Chapter 1

Their story starts with a series of mistakes.

Firstly, he's heading to the lab to see what the professor wants, but gets distracted by a mop of vibrant red hair. He likes the color, he's even wearing his favorite, similarly toned hoodie. So like a moth to a flame, he's drawn to it.

That's mistake number one.

The second comes right after.

He walks up to the boy with red hair and announces his presence with a loud greeting, followed by puzzled questions as he realizes the boy is totally spying on Professor Elm through a window. The boy is startled, flustered even, and counters by yelling at him to "stop creeping up on people like a freak" and unceremoniously punches him. This leaves Gold shocked, insulted, and with an aching shoulder, because the boy used a lot more force than he looks capable of. So, instead of doing the smart thing and going his way, he presses on.

They end up in the lab, bruised and humiliated and being lectured on by the professor about proper behavior, which evidently doesn't include getting into fistfights right by his doorstep. The red head tries to slip out more than once, but Elm is like a hawk when he wants to. He adamantly makes them apologize to each other until he deems the apologies sincere.

"Good enough," he mutters after the fifth try and both boys slump in relief. "But that's not all. I think you need to learn something else too. And for that I'm going give you a little present."

They both pipe up at the word 'present'.

"Now, you must understand that there is a catch. You see, I'll be entrusting you both with a pokémon, but only on the condition that you learn to work together, and learn when it's alright to fight and when you need to back down." Elm pierces them with his gaze. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," they reply with lowered heads.

The professor smiles for the first time since pulling them apart on the yard. "Good. Now then, since you're going to be spending quite some time together, I suggest you get to know each other."

The red haired boy offers Gold a grimace. Gold swallows the angry retort that threatens to fall from his lips.

"Name's Gold," he says and offers his hand.

It takes the other a while to take it and even then it's with visible distaste.

"Silver."

His grip is firm and his voice really nice, now that he's not yelling. Gold feels a small shudder run through his back as he catches gray eyes. Then he hears himself asking if the boy wants to have a sleepover in preparation for their journey and distantly catches the affirmative response.

Inviting him over is one more mistake, doubled by the fact that Silver is an ass the whole evening, only feigning innocence before Gold's mother, and he definitely nicks Gold's favorite charizard figurine. Gold never gets it back.

-x-

They get their pokémon the next day―him, Silver, and a pigtailed girl named Kris, whom Gold has seen more than a couple of times at school but doesn't really know. She seems really nice though, a bit shy but friendly enough. Together they head out to the world, towards Route 29 and beyond.

Silver disappears before twenty minutes have passed.

Kris very nearly starts panicking and wants to alert grownups so they can look for him. Her plan is smart and sensible, but Silver's just not worth it. On Gold's insistence they push forward without him. They fight wild pokémon, even catch a few: a sentret for Kris, and a sleeping hoothoot for Gold. They reach Cherrygrove before it's even dark, and just as they're checking in to the pokécenter Silver turns up again.

"Where did you run off to?" Kris asks him when they're seated around a table in the cafeteria. "We were worried."

Since Silver's only response is a silent shrug, Gold points out that he hadn't been worried in the least. That earns him a glare, at least. The mood remains slightly awkward all throughout their evening meal although Gold tries his best to ease them into a conversation. Kris talks very little and Silver barely anything, so it's obviously a thrilling success.

Afterwards, as they're heading to their rooms, Gold notices something odd.

"Hey, Silv," he calls out.

Silver stops and turns angrily. "That sounds fucking dumb, stop it."

"You have new shoes," Gold says ignoring him. "Nice, where'd you get them?"

"None of your business," Silver replies and resumes walking.

Gold jogs after him. "C'mon, tell me. I could use a new pair, too."

Silver humphs.

Gold keeps bugging him until he gives in.

"Some old bugger gave them to me, alright!" He practically shouts. "I dunno why, stop being an idiot and buzz off."

Then he opens the door to his room, steps in and slams the door in his face. Gold stands there flabbergasted for a whole minute, before he realizes he's supposed to be sharing the room with Silver. He pounds on the door at least ten minutes until the boy lets him in.

The next morning Silver has run off again. Gold's not all that surprised as he gets dressed and eats some breakfast. All in all, he had kinda expected that. Kris meets him outside the center. She seems a bit odd, but Gold shrugs it off. Everything is going to be fine in no time with just the two of them.

As they're making their way through the city Gold spots an old man sitting on a bench. A strange urge makes him step towards him and ask if he's met a ginger with a permanent scowl on his face. It could've been any old man; in fact the odds were greatly against him. But the man laughs and says that he indeed has met someone matching that description, in fact he had caught him trying to steal his shoes.

"Really?" Gold asks in astonishment. Not because he doesn't believe Silver would steal something from an old man, because he totally would, but because the man seems so relaxed about it. "What did you do, then?"

"I gave them to him," he replies with a smile. "If you treat people with kindness they'll start believing in it and following the example. In his case, it might take some time but I'm positive he'll come around eventually."

Gold really doubts he will, but keeps quiet.

-x-

Reaching Violet takes longer, two nights on the road and a chance encounter with the famous professor Oak. Once they get there, they're both exhausted. Still, the first thing Kris wants to do, after they both register for a match in the local gym, is check out the Trainer School. Gold would rather not, so they decide to split up and meet at the pokécenter for dinner. With nothing better to do, Gold heads to the Sprout Tower.

The monks are cool and they teach him a few very good lessons on how to treat your pokémon better. What's not so cool is that he runs into Silver. The boy buggers off almost immediately after, but it leaves him irritated enough as it is. He decides not to tell Kris about it.

They end up spending almost a week in Violet City, because of their scheduled gym battles. Fortunately, they both manage to beat Falkner on their first tries. They celebrate by buying ice cream for themselves and imported poffins for their pokémon. Just as they're preparing to leave the city for good, they catch Kris' father, one of Elm's aides, who entrusts Kris with a recently discovered pokémon egg.

They make a short visit to the Ruins of Alph, before continuing on their way through Route 32 and the Union Cave which is a gloomy experience for them both. Gold rather thinks that all those hikers and maniacs who like to spend their time underground must have more than a few screws loose. It definitely doesn't make the situation any better when upon reaching Route 33 and the outskirts of Azalea Town it's raining and there's something fishy going on at the Slowpoke's Well.

Then there is Kurt and apparently Team Rocket, or what's left of it, and they help in taking down an illegal slowpoke tail trafficking business. And to top the cake, afterwards they find Silver lurking about around Azalea gym. Gold gets ridiculously angry for the boy's dismissive comments about Team Rocket and the threat they pose. Silver gets angry at Gold for being a loser who's trying to play a hero. Gold punches him in the nose. Silver kicks him. Kris forces them apart by ordering her newly caught poliwag to spray them with bubblebeam.

That night they sleep in separate rooms, although Gold suspects that Kris spends her evening in Silver's before slipping out after midnight. He definitely doesn't give a damn. If Kris is so sweet on the red-haired jerk, she can right well marry him for all Gold cares.

The next day Silver's still there. It's the first surprise among many. The second is when he suggests they settle their differences with a pokémon battle. Gold accepts warily―he doesn't know what Silver's up to, but it can't be anything good.

He proceeds to beat Silver's croconaw with his quilava, and Silver storms off spouting about his pokémon being weak and useless. Gold doesn't feel any better about it. Still, the redhead is back by nightfall and Kris seems to be pleased about something neither of the boys can comprehend.

Every one of them visits the gym at some point during the week and all three manage to gain a new badge. Gold also gains a new team mate, a feisty little heracross that's too brave for its own good. It just rolls out of the tree, ready to battle, when Quilava accidentally headbutts its nest while training. After being caught and released out of its ball for the first time it very nearly clamps its pincers onto Silver's ankle, causing the boy to yelp and fall flat on his ass. Gold barely suppresses his laugh, avoiding Silver's glares for the rest of the day while feeding extra berries to the beetle whenever he has the chance. It's safe to say that he loves the little bugger to death from the first moment on.

They leave right after Gold's match, heading towards Ilex Forest together. Silver's still not showing any signs of leaving, which Gold finds odd beyond all. He spends his time pestering the boy with questions and comments, rarely receiving answers, but surprisingly neither of them feels too irritated. He's even starting to get used to Silver's presence, grinning in his company because he feels like it, rather than out of habit. And if he's not seeing things, there might even be a small smile on the other boy's lips that keeps coming back despite his best attempts at scowling.

Gold starts to think there might be some hope for them, after all.

-x-

Right before Goldenrod, he suddenly remembers something important.

"Oh shit," Gold exclaims, causing Silver to very nearly drop the pokéball he's been tossing in the air for a good ten minutes while they've walked. "I mean― ack, damn it… I need to make a call. Like, right now."

Without further explanation he shuffles out of hearing range, leaving behind a puzzled Kris and an annoyed Silver, who's more or less glaring daggers at him. Gold digs out his pokégear and dials a familiar number.

It rings just once before a cheerful, bubbly voice fills his ear: "Gold! It's been forever since you called!"

Gold laughs. "I know, Ly, I know… I've been a bit busy lately, with stuff I'd rather show you. I hope you're at home hmm… today?"

"You're coming to Goldenrod?" Lyra practically squeals. "Oh gosh, of course I'm at home! I'd love to meet up!"

"That's great," the boy grins. "But, uh, there're actually a few guys coming with me, I hope that's alright?"

"Sure, sure… if they're with you, I'm sure they're nice people." Gold grimaces as Silver crosses his mind. "Well, I look forward to meeting you all, then!"

"Yeah, I'll see you!" He hangs up the call and jogs back to Kris and Silver, who are sporting almost identical frowns. Clearly they are spending too much time in each other's company.

"What was that all about?" The girl asks.

"There's someone I'd like to visit while we're here…" Gold starts out. "Her name is Lyra and she's a friend of mine, who used to live in New Bark before moving to her grandparents' house right outside Goldenrod. They actually run a pokémon day care, so maybe it could be an interesting experience for you guys too?"

He ends the explanation with a hopeful note. Silver and Kris share a look. Kris silently raises an eyebrow and the boy shrugs. She smiles.

"It's fine," she says. "I'm sure it'll be fun."

Gold grins and hopes for the best. Hopes against all odds that Silver won't be a jerk.

What he fails to hope for, is that he himself won't be one too.

-x-

The fields between Ilex Forest and the metropolis are riddled with trainers looking for a good fight or some other form of excitement. However, there seems to be some power in numbers and the people mainly leave the three of them alone. Or perhaps it's the way Silver keeps glaring at anyone who comes closer than ten feet―Gold is nevertheless thankful for the peace and quiet, which allows them to move forward at a leisurely pace.

As such, it takes them the better part of the day to reach Lyra's grandparents' day care center. Gold calls ahead to warn her once he spots the building in the distance, and when they're finally at the gate the familiar brunette girl is already out on the yard, waiting with a big grin on her face.

"Oh my Arceus," she calls out, jogging over to open the gate and pull Gold into a surprisingly tight hug coming from someone her size. "Gold, you're like a tree!" She squeals. "Didn't I tell you to stop growing last time I visited?"

Gold in turn laughs. "We can't all stay tiny little teddiursas like you, Ly."

The girl scoffs and playfully punches him in the forearm, before turning to greet the other two trainers. Kris looks friendly enough, while Silver's face is decorated by his usual scowl. Gold feels a tick of annoyance, watching him. Couldn't he at least pretend to be a bit less of a dick than he is? Maybe Gold should've paid him to do that, for Lyra's sake.

"You must be Gold's traveling buddies, then," Lyra says offering her hand first to Kris and then Silver. She shakes it, like normal people only should. He doesn't, hiding his hand inside his pockets instead. Gold feels a storm cloud settle above his head, glaring at Silver in warning.

He's been so well-mannered these past few days, or as well-mannered as he believes Silver to be capable of. Gold would even go so far as to suggest that the boy had actually been good company all throughout their journey through the forest, going along with Gold's ideas even when he wanted to tell spooky stories one night, while Kris kept blocking her ears and telling them they were both being hideously cruel. The night had ended with Kris moving her sleeping bag as far from theirs as she dared, what with all the strange tales she'd already been forced to hear, and Gold and Silver sharing a small conspiratorial smirk. Gold cannot for the life of him understand why Silver must be such a jerk-face now, of all times, when he's already proven that he doesn't necessarily have to be.

"It really is nice to meet you," Kris says after introducing herself. "And I'm awfully sorry we've all barreled here on such a short notice. I would've reminded Gold to call a lot sooner, had I known we'd be taking a stop here."

She flicks Gold a meaningful look that speaks volumes on how big of a pleb she believes him to be, forgetting to both mention and call on ahead that they would be visiting. Gold feels appropriately chastised, but also a little irked. It's not like it's any of her business, really.

"Oh no, it's no bother at all," Lyra assures the girl. "I mean, this is Gold we're talking about. I'm honestly impressed he remembered to call before he was right outside the door!"

Lyra laughs so brightly that Kris has to join in. Gold tries to appear sheepish, but comes off as much too amused. He's not really embarrassed by this particular short-coming of his, so it's okay for the girls to bond over their shared exasperation. He'd expected them to get along almost the moment he met Kris, but it's still good his gut-feeling had been spot-on.

That only leaves him one problem to deal with. That is―

"So," Lyra drawls out right then. "Who're you?"

Silver glares―fucking glares―and somebody has got to teach him some basic manners one of these days. Gold is about two seconds from either telling him as much, or simply decking him, when the redhead surprises him by grumbling out his name and some appropriate greeting along with a curt nod.

Lyra accepts it all with a slightly quizzical grin, before swirling around and announcing that they should all head inside for Granny's cooking and that afterwards Gramps would be more than happy to show them around and answer any questions they might have. Everyone trails after her, nearly ecstatic at the prospect of an authentic home-cooked meal. Even Silver's scowl seems to mellow down and once they're seated around the table, being served platefuls of steaming hot stew, he actually smiles. Gold thinks that there must be some truth to that saying about the road to a man's heart being through his stomach.

Then again, even Silver can't be that much of an asshole that he'd insult Lyra's grandmother's stew. Or stupid enough to risk a free meal by doing so. Whichever his motivations are, Gold's glad he's being a bit less of a bitch than initially.

Of course, he's too early in celebrating, because once they're done with the food and move onto touring the day care center, Silver becomes his usual charming self. He keeps glaring at Lyra and her grandfather, who take turns telling amusing anecdotes featuring passing trainers or the pokémon they've left in their care. His look turns especially sour after they reach the baby ward, where they're greeted with the sight of newly hatched sentrets and their proud furret mother.

Lyra's in the middle of telling the story of their birth to a totally enamored-by-the-babies Kris, when Gold hears Silver scoff and suddenly decides he's had enough of whatever this is.

"Hey," he calls out gruffly but quietly as he slides next to the red head, jabbing him with an elbow. The girls haven't noticed yet and if he plays it cool, he can maybe keep it that way. If they're immune to Silver's particular brand of douchebaggery, he's perfectly happy to spare them the misery. "You've been acting real prissy all evening… what is your problem?"

Silver fixes him a heated glare, not like Gold hasn't seen enough of those for a lifetime. "You're my problem," snaps the boy. "You and this useless detour of yours. Just get out of my face."

And yeah, okay, Gold was going to be mature about this but that really takes the cake on tonight's "How Much of a Prick Can Silver Be?" -competition. He can feel his resolve snap, loud and clean, like a fake out. So, he bristles and plainly tells Silver to stop being such an ass and besides, he should be a bit more grateful and maybe even listen to what Lyra and her Grandpa are telling them, because Arceus knows Silver could learn a thing or two about raising pokémon if his lackluster battle performance is anything to go by.

Silver goes very silent and turns very red, as red as his hair, which is kind of a telling warning sign that he's about to blow (and also a rather lovely shade, if thinking purely about the aesthetic). Then he proceeds to loudly tell him how much of an idiot Gold is to suggest that. This effectively garners the girls' attention and Gold swears under his breath, holding his ground, and thanks whatever powered beings that Lyra's Grandpa has stepped out of the room and is therefore not here to witness the outburst.

"―and besides, how many competent trainers rely on day care?" Silver's sneering, turning to throw Lyra a mocking look. "Say, how many gym leaders have you had as clients? How about League members? Qualifying contestants who want to power up their team for the championships?"

"Um," Lyra says, brows furrowed. "None, but that's―"

"There," Silver crows triumphantly, eyes ablaze. "You keep spouting all that nonsense about caring for your pokémon, but that's not how you become strong, is it? That's not how you rise above the rest. That's all through being tough and working hard and pushing yourself and your pokémon to the limits. Love and affection and sitting around playing with furry critters and other shit, that's only for children and fairy tales." As he finishes, his voice is so bitter it's almost dripping with it. "We're wasting our time here."

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?" Gold asks. He's really so done with Silver and his moods. So what if the guy can't handle having feelings, he should learn to not take it out on others. "A totally blind idiot. This is exactly what you need to get your pokémon to listen to you, to like you so that they'd maybe actually want to battle for you, but if you're too busy being a jealous bitch 'cause no one's ever liked you, then I can't help you."

He gives a mirthless laugh, shaking his head. "And the best part is, I bet you're glad that I can't. You think whatever's happened to you to make you a dick has also made you all-fucking-mighty so that you don't need others, but guess what, Silver? You need help like the rest of us. Someday you're gonna realize that, but there won't be anyone left to help you, 'cause you've discarded all your friends like the trash you think they are."

Distantly he can hear Kris gasp as silence falls upon them like a ton of bricks. Unlike the last time, all color has drained from Silver's face and the contrast between his vibrant hair and pale skin is enough to make him look weirdly ethereal and―

"Fuck. Off." Silver says very slowly, each of the two words like a knife piercing right through Gold's skin as he abruptly, with a painful clarity, realizes just how far he's gone.

By that point Silver has already stormed out of the room, and Gold moves on autopilot, jogging after him, calling his name, but it's no use. He stops by the gate, but Silver just keeps going, down the road, further and further away from the apology that's on the tip of Gold's tongue, right next to some more accusations.

Kris throws Gold a look that's more than a bit angry and keeps running after the red head.

"You're unbelievable," she mumbles coldly, as she passes him. Gold feels about ready for the world to swallow him whole. He desperately wants sit down and wallow in his own misery.

Lyra walks next to him, carefully brushing against his arm. "That was…" Her face is a mix of irritation and confusion. "I don't even know. What's his problem, anyway?"

"Could you get me some water?" Gold mumbles. "Please."

The girl regards him curiously for a second before walking inside to fetch a glass. She returns far too soon for Gold's liking, but the water is cool and wonderful, and his thoughts feel much clearer after he's downed it all. He mentally maps all his current feelings.

Firstly, he still feels awful, but not as much. Maybe he crossed a line he shouldn't have, yes, but Silver riled him up pretty good by pulling Lyra into the argument and acting derogatory as he did and―

That leads him to his second thought, which is that he's still pretty furious. Horrified by his own cruelty, but furious. Who does Silver think he is? And why would Kris take his side like that? At least Lyra has always been his friend, no matter what.

"I think I wanna stay here tonight," Gold mutters.

"You're perfectly welcome," Lyra chirps. "But will they be coming too? I'm not too sure about that."

Gold glances at the road. Neither Silver nor Kris is anywhere to be seen, having disappeared to the direction of uptown Goldenrod City.

"Nah," he replies and gets up. "I don't think they'll be coming."

-x-

He finds Kris at the pokécenter the next morning. Unsurprisingly, Silver's not with her. Surprisingly though, he appears from the men's room two minutes into Gold and Kris' conversation, only to spot Gold, scowl, turn right on his heels and storm off in the opposite direction.

Let the prissy princess go, Gold thinks, deciding that despite the sting in his chest he doesn't give a damn. Kris however, elbows him rather forcefully.

"You go after him and apologize," she hisses sharply. "He's gonna run off on his own if you don't."

Gold's not sure why that's so bad―Silver clearly wants to be left alone, since he's so keen on ditching them at any given turn―but Kris just pushes him off.

He runs. Apparently, Silver wasn't expecting him to be that into catching him and so Gold manages to corner him on a narrow street behind the center in no time. The boy looks pissed off―what else is new―but also maybe kinda… hurt? And like, not in the 'I am Silver the all mighty, how dare you tell me off for being a self-righteous prick'-way but in the more subtle and frightened, 'I know I fucked up but you fucked up too and I really don't know if you know it'-way.

Gold swallows and thinks about his options. He could push Silver away like the little bundle of anger and hurt inside him keeps telling him to do. Or he could be the bigger person and apologize.

Briefly, he remembers the old man from Cherrygrove and, though he still doesn't trust it to work one-hundred-percent, decides to try his advice. Besides, isn't that kinda what he yelled at Silver about, being nice to others? He should try and practice what he preaches, even if Silver does his best to make it very hard.

"Hey," he mumbles, unsure how to begin. Silver grants him a wary glance. Gold stalls for a moment longer before taking the tauros by its horns. He's never been good at being anything but frank. "I'm sorry I called you… well, all those things. I don't mean it, really. It's just… hard to not lash out when you… damn." He cuts himself off before he does lash out. "It's hard to not answer in kind, y'know. I try to be nice and all, but you seem to hate me… and um…"

"I―I don't hate you."

Silver's words come as a silent surprise.

"I really don't," he repeats. Gold eyes him skeptically. "I mean we're not fucking best friends, but I don't have reason to hate you yet." The 'yet' makes Gold's eyebrows jump higher towards his hairline, but Silver keeps going without a pause now that he's managed to crack the dam open. "But you keep trying to smother all these ideas at me and act like all I need to do is look at things your way when you don't know half the things I've seen and it's― fuck."

It's now Silver's turn to swear and collect his thoughts. Gold lets him do so in peace, not wanting to interrupt too soon.

"It's―it's a bit like I said yesterday, except different context," he finally begins anew. Gold is a bit surprised at how calm they both are, even as Silver's explanation continues. "You wouldn't take me half as seriously if I was all fucking joy and sunshine, and you can't prove me wrong. So, it's like… do I hate you? Well, no. But do I like you? Who freaking knows, and what does it matter even if I did, cause if I want people to respect me it wouldn't change how I act. What does it matter if I like you or not, it won't help you get anywhere or anything, and neither will it help me. In fact, the whole liking people, getting attached, letting it show… it's a damn sure way to get yourself hurt."

He releases a sight that's as dreary as it's bitter. "The only way to make it in this world is to take what you need and never stop moving forward."

Silver looks honestly tired. There are bags beneath his eyes and his shoulders are sagged as he moves to the side to lean against the wall. Gold swallows and thinks about his words.

"That's not―" he tries, cutting the sentence off before he has the chance to sound like an asshole, again. He reforms it in his mind before trying again. "I seriously do see your point. Maybe not completely, but I do understand where you're getting at. And likewise, there are things you're not really taking into account when you say that you need to keep others away to gain their respect."

Silver, who had closed his eyes momentarily, cracks one open and peers at him from underneath his bangs. His hair is a disheveled mess, makes him look all roguish like those misunderstood heroes in second-rate romantic fantasy novels. Gold holds his gaze and tries to sound certain.

"That's really not how you get people to trust you," he says carefully. "Not how you get them to respect you. You can't force them by acting in a certain way. You actually need to let you real feelings show for that to happen, even if you risk yourself in doing that. If you only keep running away from people and using them to reach your own means, you'll reach the end of your line far too soon. I don't think you really want to be an asshole all the time. I've spent time with you and whenever you're not stressed, whenever you don't feel the pressure, you're… actually really cool to be around. And that's what you should realize."

He pauses to break their eye contact and lean against the wall next to Silver.

"I mean, think of Kris. She doesn't need anything from you, but she seems to trust you. Do you really wanna hurt her by keeping her away? Cause if you do, I haven't noticed. Actually, you almost seem to be acting nice towards her. And how's that working out for you? I'd say fine. Just like with Kris, with the rest of the world, you gotta stop, pause, and pay some attention to what's around you. If you do that, people will notice you."

He falls silent at that and they take their time, staring at the opposite wall. There's a poster for some already past Pokéathlon Tournament plastered on it, and Gold wastes a few minutes simply mapping the details. Then he hears Silver hum deep and low, thoughtful and perhaps a tad melancholic.

"I don't really know," the boy mutters. "I just can't see it."

For whatever reason, right then and there Gold is struck by the a great sensation of longing. Like he wants to cradle Silver in his arms and never let go, even though that's a fucking dumb thought and he doesn't even like Silver enough to hug him, so there must be something wrong with his head.

He clears his throat.

"Well, you never will, if you don't try. And I know that sounds like a damn cliché, but it's true. So maybe… let's put this behind us, and I'll be less on your ass and you'll try to be less of an ass, and we'll stay together for the kids. Or, you know, Kris."

Silver snorts. "When you put it like that, how can I say no?"

"See," Gold chuckles. "It's not so bad."

They hang around on the alley for a few more minutes, before Gold's pokégear starts ringing and breaks the peaceful lull they'd fallen into. Kris is asking where he is and whether he'd found Silver, and Gold assures her they'll be back at the pokécenter in a minute, which then means that they have to get a move on to be able to keep that promise. Even so, the return trip is a lot less hectic than the chase from before and they make the way in comfortable, if not quite companionable, silence. Kris looks absolutely thrilled and more than little relieved when they finally turn up, and she makes Silver promise that he'll stop running off like that or she'll install a tracker on his bag. Silver doubts her capability of doing so and Kris warns him not to test her, while Gold braves a small chuckle. Nothing explodes.

Somehow, it feels like he's been let off the hook two times now. Two times Silver should've left and two times he stayed. Gold only wishes the third time won't be any different.

-x-

-x-

A/N: hello everyone! I've been out of fanfiction business for a while (a long while), but now I'm back with a story about Silver and Gold! It follows the plot of the games but it's slightly au, as you probably noticed. I also want to warn, that the characters are teenagers (15-16) and they tend to be crude and politically incorrect, and mostly nothing they say represents the author's true opinions on whichever matter.

This was supposed to be like 5k long before it got wildly out of hand. There's gonna be maybe seven or eight chapters (I'm not quite done yet, but I'm at around 40k right now), which I've written between 2014-2017, so the quality may vary. Nevertheless, I hope you'll stick around for the ride! As always, please enjoy and let me know what you think!