Unable to grasp the situation, she was only able to whisper the question that was repeating over and over in her mind.

"Why?"

Red could barely hear her over the falling rain. Not even acknowledging the question, he remained silent and continued to walk up the side of the mountain. Blue balled her hands into fists as she felt a combination of frustration, doubt and betrayal building inside her.

"What's gotten into you?" she called out, "You're being so selfish. Green would have never ignored you when you needed help and he very well proved that when you were captured by the Elite Four!"

Her last comment stopped him in his tracks, but he still refused to say anything. Trembling with anger, Blue turned away from the young champion pulling out a Pokeball.

A red flash of light appeared as Articuno's sharp cry rang out from behind him. Red listened to the sound of Blue's feet pushing off the snowy floor, closing his eyes to the cool gust of wind blowing against his back from the bird's wings.

The girl looked down at him from the angry sky, glaring down at him in utter disappointment.

"Some best friend you turned out to be!"

His eyes snapped open to her words. Whipping his head around, he only saw her receding form fly away atop the legendary bird. Turning his gaze to the snowy floor beneath him, he stood there unable bring

himself to watch her silhouette disappear into the curtain of rain.

He didn't move for a few moments, silently brooding. Pika cautiously moved towards the conflicted trainer in concern as Red's shoulders began to shudder. Slowly baring his teeth, Red let out a low growl and clenched his hands by his sides.

Rain continued to fall. A streak of lightning danced through the clouds, reflecting off the streams of water falling down the boy's soaking body.

Fur standing on end, Pikachu flinched away as his fist flew out and punched into the rocky slopes beside him. Red suddenly threw his head back, the bitter rage deep within his crimson eyes rivaling the glare of threatening sky above.

"GREEN, YOU IDIOT!" he screamed, his voice lost in the heavy downpour.

-X-

_East side of Johto…_

Gold slowly rolled along the dirt road on his skateboard, the red-head trailing behind him on foot. They had left Yellow's house early that morning and split up into their respective groups on their mission to find the missing dex holder. Only moments ago, the two boys landed in the Route 29 on their flying Pokemon to search for Green in their home region.

"Slow down!" called out Silver quickening his pace, "we don't even know where we're going." He sighed when Gold finally leaned back on the tail of his board coming to an abrupt stop. Catching up to the other boy, Silver looked at him expectantly causing Gold to groan in detest.

"Fine, I'll put it away," Gold grumbled kneeling down to strap his skateboard to his backpack, "I hate walking." Silver quirked a smile in triumph as the two continued down the path side by side. Unfortunately, the smile soon dropped, leaving the boys in an uncomfortable silence down the road.

"Well, at least we get to search around Johto," said the raven-headed boy trying to spark conversation, "nothing like a home-field advantage to get this show on the road, right?"

"Yeah, but how do we know he's even in Johto?" asked the Exchanger, "Our only plan was to split up in the possible directions he could go in from Mt. Silver. For all we know, he could be long gone in any of the further regions too."

Gold sighed at the discouraging comment, turning away from Silver who stared at the ground, clearly unhappy with the blind plan. Why did the guy always have to be such a downer?

His brows knitting in deep thought, Gold leaned his head back into his hands as the two retreated to their own thoughts. The two didn't say anything for awhile, a peace that Silver probably greatly appreciated.

Minutes down the road, Gold shifted his gaze to his friend taking note of the troubled look on his face. He wanted to say something, but the way the other boy looked so distracted by his thoughts made things extremely awkward to break the silence. Then again, the silence itself was getting pretty annoying to him too.

"…Hey, what's up?" asked Gold somewhat teasingly, "You've got that funny serious face on again."

Silver looked up wide-eyed as he was knocked out of his thoughts. Shooting a glare over at the other boy, he huffed when he saw Gold's amused smirk. "Nothing," muttered Silver, "just thinking it's still a waste of time we're looking here, that's all."

He knew that the Exchanger was lying, but he let him get away with it, not wanting to pry. "Oh, well I was just thinking the same thing too and I think I came up with something to prove you wrong!" Silver looked at him skeptically but nodded his head urging Gold to continue.

"I was thinking, Skarmory and Ursaring both can be found in Johto," said Gold, slowly choosing his words, "so who knows, maybe he's from here or something." Silver looked over at the Pokemon Breeder in astonishment. "What?" asked Gold raising a brow at him.

"Nothing; just didn't think you could figure something out like that on your own." Gold pouted, about to say something in defense. "…I still can't believe it."

The last statement took him of guard but he couldn't say he wasn't expecting it. Despite not addressing it directly, Gold knew exactly what the other boy was talking about. He could only guess it was what Silver so absorbed in a moments ago. The raven slowly calmed down, looking back up at the blue sky.

"Yeah…Gotta say, it's pretty crazy that something like that could happen to Green."

"I wonder what he's going through right now."

Gold looked at the other boy in shock. "Hey, hey, let's not think about that right now," said Gold, letting out an uneasy chuckle, "I'm sure Green is fine."

Silver opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of voices from ahead caught his attention.

The Pokemon Breeder turned to the noises, relief written all over his face. Already uncomfortable with the conversation, Gold ran ahead of him towards the commotion: the subject immediately dropped. The red-head sighed as he calmly followed the boy into a large patch of tall grass amidst some heavy brush. Weaving through the foliage, he reached a clearing where he could see Gold rushing into the upcoming town in the distance: Cherry Grove City.

-X-

_Rock Tunnel…_

The man stared into the darkness around him, clutching on to the fur of his Pokemon as he walked through twists and turns in the black tunnel. Being blind to the world around him was quite annoying but the last thing he wanted to do was attract attention by sending off a flash in the area. It was so convenient to have Luxray's eyes for these issues. Being spotted or even worse, followed by a passing trainer would be such a nuisance, especially today.

They had been walking for half an hour already, deep inside what he knew were the furthest unknown niches that the cave had to offer. Their destination was close. Ahead of him, he could finally see a thin gleam of light forming a line from the cave's ceiling to the floor.

He let go of his Pokemon guide and knelt down beside the lion's form, a pure smile adorning his face. "Good job, Luxray!" he said gingerly, "Thank you for getting me back here again." The Pokemon roared happily as it nuzzled into his open palm. He chuckled lightly while he pulled out a Pokeball from his waist, the soft sensation disappearing from his hand with a short flash.

The smile was quickly erased as he stood again and reached to the side, running his fingers down the wall. He paused over an off protrusion, lifting the stone panel to reveal a lighted keypad. Dialing the obscure code, a small ring declared the slow division of that wall in front of him.

Walking through, he made sure to close the deceptive gate lest there be another unwanted escape. They didn't need another interruption. The man didn't waste time as he strode across a small extension of the cave: dimly lit by the light coming through a large window that framed the familiar white room. Butterflies rose in his chest as he set his sights to the intended room behind the glass. Four doors were ignored, all passed up in favor for one isolated at the end of the tunnel.

He kicked open the door into the lab, cringing a little from the intense brightness flooding into the dark cave. Adjusting to the light, his eyes fell upon the centerpiece ahead of him. He only walked in just enough for the door close, unable to move his body any further into the room. He couldn't help but grin.

Across the room, he could see the unconscious boy lying on the examining table, this time restrained by numerous straps across his chest and limbs. Arms and legs stretched out individually on extensions of the table, Green's body was vulnerable to blatant scrutiny.

The boy was still a mess, even more so than when they brought him in the first time. Bandages, decorated with the occasional stains of crimson, covered almost every inch of his form, hiding the marred skin from sight. What skin that was visible was a much paler shade than its original hue, drained of all signs of life. The way Green looked now, he could have been very well mistaken for being dead. Regardless, the child was still alive.

Shuddered breaths escaped his lips under the oxygen mask tightly wrapped around his head, the hose snaking down to the newly installed gas tanks. A film of condensation formed on the inner surface of the mask, appearing rhythmically with each shallow rise and fall of his small chest. The simple task of breathing seemed so strenuous for the boy, as pained expression showed on his face despite is unconscious state. It was such a pitiful sight, but at the same time, an amusing one to boast.

"Good morning, Mr. Ageku."

The man sighed, his daze of admiration for the body before him disrupted by the simple greeting. He glanced to the side, spotting the doctor busily rummaging through a drawer.

"Reynolds."

The old man was un-phased by the unemotional response as he brushed past him towards the boy with a collection of bandages and ointments in his arms. Ageku slowly followed him over to the table, watching with mild interest as the doctor began to carefully unravel the bandages soiled by the boy's blood.

"Did you enjoy your visit today?" asked Reynolds, cringing at the revealed wound.

The younger man stared absently at the red liquid, watching it roll down the unsightly blistering skin. "I guess so," he muttered. Moving closer to their patient, he tried to get a better view of the injury being tended too. "Looks pretty bad."

"Thanks to your stunt of electrocuting the poor boy," lectured the doctor, dabbing the stitches on Green's side with antibiotic, "You're lucky you didn't kill him!"

Ageku sneered at his elder as he ran his fingers over the strap constricting the boy's wrists. "Maybe if he wasn't free to move around, I wouldn't have had to use force to bring him down."

"It doesn't matter! He's still just a young boy," retorted Reynolds roughly pulling at a spool of fresh bandages, "His internal organs may have avoided taking on damage but his skin was burned, as tends to happen when you electrocute someone covered in sweat and blood."

"Twice," reminded Ageku, obviously ignoring the doctor's accusing remarks, "I knew not restraining him would be a bad idea; you were too quick to pity when I brought him to you."

The doctor glared at the other man from over his work. "Oh, I'm sorry but when you said you had already found a test subject I wasn't expecting you to bring back a child!" he shot back sarcastically, clearly annoyed by his partner's behavior, "Once I'm finished here, you take care of the rest on your own…but unfortunately for you, he's not going to be awake for you anytime soon to carry out your little experiment."

The young man stiffened as the doctor smirked at him, now finished tying the new bandages around Green's midsection. Reynolds shuffled back over to the counters with the bottles and unused dressings, laughing lightly at the man's reaction. "Can't properly abuse someone's central nervous system without them being conscious, huh?" he teased, an underlying bitterness in his tone.

Eyes glued to Green's body below him, Ageku clenched his fists to the doctor's biting words. After awhile, the old man had reappeared beside him, casually checking the machinery wired to the boy's body since the other man had gone silent. Looking down to write a few details on Green's charts, the doctor was startled when Ageku suddenly turned away from the examining table and lunged towards the counter.

Reynold's watched with anxious confusion as the other man rummaged through the cabinets below, running one hand over several bottles of different chemical names while his other pulled a syringe out of an unmarked drawer. The old doctor crept towards the hooded man, raising a brow as the other seemed to find what he was looking for. "What are you…"

"Get out of my way!" Ageku roared, pushing the old man to the side, "I won't stand for anymore delays." The needle stuck through the cork plug, extracting a single dose of the clear liquid of the bottle in his hand.

Reynolds chased after him, latching onto his arm to prevent him from getting any closer to the boy. "Are you crazy? You could kill him with that drug," exclaimed the struggling doctor, "he's just a kid and you could completely miss when administrating the shot!"

"Will you stop using that damn case of his age!" growled Ageku, elbowing the elder to the ground, "He is perfectly capable for anything that I can and will throw at him." Standing over Green, the man freed the needle and raised the syringe over his head. With a crazed smile, the syringe was brought down into the sleeping boy's chest.

"NO!"

A sharp gasp slipped through Green's lips, his head thrown back as his body arched as far as his restraints would let him. A sensation of unwanted energy jolted through his tired body, awakening every inch of his weary form. His mind flew across a variety of thoughts he could not pinpoint while his gaze unconsciously tried to make out his white surroundings. Everything was moving too fast for him to recognize, understand or feel. …No, that wasn't true. His brain was able to register one certain perception. The only thing that was definite was how much he hurt. The pain was unbearable.

Ageku watched as the boy began to scream in anguish. With such malicious content, he couldn't help but be entertained by the sharp sounds that Green elicited from behind the mask. Only when the old man pushed him aside to tend to the boy was he once again brought out of his blissful daze.

"You idiot!" yelled Reynolds, his voice hoarse with concern, "I put him in an induced coma so he wouldn't have to endure this part of his healing process!"

Ignoring the doctor again, the hooded man walked around the table to stand beside the boy's head while the doctor pulled the needle out of his chest. Green's eyes were still tightly shut from the pain while his whole body jerked in protest against his restraints. He watched the strained movements in awe as Ageku snaked his hand around the smaller male's face and rested his palm on the boy's cheek.

The grin still present on his face, he nudged Green's face towards him. "Hello there," his voice chimed, "Welcome back."

Eyelids snapped open, he felt the virulent glare of those brilliant emerald orbs:

Beautiful.

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><p><strong>Short yet appropriate in length this time around. Red seems to be acting strange, right? Well, everyone is actually. At least one person in each of the formed groups will have some strange issue revolving around Green and all of them were just introduced.<strong>

**Yes, the stranger's name is Izaya Ageku. He will later be addressed with either part of his formal name. The origin of his name does not come from Izaya Orihara of "Durarara!" though. There is a reason I chose the name.**

**Please review and thank you for reading.**


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