Shadow Fire

The Director came upstairs, looking a little worse-for-wear, but relieved to be back. Thankful, he gave Ethan a Rainbow Wing, stating that it was a mystical item from when a different tower was in Goldenrod City.

Giving a nod, Link ran over to the switch, before stomping a foot down on it. A strange noise sounded, three platforms rising up from the ground between him and the treasure chest. Stepping stones of sorts.

Only then did Len lift his gaze, staring Haru in the eyes. "Haru..." he said softly. "My nightmare... when it calmed, I met your father's spirit. I think he knew how you're feeling. He's proud of you. He threatened to haunt me for the rest of my life and after, should I ever cause you another injustice. Your father... Takeshi Saito... loved you... and he still does." The prince lifted a hand to cup the other boy's cheek. "So please..." he pleaded. "...don't be sad." Len quickly leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on the older boy's lips.

The battle actually lasted a while, and Archer was showing himself to be quite competent. Still, he couldn't stand up to the younger trainer in the end, his last Pokemon finally going down. He was just about to say something when his phone rang. "What?!" he hissed, when answering it. "Oh... you. I thought I... Wait... say that again? WHAT?! But he... Ergh... never mind. We've failed. You know what we have to do. Tell everyone else. Okay, I have to go." Hanging up his phone, the executive clenched his free hand into a tight fist, before unclenching it. "I owe you an apology..." he muttered. "It turns out, that the Pokemon in question... belonged to Giovanni's son. It seems, he really does resent us. A grunt downstairs confirmed that it was... Silver... who attacked him. Well, regardless, you've proven to be quite the thorn in our side. I have no choice but to disband Team Rocket here, much like Giovanni had to do three years ago. You won't see us again, you have my word. Goodbye, Ethan." With those words, Archer threw a flash-bang down, and when the light faded, he was gone.

Link gave an exasperated sigh, before glancing around. The room seemed kinda... bare. There was a switch nearby, and an unlit torch. Which one to do first. On the other side, a treasure chest.

Len didn't move from his position. He still kept his embrace, still with his head rested on Haru's chest. "Mmh?" he murmured. "What happened?"

Archer sneered, shaking his head. "Sorry, kid..." he snickered. "Prepare to receive a pounding." The executive sent out Houndour.

Len kept his glance on Haru, his cheeks getting a bit red once more. "Haru..." he said softly. "Was your father truly disgusted, or... did he just need to absorb it in? And... why are you concerned about my reaction? I too... share this burden with you. Aoi's prince visited the lands, and I fell in love with him... even asked if he'd take my hand in marriage. But... he only had eyes for that Midori girl. I'm sure you know what happened next." The blond brought the older boy closer again, this time embracing him. The prince closed his eyes and rested his head gently on the older boy's chest. "You're..." he began. "...the first person since Rin to make me feel like I truly belonged."

Link took care of the other two, before climbing up the vines. They were rather rough, allowing him to grab on to them without worrying about slipping. Finally making it to the top, he jumped off to the right and glanced around. There were heaps of spider webs, and a nearby door. Silently, he walked to the door, and touched it, causing the door to open up.

Aiming first for the Bombling, then at one of Babalant's heads, the blond let the Gale Boomerang fly, watching as the twister effect picked up the Bombling, before it hit its target. The massive monster swallowed the explosive, giving a shriek of pain as that plant head dropped back into the poison water. "Now for the other one..."

Archer's eyes narrowed dangerously. Glaring at the trainer before him, he shook his head. "Looking so smug..." he growled. "Well, kid... you're treading dangerously here. So what say you tell me which one of your little friends owns that Feraligatr, and I may just go easy on you...?"

Len glanced back at the older boy. Now it was his turn to feel sadness for the other. Guilt hit him hard, and he reached up, his fingers curling into the other boy's hair. "Your fault?" he asked hesitantly. "Are you really sure about that?"

Dropping down to the ground below, Link ran over to the ladder, before climbing up. Making it to the top, he ran through the door, before returning to the giant vine wall, with strange spiders on them... 'Stalwall' as Navi called them. So, if I just shoot them with... Aiming his slingshot at one of the spiders, he let a seed fly, watching as it gave a high pitched scratching sound of death, before dropping to the ground and fading in a strange smoke.

Archer began losing patience. "Well?!" he growled. "Where is it?"

"I hope so..." he said softly, his expression getting a little more grim. "...Haru... your father... did he leave? Or... was it... my fault?" The younger male glanced away.

Archer was waiting in the broadcast room, so once he saw Ethan walk in, a smirk came to his face. "So..." he purred. "You must be Ethan. I've heard a lot about you. Your Pokemon gave us a bit of grief on level 2, but you still haven't learned your place. I want to see that Pokemon. Bring out your Feraligatr!" Nothing. Archer began getting a bit confused. "Okay..." he muttered. "Where did you put it?"

Len's smile faded, the boy glancing down. "I still have to tell your mother..." he said softly. "But I'm not sure if she will be as... accepting..."

Turning back to the treasure chest, Link opened it, bringing a slingshot into his hands. Wow... this looks good... and I even get seeds to use. Time to try it out. Turning around again, he aimed, and fired a seed at the ladder, knocking it down into place, giving an impish grin.

Silver gave a soft sigh as he finally arrived at Route 49. A chilly wind began to blow. The mountains were snowy all year long. "Snappy..." he said softly. "The Pokemon Center here will be the last one for miles. But we'll be fine... I believe in you." The Feraligatr blinked, before giving a nod. Never before had his master shown such compassion towards him. A toothy smile came to him. Ethan was having an even bigger effect on the human.

The prince gave a slight smile, letting his eyes close as Haru brushed his tears away. "I was truthful about my name..." he said softly. "It really is Len Kagamine. Most people knew me only as 'Aku no Ouji'." The blond felt a strange warmth in his cheeks.

A platform was in the middle of the room, over a small pit. On the other side, was another cliff face, which had a treasure chest on it. Link ran towards the platform, jumping on it. As he jumped across to the other side, he gasped as the platform fell, shattering when it hit the ground below. This is a problem...

Giving a blink, the blond reached for the door. Upon his hand resting on it, it began to glow, before opening up. Nice... it really did open.

Len gave a soft sniffle, before looking up at Haru. "Thank you..." he said softly. "I'm sorry... for everything... and for lying to you... about who I am..."

On his way to Route 50, Silver couldn't stop thinking about Ethan. "What could it be?" he mumbled out loud. "Why would he care so much? Why do I care so much about what he does... what he says?" Turning to Snappy, he merely grinned as the water Pokemon shrugged.

Link stood in front of the door, looking rather puzzled. How do I open this thing?