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Mewtwo's Lair

Reader mode
"Good luck, Wayfarers." Giovanni smirked like the name somehow entertained him. "I'll send you... my regards, when the time comes."

And as they left, and as Giovanni refused to elaborate on that cryptic message, the Wayfarers were one step closer to taking on the Twilight Quarry's depths... whether they were prepared or not.

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[Ch06] Friend? Foe? How about frenemy for now! [Giovanni & Silver]
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    • During the travel to the secret lair, Silver sobered up the weird energies infesting his aura and soul. With a clearer mind came clearer thoughts, but those clearer thoughts also turned into incessant overthinking, which plagued him even when they reached the lair.

    The members of the group had different priorities: Mhynt and Grace were concerned about Owen’s state, Koa seemed mostly focused on Ein, and Silver… well, he was actually thinking about their ally and, ugh, savior.

    While he couldn’t be angry at Giovanni for keeping his promise and bailing the group out of that horrible prison (gods, who knew what would’ve happened if him and Red weren’t around!), he couldn’t really shake off the awkward feeling of having Giovanni rescue them. Rescue him. Because he was too weak. Pathetic. Still too weak…

    Does that mean he has really turned a new leaf…? Silver wondered loudly in his brain, not wishing to linger on his insecurities any longer, his mind and heart working to piece together a coherent answer. Am I an idiot for having some doubts yet? What should I do…?

    Silver scoffed and shook his head, tired of all those mental gymnastics. There was only one thing to do to get to the bottom: have a talk with his inter-dimensional “father”.

    Doing his best to ignore the faint tiredness still shackling his body, he sneaked away from the others, his footsteps and movements as silent and soft as a thief worth their salt (ugh, painful mental image…), and set out to find Giovanni. Where could he be?
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Giovanni was down the hall. The door seemed to be open, and based on the quiet sound of pencil on paper, he was taking notes of one kind or another. Everyone else was asleep, but apparently, Giovanni favored working late into the night at times like these. It was a good opportunity to have a private conversation...
     
    It didn’t take long for Silver to pinpoint the origin of the sounds, what with the lair being extremely quiet at that late time. Once he reached the door, the redhead shot a quick glance at the room, then he stared intently at the Mewtwo.

    He tilted his head, automatically drawing some parallels between the Giovanni he knew and the Giovanni he had yet to know fully. Gathering research and comparing notes, away from prying eyes… yeah, that was very much on-brand.

    But that was more than enough staring! Channeling his usual spunk, Silver took a cautious step into the room, then a couple of steps more. “…Hey,” he announced himself, his claws waving in an awkward salute. “Am I interrupting something?”

    Despite the somewhat polite greeting, Silver cared little about the answer he would have gotten and stepped closer, his arm moving to his hip. It seemed like having unforgettable habits ran in the family.
     
    "Nothing of... time-sensitive nature," Giovanni replied as he stopped writing, pushing the papers aside to then stare at Silver. "Oh. It's you, of course," he said, that same entertained smirk returning to his face. "And to what do I owe this nighttime visit... Silver across the realms?"
     
    Silver quirked a brow, his head feather flicking casually. “Oh? Silver across the realms… You make me sound like the protagonist of some wacky fantasy sci-fi movie,” he quipped, his own lips curling into his trademark grin, before his face defaulted back to his neutral expression.

    “Anyway! I’m here because I’d like to discuss a couple of matters which I still find… well, let’s go with ‘puzzling’, I guess.”

    Silver tapped his chin, his gaze pensive. Perhaps it was best to start with the easiest topic.

    “Like back at the entrance of the dungeon. That Owen was such a persistent fella, refusing to stand down to matter how battered or affected by venom he was. And yet, when you showed up, he immediately became as docile as a tame Mareep.” He narrowed his eyes, vaguely remembering that the wild shadowed Drapion showed a similar behavior. “So! What’s the deal with that?”
     
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    "That one is a trivial question for me," Giovanni replied. "I have... a talent for harnessing the powers that dwell within the hearts of all Pokemon. Frustrated spirits want an outlet for that energy, yet they have no proper means to express themselves. Pokemon naturally recognize power. I show them promise. I command their respect, and they grant it. This is true for any Pokemon who has gone berserk.

    "All I did... was reach out to their hearts. Their bonds. Their desperation for someone to lead them. The one you call 'Owen' is no different."
     
    Silver tilted his head to the other side, mulling over that explanation, and his expression loosened slightly.

    Well, at least there was one extremely appreciated confirmation: Giovanni didn’t pull off any mind controlling or mind prodding despite being a psychic himself. That fact alone was a massive relief for Silver’s mind and mood because darn! Mental manipulation was without doubt one of the most dangerous powers the now-Sneasel could think of. And being doubly affected by mind powers prooooobably didn’t help much with his anxiety...

    However, reaching the hearts of Pokémon to command them? Hmmm… Wasn’t there a blue Pokemon in Unova or whatever who was rumored to have the ability to control any unruly Pokémon? Because of his… “steely heart” or something?

    “…I see,” Silver muttered at last, the curiosity glinting in his eyes. “Well, sounds like quite the fancy ability, especially if used under extremely stressful situations. And does that work with any Pokémon?” He leaned back, tapping his claws together and his inquisitive stare intensifying. “And what ‘bout with… oh, I dunno, humans-turned-mons?”
     
    "Humans tend to... resist it. Though they're still intimidated by my presence, naturally." Giovanni smirked. "But this power... much like my partner's ability to communicate so easily with them... is something that only works with pure Pokemon. Or, perhaps one where the human blood is faded enough."

    He shook his head. "I don't know the exact ratio or fading required. But I'm sure some Pokemon I've affected had a drop in the distant past."
     
    It took all brakes in Silver’s facial muscles to stop himself from dramatically rolling his eyes. He settled with a slow blink of his eyes instead. Gee! Turned a new leaf or not, you still have a penchant for dominance, don’t ya?

    “Pure Pokémon, huh…” he mumbled, his claw now flicking the head feather. While he understood and followed that conversation on a fundamental level, he couldn’t deny that the very notion of connecting subconsciously to a Pokémon heart evaded him.

    “Can’t… say to have any experience of how any that would even feel like. Creating connections… isn’t really my forte,” Silver admitted with a frustrated sigh, before his expression became more serious. “However, I do know that humans and Pokémon can forge strong connections that can draw out each other’s inner power. Which, I guess, might explain why our team is so varied.”

    He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “And I reckon this unique power is why you’ve been intent on learning all you can about friendship, right? Stronger links leading to greater powers and all that stuff? And since you and Red have two different ways to connect…”
     
    "You are correct," Giovanni said with his usual smile. "Very astute of you. Yes, it doesn't matter the path I take, so long as the goal is the same. I intend to seize ultimate power, and right now, the best way forward... is with this strange, mysterious power of friendship.

    "And really," Giovanni said, shrugging. "Who would stop me? Who would dare attempt to halt the cultivation of friendship but those who will be stomped out anyway? The way I see it... I will become the ultimate friend, unopposed."
     
    Silver barely suppressed a shiver, his eyes widening in startled awe. H-How could someone make freaking friendship sound like unadulterated nightmare fuel?! It took a very special and ominous talent to achieve such a feat!

    “Hmph. Right. Because putting together the potential of many is how you produce a huge power…” grumbled Silver, his mood growing bitter as he parroted the words his real father told him all those years ago. “And you think that becoming the ultimate friend, aka someone everyone would want to be friends with, will let you have the ultimate power?”

    Okay, that conversation was becoming stranger and stranger by the second. And even though Silver couldn’t label himself a Friendship Guru or whatever, he begrudgingly admitted that those stupid Newbark kids had rubbed something on him. Something… nice. And if even a resentful loner with deep trust issues like him could recognize that…

    “…Then let’s go a little deeper.” Silver took a deep breath, steeling himself for a topic he was neither prepared nor equipped for. “What is… a friend for you?” He stared squarely at Giovanni. “Who would you consider your friend, or friends?”
     
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    "Hmmm..." Giovanni brought two fingers to his chin. "Now, that's the question I am still trying to study. Most friendships result in... holding yourself back in such a way that you don't get very strong at all. Sentimentalities obscure strength.

    "But you asked that question as if you have an answer yourself. Tell me... what is a friend to you?"
     
    What is a friend to you?

    Getting his own question deflected sent Silver into a blank mental spiral. What is a friend?

    A part of him agreed with Giovanni: fostering friendships is a long and draining process, and some people might believe that all that time and effort could be better spent elsewhere. But Silver… he wasn’t among those ‘some people’ anymore.

    “A friend is…”

    Memories floated idly in Silver’s mind, and they became stronger and clearer as he focused on them and on the impact they had on him.

    “Someone who accepts you the way you are, regardless of your flaws and past…”

    He saw a young Kotone, whom he just rescued in the Burned Tower, looking at him with those big doe-like eyes. Despite knowing he was a thief, she still wanted to know more about him. She reached out, over and over and over, seeking a connection with him.

    “Someone you can trust with your secrets and concerns, without them judging you or backstabbing you…”

    Rodion, Lyle, Nova, Archie, Koa… they all took the revelation of his connection with Giovanni in stride, only showing support and letting him know that his upbringing wasn’t relevant. For them, he was still Silver.

    “Someone who always got your back, who’d be willing to walk across fire with you and for you…”

    He saw Ordile, standing protectively between himself and Elm, unwilling to return with the professor. The Feraligatr had confirmed his choice: Silver was his friend, his ally, and he wasn’t going to leave him.

    By that point, a tiny smile had touched his lips. “And you know a friend is a real friend when you’d be willing to do the same for them — with no strings attached, just outta the depths of your heart.”

    Silver sighed deeply and waved his paw almost dismissively. “I can’t say for sure if this answer is the right one, but I know it feels true to me.”
     
    "Hmph... I see." Giovanni frowned, somewhere between disapproving and pensive. "I've heard something similar from... adversaries in the past. People who do not share the same desire for power... but only friendship in and of itself. A... paradox of gaining power where they want none for themselves."

    He turned around, facing the wall with his hands behind his back.

    "It is... a mind-boggling concept. Something that I still need to study to harness without its setbacks."
     
    And in one fell swoop, Silver’s mood deflated, his ears drooping slightly. However, they stood back up just as quickly, and his temper began flaring up. He scowled indignantly at Giovanni when he turned around, then looked away with a scoff.

    “Tch! I used to have a similar mindset while thinking about this whole buddy-buddy business, y’know? After all, that’s how my father raised me,” he grumbled, the bitterness dripping audibly from his last words, and he began gesticulating. “Only pursuit results, tangible goals, logic, pragmatism… because emotions do nothing more than cloud judgement. They’re fickle, unstable, unreliable, irrational, and everything negative you can think of.”

    He glared again at Giovanni and took a step forward. Or rather, he stomped a step forward.

    “Well! Here’s a nice little nugget: friendship isn’t something that can be ‘studied’, but it’s rather something that must be ‘experienced’. Also, seeking friends isn’t mutually exclusive with the desire for power.”

    Another stomp.

    “Because, friends or not, I still want power! The power to crush whoever gets in my way! The power to be the very best!” He took some quick breaths, his anger abating, and when he resumed talking, his voice softened slightly. “The power to fix what’s wrong…”
     
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    "Hmhmhm..." Giovanni chuckled at that, seemingly unmoved, but Silver's outburst was enough to earn a turn-around again. The Mewtwo was once again facing Silver.

    "Then I suppose," he said, "when the time comes, perhaps one of us will be proven right. But for now, I am still in the middle of my... field work on studying this power of friendship and bonds. We will see, in due time, how easily it can be deconstructed into its most useful parts... Because in the end, we do have the same goals. The power to do what we want. To fix what is wrong, and push aside those who stand in the way... Don't we, Silver?"
     
    Silver held Giovanni’s gaze, relying on his bravado and raw spite to not falter under that overconfident aura. Gods, wasn’t it as irritant as ever!

    However, he knew that falling to the proverbial bait wasn’t gonna help him in any way; after all, behaving like a petulant brat didn’t magically make anyone’s arguments any more convincing or easier to drill into other people’s skulls.

    Deeming it best to hold back the bite, Silver breathed out a long sigh. “I guess we really do…” he conceded begrudgingly. “Our goals… aren’t really that different, even if our approaches are.”

    We really are the same…

    Silver shook his head to dismiss that chilling thought. He could only hope that Giovanni would open his mind a bit more in the future… even if that probably would take some Arceus-blessed miracle.

    “Heh, whatever! I’m not gonna stop you from continuing your studies,” he said, before flashing his own trademark smirk. “Not like you’d let me stop you, anyway! But if you wanna learn something on the field, well… how ‘bout I give you a little help?”

    Silver held his paw to Giovanni, his claws near fully retracted, offering a polite handshake.
     
    Giovanni tilted his head, thoughtful. Silver could recognize the social calculations he was doing in his mind at that very moment, weighing costs and benefits, risks and rewards. He was the same, in essence, even if his goals were different, his pathways altered.

    "Help in what way?" he asked, accepting the handshake with one of his own. Giovanni's hand was oddly... smooth, like a hairless cat. Which he was.
     
    Great, even the handshake felt awkward… Still, Silver kept smirking, ignoring the strange sensation.

    “Well! By trying to create a connection with you, of course!” he said candidly, his grip tightening slightly as they shook hands. And I’d rather not have you put me on your blacklist, just like it’d be best if you weren’t in mine!

    He dismissed the thought quickly, his grip loosening. “You want a test subject for this whole friendship business, no? I’d be willing to… try to make this work, I guess?” Silver shrugged with his free shoulder. “And who knows? Maybe we’ll both learn something from this experience! Or heck, perhaps we could even become… pals?”
     
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