Nate coughed as his body forced itself awake. His vision was fuzzy, and his throat felt dry. He couldn't remember what had happened. One minute he was fighting back, and the next he was here. He felt like he was laying down on a hard seat, but he couldn't sit up. His body was not responding. As his vision cleared, he stared across from himself to see Giovanni sitting lavishly. Giovanni's arms were draped along the back of his seat and his legs were crossed. Noticing he was awake, Giovanni smirked at him, casually telling him. "Like it? It's a mix of sleeping powder and paralyzing powder. I invented it. Among other things." Giovanni turned his head to look at something. Nate's eyes followed Giovanni's, causing his eyes to widen. At first, he thought that Giovanni had captured Mew. However, the pokemon walking just behind the cart was only similar to Mew. This pokemon stood on two legs with a thicker and longer tail. It didn't have Mew's innocent features, but it was hard to see with it wearing a strange sleek armor that covered its head and chest.

It was the size of a young adult human and had shades of purple instead of Mew's pink skin. Nate had never seen a pokemon like that. Giovanni's eyes returned to Nate, telling him softly. "I call him. Mewtwo. Another ungrateful trophy that turned on me... but look how obedient he is now." Nate started to move his fingers, but Giovanni was unfazed by it as he told him in a nicer voice. "Traveling through time and dimensions has really opened my eyes. It's helped me realize the things that are truly important to me. Things I'm not happy without." Nate shifted a little, starting to get control back as he asked bluntly. "Where are my friends?" Giovanni pointed off toward the back, telling him nonchalantly before asking sternly. "In the back. Are you listening?" Nate huffed, growling out. "No. And I don't care." Giovanni leaned forward with ease, bringing his face closer to Nate's, upon saying calmly. "Oh, Nate... I know now that this world can't be saved. But I can save you." Nate looked up, asking uneasily. "What?"

Giovanni straightened back up, informing him in a lifeless voice. "Do you recall... a few hours ago for you... that my younger self sprayed a chemical on Articuno? I said probably something about it making him stronger? More aggressive?" Nate nodded, vaguely remembering it. Giovanni licked his lips, continuing him a little grimly. "I called it a type of forced evolution. Helped my men a lot to win the fights that counted. The sample you saw me use came from things that I took from the lab on Mystic... before blowing it up to cover my own research." Nate managed to sit up, asking gruffly. "So? What does it have to do with me?" Giovanni blinked, staring at him as he told him bluntly. "Because I'm your only hope for a cure. Now let me finish so you understand." Nate tensed. He was infected? Giovanni took a breath and told him as clearly as he could. "You know I was trying to one up my mother? Well, in this present. I combined the power of a prism scale with the fossilized DNA of Mew and the isolated virus that Mystic was researching that made 'shiny' pokemon. Creating what will be known later in time as the Pokevirus. It accelerates the genes in pokemon to force evolution and increase their power to their limits without ANY training."

Nate shook his head, mumbling out. "So, you used me to learn about Shinies too... I thought you couldn't sink any lower..." Giovanni glared at him for a second but composed himself to continue coolly. "Yes. Well, I paid for it. Exposure to the Pokevirus is temporary for pokemon. Triggers them into aggressive behavior. In humans though... It accelerates the body bringing it closer to death. I learned that I had it when it was almost too late... But my friend Pryce helped me catch a Celebi to fix it." Nate's breathing slowed as he said softly. "Are you saying that I'm infected because of you?" Locking fragile eyes with Nate, Giovanni told him seriously. "No... I don't know when you'll get infected exactly... But I'm not letting it happen. I can't watch it... I'm saving you. Together we will finish what we started. We'll be together like we always should have been. Nothing will come between us again." Nate's jaw dropped, upon asking shakily. "What...? You think...? What came between us was your greed. You used me..."

Giovanni locked his jaw for a moment before leaning forward to snap out. "No. We were happy. You trusted me and HE turned you against ME! I never used you. I COUNTED on you! I've told lies to everyone around me. All to keep YOU safe! Until I could find a way to help you!" Nate shook his head completely lost but yelled back. "You HIT ME! You left me to take the fall!" Giovanni's face furrowed with confusion now. For a moment, he didn't seem to recall doing that, then told Nate confidently. "If I did that... It was to protect you from someone that was watching. Nathan... Everything I did was to work towards us being together. I've felt abandoned my whole life... I couldn't bare losing you. I've spent years of my life trying to help you... but he poisoned you against me." Nate leaned back from Giovanni shaking his head as he snapped out. "What? No. I don't believe you! You only care about Moltres... So, go fuck yourself!" Giovanni dropped down to his knees in the cart, reaching out to cup Nate's face in his strong hands. Nate tried to push him away with his tied wrists, thrashing his head to keep Giovanni from kissing him.

Forcing their lips together, Giovanni kept the kiss light and passionate like their kisses used to be. Tears ran down from Nate's eyes, but he wasn't sure why. His emotions were so muddled that he couldn't tell if he was sad, angry, or scared. Pulling reluctantly from the kiss, Giovanni whispered to him in a loving voice. "When I thought I was dying... All I kept thinking about was you. About all the things I'd do differently. Capturing legendries is just what I had to do in order to convince my people to come here... So that I could save you. I love you. I want you at my side once and for all." Nate curled his lips over his teeth, shaking his head. Giovanni brushed his tears away with his thumbs, adding so sweetly to him. "Nathan, please? The things that thing told you are lies... I'd never hurt you." Nate looked deep into his eyes, whispering to him with uneasy honestly. "Who are you talking about? Giovanni, I did love you once... but until you abandon Team Rocket... I just don't believe you anymore." Giovanni's hands lowered to Nate's shoulders to say in a hurt voice. "I see... That is ok. You don't have to believe me. But I'm saving you either way. Mewtwo?"

Giovanni smacked Nate's cheek just enough to turn his head in Mewtwo's direction. Nate winced, opening his eyes to see Mewtwo raising his hand toward him with his three rounded fingertips spread wide. Mewtwo's eyes turned a neon blue before touching his fingertips together... and everything went black. Toward the back of the group heading out of the water tunnel and up an incline into the mines, Mark listened to what he thought was Nate talking from farther ahead. He couldn't make out the conversation, but the tones of his voice sounded afraid. Tugging on the chains holding his wrists and ankles to the cart, Mark heard a member of Rainbow Rocket tell another. "Sounds like a lovers quell. Was there ever a time that they didn't fight?" The second member laughed, chuckling out. "Nope. You should have seen the older Nate back home. I heard he was sleeping with Giovanni one day and the next he was riding Moltres all the way to Giovanni's manor to set it ablaze! Reduced the place to ashes. Giovanni hunts him down. They fight and then he charms Nate back over to his side. Then they are back to normal before it starts all over again. The two of them get off on exchanging blows."

Mark stopped thrashing to listen more closely as the first member asked curiously. "Wait... So, Giovanni has this Nathan back home, but he came here to get him because...?" The second member groaned like he had explained this before, then stated out slower. "For fucks sake... Keep up, man. Older Nathan is dead. He contracted Giovanni's virus at some point in this time period. They both grew up infected with it without knowing about it. However, Giovanni got cured because Pryce captured a pokemon that had the cure. When Giovanni tracked down Nate to give him the cure and finally save him from Phantom's influence... Phantom saw the ghost repel bell in Giovanni's hands and drained what it thought was just a little of Nate's life as a way of threatening Giovanni into not using the bell, but it ended up killing him... because Nate's virus systems had gotten just as bad as Giovanni's had been before his cure. Giovanni tried to go back in time to save him, but Nathan was never easy for Giovanni to track down." Beside Mark, Sean whimpered around his gag having heard their conversation too. Mark glanced at Sean, then heard the man add grimly. "I wish I'd never witnessed it. It was horrible to watch... Nathan died in Giovanni's arms that night. And it's clear that Giovanni won't rest until he saves Nathan this time around... but he needs to capture the legendries to help convince more gangs to join us. So glad I'm not in his shoes."

The first member acknowledged the info, then said curiously. "Got it. But what about these two?" The second member huffed, chuckling out. "No idea. From what I was told, Nathan stole the Prism Scale and the jewel from Fire Island on his own. The war happened. The locals summoned Lugia, and everything here was fine. Our Giovanni's mistake was letting Nate go to Fire island alone. Apparently, being in Fire Island brought back bad memories and Phantom began feeding on his fear. Or possessed him and refused to let him go... If I remember that right. Maybe both. It was something about a cruel prank gone wrong. Giovanni couldn't hurt Phantom without hurting Nate. But Phantom was hurting Nate by twisting him full of fear and lies. They say it was what made their relationship so hot and cold. I've heard other stories, but that one seems more reasonable. The only thing I know for sure... Ghost types are fucked up." Mark shared a worried look with Sean. Sean had been right. Pryce coming back in time had drastically changed how things had happened.

That unsettled Mark. Whatever way Nate had gotten infected wouldn't be the same way as before. Looking over Sean, he tried to see if there was something that he could do to get him free. Sean hummed to him to draw his eyes, then looked up at his hands. Mark watched him pull the chain tight and saw his hand twisting within the shackle. Sean had such thin wrists that he was able to slip free. Mark hummed back at him, shaking his head to make him put his hand back before someone saw. Then shaking his ankle, he tried to show Sean that even if he got his hands free, he wouldn't be going anywhere just yet. Sean put his wrist back reluctantly, but Mark winked at him. They could use that to their advantage later. The mining tunnel was dim and dripping wet like it had been drained of water recently. Was this the flooded tunnel in Fire Town? If it was it was a clever smuggling tunnel. They passed working miners and pokemon in the mine that grunted as they passed. Some where even wearing bandages. After exiting the mine though, Mark lost his sense of direction.

The rain was coming down so hard that Mark thought he might drown laying on his back like this. The wind chilled him to the bone and the passing trees provided no shelter. It was an awful bumpy ride. Every now and again, he could hear the clashing of pokemon and gunfire. Yet, their group managed to avoid the blunt of it. Mark guessed it had to do with their connections with the attacking Valor patrols. Just when Mark thought the trip would never end, he felt the cart go up an incline and stop. Men began to shout orders to unload things and set up guards. A group of men with guns, unchained them from the cart and pulled them out roughly. Shoving them around the cart by their newly tied hands behind their backs, Mark took in Lugia's Shrine. Lugia's shrine was set on a seaside cliff. The ground was etched in circular designs and bordering the raised center circle were seven massive pillars that appeared to be made of solid blue crystals. As they were shoved closer to the center of the raised circle, they saw another raised stone platform that held a tablet with the prophecy carved into it.

Below the tablet was a stone statue of Lugia's open mouth with three different stone holders for the jewels. Giovanni gestured to a scientist to bring the jewel boxes to the shrine. The scientists rushed to set them down by the shrine, then went to look over the shrine more closely. Mark watched Giovanni completely confused. Was he going to try using the jewels? How would that help him? Giovanni picked up a box that had glowing images of Moltres on it, turning to Nate to say in a sudden gentle voice. "Nathan? Here. Call him. The sooner we get them. The sooner we can leave this place." Mark tensed, watching a strange pokemon in sleek armor walk with Nate over to the shrine. Mark couldn't believe his eyes. Nate wasn't tied or gagged. He walked willingly up the steps to Giovanni. Mark muffled out his name to get his attention, but Nate didn't even look in his direction. Nate stopped before Giovanni, staring at him with a blank look. Giovanni lifted Nate's chin, kissing his lips brief and lovingly. Watching Giovanni stroke his fingers down Nate's neck, Mark tried to pull against the man holding him. Something was wrong. Nate looked like he was sleepwalking. His reactions were so muted.

Giovanni pressed pictures on the sides of the box, causing the lid to pop open. Pulling the lid open more, Giovanni told Nate like a concerned lover. "Stay close to Mewtwo. If things go wrong, he'll keep you safe. Now... bring Moltres here." Mark tugged against the man holding him, muffling out Nate's name, until a gun was put against his neck. Nate started to reach for the jewel, when something in Nate's pocket began to shine. Giovanni and Mewtwo turned their attention to Nate's pocket, causing Nate to retract his hand from the jewel. Extending his hand out, Giovanni asked Nate curiously. "What is that?" Nate reached into his pocket and removed the Mega stone that Pryce had given him. Sean whined, stomping on Mark's foot and pointing out toward the ocean with it. Mark and the men holding them turned to look as a dark shadow started to grow bigger in the sudden swirling water. The whirlpool spun so fast and grew so large that men began to panic. The water spun up into the largest water cyclone that Mark had ever seen. It rose so high that it touched the dark sparking clouds in the sky.

Mark couldn't breathe as a dark form slowly swam up the cyclone and when it reached the halfway point, it burst from the cyclone entirely. The Shadow Lugia's wings shot out to the sides menacingly, causing the remains of the cyclone of water to fall all around his body. Shadow Lugia's blazing red eyes glinted as they locked on Nate. Jerking its head up, it let out an ear shattering screech that was distorted and unnatural. It was a screech full of pain and blinding rage. To Be Continued...